Author: T

Multiple-coin machines have several definitions. On a single-line machine, the player inserts from one to five coins. There are two general categories of single-line, reel-spinning games, known in the trade as a “multiplier” and a “buy-a-pay”.

On a multiplier machine, if a winning combination occurs on the reels with three coins in, the payout will be three times as much as with one coin in. Four coins will produce a payout of four times that of one coin, and so on. In this type of game, the payout percentage and house advantage of the machine do not change whether the player deposits one coin or multiple coins.

The amount of profit the casino makes will increase substantially if it can get the players to deposit more than one coin every play. You should always gamble only what you can comfortably afford, so you should avoid playing the maximum coins on this style of game if you can only afford to play one,
even if the casino tries to entice you with attractive payouts. The only reason to play the full amount of coins would be if the slot machine rewards you when winning the top jackpot.

For instance, if one coin pays ten coins for a particular winning combination, two coins pay 20 for the same combination, and three coins pay 50, it would be to your advantage to play three coins. The disparity in the awards makes it worth it. But if you can’t afford to play those three coins, it’s advisable to find a machine that makes an evenly graduated payout for multiple coins, or drop down to a lower denomination.

On a buy-a-pay machine, each coin beyond the first deposited “buys”, or activates, winning combinations or bonus features that would not be available if a single coin is deposited. The
way to spot this type of machine is to look above the payout chart. It will say, “First Coin” over certain winning combinations; “Second Coin” over the next column, and so forth. In this type of game, the payout percentage to the player increases, and the house advantage decreases, as each additional coin is deposited, since winning combinations under the “Second Coin” column will not register, and will not pay any jackpot, if only one coin is deposited.

Another version of a multiple-coin machine is one with multiple pay lines. By depositing additional coins, the player activates additional lines that payout in the winning combinations hit. In traditional reel-spinning games, these pay lines will generally go up to five – three for each horizontal row of symbols and two for the two diagonal rows of symbols.

As with the buy-a-pay machines, the payout percentage on these “buy-a-line” machines increases, and the house advantage decreases, with each additional coin bet.

The newest – and increasingly prevalent – style of multiple coin slot machine is the multi-line video slot game. This style of game incorporates a video screen displaying five reels, each with three symbols. The pay lines on these machines typically go far beyond the five lines of the reel-spinning version to display nine, 15, 20 or more pay lines. The player has the option to bet from one to hundreds of coins on each pay line. In this type of slot machine, the payout percentage increases
and the house advantage decreases with each pay line activated, until all pay lines are “purchased” for a pin with at least one coin per line. After all pay lines are activated – for example, a wager of nine coins on a nine-line aame, or one coin per line – the payout percentage and hit frequencie are constant. This means that as long as all pay lines are activated, there is no inherent advantage in gambling the maximum coins possible. The machine’s glass will typically display prominent advertisements urging the player to “Play 45 Coins”, or whatever the maximum wager is, but that is only to entice you to increase your stake. As long as the pay lines are all active, you need only to bet what you can afford to garner the maximum payout percentage.

Slot machines – often called fruit machines in the UK and pokies in Australia – have been around for many years. In the UK, there are many varieties of machines. Some are located in casinos or arcades in major cities. Others are tucked away in the corners of pubs or snooker clubs. Still others are lined up along the bulkheads of the large ferries. Most are classified as AWP machines, meaning Amusements
With Prizes, with limited jackpots and infrequent payouts. Anyone who is familiar with AWPs will feel at home in a casmo.

In casinos, the slot machines can offer huge, life-changing jackpots. But let’s go back to the start to trace the slot machine’s development. Many years ago, casino executives were surprised to discover that the money they were making at the table games was beginning to decline, and the profits generated by the slot machines were growing. But the casino executives just weren’t paying attention. With computers becoming a vital part of everyday life, young people developing an attraction to video games, and instant gratification turning the modern world upside-down, it was only natural that slot machines would begin to become the casinos’ main profit earner.

By the mid-Eighties, slot machines had matched table games in popularity, and by the time the decade turned, the so-called “one-armed bandits” had clearly become the casino’s favourite game. Today, more than two-thirds of casino revenue in the US is actually derived from the slot machine. Those same casino executives didn’t try to change the trend, however. They were delighted that slot machines were
exhibiting such popularity. After all, the money derived from slot machines is preprogrammed and absolutely guaranteed, while table game revenues are subject to the ebb and flow of Lady Luck. So slot machines became their cushion, with table games generally making up the difference between a great month or simply a good month.

The casinos can count on slot-machine revenues because the machines are simply computers. The profit can be programmed into the machines by the use of a random number generator that determines just how much of the money played in that particular machine will be returned as winnings.
 
