My Web Casino Guide

Roulette

This historical figure known as Blaise Pascal is said to be the man who invented the first wheel that was used in the game that is these days known as roulette. He was not intending to invent a tool for use in a wagering game, he actually had intended to create a perpetual motion device, but history happens the way it does and before long, the roulette wheel came to be used in the game we know now. By combining the famous wheel with a board game that came out of Italy and another wheel game which originated in Great Britain, the game was made into a French classic. It took off rapidly in Paris during the 1600’s and quickly rose to extreme levels of popularity when the upper class Frenchmen of the day began to view it as their game of choice. The luxurious feel of the game has never seemed to leave and even though its very name translates to “little wheel”, roulette is still extremely popular all across the world as one of the premiere offerings in any casino. The flash and dazzle is all still there as a timeless testimony to the glory days of the French Empire. Today, though, we have two primary versions in operation around the world. There is the primarily continental European version that involves 37 pockets and a single zero or the Western Hemisphere version which offers players double zero pockets and a total of 38 pockets overall.

By being angled the way it is, a roulette wheel spins easily and once the dealer sets it into motion, they will next start the ball rolling around the outside track in the opposite direction of the spin. Players will place their wagers on the different pockets that they feel the ball will land on and they are awarded their winnings based on not only being correct, but what the house odds are for their wagers. Each number on the wheel corresponds with a certain color and they are laid out according to a particular logic. For example, the numbers one through ten and nineteen through thirty eight have odd numbers in red and even numbers in black – the only two colors on a roulette wheel aside from the green zero pockets. The opposite color scheme is applied to the rest of the numbers. Players will place their wagers on whether or not the ball will land on a specific color, a range of numbers, even or odd numbers or some combination thereof.

Sic Bo

There are normally a variety of different dice based games in any give casino, but perhaps one of the most well loved in recent years, especially in online casinos, is called sic bo. This is a game that actually came out of Asia a long time ago. While some people insist that it was started as an official Chinese imperial game to fund the building of the Great Wall, historians tell us that there is no documented evidence to support this theory. Instead, what we do know is that it enjoyed success in China hundreds of years ago and was, in fact, used as a way for the people to pass the time in a pleasant way while wagering. It came to America with the arrival of Asian immigrants, primarily from China, who came to work on the rail systems of the western states. They called found that their dice game quickly became popular with the European settlers who enjoyed the fast action and the gaming houses at that time appreciate the heavy odds in their favor that sic bo offered. Through the years, sic bo has been known by a great many different names such as grand hazzard in Great Britain, tai sai, chuck a luck, big and small, bird cage or hi lo. Some believe that it may be the root of the modern craps games we know today, but there is no definitive research proving that theory, either. The bottom line is that the game is fun and has a quite large following.

‘Precious dice’ is what the name sic bo actually translates out to and that is a fair description of how the game works – it is all up to the luck of the role. As simple as it sounds, players basically bet on one, two or all three of the dice being rolled during the game. In Macau, China, the game is wildly popular and in more and more casinos around the world it is growing in popularity simply due to the fact that if one wins, the payout odds are thirty to one, a remarkable payout, but not without its risks.

Slots

These days, visiting a casino without slot machines would be a very strange experience, but it was not always this way. In fact, these machines have only been around for a comparitively brief period of time when one considers that most games found in casinos were around for centuries. Slots are an American invention and were first heavily criticized as ‘one arm bandits’, but that was before their popularity set in. They quickly proved to be not only money makers for the casinos, but also huge amounts of fun for the patrons of Las Vegas casinos where they first began. This lead to increasing exports and slot machines went around the world, picking up different names as they went. In Australia they were called poker machines and in the United Kingdom, they came to be known as fruit machines, in reference to the fact that the earliest slot machines involved lining up different fruits in a three frame system in an attempt to try and get the winning combinations that would ensure significant cash payouts. These days, the machines are far more complex than during those times, but the fun factor remains just as high every time one pulls the lever.

Most casinos these days will use tokens to power their machines rather than coins. This is to keep what used to be called ’slot fishers’ or ’silver miners’ from wandering around the slot machines and digging around to find extra coins. It is very common to see highly evolved slots now that incorporate all sorts of video and sounds with themes from popular music, movies or even TV shows. There are celebrity themed slots, too. In this way, slot machines have truly become something of a unique type of entertainment in a casino because they are able to give people very quick and simple experiences that they can spend as much or as little time on as they wish. This also means the staff can devote more time to other areas of the floor such as table games which require a lot more manpower to operate every other turn.

