Slot machine

Its really not that big of a stretch of the ole imagination to think that today's gamblers are no different than gamblers of old, the only real difference is what gamblers of old wagered on and what gamblers of today wager on.

Today we gamble on a lot of the very same things that gamblers of yesterday wagered on, with regard to wagering on horse races, cards, dice, and even political elections to name a few, but gamblers today have the ability to wager on a much wider assortment of things including but not limited to church and fire hall bingo, slot machines, poker machines and even state sponsored lotteries, heck, today we even have a state who has an economy built around gambling halls or what we now refer to as casinos.

It's kind of hard to believe that it was not all that long ago when a gambler interested in wagering on a sporting event was more or less forced to run his/her wager thru a local bookmaker and thus had to take the line given if he or she wanted to place a wager, unless of course the same gambler had access to other "outs", meaning that this same gambler had an out of town connection that he used in order to allow himself or herself to gain an edge with respect to the posted spread or money line placed on an event.

In days gone by before the invention of the personal computer, a smart gambler with the right connections could find more than his fair share of "Middle’s", meaning that if for example NFL team Blue were at home against NFL team Red, it was not that unusual to find the hometown Blue team bet up with the local books because of hometown sentiment while the line placed on the visiting Red team in their hometown would hold steady or be bet down.

Thus, a savvy guy or gal with the right connections in both the Blue city as well as in the Red city might just find a 2 or a 2 1/2 point and sometimes even a 3 point difference in the local line from town to town if he or she looked hard enough and did not hesitate on making a wager upon finding the difference in posted lines city to city.

As an example, lets say that the home Blue team was favored to win by 5.5 points on the opening line but by game time the home town Blue backers had bet the line up to –7 points, meanwhile, the visiting Red team's fans back home bet the line down to +4.5 by game time.

Thus the line at game time in Blue town is +/- 7 while the line in Red town is +/- 4.5, this creates what is known as a "Middle" meaning that a 2.5 point difference now exists between these teams, the worst that can happen is that one wager will lose and one wager will win which means that all that one would lose is the "juice" associated with the wager, meanwhile, the best that can happen is that the actual score falls somewhere in the middle which allows the gambler to collect on both ends.

Today however, sports wagering is getting bigger and bigger thanks to the availability of the home computer, cable TV, sports talk radio, and of course the influx of so many off shore sports books, thus the days of finding a good many "middles" are gone although an astute gambler can still catch a middle opportunity now and then if he or she keeps their eyes open.

The lines placed on sporting events today are a lot sharper then in days gone by, but it all evens out in the end because the odds maker is now not the only one privy to the multitude of information available surrounding any given sporting event, this is of course due to the large number of gamblers today owning a home P.C. which allows the savvy gambler to not only gain valuable handicapping information via the internet, but to also "line shop".

So, the real question my friend is "Why should today's savvy gambler wager on sports instead of wagering on other games of chance"?

Quite simply because a gambler has a much better chance of winning on a consistent basis when gambling on sporting events than he or she has when playing any casino game, slot or poker machine, the state lottery or for that matter any other game of chance, except for maybe poker or blackjack, but regardless of whether you gamble on poker, blackjack or sports, the savvy gambler must have a firm understanding of the game itself and must do his or her homework.

When it comes to wagering on major sports such as football, baseball, basketball and hockey, usually a spread or money line is placed on the game by the lines maker and then this established spread or money line is wagered on by the gambler, however, most novices as well as a lot of supposed experienced gamblers make the mistake of believing that the spread or money line placed on a sporting event is a true indicator of one teams strength and ability versus the opposing teams strength and ability.

The truth of the matter is that the spread or money line placed on a game is meant to garner equal action by the gambler on both teams involved, the winner wins his wager while the loser pays the "juice" associated with the particular wager that he or she placed, thus creating the commission that the middleman or bookmaker/sports book makes for handling the transaction between winning and losing gamblers.

The serious gambler understands that it is not the bookmaker or sports book who is his or her enemy, the true enemy is actually the "Joe public" bettor that places uninformed, opinionated wagers which of course causes what is referred to as line movement.

Line movement is simply the difference +/- in what the opening spread or money line was on a particular event versus what the closing numbers were on the same event, it must of course be understood that many factors can and will influence the opening and closing numbers on an event, including but not limited to weather and injury concerns, but always remember that it is the very same "Joe public" bettor that still influences the established line when they hear of possible weather or injury concerns amongst other things and thus often creates an over reaction with regard to line movement.

