The website for English Harbour appears very comprehensive especially on security and banking issues which is encouraging. It does stress that it is only compatible with Windows systems however. Two different downloads are offered depending on the number of games that you want to play which we think is a useful feature, especially for those of you with slow download capability.

Unfortunately, we don't think that the casino itself lives up to the expectation caused by the website. English Harbour are no longer with Microgaming and have opted for Odds-On as their software provider. We are not aware of the reasons for the move but can only assume it was for cost concerns as the new playing interface is far less impressive than the standard Microgaming interface, in our opinion. The slots are simple and dull and only offer one 5-Reel machine. The lack of bonus features becomes tedious very quickly. The triple slots function is novel and allows you to play three slots of your choice simultaneously. They are still dull however and we could not get excited by it.

The email support is non-existent in our experience. Having asked specific questions of the support team, we received a non-relevant auto-responder and some months later, still haven't received answers to our specific questions.

It is not however, all negative. If you can put up with the average playing interface, English Harbour do offer some great competitions and prize draws. These would typically include holidays to Vegas, a sports car and various cash prizes.

As per normal poker rules - playing and betting proceeds in a clockwise direction.

All Players must first ante before they receive their initial cards, except the $0.50/$1 game which has no ante.

There are five betting rounds in a complete game of Seven-Card Stud, not including the ante.

On the first round of betting, the Player with the lowest value door card "brings-in" and starts the betting - equal to at least half the minimum bet for the game. In proceeding rounds, the Player with the highest hand initiates the betting. If hands tie, the Player to the left of the dealer acts first.

Betting increments in the game determine the bets. In a game of $2 and $4 betting increments, the first two rounds of betting and raising are set at the lower level of $2, the other three rounds of betting and raising are set at the higher level of $4.

The exception to this rule is if any Player displays a pair with their 2 face-up cards on 4th Street. In this circumstance, all Players have the option to bet either the lower limit or the higher limit. If a Player bets the higher limit, then all subsequent raises must be made at the higher limit.

The maximum allowable number of bets per Player during any betting round is four. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap. The term cap is used to describe the 3rd raise in a round since betting is then capped and can't be raised further. Once capped, Players will have only the option of calling or folding.

In betting rounds where Players have folded, the first active Player left of the Disc/Dealer is first to act.

• Play Carefully - Take your time and make wise decisions. It's you against the machine and there is no need to rush things.
  
  
• Know the Paytables - This is one of, if not the most important keys to success in video poker. You need to understand the paytables for each machine - understanding these will potentially allow you to maximize your winnings.
  
  
• Play each hand like a new game - Since you are playing a machine try and forget about the last hand played. The machine has no memory of the last hand - the random number generator assures this, so don't fret over what happened last hand - focus on the next.
  
  
• Practice makes perfect - the more you play the better you will be. Learning which cards to keep and which cards to discard is very important if you are to take full advantage of the payout tables. If you use your knowledge consistently i.e. utilize a strategy, it will help assure that you will meet the payout percentages of a particular machine.
  
  
• Never keep a kicker with any pair. Holding a kicker to any pair reduces your return by 5%.
  
  
• Never draw four cards if you can draw three to a royal flush.
  
  
• Always keep five card winning pat hands with one exception: if you can, draw one card to a royal.
  
  
• Don't break a flush even if you can draw one to a straight flush, but always break a flush to draw to a royal.
  
  
• Never break a straight to draw to a straight flush.
  
  
• Never draw five if you have a jack or better.
  
  
• Don't keep a ten for a four card draw.
  
  

Baccarat has a pretty reasonable set of odds for the player. On player bets the house has a small edge, to compensate for this the house takes a commission (usually 5 percent) on winningbank bets.Bets are made prior to any cards being dealt. The banker plays against only one player at a time, but any or all the other players may bet on the hand.Baccarat is played on a kidney shaped table that can sit up to 12 or 14 players depending on the size of the table. Three dealers (croupiers) run the game; one handles the cards, while theother two handle the wagers and the commission that is paid on winning bank bets. Where the players sit is not important, but bets must be made in a marked area on the table thatcorresponds to the players seat. Players may bet three ways: on the bank, on the players hand, or for a tie. Players often switch from betting on the bank to betting on the players hand andvice versa. (Betting for a tie is not usually smart, while having a larger payoff, it is considered one of the worst wagers in the casino.) A bet is made by placing money on the table in yourmarked area on the wagered spot. For example if you are player number 3 and wish to bet on the bank you place the desired wager amount on the table layout place for player number 3marked bank.Winning player and bank bets pay even money (excluding commissions) Hands that result in a tie pay off tie wagers at 8 to 1 and a bank or player bet is treated as a push with the moneysitting on the table for the next hand.