Online Slots

One of the most important developments in the world of wagering games has to be the slot machine. This was the very first automated wagering and it definitely severely altered the landscape of the casino world, changing the nature of wagering in general to the point that far fewer employees were needed to supervise games and thus far more people could enjoy them at once. These were first developed many years ago in the United States, but they rapidly spread throughout the world since they were such a readily adoptable concept and it would not take long before the hi tech world decided to offer their own versions over the web back in the late 1990’s. All of the bells and whistles were brought to the forefront and these days, there are a myriad different online slots which provide all the same thrills of those machines, but in a far more convenient format that players can wager directly from home. Some of the benefits of online slots include being able to adjust the volume levels and also the fact that one can play in their spare time without having to travel anywhere in order to be able to play the games themselves.

Since these machines are so much more accessible than their predecessors, there are far more people playing them at any given time and the major advantage to this is that there are now what are referred to as progressive jackpots where players can wager for a chance to win vast sums of cash through giant pools of slot earnings percentages. Even hitting a small one of these can net a player several thousand dollars, but hitting it big can even mean millions. Due to this, there is obviously a very strong draw for those who enjoy online slots to continue playing. This, combined with all the fun of the videos and sound effects, which have grown increasingly more complex over the years, has really given online slots a much more intricate and complex level of entertainment than many other games which lack this sort of fan fare in them.

History of Land Based and Online Casinos

While casinos themselves are a relatively new development in the history of man, it is certainly true that the whole concept of games of chance and wagering have been with us a whole lot longer. Wagering on how fast horses, people or dogs could run is one excellent example of how we have loved, as a species, to try and guess exactly what the outcome of any given situation might be. It is in our blood and seems to be encoded in our very DNA. We have a passion for reaching for the stars and seeing just how well we can do at bringing luck our way. It makes sense that some of the earliest writings of man have included references to wagering at the mass level, such as the lottery recorded in ancient Chinese texts that tells of the empire raising capital by offering its citizens a chance to win big money by trying their hand at the lottery. From there, it was more personal wagering between people until we arrive in the 1400’s where the very first casinos as we know them were set up. The word casino is, in fact, Latin based and it translates literally to “little house” which is a reference to the villas of Italian elite during that century that would offer a place for friends and family to get together to enjoy not just dances and music, but exciting games of chance that were just then being codified into the forms we know them as today, but these were not open to the public.

It would be another 200 years before the chance for citizens of Italy to actually wager in a public environment arose. This was the Casino di Venezia and it was located in Venice, Italy where it was built to house a huge assortment of different games that any citizen could try their hand at. This stone building still stands today as a tourist attraction that people can visit, but more importantly it inspired the result that we saw a bit later in Monaco, the world’s first true gambling destination. Here, there would be far more organized games and all of those games that we know and love today got their start in Monaco as far as being widely popularized. This was the vision that was mirrored in the sands of the Nevada desert in the United States city of Las Vegas, the center of the gaming world in that nation. The early days of the US saw wagering be a hugely popular past time and many games sprang up here, coming across the Atlantic from Europe where the settlers originated from. Today, Macau stands as an Asian destination for gamers that is very similar to both Monaco and Vegas.

Then came the online casino industry that built upon the success of online poker, the first game of chance that hit the web. It wouldn’t be long until this was a major industry and today there are a huge range of different casinos online that offer up all the games we know and love from the past.

Video Poker

Poker definitely has  a very strong history as well as a certain mystique about it, but it is also true that the casinos of Las Vegas, Monaco and other similar places of big name gaming did not prefer to offer poker rooms due to the amount of space they took up versus the amount that the casino itself could earn from those playing. This is primarily because they have consistently given a higher priority to games that earn vast amounts of money in short periods of time. That is why video poker, once it first arrived during the very late 70’s, became such a huge hit with casinos. It offered a similar experience to slot machines that had earned them vast amounts of money, but it also gave them what they needed to fit the formula of their business operation without fail. This gave the players what they wanted, too, so it became a very natural pairing that worked for everyone involved. The players got their poker fix in a short amount of time and generally didn’t have to spend a lot of money to get started, either. The combination of all these elements worked out well and video poker soon expanded even beyond casinos to be included at truck stops in certain areas, convenience stores and other places.

