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Home • What's New • Advice & Strategy • Ask the Wizard • Gambling online • Play for Fun • Site Map • About Us • Colors |
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PKR.com, and apparently other sites, now have a "Deal or No Deal" gambling game. The site says it has a house edge of 4.54%. The 26 cases range from 2% to 1000% of your bet. The $100 game uses these figures 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 200, 1000. That makes a total of 2482, the 118 shortfall is the 4.54% edge (2482/2600 = 95.46%). Unlike the TV shows, the banker's offer is always the true average of the remaining cases in every round. There is no mathematical advantage to wait for a better offer. Is there an optimal strategy that can be employed?
— Andy B. from Embrun, ON
I agree with your math. The average of those cases is 95.46, for a house edge of 4.54% over the $100 bet. There is absolutely no strategy that will either help you or hurt you. You may as well fly by the seat of your pants. November 6, 2008
Dear Wizard, are there any online casino games that offer a positive
edge to a player using an optimal strategy, and if so where can I find them? Many thanks and keep up the good work! –
— Bill from London, UK
Sadly, I can’t think of any. Global Player used to have video poker over 100%, and some Boss Media casinos had a blackjack game with a player advantage. However, all such casinos either closed their doors, or removed the good games. If anybody else knows of any new straight up advantage games online, I'm all ears. June 7, 2008
Recently my room-mate got into my online casino account and lost a great deal of MY money. I would like to "charge back" all the transactions he made through the site. Besides being put on a global list are there any other negatives to disputing charges of this sort? — Evan from New York
I think being put on the chargeback database will be the only drawback. So that will pretty much end your online gambling. However, I don’t think it is fair to the casino to charge back. It was not their fault that your room-mate used your credit card and lost your money. The right thing would be for your room-mate to pay you back for what he lost. I feel strongly about this, having been stiffed many times myself. It is not a coincidence that "Thou shalt honor thy gambling debts" is the first of my Ten Commandments of Gambling. If your room-mate refuses, and you go ahead with the chargeback, be honest with any investigation. It will be easy to see the charges came from the same I.P. address, and you may be asked about it. Give him a chance to pay first, and if he refuses don't protect him over this.
January 2, 2008
I visited Bodog and tried out their roulette wheel on the free site. In a box in the upper corner it records the last ten numbers that hit. I spun the thing fewer than 20 times, I am sure. The numbers recorded there are as follows: 9-9-29-21-11-11-20-28-32-1 Interestingly, two spins before this there was another hit on 32. Meaning that the numbers 9, 11 & 32 all hit twice within 12 spins. As I said, I am not a statistician, but the frequency of these three numbers coupled with the minimal number of times I spun the wheel seem to indicate something is wrong.
The probability of three pairs and six singletons in twelve spins is combin(38,3) × combin(35,6) × combin(12,2) × combin(10,2) × combin(8,2) × fact(6)/3812 = 9.04%. The math gets rather messy asking about the probability that this could happen in any 12-spin span over 20 total spins. Suffice it to say that it is significantly more than 9%, more likely than not, I would guess. So these seem like very normal results to me.
November 23, 2007
Is there a house edge when playing Microsoft Solitaire? I've been taking my co-worker for hundreds, as he insists that there is a player edge. – Ed from New York
Yes, there must be. Cryptologic Internet casinos have been offering the game, under the Vegas rules, for years. They also offer the version where you turn over the cards in the tableau one at a time, but can only run through it once. As under the Microsoft Vegas rules, the player gets back fives time the bet per card for each one he puts in the stacks. I would bank that game all day long, if I could. July 25, 2007
Wagerworks has a new game Texas Hold 'Em Shootout and it supposedly features a 100% return. Do you have any thoughts on how to reach this return rate? Thanks for all the strategies and advice. ;) – Rich from Welwyn Garden City
You’re welcome. That is a damn clever game. Basically, the player plays conventional Texas Hold’em against two bots, except there is no betting after the river. In the player’s favor is being last to act. In the casino’s favor is that the two bots are colluding. Basically, the bot with the weaker hand will fold, and the player will be left to play against only the stronger bot. I haven't analyzed this game yet, so I'm afraid you're on your own. June 2, 2007
There are a lot of free online video poker games available. However, I am looking for a version I can run without being connected to the Internet. Do you know of a free downloadable version of Jacks or Better that does not use the Internet while running? I've found some free download demos, but they still connect to a site when they run even though the game is loading locally. Just a nice basic, realistic (functionally) version would be great. Thanks. – Mark from Braham
I believe the free Winpoker demo will do that and never expire. The download is available at www.zamzone.com. April 12, 2007
