Gambling Log

[franklin]

Using the calcualtor at

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...

Default for 6 decks = -0.435%
+Soft Double Down = -0.34%
+Early Surrender = +0.288%
+Double on any number of cards = +0.452%

1. In order to calculate post split expected value the qfit numbers extrapolate pre-split expected value. In other words qfit is assuming that after splitting X's, the expected value of Xa would be the same as the expected value of Xa without a split. This is a common simplifying assumption in a lot of BJ software but not completely correct.
2. qfit's resplits boolean actually refers to two resplits (splitting to a total of 4 hands). Your description implied only a single resplit
3. Yoiu negelected to include European no hole card.

Taking all this in to account, the player edge on the game is 0.3304%.

 

[MissDevil]

I am going to post a journal describing my exeperiences with online casinos. This includes unusual events, casino impressions, and gambling results.

I am new to online gambling. After winning a $750 jackpot on the final spin before leaving during a memorial day trip to Vegas with my girlfriend, she joked about us becoming pro gamblers. After looking into this more, I became into online gaming. I started at online casinos about 10 days ago. A short results summary during that period is below:

6/7 -- Casino.net -- I first learned of Internet casinos through my BJ simulator program. They listed boss media casinos as having a 0.11% player advantage, so I started at one that had a solid sounding name. $800 deposit + $200 bonus. I gained ~$1300 (including bonus) playing blackjack and slots (much more bj than slots) prior to meeting wagering requirement. I still have only been able to withdraw $1000 since I haven't received my security code in the mail.

6/9 -- Bet365 -- I found this one on a bonus table. $200 deposit + $200 bonus. I gained ~$220 (including bonus) primariy playing bj prior to... The paid in about a week, not the instant payment some have mentioned.

6/10 -- Vegas Palms -- $50 deposit + $200 bonus. This flash animations make this casino slow. Bad odds. It sucks. I busted. I thought I succesffully withdrew my $50, but it was later reversed. I wish I knew about this before going to LNR and losing $250. I still didn't understand that you can't withdraw the deposit until reaching wagering requirement. I thought you could only not withdraw the bonus.

6/10 -- Luck N Roll -- I was lured in by the 400% bonus. I deposited $250 and received a $1000. I figured I could play VP and stay ahead. I was wrong. I never played VP before and did not know they had a $5 limit. I can't meet a $44,000 wagering requirement with $5 hands. BJ is not permited. The game selection and SW are week. I played let it ride instead and got down to $250 after wagering about $26000. I tried to withdraw the $250 deposit. It was not permited prior to meeting the wagering requriement. Mistake #2... I won't make these mistakes again. I later learned that casino bonus pages blacklisted this casino due to reports of cheating SW.

6/10 -- Golden Palace -- $100 deposit + $350 bonus. I was given an extra $50 bonus by a sales rep after my credit card deposit was rejected. I learned to stop depositing with credit cards. I gained $480 (including bonus)... I only cashed out $100 at first to avoid being labeled as a bonus whore since I just played at another Playtech casino. I had to fax in a bunch of stuff before first payment. I eventually was paid.

6/11 -- Windows Casino -- This was before I had ever visited the Casinomeister website. I deposited $150, then did not get my bonus. A user agent said they would give me the bonus but listed different and far worse terms than listed in the T&C. I then asked for my money back. They said they cannot cancel my deposit. Instead I have to wait for the deposit to go through, then wait for them to sent it back. No $$$ back yet.

6/11 -- Starluck -- $100 deposit + $100 bonus. I busted quickly winning only ~10% of BJ hands. Several VP games were not functional. The ones that were had a bad payment scheme. The software very unimpressive. This casino sucks.

6/12 -- 888.com -- $200 deposit + $220 bonus. I gained ~$825 (including bonus). I had to fax in a bunch of stuff prior to payement. The rejected my fax, saying they had trouble reading my credit card numbers. I sent another and am waiting to hear back.

