Thursday, September 14, 2006

A fictional signup bonus offer:

The online casino slot machines offer new players a deposit matching bonus of 100%, up to $100 The player must wager 25 times the total amount of the deposit plus the bonus before withdrawing Wagers on baccarat, craps, roulette, and sic bo do not count towards meeting wagering requirements For this particular example, this would mean that a player depositing $100 would start with $200 in his account. The player must make $5000 ($200 × 25) in wagers on online casino slot machines before being allowed to make a withdrawal.

Advantage play in casino signup bonus situations is mathematically possible. For example, the house edge in blackjack is roughly 0.5%. In the example above, $5000 in wagering with a house edge of 0.5% will result in an expected loss of $25. Since the player received a $100 signup bonus, the player has an expected profit of $75.

Advantage players who use bonus offers for an expected profit on online casino slot machines are often called "bonus hunters", "bonus abusers", "bonus baggers", "bonus whores" and "casino scalpers". Some online casino slot machines have restrictions regarding "the spirit of the bonus offer" which they sometimes use as a deterrent to what they consider "bonus abuse".

A player who wishes to do this at a large number of online casino slot machines must be careful. Some casinos are rogues (see below) and do not pay. Others have terms and conditions that are not favorable to the player, such as most bonuses that are restricted to slots.


So, should you play online casino slots? An Economist explains...
While getting my MBA one of the concepts that I actually found pretty interesting was the utility curve theory of money. The way it works, basically, is to look at the marginal utility of each additional dollar you have, rather than its fundamental economic value.

For instance, to a starving fellow in the street with no ready money at all, the marginal utility of a single dollar is incredibly high, as it can mean at least a bit of food that might literally wind up saving his life.

However, for me (luckily), my quality of life is so completely unchanged whether I have an additional dollar or not that its utility is extremely close to zero. I would likely never notice if a dollar happened to fall out of my wallet once a week for the rest of my life.

However, on the flip side, for me (unluckily, as I've not wealth of that magnitude), my quality of life would undergo pretty drastic changes were I to win the lottery.

So, while the utility lost to me from spending a dollar on a lottery ticket is extremely close to zero, the utility gained were I to win would be astoundingly large.

Therefore, it likely makes sense for me to subscribe to the lottery and have it auto-deduct and play a ticket for me on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The subscription/no-work-involved aspect is key, because if you add in the utility cost of actually physically going to buy a ticket you lose immediately. It must be as nearly zero-effort as possible in order to maintain the utility/quality-of-life positive balance.

Ideally, if I could literally forget it was even being played for me, aside from a $52 deduction per year out of my account, things would be nearly perfect. I'd never miss the $52 as far as my quality of life goes, and yet I'd always be poised for some pleasant surprise that would make my month/year.

Online Casino Slot Terminology
Bonus is a special feature of the particular game theme, which is activated when certain symbols appear in a winning combination. In the bonus, the player is presented with several items on a screen from which to choose. As the player chooses items, a number of credits is revealed and awarded. Some bonuses use a mechanical device, such as a spinning wheel, that works in conjunction with the bonus to display the amount won.

online casino slot Candle is a light on top of the slot machine. It flashes to alert the operator that a hand pay is requested or that there is a problem with the machine.

online casino slot Carousel refers to a grouping of slot machines.

Coionline casino slot n hopper is a container where the coins that are immediately available for payouts are held. The hopper is a mechanical device that rotates coins into the coin tray when a player collects his credits/coins (by pressing a "Cash Out" button). When a certain preset coin capacity is reached, a coin diverter automatically redirects, or "drops", excess coin into a "drop bucket" or "drop box".

online casino slot Credit meter is a visual display of the amount of money or credits on the machine.

online casino slot Drop bucket or drop box is a container located in a slot machine's base where excess coins are diverted from the hopper. Typically, a drop bucket is used for low denomination slot machines and a drop box is used for high denomination slot machines. A drop box contains a hinged lid with one or more locks whereas a drop bucket does not contain a lid. The contents of drop buckets and drop boxes are collected and counted by the casino on a scheduled basis.