Its all about odds and percentages when it comes to gambling my friend, and that is what truly sets apart sports wagering versus other forms of gambling, take a moment and think about it, if you wager on a football game for example and the posted line is –3 or –5 or minus whatever, it is still a 50% proposition on a straight wager that you are either right or you are wrong which makes the odds essentially the same as a coin toss.

Of course you must take into consideration that you pay more when you lose, thus on a straight wager you pay 11 to 10 odds or 110 to 100 dollars wagered, thus the real "Break even" point or winning percentage that you must achieve on straight wagers is actually 52.38% in order to avoid a monetary loss.

Keeping in mind that 52.38% is the break even point with regard to straight wagers, a gambler needs to realize that anything above this percentage is money made, most honest, professional handicappers achieve winning percentages of 57% to 60% over the course of an entire season, often the more experienced handicapper can achieve winning rates of 60% to 65% if the ball bounces right for him or her here and there over the course of the season.

I pointed out the above with regard to what the "Break even" percentage is versus how honest professionals fare over the course of an entire season for a reason, did you ever notice those ads placed in Fridays edition of the USA Today newspaper by scamdicappers claiming winning percentages of 80% or 85% or 90%?

Ever see those claims of "Can't lose", or "Sure lock winner", or "Game of the year"? Heck, if you get up early enough on Saturday or Sunday morning you can even catch a scamdicapper show or two on TV with some of the very same individuals whose ads were in the previous Fridays USA Today newspaper.

Ads such as the ones described above are designed to sucker in the poor souls who in all likelihood have dug holes for themselves and are panicking, in a lot of cases these panicked losers will do or pay anything for a "Can't lose", or "Sure lock winner", or "Game of the year", I would even venture a guess that this sort of desperate gambler knows in their heart that those claims of 80% or 85% or 90% winners are bogus.

So how did this desperate gambler get into his or her situation to begin with? It happens season in and season out because of a failure to start with a dedicated starting bankroll that is used solely for sports wagering which negates the need to use monies ear marked for the mortgage or car payment.

A dedicated starting bankroll and a firm understanding of money management is a must if anyone wants to survive the peaks and valleys and ups and downs of the season long marathon that is involved with sports wagering.

I will get into the different aspects surrounding money management and other topics in another article, but for now remember the key points brought out in this article, the importance of doing your homework, understanding that the line or odds placed on a contest is meant to garner "equal action" which means that Joe Public is the reason for line movement which of course amplifies the importance of shopping for the best available line thru multiple "outs" while keeping an eye open for middling possibilities.

Las Vegas Addiction.

That’s how you feel when you first come to Vegas. The 24 hour life in Vegas makes you want to come back for more…

At least that is how I felt when I first went there.

Maybe you are a poker player who has been playing for months on the Internet and now you are actually going to visit Vegas and play some face to face poker!

Where should you play?

Take Binions Hotel in downtown Freemont Street for example. It is an older well aged establishment. The decor is dark and rich and the waitresses walking around make you feel like you’ve gone back in time… You see alot of locals frequenting the tables at Binions and you’ll find this makes for interesting conversation while you are playing.

Then take MGM Grand about midway on the Vegas Strip. The poker room has a modern, futuristic look to it and had a good number of tables. You saw alot of young aggressive poker players with sunglasses and bored poker faces. You definitely would see alot of action here with players going All-in on a cash game on mid pair. Lots of pushing at MGM, so definitely not a comfortable place for the staid conservative tight player.

Mandalay Bay’s poker room is bright and spacious and elegant with a golden light tone in its room. There was a mix of players from the young aggressive player to the eccentric. Play later at night and you’ll find a few players willing to hand you over all their chips because they’ve been drinking all night…

The Paris is a nice hotel to visit, but the Poker Room was a roped off area smack in the middle of the table games and slot machines. You could barely hear the dealer talking to you even if you sat right across from him. It was a constant echo of noice around you. If you like to concentrate on your poker game, here it might be more difficult. However, the players were friendly and you struck up conversation with your tablemates quite easily.

Online you sit at a table of faceless players with the same characters sitting down in the same positions on your computer screen. Face to Face Live poker rooms give you the chance to have more interaction with the players around you. What type of interaction you prefer depends on your personality.

Do you want to just find a poker fish market? Do you want conversation and friendly table games? Do you want to play with a local crowd or a touristy crowd? Do you want to play with a potential Bad Beat jackpot offered or High Hand Card rewards? Do you care if the cocktails you drink while playing are watered down to non-existence or are pumped and coming to you fast? Does dark rooms make you claustrophobic? Do you prefer space or does tight tables make you feel cozy?