6/13 -- Casino.net #2. I deposited $100 and got a a $35 bonus. I still had $1300 in my account from last time. I played $25 BJ hands and quickly met the betting requirement. I also played VP. I gained ~$300 (including bonus). I nearly lost big. I lost a $25 bet, then bet $50 to go out with the same total befor cashing out. I lost again and bet $100... doubled, then lost $200!. I bet $200, and finally won. I was lucky this time, and will never do this again.

6/14 -- Planet Luck -- $100 deposit + $100 bonus. After my Starluck experience, I was wary of trying another casino with this group. Comments on this forum convinced me to try again. My deposit was stuck in their ezcash system. I spent more than an hour talking with support trying to get it out. Eventually their were able to. I couldn't determine when I met the betting requirement due the bad SW. I may have played more than needed. I was at $105 at one point when over the 8x requirement, but I busted, due to stupidly wanting to go out on a winning hand and losing 10x without a win in between.

6/14 -- Intercasino -- $100 deposit + $100 bonus. As mentioned elsewhere I was quite impressed with this casino. I gained ~$440 (including bonus) playing BJ an Millionaire's Club (final $37.50 gain from Millionaire's). The paid me in just 24 hours. I plan to visit this casino regularly.

6/16 -- Magic Oasis -- I received an email thanking me for joing Magic Oasis. I did not join here, but I checked it out and tried a $50 deposit + $77 bonus offer. I lost in quickly. I was not impressed with the casino.

I signed up for Omni Casino earlier today and will play this evening.

Net Gain/Loss (includes Vegas trip): +$3785

enough info to start an affiliate site

 

[aka23]

1. In order to calculate post split expected value the qfit numbers extrapolate pre-split expected value. In other words qfit is assuming that after splitting X's, the expected value of Xa would be the same as the expected value of Xa without a split. This is a common simplifying assumption in a lot of BJ software but not completely correct.
2. qfit's resplits boolean actually refers to two resplits (splitting to a total of 4 hands). Your description implied only a single resplit
3. Yoiu negelected to include European no hole card.

Taking all this in to account, the player edge on the game is 0.3304%.

The Qfit calculator is made by the same group the printed the Casino DB listing the 0.44% odds, so I'd expect them to use the same repsplit method for both. The casino DB lists yes/no for a handful of optional rules. There are other optional rules not listed in the table columns that may influence the result. I've attached a copy of the table.

 

[aka23]

enough info to start an affiliate site

I've seriously thought of doing that. There are plenty of sites with casino & bonus information, but I've been disappointed by the sites skewing infomation in favor of casinos with the largest affiliate payouts. I'd like to make a site that does it right. I have a good amount of experience with web design and used to own a site with a forum more popular than this one (sold in 2003).

 

[franklin]

The Qfit calculator is made by the same group the printed the Casino DB listing the 0.44% odds, so I'd expect them to use the same repsplit method for both. The casino DB lists yes/no for a handful of optional rules. There are other optional rules not listed in the table columns that may influence the result. I've attached a copy of the table.

They do use the same resplit method for both. It's just incorrect. That's not so big a deal, however. The net effect is small.

Whether Estoril permits 1 or 2 resplits is another question. Again, either way the net effect is small.

To be sure, I'd verify whether Estoril uses European no-hole card which would account for nearly all the difference.

 

[franklin]

I also find it rather suspicious that they list the Borgata's Spanish 21 game as having a player edge of 0.34%.

 

[Linus]

I've seriously thought of doing that. There are plenty of sites with casino & bonus information, but I've been disappointed by the sites skewing infomation in favor of casinos with the largest affiliate payouts. I'd like to make a site that does it right. I have a good amount of experience with web design and used to own a site with a forum more popular than this one (sold in 2003).

If you had an affiliate site, wouldn't you do the same thing?

 

[aka23]

They do use the same resplit method for both. It's just incorrect. That's not so big a deal, however. The net effect is small.

Whether Estoril permits 1 or 2 resplits is another question. Again, either way the net effect is small.

To be sure, I'd verify whether Estoril uses European no-hole card which would account for nearly all the difference.

Note that several casinos on the table have the same Y/N in the rules columns. The others are 0.28% for 4 decks and 0.22% for 6 decks. Casino Estoril appears to have another unique rule that raises the odds by 0.22% above these other casinos.

