Reason #2 why the Wizard likes Bovada:

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 they do offer play-in-browser games then you have to register an account before you can play. And if you register they start sending you emails trying to get you to deposit real money.

But Bovada 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 Bovada 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 Bovada

Double Fortune Baccarat

Last Update: Feb 06, 2007

Double Fortune Baccarat is a baccarat variation I noticed at the Wynn on February 6, 2007. The game is played like conventional baccarat, except with two 8-deck shoes, a red one and a blue one. The dealers will deal a hand from each at the same time. Players may wager on the outcome of either or both shoes. In addition there are proposition bets on the outcome of both red and blue shoes. If one shoe runs out of cards before the other then the proposition bets will be off the board until both shoes have been exhausted. The odds on the banker, player, and tie bets are the same as in conventional baccarat. The only new material to evaluate are the two proposition bets.

The first proposition bet is the Double Fortune Pairs. Only the first two cards of both banker and player hands are used to determine the outcome. The following return table shows a house edge of 3.45%.

Double Fortune Pairs — 8 Decks
EventPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
Four pairs 100 1696070458757380 0.000031 0.003114
Three pairs 20 84024398039482400 0.001543 0.030858
Two pairs on same game 10 520415753751429000 0.009556 0.095562
One pair on each game 5 1040655391031030000 0.019109 0.095546
One pair on either game 2 12890861996165000000 0.236711 0.473422
No pairs -1 39920593415543200000 0.73305 -0.73305
Total 54458247024988900000 1 -0.034546

The second proposition bet is the Double Fortune Ties. The following return table shows a house edge of 4.51%.

Double Fortune Ties — 8 Decks
EventPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
A tie of equal value on both games 50 3.06954543145145E+28 0.001229 0.06143
A tie on each game 25 1.9552599449902E+29 0.007826 0.195651
A tie on either game 3 4.30230771890458E+30 0.172203 0.516608
No ties -1 2.04554561528368E+31 0.818743 -0.818743
Total 2.4983985320555E+31 1 -0.045053