So now that you have set your session start amount and you have decided on a betting system, you are ready to start thinking about setting goals and the action you will take when you reach those goals. Determine Your First Goal
Deciding on what your first goal should be for a session is a little like deciding how much you will bet on each spin. The higher your goal is, the higher your risk is, primarily because the higher a goal is the longer it may take to achieve. And once again, the longer you are exposed to the game, the more likely it is that the house will get your money. Therefore, if you have a $100 session start amount and your bet start amount is $5 then setting a goal to double your money is not practical. A goal of 10-30% is achievable, however. Don't worry if this doesn't sound like a lot, we are not done yet. Determine Your First Goal Action
Next you need to decide what you will do when you reach your goal. There are two basic choices. The first is the simplest. You take your money and leave the table! This is the least risky thing to do and will ensure you keep everything you won. Now some of you are probably saying, stop after winning only $30? You must be kidding. Let's go back to our investment analogy. A broker tells you he has a great deal. He only needs your investment for half and hour or so and you will gain 30%. Will you take that or will you tell him your not interested unless you will gain 50-100%. I think you will most likely take the thirty. The second choice you have after reaching a goal is to pocket some of the money and continue to play. After all, if you feel you are on a winning streak, you don't want to stop. By pocketing, we mean take the money out of play for the session. Set it aside and don't touch it again. On your first goal, you should always pocket at least the entire start amount. This protects your initial investment and allows you to use it again at another session. You should also pocket some portion of your winnings as well. Recurring Goals
If you decide you want to continue to play, there are three more decisions you will need to make:

• What will your next goal be
  
• How much will you pocket when you reach the goal
• How will you adjust your betting system

• Set new goals by a fixed amount
  When you reach a goal, add a fixed amount to the total bank amount to set the new goal. For instance, you could set a new goal that is $20 greater every time you reach a goal.
  
• Set new goals by an increasing amount
  When you reach a goal, add an increasingly larger amount. So, on a first goal, you might add $20. When that goal is reached you might add $40 and then $60 and so on.

Craps is the well known casino game of dice, it is developed from Hazard, a game from the 14th century, that was once popular between high-stakes patrons in English gambling houses. The name "Craps" comes from the nickname "Crabs", which is a roll of 1-1 in Hazard.

The modern game of Craps was developed by black Mississippi riverboat gamblers in the 19th century, borrowing heavily from the rules of Hazard.

Craps is fast, exciting and immensely popular, and the game has long been a favorite target of anti-gambling forces. Craps undoubtedly is responsible for many fortunes changing hands at dice tables in glitzy casinos, back rooms and alleys. It may even be guilty of something a little more serious: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Popular history names Mrs. O'Leary's cow as the culprit, having kicked over a lantern in the barn, sparking the conflagration which destroyed much of Chicago. A Chicago businessman named Louis Cohn claimed, years later, to have knocked over the lantern himself during an especially exciting game of Craps, then laid the blame on the heifer. He was particularly remorseful, he said, because "I was winning."

At first glance, Craps can be intimidating. There are numerous bets that can be made, and some of the terminology seems complicated, but the small amount of effort it takes to learn the game is well worth it. Many casino patrons consider Craps to be the game. Nothing in a casino generates as much excitement as a hot roll at the Craps tables.

The game of craps has a long, colorful history and is still going strong.

Q1: Is it possible to gain an advantage at Video Poker?

A1: The video poker strategy discussed here is for the common "8/5" machines. They are called 8/5 because of the 8-for-1 payoff for a full house and 5-for-1 payoff for a flush. "Joker's Wild" and "Deuces Wild" machines will require a much different strategy.

In order to have an advantage over the house, you must find a machine with a progressive jackpot that is larger than about 1750 maximum bets. ($8750 for $1 machines, $2200 for $.25 machines, $440 for $.05 machines) This level only makes the game even with the house. The jackpot must be higher than this in order to gain an advantage. The player's edge increases by about 1% for each addition of 350 maximum bets into the progressive jackpot.