 

[aka23]

If you had an affiliate site, wouldn't you do the same thing?

No. I'd like to put the information I believe is accurate online, even if there is a chance of making more affiliate dollars by printing misleading/incorrect information.

 

[aka23]

I haven't been looking forward to posting this one. After logging onto my Golden Palace downloaded casino, I saw a scrolling banner listing a 100% match Father's Day bonus. I deposited $100 and received the maximum bonus. I played through the $200 surprisingly quickly. After losing the $100 deposit, I attempted to withdraw the rest of my previous winnings. I planned to withdraw it in two parts to avoid being labeled as a bonus whore and still had $210 left my account. The withdrawl was denied?! Golden Palace required that I meet the $4000 playthrough before making any withdrawl, even ones from previous winnings. I wish I had known this beforehand, then I would have cashed out all my winnings before any new deposits. I contacted support, and they insisted I could not withdraw. So I continued playing... and I lost it all!!! I was betting $10 hands, so I was quite unlikely to playthrough $410 like that before reaching the $4000 wagering requirement. This was my largest loss ever. In the future, I will carefully read T&C's and look out for this pitfall.

Gain/Loss this session at Golden Palace: -$310
Overall Gain/Loss at Golden Palace: +170
Net Gain/Loss: +$3685

 

[aka23]

I signed up for Littlewoods Casino after reading about the GBP 50 monthly bonus and remembering positive comments on this forum. I find it really awkward that LC insists on using pounds rather than offering a conversion to $ for US players. The casino also has 6-8 letter passwords like WH, forcing me to choose a new password that I may not remember. I deposited GBP 25 and received the GBP 25 bonus after meeting the wagering requirement of GBP 625. I played another GBP 625, and received an additional GBP 25 bonus. At this point, I was up to GBP 90.10. That's a gain of GBP 65 (including bonuses) or ~$120. I won't be able to cash out until receiving a security code in postal mail, which takes 2+ weeks. This casino has a lot to improve on.

Gain/Loss at Littlewoods Casino: +$120
Net Gain/Loss: +$3805

 

[Zoozie]

IGlobalMedia review

(2 days from Zoozies gambling log)

Several members claimed Starluck 'suck', and I actually agree.
However I had a good experience (winning) but here is a full review explaining why it 'sucks'.

After reading about Starluck casino in this forum (that it was reliable) and since I had not tried IGlobalMedia software I really had to try it.
100% deposit bonus up to 100$. I also got another 10$ free for registering me as 'prefered member'.
Their VP games are wierd but interesting. Paytables (very low) nearly killed me on sight, but I realized it was because you could win 'features'
(like 4 of a kind of higher started a Keno bonus game). Still I am sure the payout% is not as high as standard video-poker, but I do believe
these games could have a future since videopoker can be a bit dull. I hope other casino software companies will start doing the same and my
advice to them is to keep the feature-games 'card only' also. (No slot logic... eeerrmm... EH... cough). These bonus games was not that intestering
and a supposed(visual) 'dice' game was 'rigged'. Half the times you rolled 1,1,1,1,1 with 5 dices. I hate when games use card or dices as symbols and the logic behind the outcome is not uniform. The standard VP games (JoB etc) was disabled for some reason and paytables sucked(really!) anyway.

Their 5-reel video slots are totally standard slots and playable though not as good as the big software providers. Eighter freespins or 'pick something' bonus rounds. However one of their slots really caught my attention. It was called 'Fire Drake'(9 lines) which had free-spins feature. Freespin multiplier was *4 and this was actually not documented anywhere, but I could see it from my wins. You could win 100+ free spins when getting the scatters, but in the 6 hours I played it, my maximum was 63 free spins. These 63 free spins paid 400$ (bet size was 0.9$). Retriggers allowed and happened often.
The lowest number of free spins you can win is 9, but I believe my average was around 20. This is still a very juicy bonus game and it is easier to get
than them damn birdies in 'Isis'. Anyway I kept getting the scatters for freespins and lots of miracle wins in feature-mode took my bankroll to 1400$. It dropped down to
1150$ and then I made a withdrawal. At that time I had wagered almost 3 times what was required. (But you have no way to see this except by asking support)
It took 1 week for the withdrawal to reach my neteller.

