General Archive

If you’ve never played at a USA online casino before then this is a great time to read this article, because hopefully we can save you a lot of cash and a lot of frustration. We can’t tell you a guaranteed way to win playing slots or other real money casino games but we can tell you some near-certain ways to lose, or more exactly, how to avoid them.

Don’t Play Drunk!

Playing in a casino, either a USA legal online one or a “real” casino in Vegas or anywhere else should be great fun. Having a few beers can also be great fun. Mixing the two together rarely ends up being fun! Obviously having the odd drink whilst you play is fine but playing online casino games when you are drunk, tired, emotional or otherwise not in fully control, is a really bad idea. Your judgement is affected and you’ll more often than not make the wrong calls, be that knowing when to stop playing or something simple like forgetting to split eights at blackjack.

Don’t Play in a Casino you Don’t Trust

Which of the many USA real money online casinos in which you choose to play is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. The best are safe, secure, reliable, trustworthy, offer great games, fair bonuses and excellent customer support. The worst offer bonuses that sound too good to be true and are, games that look like they were made in high school and process payments about as quickly as a tortoise running through syrup. If they process them at all!

Never Chase Losses

Chasing losses is just the sort of thing you’re likely to do whilst drunk or not in the right frame of mind to be playing casino games. As former NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff said, sometimes you’re the pigeon, and sometimes you’re the statue. Sometimes you’ll lose, but don’t make an acceptable loss turn into a devastating one by risking money you can’t afford to lose in the hope that you might win. You might win, but the day the loss comes, a bird’s droppings will be the least of your worries.

Play for Fun

Online casinos, offline casinos, any casinos – they all have the edge over the player. Don’t think you’ve got a winning system unless you’ve tested it and tested it and tested it. Then test it some more. Then ask a friend to test it.

Unless you’re a genius, you can’t beat the house, so play for fun, not profit, and accept that some days you’ll win, some you’ll lose. One thing you can be certain of is that regardless which USA online casino you choose listed here on our website, you will always be paid timely when you win. We only list the very best USA online casinos which all have great reputations for fast payouts.

Every single USA online casino going features online blackjack and that’s because it’s one of the most popular casino games out there. One thing that makes blackjack so good is that your chances of winning are, to some degree, in your hands, and the game requires a lot more skill than, say, slots.

If you want to play online blackjack then knowing when to split and when not to split is crucial and that’s exactly what we’re looking at here. The decision of when to split is just one part of optimal play and this method, known as basic strategy, should be employed by anyone looking to give themselves the best possible chance of making a profit and enjoying a lengthy stay at the tables.

First off, let’s start with the easiest decisions there are when it comes to splitting. The exact calls vary according to the precise blackjack variant and ruleset you are playing but assuming fairly standard rules, with between four and eight decks and the dealer standing on soft 17, the following applies.

Aces and eights should always be split, the former giving you the chance to create two great hands and the latter turning one terrible hand into two solid ones. At the other end of the spectrum never split 10s – your chances of improving such a hand are low and whilst the temptation to try and create two good hands is obvious, the math proves it doesn’t work.

Nines should be split unless the dealer has seven, 10 or ace, whilst sevens should be split to a dealer seven and below and hit if the dealer has eight or more. The same applies to pairs of twos and threes, whilst sixes should be split if the dealer has six or lower and hit if they have seven or more.

A pair of fours is a split if the dealer has a five or a six only, otherwise the optimum call is to hit, which leaves us with just a pair of fives to decide on. If the dealer has an ace or a 10 value card you should always hit your fives, whilst anything lower and you should double where possible or failing that hit.

And that, is all you really need to know about splitting when it comes to playing blackjack at a USA online casino – or an offline casino for that matter. If you haven’t checked out live dealer blackjack yet we highly recommend you do. Live blackjack is as close as you can get to playing at a brick and mortar casino without leaving your house. See the USA live online casinos we recommend for more information and then choose any of the USA live dealer casinos we recommend to get started.

Perhaps more than any other casino game, blackjack lends itself to discussion of strategy, tips, tactics, math and theory. Many alternative US online casino games lack the depth and complexity of online – or offline – blackjack and as such there are fewer books regarding them. There are literally thousands of blackjack books and probably hundreds of excellent ones, with only poker able to rival the literary back catalog of this brilliant game.