Q2: Is playing five coins always better than playing one coin?

A2: Not necessarily. In fact, you’re usually better off playing one coin than playing five. The ratio of coins returned for winning hands is the same whether you play one coin or five, except when you hit a royal. For example, if a machine returns one coin for a pair of Jacks with one coin in, it will pay two for two coins, three for three, four for four, and five for max-coin play. This 1:1 ratio remains constant. Usually, though, a royal flush will return 250 coins for one coin, 500 for two, 750 for three, and 1,000 for four, then jump to 4,000 for five, which raises the per-coin ratio from 250:1 to 800:1. The shot at the bonus jackpot explains the popular advice to always play the maximum five coins.

Q3: When the cards are dealt, are the next five cards already lined up behind the first cards?

A3: No, they’re not lined up behind the first cards, but they have already been selected. When the random number generator selects the cards for a hand, it actually takes ten cards, not five.

Q4: What is the best video poker game to play?

A4: This answer depends on the denomination of coin you want to play with. You must learn to distinguish between good and bad pay schedules and play only the good. Furthermore, another factor in deciding which game to play is the game which you know how to play the best. Playing video poker well requires a high degree of skill, so if you don’t know how to play Deuces Wild, but you do know how to play Jacks or Better, then you are better off sticking with Jacks or Better. But it's always a good idea to learn the strategy of the other games, as the more games you learn, the more options you’ll have.

Q5: How big a bankroll do you need to play video poker?

A5: A bankroll is an amount of money set aside for gambling. If you’re going to play on a full-time basis, we recommend having at least a three-royal-flush bankroll. For casual players, we recommend a more psychological approach as there will be days where you’ll lose half a royal, or more. If losing just $500 scares you, you do not have the psychological bankroll for playing quarters. If losing $2,000 makes you late for the rent, forget about playing for dollars.

Q6: What's the best way to learn how to play successfully?

A6: You have to work at it. Video poker is a game where every hand has one best play and the strategies are complicated. Learning what these are takes time and effort. And the time and effort is rewarded by better results when you play.

• Low pair and low pair: Split unless holding a king or better, then play two pair in the back.
• Low pair and medium pair: Split unless holding a king or better, then play two pair in the back.
• Low pair and high pair: Split unless holding an ace, then play two pair in the back.
• Medium pair and medium pair: Split unless holding an ace, then play two pair in the back.
• Medium pair and high pair: Always split.
• High pair and high pair: Always split.
• Pair of aces and any other pair: Always split.

• Three pair: Always play highest pair in front.
• Three of a kind: Always play three of a kind in back unless they are aces, then play a pair of aces in back and one ace in front.
• Three of a kind twice: Always play highest pair in front.
• Straights, flushes, straight flushes, and royal flush:
  • With no pair: When choosing whether to play a straight, flush, or straight flush play the category which will allow the highest two cards in front.
  • With 6th or 7th card: Play the lower straight or flush in the back to place the highest cards in front.
  • With one pair: Play pair in the front only if a straight, flush, or straight can be played in the back.
  • With two pair: Use two pair rule.
  • With three pair: Use three pair rule.
  • With three of a kind: Play pair in front.
  • With full house: Use full house rule.
• Full house: Always split unless the pair is twos and you have an ace and a king to play in the front.
• Full house with three of a kind and two pairs: Play the highest pair in front.
• Full house with three of a kind twice: Always play the highest pair in front.
• Play according to the rank of the four of a kind:
  • 2 through 6: Always keep together.
  • 7 through 10: Split unless a king or better can be played in front.
  • Jack through king: Split unless an ace can be played in front.
  • Aces: Always split.
• Four of a kind and a pair: Play pair in front.
• Four of a kind and three of a kind: Play pair in front from the three of a kind.
• Five aces: Split aces and play three aces in back and two aces in front unless you have a pair of kings, then play five aces in back and kings in front.