Reason #3 why the Wizard likes Bovada:

Excellent Odds

In my opinion many online casinos are too stingy when setting the odds on their games. They think they will make more money that way but I believe they are misguided, because when players lose too quickly it’s not fun, and those players might not come back.

Bovada is one of the few casinos that understands this. They offer generous odds to let you play longer and get you a better chance of winning. Among their generous offerings are Full-Pay Jacks or Better returning 99.54%, six other video poker games paying over 99%, single-zero roulette, and my favorite, Pick ’em Poker, returning 99.95%!

Kudos to Bovada for not being afraid to give their players a good gamble.

More about Bovada

Visit Bovada

Ask the Wizard #6

Edition Date: Mar 11, 2000

Which are the best slots to play and is it better to play 3 coins all the time or rotate from 2-3 coins.
— Gary from Geulph, Canada

Most slot machiens offer an incentive to play the maximum coins. For example 2 coins may pay 2000 on the jackpot but 3 coins will pay 5000. On a jackpot per coin basis maximum coins is usually the best bet. So if there a maximum coin incentive then it is better to always play the maximum coins. I’m afraid I can’t answer the question on which slot machines are the best to play, the casinos don’t usually tell you what their payback percent is for any given machine.

Are you saying in the long run you will lose at every casino game no matter what you do?
— Joe from Harrisburg, US

With the exception of rare positive expectation opportunites in blackjack and video poker, yes, that is what I’m saying.

What is the minimum blackjack bet at most online casinos? Are there a time limits in which to make your decisions at the blackjack tables? If so, what are they?
— Reg Alexander from Vancouver, British Columbia

The minimum varies from place to place. At Perplexa casinos it is $1, Microgaming is $2, Starnet and Cryptologic are $5. If you are playing by yourself then you can take a long time. I’ve had phone calls in middle of a hand, came back 15 minutes later and resumed the hand without having been logged out. You will get logged out for inactivity eventually but it takes quite a while. However if you are playing at a group table there is a time limit per decision of about 30 seconds. At the Sands of the Caribbean you can see your clock ticking down.

I recently went to the Couer d’ Alene Tribal Casino in Worley, Idaho. It was late at night and they were retrieving money from the video slot machines. When they shut down the machines, a screen pops up with all kinds of information regarding coins in, coins paid, etc. I noticed that the "hit rate" was set to 37% on the bank of machines that I was playing. This seems really low! Not knowing exactly what I was seeing, I thought best to ask the Wizard!
— Dirks from Spokane, Washington

Interesting question. I’m sure that didn’t refer to the payback percentage, it would be way too low. It may be the percentage of hands that the player wins anything. However with perfect strategy the player will win something about 45% of the time on a jacks or better machine. Other versions of video poker are not far from that 45%. Can anyone else help with this one?

I play a Machine in Atlantic city Called "Reel Detectives". I have read your informative article on how slot machines work and I have a good understanding of the programing behind them. what I don’t understand is how on some days these machines will pay almost an exclusive combination of 7 wins with no jackpots all day and yet other days it will pay Jackpots all day with little to no 7 wins. If the machine is truly picking random combinations wouldn’t the prize distribution be more random. It’s as if IGT programmed the machine to have "Planned Cycles" to make the game more interesting to play. I know your going to say that these are just ramdom events, but it is extreamly unprobable that a machine will only pay mid and lower tier prizes all day and omit the Jackpot and vice versa and do this over and over again. HOW are these WEIGHTED cycles explained? Also if you could point me to any books you recommend on the programming of slot machines I would appreciate it.
— James from Cherry Hill, U.S.

These are just random events. The laws of probability dictate that some days will be dry with a few big winners and others will have a lot of lower payouts. Most days will have a balanced mix and these days are always the first forgotten by the player. There is no switch the casino is throwing to alter the mood of their machines. To change the payout distribution the casino would have to get authorization from the local gaming authority and then replace the program chip in the machine.

