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How to Play Craps

by Michael

Craps Facts
The game of craps first began in Roman times but was known as “dice”.  The game of craps as we know it today, began in the 18th century by well-to-do Englishmen but was called Hazard.   When the game came to France, the French called it Craps.  It is a derivative of the word “crabs” which means pair of ones.

How to Play
In craps, the purpose of the game is to guess whether a “shooter” will roll a winning combination or not.  A shooter is the player that is rolling the dice.  During a game of craps, there are two different stages.  There’s the Coming Out stage and the Point stage. 

The first bet for a player is usually the “pass line bet”.  It is made by placing your chips in the long strip that runs around the outside of the table with the word PASS in it.  The pass line bet is placed in expectation of what is called the “come out roll”.  The come out roll is the first roll and the purpose is to roll a seven or an eleven so that all pass line bets win.

If a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled on the come out roll, called “Crapping Out”, the game starts over again and all pass line bets lose.  If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, the Point stage has begun. Similar to a land-based casino craps games, there’s always a small round disk on the craps table called a “puck” which has the word “ON” on one side and “OFF” on the opposite site.  You’ll know the Point stage has begun when the puck has the ON side facing up.  In the Point stage of the game, the purpose is to roll the same number as the Point, before you roll a seven.

Once the Point has been established, the pass line bets neither win or lose.  These bets stay where they are with their outcome to be resolved later in the stage.  Players usually back-up their pass line bets with an “odds bet” by adding more chips just below the pass line (outside of the boundary outline), behind your initial bet. 

The house edge on a pass line bet is really low to start with and gets even lower the more odds you back it with so it makes this bet one of the best in the casino!  When placing an odds bet you must place a negative expectation bet before hand (the pass line), and then back it with odds.  That’s why the pass line bet, which already has a high player edge in combination with odds, is frequently thought of as the best bet in the casino.

To finish a round of craps and settle pass line bets, the Shooter must roll either a 7 or the Point after the come out roll.  Pass line bets cannot win until the Point is rolled and cannot lose until 7 is rolled.  Therefore, players need to wait for a roll of a 7 or the Point to find out the outcome of their pass line bets since unsettled pass line bets cannot be taken off.

Types of Craps Bets
Pass Line - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll, or establish a Point by rolling 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10
Don’t Pass - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out roll, or establish a Point by rolling 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10
Come - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 7 or 11 on the next roll or make a Point.  This bet is comparable to the Pass Line bet, however it can only be taken after a Point is established.  Also, a Come bet can be made on each roll of the dice but only after the Shooter has established a Point
Don’t Come - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 2, 3 or 12 on the next roll or will not make the Point before rolling a 7.  This bet is comparable to the Don’t Pass bet, however it can only be taken after a Point is established
Odds - Extra bets made on an established Pass, Don’t Pass, Come or Don’t Come bet
Place to Win - A bet that the Shooter will roll the number that a Win bet is placed on - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, before a 7 is rolled
Place to Lose - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 7, before the number that a Lose bet is placed on - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, is rolled
Field - A single roll bet that the Shooter will roll a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12, on the next roll
Hardways - A bet that the Shooter will roll either a 2, 3, 4 or 5 as a double, before it is thrown in any other combination, or before a 7 is rolled
Any Seven - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 7 on the next roll
Any Craps - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 2, 3 or 12 on the next roll
Any Two - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 2 on the next roll
Craps Twelve - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 12 on the next roll
Craps Three - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 3 on the next roll
Eleven - A bet that the Shooter will roll a 11 on the next roll
Big 8 - A bet that a 8 will be rolled before a 7
Big 6 - A bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7
C and E - The C is a bet that the Shooter will roll a 2, 3 or 12 on the next roll and the E is a bet that the Shooter will roll a 11 on the next roll

Craps Strategy
* Know the game and the bets
* Stay with bets like pass line bets backed-up by odds, come bets backed-up by odds and bets on the six or eight.  These have the best player’s edge
* Manage your money

Head to CasinoCashJourney.com for lots more information on the game of craps inclulding details on craps history, terminology, table layout and nicknames for craps numbers.

