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Understand the House Edge: The most important tip that can be given to someone that is interested in playing keno is that the house edge must absolutely be understood. There is no sense going into a keno game in an effort to beat it if you do not take the time beforehand to determine exactly what the house edge is. Since this house edge can be as low as a few percentage points or as high as a few dozen percentage points, there is enough variation that you can really hurt your chances of winning if you do not put the research in beforehand.

Typically, both online and offline casinos are not that fond of publishing keno house edges, since it is usually regulated in a way that is different from staple casino games like blackjack, baccarat and roulette. The best way to handle this is to simply not play at a casino that will not publish a verifiable house edge for their keno game. In the online world this might even frighten your prospective casino into divulging that information, since the online world is full of competition over new players.

Understand the Software: Another important tip for someone that is about to play a game of online keno is to understand the software before you jump in. The reason for this is that if you are going to be playing online keno (or even offline electronic keno for that matter), the decisions that you make in terms of number selection need to be absolutely precise. There is nothing worse than seeing a feeling of elation turn to one of disgust because you missed the number you thought you had picked with the cursor, instead picking one of the numbers adjacent to it. This is just not a good thing and you can easily avoid it by understanding the software before you sit down to play the game.

Typically, most of the online casinos will have parts of their software dedicated to free play. While most players tend to bypass this section and go straight for the real money gaming, you as an intelligent gambler should make good use of this section. Use the section to get to know the software and above all use it to become proficient in the use of the software before you head over to the real money games. If you do not follow this advice and something bad happens to you in the real money keno game, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

Understand Walking Away: Before you head into any keno game, your strategy should be a short term win. It is impossible to beat the casino at keno in the long run, because they have fixed the statistics in such a way that in the long run they can not possibly lose. Therefore, you need to make sure that you understand this and have the discipline to walk away if you win in the short term. This is the only way you can book a win in keno.

Keno is an interesting game simply because it is perhaps the only game to become extremely popular without being the top game of any particular establishment. Over the years, keno has become a popular lottery game as well as a popular casino-based game and while many people play both versions every single day, the lottery and/or the casino that hosts the game usually makes more of a fuss over the other games that they have. No other game in history has ever achieved this distinction and a lot of it has to do with the particulars that make the game of keno unique.

The Setup

Setting up a game of keno is relatively simple, especially if it happens to be an online casino that is creating the game. All that is required is a number of different cards with the numbers 1 to 80 written on them for selection as well as numbered balls with the numbers 1 to 80 on them for selection purposes. In this sense, the setup of a keno game is actually not that different from the setup of any other lottery. Lottery games are primarily games that rely on quick and easy setup and playing to draw people to them and keno is no exception to this rule.

The Game Play

Playing keno is relatively simple. All you need to do is select a preset amount of numbers from the card. These numbers will be the numbers you wager on. Then, when the casino draws their balls for the calculation of this particular keno round (traditionally there are twenty numbers drawn), the players compare their selections with the balls drawn in order to see who ends up winning and who ends up losing. In this way, keno is pretty much like any other lottery that you can play.

The Winnings

The winnings of a particular keno match depend entirely on the casino that you are playing at. Most casinos have their own way of paying different keno bets and while there are a number of different standardized pay tables that casinos will utilize, you will find that the variation in paying out bets for keno is actually quite diverse; more so than for any other casino game that has been brought online from its original offline form.

The Edge

Because of the extreme diversity that exists within the keno pay tables, being able to cite a definitive number as being the exact house edge in the game is quite difficult. Indeed, keno house edges are quite varied and depending on where in the world or online you play keno, the house edge could be anywhere from 4% all the way up to 66%. The latter is quite rare of course, but it has been known to happen, particularly within casinos that are not heavily regulated. Online the edge tends to be smaller than offline, simply because of the intense competition for players that occurs within the marketplace. This is perhaps one reason as to why online keno is relatively more popular than its offline counterpart.

