Monthly Archives: April 2011

Live Dealers at Microgaming Casinos

Live Dealer Casino Games

Casinos in the Fortune Lounge group including Platinum Play and Royal Vegas Casino recently launched live dealer casino games which have proved to be a resounding success as huge numbers of players have flocked to play the live-streamed interactive games offering human dealers at blackjack, roulette and baccarat tables.

Whilst live dealer games are not new to online casinos, these are some of the first Microgaming powered ones on offer and the results are speaking for themselves.  Part of the huge attraction to live dealer games is that they replicate a land based atmosphere with actual human contact as closely as possible and this adds to the excitement and enjoyment of the game.

If you’ve never played a live dealer game and would love to try it but feel a little intimidated, don’t be!  The casino has launched a dedicated website where you’ll be able to freely access comprehensive step-by-step guides to playing each of the live dealer games on offer from start to finish.  Not the slightest detail has been missed and the guides include screenshots, detailed information on the tabs and commands, setting up the game display and sound and for those feeling ambitious, there are instructions on how to play multiple live dealer games at once. 

These live dealer games are also great for high rollers as they allow one to play with considerably higher betting limits than standard table games at online casinos, with some wagering limits as high as $20,000!  If you’re not a high roller though, don’t feel intimidated as they are more the exception than the rule and you’ll easily find a game where you can bet a comfortable amount and still have the time of your life.

So add a little excitement to your gaming and try out live dealer games at Platinum Play Casino or Royal Vegas today.

Have a Happy Easter at Europa Casino

On the eve of the beginning of Easter it seemed apt to let our visitors know about Europa online casino’s special Easter promotion on offer for new players, and nothing says “Happy Easter” quite like free money

For a limited time only this week-end the casino will be giving away $/£/€10 free to anyone who signs up, makes their first deposit at the casino and contacts customer support with the bonus code “EGGS”.  Thereafter the free money will be credited to your account. 

While you may not think that a $/€/£10 bonus is much, it is offered in addition to the casino’s usual            $/£/€2,400 Welcome Bonus, so you’re not losing out by any means and you’ll be surprised how good it can be to have an extra tenner to play with when it comes to trying out a new game that you might not have considered before or getting in the spirit with the new Easter themed Easter Surprise Slot available at the casino.

Make sure that you have a very Happy Easter, visit Europa Casino and get your free money today!

The truth about Casino Comps

So you’ve been on a losing streak at the casinos lately and are feeling like quite a loser, but you open your inbox and notice that you’ve received a notification that your favourite casino has extended a comp (or “complimentary”) to you and suddenly your day brightens and you feel like a winner and think that maybe your luck really is changing and so you head off to the casino to play.

Just like that the casino has cleverly enticed you back with a little perk that enables you to “gamble on the house“.  This marketing and retention strategy is common amongst both online and brick and mortar casinos and you can be given “complimentary” items that extend from free credits to hotel suites, tickets and more to keep you coming back.

Comps are often used to make players feel important, and generally the more “comped” someone is, the more “valued” they feel and appear to be.  This is a trap that most people fall into, because generally the more comps someone receives, the more they play and lose at the casinos.  Comps also serve as a huge incentive to gamble more because the more you play, the more comps you’ll inevitably receive…are you seeing the pattern here?

It’s not all doom and gloom though and comps aren’t completely useless, if used wisely, they can decrease your losses or increase your wins.  For the majority of people they serve to decrease losses of the money one may have spent anyway.  There is however, a way to ensure that comps help you to win, but for that you need to understand how they are calculated in the first place based on the casino’s rating system.  This usually takes a variety of factors into account including the game played, the duration of play, the time of the visit and size of the wager.  This can get pretty complex but there is a formula to help you:

(Hands played x wager per hand x hours played) x house edge = projected profit for the casino

To use blackjack as an example: Let’s say you play 80 hands per hour with an average bet of $10 and you play for 3 hours. That’s:

80 x 10 x 3 = $2,400

You have wagered a total of $2,400. The standard house edge in blackjack is 2%.

2,400 x 2% = 48

This means that the casino expects to take out $48. Given that the casino will generally comp around 20% of their blackjack profits, which entitles you to a $9.60 comp for the $48 you lose. When you use the blackjack strategy card however, the house edge is decreased to 0.5% which means that you only lose $12 instead of $48. 

At land based casinos this advantage can be even better because you still get comped and if you play slowly you’ll lose less but still get a comp because they don’t have the monitoring online casinos do.  On the other hand, because of their monitoring, online casinos often give out comps more often based on your wagering.

So if you understand and use comps wisely, you can in fact benefit…just try to avoid games with the higher house edges like slots when using these!

Gambling Debt ends in Murder

Vietnamese Tran Thi Thuy Lieu may face life imprisonment after admitting to the gruesome murder of her husband over her$75,000 gambling debt.

According to reports, Le Hoang Hung aged 50 died in hospital 10 days after suffering third degree burns to half of his body.  At first Lieu denied any involvement in her husband’s death, claiming that she had been asleep with their two daughters when her husband, embroiled in flames had burst into the room.  Initial investigations were made into criminal elements that may have sought revenge against Hung for his bold reporting on crime and corruption, but police later discovered Lieu’s massive gambling debts and the fact that she had often argued with her husband about financial matters. 

According to Lieu, after building their home the couple had to pay off their debts and she though that gambling if well researched would be an easy way to make money.  She admits to losing more than she ever won and this ended up in heated arguments which ended with her trying to scare her husband into selling the house to cover their debts by setting the room in which he slept alight.  Lieu defends herself saying she never meant to kill him, but the courts will have the final say over that in the months to come.  Ironically, many criminals and gangs have tried to have Hung killed in the past but none succeeded.

While this story is truly a tragedy, one can definitely learn, amongst other things, that no matter how “well researched” gambling is not a quick fix to financial problems and problem gambling can harm not only the player but their family too. 

Online casinos like Jackpot City have bigger bonuses so you will lose less of your own money and if you find that you have a problem or addiction you are able to contact the casino and have them close or restrict your account to help stop this.  Always play responsibly!