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Can the Martingale System be Used for Slots and Other Games?

December 18, 2015 Category :General 0

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.

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Who Will Win the NBA Championship?

November 4, 2015 Category :General 0

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!

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World Record Online Slots Win

October 23, 2015 Category :General 0

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.

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How to Play Online Slots

October 5, 2015 Category :General 0

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?

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Bet the NFL at USA Online Casinos

September 5, 2015 Category :General 0

BetOnline CasinoIf you are like many online casino players, you also like to bet on sports from time to time. With the 2015 NFL season starting this Sunday, you can bet on the NFL at some of the best USA online casinos available. One of our recommended online casinos in particular is a great place to bet on NFL games as well as enjoy all your favorite online casino games, slots and video poker machines.

If you want to bet the NFL we highly recommend the BetOnline Casino. The BetOnline Casino is one of our top rated USA online casinos but also offers one of the best USA online sportsbooks. in fact, BetOnline actually started as an online sportsbook and then later opened its casino and then even an online poker room.

You can see our BetOnline Casino review for all the information regarding the online casino but we also want to highlight some of the features offered by the online sportsbook. The BetOnline Sportsbook offers wagering on every major sporting event and is one of the top recommended online sportsbooks. You can access the sportsbook online as well as by phone and you can use the same account as you use for playing at the casino. If you already have an account at BetOnline for the casino you can use the sportsbook immediately. If you do not have an account at BetOnline yet, simply sign up and gain access to the sportsbook, casino and poker room all from the same account.

BetOnline has been in business since 2001 and is one of the best USA online gaming destinations available. The offer a full slate of NFL and college football games to bet on as well as all the other sporting events you would expect to find at a full service sportsbook.

BetOnline welcomes USA players and they have outstanding USA banking options. They accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards and get all credit card deposits approved easily. If for some reason your credit card does not get approved at BetOnline, they offer other credit card alternatives as well as accept cash transfers.

When you want to make a withdraw you can do so by bank wore, check or cash transfer and BetOnline has some of the fastest withdraws in the industry. If you need your winnings quickly you can request a cash transfer and have your cash pickup details in as little as 24 hours.

If you want to bet the NFL at a USA online casino, BetOnline really is your best choice. Get started by using any of our links in our BetOnline Casino review and start betting on the NFL as well as enjoy all the features of a top online casino. By signing up at BetOnline you have a one stop operation for all your online gaming needs. There are other online casinos with sportsbooks but BetOnline is our top choice. They are know as one of the top safe online casinos available to USA players and their sportsbook gets very high marks from sports betters.

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What is Card Counting?

August 14, 2015 Category :General 0

Card counting is in some ways the Holy Grail of the casino and gambling world: a genuine system that gives you a true edge and tips the odds in your favor, meaning that in the long term the player, not the casino, has the advantage.

Card counting is possible in blackjack unlike most casino games, roulette being the most obvious example, what has happened previously in roulette has no bearing on what will happen next. If red comes up 10 times in a row on roulette, the chances of the next spin being black (or red, or zero for that matter) remain the same as they always were.

However, in blackjack, previous cards do have an impact on what is to come, or at least that was certainly true in bricks and mortar casinos that used a traditional eight decks that were shuffled manually.

Card counting revolves around the central point that a pack stacked with high cards (10s and aces) is beneficial to the player, because it gives them the best chance of hitting blackjack whilst making it more likely the dealer will bust (as they have to hit on less than 17).

Players keep a running count of the high and low cards that have already been dealt in order to assess whether the state of the remaining cards is favorable or not. By betting big when the deck is full of high cards and betting less when it is less favorable, card counters can overcome the small house edge that exists in blackjack and actually have a positive expectation from their play. In simple terms, the player not the casino wins in the long term.

Unfortunately casinos have taken a number of measures to combat card counting. Card counting is legal and while casinos can always refuse to allow certain players to play, it remains in their interests to make counting cards impossible or at least reduce its efficacy.