Pontoon is a game that has been around much longer than American Blackjack and is generally considered to be the second oldest version of blackjack after vignt-eh-un, the French version of the game. There are many similarities between Pontoon and Blackjack and many differences as well.

Setup

There is no “house” to be spoken of in Pontoon, but rather the game is setup with two or more players in each hand and a rotating banker that effectively plays the position of the house in a single hand. Normally, one deck is used unless there are eight or more players playing, in which case two decks are used.

The Initial Deal

Players cut for the high card and the person that gets it ends up being the banker for the first hand. The banker then deals one card face down to each player, starting to their left and ending with them. Each player except for the banker is allowed to look at their card before making a bet against the banker’s hand.

Game Play

Once the bets have been put down, the banker will deal a second card to each player and look at their own cards for the first time as each player examines their second card. Any player that already has a point value of 21 in their hand (aces are 1 or 11, face cards are 10 and all other cards are their face value) is said to have a Pontoon and they therefore end up sitting out the rest of the hand. If the banker has a Pontoon, then everyone else automatically loses.

From this point in the game, play starts with the player immediately to the left of the banker and then proceeds in a normal blackjack form. Depending on the specific variant of blackjack being played, the options for the players and the banker might be different, but the basics of the game work like any other game of blackjack throughout the rest of the hand.

In a typical Pontoon game however, each player is given the chance to buy another card face down (requires an increase in bet amount) or to twist another card face up at no extra charge. Splitting is also allowed in Pontoon and of course any player that goes over 21 during the process of adding cards to their hand ends up busting and losing their bet regardless of what happens with the banker’s hand.

End of Hand

Once each player has gone through their particular turn, the banker turns up their own cards (without affecting any cards from the players that might be face down) and goes through their own turn. Once the banker is satisfied, all remaining hands are compared with ties being won by the banker. All of the used cards are then placed at the bottom of the deck without shuffling and a new banker is selected by some mutually agreed upon method (i.e. a rotation around the table or the best win in a specific hand with high card tiebreaking).

Keno, like any other lottery or gambling game, is a game of luck primarily. While luck is always going to win in the long run because of the house edge, there is an element of strategy to the game nonetheless. In the case of keno, the strategy, if employed properly, will result in a house edge that is much smaller than it might otherwise be. This in turn increases your chances of winning big in the short term, something that can help you immensely if you only play keno once or twice in a while. Here are some tips to get you started on playing keno strategy properly.

Playing the Pay Table

The single most important point of keno strategy that you could ever learn is something that is known as “playing the pay table.”  This is just basic strategy to any game that you might find in a casino, but because keno does not have a perfect strategy component in the way that a game like blackjack would, understanding the pay tables and using them to your benefit becomes all the more important.

In a typical game of keno, you will pick twenty numbers and then you will be paid based on how many of those twenty numbers also end up appearing in the draw that is done by the house. This means that there are twenty possibilities, starting with picking twenty and hitting none and ending with picking twenty and hitting all twenty. The odds of the first happening are approximately 1 in 845, while the odds of the last happening are approximately 1 in 3.5 quintillion. There is of course variation of the odds in between, with the lowest odds proposition being hitting five of the twenty, which has odds of about 1 in 4.3.

However, just because something has the best odds of happening does not mean that it is the best bet. What you need to do is take a look at all of the payouts that the house offers and then compare them to the odds of each particular proposition happening. While this will not help you in terms of actual betting (i.e. you just pick twenty numbers rather than betting on a specific outcome), it will allow you to computer the house edge. This is important because in keno the house edge can be as low as 4% or as high as 66% depending on where you play. Playing the pay table will allow you to find a place with a low house edge and play there to increase the chances of your short term win.