April 29th, 2008 | permalink

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April 25th, 2008 | permalink

Three Card Poker | A Game with a Few Names

by Erica

There are many different names for one of the greatest games on the internet, whether you call it Three Card Poker, Tri Card Poker or simply Tri Poker, you can be sure that you are about to play one of the most exciting games ever. Even though this game started on the internet it can now be found in most land based casinos and there are many people who love this game and spend hours on end playing it. This game is basically two games in one, once you have decided to play this game and you sit down at the table you are offered two different games to play. Most of the time you are able to play either one or both games at the same time, you should know that at some casinos you are required to play both games and that other casinos will make only one an option. The two different games are called Three Card Ante/ Play and Pair Plus when you play both games at the same time players wager different amounts on each one of the games. Before you start to play this game just like any other you have to know a little bit about how the game is played, both of these two games are played with a regular 52 card deck.

Three Card Poker Hand Rankings
Straight Flush: A hand with all five cards in sequence and of the same suit
Three of a Kind: A hand with three cards of the same rank
Straight: A hand with all five cards in sequence but not all in one suit
Flush: A hand with all five cards in the same suit but not all in a sequence
Pair of Jacks or Better: A hand with two cards of the same rank

Three Card Poker Ante Payout
Straight: 1 to 1
Three of a Kind: 4 to 1 
Straight Flush: 5 to 1 

Three Card Poker Pair Plus Payout
Pair: 1 to 1
Flush: 4 to 1 
Straight: 6 to 1
Three of a Kind: 30 to 1 
Straight Flush: 40 to 1 

Three Card Poker is played by using an automatic shuffling machine, using this machine the cards are given to the dealer in groups of three. You should always know a little bit about the rules of the game before you start to play, the rules of this game are very similar to the rules of a regular stud poker game. In this game you as the player are allowed to wager against the dealer, to wager on the value of your own hand and to do both, wager against the dealer and on the value of your own hand. In Three Card Poker there are also bonus payouts that may be won for specific hands when you are betting against the dealer. A couple of things to remember before you start to play this game is that play must equal the ante and the dealer always plays with a queen high or better. When you go in and sit down at the table to play this game the first thing that you should do is look at the table in front of you, there will be three markings in front of you a circle that says Pair Plus, and diamond that says ante and a diamond in a box that says play, this is ultimately where you will be placing your bets. Now that game starts, first you will be placing your bets in the ante spot on the table, this can be any amount within table limits that will be posted on the table. All players and the dealer get three cards face down. Now that all of the players have their cards they are allowed to look at them and decide whether they want to play or not, if they fold the hand is over, however if they decide to play they should then place a bet (which has to be equal to the ante) in the play spot on the table.

After all players have decided how they want to play the game, the dealer turns over his cards, if he doesn’t have at least a queen high or better he isn’t qualified to play. If he isn’t qualified he pays all of the players still in the game even money on their ante bets and if the player happens to have a Straight or better they are paid the additional ante bonus. If the dealer does have a hand that they can play, those players who can’t beat it lose their antes and their play bets but they can still win a bonus with the ante bonus if they have a straight or better. The players who do beat the dealers hand win even money on both of their bets plus the ante bonus if they qualify. You should remember that when you are talking about the bonus bet it will vary from casino to casino, so don’t count on it being the same everywhere you go. Even though the hand ranks are laid out on the table for you when you start to play they will be told to you here so that you can be doubly aware. In the Pair Plus game a Pair pays 1 to 1, a Flush pays 4 to 1, a Straight pays 6 to 1, a Three of a Kind pays 30 to 1, and a Straight Flush pays 40 to 1. When playing the Ante game the payouts are as follows a Straight pays 1 to 1, Three of a Kind pays 4 to 1 and a Straight Flush pays out 5 to 1. When you look at this one of the first things that you will notice is that the Straight is higher ranking than the Flush, this is because there are fewer ways to make a 3 card straight than there is to make a 3 card flush. To fully understand the meaning of this payout table you have to know what all of these hands mean. A Straight Flush is a hand with all three cards in order and all of them are the same suit (the highest possible is Ace, King, Queen. A Three of a Kind is a hand with three cards of the same rank for example King, King, King. A Straight is a hand with all three cards in order but not the same suit. A Flush is a hand with all three cards in the same suit but not in numerical order. A Pair is a hand with two cards of the same numerical value.

To play this game you have to know how to play poker because this as said before is very similar to a play a stud poker. In stud poker games you play with your original cards, unlike draw where you can pick new cards. In this game the Ace plays either the high or the low card in a straight and an Ace high straight flush is the highest hand that you can get. Something that you should consider when you are playing Three Card Poker is that because there is only a couple of decisions for you to make, whether to keep playing your hand and how much to bet. This makes playing relatively easy one of the most popular strategy methods is that you should always play a queen, six, four and never play anything lower. If you are a beginner to playing poker online and in general some of the things mentioned in this article may seem like crazy to you but once you get down how to actually play the game the rest of this will fall into line. All you have to know about the basics of the game is that there are 52 cards in the deck, four different suits which are hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. The ranking of the cards goes from highest to lowest A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, and 8,7,6,5,4,3,2. All of the cards are worth their face value except the J, Q, K, and A, the Ace can be counted as a 1 or 11, and the others are valued at 10. This little bit of information is very helpful when you are trying to decide how to play a game because if you don’t know the basics of the game none of the rules laid out for you above will make any sense.

