Author: horse-racing-free-tips

Three features that should dictate any slot players’ search for basic slots are:

1) Single payline, in your quest to stretch your gambling bankroll.

2) Slot players should also look for 2 coin maximum non-progressive machines only.

Whereas a 2-coin machine may pay 80 coins for 3 double bars with 2 coins in, a 3-coin machine may show a pay of 120 coins for the same combination. However, remember, you had to gamble an extra coin, each spin; therefore, the payouts are generally equal. Three coin machines look more lucrative in their payoff structure because they show that the player will win more, but the player also has to bet more to get this.

Players who play the 3 coin machines will spend considerably more than players who invest more of their playtime and money in the preferred 2 coin machines, equating to more pulls on that slot, and more chances to win a jackpot.

3) Slot Players will want to seek out those slots that pay double jackpots on certain pay-line combinations.

The principle of this ‘double’ symbol is very simple; whenever it appears on the payline in combination with any other symbols that normally would have made a winning combination, the payoff amount is doubled.

Look closely to see which machine you are playing, as not all machines will double and quadruple all pays and not all machines will have double jackpots win possibilities.

Some machines will have only 2 double symbols, one on each of the first two reels while other machines will have 3 of these double symbols, one on each of the 3 reels.

When choosing a ‘double’ machine, it is important not to confuse them with wild cherries or any other symbols noted on the machines payoff display as being ‘wild’. Symbols identified as being wild sub for any other paying symbol, but do not double the payoff.

Additionally, most slot machines with 1000 coin top payout will hit more often than those with 5,000 or 10,000 top jackets…makes sense.

Blackjack players will argue loud and long at me for this, however there is data available that theorizes you can make just as much money on an hourly basis playing slots:

Cost per hour to play slots:

Denomination 1 coin 2 coins 3 coins
Nickel 30. 60. 90.
Quarter 150. 300. 450.
Dollar 600. 1200. 1800.

I rest my case for playing 2 coins machines. With quarter machines, the most played slots, I would have an extra $150. to play with, 300 extra spins/pulls at 2 coin machines and a greater opportunity for jackpots.

I realize that the popular slots today on and offline are bonus multi-line versions and they are definitely a lot of fun to play and will put profits in your pocket.

I write about them extensively in my articles and Casino Players Ezine, gambling newsletter, however, for the novice slot player–basic, single payline slots is an excellent starting point.

Remember: ‘Not only do you have good luck with a gambling education, but you are making your luck.’
Until next we meet in the Slots Playground.

For those that do not know the basics, here are the ways the hands and cards are ranked in poker.

Number of cards in the deck: 52.

Number of suits: 4 (Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, Clubs)

Number of cards in each suit: 13 (In order of rank; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2)

Number of cards in a poker hand: 5 (even in games where you are dealt more than 5 cards, only 5 cards count as your poker hand.)

Rank of poker hands from highest to lowest:

1. Royal Flush; (ace, king, queen, jack, ten, all the same suit.)

2. Straight Flush; (5 cards in sequence of the same suit. see “straight” below for explanation of in sequence) (The lowest ranking straight flush is the wheel-flush, ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. 5 is considered the top card, not the ace.) (if two players have a straight flush, the one with the higher top card wins.)

3. Four of a kind; 4 Kings, Queens or other cards. (Of course the higher ranked 4 of a kind wins, such as 4 kings beats 4 queens)

4. Full House; This consists of 3 of a kind, (see below) and a pair all in one hand. (example; you have 3 fours and 2 kings. That would be fours over kings, while having 3 kings and 2 fours would be kings over fours.) (If 2 players each have a full house, the better three-of-a-kind part of the hand wins. example; you have 3 eights and two aces, your opponent has 3 nines and 2 twos. Your opponent wins. Their nines beat your eights.)

5. Flush; 5 cards of any rank, but all the same suit. (If 2 players each have a flush, the flush with the highest top card wins, if that is a tie, then whoever has the highest second card wins, if that is a tie, you compare the third, fourth, fifth card, etc.)

6. Straight; 5 cards in sequence. (example; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 is a 7-high straight. If you opponent has 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, they have an 8-high straight and they win.)

7. Three of a Kind; (Trips) 3 cards of the same rank. (example; 3 sevens, 3 eights, 3 kings. if 2 players have 3-of-a-kind, the highest ranking cards wins the hand)

8. Two Pairs; A Pair is 2 cards of the same rank. 2 pair means you have 2 sets of 2 cards of the same rank. (If 2 players each have 2 pair, the player with the highest top pair wins. Kings and twos would beat queens and jacks.)

9. Pair; 2 cards of equal rank. (If 2 players each have a pair, the highest ranking pair wins. If 2 players each have the exact same pair, then out of the 3 remaining cards in your hand the highest card is your “kicker”. The highest kicker wins. If still tied, you go to the next highest kicker, etc.)

10. High Card; Where no one has a pair or above, you compare hands like this. The highest card in your hand vs the highest card in opponents hands. If that is a tie, then you compare the next highest card, then the next if still tied and so on. (King, Queen, 10, 6, 2, would beat King, Queen, 10, 5, 4. It would have been a tie until the fourth card compared and the first hand has a 6 to their opponent’s 5.)

There is an essential difference between limit and no-limit Texas hold’em and this difference is based on the position you have at the playing table and on the value of the hands. When you are playing no-limit hold’em you will find that position is much more important than in the limit games. The explanation is quite simple actually because there is no limit so more money are involved and the goals you set depend on your position and they will have a bigger impact on you bankroll. If somehow you manage to get someone into a position trap you will here have a change to get that person’s entire stack, not only a few more bets like in Limit hold’em.

In no-limit poker the big connectors are not to be played because they have a much lesser value overall: they can cause you to win but just small amounts of money and they can also cause you to lose greatly. If we are talking pairs, they increase their value consistently in no-limit Texas hold’em. They give you the opportunity to trap someone (especially the big pairs) and they can get you the entire bankroll of those persons or simply double the value of the pot over a betting round.

When playing no-limit you must before all keep an efficient list of all money spent by you and your opponents. Variations in the stack affect the whole hand and you must be aware of that. So pay attention to all amounts of money players have on the table and to the pot size at all times. The game here is about leaving the others with no money on the table not just about winning small pots and hands.

Let’s take an example to better demonstrate how and why important the amount of money each player has on the table is so important.

Let’s just say you have now $250 and another player has $25. You are playing a game with blinds of $1-$2. Your position is the small blind and the cards you have are QJ suited. Your opponent is in first position and he goes all-in. All other players consider the risk and decide to fold, as strategy requires in this case. Now, you are faced with a problem: to call and risk $24 for his $25 bet or to simply fold like the situation requires. Betting for that kind of money the almost exact amount is an unnecessary risk you should not take. If however your opponent would have an amount of $250 just like you have, then the risk can be acceptable as you were going to risk the money for 10 times their value.