Due to the ridiculous legislation passed an few months back, it has obviously become more and more difficult to deposit money into my online poker accounts, including Bodog. :) Without aiding and abetting, could you possibly share with your readers some creative ways to overcome this obstacle or at least provide a list of the known still active deposit sites. Thanks for any help you can provide. – Ed H. from Indianapolis
My webmaster, Michael Bluejay, addresses this very subject in our January 31, 2007 newsletter. To expand on the Visa cards, another friend suggested using prepaid Visa cards, which can be purchased at some banks and at Walgreens. March 18, 2007
I am curious about the current online gaming law. I won a free wagering account ($75) at an online sports book and have managed to turn it into nearly $200. I know that you are not an attorney, but is it 'legal' to cash out and present the check at my bank? Or, when I present the check, will alarms sound and a net be dropped from the ceiling, capturing me? I fully plan on claiming my winnings, albeit small, on my Federal taxes. I always remember that the only thing Al Capone ever did time for was tax evasion! Thanks for your time and consideration Wiz! Best of luck to you! – Rob from Pittsburgh
I’m not an attorney, so I’ll refrain from giving an opinion on the legality. For practical purposes checks from Internet casinos and sports books are sent from generic accounts, usually out of Canada. From looking at the checks you wouldn’t know whom they are from. I have never once heard of a bank not honoring such a check (unless it bounced), or anyone being prosecuted for attempting to cash a single check. So, my advice is go ahead and cash it. You should do so inside with a teller, because some banks don’t like foreign checks deposited in an ATM. March 5, 2007
Some of the online casinos such as Bodog pay 9 to 1 for the tie bet in baccarat. What is the house edge for the tie bet with the 9 to 1 payout? – Bryan from Mill Valley
Yes, Bodog does indeed pay 9 to 1 on the tie. Assuming eight decks, that lowers the house edge from 14.360% to 4.844%. February 7, 2007
I've found an online video poker game with a ridiculous payout structure. What are some good (simple yet reliable) hypotheses to test to find out if the game is unfair? - Jon from Knoxville
First play optimal strategy using software such as Winpoker, Video Poker for Winners, or Frugal Video Poker. Then keep track of how much you get each hand compared to expectations, which both programs can calculate. Finally do a chi-squared test of the results. If you need help with the last step you can send your results to me, as long as you have a sample size of at least 300 hands.
January 18, 2007
My all time favorite slot game is Spin 2 million at LV Grand, Monaco Gold and Club Dice Casinos. They no longer service US customers. Do you know any other Casino that has that game? - Kathy S. from Pueblo
I'm afraid that 100% of casinos using Playtech software are closed to U.S. players.
January 18, 2007
I play at Bodog using Neteller. Do you know if they have any plans for deposit & withdraw if neteller & others quit accepting U.S. players? If you win, a check would be worthless if banks won't accept it. – Ron from Tulsa
I’ve received lots of foreign checks from Internet casinos. They never came on casino letterhead. Often I didn’t immediately know whom the check was from because they looked more like generic money orders. So if it comes to this I think Bodog would use a generic looking check or money order that your bank wouldn’t be able to easily trace back to the sender. Besides, I don’t think Neteller is going anywhere.
November 23, 2006
I think you may be interested in this. I use Betfair here in the UK. I am sure you nice people in America are not allowed to use it for some reason, anyway if you are not familiar with it go to betfair.co.uk and have a look. It is a betting exchange, not a bookmakers. Anyway, my question is this. They are now offering roulette with NO ZERO, yes no zero. It is genuine really. Can you think of a good strategy one could use, and if so would you keep it to yourself? Best wishes, Jonathan. P.S. They offer other casino games with no house edge too. – Jonathan from Preston, England
I tried to sign up for an account there to check this out but they block U.S. players. I'm told the minimum bet is £2 and the maximum is £50. Even in a zero house edge game like no-zero roulette there is still no betting system that will get above, or below, that 0% figure. No matter what you do the more you do of it the closer the actual house win will get to 0%.
November 23, 2006
Wizard, Now that on-line gaming is going to be illegal in this country, wondering if you could speak to any ways (as I'm sure they're out there) to get around this problem. I assume setting up an off shore bank account is a good first step, but from what I've read, on-line casino IP address' will be blocked in some way which will prohibit American citizens from getting access to them. – Gene from New York City
According to my interpretation, this law does not make gambling online illegal. The bill seeks to choke off Internet gambling by making it illegal for U.S. banks to directly fund casino accounts. However, they stopped accepting credit card transactions years ago. This law only addresses what nobody was doing anyway. Any business outside of the United States is not obligated to respect our laws in their own country. Some are choosing to anyway, some are not. If your Internet casino of choice is still accepting U.S. players, I suggest you be honest about where you live and continue to use whatever method of payment you were using before. Personally, I find Neteller to be the most convenient.
