There are a good many popular and reputable online bingo rooms in operation today. Some Bingo Rooms like JackpotCity Bingo offer loads of exciting promotions and both 90 ball bingo and 75 ball bingo to online gamers. Many online bingo rooms couple their bingo games with online casino games too. The best part of online bingo is the fact that no commuting to meeting halls has to take place. Everything is arranged from the comforts of home with as little cost as possible to the player.

What’s it all about?

Internet bingo is much like its land-based equivalent except for several important differences: online bingo is much easier to join and it is highly cost effective.

The way it works is simple too. A player simply chooses a bingo ticket and waits for all the numbers to be called. If your call beats out your opponents, you win. Remember that the numbers on the bingo cards are randomly generated. There are five rows and five columns – 25 numbers in total for 75-ball bingo. 90-ball bingo uses a 9 by 3 card. Match up a pattern and complete the word BINGO and you’re in the pound seats.

And betting starts really low on online bingo – unlike bricks and mortar casinos.

Hi-tech gaming

Some bingo rooms require software downloads before you get gaming, others allow for instant play. An interest component of online bingo is that it remains a social game, despite players staying home while they’re enjoying it. The reason is the chat rooms with unique bingo-lingo jargon, forums, customer support services and loads of other interactive software at work. And the numbers of online bingo players joining these chat room networks is growing at a healthy rate. Most of the required software comes in the form of Java or Adobe. All reputable online bingo rooms use random number generators (RNG)

Two popular versions

Online bingo can be enjoyed in 2 standard formats: 75 ball bingo and 90 ball bingo. The former retains the top spot as most popular bingo game with millions of players. The latter is fast gaining traction, especially in the UK. Regardless of the version played, the industry is set to grow to a staggering sum of $1 billion by 2010. In order to receive their winnings, players will first need to set up online accounts with their preferred online bingo room. There are several helpful tools to make the online bingo experience easier. One such method includes the auto-daub features – which marks the numbers off as they are called off.

A good rule of thumb is to know the game. This means learning the odds in this game of luck. Each and every spin is unrelated to the previous spin and there is always a 50/50 chance (barring the green zero) that black or red will come up. Playing these colours generally guarantees a win half of the time. This goes for odds & evens, hi-low, rows & columns etcetera. There is no failsafe system to employ, but one can limit the house advantage by choosing European over American Roulette. European Roulette has a lower house edge.

Roulette wins are big on single numbers where gamers are often low on luck. It’s advisable to go in with a budget and stick to it. Play first for free, get used to roulette gaming before using real money. Deposit your winnings and play with your original stake. The best part is online roulette tables don’t fill so you’ve always got a spot to play. For example placing $1 bets on all four corners of a number will cover more of the table than placing a $5 bet on that same number. And remember that your guess is as good as anyone else’s, so it’s worth a shot.

Then there are the many common online betting tips that can really help you out such as these:

• Always remember that the dealer has the upper hand because the player is first to leave
• Try to play where doubling down on any two cards is allowed
• Play where the dealer has to stand soft on 17 – as the dealer has to hit on any hand 16 or below. You as a player should always hit on any hand below 17 when the dealer shows A, K, Q, J, 10, 9 or 8. It’s advised to stand on hands 11 or higher when the dealer shows 4, 5, and 6
• Split Aces, 8’s, 2’s and 3’s against a dealer’s 4, 5 or 6. But don’t split face cards 10’s or 5’s
• A good blackjack strategist can limit the house advantage to a maximum of 0.5%

The best hand – a natural nine – would contain just 2 cards totaling 9. Or a player could generate a natural eight, with an 8 total. Once a player has either of these possible outcomes, no other players, including the banker may draw a third card. The player with the natural eight or nine would win, unless of course a tie ensued in which case the game is nullified.

Betting in Baccarat begins when no players have the natural eight or nine. Of course the option of folding is on the table too.

From the 8 decks of cards the banker and the players will play to win. Players can bet on player’s hands, banker’s hand or a tie. But nothing comes from the latter option if a player bets on a tie. A tie is not only rare but betting on one will cost you around 14% of your winnings.

Be sure to check up on house edge for banker’s hand and player’s hand before you game. You always draw if your card total is less than 6 or 7 and a banker always stands on 7.

