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Archive for October, 2009

We all know that we like to go online to play our favorite casino games, but the question is what games are we drawn to and why?  There are many options for us to choose from anytime we open up an Internet connection but it seems like most of us all like to play the same general sets of games, there must be a reason for this.

For starters lets look at the most popular online casino games.  There’s Poker, Blackjack, Craps, and Roulette that seem to be among the most popular.  These are of course the very definition of classic casino games so there must be a logical reason why they’ve enjoyed so much exposure over the hundreds of years that they’ve been in existence.

What I’ve been able to figure, thus far, is that people are looking for the most bang for their buck, duh.  They are looking for relatively simple, simple as in easy to learn, and they are looking for a good return on their money.  Of course the excitement factor is also a huge consideration when looking for a good game to pass the time.  There are more complicated, non-traditional casino games that are available for the player wanting to try something different, or who just doesn’t like the more traditional fare.  But any player can tell logging into any run of the mill online casino that most of their resources are allocated to the ones that most people are drawn to.

Poker, for example, has been around for a very long time and its appeal is easy to understand.  Once a player understands the basic rules they can cash in on a world with almost literally a never ending amount of possibilities.  This simplicity, coupled with its potentially large payouts, contributes to its mass appeal.  This same reasoning, at least in my mind, holds true for all of the classic games including Blackjack and Roulette.  Any game that is easy to understand and offers a chance for players to win large sums of money is a winning combination.  Just look at the way that people flock to the old fashioned three reel slot machines.  There is absolutely no skill involved in these games, so it isn’t for the challenge, but there is the possibility of substantial winnings.  It is for these reasons that there will always be a large fan base of these games.

I’m not trying to say in the least, actually to the contrary, that games like Poker and Blackjack are so very simple that anyone can play and win.  What I am saying is that Poker and Blackjack appear deceptively simple and offer a large enough incentive for people to jump right in and try their luck.

While there are as many reasons that people play their favorite games as there are people that play them we are all attracted for one reason or another to the classics, and hopefully that always stays the same.

When you break out the 52-card deck and deal a hand of 3-card poker, the first strategy you need is a firm understanding of the rules. Rather than competing against other players, you are competing against the dealer. You need a better hand than the dealer (and at least a pair) to win. Each of you is dealt three cards, and the cards are shuffled after each hand. Because there are fewer ways to make a straight with 3 cards than a flush, straights rank higher. Aces are high or low.

You can make two bets: the Ante and the Pair Plus. The Ante is the fee charged to you for playing the hand. The Pair Plus is your bet that you will get a hand with a pair or higher. You don’t have to make both bets, but you do at least have to bet the Ante to stay in the game.

You ante when you put your bet on the game table’s Ante spot. Both you and the dealer are dealt three cards face down. Your next decision? Are these cards good enough for you to bet or should you fold? Fold and lose the ante. Bet and you place your bet that equals the ante in the game table’s Play spot. Win and you get the Ante and the Pair Plus payouts.

The dealer has to have a Queen or better to stay in the game. If not, you get payment on their ante only if it pays even money (1 to 1) – and as long as you didn’t fold.

Ante Payout

- A straight gets a 1 to 1 payout.
- A three of a kind gets a 4 to 1 payout.
- A straight flush gets a 5 to 1 payout.

Pair Plus Payout

- A pair gets a 1 to 1 payout.
- A flush gets a 4 to 1 payout.
- A straight gets a 6 to 1 payout.
- A three of a kind gets a 30 to 1 payout.
- A straight flush gets a 40 to 1 payout.

Remember these tips to help your strategy:

- If you have a Queen or better, bet the Pair Plus. If not, fold.
- A dealer will get a Queen about 66% of the time.
- The house has a 3.4% advantage.