online casino slot EGM is used as a short-hand for "Electronic Gaming Machine".

online casino slot Hand pay refers to a payout made by a slot attendant or cage, rather than the slot machine. A hand pay occurs when the amount of the payout exceeds the maximum amount that was preset by the slot machine's operator. Usually, the maximum amount is set at the level where the operator must begin to deduct taxes. A hand pay could also be necessary as a result of a short pay.

online casino slot Hopper fill slip is a document used to record the replenishments of the coin in the coin hopper after it becomes depleted as a result of making payouts to players. The slip indicates the amount of coin placed into the hoppers, as well as the signatures of the employees involved in the transaction, the slot machine number and the location and the date.

online casino slot Low Level or Slant Top slot machines include a stool so you can sit and play. Stand Up or Upright slot machines are played while standing.

online casino slot Optimal play is a payback percentage based on a gambler using the optimal strategy in a skill-based slot machine game.

online casino slot Payline is a straight or zig-zagged line that crosses through one symbol on each reel, along which a winning combination is evaluated. Classic spinning reel machines usually have up to nine paylines, while video slot machines may have as many as fifty.

online casino slot Rollup is the process of dramatizing a win by playing sounds while the meters count up to the amount that has been won.
online casino slot Short pay refers to a partial payout made by a slot machine, which is less than the amount due to the player. This occurs if the coin hopper has been depleted as a result of making earlier payouts to players. The remaining amount due to the player is paid as a hand pay.

Display screen of a slot machine in tilt modeTilt In the old mechanical days, slot machines had tilt switches. While modern machines no longer have tilt switches, any kind of mechanical failure (door switch in the wrong state, reel motor failure, etc) is still called a "tilt".

online casino slot Theoretical Hold Worksheet is a document provided by the manufacturer for all slot machines, which indicates the theoretical percentage that the slot machine should hold based on adequate levels of coin-in. The worksheet also indicates the reel strip settings, number of coins that may be played, the payout schedule, the number of reels and other information descriptive of the particular type of slot machine.

A History of land and online casino slot machines
Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York developed a gambling machine in 1891 is a precursor to the modern slot machine. This slot machine contained 5 drums holding a total of 50 card faces and was based on poker. This machine proved extremely popular and soon there was hardly a bar in the city that didn't have one or more of the machines bar-side. Players would insert a nickel and press a lever, which would spin the drums and the cards they held, the player hoping for a good poker hand.

There was no direct payout mechanism, so a pair of Kings might get you a free beer, whereas a Royal Flush could payout cigars or drinks, the prizes wholly dependent on what was on offer at the local establishment. In order to make the odds better for the house, two cards were typically removed from the "deck": the Ten of Spades and the Jack of Hearts, which cut the odds of winning a Royal Flush by half. The drums could also be re-arranged to further reduce a player's chance of winning.

The first "one-armed bandit" was invented in 1887. Charles Fey devised a machine with three spinning reels containing a total of five symbols: horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell gave the machine its name. By replacing ten cards with five symbols and using three reels instead of five drums, the complexity of reading a win was considerably reduced, allowing Fey to devise an effective automatic payout mechanism. Three bells in a row produced the biggest payoff, ten nickels. Liberty Bell was a huge success and spawned a thriving mechanical gaming device industry. Even when the use of these gambling devices was banned in his home State after a few years, Fey still couldn't keep up with demand for the game elsewhere.

Another early machine gave out winning in the form of fruit flavoured chewing gums with pictures of the flavours as symbols on the reels. The popular cherry and melon symbols derive from this machine. The "BAR" symbol now common in slot machines was derived from an early logo of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company. In 1964, Bally developed the first fully electromechanical slot machine called Money Honey.

Most games have a variety of winning combinations of symbols, often posted on the face of the machine. If a player matches a combination according to the rules of the game, the online casino slot machine pays the player cash or some other sort of value, such as extra games.