Unfortunately, most of us have jobs to work, kids to raise and casino games to play, so reading hundreds or even 10s of books on blackjack and casino strategy, not to mention more fictionalized or non-theoretical texts, just isn’t a viable option. Which is why we’ve whittled down millions and millions of words into just five must-read blackjack books, and here they are, in no particular order.

Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich

This is perhaps one of the best known books around on blackjack, especially in the wider world away from serious blackjack and casino aficionados. The hit Hollywood movie “21” was adapted from this book and both tell the wonderful, colorful story of how a group of MIT students took casinos all over the world for millions of dollars over an extended period.

Try reading this book, which is largely factual with some embellishments, and not wanting to have a go at card counting, team player and indeed bringing down the house.

Hollywood Blackjack by “Hollywood” Dave Stann

Dave Stann is a colorful character who uses colorful language and this book is great for beginners wanting to give card counting a try. As well as a little math and practical tips, this fun book gives you plenty of theory but in a way that doesn’t feel like you’re at school.

Blackjack Wisdom by Arnold Snyder

Arnold Snyder was an original inductee into the blackjack Hall of Fame and this book is a fine collection of some of his thoughts, collected from magazine articles. It covers a range of topics and is great for those who like to read a little here and there.

Beat the Dealer by Edward O Thorp

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve read this described as the seminal text on card counting or a classic of the genre, I wouldn’t need to worry about playing blackjack. It’s true though, this is a great book and a must-read for those who love the game and its history.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Gambling Like a Pro by Stanford Wong and Susan Spector

This superb book covers more than just blackjack but Wong is a Hall of Famer and the concise way this work details a range of topics and games makes it a must for this list.

If you want to learn and know more about Blackjack check out one or all of these books and your knowledge of blackjack will increase considerably. When your betting real money you should know as much as you can about the game your playing. Once you have peaked your knowledge use any USA online casino listed here and put your new found knowledge to the test.

Whether you live in the United States or anywhere else you can play online blackjack for real money at any of our recommended casinos. The latest in online blackjack is using a live dealer casino. Live dealer casinos allow you to play blackjack online like you would at a brick and mortar casino. There is an actual real person dealing the cards and running the game and you watch and play over a live streaming feed. See more about playing live dealer blackjack and the USA live online casinos we recommend playing at.

Christmas has come and gone and we hope you had a good one but we are now faced with the start of a new year and so we thought we’d have a look at the world of USA online casinos and highlight the changes we’d like to see in 2016. The casinos we work with here at USCasinoReport are all first rate but our wish list includes ideas for how these excellent sites can get even better as well as changes we’d like to see implemented by less scrupulous operators.

Better Player Protection

Starting with those less-than-honest operators, we’d definitely like to see players and particularly their funds given more protection, with more comeback when things go wrong. The best real money online casinos around, such as the ones featured here, are highly unlikely to ever treat you and your cash with anything other than respect. These casinos have been around a long time, are well regulated and run by trustworthy people: they are casinos that we personally use and that have good reputations.

However, sadly it seems all too easy for new casinos to pop up, offer promotions that are too good to be true, only to try and get out of paying their winners. Ring-fenced funds, stricter licensing and better regulation are needed!

Less Stringent Bonus Terms

We’d like to see bonus wagering terms that are fair to both the player and the casino and we firmly believe this is possible. Wagering of 20 times the bonus and deposit is fair, with games such as blackjack counting at more reasonable rates, and rollover requirements of 40, or even 50 times deposit and bonus are simply unfair.

More Investment in Mobile Casinos

Mobile casinos are here to stay but we’d like to see more games made available at our favorite sites, especially when it comes to those that want to play more than just mobile slots.

Bigger Progressives

RTG and other USA-friendly software providers have progressive slots with seven figure jackpots which is great, but many UK and European online casinos feature HUGE progressive jackpots of EIGHT figures. One UK player recently won more than $20m and we don’t see why USA players shouldn’t have access to similarly life-changing jackpots too.