Human Error

This does not occur very often, but every once in a while you will encounter a really old set of keno equipment at a casino. This equipment will not be automated, but rather will be operated by a human being. If you are observant enough, you might catch something in the way the dealer selects the numbers that allows you to increase your odds through picking specific numbers that have a higher chance of occurring. Do not fall in love with this method however, as you will be lucky in the modern era to encounter even one casino that is run like this in a lifetime of keno playing.

Tracking the history of any game is a very difficult task to do. The reason for this, as most game historians know, is that while there are many different nations, languages and cultures on this planet, human beings tend to think startlingly similarly to each other and for that reason can simultaneously develop games at the same time independently in two different sections of the world. The history of keno therefore is a tangled web that has very few certainties. There is however a majority opinion of the history of keno and this is the history that is presented below.

The Word

Even though the word keno has been associated with the Far East and in particular the nation of China and the Chinese language, the truth of the matter is that the word keno has its roots in the romance languages that came out of the Roman Empire rather than the tonal languages that are common within the Orient. The word keno comes from the French word quine, which stands for “five winning numbers.”  The word can also be traced back to the Latin word quini, which essentially means the same thing. Therefore, the word keno has its roots deeply embedded in Europe, even if the game’s invention took place elsewhere.

First Sighting

Looking over the annals of history, the first sighting of the game of keno was without a doubt in China. Specifically, the first playing of keno as far as historians know took place between 205 BC and 187 BC during the years of the Han Dynasty within the Chinese state. This makes the roots of the word particularly perplexing, since there are no accounts of the game having been played in Europe until much later.

Legend Status

According to a number of old Chinese texts, the invention of keno directly resulted in the saving of a city when that city was about to succumb to an advancing army during a period of war in the country of China. From that rather legendary birth, keno was then spread throughout the Chinese lands and gained enough popularity that a large amount of the funding for construction of the Great Wall of China came from keno proceeds. Some historians even believe that keno was an event of such great importance that it was run like a modern lottery, with results being sent out to the whole kingdom by horse as opposed to television or any other modern electronic device.

Modern Introduction

The accounts of the first sighting and the legendary status of the game of keno are not without their challengers, but for the most part they appear to be accepted by the historical community. One fact that is undisputed however is that the game was introduced to the United States in the 1800s when Chinese immigrants came over to the American continent in order to construct the railroad that went from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Keno was introduced at that time, was picked up by casinos and would eventually become a staple part of the gambling scene in the country.

Triple 7s Blackjack is a new online blackjack game loosely based on the standard blackjack, but with a side bet that qualifies the player for a progressive jackpot of hundreds and thousands of dollars. In order to win at triple 7s, one has to get three diamond 7s in a row from the first hand of his hand. While it is not at all an easy feat to achieve, one will be over the moon if that indeed happens.

Triple 7s blackjack is played using five standard decks of 52 cards that are thoroughly shuffled before the start of each game. The side bet is mandatory, and it is automatically set for each player when they play the game. It is equivalent to one coin or credit. Like in the standard blackjack game, here as well, the objective of the player is to beat the dealer’s hand sans going over 21 or force the dealer himself to go bust (going over 21).

Now, here are some of the rules that govern play in Triple 7s:  The dealer has to stand on 17 and split on 16. Splitting and re-splitting are permitted. Aces can be re-split as well. But one can’t split cards that has the same value, but with different denominations. That is, one can’t split a ten and Jack even if both have a value equal to ‘10’. Further, doubling down is permitted only in hands with a value of 9, 10 or 11. Also, one can’t double after splitting. Finally, in Triple 7s blackjack, a player can play only one hand at a time.

Regarding value of cards, in Triple 7s blackjack, all face cards have a value of 10. Aces have a value of 1 or 11, depending on how a player wants it in his hand. A hand can have a maximum of 11 cards. If the hand still does not go over 21, the hand stands. If a player is dealt a 10 card (including picture cards) and an ace, he has a blackjack (referred to as ‘natural’) and such a hand automatically stands. A natural blackjack can only be matched, and can’t be defeated. In the rare even of both the player and dealer having a blackjack is called a ‘push’ in which case the player is paid his original bet amount.