The 9 line online casino slot games are becoming more and more popular. These are themed online casino slot games have graphics and music based on popular entertainers or TV programs. The online casino slot games have a bonus round and allow variable amounts of credits with 1 to 5 credits per line being typical. The higher the amount bet, the higher the payout will be.

Video slots vs reel slots...
One of the main differences between video slots and reel slots is in the way payouts are calculated. With reel slots, the only way to win the maximum jackpot is to play the maximum number of coins (usually 3, sometimes 4, or even 5 coins per spin). With video slots, the fixed payout values are multiplied by the number of coins per line that are being bet. Said another way: on a reel slot, it is to the player's advantage to play with the maximum number of coins available. On video slots, it is recommended to play as many individual lines as possible.

As an example: On the "Wheel of Fortune" reel online casino slot, the player must play 3 coins per spin to be eligible to trigger the bonus round and possibly win the jackpot. On the Wheel of Fortune video online casino slot, the chances of triggering the bonus round or winning the maximum jackpot are exactly the same regardless of the number of coins bet on each line.

Larger casinos offer online casino slot machines with denominations from $.01 (penny slots) all the way up to $100.00 or more per credit.

Large denomination online casino slot machines often have team of hosts to cater to the needs of the high-rollers who play there. This is a great place to be if you want free drinks. The problem is, you'll probably lose a few hundred dollors while you're waiting for your "free" drink to come...

Online Casino Slot Machines

An online casino slot machine is a casino game that is played online. Traditional slot machines are coin-operated machines with three or more reels. The reels spin when a lever on the side of the machine is pulled. The slot machine is also informally known as a one-armed bandit. This name stems from its appearance and its ability to leave the gamer penniless. The machine typically pays off based on patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when it stops. Modern computer technology has resulted in many variations on the slot machine concept. Today, slot machines are the most popular gambling method in casinos and constitute about 70% of the average casino's income.

Online casino slot machines are now available to people that want to play slots, but don't want to lose all their money.

By law, the technological specifications generally require a minimum of 80 percent payback. This payout is tested and verified on every machine by an independent testing lab. Most casinos, would never stay in business with that low of a payback. Most land casinos set their machines between 88 and 96 percent (payout). The online casino slot counterparts set their payouts at around 97%-99%. In addition, online casino slot machines offer very generous bonuse.

The cool thing about online gambling is that the overhead of the casinos is so small that they can afford to lose money one many of their players. It's much better odds than the casinos in Vegas. Here is how to get a free $200.00!
  • Download and install FREE Commodore Casino software.
  • Open the software and click on "Play for Real Money".
  • Select "Create Account".
  • Make your first deposit and they will instantly credit your account with up to an additional $200.00!
Commodore Casino Bonus Rules:
  • You must deposit a minimum of $25 to qualify for the bonus.
  • 100% up to $200.00 - wager requirement: 15 [deposit + bonus]
  • You must meet these wager requirements before cashing out: wager 15 times your deposit plus bonus before making a withdrawal request. For example, deposit $100, receive a $100 bonus, and wager a minimum of $3000 [ $200 * 15 ] before cashing out.
  • Bets placed on Roulette, Baccarat, Craps and Sic bo do not count towards the wager requirement. $1 wagered on Blackjack and Pai Gow counts as $0.50 towards the wager requirement.
  • If you receive free money at registration, it must be wagered 25 times, and you must provide ID as proof of age when requesting a cash-out. Players can receive free money at registration only once in the Gambling Federation family of casinos.

In addition, Commodore Casino offers a Refer a Friend Bonus. This is yet another way to get money playing online.
Here is how you can get your $30 Refer a Friend Bonus:
  • Log in to your Real Money account in the casino software.
  • Select the $30 Free! button from the casino home page in the casino software.
  • Fill out all requested information on the referral form and submit the document. When your friend(s) registers their first Real Money account in the casino that you referred them to, they will automatically receive a $10 bonus just for signing up.

When that friend proceeds to make a Real money deposit into their casino account, they will be happy to credit you with the $30 Refer a Friend Bonus. You are required to wager 15X the bonus before being able to cash out any winnings. Like I said, it's a great way to pick up a few extra bucks.