After that I decided to try their sister casino Planetluck, but after depositing money I realized that it did not have the 'Fire Drake' slot and was
missing other games as well. I only deposited there to play 'Fire Drake'. I lost deposit+bonus fast and I did not enjoy the games.

My impressions:

Good:
CS does reply
They do pay winners
New ideas for VP games (Features).
'Fire Drake' loved me

Bad:
Software not mature. (need to start all over I think)
All documentation seems to be written by people that does not have english as native language. ('All you base are be belong to us')
Not documented (eighter game info in client or web-page info for game) that free-multiplier is 4 for some slots. But this was a pleasant surprise.
Documentation(figures) for line 8 and 9 are wrong. They are shown as the known 'diagonal'-lines but are in fact ''.'' and ..'.. (the middle symbol in the center).
Slot bug happened every 10 minutes on my computer. Reels (one at a time) just freeze eighter spinning or disappears completely. Exit and enter game again to fix it.
This is annoying when it happen during the free spins.
The spin-motion is 'unrealistic' since you can see symbols that does not appear on that reel. (only on slots that had symbols restriced to certain reels, not my 'Fire Drake' at least)
As an example of the poor documentation and feeling of most things missing the 'last touch' try check the preferred member form. (missing picture, poor layout and 'dato of birth'-field split over 2 lines):

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I will miss 'Fire Drake', since slots rarely are that gentle to me. But I will not play it again without a bonus. (only slot I play without a bonus is 'Isis')


Gain/Loss at Starluck:1050$
Gain/Loss at Planetluck:-100$

Zoozie

 

[Darem1]

Starluck

I used to play at Starluck and liked some of their bonus rounds games, Gohanna Gold and Predator. I got up over $4000 once but generally smaller amounts several hundred dollars. Also liked that every few days there would be a few FREE dollars I could access and use from their VIP program. The ONE reason I stopped playing there was because if I got a good hit I couldn't cash out for 24 hours after I made my deposit and for me that's as good as making me put it all back.

 

[Linus]

No. I'd like to put the information I believe is accurate online, even if there is a chance of making more affiliate dollars by printing misleading/incorrect information.

I doubt many affiliates set out to deliberately mislead anyone. But money has a way of making its influence felt, don't you think?

 

[aka23]

(2 days from Zoozies gambling log)

Several members claimed Starluck 'suck', and I actually agree.
However I had a good experience (winning) but here is a full review explaining why it 'sucks'....

That's a great review. I'm impressed.

 

[aka23]

I doubt many affiliates set out to deliberately mislead anyone. But money has a way of making its influence felt, don't you think?

A large portion of affiliates do deliberately and obviously mislead people. This type of promotion may look like spam. The affiliate sites that we post about are more ambiguous. A site might list the "5 best casino bonuses" and inflate the rankings of casinos with the largest affiliate payouts. This is also deliberately misleading people.

 

[aka23]

Mummy's Gold has an interesting promotion. You play $500 for one hour and can keep your winnings as a bonus (with MG type bonus rules). I read on this forum that there is a $300 limit to the max bonus, so I stopped after reaching $825. I called support to find out if I had reached the 100 bet limit. They said to just click on the cash out. If unsuccessful, I'd be able to continue where I left off. I was a few bets short, and was permanently locked out?! I spend a half hour talking with support. They told me they could see the $825 and the minutes left and didn't understand why my screen was different. They also gave incorrect information about numerous issues and seemed incompetent + unfriendly. One guy promised a $200 bonus. I said this was unacceptable. They either needed to give me $300 or let me continue. I later learned that $200 is the max bonus they give out and tried to unsuccessfully accept the former offer. I eventually got them to give it by saying an agent promised me the $200 bonus due to technical difficulties during the promotion. They gave the bonus. After all that, I busted and lost my $50 deposit. This has a lot to do with MG bonus rules, requiring large wagers on games with a low house advantage. I did like the MG autoplay feature and being able to play 100 rounds of VP at once. I found that the VP autoplayer made a few minor mistakes, and I did better playing by hand.