As mentioned above, the biggest draw of Triple 7s blackjack is the progressive jackpot of hundreds of thousand of dollars. Apart from the progressive jackpot, Triple 7s also offers other bonus jackpots, which pays well even though it is no match for the progressives. For example, three 7s of the same suit - other than diamonds - win $1,000. Triple 7s of different suits win $250. In fact, two 7s, and sometimes even a single 7 wins bonus jackpots. No wonder, the Triple 7s is becoming popular amongst online casino gamers.

Even though Triple 7s blackjack is similar to standard blackjack in many ways, it is advisable that one may read and understand the game rules before start gaming. It is always better to go prepared than committing some silly mistake and lose the game.

It may be ironic that the game of roulette is of French origin, but its ‘non-French’ versions, the European and American Roulettes, are the most known roulette games today. But a French version of roulette still exists, called the French Roulette.

Basically, the French roulette is played in a similar manner to European roulette or American roulette. That is, the player(s) will wager or bet on which number(s) the ball might land after the croupier throws it into the spinning roulette wheel. But there are certain other features that make it different, and sometimes superior, to its more popular cousins.

The main difference that one might note about French roulette is that the roulette table is in French. In other words, there will be no English words anywhere. Also, the numbers on a French roulette table are red colored. But the change in color has no other relevance and hence makes no difference whatsoever to the game as far as the players are concerned.

The French roulette, like its European cousin, has only one ‘0’ on its wheel. That means, players have a greater probability of winning at French roulette than in American roulette, which has an additional ‘00’ on its roulette wheel. The French roulette also provides another advantage, but this time over the European roulette. That is, in French roulette, it has a unique rule named La Partage, according to which players will lose only half the wagered money on an even bet even if the ball lands on the ‘0’. In other roulette forms, the player is bound to lose his entire bet amount if the ball lands on ‘0’ or ‘00’.

Regarding bets, the French roulette has three types of bets, the inside bets and outside bets as in the other roulette versions, and a set of special bets known as call bets.

The different inside bets are:

• Straight bet: It is the bet on a single number wherein the chip is placed on the middle of the number, on the table. Straight bets have the highest odds (35:1).
• Split bet: It is a bet on two adjacent numbers, wherein the chip or wager is placed on the line that separates the two numbers, on the table. A split bet pays 17:1.
• Street bet: In any roulette, the term ‘street’ refers to a horizontal row of three numbered spaces on the layout. A street bet is placed by placing the chip on the outside of the beginning of one of the ‘streets’. It pays 11:1.
• Square bet: It is placed at the vertical and horizontal intersection of four numbers on the layout. It pays 8:1 meaning that for every bet of $1, the player could win $8.
• Line bet: Here, a player places the chips between the two rows of numbers, which are wagered on. A line bet pays at 5:1, which is the lowest in the game.

The outside bets pays less than the inside bets. The different outside bets are,

• Column bet: It is a 12-number bet that pays 2:1. The player places a column bet by placing the chip at base of the chosen column consisting of 12 numbers.
• Dozen bet: The player places the chips on the boxes marked 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36. It pays 2:1.
• Even-Money bet: The player bets on half the numbers on the roulette table. The bet is placed on one of these squares - Even, Odd, 1-18, 19-36, Red or Black. It pays even money (1:1).

Call bets, which are also called ‘announced bets’ include,

• Voisins du Zero: Also called the ‘Neighbors of Zero’, this bet is placed on the seventeen numbers - 0, 2, 3, 4, 7, 12, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, and 35 – that surrounds 0 on the French roulette wheel.
• Tiers du Cylindre: Called the ‘Third of the Wheel’ in English, here, the bet is placed on the 12 numbers located opposite side of the roulette wheel from 0. These numbers are 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 16, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, and 33.
• Orphelins or Orphans: This bet is placed on the eight remaining numbers that does not form part of Voisins du Zero or Tiers du Cylindre.
• Finales en Plein: It is a bet placed on all numbers ending with a particular digit. For example, Finales en Plein 2 is the bet on 2, 12, 22, and 32.
• Finales a Cheval: It is a bet placed on all the numbers on the roulette table that ends in either of the two numbers. For example, Finales a Cheval 2/5 means a bet placed on 2, 5, 12, 15, 22, 25, 32 and 35.

