Reason #5 why the Wizard likes Bovada:

Intelligent Bonuses

Many online casinos offer huge signup bonuses, but there’s a catch. Buried in the fine print is that play on the most popular games doesn’t count towards earning the bonus. It’s common for play on blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, and video poker to be excluded. In many cases, only slots count.

And that’s if you can even find the terms and conditions. Many casinos put their 100% bonus in big flaming letters but make you hunt all over their site to find the rules.

Bovada allows play on all games to count towards the wagering requirement. It’s that simple. Just no opposite betting. All casinos ought to be as easy as Bovada about this. The bonus offer itself is simple too: on your first deposit, they’ll give you an extra 10%. If you deposit $100, you’ll wind up with $110 in chips or tokens.

Finally, in the unlikely event that Bovada feels you’ve been abusing their bonuses they won’t seize your winnings like most other casinos will. In the worst case scenario they will politely tell you that they will not be offering you any future bonuses, but you are welcome to keep playing and keep everything you have made already.

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Pai Gow Mania

Last Update: May 20, 2004

Pai Gow Mania

Pai Gow Mania is a Pai Gow Poker game including two side bets. I spotted the game at the Las Vegas Fitzgeralds Casino on May 19, 2004. In addition to the conventional pai gow poker rules two side bets are offered on the player's first three cards and all seven of the player's cards. The way the three card side bet was adjudicated was after the first three cards were dealt the players looked at them and had the opportunity to claim a win. Then the other four cards were dealt.

Following is the return table for the three card side bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.86%

Pai Gow Mania - Three Card Hand
HandCombinationsProbabilityPaysReturn
Natural straight flush 48 0.002049 40 to 1 0.08196
Three of a kind 58 0.002476 30 to 1 0.074276
Wild straight flush 100 0.004269 5 to 1 0.021344
Staight 1020 0.043541 4 to 1 0.174165
Flush 1308 0.055835 3 to 1 0.167506
Pair 3912 0.166994 1 to 1 0.166994
Nothing 16980 0.724836 Loss -0.724836
Total 23426 1 -0.03859

Following is the return table for the seven card side bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.48%

Pai Gow Mania - Seven Card Hand
HandCombinationsProbabilityPaysReturn
Five aces 1128 0.000007 500 to 1 0.003659
Royal flush 26132 0.00017 250 to 1 0.042383
Straight flush 184832 0.001199 50 to 1 0.059955
Four of a kind 307472 0.001995 25 to 1 0.049868
Full house 4188528 0.027173 5 to 1 0.135865
Flush 6172088 0.040041 4 to 1 0.160165
Three of a kind 7672500 0.049775 3 to 1 0.149326
Straight 12006024 0.077889 2 to 1 0.155778
Other 123584376 0.801751 Loss -0.801751
Total 154143080 1 -0.044753

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