Archive for the ‘Gambling’ Category

Newer Entries »

Evaluating Pay Tables on Video Poker

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Video poker is the only game in the casino that can be beaten day in and day out, but it is also extremely complicated to figure out how to beat the game. Video poker machines are only profitable if they offer certain games with certain pay tables, and this article is going to help you figure out when that occurs. Read on to learn how to evaluate pay tables and calculate their payout percentages.

Why do Pay Tables Matter?

We’ll start with a discussion on why pay tables even matter in the first place. All video poker machines use random number generators to determine what cards come off the deck. These random number generators insure that the cards you see on a video poker machines are just as random as the cards you would deal off of a real live deck.
This means that if you’re playing two identical video poker machines you are going to receive the same amount of winning hands in the long run. Regardless of the pay table, two identical machines will deal you the same number of Flushes, Straights, and even Royal Flushes if you get a big enough sample size.
Since the casinos legally cannot adjust the random number generators to change how a machine deals cards, the only way they can adjust the payouts is by modifying how much each winning hand is worth. That is why pay tables matter – they’re the only way that a casino can change the payout percentage on a video poker machine.

Evaluating a Table

Now that you know why tables matter, let’s discuss how to actually evaluate one. Most machines will use what is called the “full pay” table, meaning that it is using the best pay table offered for that specific game. Every “full pay” pay table has a known payout percentage, so you can easily find out if that specific machine is paying above or below 100%. Hint – above 100% means you have an advantage, below 100% means the casino has an advantage.
Most full pay games are above 99% payback, and a few of them are above 100% – these are the profitable games. If you find full pay versions of Deuces Wild, Double Bonus, or Double Double Bonus you have found a 100%+ game. However, full pay versions of Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, or Double Joker are not profitable games.
To check if a Deuces Wild game, for example, is full pay, you would have to ensure that the Wild Royal Flush pays 25x, the Five of a Kind pays 15x, the Straight Flush pays 9x, and the Four of a Kind pays 5x. The other payouts rarely change – if a casino wants to reduce the odds on a Deuces Wild game they will usually reduce the payouts for those four hands.
One thing you really have to watch out for is when a casino will raise the payout for a rare hand (such as four of a kind Deuces) and reduce the payout for a common hand (such as a Straight). Although these pay tables usually look very profitable, they actually aren’t because the common hands come up so often that the losses offset the extra money made when you hit the inflated payout for the rare hand.
Learn more about video poker pay tables, or video poker “return” tables, by heading over to VideoPokerBaller.com.

Posted in Gambling | No Comments »

New Backgammon Network Changes the Face of Online Backgammon

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

A new online backgammon network has just opened up and is available at bwin. Also, PAF, NordicBet, and Triobet will be joining the network as well. More partners are also expected to join the network over the coming months and in the later part of 2009. Jadestone Networks, the owner and operator of multiplayer gaming networks GamArena and DiceArena are based out of Norway. This network is expected to be huge with a guaranteed liquidity.

Jadestone’s Business Development Director, Tobias Nissen, says, “We’ve seen that backgammon is a tremendously popular game.” He adds, “We’ve had a lot of success with the simplified backgammon version in GamArena, so we’re now doubling the stakes by adding the real thing. We’re aiming high: we want to become the largest network and be the first choice for dedicated backgammon players across Europe.”

The new backgammon network, when compared to the previously existing GamArena backgammon game, is a completely new rewrite of the older version and created by scratch with lots of supportive input from avid backgammon players familiar with online backgammon gaming. The following features have been incorporated into the new version, as per player requests: Doubling cube, match series, and the highly demanded tournaments.

The new version is fully compliant with all competition rule sets commonly used and offers the exact same extensive anti-fraud operations and systems as does the DiceArena games.