The craps table

The typical craps table can seat 24 people. If the dice are hot, then that table is going to be buzzing like a live wire. The reason craps is so energized is that it’s a collective players’ game. On a good day the typical craps table runs at around 100 decisions an hour. Plus craps players have multiple bets running concomitantly. Thus your bankroll is going to be way higher than other table or slots games. And that’s because craps simply has so many betting options available for players.

Getting down to business

Many craps table have double layouts with a boxman (collects cash and supervises) at the center and a stickman (gives the shooter the dice) opposite him. The table’s center comprises boxes for proposition (1 roll) bets and there are hard-way bets too. These are more specific bets. There are dealers at the sides, taking bets and paying winners. The players cover the rest of the table.

The lingo at the craps table

• Field – a one roll bet that 1 of 7 numbers will be realized.
• Place or Buy – these are boxes marked 4, 5, Six, 8, Nine and 10. (Six and Nine are spelled so that there is no confusion to players on opposite sides of the table). Boxes 6 and 8 are the ‘Big 6’ and ‘Big 8’ bets.
• Craps – 2,3 or 12
• Boxcars – 2 sixes
• Yo, Yo-leven – 11
• C and E Craps – 11
• Snake Eyes – Two 1’s
• Little Joe – a 4 roll
• Jimmy Hicks – 6
• Skinny Dugan – a loser 7
• Skate and Donate – 8
• Center Field – 9
• Puppy Paws – Two 5s
• Natural Winner – 7 or 11 on the come-out roll

Betting and Technique

First up is the come-out roll. This is the first roll of the dice. There are Pass and Don’t Pass bets. Pass bets begin with the shooter and Don’t Pass bets are against the shooter. The shooter then tosses the dice to the opposite wall of the craps table. If the come-out roll is 7 or 11 then Don’t Pass bets lose and Pass bets win. When the come-out roll is 2, 3, or 12, that’s craps, and the Pass bets lose. Don’t Pass bets win on 2 or 3, but 12 is not allowed. Don’t Pass bets don’t win or lose if the come-out roll is 12.

A point is a come-out roll of any other number. When the point number is rolled again prior to the next 7, Pass bets will win and Don’t Pass bets will lose. But if a 7 comes up before the point number, Don’t Pass bets will win and Pass bets will lose. If the shooter doesn’t make the point, the dice are given to a new shooter. This goes in a clockwise direction. Field bets are for one roll bets stating that one of seven numbers will come up. They may be placed before any roll.

Bet to win

The house has a 1.41 percent edge on a Pass bet and 1.4 percent on Don’t Pass. Most players bet the Pass line. This is because they enjoy getting behind the shooter. There are come/don’t come bets – essentially the same as Pass/don’t pass except they’re placed on rolls besides the come-out.

Busting the myths

• Payback percentages are not lower when there is greater demand for a particular slots machine
• Winning slots machines are not necessarily placed where they are most visible including online
• Playing a machine that hasn’t hit a jackpot isn’t going to bring you any closer to winning one
• If a slots machine has recently recorded a big jackpot win it can still generate more winnings

So what are the techniques for playing slots then?

• First choose a reputable and licensed online casino
• Make sure you read and understand all the fine print
• Find out the payout percentage rates of the online casino
• Choose a game whose rules you clearly understand

It’s good to remember that slots machines can account for up to 80% of all casino revenue. This means it’s serious business and players should know what they’re doing. Many popular online slots games are 5 reels, 25 payline video slots. They often offer progressive slots options – meaning the jackpot mounts exponentially as you get deeper into the gaming.

How you would play

A typical video slots game requires you to hit a button for your preferred number of paylines. The more paylines, the more the spin costs and the greater the likelihood of your hitting a jackpot. Many video slots offer from 5 to 50 paylines and sometimes more. Some slots even accept $100 wagers per spin.

Everything from fabulous Marvel comics superheroes to weird and whacky games are available in today’s slot machines.

Here are some tips:

• Remember to game responsibly
• Play the maximum number of paylines
• You may want to stay informed of special promotions on slot machines
• Always go for higher-bonus slots
• Go for online casinos offering first time sign-up bonuses
• Work off your budget and don’t exceed it

Symbols and graphics

Features common to all modern video slots are wild and scatter symbols. Wilds are substitutes and scatters trigger winnings across various paylines. But there’s even bonus rounds where players get to add to their winnings as they move into a separate screen and rack up some bonus credits. Online slots have the added advantage of simulating real-life casinos replete with superb audio and graphics and some of the best animation around. Companies such as Playtech and Microgaming are world leaders in this field.