You can find out alot about Vegas Poker Rooms before you even go to Vegas and make a plan to visit the ones that sound like they would make your poker game that much more fun. There are places on the internet that review Vegas Poker rooms, just like there are places that review online poker sites. So sit back and read some reviews on Vegas Poker Rooms before deciding where you’re going to sit down.

Bonus hunting has become a major headache for the online casinos. Some countries have been banned from receiving the special promotion offers available to new customers because the online casino simply could not sustain the losses that they were incurring. But what is this so called bonus abuse? How does it work? And what are the casinos doing to combat it?

All casino games have a house edge built into them. This is how they manage to make money. The advantage the casino has over the player varies from game to game. Blackjack and baccarat have the lowest edge and so the average player will lose less money than they would if they played other games such as slots or keno for example. There is usually a correlation between the house edge and the "size of the jackpot". Players are more than willing to sacrifice a low house edge in return for the chance to win a larger prize. This is how progressive slots work. The jackpot is very rarely won, but when it is won the jackpot can be anywhere from $10,000 to over $1 million.

Online casinos offer the only real incentive available to them to entice new players, cold hard cash. Unlike their land based equivalents they are unable to tempt customers with free drinks, hotel stays and beautiful women, so the usual offer is get $X free when you deposit $X. By taking a bonus it is possible for the player to overcome the house edge and create advantageous playing conditions.

Bonus abusers go from online casino to online casino extracting the largest bonus amount possible, then playing through the wagering requirements by playing games with very low house edge and then withdrawing both their deposit and the bonus amount. A lot of people will be sat there thinking "that's okay; the casinos offer a bonus so that's the risk they take". Well for a long time that was the case, but now the casinos are fighting back.

If you care to read the small print of many online casinos you will see that many organisations have excluded low wagering games such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat. Others have gone one step further and only offer bonuses for wagering on slot machines. This has the net result of preventing any of the bonus abusers from signing up. But what about those legitimate players who like to play these low wagering games but are not bonus abusers? The answer is tough cookies.

Another method to deter bonus abusers is to introduce the "sticky" bonus. A sticky bonus is a bonus offered to a player for wagering purposes only. This means that when you come to withdraw your winnings, the bonus amount offered is withdrawn from your total. There are often less stringent wagering requirements associated with these bonuses; however they are less rewarding for players.

There are still opportunities available to bonus abusers and some still continue to generate a healthy income by doing, but the opportunities are becoming less frequent. So if you are interested in becoming a full time abuser you need to act fast.

MyVegasAction.com is giving workers of the world a unique gift

this Labor Day, a way to beat the odds on hitting the big

jackpot. The site has posted an article about an ex-state

lottery official having access to insider research on which

numbers have a better change of winning Lotto.

Recent studies have shown that of the 142 million American

workers, 40% are buying lottery tickets as their sole means of

funding their retirement. And if they were to win the lottery,

the first thing they would do is quit their job.

This trend is not only happening in the U.S. the richest country

in the world, more people are purchasing lotto tickets than ever

before. In 2000 total world sales were $140 Billion. Spain’s El

Gordo is the biggest lottery in the world, this year’s first

prize winner will win $612 million.

Martin Scher, President of MyVegasAction.com said, ″many people

are worried about their jobs, and their future, lowering the

odds in your favor, giving you an edge over other players, plus

a little luck is a powerful dream every time they put their

hard-earned money down.″

The article lists ten smart moves for hitting lotto, because of

space requirements, we can only list three here;

1) The numbers total in pick 6/49 game must be between 142 and

172 2) Do not use quick pick. Majority of winning lotto tickets

picked own numbers. 3) Never buy scratch-off tickets. Cards are

sold after winning tickets are presented.

To view the entire article, ″Lottery Insider: 10 Smart Plays for

Winning a Jackpot″ go to: http://www.myvegasaction.com

My Vegas Action reviews online gambling companies and recommends

best web sites for web casinos specializing in slot machines,

video poker, bingo, and poker rooms. Also rates sportsbooks,

handicappers, and worldwide lottery agents

Multiplayer Slots - Win An Extra Bonus!

Slots are exciting and fun, but even more fun if you play with your friends, or make new ones online.

Multiplayer slots allow you to do this and Community slots allow you to earn other players in the slot room a bonus (as well as winning yourself) and they can do the same for you.

Multi-Player Standard Slots

Multi-Player Standard Slots is a global Slot Bank game where Players play with others online.

* The slot rooms consist of a fixed number of slots.

* A Player is only able to sit at one slot machine per room.

* All slot machines are visible to all the Players.

* A game is defined as the Players slot spinning once. It begins when reel 1 starts to spin and ends when reel 3 stops.

