Most online casino gambling aficionados play hard and they play to win.  But there’s an alternate strategy (no, not to lose – that would be silly!): a strategy more conservative, more demanding of discipline, as well as of considerable more questionable merit than straightforward online casino gambling, but with significantly higher odds of a player walking away from the (computer) tables with more dough than he or she started with. It’s called “bonus hunting” and it’s the closest thing in online casino gambling to a sure thing.  So why isn’t everyone doing it?  That question is the subject of this article – why not bonus hunt?

First let’s lay out the practice for you.  Peruse gaming site reviews on sites like www.casinobrain.com and www.poker-ranking.com and you will see that almost every one offers a Bonus upon sign-up.  It may be called a “Sign-Up Bonus”, a “Welcome Bonus”, an “Initial Deposit Bonus”, a “First Deposit Bonus”, a “Match Bonus” – but whatever it’s name, the concept’s the same. 

For signing up and making your first deposit (or “purchasing” your first stack of chips), the online casino gambling site will give you some percentage of that amount in bonus chips.  As soon as you make the deposit, the full amount of the bonus is added to your player account.

But, of course, there’s a catch – you must wager an amount equal to some multiple of the dollar amount of either your bonus or your initial deposit (depending on the online casino gambling site or poker room) before you can withdraw any of it.

As you can probably guess, in the process of meeting your wagering requirement, two things are likely to occur:

1. You lose some or all of the bonus amount and some or all of your initial deposit too

2. You enjoy the online casino gambling experience at that site so much (or have lost so much money you just can’t let yourself walk away) that you deposit more and more money and just keep on playing

What Bonus Hunters have discovered, however, is that by only playing at the lowest stake tables (ie. 1 cent video poker), they can severely minimize the percentage of their bonus that’s eaten away in the process of fulfilling the wagering requirements.  It is unlikely that a bonus hunter will come out ahead.  It is even highly unlikely that the bonus hunter will walk away with most of the bonus.  But they’ll probably walk away with some of it and get their initial deposit back.

So what are the drawbacks?  Well, get ready, ‘cause there a bunch – more in fact than you may realize.  To put it plainly, bonus hunting is fraught with its own inherent challenges and flaws, not the least of which is its yield.  What bonus hunters happily lose in risk, they gain in time commitment.  Playing not to win but to “not lose” takes a ton of time, and you’ll probably find the reward not worth the absence of risk at all (think: 50 cents an hour – might as well get a minimum wage job).

Not all bonuses are built alike – you must hunt (thus the moniker) for the biggest bonuses (percentage-wise) with the lowest wagering requirements and the lowest stakes games (giving you the greatest chance of keeping most of your bankroll safe).  That’s a mighty tall order.  When you consider this, the pool of potential “targets” suddenly dwindles considerably.  Likewise, the amount of time you’ll spend trying to find an online casino gambling site to hit will increase exponentially the more you do it.

And there’s always the fact that if you choose unwisely, you could lose it all.

Online casino gambling sites don’t like bonus hunters – is it any wonder – and as such, if you’re ever tagged as one, you may be permanently locked out of the casino, forced to give up any winnings, and find yourself blacklisted not only from that casino but from its affiliates and sister sites too.  Try it at your own risk.

Poker is one of the fastest growing sports in America today. It is getting so popular, in fact, that it is spilling over onto the World Wide Web. However, we all know the dangers of putting personal information on the internet for all to see and poker generally involves money of some sort. The following information will help to direct you to the best online poker rooms on the web.

One of the best online poker rooms on the internet is Paradise Poker. This site is popular, due in part, because there are constantly tournaments going on and a player will always find some high stakes game to enter. People have mentioned that this game has the most pleasing graphics and yet it is not crowded with all sorts of unnecessary icons. For those players worried about the security of their money, Paradise Poker has shuffle card reviews from a highly recommended company, Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

Second, with all of Party Poker’s efforts to get their name out there, they have certainly been rewarded by all of the players they have brought to their tables. Although they do have quite a large amount of customers, their customer service is nothing to brag about. Party is presented by the same people that brought you CardPlayer Cruises, including Mike Sexton. Every year Party Poker hosts a rather large tournament called the Party Poker Million.

Poker Stars has never had a time where there was not a large tournament going on that anyone could enter. This site is popular with most of the free roll players; the site offers some amusing aspects to the programming. Although the interface can appear rather chaotic with the extensive graphics people can use for their icons.

Most of the time, Ladbrokes has encounters worth watching, and for added reliability they are connected with the Hilton Group. Sponsoring a huge tournament in Europe where they don’t accept US players is an annual competition known as the Ladbrokes Poker Tournament. Although their software is not extraordinary, it can still provide one with hours of poker entertainment.

Poker Room offers a variety of options. Which include multi-table tournaments, as well as Texas Hold’em, Hold’em, Omaha, 7 Card Stud and a number of casino games. For those players worried about viruses, no download is needed in order to play on Poker Room. In addition to a good links section, players can play a free roll with play money, including tournaments.

Prima Poker is more of a group of poker sites rather than a single room and boasts a minimum wait time before the start of a game. With twenty-one sites to gather players from, it doesn’t matter what site in the group you connected from, you will be able to play a game of poker.

Full Tilt ranks further down this list, although the graphics may appear slightly childish, the site can really be a lot of fun, especially if the cards aren’t flopping your way. With the addition of Team Full Tilt, the site has some of the best players in the game and has earned its bragging rights.

Relatively new to the online poker scene is Hollywood Poker. Unlike any other site, Hollywood Poker allows players to play against some of their favorite actors including James Woods, the official spokesman. The graphics aren’t anything special but they offer a cornucopia of options allowing players to maximize their experience.

