Around 500 years ago, the English played a game called Three-Card Brag. Each player would ante, then receive three cards, face-down. From there, it was bet, raise or fold, until only two players remained. If nobody folded after that, they’d turn their cards over and the winner would be declared. Easy-peasy.

Three-Card Brag would eventually evolve into the poker that we know and love today. But there’s something special about the old game. So in 1994, Derek Webb started developing a variant called “Three Card Poker” and selling it to casinos. It caught on in Mississippi, then Shuffle Master bought the rights in 1999, and the rest is history. Three Card Poker is everywhere now, including here at Slots.lv, where it’s called “Tri Card Poker.” You’ll find it under the Table Games menu on the main page. It just might be the best casino game ever invented.

Three Cards and the Truth
Tri Card Poker follows pretty much the same structure as Caribbean Stud Poker, except with three cards instead of five. It’s you versus the dealer; start by placing your ante (anywhere between $1 and $500), and if you choose, you can also place a “Pair Plus” bet on the side. Then the cards are dealt. If you like your hand, click the Raise button to double your original ante, at which point the dealer’s three cards will be revealed and the winner declared. If you think your hand is too weak to raise, then fold and cut your losses.

The payouts are determined by the strength of your hand. The winner is automatically paid out at even money, but if you have a three-card Straight, you get a bonus 1:1 payout. Three of a Kind will earn you 4:1, and a Straight Flush is good for 5:1. Remember that “Pair Plus” side bet? That will get you another chunk of change if you win, up to 40:1 for a Straight Flush.

Not only is Tri Card Poker an easy game to learn, the basic strategy is simple, too: Fold anything worse than Queen-High. That’s because the dealer has to have at least Queen-High in order to win the pot. If you want to be more precise, fold anything worse than Queen-Six-Four. Play Tri Card Poker for free at Slots.lv using the Practice Mode, and you’ll see just how easy and fun it can be.

 

Oh, how blackjack players at my table would have loved a button that rids them of unwanted hands. I would have gotten more tips and fewer complaints – that’s for sure. That’s probably why I was drawn to the online casino game Zappit Blackjack; if you’re dealt a hand that adds up to 15, 16 or 17, you can keep it, or zap it away in favor of a new hand. Ask any blackjack dealer, and they’ll tell you, hard 16s are the toughest hands to play, so thank you Zappit Blackjack for offering a way out.

Of course, you don’t get an advantage without giving something up. That’s the Law of Sacrifice. In order to maintain a house advantage, every time the dealer busts with a 22, the round is deemed a push instead of a win. It’s a small sacrifice, but it evens out the playing field.

 

Goal of Zappit Blackjack
Just like regular blackjack, the goal is Zappit Blackjack is to get a higher score than the dealer, without going over 21.

If you’re unfamiliar with blackjack, hand values are as follows:

2 to 9: Face Value
10 to King: Worth 10
Ace: Worth 1 or 11

 

How to Play Basic Blackjack
After placing a bet on the table, you’ll be dealt two cards face-up, and the dealer will be dealt one card face-up and one face-down. As long as neither of you have a blackjack (an Ace and a 10-point card), you’ll have the following options:

Hit: Request an additional card.
Stand: Do not request an additional hand.
Double: Double your bet and receive one additional card.
Surrender: End the round and retrieve half your bet.

If you receive two cards of the same value, you can Split them into two individual hands.

If the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace, you can buy Insurance for half the amount of your original wager. If the dealer has a blackjack, you win the Insurance bet.

Game Rules

• You can swap your original 2-card hand for a new one when it’s a 15, 16, or 17.
• As mentioned above, when the dealer busts with a 22, the round is a push, and your bet is returned.
• The dealer must hit on soft 17 (“soft” hands include an 11-point Ace. It’s soft because you can’t bust).
• You can split up to three hands.
• You can split Aces, but will receive only one card after.

 

Zappit Blackjack Payouts
If you beat the dealer, you get a 1:1 payout. If you tie the dealer, the round is a push, and your bet is returned.

A 10 and Ace in the initial two-card hand is a blackjack, which pays 3:2. However, if you get a blackjack after zapping or splitting the first two cards, the payout is reduced to 1:1. Insurance bets pay 2:1.

Now that you’ve got the basics down pat, try a couple practice rounds at Slots.lv and see if Zappit Blackjack is right for you.