November 10, 2006
With Congress grandstanding now over Internet gaming, how do you view the future of the industry? – Daniel L.
First, it is important to remember that the U.S. only accounts for half the market. Outside of the United States I think the industry will become more legitimate as the United Kingdom takes a greater role. However, as publicly traded companies, most of the U.K. operations out of respect for U.S. laws no longer accept American players. This will leave American players with a greater percentage of less reputable organizations to choose from (Bodog excepted of course). So, the short-term effect will be that American players are less protected and more likely to be cheated. In the long term, hopefully we will come to our senses and learn all over again that prohibition doesn’t work and repeal this stupid law. This will likely take several years.
November 10, 2006
I noticed you recently changed what you think is the house advantage for pontoon. It used to be .17% making it a very attractive game. Now its .38%, making it not nearly very attractive. As far as I know for many years your website has always said .17% and now it says .38%. Was there a screw-up you just didn't catch until now? What happened exactly that had you changing the HA so dramatically? - Ben B.
I must confess that my 0.17% figure was an error. I discovered the flaw in my analysis when I recently updated it for the Microgaming rules. To all those who played it because of my 0.17% figure, I apologize.
November 10, 2006
What is the house edge of gold pontoon on the new Microgaming platform? – Steve from KC
There are two significant rules changes to the Microgaming pontoon game. First, the dealer stands on soft 17, which is worth 0.47% to the player. Second, there is no drawing to or resplitting of aces, which is worth 0.49% to the dealer. So these two rules almost offset each other. Overall the house edge is 0.39%, with correct strategy, which is indicated in my Microgaming section.
October 17, 2006
At sites like BoDog you get bonuses for each deposit. Once I make a deposit, and play enough time to be able to withdraw it, is it proper etiquette to withdraw the entire balance and shortly thereafter re-deposit the money to earn another bonus? – Mark from Merrick
Reload bonuses are intended for players who blew everything the last deposit, although this usually is not a direct requirement. It doesn’t look good to make a partial withdrawal and then quickly deposit again, just to get a reload bonus. Completely withdrawing will raise less red flags, but still won’t look good. To avoid suspicion it looks good to completely withdraw and allow time until the next deposit, the more time the better. I would suggest at least a couple months.
September 22, 2006
Question: I am NOT a lawyer! But somehow I have the idea that online gambling violates some sort of legal statutes here in the states. If so, then are not people sort of publicly admitting to breaking the law when they state in emails,etc. to you or you yourself that I played online casino X and won/loss Y dollars. Of course the law is probably overwhelmed with REAL crime but if folks are going to admit in writing that they have broken the law then the law does not have to work hard to prove the fact. So it seems that folks should be careful about they tales of online gambling experiences in public forums. Seems like it would not take a whole lot of work by some DA to say look for all those folks in his jurisdiction with such admissions and charge them with whatever DA charge people with.
As far as I know the number of players to be prosecuted for gambling on the Internet is zero. So far efforts have been aimed at choking off the industry at the payment processing level, which has only moved those services outside the country as well. Laws directed at the player are simply not enforced. There are lots of poker celebrities who publicly earned seats at the big poker tournaments by playing poker online, and to the best of my knowledge, none of them have been prosecuted. However, Washington State recently made playing poker online a felony, so I might be nervous in the Evergreen State.
June 9, 2006
I have searched high and low to find a governing body of Internet gambling. Is there one? - John G from Barrie, ON
Short answer, no.