* To take part in a game a Player is required to place a bet. The amount wagered is the same for all Players in all rounds, and is determined by the slot room.

* The slots spin individually as each Player chooses to spin.

* The payout is according to the pay table

* There are different slot rooms with FIXED coin sizes per slot room. You decide on the required coin size you wish to play.

* When a Player clicks the STAND UP button, they are immediately removed from the room. The SEAT AVAILABLE banner is replaced on the slot.

Multi-Player Community Slots

Community Slots are slots game that has regular and community payouts.

Community payouts are payouts for community winning symbol combinations.

If a Player has a community winning symbol combination on the pay line then all Players in the Slot Bank that have placed a bet on the winning spin are paid the community payout. This is regardless if they have won or not.

* The slot room is fixed in size.

* A Player is only able to sit at one machine per room.

* A game is defined as each active slot spinning once simultaneously. It begins when reel 1 of each active slot starts and ends when reel 3 of each active slot stops.

* To take part in a game a Player is required to place a bet. The amount wagered is the same for all Players, and is determined by the slot room.

* Each game is played on an individual basis, and wins are according to a standard pay table, except for community payouts. These are the top three wins depending upon the game and the slot room.

This payout is for each of the Players present in the slot room who took part in the spin where the payout was won.

* Each win combination has a standard payout and may have a Community payout. The Player with the winning combination receives the Player Payout and the balance is the Community Payout.

* A minimum of two players per room is required to start the game.

* There are different slot rooms with FIXED coin sizes per slot room. You decide on the coin size you wish to play

* If a Player clicks the SIT OUT button, they will sit out the next game.

In the casino world there is no more popular game then the slots. There are many types of slots and they have always been a favorite of the casino goers. The main reason for their popularity is the fact that they require no skill to play and very little in the way of thought processes. Unlike the table games, which require a person to have a certain amount of skill and to think about the next move, slots offer the players the chance to do nothing more then drop coins and pull handles with the chance of a big pay off.

In the end there is nothing all that difficult about playing the slots and the wide variety of them makes them ever more appealing to those that jump into the casino world. There is no secret why the slots are so close to the door. This is the way that they will attract the people into playing with all the lights and such that go off. This is the same method that the online casinos will use, making access to the slots so easy that one can hardly resist.

There are many types of slots that are featured in online casinos these days. One of the most popular types of slots in the standard three reel. This is a throw back to the old days when the slot machines were still infants. The three reel is nothing more then a standard machine. You normally have between one and three pay lines, where the paying symbols have to hit in order for you too make any kind of money. In most cases the three reel slot machines are the cheapest to play. You can get away with playing a single coin or as many as three. Three coins on the three reel slot machine is normally the max bet and will reward you with the biggest money for all the wins that are paid. There are fewer ways to win on the three reel types of slots but that does not mean they are not popular at all.

There is also the newer five reel slots. These machines are cousins to the three reel slot machines but offer more in the way of pay outs and ways to win. The max bet for a five reel types of slots machine is normally five coins. There are five pay lines, which will criss-cross the window and offer a large variety of ways to win. These are more expensive machines to play but they do offer more in the way of pay outs and chances to win the big money.

There are many casinos to play at nowadays in the internet.

Cyberspace gambling is very popular for different reasons.

One thing surely is that players can play their favourite games from the comfort of their homes and this every day the whole year long.

Another reason is that all games can be played without real money. After downloading the software that the casinos give away for free and installing the casino on the computer players can start gambling. The virtual money that is played with make the games exciting. But the games can actually played for real cash,too that can be deposited in the casino account via credit card or several online funds transfer services.

And their is a huge range of casino games to play. Many different poker games, blackjack variations, roulette, craps and 100s of different slot machines. Even progressive games with jackpots that reach over one million dollars.

The multi player poker rooms complete the cyberspace gambling action. Poker players from all over the world gamble in internet poker rooms to find out who the champion is or to qualify for world poker championships like the world series of poker, WSOP.

Poker is like making love. You have to know when to raise the stakes, when to fold and when to bluff. And when you hit the jackpot, in either, it’s enough to hold you over until the next one comes along.

Dames are like poker hands. There are a lot of pairs out there. Once in awhile you'll find a sweet little number that resembles a full house. But how often do you find a natural royal flush? Not often. And if you ever find a woman like this you better hang on to her. That's what I call lady luck.

I don't know how many dames that I have come across that are like a straight? They go straight for your wallet. Or how many are like a flush? Sure, I get flushed, but it only lasts for a few minutes and then I want to hit a casino.