The bets in French roulette may appear to be a tad complex to a beginner. But it is this perceived complexity and variety that exists in betting that makes French roulette much more fun and exciting to the players than its European and American cousins.

For the most part, Roulette Royale is a game all about chance. The game itself is comprised of a wheel and a table. Of course, there are many different versions of the actual classic roulette game, and Roulette Royale is one of them. In fact, this is one that is actually based on the standard European style roulette. So people from America and other places may find that the rules are a little different. The main thing that makes this game so different from other forms of roulette is the progressive jackpot. This is a jackpot that can be won the same number of hits in a row. Of course, we will get into this more in a second.

How to Play Roulette Royale

The Roulette Royale is played on a European roulette wheel, which (unlike the American roulette wheel) only has one zero. Thus, the player has a much better edge of winning. The object of this game, is to guess the number on the wheel that the ball is going to fall on (the wheel is made up of many slots, and every slot has a different number). When you are done placing your bet, the wheel is spun in the opposite direction that the ball is dropped. Now, back to the progressive jackpot. If the ball hits the same number five times in a row, you get a progressive jackpot, which is going to give you a ton of money.

Now, when playing Roulette Royale, you have to know that there are two different kinds of bets. There are the outside bets and the inside bets. The inside bet is where you bet on a number (0-36) that the ball is going to land on. The outside bet has to do with the color on the table. Each number has a different color in it’s slot, either red or black. An outside bet is where you bet on the color that it is going to land on. You can also bet on a combination of numbers as well. Everyone has their own theory on which is better to bet on. Only you can choose what works best for you.

How to Win at Roulette Royale

To win, you, of course, have to win your bet. As you just learned, there are many different ways to go about placing a bet in Roulette Royale. Here are the full range of things that you can bet on. You can bet on one number, a combination of numbers, the color (either red or black), or even if it’s going to be even or odd.

When calling your bet, you will have to tell them what you are doing. If you call a straight up bet, then you have to place your chips on a number on the board. The pay off for this is 35 to 1. If you do a split bet, then you divide your chips among two different numbers. Your pay out this way is 17 to 1. A street bet is where you can place your bet on three different numbers in a row. Your odds here are 11 to 1. After this, you have your corner bet, which is where you place your chips in four numbers that meet in a corner of the board. The payout there is 8 to 1. A line bet is like a double street bet. Where you place your chips on two rows of three, and the pay out for this is 5 to 1. There is also a column bet, in which you place bets on all the numbers by placing your chip in the box. Your pay out here is only 2 to 1.

As you can clearly see, there are a lot of different ways that you can bet. The higher payout you get, the less likely you are to win. However, that is how all betting goes.

Like every casino game, one’s chance of winning at craps depends a lot on tactical gaming. Here are few craps tips that would help to improve your game significantly. Read them and implement them in your game in a way that best suits your style.

As a first step, make yourself familiar with the technique of making pass line bets and how to place 6 and 8. The importance of these bets is rooted in the fact that the house benefits associated with them are as less as 1.5%. So, if one harbors any ambition to perform well in the game of craps, he simply has to master this trick to perfection.

Secondly, don’t even think twice when it comes to avoiding all suggestion bets placed at the center of the layout. The dealers will always attempt to persuade the gamers to play at the ‘house bets’ because that drives the casino advantage to as much as 16%. Whatever happens, don’t ever fall in this trap. Another bet to avoid is proposition bets. This could also place the players in a precarious position if nothing goes in his way. In short, as a thumb rule, simply avoid making bets that increases the house advantage significantly.