May 10, 2006
I would like to play on line for free. Do the sites utilize your log in info to solicit? I want one that does not. I particularly like to play nine line Cleopatra but the online versions are not the same (that I have Found)
What is the best no strings web site to play for fun? - Sue from The Colony, TexasYes, if you give your e-mail address to a casino they will certainly send you e-mail. However the reputable ones will stop if you ask. The less reputable casinos will not only market themselves but also share your address with others. The NetGaming casino sold me out to pornography spammers. Bodog lets you play without surrendering your email address, as do the Wager Works casinos, such as at the Hard Rock Casino. Incidentally, Casino Meister has a new page about combatting casino spam. My webmaster tells of his own problems with casino spam at VegasClick.com. I've never seen Cleopatra online. It's rare for an online casino to have the same slots found in land casinos. Nov. 9, 2005
I have never gambled online before but wanted to give it a try--specifically at Pharoah's because of their generous video poker pay tables. I was not able to make a deposit because the only bank I have cards with forbids online gambling and every transaction I've attempted has been blocked. I really wanted to give this a try (and support some of your sponsors) but have had no luck. Before I give up completely on the idea, can you tell me if there are any ways around this problem? Also, have any recent determinations been made recently on the legality and regulation of online gambling? Thanks for your time. - Steve from Gresham, Wisconsin Thanks for attempting to patronize my advertisers. Not many casinos accept credit card transactions, at least from U.S. players. In my opinion the most convenient way for U.S. players to get funds into an Internet casino is via Neteller. Similar to Paypal, Neteller is an online bank, but unlike Paypal, Neteller honors transactions with Internet casinos. I'm not the best person to speak on the legality topic but as far as I can tell nothing has changed but there is still no federal law that specifically says gambling on the Internet is illegal. Efforts have been made to pass such a law but the same bill has yet to pass both houses of congress. Aug. 21, 2005 Hi, I've been playing in two online casinos for about one month. I have been lucky and I have won about $1500 so far. I want to ask how much do you think that is save for me to win in 1 online casino a day so I wouldn't be labeled like an advantage player or casino wouldn't just closed my account because of my luck. I am worried that if I would win let say $50-$100 a day in one casino they would find the reason to close my account. I don't use any robot I am just lucky. Please help me. Much like trying to identify card counters it isn't how much you win, it is how you play. The biggest red flag that a player is a bonus abuser is that he stops playing shortly after completing the terms of a bonus. It also doesn't help if the player is flat betting and playing low house edge games. You didn't mention bonuses at all so if you didn't get one then you should be fine. If you did get a bonus but gave the casino at least 50% more play than required then you should also be okay. Anyone in the gambling business with any sense would see the big picture, that unless your play pattern matches that of a professional, you will sometimes win occasionally even win big, but in the long run the house edge will prevail and the casino will win. Sept. 7, 2004 I would like to know if you put your real name, address, phone number, date of birth when you sign up in online casinos. Yes, to all of those things. If some of the shadier casinos find you provided false information they will use it as an excuse not to pay you. Besides, these pieces of information are not that hard to come by for someone looking to abuse or steal your identity. Recently Crazy Vegas casino asked for my Social Security number, which I thought was going too far. I gave them a phony one. When asked for my mother's maiden name, by anyone, I give the name of my cat. Sept. 7, 2004 I am retained by a group to build an online casino. I have some questions and you seem like the person in the know. If I may...
I read about someone winning 1.3 million at an Online Casino in Caribbean Stud and not being paid because they used robot play. What is robot play, how does it win, and why is it illegal? First, the game was Caribbean 21, not Caribbean Stud. The casino this money was won from alleges that the player used robot play, which is against their terms and conditions. If this is true (the player denies it) then it is within their rights to forfeit the winnings. Robot play is a program that can read the cards on the screen and can play against the casino by itself, by simulated mouse moves and clicks, or keyboard actions. Some casinos don't allow it because they have some games with a theoretical return slightly over 100%. Robot play could ensure nice expected hourly profits for the person using it, but not enough to bother actually playing. A good example is Boss Media's single deck blackjack game with a player advantage of 0.11%. Some casinos with no positive expectation game allow robot play and others do not. I do not know why those with no positive expectation games prohibit robot play. Some skeptics claim they retain the right to avoid paying big winners, simply by alleging robot play. In this situation the casino has released a taped confession in which the player offers to sell the robot. However the player says it was taken out of context. It is a long story, for more details follow this link to Casinomeister's forum on this topic. Feb. 27, 2004 I tried to find your reviews of the online casinos but the page says you have stopped making them available. I personally like knowing if a casino has a questionable policy. Why did you delete the reviews? That is a fair question. For those who don't remember I used to review all the Internet casinos I played and had a list