I remember one dame I knew that was more like a crap game. Every time she threw she threw bullets. One for my heart and one for my back. I couldn't win with that one so I gave up craps.

And then there was one dame that was more like betting on a horserace. She was a sweet little filly but just at the climatic moment she would pull up lame. I don't know how many bottles of aspirin she went through. I always betted on her to win. But she always seemed to show then disappear.

Then there was the love of my life. A classy dame that resembled Blackjack. No matter how many times I hit her she always came up twenty-one. Now that's class.

Right now I'm with a woman that resembles a slot machine. She keeps yanking my chain until I cough up all my coin.

Anyway I look at it a woman is a gamble. They are either stealing my heart or my money. I guess that is what makes it interesting. I just haven't figured out a way to beat their odds. They always seem to be stacked against you. But I'm working on a system. And one day I'll beat those odds.

(c) 2006 Hank Bolt.

Online casinos pride themselves in offering people a different kind of thrill. They challenge people through risk taking. This they do by offering a variety of online casino games where people try their chance at winning in a variety of engaging activities. There are many for players to choose from. There are a variety of online slot machines on the side where people can try their luck on getting the jackpot. There are also a variety of online card games where people can try their hand at winning at poker, blackjack as well as other card games available. There are also other games like craps and roulette which can offer a different kind of excitement.

Just as time has changed everything in this world, casino games has also gone through that same path. The wonders of technology have made casino games even more exciting and convenient. Technology has brought the casino games online. Today's casinos have adopted technology in order to be able to reach out to more and more people to play at the tables. And as online casino games continue to flourish, more and more people are trying to cash out on it. But for one to be able to earn from playing, one has to develop a strategy on how to go about the game. First of all, remember that what type of online casino game that you are playing will determine your chances at winning. Different online casino games have different odds when it comes to winning. Online casinos have different ways to lure the players and allow the house to win. You must be knowledgeable of these strategies and make them work to your advantage.

Your choice of an online casino may also determine your odds at winning. You must also be wary of many online casino scams out there that might just rid you of your money. There are a lot of fly by night online casinos that can disappear in a matter of months. Try playing at online casinos that have good track records. You can also check out recommended online casino sites that have been reviewed by a highly regarded online organization. Do not play at an online casino just because they placed on the top 10 of the major search engines. Some online casino scams can have their site advertised and placed on the top 10 search but won't mean that they can be as trustworthy. Recommended sites still has more value that just relying on the keywords that you punched on a search engine.

Try to play at online casinos that offer the most attractive bonuses and rewards. This will enable you to stretch your every betting dollar and give you better chances at winning. Also try to look for online casinos with 24/7 online casino support that you can contact anytime to ensure that immediate clarifications can be made on certain rules as well as any doubts that you may have. Online casinos can be a very risky place where you can lose your money if you do not take the necessary precautions. You always have to make sure that the odds are on your side. These and other strategies will help you in being able to improve your odds while you enjoy playing those online casino games.

What are Flash Casino Games?

Flash casino games are online casino games created with Flash technology. Flash casino games have an advantage over traditional online casino games because they can be created with more realistic graphics and sound effects. Flash casino games are simply better at bringing the sights and sounds of land based casino games to your desktop than traditional online casinos. Let's take a closer look as some specific reasons why Flash casino games are better than traditional online casino games. No Download Casino Games

Sometimes Flash casino games are referred to as "no download casino games". This is because, unlike traditional casino games, Flash casino games can be played immediately upon loading them into your web browser. You may have experienced going to a traditional online casino that required you to download the casino games to your computer. This most likely involved downloading a .zip or .exe file, and then going through the lengthy process of installing it on your computer like other software programs you've installed before. Not only is downloading the software time consuming, but in some cases it can even be risky. Often when Internet software is downloaded and installed on your computer, the publisher of the software may have included additional programs within the download. The additional programs may also be installed with the casino games unless you specifically block their installation. This risk is not present with Flash casino games because they are run within your Internet browser. There is hardly any wait time and you can start playing immediately. Popularity of Flash Casino Games

Flash casino games are so popular because of the widespread availability of the Flash Player. Over 98% of computers have the Flash Player and most new computers have the Player pre-installed. This means that as soon your browser encounters a Flash casino game, it knows what to do with it and you can play it almost immediately. In addition to realistic graphics and sounds, Flash casino games are popular because of the wide variety of casino games available. Flash has been used to produce most of your favorite online casino games…such as Baccarat, Blackjack, Caribbean Poker, Craps, Keno, Pai Gow Poker, Slot Machines, Roulette, Video Slots and Video Poker.