In any case choose a USA online casino and get started playing slots, table games and video poker. We take pride in only listing reputable and safe online casinos so you always be confident your money is safe. Use any of our USA real money online casinos and you can always be confident you will receive your winnings in an timely manner and never need to “stress out” worrying whether you will be paid or not.

The Martingale System is probably the most famous staking system in the world of casinos and betting generally. If you’ve ever played roulette at real money online casinos the chances are you may have heard of or read about Martingale. Whilst it is most famously used for playing online roulette, it can, theoretically, very easily be used to play other real money casino games, including baccarat, blackjack and even slots, as well as being used for sports betting.

Martingale works on any bet where the payout is even – or close to even – and the probability of you winning each bet is close to 50%. Therefore, whilst it may be most closely associated with roulette, and betting on the colors, odd or even, or high and low, in essence it also works very well for blackjack, baccarat and other casino games, as well as on sports when using the spread.

Blackjack is perhaps the simplest roulette-alternative for Martingale and by doubling your bet after any loss you should have a good chance of making a small profit in the short-term. Of course, doubling, splitting, insurance and hitting blackjack itself will all alter your overall return but generally using Martingale to play online blackjack will work much the same way it does for roulette.

In modified form it can even be used to play slots, such that after a pre-selected run of losing spins, or once a target loss is reached, you increase your total bet. In slots, as in all Martingale usages, this does mean that you lose money more quickly when you are already down but, of course, the upside of that is that you can also recoup losses much more quickly if your luck changes.

Warning: Use Martingale With Caution

In truth though, much as we have said “Martingale works” for blackjack, or “Martingale can be used for baccarat”, what we actually mean is that it “works” just as well as it does for roulette. That is to say it doesn’t work very well at all!

Martingale should deliver lots of small wins but it will, ultimately, deliver a crushing loss when a long run of “bad luck” or “unbelievable” hands/cards/bets wipes out all your profits and quite possibly a lot more. In roulette for example, after “Black” wins 10 times in a row you would think “Red” surely has to hit soon. In reality the game does not remember the past, and just as in the previous 10 spins the odds of the ball landing on Black or Red is the same as it was for the last 10 spins – about 50%. The fact that “Black” has won 10 times in a row doesn’t matter as the game as no memory and the chance of Black coming again is still about a 50/50 chance which is far from a sure thing.

In short – we strongly advise against using the Martingale System for ANYTHING, especially when playing for real money. Play at any USA online casino listed here and rely on lady luck rather than the Martingale system and you will be better off in the long term.

If your casino luck is not running so great right now or you just fancy a change from the amazing US online casinos we feature – or you just happen to be a massive basketball fan – read on, as we take a look at the NBA season that started 27 October and will come to a thrilling climax next June.

Playing great online casino games provides an instant thrill, with casino games such as blackjack, slots or roulette offering a quick and simple resolution within a matter of seconds. You place your bets, spin the reels and cross your fingers. However, sportsbook betting is a different deck of cards, with part of the thrill being studying the stats and then watching your bets unfold over the course of the season, with the excitement potentially lasting months.

The early season betting favorites remain the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite their opening day defeat to dark horses Chicago, whom we suspect could be the surprise package this NBA season. The Cavs are currently priced at +275 to go all the way but the Bulls look like serious value to us at +1400, although since that fine win at the United Center they have slipped to 3-2.

The second favorites right now are the San Antonio Spurs, priced at +400 by a range of sportsbooks, they are sure to push hard all the way to the playoffs. The Spurs are currently leading in the Southwest and will hope to claim a sixth NBA Championship next year.

The Clippers and the defending champions Golden State have both started the new season in fine style and both boast 4-0 records at the time of writing, as do the Toronto Raptors in the East. Those three can be backed at odds of +1000, +450 and +6600 respectively and in what looks a very open NBA season there are also three or four other teams in with a shot of glory.

However, as said, it’s the Bulls who are the choice for us, with new coach Fred Hoiberg bringing fresh ideas to a side that has been hit by injury in recent years but now looks fit and ready to challenge. At +1400 this is a fine price and if they can keep absorbing the Head Coach’s philosophy they can deliver a long-overdue NBA Championship.