So why should casino customers play the slot machines, since the casino is guaranteed to win? The same random number generator that provides the casino with its guaranteed profit, also gives the player the opportunity to win and win big plus they are a LOT of fun.

Texas hold’ em is an illusion. It appears to be a simple game, but you have to understand all the variables and how to make the correct play.

The most important, but probably most difficult aspect of hold’ em, is to know what the best possible hand – known as “the nuts” – is, and whether any of your opponents could be holding it. For instance if the five community cards are Q(D), 9(S), 7(H), 4(C), 2(H) there is no chance any player can be holding a straight flush or full house. The best possible hand would be three Queens.

By assessing the number of players in the game, and their betting patterns, you’ll get a hint about the best hand. The more players and the more raises in a game, the better the chance that one of the players has “the nuts”. It’s important that you are able to recognize when you have the best possible hand. If you have the nuts and don’t know it, you can lose out on a very profitable opportunity. But believing you have the nuts, and you really don’t, can be much more costly to you.

For example, if the community cards are and you have an Ace-Ten, you’re almost certainly a winner.
You should get as much money into the pot and milk it for all it’s worth. But if the Four of clubs is a Four of hearts, you could lose to a flush. In Texas hold’em, the betting position is more crucial than
with any other poker game. That’s because the game is a fixed-position game, rather than one where the lead-off bet has the high hand. Since the players only see the community cards, it’s not possible to discern who has the high hand in hold’em, so the betting proceeds from the player to the left of the button. Since it is always beneficial to act last in any poker game, you should be more selective of the hands you play when you bet from an early position, rather than when you are in a position near the end of the hand.

You might want to consider seeing the flop. If you pair up one of those cards, you’re in a much stronger position, I particularly if the paired card is the highest of the flop. Beware of suited cards. While they are valuable, having two in your hand is just that; it’s only two towards a flush. It I might end up costing you significant bets chasing that fourth or fifth suited card. High cards are better than low cards. If you have two downcards like throw them away. Even if you pair one or the other, there’s very little chance no one else will come through with a higher pair.

As mentioned elsewhere, starting hands are not as crucial as in seven-card stud. But that’s not to say they are not important. The following are five categories, ranked in order of importance, that are considered good starting hands and will give you an excellent chance to win the hold’em pot.

High Pairs: when you have a pair of Tens or higher, you’re in a good position. With a high pair, you have a chance to improve your hand, but even if you don’t match any cards on the board, you can steal the hand because your opponents will have no idea why you’re betting so strongly late in the hand.
A hand like is strong, particularly if not one of the five community cards is higher than a Queen. But if you match the Queen, you’re in the driver’s seat.

Small Pairs: as in most poker games, the difference between winning and losing is often the difference
between small and large pairs. A hand like will rarely win unless you’re able to improve it in some way.
The odds against improving a pair to three of a kind in hold’ em is 8-1 against. These hands should be classified as drawing hands, and must be played carefully.

Two High Cards: while two high cards are a playable hand, it is not very valuable. A hand like an Ace-King should always be played, but a hand such as should, in most cases, be folded, particularly if someone raises. If the two cards are suited, you definitely hould play it, just don’t overrate the suited cards.

Suited Connectors: two cards that could lead to straights are called connectors, but two uited cards
could also lead to a flush. Consider, for example. the following hands are only mediocre hands, but they have possibilities. If there is a gap between the cards, as in Seven of Spades, line of Spades, the hand is worth even less. Fold it unless you’re the blind and don’t have to match any raises.

High-low Suited: if you have a high card along with a low card, and they’re both suited, you have a basis for seeing the flop, as long as there aren’t any serious raises . A hand like wouldn’t be very valuable if it wasn’t for the suited aspect of the cards. But it is more valuable than a lower high card, a Queen of Diamonds, for instance. Play the Ace whenever it doesn’t cost you much, particularly if you’re the blind and don’t have to match a raise.

All other hands should be folded. The chance of making something out of two totally unrelated cards isn’t worth matching the blind and possibly meeting a raise. By carefully studying every situation, you will realise that only by getting the best chance to win with a favourable starting hand is it worth playing.

Michael quit his regular job several years ago for a new profession. He now plays poker for a living, and does very well, thank you.

Michael didn’t turn into a poker player overnight, It took years of playing poker as a hobby before he took the plunge. And now that he frequents the poker rooms of Las Vegas on a daily basis, he understands that he must play with a discipline he could only imagine when he was playing for recreation. That’s why he follow six simple principles.