The way video poker works is that player either insert cash, coins or bar coded tickets that they purchase from a nearby clerk, into the machines so that they can begin play. The machine itself features a guide to what each winning hand is worth. The players go up against the computer which acts as a dealer, usually in a game of 7 Card Stud or a similar strain of poker. The cards are dealt to the player and then they decide which to keep and which to discard to draw new cards. Eventually, the machine reveals its hand and if it beats the player then nothing is paid, but if the player wins then the machine generally gives them a ticket to redeem for the money that they have won during play.

Online Casino Types

Just as there are all different sorts of personalities, there are also different ways to play in an online casino and a variety of different styles of settings that exist, each designed to offer a particular sort of experience. Since they first came out in the 1990’s, online casinos have given a lot of players a great way to be able to play wagering games when they did not feel like traveling or would rather save that money spent on hotels and actually play more games with it. These days the ways that these casinos have evolved are really impressive and a range of cool features are being offered that would not have been possible when they first came out. Thanks to broadband internet and far superior hi tech computers that we have now, the online gaming experience is much more fun than ever before.

One of the most recent developments in the world of online wagering is also one of the most exciting. The live online casino. These are very highly developed sites that offer their dealers live on camera so that players get the kind of experience they would have if they went into a land based casino. Most of these are shot in studios with very good quality video and they stream live so players can enjoy a more social atmosphere and be entertained by the dealers themselves who are often savvy wise cracking men or beautiful witty women. It is certainly a fun time for anyone that chooses to play this way and if one is looking to join the most cutting edge of casinos this is definitely the area that is furthest ahead.

Next, there are the downloadable software casinos and these provide a complete suite of all the tools that are needed to play the games in a very stable and secure setting that is encoded to protect players while they access their accounts and play their games. These packages have tons of sound and video to offer and really do serve up a lot of entertainment, even having different chatrooms and other fun things to do within the games themselves which makes it a great deal of fun for those involved. There are lots of these out there so finding the right one should be a snap.

On the other hand, web based online casinos do not require a download and simply run through the browser. They usually require a plugin like Flash or even Shockwave, but they can be a bit slow at times because of this if the player is not on a fast internet connection. However, there is nothing to download so one can get started playing right away and this holds a huge appeal for many people who really do prefer to get straight into the fun with as little wait time as possible.

Finally, for those with very slow internet connections there are straight HTML casinos that are offered in some countries, but these are not nearly as popular because they do not have the sound effects and other fun things that casino fans have come to enjoy.

Bingo

The very first bingo type game is believed to have first come from Italy many centuries ago, but today the game is far more popular than ever before and it has a huge following thanks to an inventive salesman from the US who first discovered it in the state of Georgia, being played at a carnival and called beano because they used beans to play it. It did not take long for bingo to catch on and now it is common to see it played in a variety of different settings such as church fundraisers or community events, but the real action will always be in the casinos. It is here that the games are faster paced with much more money at stake and the cards get quite complex, as well. The social nature of bingo has made it incredibly popular with gamers and there are many people who might not otherwise indulge in wagering that do quite well at bingo simply because it is simple to understand and does not cost a lot of money to get involved. It has come a long way from the 1500’s where it was called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia, but it is certainly one of the most popular games to have in any casino even today when so many other options exist.

Understanding bingo really is a snap because all one needs to know is that the cards have grids, sectioned by numbers and letters so when a caller announces a specific combination, the players are supposed to mark that on their card if it is there. Then, they simply try to create either a line that is vertical, horizontal or diagonal or they try for one of the many patterns that bingo is now known for. The cards are always picked by the player, but the tiles called out are randomized so that everyone has a fair chance to win. A lot of regular players actually win money fairly regularly because they are quick about calling out their wins and know the game both inside and out. This is the real secret to regular winnings.