of at least 50 reviews. One problem in maintaining this list was I got numerous requests from casinos not on the list to be added. I received no revenue through these reviews and in fact they may have taken customers from the paying advertisers. Another problem is Internet casinos often rise and fall in quality. I was taking a beating on the bulletin boards for saying good things about casinos that had evidently fallen downhill. So I started to remove reviews there were over a year old. However I still found it a hassle dealing with the requests to be added and dealing with complaints coming from players who had a bad experience with a casino I gave a good review to. My site does not make that much money so I decided revenue did not warrant the bother of maintaining that section. Jan. 20, 2004 Can you explain how the Internet casinos (Random Computers) determine their percentage of money returned. For example: If you are playing basic strategy in black jack you should lose approximately 2.5 to 3 percent over time. Is that based strictly on the hands you are playing at the time; or the number of people online playing at the time; or over a specific number of hands played at that casino by everyone over a period of time etc. The reason I am asking is - can heavy hitters that may be winning in other games affect the cards you are receiving in order for the casino to win its percentage or profit. When a casino says they pay back 98% for example in blackjack it is generally a historical statistic, looking at the last month or so. They should state somewhere the time period on which it is based. The 98% is the ratio of money returned to money bet is 98%. This generally includes money bet on doubles and splits in the denominator. So if a casino had all basic strategy players their return percentage would likely be less than the house edge, which is based on the initial bet only. Heavy hitters can definitely skew the percentages. That is why sometimes a casino will pay over 100%, because a high roller got lucky and won more than all the other players lost. Dec. 2, 2003 Is there software that will count cards as you input them? Can this be used to play online blackjack? Or does online blackjack shuffle after each hand? Yes. Have a look at beejack. Most, but not all, casinos shuffle after every hand. I don't know if it practical to actually use this product. If you try it please let me know how you do, I might like to try it myself. Nov. 19, 2003 Hey dude I had a random question and I didn't know who else to ask! I won $12,000 on an online casino. Should I cash it all out at once? Do I have to do anything related to reporting it on my taxes? If I don't report it will I get in trouble? What would you do in this situation? Thanks for the help!!! Whether to cash out it all out at once is your decision. Assuming you are a U.S. citizen you are obligated to declare the income on your next tax return. If you don't you could be charged with tax evasion. However this sort of thing is largely on the honor system. You are also allowed to deduct any gambling losses in the same year against your winnings. Aug. 2003 For those games which returns higher than 100%, have you thought of writing computer programs to play against them? I saw this idea mentioned somewhere else so I bet you must have known it. What is the problem with it then? No big return? Too many people have already done it? Casinos can easily find out and bar you? I addressed robot players in the September 20, 2001 column. Assuming you could create a robot then it should do well against a game with over 100% return. However I would recommend programming it to play at a human speed and reasonable sitting times. Some online casinos have been known to blame players for using robots even when they weren't, as an excuse not to pay in my opinion. June 14, 2003 Do have any knowledge about the policies of online casinos with regards to reporting winnings to the Internal Revenue Service? If so, please provide as much info as you can. Thank you. - Jack from Mesa, USA I'm quite sure none of them report anything. Jan. 11, 2003 Hi Wizard. In your opinion, which sites offer the best payouts regarding video poker? Also, which software do you prefer for video poker? Thank you kindly for always being there with your indispensable wealth of knowledge. - Barry Levy from Brooklyn, New York Two questions from Brooklyn in a row, what are the odds of that? The best video poker odds are with Microgaming and Real Time Gaming. It depends on your specific game of choice. Of these two I prefer the Real Time Gaming interface better. Aug. 31, 2002 Recently found your site, really nice. Online casino reviews has been removed, will it return? - Floyd Niemeyer - from Mattoon, Illinois I'm not sure. The site continues to be very disappointing in terms of advertising revenue. I speculate the reason is partially that viewers were ignoring the ads and going right to the free links in the reviews. In other words I was giving away too much free traffic. Aug. 11, 2002 Is there a computer game of blackjack that I can purchase that features both double exposure and spanish 21 blackjack. I would like to practice both. - George from Cresskill, USA You can play both of these for free at any Unified Gaming casino. See my casino index for a list of them. April 15, 2002 Love your site! It's amazing. My question is regarding on of your answers about "robot players" for online casinos. You said: "These robots take a lot of expertise and time to use but if done properly can turn a computer into a money making machine," and that essentially, this is why casinos sometimes don't pay out. What I don't understand is, you've insisted, as any statistician will, that no matter what you do, you will end up losing in the long run. So, my question is, how can using a robot make any difference? Who cares, and why would the casinos see this as a problem? Even if they play perfect BS, the house still has the advantage, right? Regarding expected outcomes in BJ, I've seen your tables in appendix 4 about standard