Keno

Keno is a game that has many variations associated with it, depending on where you play. The most popular version has one or more people playing against the house. A player picks a set of numbers (usually 1 to 20 different numbers) that they believe will be drawn from a range of numbers, usually in the 1 to 80 range. After selecting the the required number of numbers, the number of matched numbers drawn by the house determines whether or not you win, and how much you win. The more of your numbers that match, the more cash you win. Plain and simple.

Payouts will vary across casinos. A typical example payout scheme is as follows:

Let's assume that you pick 5 numbers. In this scenario, you will usually have to hit 3 numbers to be able to qualify for any cash prize. Assuming that you hit 3 numbers, the odds are typically paid back to you at 3-to-1. If you were lucky enough to match 4 of 5 numbers, you would typically be paid back at the odds of close to 26-to-1. If you accomplished the herculean task of matching all 5 numbers, you would typically be paid at odds close to 330-to-1. Keno is popular for this reason - you can win a large amount in one shot, which differs from the slower bankroll accumulation issues associated with the games of Craps or Blackjack. If you play a Keno game that requires you to choose more than 5 numbers, you will obviously have to proportionnaly match more numbers before you win any cash prizes.

There are other Keno variations that allow for the choice of combination or "way" tickets. Basically, a "way" ticket permits a player to group different numbers, where each group has the same number of numbers. This creates more possibilities for winning. These combination offers no direct advantage to the player, but allows them to play more tickets in a single drawing of numbers. Every casino has its variations on this theme.

Slots

Slot machines, often referred to as "one-armed bandits", are a popular and easy-to-play casino game, which gives the player the potential to win at multiples of one's actual bet.

Playing a slot machine entails inserting paid-for chips or coins into the slot of a "one-armed bandit", and pulling a handle on the machine's side, which causes the slot machine's reels to rotate rapidly. You can place as many coins into the machine at once as you want, but only the first coin is processed for a given game. This is true, unless you can click or depress the "BET ONE" button to increase your wager by a single coin. Typically, in many casinos, the maximum number of coins that can be played in any one round is 3. On many slot machines, you can press the "BET MAX" button to wager as many as 3 coins initially. To retrieve the coins that are in the slot machine but have not been processed yet, press the "CASH OUT" button on the one-armed bandit.

Payout rules are usually enumerated on the top of the slot machine itself. For example, if you play 1 coin in a $ 0.25 (25 cent) slot machine and all 3 reels have similar designations lined up (perhaps, 3 diamonds), this would constitute a winning game, and you may receive 80, 25 cent coins), which equates to $ 20.00. This example assumes American currency - there are machines that accept other currencies as well.

European Roulet

Roulette is a very popular casino game that appears complicated on initially, but after a short introduction to the game, the player wil realize that roulette is a simple, interesting, and quite intriguing game.

There are 2 popular variations of the roulette game that have minor, but important distinctions. This web page describes the European ("Single zero") Roulette. European roulette has the same wager payoffs as American roulette (see bleow for its description), but lacks the double zero slots, and the house advantage is definitely lower in European roulette.

European Roulette table has a spinning wheel with 37 pockets or slots. Thes slots are numbered from 1 to 36 and colored either red or black except for a special "zero" slot that is marked with a green indicator. Players make bets on results of the round. The roulette wheel is spun and a ball is thrown into it against the direction of spinning. When the ball settles down and rests in a slot, the number on the slot that has caught the ball, is the winning number. All slots are identical and the order and position of numbers are mathematically arranged for even distribution by color, value, odd or even, and high or low, so that the ball has an equal probability of winding up in any one of them.

The more complicated part of roulette is betting. The betting table consists of 2 portions, the "Inside" portion and the "Outside" portion. Bets made on the inside portion are called inside bets. Similarly, bets made on the outside portion are called outside bets.

A roulette table is made of "inside" and "outside" betting fields which function differently. Roulette tables have composite maximum and minimumtable limits. Otherwise, players are not limited in betting.

Other than in betting, there are no other rules in roulette. Once the bets are made and the wheel has spun, there are no further choices that players make.

When betting on the "inside", a player is required to make bets that at least add up to the table's minimum.

The table is comprised of colored squares, from 1 to 36. Zero is the green square that is located on the inside table usually on top of the number columns.

On the inside table, different combinations of bets are available. Combinations are only valid within the inner table.

\ Here are the types of Inside bets available:

• Straight up bet - This is a bet on a single number. The payoff is 35-to-1.

• "Split bet - This allows you to place a bet on 2 contiguous squares. The odds here are 17-to-1.

