Author: horse-racing-free-tips

There are many out there among you, myself included, that at times simply want to sit down at the computer and play a thoughtless game that has a little kick to it to make my day a little more exciting. These are great days for simple slot machines. If you really want to get fancy you can go from a three reel machine into the five reel machines, or more, and maybe make things a little more exciting.

But for many there is only one answer to a slot machine fix and that is Video Poker. Now you may be wondering what Video Poker has to do with slot machines, but the truth is that the two are very similar. They both have the same type of gaming interface and both are fairly easy to play. But the Video Poker aficionado can certainly tell you that the two are very far from the same.

Video Poker is for the Poker enthusiast that doesn’t really want to get involved in a full blown Poker game but also wants elements of the excitement that goes along with a great Poker game. Let me clarify. In a full on Poker game, be it at a live dealer online casino where there is a real person there dealing the cards, along with real players, or at a computer generated online Poker game there is the expectation that you will have to interact with someone at some point of the game. Most of the time that is a good thing, unless you are just anti-social (which isn’t bad either).

Video Poker takes away all of these elements, yet provides the player with the exact same game. In fact, in many ways it is much better than a traditional Poker game because it can be played much faster. There is absolutely no wait time while the new hand is dealt. A player has to really be on their toes if they are trying to play quickly because it can be overwhelming if someone isn’t paying attention.

For example, the online Poker world is one of convenience in and of itself. You never have to wait in line to play, or wait for a dealer to sit down to begin playing. Or even worse, wait for some inexperienced player to figure out what they are doing. Even in a live dealer online casino a player is at the whim of the online dealer and all of the real players that join. Video Poker is at the whim of the player playing the game anytime, anywhere, and any place.

There are those that will always love their slot machines, but if the urge strikes Video Poker, even just a little, is a great distraction-and you might never go back.

Don’t know about you, but the idea of free stuff in Vegas conjures of the images of old when Vegas was Vegas. They knew you by name there (if you were a decent player). It was far less corporate than today. One constant is you can still get free cocktails pretty much anywhere in the casino-even the penny machine area.

Getting free rooms and other perks in the old days was tough for machine players. You basically had to catch the eye of the pit boss. Today, that’s all changed. Comps, which is just a short way of saying complimentary or free stuff, are easier to get because all play can be tracked through player cards.

One day the player card was introduced and video poker and slot machines that could read them started showing up. The system progressed into a fine-tuned compensation machine. You play $x and you get Y points to spend on stuff, like free rooms, clothes, food, cash back, etc.

I guess the downside to all of this is the tight line casinos follow. They really follow a compensation rule set and don’t deviate from it at all. It’s nice, but the personal touch has left the place. But the upside is you can play anything in the casino and get points toward free stuff. Whether you like Keno, Bingo, slots, poker or sports betting, you’re earning points toward free stuff.

Of course, all of this has moved online. Many online casinos now offer player rewards and all sorts of goodies. Dare I say, they’ve outdone Vegas. It’s a toss up. Brick and mortar casinos can give you free rooms and shows. Online casinos can give you most everything else, but they also give bonuses that offline casinos don’t-like cash bonuses for playing, depositing, etc.

Whether you’re playing in the real world or a virtual one, make sure you’re getting rewarded. In the real world, player cards also work as coupons. You can get discounts on shows, buffets and all sorts of stuff. And I wouldn’t play at any online casino that didn’t offer bonuses of some sort.

One nice feature of player cards is the ability to get a printout of your wins and losses for the tax season-if you want.

In the end, Vegas and online casinos offer all sorts of free stuff for players. The one constant is that you have to get into the system to get it. Before playing anywhere, do a little research and find out how to get free stuff and what you get.