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Reason #2 why the Wizard likes Bodog:
No-hassle practice games
Most online casinos spend more effort trying to separate you from your money than they do trying to give you a good experience. They have all kinds of popup windows, they usually make you download their software, and if do they offer play-in-browser games then you have to register an account before you can play. And if you do register then they start sending you emails trying to get you to deposit real money. But Bodog is different. They have no popup windows at all, and their practice games play right in your browser, with no download, and no registration required. You don't even have to give up your email address. It couldn't be simpler: Just one click and you're playing the game. I wish all online casinos showed this much respect for their players. Other casinos practically ask for your first born child to play for free. Meanwhile Bodog is patient and does not twist anybody's arm to play for real money. You can play as long as you like for free with no obligation. The real-money games are available if that's your preference, but if not, you can play the free practice games for as long as you like without hassle. (Visit Bodog) One click and you're in:
No popups, no download, no registration, no B.S., just the game. |
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Home • What's New • Advice & Strategy • Ask the Wizard • Gambling online • Play for Fun |
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I'm a long-time fan. Thanks for keeping it fresh. I just watched a show on CGTV (Canadian Gaming TV) called "Casino Life" that dealt with Caribbean Stud Poker. The host of the show gave kudos to you and your site and your strategy for this game was presented on the show. Later, I saw that you were credited. Does this generate income for you or is it just good press? – Peter from Ottawa, Canada
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I gave Casino Life permission to use my material. I’m happy they gave me a good plug. No, they didn’t pay me. I also have never been paid for my appearances on the Travel Channel here in the United States. I do it for the fun and the publicity.
August 24, 2006
I am continued to be amazed at the number of personal relationship questions your readers ask. Your answers are spot-on, as far as I am concerned, but does it surprise you that you have become a modern-day "Dear Abby"? Maybe there is a correlation between solving complicated math problems and solving complicated matters of the heart?? In any case, keep up the good work. - Scott from Pittsburgh
Thanks for your vote of confidence. According to my count I only received four such questions in the first 134 columns. However starting in August 2005 they flooded in, partly because my webmaster, Michael Bluejay got us the #1 rank in Google for a search on "Is my boyfriend cheating on me". We have since dropped to #2. To answer your question, yes, there is a connection. I take a cold calculating look at both casino games and life. When I give advice in either venue it is based on what I think will make the asker happier in the long run.
March 27, 2006
You have made it known that you use card counting in casinos. Why do casinos let you still play in their casinos? - Jason from Boston
I was recognized in Reno when counting once. Although, it may have been the dealer who knew me personally and tattled. It is a long and bizarre story. Aside from that, I don't play often, nor for high stakes, so the threat I pose is fairly small and not worth the fuss of memorizing another face.
Dec. 26, 2005
I read about how your Ties Win Blackjack is on field trial in Laughlin, Nevada. What kind of permit is required and how much did it cost? A new game trial period permit was required. This is opposed to a "variation" permit, which is less expensive. For a new game the cost is $3,000, I had to fill out lots of forms, including an employment and residence history going back 20 years. The waiting time was six months, which was shorter than what I was expecting. March 10, 2005 Thank you for the education! I appreciate it. One thing you must get asked a lot, but is absent from your site is... How much have you made from gambling? With such a life's dedication, has it paid off? Or is there still an edge to the house, even with your experience and knowledge? Or do you make money but your winnings are still not enough to produce a significant cash flow (i.e. enough to happily live on)? Further, if you had all the money you desired, would you still teach, consult and educate? Thank you! - Kelly B. I spend a lot of time analyzing bets and do okay at it but it isn't enough to live on. Last year for example, bets I made won $26,843.14. However, I lost $9,491.50 backing other gamblers where I thought I had an advantage. I'm working on increasing my bankroll and conducting more research in profitable areas in the hopes of making gambling a greater portion of my income in years to come. It should be emphasized that gaining an edge over the casino is possible but requires a lot of hard work for fairly small advantages. Assuming I do reach the day where I can live off of gambling, I still plan to keep the website going and teach my casino math class at UNLV. However, I'm trying to phase out of consulting and hope to give that up completely as soon as other income replaces it. Jan. 23, 2005 Love your site, thanks for all the work you put into it. I try to click some ads every now and then though I don't gamble online. (I'm going to let my ad-man, Michael Bluejay answer this one.) In one of your old columns, you mention a manuscript for a book that you wrote, that you were unable to publish. What was the book about? Is the manuscript available anywhere? I'm curious because about 20 years ago, I wrote a draft of my own book about odds and gambling, a sort of condensed and simplified version of Allan Wilson's book. I wrote to Stanford Wong, asking him if he would look at my manuscript. He