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

Siete y Media

Introduction

Siete y Media, meaning Seven and a Half in English, is a table game I noticed in November, 2011, at the Conrad casino in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The closest game to compare it to would be blackjack.

Rules

The game uses 40-card decks, with all eights, nines, and tens removed.
Aces count as one point, 2 to 7 according to pip value, and all face cards are half a point.
The object is to get more points than the dealer, without going over 7.5.
After making a wager, the player and dealer will each receive one card face up.
The player's options are to stand or hit. The player may hit as much as he wishes.
If the player goes over 7.5 points he busts and automatically loses.
After the player has finished, the dealer will draw cards until he has 5 or more points.
If the dealer goes over 7.5 points, then any remaining players shall win.
If both player and dealer have 7.5 points or less, then the hand with more points shall win.
All wins pay even money. A tie shall result in a push.

Strategy

The following table shows the basic strategy for an 8-deck game.

House Edge

I don't know how many decks the game is typically played with. When I saw the game at the Conrad it was closed at the time. So, here is the house edge for one to eight decks.

House Edge
Decks	House Edge
1	-0.76%
2	0.14%
3	0.41%
4	0.55%
5	0.63%
6	0.68%
7	0.72%
8	0.74%