With all of the information provided for you, there is everything you will ever need to play this game with the confidence and knowledge to win when other players aren’t sure what they are doing. One more final piece of advice that you should always follow no matter what game you are playing is money management. If you don’t practice money management you can and probably will end up losing a lot of money. One sure fire way of doing this is to set aside a certain amount of money before you start playing, this way you will know exactly how much you have played and won. When you do when money put half of it away and only replay the other half, this way you always come out ahead. Do not sit and play at a cold table, if you have been playing for a certain amount of time and you just aren’t winning, get up and walk away, go take a little break walk around for a while. You have a much better chance at winning when you are relaxed and you can’t be relaxed if you are constantly losing, the longer you sit there the more money you will lose.

Looking for more information on Three Card Poker? Go to Casino Cash Journey for more details Three Card Poker strategies and table layout.

April 22nd, 2008 | permalink

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April 18th, 2008 | permalink

About the Game of Baccarat

by Michael

Baccarat Facts
The elegant game of baccarat first began in Italy in the 15th century.  It quickly became the favored game of French aristocracy.  The word baccarat is derived from “baccara” which is the Italian word for zero, referring to point value of the face card and 10’s.  The version currently played in casinos was developed in the 1950’s in Havana, Cuba.  Even though this game still attracts high rollers, it’s an uncomplicated, easy game of chance.

How to Play
In baccarat, the purpose of the game is to achieve a hand with a point total closest to 9.  Aces count as one, 2 through 9 as their face value with tens and face cards count as zero.  If the value of the hand is ten points or more, subtract ten.  The remainder is the baccarat point value of the hand.  An example would be 7 + 8 = 15, the baccarat point value would be 5.

Place your wager on the banker’s hand or on the player’s hand and/or on a tie.  Next, the player and banker are each dealt a two-card hand.  In some cases, a third card is dealt to the player or banker or both.

If you placed your bet on the player and the player wins, you are paid 2 for 1 winnings on your bet. If you placed your bet on the banker and the banker wins, you are paid 2 for 1 less a 5% bank commission.  The bank commission is called vigorish.  If both the player’s hand and the banker’s hand have equal totals, the game result is a ‘tie’.  If you have placed a bet on the ‘tie’, your payoff is 9.

Baccarat Strategy
* Stay away from the tie bet, it gives the house a large edge
* The banker has a bit more of an edge against the house

Head to CasinoCashJourney.com for more strategies, history, terminology, table layouts, charts and tips including third card rules in the game of baccarat.

April 15th, 2008 | permalink

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by Erica

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April 11th, 2008 | permalink

Red Dog Poker - A game with many names

by Lauren

Red Dog Poker is a very popular table game that has also been known by many names like Yablon, In Between, Acey Deucey and Between the Sheets. It has been around since the wild west days, where it was played in many saloons and poker parlors. The early game has evolved into what we play and enjoy today, but was abandoned because it was an easy game to manipulate to the players edge. The current version is much different and the house clearly has the edge as with most games.

The Red Dog Poker table layout has two separate, and marked areas set for betting, the Bet and the Raise. A standard 52 card deck is used, but can also be played with up to 5 decks and this game can be found in many online casinos. The object of the game is to bet on what the third card dealt is going to be. You place your opening bet on the Bet area of the table. The dealer begins by dealing two cards, one on the left and the other on the right. You now bet on the outcome of the third card. It needs to fall in value between the first two cards dealt. The closer the range the higher the payout.

For instance, if the left card is a 4 and the right card is a 8 there are only three cards that you can win with, the 5 6 or 7.  This is a spread of three and the payout is 2 to 1. If the first two cards dealt are consecutive, it’s a push and the game is over. For example if a 7 and an 8 are dealt, there is no spread and this is called a push and the round ends.

In Red Dog Poker, if the first two cards dealt make up a pair such as two 3’s, betting stops and the third card is dealt. If the third card is a matching number, in this case another 3, then you win and are paid 11 to 1 for this. Assuming there is a spread, you can at this point take an optional bet on the spread. The odds are set by the casino so be sure to familiarize yourself with them before beginning, although it should be identical or very close at each casino. This bet is placed in the Raise area of the table. If you choose not to bet or Raise, and you win the round, you get your original bet back and the next round begins.