It’s hard to believe that online bingo has been around for 20 years now. But it’s true: The first internet game, Bingo Zone, made its debut in 1996 in the United Kingdom. They do bingo a little differently in the UK, using 3X9 “tickets” instead of cards, and calling out the numbers 1 through 90. In the US and Canada, it’s 75-ball bingo using the familiar 5X5 cards. That version was popularized by toymaker Edwin Lowe, starting in 1929. It was based on a similar game called Beano, where players used dried beans as markers.

Conveniently enough, you can play both types of bingo at Slots.lv. European Bingo lets you buy up to 100 tickets at once, and you can choose to draw either 45, 55 or 65 balls per game; your payout increases the fewer balls you draw. Select your bet size, buy your tickets, and the computer does the rest. With American Bingo, you purchase up to 100 cards and draw either 35, 45 or 55 balls. Slots.lv also has 30-Ball Bingo and 80-Ball Bingo games available on the Specialty menu.

Frame by Frame
The scoring in these bingo games might be a bit different than what you’re used to. The object in European Bingo is to complete as many rows as possible; each row has nine spaces to fill. A ticket with a single row pays out at 5X; two rows gets you 275X, and all three rows (also known as a full house) is worth 10,000X your original bet.

American Bingo is a bit snazzier. Any standard bingo, including those with the free center square, is worth 2X, but there are other ways you can win. A card with all four corners pays out at even money, a double-bingo gives you 20X, a “frame” (all four bingos on the outside edges) is 5,000X, and getting all 25 spaces for a “coverall” pays 10,000X.

The pay table for 30-Ball Bingo is much simpler. The game uses 3X3 cards, and the sole object is to cover all nine spaces for a payout of 80X. Last, but not least, 80-Ball Bingo uses 4X4 cards with a similar payout structure as American Bingo; this time, the double-bingo is worth 15X, the frame is 1,000X, and the coverall is still 10,000X. You can see the pay tables for all four games at Slots.lv by playing in Practice Mode – no daubers required.

I grew up on James Bond – the books first, then the movies. So, of course, I love baccarat. The very first Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale (1953), gives us Bond in his purest form: chain-smoking and details-obsessed, a thoroughly English human being. This version of Bond spent a lot more time studying baccarat than he did killing people or getting fitted for tuxedos. That’s why he was the “finest gambler available to the Service.”

The thing is, baccarat is a very simple game. Bond was playing chemin de fer, the original version of baccarat, which has a certain element of skill to it. They still play that game in France, but in Vegas, and just about everywhere else, it’s punto banco. There is no skill in this form of baccarat. It’s like playing blackjack, but without having to make any decisions. Even counting cards won’t do you much good. It’s a social game, in other words.

Number Nine
Each hand of baccarat starts with a shoe, usually with eight decks in it, sometimes six. The dealer acts as the Banker (banco), dealing cards both to himself and to the Player (punto). You can bet on either hand to win; if the Player wins, the casino pays out at even money, but if the Banker wins, it’s even money minus a 5% commission fee. You can also bet on a Tie, which pays 9-1 at Slots.lv. Most Vegas casinos pay out at 8-1, although you might find some promotions involving lower commissions and higher payouts for the Tie.

In blackjack, you want your hand to add up to 21. In baccarat, the magic number is 9. Aces are worth one point, Tens and face cards are worth zero, and everything in between is face value. After the bets are placed, the Banker and the Player(s) receive two cards each, face-up. Add together the value of those two cards, and take the number in the “ones” column of the total; for example, a Nine and a Seven would give you a hand value of 6 points. There’s no busting in baccarat.

It’s Only Natural
At this point, if either the Banker or the Player has an 8 or 9 (also known as a natural), the hand is over, and the winner is declared. Otherwise, everything proceeds according to the drawing rules (also known as the tableau) at your casino. At Slots.lv, the Player goes first, and either stands pat on a 6 or 7, or receives a third card if the hand value is anywhere between 0 and 5. Then it’s the Banker’s turn. If the Player stood pat, the Banker also stands on 6 or 7 and hits once with every other hand. If the Player drew a third card, the Banker either stands or hits, depending on the value of his hand and the value of the Player’s third card.

That last bit can be difficult to remember, but again, everything is automatic in punto banco baccarat. If you like, you can study the tableau at Slots.lv and play for free in Practice Mode until you get the hang of it. It’s good to know the rules by heart, just in case the dealer at your bricks-and-mortar casino makes an error with the payouts. One tip before I go: Betting on the Banker reduces the house edge to 1.06%, compared to 1.24% for the Player and 4.85% for the Tie. And remember, martinis are actually better stirred, not shaken.

Play baccarat online today at Slots.lv!

