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.

More about Bovada

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Level 1 Pai Gow Strategy

Last Update: May 31, 2010

Play the first rule that applies.

One Way Only

If there is one play that is obviously the best, which will happen about 38% of the time, then play it. This happens when one play is superior to both alternatives in both the high and low.

Pairs

Split pairs as follows.

  • Gee Joon — Split only with 6-4, 6-5, 6-6.
  • Pair of 2's or 12's — Split only with 9-11, or to make 6-8 or better.
  • Pair of 5's — Split to make 7/7.
  • Pair of 6's — Split to make 7/8 or better.
  • Pair of 7's — Split to make 7/7 or better.
  • Pair of 8's — Split to make 8/8 or better, and with 9-11.
  • Pair of 9's — Split to make 9/9 or better.
  • Pair of 4's, 10's, 11's — Never split.

Wong, Gong, and High-9

  • If you have both high-2 and low-2, play the best high hand.
  • Play the best low hand if it is worth 6 or 7 points and the tiles include a low-2 and/or high-8.
  • Play Wong or Gong instead of High Nine if the fourth tile is a 4 or 5.
  • Play High Nine, Gong, or Wong, in that order of preference.

All others

  • Play the best low hand if it is worth 5, 6, or 7 points.
  • Play the best low hand if the best high hand is worth 5 points or less.
  • Play the best low hand if the best high hand is worth 6 points, but its high tile ranks lower than a high-6.
  • Play the best high hand with all other combinations.

House Edge

House edge banking = 0.0694%.
House edge not banking = 1.8828%.
Combined average = 0.9761%.

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Acknowledgement

This strategy was created by "JB."

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