• Street bet - This type of bet permits you to bet on an entire row (i.e., 3 numbers). The betting indicator must be placed on the row's outer edge. Odds here are 11-to-1.

• Line bet - This type of bet permits you to make 2 street bets (i.e., 6 numbers), and pays off at 5-to-1.

• Corner bet - This bet permits you to bet on 4 adjacent squares. Corner bets (known as "corners") pay 8-to-1.

• Five bet - This bet type does not exist in European roulette.

When betting on the "outside", every bet a player makes must at least match the table minimum.

"Zeroes" are not covered on Outside bets. Online casinos do not normally offer the surrender rule.

The types of Outside bet types available, are as follows:

• Dozens - This bet refers to 3 squares that gives results from 1-to-12, 13-to-24 and 25-to-36. 2-to-1 payoff. This is a double bet.

• High and low - With this bet, 2 squares for the bottom half of the numbers (1-to-18, and 19-to-35) are selected. 1-to-1 payoff - this is an even bet.

• Colors - This bet has 2 squares for red and black outcomes. This is also an even bet.

• Odd and even - This bet has 2 squares representing odd and even outcomes respectively. This too, is an even bet.

• Columns - With this bet, 3 squares are selected that are attached to the bottom of the inside table. Columns typically have "2:1" written inside the square. With these types of bets, you can bet on an entire column of numbers. This is a double bet.

Bacarat

Baccarat originated in the French casinos, around 1830. During this timeframe, it was a game played by the rich or the upper echelon of society only.

Baccarat is a quick game that develops swiftly, once bets are made. Once bets are completed, players do not need to make any additional decisions.

Baccarat consists of 2 hands:

• Banker Hand
• Player Hand

Cards emanate from a "baccarat shoe", which is a repository that has 6 or 8 decks of cards, which are shuffled. A player of the game can make a "baccarat bet" on either of the aforementioned hands OR the tie between the two hands. In a deal, either hand can only have 2 or 3 cards. When a bacarrat hand is termed to be in a "stands" state, this implies that the hand's portion in the game has finished. This is of paramount importance to the game of Baccarat.

The winner of a Baccarat game is recgonized by his final bacarrat score which is calculated via the following algorithm:

• 10's and face (J,Q,K) cards do not count for points. They are scored as 0 points.
• An Ace in Baccarat is worth a single (1) point.
• Cards 2 to 9 are worth their numerical face values scores respectively.
• The score of all Baccarat cards in a hand is summed up. If the baccarat summation score is in excess of 9 (that is, a 2 digit score), then the 1st digit of this 2 digit score is discarded. For example, 9 plus Ace (which sums to 10) translates to 0 points, since we drop the leading '1'. Another example would be an 8 plus a 6 (which sums to 14), would equate to 4 points.

The Baccarat game progresses from this point forward as follows:

• From the "shoe", the dealer deals 2 cards to both hands.
• If either hand results in a score of 8 or 9, it is termed a "natural". In this case, both hands "stand". The final score dictates if there is a winner or there is a tie. The game completes at this point, and the Baccarat player moves on to recovering bets.
• If the game continues on, initially the "player hand" and then the "banker hand" must continue play by observing these explicit rules:

  • If the player's first 2 cards sum to less than 6 points, the player draws another card (i.e., the last card) from the "shoe". The player then "stands".
  • If the banker's first 2 cards sum to more than 6 points, the banker must "stand" and expose. If the initial score is 0, 1 or 2, the banker must draw the last card from the "shoe". If the card is a 3 and the player's 3rd card is between 0 and 9 points, the banker then draws the third card. If the card is a 4 and the player's 3rd card is between 2 to 7 points, the banker draws the 3rd card. If the card is a 5, and the player's 3rd card is between 4 to 7 points, the banker draws the 3rd card. If none of the above manifests, the banker "stands" and the games is completed.

• If both Banker and Player hands get equal scores, the game is a resultant tie and the tie bet gets the win. Otherwise, the bet on the hand has a score closest to 9 points, is deemed the winner.
• Bets are then "recovered". If the winning bet made is by the player or the banker, then he/she recovers even money. This translates to the bet itself and a win that calculates to the amount of the bet. However, if the winner is the banker hand, the casino itself will rake a comission of between an amount of 4% to 5%, which is also known as a "vygorish". If the winning bet results in a tie, then neither the player or banker bets are paid or debited. In Baccarat, a tie bet is typically paid at odds of between 8-to-1 or 9-to-1.