Once you have made yourself familiar with the working of Odds bet, always refrain from making Come or Line bets that you’re not ready to back up with full odds. Further, if the table minimum for a particular table is too high, don’t hesitate to skip that table. And most importantly, at any point, if you find yourself in doubt, never waste a second to ask the dealer. Most of them will be prepared to help you out sincerely. On the contrary, if you get doubts about the dealer’s behavior, it will be better to quit the game.

Every casino game has its share of risks. But, playing with such risks only brings rewards to the players in the end. One such high risk bet in craps is Field bets, which are decided on a single roll of the dice. While playing it, be on guard always, and don’t commit unless you’re sure in your mind that the shooter is going to roll 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. On the other hand, if you have your doubts, or can’t afford to take risks, avoid Field bets.

Also, preferably avoid Buy bets. They can potentially lower a player’s edge far lower than the Place bets. But, if one is hell bent on making one, bet only on 4 or 10. These are the only numbers on the bet where it’ll offer a return of 2:1 in the player’s favor.

Now some general tips:

• Don’t ever hand over hard cash to the dealers to make a change because it is illegal as per the casino rules. The method is to place the money in the layout, before the shooter getting the dice, and request the dealer for ‘change only’.
• Keep your hands off the table or in the direction in which the dice is thrown. Doing so, even inadvertently, could invite a ban from playing at the casino again.

For shooters, they should not glide the dice across the layout. One has to throw it instead. Gliding is illegal and might invite punishments.

A lot of people tend to think of roulette as being an easy game to play, in which it is. The game is pretty straightforward, and you do not have to do too much thinking. The problem here is that people often take this to mean that the game is easy to figure out as well. However, this is not really the case. A good roulette strategy is anything but easy to come up with.  There are also a few people that think that roulette is all about luck as well. This is not always the case either! Today we are going to talk about the best roulette strategy that you can use!

Roulette Strategies and Roulette Systems

Before we get into this topic anymore, you have to know that there is a big difference between a roulette strategy and a roulette system. When you look online for a roulette system, you are going to find a lot of systematic programs out there. These are different rules to follow when you wager. However, just because there are a lot of systems out there, does not make them right. In fact, a lot of roulette systems should just be forgotten. There may be a few good ones out there, but for the most part, they are very faulty and have great risks to them.

Of course, there are a few roulette strategies that can go a long way if you use them right. See, a straight is not a mathematically beat over the house. It’s a simple to use guide to help you, not a set group of rules. The first tip is to read everything you can about roulette. Make sure that you understand everything about the game and that you are comfortable with the odds associated with the bets that you are making. Another key roulette strategy would be to give yourself a limit on how much you are willing to lose. Also, you need to set a limit on how much you want to gain. No, you heard it right. Put a limit on how much you want to gain! This puts a limit on the risk that you take each round.

Also, if you have a choice, always, and that means always, play European roulette over American roulette. The American roulette table has one extra slot that is a zero. Now, this may not sound like a lot, but it gives the house a 5.26% advantage over you every time. The European house only has a 2.7% advantage over you. As you can see, that’s a pretty big jump. When placing your bet (no matter which roulette you are playing), you want to avoid any single number bets. This is because the odds of payout are so slim. On the same note, do not use five number bets, because the amount of money you win and the odds are the overall worst.

We covered a lot of what not to do, so what is it that you are supposed to do? Well, you need to bet on anything that has a high odd of wining. Thus, you may want to place your bets on things like even or odd numbers, or maybe even red or black. This gives you a 45% chance of winning, and that is a pretty good odd. The worst thing that you can do is relate the spins of the wheel. Keep all spins of the wheel unrelated. Do not think that it’s going to land on red again, because it has been landing on red a lot. This is of no help to you at all.