You may wonder why we are talking about the NBA on a casino website but we like sportsbetting as much as we like playing casino games. If you also like to bet on sports you can enjoy a full service sportsbook at one of our top US online casinos – BetOnline.

BetOnline is a top USA online casino and actually started off as a sportsbook. Today the BetOnline sportsbook is one of the biggest and most trusted US sportsbooks around. Use the online sportsboook or bet over the phone, BetOnline is a full service book and offers every type of bet imaginable. Use the sportsbook and casino at BetOnline from the same account and also claim some nice bonuses for both products. Check out our BetOnline Casino review for more information and if you also like to play online poker, yes they offer that too!

Almost all US online casinos feature progressive slots and if you’ve never tried these amazing real money slots then perhaps a little inspiration from the other side of the Atlantic is needed. And we’ve got just the man to provide that inspiration, with the tale of Jon Heywood, who recently won a world record $20.3m on an online slot!

There have been several bigger wins in Vegas and other US “real world” casinos but this latest win is the biggest EVER at an online casino, beating a win a Finnish player hit back in 2013. Many of the USA online slots we feature here are produced by Realtime Gaming and they have several progressive jackpot slots with seven figure jackpots, with the likes of Jackpot Pinatas and Shopping Spree II offering jackpots of almost $2m at the time of writing.

Heywood’s $20m stroke of exceptionally good luck is hard to beat but we think $2m will do nicely enough for us – let’s not get greedy now! Heywood, a 26-year-old from Crewe in the north of England, won his mega bounty on the Mega Moolah slot on October 6 and managed to keep his win quiet for three days as he tried to realize what a life-changing win he had achieved.

He even went into work the next day but the soldier, who toured Afghanistan with the British army, is unlikely to be going to work ever again after hitting this amazing slots win playing for just 25p (less than 40c!) per spin.

His father, who needs serious lung and heart surgery, is going to be the main beneficiary of Heywood’s win, with the very best in medical care for his dad being top of the kind soldier’s spending list. Next comes a family holiday – a luxurious Mediterranean cruise – and then a little something for himself in the shape of a quarter million dollar automobile, a Bentley Continental GT. We can’t agree with his color choice – yellow! – but hey, a Bentley’s a Bentley!

If you fancy buying the car of your dreams, quitting the day job and living a life of luxury, then why not claim a casino bonus today and try your luck at some of the great RTG progressive slots available at our featured real money online casinos? One USA online casino we like to play progressive slots at is the Aladdins Gold Casino. See our Aladdins Gold Casino review for more details and if you do sign up we think you will enjoy the time you spend there as well.

Playing online slots is great fun and just about all US online casinos feature a good selection of slots. However, if you’ve never played slots before, or perhaps never played them online, knowing where to start and how to play can be tricky. Our beginners’ guide to slots tells you everything you need to know about how to choose a slot, how to play and also offers some great tips on how to win!

Choosing a great slots site or USA online casino is easy because all of the ones we feature here offer great bonuses, a wide selection of games, good software, fair terms and good customer support.

Once you’ve decided where to play you need to choose what slot to play and again, although there is a huge choice – the best US casinos may have as many as 150 slots – this is actually quite easy. Different people like different things from a slot and so the best option is to try a few different ones out and see what you like. Some casinos feature a demo or free play mode and so you can “try before you buy” but if not just play a few spins on the lowest coin value to see if you enjoy the slot without risking too much cash.

Most real money online casinos will highlight their most popular slots and these are usually prominently featured on the homepage or the slots sub-page. However, another option is to ask customer support which slots offer the highest return to player ratio. They may not be able to provide this info but if they can this will help you choose a slot that should give you the best chance of making a long term profit.

Actually playing the slot is easy enough too and all you need to do is decide how much you want to risk per spin. This is done by altering the stake, usually by changing the coin value, the number of lines you are playing or sometimes both.

Next, just hit spin and cross your fingers. Slots need no special skill or knowledge, just a little luck and good timing. One simple way to improve your chances and prolong your playing time is to claim a great casino bonus, so why not do that right now and get started playing the best online slots for real money?