This new backgammon gaming technology is a fully integrated component of the Jadestone Arena games network, sharing the interface design, player identity system, and back-end integration API with all the other Arena games. This new technology is available in 25 different languages to support players all across Europe and will represents a landmark event in backgammon network gaming.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Gambling | No Comments »

New Movie: Casino Jack

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Casino Jack is a movie based on a true story about Jack Abramoff, a disgraced former lobbyist who is currently in prison for charges of bribery and fraudulent dealings with American Indian casinos. The movie begins filming this coming month. Kevin

Hollywood blogger, Nikki Finke, reported that “The story is described to me as a modern day Good Fellas set in Washington D.C. that plays like a thriller involving Karl Rove and others in former President George W. Bush’s inner circle. Cameras will roll later next month.”

Finke also had information on the cast. Hayden Christenson will play Mike Scanon, and hip hop artists/actors Spencer Garrett and David Cross will also be appearing in the film in supporting roles.

Spacey and the director, George Hickenlooper, actually visited Abramoff in prison while doing research for the movie. When they went to visit Abramoff in jail, everything seemed to go very well. Finke’s sources said “Abramoff was in good spirits and very charming with the actor. For two guys who couldn’t be more different, they seemed to get along very well.”

Even though Abramoff cannot legally benefit financially from this movie, he chose to meet with Spacey and Hickenlooper because he wanted the public to get his side of the story. Finke’s sources reported, “Jack feels he has nothing to lose if he can at least convey his perspective, even if it’s from inside prison walls. Frankly, he feels like he was thrown under the bus by his fellow Republicans, especially John McCain, who wanted to use Jack to help sell himself to the American people as the great reformer. The reality is Jack wasn’t doing anything that wasn’t happening on K-Street already. In fact it’s still happening to this day, and everybody knows it.”

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Gambling | No Comments »

bwin-Sponsored Study of Problem Online Gambling

Monday, May 11th, 2009

A study by a Harvard Medical School affiliate has concluded that online gaming isn’t any more addictive than traditional gaming. This study was sponsored by bwin and targeted 3,445 online poker players. bwin began its sponsorship of Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance, research back in 2005. Here is what they found.

After a two-year study, the Division on Addictions in Massachusetts resulted in the conclusion that the potential for problem online gambling is no greater than the potential for problem offline gambling.

In this study, the average age of participants was 27.9 years old and 95% were male players. These were active poker players who participated in, during a duration of six and a half months, about one poker session every three days.

The most involved poker players represented in the study were 5% of the participants. These players participated in 10 sessions per week and were active for a duration of 18.5 months.

This 5% sub-group had a smaller percentage loss than the majority of the online poker players. Furthermore, researchers argued and suggested that skill was indeed a factor in poker play, and that online poker players were able to improve their skill verses other games of chance.

Associate Professor Howard Shaffer comments, “In this research we provide additional evidence in support of our previous research showing that most subscribers who gamble on the Internet do so moderately. In fact, correlation analyses indicated that as per cent lost increased, duration, total gambling sessions and total amount wagered all decreased, suggesting that individuals moderated their behavior based on their wins and their losses – exhibiting ‘rational’ betting behavior.”

Co-chief executive of bwin, Manfred Bodner, says, “In our intention to replace speculation with scientific evidence, this study takes us a big step closer towards understanding the behavior of online poker players. Ultimately we are interested in developing algorithms capable of identifying behavioral patterns or identifying risk patterns associated with disordered gaming.”

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Gambling | No Comments »

eCOGRA’s Player Dispute Report Released

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) recently released their first quarter player dispute report for 2009. The report revealed some interesting info on the support that eCOGRA provides. It also proves that there is a well-founded need for the agency, and online casinos that are eCOGRA certified are the best in class. The report indicated that Fair Gaming advocate, Tex Rees, investigated a total of 145 claims, down from 2008’s first quarter with 171 disputes.