 

 

There’s something so satisfying about beating the dealer in a game of 21. As a blackjack dealer in a Vegas casino, I witnessed this all the time. I loved seeing the unbridled excitement that brimmed from casino patrons when they beat me or any one of my colleagues. And when they were winning, that usually meant I’d get a tip. We both won.

Blackjack has such a big following in North America. It’s been turned into TV shows like World Series of Blackjack and Celebrity Blackjack, and there’s even an annual Blackjack Ball. What can I say, Americans love blackjack. If you’re looking to learn how to play this cherished casino game, this guide is for you.

Objective
The goal of blackjack is to get a higher score than the dealer, without exceeding 21.

Card Values

• Aces are worth one or 11.
• Face cards are worth 10.
• All other cards are worth their printed value.

How to Play Blackjack at Slots.lv

• Place a bet by putting between $1 and $500 in chips on the felt.
• Hit “deal.” You’ll receive two face-up cards, and the dealer will receive one face-up card and one face-down card. Then you’ll have one of several options:

• Hit: Take another card.
• Stand: Do not take another card.
• Double: Double your bet and get one more card.
• Surrender: Forfeit the round and retrieve half of your bet.
• Take Insurance: If the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace, you can buy insurance for half your bet. You are betting on the dealer having blackjack (21), and if you win, you get a 2:1 payout. If not, you lose the insurance bet and continue the round.
• Split: If you receive two cards with the same value, you can split them into two individual hands.
   

Quick Tips for Beginner Blackjack Players
Always split Aces. Two Aces will give you two chances of landing blackjack (although this won’t be considered a “natural” blackjack, and therefore won’t pay you the 2:3 bonus). This beats having a hand of 2 or a soft 12. Because of the advantage, you can only receive one additional card when splitting Aces.

Always split 8s. Having a hand of 16 is the worst, so splitting it definitely works to your advantage. You’ll likely wind up with an 18, which is substantially better than a 16.

Double down on an 11 and 10. You’ll have a good chance of hitting a blackjack, or at least 20.

Skip the insurance. Most blackjack aficionados recommend foregoing the insurance bet, which has a house edge of 6%.

Always take the dealer’s hand (face-up card) into account. If the face-up card is low (6 to 2), it’s likely a weak hand. If the face-up card is high (7 to 8), it’s likely a strong hand.

For more directions, consult a blackjack chart. It’ll compare your starting hand with the dealer’s face-up card in a comprehensive guide. And once you nail the basics, get in a few practice rounds at Slots.lv.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only is roulette a visual delight, it’s also one of the simplest games in the casino. There’s no actual skill involved, although people do try to use “progression betting” strategies to stay ahead of the game. I first learned about the Fibonacci sequence when I started working as a blackjack dealer:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34…

After you get past the two ones, each number is the sum of the preceding two numbers. This series comes up all the time in math, and there’s a betting system based on it for roulette, appropriately called the Fibonacci system (aka the Whittaker). Start by placing one unit on an even-money bet, like Red; if you win, start over. If you lose, bet the next number in the series. Keep moving ahead in the series until you win, then move two steps back and keep betting. You’ll either return to 1 and be profitable, or you’ll go broke trying.

The Freedom Wheel
The Fibonacci system won’t change your odds of winning at roulette, but there’s at least one thing you can do to improve your chances: Look for the “French” wheel with the single zero. Every roulette wheel has the numbers 1-36, half of them red, the other half black. Then there’s the green zero (0), and on “American” wheels, the green double zero (00). Your odds of winning an even-money bet on the French wheel are 19/18; adding the Double Zero lowers your odds to 20/18.

There are plenty of other bets on the roulette wheel, too, and each of them has the same house edge, so there’s no need to limit yourself to Black or Red. If you really want to impress your friends, play the tiers du cylindre or any of the other “French” bets. Just make sure you can properly pronounce it first.

In 1976, Atlantic City got the green light to open casinos, and 40 years later, Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic state legislatures proposed an amendment that would open up the industry to two counties in North New Jersey. The referendum ballots contained the following question:

“Do you approve amending the Constitution to permit casino gambling in two additional counties in this State? At present, casino gambling is allowed only in Atlantic City in Atlantic County. Only one casino in each of the two counties would be permitted. Each casino is to be located in a town that is at least 72 miles from Atlantic City. The Amendment would allow certain persons to apply first for a casino license.”

New Jersey responded to the casino expansion bill with a resounding “no” when residents voted on Tuesday, November 8 – the same day Trump won the Presidential election. A total of 79.5% of New Jersey voters killed the bill, which will have to wait three years to re-open.