deviation and found it very helpful. I'm curious to know though, what are the chances of going down as soon as you start playing, and not coming back up to an average of 100% (after factoring in the loses due to the house edge)? What would the chances be over 100, 200...1000...10000...100000, etc., hands be? And last, could you please help me understand why it's a "fallacy" that a win becomes more probable after a series of losses? The way I see it, since the expected outcome is an approximately 99.5% return, then if after 1000 hands, you're at 78%, then, by definition, it would necessitate that the next hand being a win must be more likely to occur. People say that cards "don't have a memory", but isn't the natural curve, in essence, its memory??? Please help me understand this point! Thanks a lot. - Steve From Canada You're right, if you used a robot player against an ordinary game you would only lose more. However some casinos do offer games with a player advantage if played properly. Unified Gaming had a blackjack game with an 0.5% player edge for several months, but no longer. Many Real Time Gaming casinos offer a joker poker game with an expected return of 100.18%. Other casinos have promotions in which the player who plays the most hands in a period of time wins a prize, in which a robot player would have a clear advantage. I'm pretty sure this isn't possible, but is there any way to count cards when playing blackjack in an online casino? P.S. Your site is great. Being a beginner it has given me lots of good advice. - Dustin from Austin, USA Thanks for the compliments. Most online casinos shuffle the cards after every hand. At single deck casinos (Boss Media version 1, Microgaming, Unified Gaming) you can use the cards already on the table to alter your play sometimes. See my blackjack appendix3A for all the details. There are some casinos that play into a shoe a little way but not far, and have restrictive betting limits. I have yet to be convinced of any worthwhile opportunity on the Internet to count cards. Nov. 23, 2001 I was recently put on the "list" and can not play at the casinos. Could you tell me how I got my name on the "list" and how do I get my name off of it? Thank you for your response. - Brian from Milpitas, USA I don't know the reason in your particular case because I don't have access to the blacklists. The fastest way to get on the list is to make a chargeback. That is making a credit card purchase, blowing it in the casino, and then reversing the charges. This is something the Internet casinos do not mess around with and they share lists with each other of players who have made even one chargeback, regardless of the reason. There are also blacklists for bonus abusers. These are harder to get on and are not circulated as widely. Once on a list there is just about nothing that can be done about it. Internet gambling is still mostly unregulated so there is no higher authority to turn to. Nov. 11, 2001 I have heard of casinos not paying players, accusing them of being or using "robot" player. What exactly does this mean? - Adam from ? In an effort to exploit games with a small player advantage some online players have used robot players to play the games for them. With downloadable software robots can be programmed to read the cards on the screen, make a decision on how to play them, and then click the screen in the right places. Using a robot can be easier to perform on Java casinos where the URL indicates all the pertinent information. These robots take a lot of expertise and time to use but if done properly can turn a computer into a money making machine. That is why some casinos don't like them and prohibit them. They may be suspicious if they see an unusually fast rate and consistent rate of play over a long period of time. I also think that sometimes less reputable online casinos looking for any excuse to not pay a winner will falsely accuse the player of using a robot player. Thus they list the rule as a possible last resort to not pay. Sept. 20, 2001 I thought you blacklisted the Golden Palace Casino but I just received an email from you promoting them. What gives? - Grey Khoo Kuan Liang from Singapore You're not the only one to complain. My partner in charge of advertising thought my feud with them was ancient history and accepted the ad. I was not happy about it and I apologize for it. This won't happen again. Aug. 6, 2001 I won recently at eWorld Casino. They said they would send a payment Western Union 6 days after I withdrew it. It has now been 7 days and every time I call their support line they tell me they don't know when they payment will be made. Should I worry? What should I do? - David Noah from New York, US First let me say that eWorld is okay as far as I know. I've played them and had no problems. I'm think they will pay you and this is just ordinary inconvenience most players suffer with. Unfortunately Internet casinos in general are not known for paying winners quickly. I've seen the range myself from 3 days (Net Club) to 33 days (Casino on Air) of those times I kept track. I would say 2 weeks is about average. After two weeks I would ask about it every 3-5 days until they pay. Perhaps they will tire of the nagging and expedite the payment. Don't get threatening or abusive until it seems there is no other hope. I would wait until 45-60 days have gone by before getting to this stage. Once you do get tough they may shut off all communication. However if you feel things are hopeless give a final strongly worded warning. Wait a few days and then do your best to get some justice by warning others of your experience at the bulletin boards. This advice is not specific to eWorld but all Internet casinos. Keep in mind most of these casinos operate out the Caribbean and Central America where people take their sweet time to do anything. Aug. 6, 2001 I noticed in your online review of casinos that you mentioned in Apolla that you played 438 units of blackjack and lost 98. Does this mean you played 438 hands and lost only 98? This is an awfully good ratio