197 complaints were received via online submission, 25 being rejected due to non-accredited operators, over which eCOGRA has no control. Of the 145 legitimate claims,73 were pertaining to cash-ins; 30 were involving locked player accounts; 27 were from players with bonus problems; 15 were labeled miscellaneous. Out of the disputes, only 59 ruled in the players’ favors.

“It is interesting to note that the incidence of locked account complaints has increased by four percent and is greater than bonus queries for the first time”, said Rees. “The indications are that this is due to a growing number of cases where linked accounts were proved (a tactic used by players trying to abuse bonus promotions) and a greater number of fraudulent accounts were discovered.”

Bonus issues aren’t a new problem for online casinos and poker rooms. In order to get multiple bonuses, players will open more than one account. Once the sites are tipped off by credit card info discrepancies, the accounts are frozen. In 2008, 743 cases involved bonus fraud; 783 in 2007. If the remainder of the year mimics the first quarter, there may only be a little over 500 claims this year, which means they seem to be getting the problem under control.

The eCOGRA seal promises safe and fair play at websites that display the distinguished seal. Many reputable online gambling sites like Party Gaming, are supported and protected by eCOGRA.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Gambling | No Comments »

Richest Online Business People in the UK

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Britain’s Sunday Times published their annual “Rich List of Britain,” which indicates the 1,000 wealthiest people including individuals and families who primarily live and work in Britain.

What is surprising about the list is that of the top 10 wealthiest people in the online industry are four PartyGaming execs. These names include PartyGaming founders, Ruth Parasol and Russ De Leon, coming in 2nd place on the list with a worth of £700 million. Group operations director of PG, Anurag Dikshit, came in 3rd with £559 million and Vikrant Bhargava, PG marketing director, took 9th place with £230 million.

Also on the Internet’s top earners list were Bet365 founders, Peter Coates and daughter Denise, with a £400 million estimated worth each at 6th place. In the top 20 were many other prominent online gambling executives, including Ed Wray, founder of Betfair, number 11 on the list with a £190 million total worth. Also from Betfair were Andrew Black, number 12 (£185 million) and equity investment manager, Rich Koch, who placed 17th (£129 million).

Top online earnings, though, went to Internet securities dealer CMC, Peter Cruddas, estimated to be worth £1 billion. In comparison to last year’s list, a decrease in the total wealth of the list equaled £155 billion, due to the recession. This was the biggest drop in the online industry lists, which was first started 21 years ago.

Imagine if these people were allowed to live, work, play, etc. in the US!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Gambling | No Comments »

US Gambling Court Date Set

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

iMEGA, the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association, has finally been assigned a date to argue its case against the UIGEA. Come July 6th, 2009, the group will present its plea to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Mary L. Cooper granted iMEGA the right to appear before the court in March, and now an official date has been set. While the court does have the option to change the date of the hearing, it must happen within the week of July 6th.

After all of the hoopla surrounding the UIGEA and the continuous efforts of many groups and individuals to sway Congressmen that poker is a game of skill, and the obvious revenue that the US has lost to overseas gambling, the day of regulation is sure to come.

Rep. Barney Frank has diligently argued in favor of the legalization of online gambling and the repeal of the UIGEA and believes, like many others, that it is an infringement on the constitutional rights of American citizens to deny them the right to gamble online if they so choose. While gambling at casinos in certain jurisdictions is perfectly legal, there is no argument for those who try to say that online gambling is harmful to society when it is already a part of society. The main reason that the online gambling industry was ever thwarted to begin with is the money that has been lost by land-based casinos thanks to online casinos and poker rooms.

Now with the increasing losses in possible taxation and revenue from online gambling, Congress and even land-based gambling institutions have realized the detrimental need to regulate the industry in a country that is believed to be the biggest market for online gambling in the world.

Rep. Frank has announced many times that he plans on proposing new legislation to Congress that would revoke the UIGEA and work towards legalization and regulation of online gambling. The July 6th date is one more step towards what so many Americans have been pushing for.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Gambling | No Comments »

Newer Entries »