Wizard of Odds Newsletter | Oct. 5, 2003


Home Gambling Info Game Odds and Strategies Gambling Online Ask the Wizard Play for Fun Blog
Reason #3 why the Wizard likes Bovada: Excellent Odds In my opinion many online casinos are too stingy when setting the odds on their games. They think they will make more money that way but I believe they are misguided, because when players lose too quickly it’s not fun, and those players might not come back. Bovada is one of the few casinos that understands this. They offer generous odds to let you play longer and get you a better chance of winning. Among their generous offerings are Full-Pay Jacks or Better returning 99.54%, six other video poker games paying over 99%, single-zero roulette, and my favorite, Pick ’em Poker, returning 99.95%! Kudos to Bovada for not being afraid to give their players a good gamble. More about Bovada Visit Bovada	Wizard of Odds Newsletter \| Oct. 5, 2003 Last Update: now()

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)

Try blackjack at Bodog.
One click and you're in:

No popups, no download, no registration, no B.S., just the game.

The Wizard's News
October 5, 2003

WizardOfOdds.com
Subscribe/Unsubscribe

Real Time Gaming rule change

Be careful when doubling or splitting against a dealer ace at Real Time Gaming casinos. Many RTG casinos now follow the old Boss Media rule of not peeking for blackjack unless the player takes insurance. This rule results in the unusual situation in which taking insurance is sometimes worth the cost of being allowed to double or split safely, knowing the dealer does not have blackjack. The new basic strategy, based on four decks, can be found with my Real Time Gaming review and details on how I did the calculations are in the appendix.

Biloxi Visit

I have been invited to speak at another actuarial conference, this time in New Orleans November 10-12. After I'm done with New Orleans I'll visit Biloxi, probably Nov 12-14. Not only have I never seen these casinos before but have never been anywhere along the gulf coast in my life, so I'm looking forward to having a new experience.

Slot machine thieves

I often tie up two video poker machines at once, not to play both at the same time but rather to play one while I'm waiting on drawing tickets or hopper fills for the other one. When playing in downtown Las Vegas I notice that people often try to sit down at the machine I am not playing. Thinking they innocently didn't notice I had credit on the machine I politely ask them to play another machine. However an incident at the Four Queens caused me to rethink the motives of at least some of these people.

A friend and I were playing the 10/7 double bonus machines at the Four Queens. My friend asked me to watch his machine while he went to the men's room. Evidently I was concentrating too much because I suddenly heard coins dropping into the tray of my friend's machine. I turned to ask why he was cashing out so soon and saw a scraggly looking older man collecting the tokens. To make a long story short the head of security and at least three guards came over to see what the dispute was about. They ended up leading the alleged thief away, probably to read him the trespass act.

So the moral of this story is to keep a close on any machine you have money in that you are not sitting at. It helps to put cups on the seat and the deal button.

Casino.net

With the new month I made some advertising changes at WizardOfOdds.com. Casino Tropez, Casino del Rio, and iNetBet are gone. New are City Club and Casino.net. I may be running a special mailer for City Club soon, so you might want to hold off playing there to see if I can offer something better than their usual offer.

Meanwhile I would encourage you to consider playing at Casino.net. This may be the first time a Boss Media casino has ever been advertised on my site, and certainly the first since the re-launch of my site earlier this year. Boss Media casinos in my opinion are among the most reputable in the industry however they tend to not be very generous with bonuses. Casino.net is a welcome exception, with a nice 25% bonus on your first purchase up to $800, or $20, whichever is greater. In the short time since I played there myself I have been offered $500 in additional bonuses. All games are allowed and the play requirement is 10x deposit plus bonus. Personally I won $1232 on the initial promotion, including the bonus, but lost $446 playing a subsequent promotion.

If you have never played an Internet casino this would be a very safe one to test the waters with.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, set your expectations high.

Casino.net

Click here to unsubscribe

The Wizard’s other sites: Wizard of Vegas | Wizard of Macau | Math Problems • Recommended: Vegas Click