Casinos may use continuous shuffling machines (online and offline) to negate the benefits of card counting, while in real world casinos fast dealing, distracting players by talking to them and using software to spot card counters are all well known tactics. Equally shuffling the cards earlier into the deck reduces the benefits of card counting. So while card counting does work, the casinos certainly don’t make it easy for the counters!

Unfortunately card counting is not a realistic strategy when playing blackjack online. When you play blackjack online you have no idea what the software is doing to the cards. Are they shuffling them after every hand? Shuffling after every 10 hands? Using an 8 deck shoe? You have no way of knowing when playing online so we do not recommend trying to count cards when playing at a USA online casino. In fact many online casinos use a constant shuffle meaning the cards are in fact shuffled after every hand, making counting cards irrelevant.

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Blackjack Basic Strategy

July 31, 2015 Category :General 0

Basic strategy is a must for anyone who plays blackjack, be that with friends, at a USA online casino or at a bricks and mortar casino. Quite simply, basic strategy is the only way to play blackjack if you care about the nickels and dimes – and dollars!

Basic strategy is the name given to the method of playing blackjack that gives players the best mathematical chance of winning. Basic strategy, which is usually expressed as a chart, tells you precisely what decision to make in any given situation in blackjack and applies equally to online blackjack, mobile blackjack and indeed any form of the great casino card game.

Basic strategy tells you, based on the value of your two cards and the dealer’s one revealed card, whether you should hit, stand, split, double, surrender or take insurance. Some of those decisions are easy – never take insurance; always, and we do mean always, split eights – but others are more complex: for example should you hit a soft 18 to a dealer showing a nine (the answer is yes, assuming standard rules apply and four to eight decks are being used)?

Basic strategy, which was “invented” by four keen minds who were serving in the US army at the time, varies according to the precise rule variants the casino you are playing in uses but in general most decisions remain the same. It’s easy to find basic strategy charts and when you’re playing at an online blackjack site, referring to the guide is a quick and easy way to give yourself the best odds of winning.

Any blackjack ruleset has a house edge but in order to achieve that house edge you MUST follow the rules of basic strategy. Whilst it may not always seem the right call, the fact is that basic strategy has been mathematically and scientifically tested and it really does give you the greatest chance of success.

Of course, when you hit on a 16 you may well bust and lose that individual hand, but over time you will win more hands by doing as basic strategy tells you than you will following your gut, listening to your friends or anything else. So, in short, if you like to play blackjack online and like winning, make basic strategy your new friend.

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Staking Plans

July 17, 2015 Category :General 0

People play at US online casinos for different reasons but winning is important to all of them. Even players who play for fun must have at least one eye on making a profit because there isn’t much fun in losing every time you hit the slots or tables. A staking plan is essential for a serious casino player but even for those who just like a few spins of the roulette wheel it can help them make a profit and, also, help them avoid making any big losses.

The Martingale System is one of the most famous casino staking plans around and is usually applied to roulette (betting on colors) but can be used for other games. In theory it is risk free but, as discussed in our Martingale feature not even the best US online casinos offer the conditions needed for the theory to come even close to working in practice.

Martingale is, however, a form of negative progression staking, which means as you lose bets, you increase the stake. The idea here is to recover former losses but as a general rule we advise against any negative progression system, including Martingale, Grand Martingale and the less well known D’Alembert. They amount to chasing losses and also mean you are betting your highest when your finances are weakest and it doesn’t take a casino genius to figure out that neither of these things are too wise.

The opposite sort of system sees you increase stakes when you are winning and this is certainly preferable. In some games, for example blackjack, where what has gone before can affect the future probabilities, there could even be a sound argument for this, but at the very least it holds some value because your stake is remaining, to a degree at least, proportionate to your bankroll. However, it’s all too easy to get greedy and knowing when to stop is vital, as it’s very easy for a profit to turn to a loss with big bets.

Our preferred staking plan for all online casino games is a level stakes system. Take your bank, divide it by the number of hands/spins you would see as the minimum required to have a decent session playing and then simply wager that amount on each hand, spin or roll. This system guarantees you avoid any huge losses and that you stick to a budget – two things crucial to enjoyable and successful casino play. So the next time you play at a USA online casino keep this in mind so you have the best chances of winning by the end of your gaming session.

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