Gain/Loss at Mummy's Gold: -$50
Net Gain/Loss: +$3755

 

[aka23]

Be The Dealer has a $200 100% matching bonus. At this casino, you are able to choose between being the dealer or being the player. As a dealer, you have to pay a fee that offsets the house advantage. I remained as a player the entire time. The dealer may play against real players. Sometimes my bets were delayed while waiting for "the dealer to approve." The casino plays with a regular dealer as well. After busting at two casinos recently, I stuck to extremely low bets to minimize standard deviation. I ended at $400... exactly the value that I started with. That has never happened before. They added an extra $5 to my account later this week, for some reason... so my total gain was $205. After 3 days, my withdrawl is still pending.

Gain/Loss at Be The Dealer: +$205
Net Gain/Loss: +$3960

 

[aka23]

I tried to get the $800 bonus on a $500 deposit at Monaco Gold that is described at Old / Expired Link . After getting only a $300 bonus, I contacted support. They told me they didn't see the bonus and couldn't figure out what was going on. Eventually I learned that the www.monacogoldcasino.com is run by an affiliate who is not keeping things up to date, and their actual site is Outdated URL (Invalid) . I withdrew my money. They paid out quickly and left the $300 bonus. I doubted that I would be able to keep it, so I bet it all on one BJ hand and lost.

Gain/Loss at Be The Dealer: $0
Net Gain/Loss: +$3960

 

[Zoozie]

I found that the VP autoplayer made a few minor mistakes, and I did better playing by hand.

Was it the Viper software or flash client? I have always believed MG played optimal and I have never noticed any mistakes when playing JoB or DW.

 

[GrandMaster]

I found that the VP autoplayer made a few minor mistakes, and I did better playing by hand.

Could you provide some examples? So far every case where somebody claimed that the VP autoplay made a mistake turned out to be wrong.

 

[aka23]

Was it the Viper software or flash client? I have always believed MG played optimal and I have never noticed any mistakes when playing JoB or DW.

Could you provide some examples? So far every case where somebody claimed that the VP autoplay made a mistake turned out to be wrong.

I believe I was using the Viper software. I downloaded the casino. I was playing according to the Jacks or Better strategy described on the Wizard of Odds site at

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. From time to time I came across situations where the MG software recommended something different from this table. I believe one of them was choosing a low pair over 3 to a royal flush. There were a few situations involving lower cards as well.

 

[Zoozie]

. I believe one of them was choosing a low pair over 3 to a royal flush. There were a few situations involving lower cards as well.

I am 100% certain that it at least used to hold the 3 to a RF cards. But it is indeed serious if that has changed. It is a gigantic mistake.

3 to a royal flush (1.2868)
Low pair (0.8237)

Still I suspect you might have been a bit sleepy when it happened

Zoozie

 

[GrandMaster]

I believe I was using the Viper software. I downloaded the casino. I was playing according to the Jacks or Better strategy described on the Wizard of Odds site at

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. From time to time I came across situations where the MG software recommended something different from this table. I believe one of them was choosing a low pair over 3 to a royal flush. There were a few situations involving lower cards as well.

Were you playing max coins? Playing less than max coins changes the strategy. 3 to a royal is still better than a low pair, but TJAs, TQAs or TKAs is only very marginally better. Could you post verifiable examples, with screenshots if possible?

 

[sripal32]

Could you provide some examples? So far every case where somebody claimed that the VP autoplay made a mistake turned out to be wrong.

Hi GM,

I am not sure if this would answer your question, but on AutoPlay on Ace & Faces poker, if you get a pair of Aces and pair of Jacks/kings/queens, autohold would hold pair of jacks and not aces.

I think this strategy is wrong because holding aces would allow you to get 4 aces payout while holding jacks would only give you 4 jacks payout.

I think this would be the same case in case you get a pair of Kings and 2's. (4 kings payout is more than 4 2's payout).

Do let me know if I am wrong.

Cheers,
Sri