Things To Do Before You Gamble Online
Source : Steve Adkins (Online Players Association)

While this multibillion dollar industry grows at a substantial rate, it does remain non-regulated. The industry depends solely on self-regulation.Before whipping out your gold Visa card there are a few things that you should know first. When looking for an online casino to play, I recommend that you follow the ten points below.

1. Is the casino licensed by a sovereign government? If no, find another casino.


2. Does the casino have a toll free customer service number that is answered 24 hours a day? If no, find another casino.
   
3. Do they allow you to play for free? This is very important: it gives you the chance to check out their software before you spend any money. If they do not, find another casino.
   
4. What is the smallest denomination of their poker and slot machines? You're looking for a wide variety of denominations, such as nickels, quarters, dollars and five-dollar machines.
   
5. How many different versions of video poker do they have? You're looking for at least three. That tells you that the operator has spent a lot of money on the software. Beware of those casinos that tell you they only have one version of video poker.
   
6. What is the smallest and largest bet that they accept on craps or blackjack? This is mainly for your own betting information.
   
7. Does the casino have a place where they keep track of your purchases and cashouts?
   
8. How is the customer service? There's an easy way to test this: Send them an email with a question and see how long it takes them to reply.
   
9. What is the reputation of the software maker involved in the casino? There is no sense in gambling online if you do not know how you will collect your winnings.
   
10. Make sure you read all the rules on bonuses and cashing out procedures. Do your homework before you gamble online, not after.

Requesting a card or a hit on 17 or above will do two things: it will mark you as a rank amateur and will make other players abandon your table. There are only four cards to improve your hand with a 17, three with an 18, 2 with a 19 and one with a 20. The odds are stacked against you in every case. With 17 as the player's key point, 6 is the corresponding cutoff card for thedealer's exposed card in determining how you play it, with the deuce or 2 beingthe exception to the rule (refer to "The Terror of the Twos") It is importantto remember: everything is relative to the one card the dealer is showing. Ifthe dealer's exposed card is 3-6, the player has a better chance of winning thanif the dealer is showing a 2, 9, 10 (or face card) or ace. Seven and eight fallin the middle.Generally accepted blackjack theory notes that 18.3 represents the calculatedaverage hand needed to win. In other words, a hand with less than a 19 total(you can't get fractions in blackjack), is potentially a losing hand. If thedealer is showing a 7, 8, 9, or 10-value card, you will need to hit if you haveless than a 17.With a total of 17, you are stuck-you can't take a hit, but your chances aren'tgood. The math of the game says you can't take a card to improve your hand, butthe best you can do is hope the dealer has a 5-10 if he/she is showing a seven.With a 10, you tie, or "push." You don't win, but you don't lose. 5-9 makes thedealer hit once more. If the dealer has an 8, 9, or 10-value card exposed, youhave to hope that there is a 4, 5,6, or 7 in the hole. That will make the dealerneed to take a third card as well and this might put his/her hand over the totalof 21, with a busted hand. As there are more 10-value cards than any other, thechances here are not as bad.When you receive a hard 17, 18, 19, or 20, there is nothing to do except sitback and hope that the dealer's hand isn't as good as yours. You merely indicateto the dealer that you don't want a card and want to stand. Obviously, with a21 or blackjack, there's no need to try to improve your position.

There are many choices of games when it comes to playing video poker. You can play All American, Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, Double Bonus Poker, Jacks or Better, Joker's Wild, and many others. Although the games are generally the same, you should note that the payout schedule can differ for each variation. In order to have as close to 100% payback, you need to use the correct playing strategy for each type of game. By far the most popular video poker game is Jacks or Better as it has a payout of 99.5%. This is an excellent return for an easier game which allows you to gain the experience and knowledge to move on to the other more complicated games.

Below is a summary of the more popular Video Poker games. Read up on the ones that interest you the most and start playing!

Deuces Wild

In this game, the standard 52-card deck is used, with all four deuces (2's) designated as wild cards. Because of the added bonus of the four deuce wild cards, the minimum rank for a winning hand is three of a kind. Never discard a deuce in a Deuces Wild game.

Jacks or Better

This is the best game to begin with when starting to play video poker. In fact, it is a good all-around machine to play at any time. You can identify a good-paying machine by reviewing the full house and flush payouts on the first column on the payout chart. On a 9/6 machine you will be paid nine counts for a full house and six for a flush.

It is important to remember not to play the low payout 7/5 machines as the house odds are just too high.

The next factor to look for is the royal flush payout. You want to play on non-progressive machines that award at least 4,000 counts for a royal flush. This means that if you play the maximum five coins and get a royal flush, you will get 4,000 coins back.

The royal flush payout is the bonus that makes video poker a winner. If you can't or won't play the maximum coins on a given video poker machine because of its cost, go to a machine with a lower denomination.

Joker's Wild

This game is played with the standard 52-card deck, with a joker thrown in as a wild card. This wild card can be used as a substitute for any other card or can be used to create a five of a kind. The machine will automatically compute the best hand when a joker is present, usually about 10% of the time. Because of the added bonus of the wild card, the minimum rank for a wining hand is two pair.

King of the Decks

In this game, five decks of the standard 52-card decks are used. If you get five kinds of clubs, you will win the progressive jackpot. Because of the added bonus of the increased number of potential pairs, the minimum ranks for a winning hand is two pair. Games with more than one deck will always reduce the player's odds, so consider other games before playing King of the Decks.

Progressive Machines

These machines typically have a lower payout for a full house and flush; however, this can be overcome if the progressive jackpot is high enough. On a $.25 machine, if the jackpot is above $2,240, it's worthwhile to play. If it's below the $2,240 level, go back to the standard 9/6 machines. On progressive 9/6 Jacks or Better machines when the jackpot raises above 6,500 coins, the payback reaches a 100% return making this an excellent machine to play.