Please clear this up for the non-gamblers of consequence. If I purchase a lottery ticket or place a quarter on a cake wheel and win, I don’t get my money back. What happens to my original bet on a roulette wheel or the race track when I win? Why?
— Paul from Baltimore, Maryland

Since we’re both from Baltimore I’ll answer your question. Just kidding, I would have answered it anyway. Whether or not you get your original bet back depends on what you are betting on. In most casino table games you do get your original bet back if you win something. However with the lottery, horse races, slot machines, and cake wheels you do not get your money back if you win. The rule of thumb is that if you need to activate a machine to make the bet then the bet itself is gone. The cake wheel is obviously an exception to this rule but that game is for the benefit of fun and charity (I won a cake at a fair in Fresno years ago by the way). Losing the original bet is not necessarily bad, if they returned it they would just depress the paybacks to recoup the money. A good way to tell if you get your original bet back is if the odds pay any amount "to one." If they just specify the amount you win then you probably don’t get the original bet back.

In a live casino, if you could find a bj table that uses Perplexa rules, including a single deck, but deals reasonably deep into the deck before shuffling, would the house edge be different than -0.14%?
— Ron

Yes, however the edge would actually be less for the basic strategy player in a live casino. This is because in a live casino the dealer will generally deal until a certain point is reached, finish that hand, and then reshuffle. If the deck is rich in small cards (good for the dealer) when the cut card or shuffle point is reached then more cards are likely to be dealt than if the deck were rich in big cards at the shuffle point (good for the player). The effect over thousands of hands is that a disproportionately high number of small cards are dealt which is directly related to a lower player return on investment. The effect is not huge but it is better to play with the same rules at an online casino as opposed to a physical casino.


Home Gambling Info Odds Gambling Online Ask the Wizard Play for Fun Blog Radio Video
Reason #3 why the Wizard likes Bovada: Excellent Odds In my opinion many online casinos are too stingy when setting the odds on their games. They think they will make more money that way but I believe they are misguided, because when players lose too quickly it’s not fun, and those players might not come back. Bovada is one of the few casinos that understands this. They offer generous odds to let you play longer and get you a better chance of winning. Among their generous offerings are Full-Pay Jacks or Better returning 99.54%, six other video poker games paying over 99%, single-zero roulette, and my favorite, Pick ’em Poker, returning 99.95%! Kudos to Bovada for not being afraid to give their players a good gamble. More about Bovada Visit Bovada	Ask the Wizard #6 Edition Date: Mar 11, 2000 Which are the best slots to play and is it better to play 3 coins all the time or rotate from 2-3 coins. — Gary from Geulph, Canada Most slot machiens offer an incentive to play the maximum coins. For example 2 coins may pay 2000 on the jackpot but 3 coins will pay 5000. On a jackpot per coin basis maximum coins is usually the best bet. So if there a maximum coin incentive then it is better to always play the maximum coins. I’m afraid I can’t answer the question on which slot machines are the best to play, the casinos don’t usually tell you what their payback percent is for any given machine. Are you saying in the long run you will lose at every casino game no matter what you do? — Joe from Harrisburg, US With the exception of rare positive expectation opportunites in blackjack and video poker, yes, that is what I’m saying. What is the minimum blackjack bet at most online casinos? Are there a time limits in which to make your decisions at the blackjack tables? If so, what are they? — Reg Alexander from Vancouver, British Columbia The minimum varies from place to place. At Perplexa casinos it is $1, Microgaming is $2, Starnet and Cryptologic are $5. If you are playing by yourself then you can take a long time. I’ve had phone calls in middle of a hand, came back 15 minutes later and resumed the hand without having been logged out. You will get logged out for inactivity eventually but it takes quite a while. However if you are playing at a group table there is a time limit per decision of about 30 seconds. At the Sands of the Caribbean you can see your clock ticking down. I recently went to the Couer d’ Alene Tribal Casino in Worley, Idaho. It was late at night and they were retrieving money from the video slot machines. When they shut down the machines, a screen pops up with all kinds of information regarding coins in, coins paid, etc. I noticed that the "hit rate" was set to 37% on the bank of machines that I was playing. This seems really low! Not knowing exactly what I was seeing, I thought best to ask the Wizard! — Dirks from Spokane, Washington Interesting question. I’m sure that didn’t refer to the payback percentage, it would be way too low. It may be the percentage of hands that the player wins anything. However with perfect strategy the player will win something about 45% of the time on a jacks or better machine. Other versions of video poker are not far from that 45%. Can anyone else help with this one? I play a Machine in Atlantic city Called "Reel Detectives". I have read your informative article on how slot machines work and I have a good understanding of the programing behind them. what I don’t understand is how on some days these machines will pay almost an exclusive combination of 7 wins with no jackpots all day and yet other days it will pay Jackpots all day with little to no 7 wins. If the machine is truly picking random combinations wouldn’t the prize distribution be more random. It’s as if IGT programmed the machine to have "Planned Cycles" to make the game more interesting to play. I know your going to say that these are just ramdom events, but it is extreamly unprobable that a machine will only pay mid and lower tier prizes all day and omit the Jackpot and vice versa and do this over and over again. HOW are these WEIGHTED cycles explained? Also if you could point me to any books you recommend on the programming of slot machines I would appreciate it. — James from Cherry Hill, U.S. These are just random events. The laws of probability dictate that some days will be dry with a few big winners and others will have a lot of lower payouts. Most days will have a balanced mix and these days are always the first forgotten by the player. There is no switch the casino is throwing to alter the mood of their machines. To change the payout distribution the casino would have to get authorization from the local gaming authority and then replace the program chip in the machine. Please clear this up for the non-gamblers of consequence. If I purchase a lottery ticket or place a quarter on a cake wheel and win, I don’t get my money back. What happens to my original bet on a roulette wheel or the race track when I win? Why? — Paul from Baltimore, Maryland Since we’re both from Baltimore I’ll answer your question. Just kidding, I would have answered it anyway. Whether or not you get your original bet back depends on what you are betting on. In most casino table games you do get your original bet back if you win something. However with the lottery, horse races, slot machines, and cake wheels you do not get your money back if you win. The rule of thumb is that if you need to activate a machine to make the bet then the bet itself is gone. The cake wheel is obviously an exception to this rule but that game is for the benefit of fun and charity (I won a cake at a fair in Fresno years ago by the way). Losing the original bet is not necessarily bad, if they returned it they would just depress the paybacks to recoup the money. A good way to tell if you get your original bet back is if the odds pay any amount "to one." If they just specify the amount you win then you probably don’t get the original bet back. In a live casino, if you could find a bj table that uses Perplexa rules, including a single deck, but deals reasonably deep into the deck before shuffling, would the house edge be different than -0.14%? — Ron Yes, however the edge would actually be less for the basic strategy player in a live casino. This is because in a live casino the dealer will generally deal until a certain point is reached, finish that hand, and then reshuffle. If the deck is rich in small cards (good for the dealer) when the cut card or shuffle point is reached then more cards are likely to be dealt than if the deck were rich in big cards at the shuffle point (good for the player). The effect over thousands of hands is that a disproportionately high number of small cards are dealt which is directly related to a lower player return on investment. The effect is not huge but it is better to play with the same rules at an online casino as opposed to a physical casino.
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Ask the Wizard #6