Casino Games

They say that a casino is only so good as the games it offers, but which would be the most fun for any person out there? While that can be a difficult answer, perhaps one of the best ways of approaching it is to think about the skill level of the person involved and then work our way out from there. By approaching things this way it can be much easier to get a feel for exactly the type of games that would be the most suitable for the player and actually help them enjoy the casino experience a little bit better. For the absolute and total novice, a terrific starting point would be to go online and try out one of the casinos that one can find on the web. These are usually going to be quite easy to understand simply because they are built to be simple to deal with and the convenience factor is a major advantage. Still, one needs to be able to score big winnings in order to feel like they are actually playing for the big money so the best place to start out is with the online slots. These are going to give the player a taste of the big money that can be won, especially in an online progressive jackpot since those are one of the most lucrative possible. By starting here and learning the rules, playing slots at an actual casino will be a snap. The transition will be easy and the player will know that they already have significant mastery over the games. Meeting like minded folks comes a lot easier when one looks at things from this angle, as well.

The next easiest to tackle would depend on how shy one is. There are two main options that can provide the most value and these are: bingo or video poker. For those who are more social, there are few casino games that will be more simple than a round of bingo. All one needs to do is grab a card, sit down and get started. This is a highly participatory game and it can lead to a fun and social time that many people get a great deal of good out of. However, if one wants more time to acclimate to the casino environment then it might be a good idea to go ahead and give video poker a shot. This is a simple and straight forward version of poker played at a stand up machine which offers a great deal of fun. The instructions are printed right on the machine so getting started is a snap. This is a good solitary game before moving onto bingo if a player isn’t quite as social as some.

Next, a real table game that has been the center of a few Hollywood movies due to its glamorous appeal is roulette. This is a fun and classy game that isn’t too tough to learn and it also offers an exciting atmosphere and a fun way to wager for big wins. Saving the most complex for last, we come to sic bo. This game offers huge payouts to the winners, but it is also a very complex dice game so understanding how it works is a definite must. There are plenty of ways to have fun in a casino and these are just some of the great games offered.

Glossary of Casino Terms

Active Player – This term comes from poker and is in reference to a person that is currently playing the game at hand.

Add-on – Being able to buy chips (which represent money being wagered) in a poker game, particularly in a tournament setting.

Ante – This is a wager that is put forward at the beginning of a card game, such as poker. Sometimes mandatory before one can be dealt cards.

Baccarat – Typically high stakes game that involves cards and an elaborate set up. Three versions exist: Punto Banco, Baccarat Banque and Chemin de Fer. All except for Punto Banco require some strategy.

Bankroll – The money a player has determined will be used for wagering in a casino setting, both online or off. Can be in reference to overall funds for a vacation to a casino city to cover costs of food and lodging. May be subdivided into specific bankrolls for certain games or other activities.

Bingo – Game that utilized grid cards with number and letter configurations that players attempt to match with combinations called out by the individual running the game. Goal is to create an unbroken line of combinations to win.

Break-Even Point – When a player wins an amount that is equal to amount won through their efforts, this is called the break-even point.

Buy in – The act of purchasing chips for a wagering game such as craps, poker, roulette or blackjack. Paid to casino in exchange for tokens.

Call – When a poker player signals they wish to match the wager currently in play, this is referred to as making a ‘call’.

Cashier’s Cage – An area featuring a desk behind safety glass where a cashier can convert players’ money into casino chips.

Deal – Handing out cards to each of the players at a table before or during game play.

Hand – A selection of playing cards held by a player for use in a table game such as poker.

High Roller – Placing large wagers earns one this nickname for those who spend a lot wagering in casinos.

Jackpot - Normally attributed to slot machines or lotteries, this is a large win that rewards a lump sum of cash.

Layout – Markings on the green felt table of a casino that indicate where and how players can place bets or where the cards go.

Payout - This refers to the winnings that a player collects on a successful bet.

Rated - Casinos tend to keep records of players who appear to excel at their games in an effort to cut down on cheating. A rated player has their activity logged by casino staff who make note of it for reference purposes to keep the games fair for everyone.

RNG – (Random Number Generator) This is used often in games such as Video Poker and in online casinos where it is the substitute for a physical roulette wheel being spun or cards being shuffled. Performed by a computer.

Shoe – Sometimes a box made of wood, the shoe is used to hold cards that will be dealt in a game. Generally holds six or eight decks of standard playing cards.

Token – These are the currency of casino games, normally chips of plastic or similar substance that represent money the player has given to the casino for a chance to wager.

Wild Card – Can be a Joker or other card that represents whatever the player wishes in certain games.