Luck is often as important as skill: while professional poker players make their mortgage payment by
utilizing the skill they have learned or otherwise acquired over the years, Michael understands that in
the short term, anybody can get lucky, but, because of his experience, Michael is prepared to recognize that luck and take the greatest advantage of it. He is also realistic and understands that he will have an occasional good hand to a “lucky” player. But just because he sees bad players get lucky, Michael knows it is always important to play his best. That way, luck can find you. You don’t have to go looking for luck, When he does lose those good hands. Michael doesn’t let it get to him, because he understand that he can only win consistently if he maintain a positive attitude. He sees players get discouraged all the time and he knows that he has the advantage at that time because a player with a negative attitude is more likely to play bad hands and make bad decisions.
 
When he’s playing, Michael sees his opponents stopping the cocktail waitress every time she goes
by to order a beer, mixed drink or some other alcoholic concoction. Michael used to drink in moderation when he played for entertainment, but now that he’s a pro, he sticks with an occasional coffee. He also gets his rest every night (or day, depending upon when he decides to play), because he knows that playing when you’re tired can cloud your reasoning and create mistakes.

Because he depends upon his winnings for his living, Michael is cautious about betting more than he can
afford. But that’s nothing new. Michael knows that players who bet the rent money are nervous and on
edge, a loser waiting to happen. It’s a tired adage, but remains true nonetheless: never bet more than you can afford to lose.

As a professional, Michael knows all the tricks. One he doesn’t like to use, but often can’t avoid, is when a player shows his cards. Sure, it’s inadvertent, but poker players are looking for every edge, and a player who is careless with his cards deserves to lose. Keeping your cards secure is one of the fundamental elements of playing winning poker.

Most of all, Michael quit his regular job because he enjoys playing poker. If you’re not having fun, it
becomes just another job. The same holds true for playing for entertainment. If it becomes a chore,
there’s no reason to continue playing – it is supposed to be fun after all.

Several strategies are called for in specific situations. If you make the hand you’re looking for, bet it to the limit. If you pull a flush on sixth street, for instance, you should not check. Since some of your cards must be exposed, your opponent will suspect a flush, and not bet into your check.

That means you’ll lose a chance to get a double bet by every active player into the pot. If you check and give the active players a chance to get another card, there’s a chance they may draw a hand that might beat your flush, costing you the entire pot. If you’ve got it, bet it.

If your opponent draws a third suited card, or a third card to a straight, check or call. This isn’t a point to play aggressively because if you raise, your opponent will undoubtedly raise as well. It could end up costing you serious money.

Another situation to beware of is when a player pairs an exposed card on the board. This gives him a good chance to have three of a kind. Even if he doesn’t, he may have a quality hand. Unless you can beat him with a better hand, or you’re looking at a particularly good pot, retire.

Once you have decided to bet on fifth street, it rarely makes sense to fold before the river. The only exception to this rule is if you can clearly see that your hand cannot be improved enough on sixth street to beat a threatening hand held by an opponent. If you decide to go through on sixth street, do not fold on the river. If your opponent is bluffing, you have a chance to catch him at it, and you only have to expose a bluff once in a while to make it worth your while to go all the way.

In seven-card stud, it costs nothing or very little to see your first three cards. It’s important to be able to evaluate the value of those hands to decide whether you want to play them.

For instance, let’s say you get three cards of the same suit. The correct play here would be to begin to bet, and hope that within the next four cards you receive, at least two will be in the hearts suit. But if you look around the table, and see three or more hearts already revealed, it’s best to fold.

Chances are, you’re not going to make that flush. You have to understand how the number of players affects the cards you are holding. For instance if you have a high pair you are better off playing against just a couple of players.

High pairs usually fare better when only a few players are competing, and you’ll have the best chance of winning. But if you have a hand you’ll want plenty of players in the game. When you have a high hand, you’ve got yours and the others have theirs to get. When you have a drawing hand, or one that requires improvement, you will rarely make the hand, so that when you do, you want other players around to build up the pot you will win.

On the other hand, small or middle pairs are the most dangerous. These hands can cost you money because you’re tempted to stay in, in the hope of getting a matching card or being able to “steal” the
pot, winning it with a mediocre hand after everyone else drops out. But while you’re waiting to improve or get lucky, your opponent can easily match a higher pair that will make your pair look puny in comparison. The opposite is true, as well. When you have high cards in your hand, and it appears that the most any opponent can have is a middle or low pair, you are in a good position to improve your hand. With a hand like you’re in a good position to improve your hand by catching either another Ace or Queen.

Given the importance of the decisions made on third and fifth streets, once you’ve decided to pursue a pot, it’s frequently a good idea to see it through. Many hands aren’t made until the last card. But you must be aware of the possible combinations of your opponents’ hands. If you’re chasing that high pair, and an opponent is raising with a hand like you’ve got to assume that he’s either made a straight, or wants you to think he’s made a straight. A high pair won’t be of much help in the first case, and it might cost you a good deal of money to prove the second case.