Which are the best slots to play and is it better to play 3 coins all the time or rotate from 2-3 coins. — Gary from Geulph, Canada

Are you saying in the long run you will lose at every casino game no matter what you do? — Joe from Harrisburg, US

What is the minimum blackjack bet at most online casinos? Are there a time limits in which to make your decisions at the blackjack tables? If so, what are they? — Reg Alexander from Vancouver, British Columbia

Please clear this up for the non-gamblers of consequence. If I purchase a lottery ticket or place a quarter on a cake wheel and win, I don’t get my money back. What happens to my original bet on a roulette wheel or the race track when I win? Why? — Paul from Baltimore, Maryland

In a live casino, if you could find a bj table that uses Perplexa rules, including a single deck, but deals reasonably deep into the deck before shuffling, would the house edge be different than -0.14%? — Ron

Which are the best slots to play and is it better to play 3 coins all the time or rotate from 2-3 coins.
— Gary from Geulph, Canada

Are you saying in the long run you will lose at every casino game no matter what you do?
— Joe from Harrisburg, US

What is the minimum blackjack bet at most online casinos? Are there a time limits in which to make your decisions at the blackjack tables? If so, what are they?
— Reg Alexander from Vancouver, British Columbia

Please clear this up for the non-gamblers of consequence. If I purchase a lottery ticket or place a quarter on a cake wheel and win, I don’t get my money back. What happens to my original bet on a roulette wheel or the race track when I win? Why?
— Paul from Baltimore, Maryland

In a live casino, if you could find a bj table that uses Perplexa rules, including a single deck, but deals reasonably deep into the deck before shuffling, would the house edge be different than -0.14%?
— Ron