in favor of the player. - Peter Hill of Orlando, Florida I lost 98 units there overall. If every hand was an even money win or a loss then I would have won 170 hands and lost 268. Jan. 20, 2001 Many on-line casinos advertise that they payout 98% or a number close to that. They also claim that this number is audited by one of the big-six accounting firms. How is this number calculated? Also, is there a way to calculate my own personal payout ratio for a certain game within certain period of time? -- Vahe of Glendale, California The payout is the ratio of money won to money bet. For example if players bet a total of one million dollars and the total amount paid to winning bets was $998,000 then the payout ratio would be 98%. Keep in mind that as players recirculate the same money the house edge grinds them down so the typical player will retain much less than 98% of their original purchase. The way to calculate your own ratio if to keep track of the total amount you bet and the total amount you win and divide. Dec. 10, 2000 Some internet casinos offer multiplayer Caribbean stud poker. Do you think a team of determined players with good computers could beat the game? If a team were to occupy all 5 places at a table, they could see into half the deck. A computer could call the optimal play based on seeing 26 cards (5 per player plus the dealer's up card). Thanks again for the gambling advice - I'm a long-standing fan. ñ Peter Ciolfi of Ottawa, Canada Somebody else asked this is a past column. The book 'Finding the Edge' presents a paper titled 'An Analysis of Caribbean Stud Poker' by Peter Griffin and John Gwynn Jr.. There they state that if seven players colluded perfectly they would enjoy a 2.3% player advantage. However they don't state what the edge would be in a five-player game. I suspect that the odds would swing back to the house. Dec. 2, 2000 Enjoy your site more than any other gambling site. I am curious about how realistic the randomness of your Java baccarat game is. I've played it for many hours and have been using a strategy that appears to win every time now. I am fearful to try my strategy at a casino though, because I'm unsure of how random your game is. The strategy is to begin with a $5 bet on Banker and with each loss bet one more unit and with every win subtract one more unit. I've only been down about $300 at the most, but usually will get to $1,100 or $1,500 within about 200 hands. What are your thoughts? ñ Michael Andrews of Fort Worth, Texas My Java games are based on the random number generator that comes with Visual J++. For personal play it should be quite fair. I speculate that any bias would only show up over millions of hands. Your results are not the result of a biased random number generator but of both luck and a progressive betting system. Nov. 19, 2000 Hi, you have a wonderful page for categorizing the Casinos by the type of software they used. However, Casino-On-Net was not mentioned in the list. Do you know what software is Casino-On-Net using? -- Andrew from Bangkok, Thailand Thanks for the compliment. I believe Casino on Net uses their own software. It is my understanding that they are one of the three biggest online casinos. Once a casino starts making tons of money it is more cost effective to develop their own software than keep paying somebody else a percentage of the profit to use theirs. Nov. 11, 2000 What can you tell me about Lasseters Online Casino? Have you or will you review it? I didn't see it in your list of online casinos. -- Dennis Lang from Lawton, USA The only thing I know about Lasseters is that they are from Australia and based on a presentation they did at an industry convention earlier this year that they are serious about setting a good example in the business. When I choose which casinos to try I give a priority to ones that advertise on my site or that have bonus incentives for the new player. Lasseters doesn't meet either or these criteria. Oct. 5, 2000 A quick question about online comp programs: The Sands casino offers a variety of comps for wagering at their casino. Is there a way of figuring out how much money I would need to bring to the table to wager $7,500? For arguments sake, assume I am playing perfect blackjack. ñ Steve from New York, USA The answer depends on how much you are willing to bet in each hand and how high you are willing to allow the probability of losing the entire bankroll. To answer this question properly would require quite a bit of work. There is no easy formula that I know of to get at the answer. Simulations would probably be required. Assuming you are willing to bet $10 a hand would need to bet 750 units. If you were to buy 100 units ($1000) the odds of losing the entire bankroll before making 750 bets would be very low. If you bet $5 a hand I think you would be quite safe buying 150 units ($750). Sorry I can't be more scientific. If anybody else has any suggestions on the solution, even in a coin flipping model, I would be interested to hear your ideas. Oct. 5, 2000 I have never gambled on-line, but I would suppose that since you play the games from your computer, with no one watching, it would be a lot easier to do things as card counting or even using a computer to make your decisions. Is this true? Do on-line casinos have any way to check if you're cheating? Also, do you have a time limit to play each hand? ñ Gonzalo from Mexico City, Mexico Yes, you can easily count cards when playing blackjack online. In fact some products like Blackjack 2021 are specifically designed to aid the player doing this. It isn't cheating either. However most online casinos shuffle after every hand which makes counting cards a waste of time. I have heard that a few have penetration of about 1/3 of the shoe but can't name any. Most places seem to have no time limit. Oct. 5, 2000 Why don't you have any GamblingSoftware.com sites listed on your site? I think they have around 87 different casinos you should list. It may help if you are fair with your listings. - Joseph Edwards from Vancouver, BC, Canada I didn't