The political climate and aggressive anti-Trenton campaign were blamed for the lack of public support on the expansion. The failure of legislatures to release crucial information – such as the exact location of the casinos and how it would affect taxes – is also to blame.

Close to $24 million was coughed up by both sides of the debate, $14.4 million by the anti-expansion group and $8.6 million by the pro-expansion group, who halted spending in late September when polls showed their campaign had been failing. The total spending set a record for the most spent on ballot questions.

People keep asking me where the “secret” places are in Las Vegas, the ones the travel brochures don’t tell you about. Some of them even use the air quotes when they ask, in which case, my reply is always the same: “What, you mean the Illuminati meeting every Friday at Binion’s ?” Then they chuckle and shift awkwardly in their shoes.

Anyway, here are five alternative places you can give a shot while you’re in Las Vegas. You’ll have to compete for space with the locals, and some of the savvier tourists, but it’ll be a nice change of pace.

Stage Door Casino
Let’s start at a dive bar. Right there, in the alleyway between the Flamingo and Bally’s, is the majestic Stage Door: hot dogs, cheap beer, amazing clientele. You may never leave.

The Laundry Room
This speakeasy is tucked away at Commonwealth, and you need to call ahead to get the secret password – if they have a space open for you. It’s a bit more upscale than the Stage Door, but then again, so is everywhere else.

Hotel 32
So you like the Monte Carlo, but can’t afford it? They’ve got a special “boutique hotel” on top of the Monte Carlo where you can get rooms for under $200 a night, and you get most of the same perks the VIPs get.

The Mansion
Okay, this is for the serious high-rollers out there. If you’re willing to spend at least $5,000 a night, the Mansion is another “hotel within a hotel” at the MGM Grand, with its own entrance and a private driveway – which nobody can see from outside. You have to be shuttled in (excuse me, chauffeured in), possibly in one of their Rolls Royce Phantoms. Anything you want, your butler will get for you.

Las Vegas Astronomical Society
If you’re a Neil deGrasse Tyson fan, and/or you used to hang out at the planetarium and watch the Pink Floyd laser shows, how about the real thing? You can head out to Mount Potosi and enjoy a “star party” with your fellow skywatchers. It’s like the exact opposite of Burning Man. Bundle up, because it’s cold in space.

 

This year’s Global Gaming Expo took place at the Sands Expo Convention Center, just down the road from Caesar’s Palace, in the heart of Las Vegas, Nevada. Lasting from September 26 to 29, this annual get-together featured keynote speakers, educational seminars, and showcased countless new games and up-and-coming casino gaming companies. With over 450 exhibitors, the Global Gaming Expo is undoubtedly the place to meet the who’s-who of the gambling world.

In addition to staying up-to-date on evolving trends in casino gaming, you might be surprised to hear that the Global Gaming Expo is a great place to meet celebrities. A number of big-name celebrities have their hands in the gaming industry and they showcased their products this year at the Expo.

Retired basketball player and Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal, was spotted at the Expo supporting Inspired Gaming’s Rush Basketball. ‘Shaq’ recently partnered with Inspired to become the face of the virtual sports game, which is set for release in 2017. Hundreds of people flocked to Inspired’s booth to get a picture with the four-time NBA champion and learn about the future of sports-based virtual gaming.

Wheel of Fortune hostess, Vanna White, was also at this year’s Expo, as she made an appearance to celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of International Game Technology’s (IGT) Wheel of Fortune slot game. Originally released in 1996, the beloved Wheel of Fortune slot has become a global favorite. The game has delivered over $3 billion in jackpot payouts over the past 20 years and has connected fans to the classic television show as well as to the famed hostess. While at the Expo, White was awarded a key to the City of Las Vegas by Mayor Carolyn Goodman.

One of the most dramatic entrances at this year’s Global Gaming Expo was made by country music sensation, Tim McGraw. McGraw descended from the ceiling of the Convention Center on a platform, along with his new slot machine, to greet hundreds of screaming fans at the Aristocrat. A group of blue jean-clad dancers joined McGraw on stage to unveil the McGraw-inspired slot machine, which is set for release in the summer of 2017.

Actor Larry Thomas, better known as the “Soup Nazi” in the sitcom Seinfeld, was also the object of much fanfare, as he played a new Seinfeld-themed interactive game for onlooking fans. Instead of soup, the actor served personally-autographed photos to queued fans after the demonstration was complete.

Although the Global Gaming Expo looks to educate industry professionals and fans on emerging casino gaming trends, it’s also one of the best ways to have a face-to-face with a celebrity. We’re all looking forward to next year’s star-studded cast; it’ll be difficult to top 2016.