If you Raise and win, you get your original bet plus the raise bet at the odds set for that particular spread. The cards ranging from 2 to 10 are taken at face value. The Jack is valued at 11, the Queen is valued at 12, the King is valued at 13 and the Ace is valued at 14. Suits are insignificant in this game.

Spread by One = 5:1 payout

Spread by  Two = 4:1 payout

Spread by Three = 2:1 payout

Spread by Four or more = 1:1 payout

Pair =  11:1 payout with third matching card

Like Blackjack, Red Dog Poker is played with you against the dealer or the House. There may be other players at the table but each has his turn to play the House. The basic strategy of Red Dog is deciding whether to raise your bet in the Raise segment of the game. It’s an easy, but thrilling game with great possibilities for winning large amounts of money, and as with most games of chance a lot depends of the luck of the draw. Below are some commonly used terms that you may hear in this game.

Call
To Call is what you do when you decide that you want to end the round by not Raising your bet, then a third card is dealt to you and if you win, you can claim only the amount of your original bet.

Raise
If you decide to continue the game to the next level and Raise, your are betting that the third card will fall within the value of the first two cards. You must place a bet equal to your original bet in the Raise area of the table. If you lose, you lose both bets, if you win your bet is doubled.

Spread
The Spread is the difference falling between the first two cards dealt. For example, the first card is a 2 and the second card is a 10, the spread is 7 and a marker is placed on position 7. The payout on this spread is 1 to 1.

Consecutives
Consecutives are cards that are sequential to each other, for example, if you are dealt a 7 and an 8. When this happens, you won’t be dealt the third card and the game is over and your bet is returned to you.

Pairs
Pairs are when the first two cards dealt you have the same value, for example, two Kings or two 4’s. If you are dealt a Pair, a third card is automatically dealt. If the third card is the same value as the cards of the Pair, you are paid out for Three of a Kind. If the third card does not have the same value as the cards of your Pair, the hand is a draw and your bet is returned to you.

Non-consecutives
Non-consecutives are any combination of the first two cards dealt that are not Consecutives or Pairs. The dealer then places a marker to Mark the Spread. At this point you can either Raise or Call.

Red Dog Poker is a very easy game to learn and can provide many hours of enjoyment. You can find Red Dog Poker at almost any of your favorite online casinos. With the information listed above, and a little practice, you will be playing like a professional in no time. Red Dog is sure to win your heart and will soon be one of your favorites.

CasinoCashJourney.com is a great source for information on several of game strategies including Red Dog Poker.

April 8th, 2008 | permalink

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April 4th, 2008 | permalink

How to Play 5 Card Stud Poker

by Erica

How to Play
5 Card Stud becomes quite interesting because the number of visible cards makes it easier for Players to judge the strength of their hands.  The purpose of the game is to finish with the best poker hand and win the pot.  Players place an ante on the table. The ante is set by the card room, and is not applicable in games where increments are $0.50/$1.00.  Players are dealt two cards - one pocket card and one visible card.  The player with the lowest value card “brings-in” the betting.  Round of betting.  Second round deal - all Players are dealt their 2nd visible card.  Round of betting.  Third round deal - all Players are dealt their 3rd visible card.  Round of betting.  Fourth round deal - all players are dealt their 4th visible card. (Each Player should now have 1 pocket card and 4 visible cards).  Final round of betting.  All remaining players display their hand. The highest hand wins the pot.

5 Card Stud Poker Rules
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 four betting rounds in a complete game of 5 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 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 dealer is first to act.

5 Card Stud Poker Strategy
* Be aware of your opponents’ visible cards as you can see if you are losing a hand
* If the cards you need to help improve your hand are visible in your opponents hands, consider them dead to you
* There are 13 cards in a suit. You need five of them to make a flush, if the cards you need happen to be in your opponents’ hand you have no chance of them being dealt to you, however, if you can’t see them, it means that it is still possible to receive those cards
* It is advisable to fold if another player’s exposed cards are strong
* If you are trying to compete a Straight, check to see if another Player displays the cards you need. You can then adjust your strategy accordingly
* Fold when necessary.  5 Card Stud poker is a game of patience; so do not bet all you money on losing hands

Casino Cash Journey features more information on 5 Card Stud Poker along with several other types of poker.

April 1st, 2008 | permalink