realize they had that many casinos. There are too many kinds of software for me to list all of them but if they do indeed have 87 they deserve to be mentioned on my site. Besides that they gave me a free tee-shirt at a trade show. Sept. 10, 2000 Q: In your experience which sites actually pay their affiliates for traffic. Am especially interested in Unified Gaming 10% deposit/lifetime. Thanks. ñ Kevin from Bay St. Louis, U.S. A: I used to be a Gambler's Palace and Sportbet affiliate, as well as some other Unified Gaming casinos. Both Gambler's Palace and Sportbet seemed to pay me on a regular basis. These two had the most prominent positions on my site at the time. However it was hard to tell from which casino I was being paid. They all issued checks though the Bank of Nevis without any details about from who or why you were getting the check. Checks based on my own gambling winnings also came without explanation from the Bank of Nevis, making things even more confusing to keep track of. Sept. 3, 2000 Q: I know this will be almost impossible for you to figure out, but I'm curious to know approximately how many people play Cash Splash on a daily basis and some idea of the odds against me. I am especially curious to know if online progressive slots offer better chances of hitting that jackpot than land-based progressives. -- Donna of Los Angeles, California A: You're right, it is impossible for me to know without Microgaming giving me the details on how their reels are weighted. I have asked some of the major software companies for such information but thus far nobody has volunteered anything. However I can tell you that the average payback for all slots at the Golden Palace for the month of March 2000 was 95.67%. This information is available at the Golden Palace web site, click on the Price Waterhouse Coopers monthly payout review. July 9, 2000 Q: I was wondering... Knowing that online casinos shuffle after every hand, making card counting impossible, I have found that there are, indeed, a few advantages. A) You do not have to tip, B) You can go one-on-one against the dealer (no other players), C) You can play more hands (again, due to the lack of other players) her hour than in a real casino, and D) you can enjoy a large betting spread without suspicion. Do these factors make the online game advantageous in any way? Has any test been run on these systems? So far, I've done nicely -- in fact, I've done better online than in any real casino. What do you think? Any input is appreciated. Thanks! - Nathan Sikes You have already pointed out some of the advantages of online blackjack as opposed to a physical casino. Unless you are card counting it is to your advantage that they shuffle after every hand. In the casinos they will play until a specific point is reached in the deck, finish that hand, and then shuffle. This works to the player's disadvantage because more cards will be dealt when the shuffle point is reached in a deck rich in small cards than one rich in big cards. In other words in a physical casinos the player will see slightly more small cards than large cards over the long run, which is bad for the player. However much more important is the fact that you don't have to feel obligated to tip in an online casino. The faster play, one on one play, and the larger spreads do not help nor hurt the casual player. I attribute your better results in online casinos to any combination of luck, better rules, and not having to tip. April 29, 2000 Q: One thing I don't notice on your site about online gambling is the legality of it. I understand that in some locations it is illegal to gamble online and many of the online casinos are actually offshore. - Dave from Gaithersburg, Maryland A: The way I see it the legality of online gambling in the US is in legal limbo. There are laws that prohibit gambling in all but licensed establishments. However it could also be argued that the gambling is not taking place in the US but wherever the server for the casino is, usually the Caribbean or Central America. Probably the better answer is that it doesn't matter. As long as you're not hurting anyone but yourself and no government authority is stopping you then I say don't let the legality stop you. April 2, 2000 Q: We have been playing online for about 2 years, and have been quite lucky, but recently, I got bit by the "cash advance" fee on one of my credit cards. I noticed you mentioned that on your online gambling page, and wondered if you had had any success disputing the charge? I tried with mine, and they said anytime money goes to a casino, it's considered a cash advance. This is the first time in all the time we've been playing online, and on a new credit card. Is there a good argument to use with the bank, they just brushed me off? It was BofA incidentally, so watch out for them. Thanks for your time. - Vpwhiz from Long Beach, California A: As you read on my page this has happened to me a few times. When it happened to me the banks and the casinos each blamed each other for deeming the transaction as a cash advance. Since that time I have found that many credit cards now tell you up front that casino chip purchases are considered a cash advance. This seems to be the situation with your card so I'd say you are stuck with the fee. If you read the fine print of the Yahoo or Ebay credit card agreements they say this directly. To quote from the Ebay Visa terms and conditions, "Transaction Fee for purchase of wire transfers, money orders, betting or casino chips or similar items, purchase of foreign currency and travelers checks from other than a bank; and use of convenience checks 2% of the transaction amount, with a minimum of $5." Now I use a debit card for most of my online casino purchases and never have to worry about cash advance fees. The reversals seem to happen faster as well with a debit card. However I still use the Next Visa and MBNA Mastercard for my big Golden Palace purchases and they have never charged me a cash advance fee. April 15, 2000
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