replied yes, but he would have recommend that I not bother to write the book in the first place. There were already too many gambling books. So I gave up on the idea of trying to publish my book. Yes, I wrote a gambling book manuscript four years ago. I shopped it around and only Huntington Press agreed to publish it. However, after three years and four revisions it still isn't out. There is already a glut of gambling books on the market so I agree with Stanford to not waste your time. Since I wrote my original manuscript I have learned that the name of the author is much more important to selling books than the content of the book itself. A no-name has almost no hope of publish a book on gambling, or anything. If you want to publish a book you should do something else to become famous first. Oct. 9, 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. September 7, 2004 Since you seem to be driven by house advantage, do you actually play for fun anywhere (whether floor games, machines or poker), or do you only do blackjack counting and/or video poker with progressives over a target amount? Or do you not actually play at all? I think a lot of your readers would be interested in that, but you may not want your hosts to know! The only time I might play for fun is if I am entertaining somebody visiting Vegas and am just out gambling with them. Otherwise I always look for an edge. I also play new games sometimes just to ensure that I understand the rules correctly. I don't want to give away all my secrets but card counting and positive expectation video poker are definitely two games in my bag of tricks. July 28, 2004 In general, how much time do you actually spend in casinos? Of that, watching/observing (as in your recently disclosed craps experiment) versus playing? It varies a lot but not very much, to be honest with you. Some weeks I spend a lot of time and others weeks I spend none at all. However, if forced to give an average, I'll say 2 hours a week. About 90% of that is actually playing. Rarely do I just observe. In fact, for the dice setting experiment I was betting too, hoping the dice setters would win me some money. July 28, 2004 Do you have any new TV appearances soon? I seem to recall something about a blackjack team, so I'm wondering if it is next week's show. (As an aside, American Casino on TLC is much much better than The Casino on Fox! Gambling and T&A don't mix, in my book). Yes, I'm going to be on an upcoming episode of The Casino. I do not know the air date. In the show I serve as an advisor to some college students on how to parlay $1,000 into $5,000. About American Casino, I agree, it is a better show. July 28, 2004 Boxers or briefs? Briefs. March 6, 2004 Many senior managers in casinos today have an educational background similar to yourself rather than coming up through the gaming floor. I was just wondering if, with your interest in gaming you had ever considered going to the dark side and making a move into casino management. I'm tired of professional gamblers referring to those who work in or for casinos as the "dark side." Casinos provide thousands of jobs across the country, revenue to government, and a source of entertainment to millions. I don't remember the source, but I read that something like 90% of visitors to Las Vegas leave with a gambling loss, yet 95% leave happy. The other side is quick to argue that casinos contribute to the problem of compulsive gambling. Yes, there are some compulsive gamblers who abuse what should be done in moderation. However, I believe that the majority should not be denied the opportunity to place a bet because of the problems of a minority. In other words, I believe that the benefits that come from legalized gambling far exceed the costs. I enjoy your site a great deal. This morning I was reading your reviews of online casinos and your experiences with them and it seemed you inevitably lost everything on your deposits. I found this discouraging. Then I saw that you requested donations and now understand why you do so! Since I started gambling on the Internet four years ago I am up about $20,000, about half of which is thanks to the Golden Palace. What you're seeing in my reviews is just my most recent experiences, and like everyone else, sometimes I lose for a month or two. However, I just won $786 at Casino.net and $2,317 at Casino Kingdom. So I don't ask for donations to subsidize a losing gambling habit. Donations simply help me to keep offering this site to the public for free. In fact, I receive the donations via PayPal which I then usually use to buy things on eBay. [Update: Nov. 2003: The site now brings in enough advertising revenue that I've taken the donation link down.] Oct. 15, 2003 What was the most money you ever won after walking away from a blackjack game? - Joseph from Shelton, Connecticut I think about $800. I'm not a very big bettor. I once lost more than that chasing a 2 to 1 blackjack promotion at an Internet casino. Nov. 28, 2002 Do you sell t-shirts? - Dennis No. I have thought about it but I'm afraid that if I ordered a large quantity I would get stuck with most of them. Mar. 24, 2002 Are you going to tell us when you will be on the travel channel? - Gil from Saint Petersburg I plan to tell my newsletter readers. However, since you ask, it should air sometime in April or May in a show titled something like "The Top Ten Ways to Win." I've been interviewed on radio and television before and I can never stand to watch or listen to myself afterward. I always feel I could have done better. So I don't plan to make a big fuss over it. Dec. 4, 2001 Very interesting site. Do you produce your income as a gambler? Have you looked at the probabilities in stock index futures trading? - Randy of Aurora, Illinois I am tempted to learn more about futures trading but for now I simply don't have the time. My income comes from both advertising revenue on this site and consulting fees on the analysis of new casino games. Nov. 4, 2000
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