Jackpots

Today’s online slots machines can pay out figures in the millions. There are multiple smaller jackpots which are being won on a daily basis so it’s certainly worth a try.

Typical casino baccarat comes replete with dealers in tuxedos, amazing ambience and lots of buzz. But baccarat betting minimums are high. Playing the game is simple, here’s how:

Getting into it

The way baccarat is played is by placing a bet on the banker’s or player’s hand. Essentially that’s as simple as it is. Two cards are dealt from a shoe. The player receives the first hand and the second is the banker. It is possible for a third card to be dealt to either player or banker.

Baccarat odds

• Bank wins 45.84% of the time
• Players’ win 44.61% of the time
• A tie occurs 9.54% of the time

The house advantage is the following

• The Bank: 1.17%
• The Player: 1.36%
• A Tie: 4.57%

The cards

The goal is to get as close to 9 as possible. All cards that are 10 or above (picture cards) count as zero and all numbered cards from 1 to 9 are taken at face value.

Here’s where it gets interesting. If both cards dealt total a two-digit number, then only the last number counts. For example 6 + 8= 14 so the baccarat total is 4. Bets are paid even money and a commission is charged on winning banker wagers. A profitable albeit rare win would be on a tie hand which pays 8 to 1.

Knowing the rules

• Players and the banker will stand on a total of 8 or 9
• The player always draws a card if his/her total is less than or equal to 5, otherwise the player stands
• If the player does not draw a third card, then the Banker’s hand stands on a total of 6 or more and takes a third card on a total of 5 or less
• When the banker’s total is less than or equal to 2 then the banker draws another card – despite what the player’s third card is
• When the banker’s total is 3 then the banker draws another card unless the player’s third card is an 8
• When the banker’s total is 4 then banker draws another card unless the player’s third card is a 0, 1, 8, or 9
• If the banker’s total is 5 then banker draws another card if the player’s third card is a 4,5,6, or 7
• When the banker’s total is a 6 then the banker draws another card if the player’s third card is a 6 or 7
• Finally if the banker’s total is 7, then the banker stands firm

But there are ways of putting the percentages in your favour. Firstly you’ve got to decide what version of roulette you’re playing. European Roulette offers better odds because unlike the American version, there is no 00 meaning there is less chance your number won’t come up.

Players get their own colored chips

In order to get gaming, players are given different colored chips. If you win, you simply exchange your chips for cash. Playing is really easy. You take a look at the table and decide which numbers, odds or evens, or color you feel is going to come up. That’s it essentially. But there are many, many betting options where bets are divided or multiplied depending on how much you wager, where your chips are placed and how lucky you are.

Get spinning

The croupier waits for players to place their bets and then gives the wheel a big turn. Momentarily before the ball is about to drop into a slot, the croupier will announce ‘no more bets’. Once the croupier has placed the dolly on the number the ball has landed on, everyone but valid winners will lose their chips and the winners will be rewarded.

What are the odds and rules in roulette?

In European Roulette the house advantage is 2.7%; on American Roulette tables the advantage is 5.26% and a whopping 7.9% on the 5-number combo 0-00-1-2-3. It is important to note that there are no guarantees in roulette. Say for instance the ball lands on red 25 times in a row, there is no greater likelihood that it will land on black next spin around other than 50% (barring the green 0).

Crunching the numbers

• A wager on one number only typically pays 35 to 1
• A two-number wager, known as a split bet, pays 17 to 1
• A three-number wager, known as a street bet, pays 11 to 1
• A four-number wager, known as a corner bet, pays 8 to 1
• A six-number wager pays 5 to 1
• A wager on the outside dozen or column, pays 2 to 1
• A wager on the outside even money bets, pays 1 to 1

Some rules to look out for

Things like the ‘En Prison’ rule and ‘La Partage’ rule are common lingo in roulette. On even-money bets that show results on a zero, some casinos allow players to take back 50% of the bet or let the bet rollover – ‘En Prison’ for another spin. If the second result is zero the bet is lost. The ‘La Partage’ rule differs somewhat. If the player loses half the bet, the player has no recourse of leaving the bet ‘En Prison’ for a second spin.