Baccarat used to be a game for millionaires. In the casinos, it was played in special roped-off or secluded rooms and you usually didn’t walk in until you had at least $100,000 to pony up.

Eventually, mini-baccarat came to the scene. It’s the same game, but without all the ceremonious moves. The game is conducted on a Blackjack-style table with one dealer and a shoe. The shoe holds multiple decks of cards.

The game itself is incredibly easy to play, which is surprising considering how low the house advantage is. In fact, Baccarat is one of the best casino plays around.

In a nutshell, the game consists of two hands-Banker and Player. Each hand is dealt two cards. Depending on the value, each hand may take one additional card. The hand then ends and a winner is declared. Face cards are worth 0 (or 10 if you rather) and the object is to get as close to 9 as possible.

So, a hand of a King and a 4 has a value of four. A hand of a 9 and 4 has the value of three, because ten equals zero and the count restarts.

When you first walk up to a table, you’ll notice that there are three betting areas. There’s the Player wager spot, the Bank wager spot and the Tie wager spot. For each hand you play, you’ll need to select something to wager on. There are three possible outcomes to each hand. If it’s not a tie, which is rare, the Bank or the Player wins.

It’s important to note that the Bank has a slight edge-since it goes last in the playing sequence. Because of this, there’s a 5% vig to pay for each winning wager you place on the Bank.

If you love holding the cards and getting into the game, Baccarat isn’t for you-unless you can play the high-roller version. In the mini-Baccarat version, the dealer performs all the action. You just place your wagers as desired.

When you win with the Bank or Player, you’ll be paid even money. Ties are paid 9 for 1, which is the same as a saying they pay 8 to 1. The vig from bank wins can be paid at anytime. Usually, you’ll want to pay it whenever it equals your normal betting unit.

For instance, let’s say you’re betting $5 units. Each Bank win will cost you 25 cents. It would be more convenient to let it accumulate until it hits $5. 

If you’re playing in the real world, there should be a hand tracker sheet and a writing instrument at the table. Most Baccarat players track the hands to look for trends, which is part of the strategy we’ll go into in another article.

Online players can just use whatever they have around the house-unless the online casino tracks hands for you.

That’s all there is to this simple game. In another article, we’ll talk about the hands and the rules that determines if the Player and Bank stand or take a card.

Bingo is an international game played by millions of people the world over.  Many play the game for enjoyment, a social activity or just to gamble at an over all easy game.  Because of the relative easiness of the game, there is always room to improve the play of your game.  Here are the ten easiest ways to improve your bingo the next time you go to the bingo hall.

1) Bingo is a game of concentration and focus during the game.  Make sure that you are always in control of the game.  This means paying attention when the numbers are called and focusing on your numbered cards.

2) Bingo players that play bingo seriously know that the early bird gets the worm.  Arriving early to the bingo hall allows you the chance to buy a larger variety of cards, or with a larger difference of numbers varied through the cards.  This alone will help raise your chances of winning, because numbers that are spaced too closely together or in clumps tend to be played as dead numbers throughout the game.

3) Experienced players know that having too many cards in front of you during the game can be a distraction and can actually hamper you as you search for the numbers on your cards.  It is actually better to play a fewer amount of cards to make sure that you will not get passed by while the numbers are being called. One bad thing in bingo is searching for a number and the caller continues the game and you mistake marking a card because you have too many and it costs you the bingo.

4) Talking during play is a general no no, so I am adding this in just because it can make a difference while you play.  During the game, if someone near you is talking and you cannot hear the numbers being called, you will find it very frustrating and aggravating.  This is a two way street, not only for someone sitting near you, but also for you as well.  So it is best not to talk to others except during the breaks between games.  It will also help you concentrate on what you are doing while you are playing.

5) During the general play of the game, it is common to mark a card incorrectly.  Due to this, it is recommended to use several different colored daubers to correct a mistake marked on the card.  This will allow you to know what exactly is happening on your cards as well as allowing the judge or person judging to know if you correctly hit a bingo.

These are all very easy ways to help improve your bingo with the most amount of ease. Even just working on one rule at a time will greatly improve how you play bingo and increase your chances of winning.

When you break out the 52-card deck and deal a hand of 3-card poker, the first strategy you need is a firm understanding of the rules. Rather than competing against other players, you are competing against the dealer. You need a better hand than the dealer (and at least a pair) to win. Each of you is dealt three cards, and the cards are shuffled after each hand. Because there are fewer ways to make a straight with 3 cards than a flush, straights rank higher. Aces are high or low.

You can make two bets: the Ante and the Pair Plus. The Ante is the fee charged to you for playing the hand. The Pair Plus is your bet that you will get a hand with a pair or higher. You don’t have to make both bets, but you do at least have to bet the Ante to stay in the game.

You ante when you put your bet on the game table’s Ante spot. Both you and the dealer are dealt three cards face down. Your next decision? Are these cards good enough for you to bet or should you fold? Fold and lose the ante. Bet and you place your bet that equals the ante in the game table’s Play spot. Win and you get the Ante and the Pair Plus payouts.
 
The dealer has to have a Queen or better to stay in the game. If not, you get payment on their ante only if it pays even money (1 to 1) – and as long as you didn’t fold.
 
Ante Payout

- A straight gets a 1 to 1 payout.
- A three of a kind gets a 4 to 1 payout.
- A straight flush gets a 5 to 1 payout.

Pair Plus Payout

- A pair gets a 1 to 1 payout.
- A flush gets a 4 to 1 payout.
- A straight gets a 6 to 1 payout.
- A three of a kind gets a 30 to 1 payout.
- A straight flush gets a 40 to 1 payout.

Remember these tips to help your strategy:

- If you have a Queen or better, bet the Pair Plus. If not, fold.
- A dealer will get a Queen about 66% of the time.
- The house has a 3.4% advantage.