TomLinnane

Not sure if there is already a post for this, so sorry if so! Well, about a few weeks ago I was enjoying some blackjack online. I decided to take a chance with a $200 hand and I was dealt "20" against a dealer "6". As I jumped in excitement because of the good odds I have to win the hand, I mistakingly clicked "double down", instead of stand. So of course I am now in for $400, and will obviously 98% of the time lose the hand like an idiot! I immediately noticed the mistake and started frantically screaming NO! Until I somehow miraculously received an Ace for 21! It was the most worst but best mistake I ever made, and I'm sure it will never again happen in my life haha. Have you guys ever had a terrible mistake turn out for the better?

Hey Valdes, LIVE Dealer is another option that is offered by many online casinos as an alternative to RTG Platforms. Its real time casino games with live dealers which you can physically see cards shuffled etc. Casinos like Betonline, Grand Parker Casino, ABC Islands Casino, Carbon Casino, Bit Casino, and hundreds of other casinos have LIVE Dealer as an option on their site. The reason why I am giving this warning, is because players do not have ANY connection to LIVE Dealer management. All that information needs to be provided through the online casino they play through. The only information I was able to receive, is that that platform I play on from ABC Islands was a Live Dealer Company that runs out of Costa Rica. I just think its fair to note that if others players are a fan of LIVE Dealer options, it would be good to know that its possible they are using a system which does not have an up to date license to operate.

Hey players, this post is a warning to casino players who play on LIVE Dealer platforms. Recently, there has been a number of shut downs from casino sites stating that there is maintenance going on. I recently been in touch with a connection I have from a very recommendable casino that I play on. He told me the insider information that many LIVE Dealer casinos have failed to renew their license. This is a huge deal going on that are sometimes not even aware to the online casino websites. If you are experiencing any maintenance issue on live dealer, I suggest getting in touch with your casino to make sure you are playing on an up to date Live Dealer company.

Thank you everyone for such great responses. Here are some of the issues I added up which really cause my downfall at times. I am from the U.S, so keep in mine my gaming options are very limited: 1. I am charged an international fee every time I deposit, and most sites do not cover that fee. (You would be surprised at how much an extra $1-3 adds up in fee's that are not funded into your gaming account. I've spent probably $1500 on fee's alone in 5 years, and that number is pretty extraordinary in regards to reflecting your profits and winnings. 2. My withdrawals are also charged a fee that is not covered. (When I withdraw, anywhere from $20-35 is charged out of my balance to cover the transaction fee. This makes it very difficult to truly always be satisfied with a withdrawal. I know it sounds silly, but if I withdraw $500, they take out $49. That number can ridiculously affect my winnings in the long run. 3. My main game is table blackjack, which statistically online does not favor a player as it would in a real casino. (Many casino use RTG platforms which are randomized every single hand. This realistically hurts my odds because you can't determine good or bad shoes, you can't attempt to count cards, and you can't always hit or double down every hand like a real casino most of the time. LIVE Dealer is my other option, but because they only use half the shoe, the statistical edge I normally can have being an advanced player in a real casino is then taken away online.)

My brother brought up an interesting point to me as I went to go pickup a $500 withdrawal yesterday. He asked me, "In the 5 years you been playing on online casinos, are you really in the profit?" My immediate response was yes, but as I look back, my honest answer is no. I always want to hide away from the fact that every time I win money, I always end up depositing and give more back than I take in. I actually consider myself a good player who cashes out regularly, but I can't help but realize that without hitting a jackpot on some sort of game, I may just always be going against the odds of what an online casino will favor. My question to the players is I guess the same I have towards myself. Are you no matter what always somehow in the negative? Is online casinos really just the term entertainment at a price. I feel that although my cash outs can be appeasing at times, its hard to face the real number of money I put in to online casinos. This really for some odd reason made me stop and think about the risk/reward. Am I just always going to be a loser no matter how tight of a game I play?

This thread obviously will probably relate to U.S players, because Bovada is one of the biggest in the U.S. As of May 30th, Bovada responded to U.S Feds that they will not work with the governments and legislation with NJ, and surrounding states on legalizing online gambling for those states. For me personally, I found it to be a bold move by Bovada, but bad news for US players. For those who don't know about Bovada, this company has been around for 17+ years when you combine their original name Bodog (which is now only in Canada). I have been apart of both Bodog and Bovada, and I will say that although I enjoyed the site as bodog more, they have done a great job with avoiding government shut downs by a remarkable name change and company change. The issue that I feel poses issues for players, is that you are going to continue to have international fee's on deposits, banks shutting your card off for international transactions, and the dreadful withdrawal times. Keep in mind, larger checks over $1000 have numerous effects on players as many have been bounced. I personally have had a $1,312 check bounced by Bovada, but a $236 withdrawal cleared when it was Bodog. Its kind of scattered in its consistency. Its obviously a stressful time for US players, because the regulations are really unclear on the future and present of online gambling. With more and more charebacks from players to the casino, I can honestly see why checks take so long to be sent out, and sometimes the funds aren't there to cover it. So my main question to all of you, is why are they refusing to actually work with the US in legalization? This is my theory. I believe that because the Feds had an unsuccessful attempt to take down Bodog years ago, Bovada truthfully wants nothing to do with US jurisdiction until it is 100% legalized throughout the country. From Bovada's standpoint, its a smart move, because with or without those legalized states, they are still a power house that is in full operation without the support of the US. They are most likely protecting their company, to ensure that they honestly don't get screwed by the Feds with future issues that may arise with online gambling. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this guys, and whether or not this should worry you, or have no affect to US players.

Blackjack is one of the most favorite table games a casino can offer mainly because it remains fun, while also being particularly easy to learn. One recent study I been comparing, is Blackjack in a real casino amongst Foxwoods Resorts, Mohegan Sun, and local poker rooms, compared to online RTG systems. Amongst my research, the result favored LIVE casino play over online play. Online Blackjack mainly consists of a 6-card shoe, being randomized every single hand before dealing the player his or her cards. They do this to avoid card counting, and to provide a fair opportunity each and every hand. Although it has its upsides, like not having to sit down with other players, it has many weaknesses to its system which ultimately always favors the house. Many online casinos do not offer options like double down, and surrendering for every hand you play. This decreases profitability, and increases your losses. With cards being randomized every hand, this avoids the risk of having a bad shoe in a real casino, but also provides a disadvantage for good blackjack players, because you can no longer recognize a good and bad shoe with a randomized system. The statistics of blackjack are practically thrown out, because any strategy towards hands no longer apply, as you truly cannot calculate the odds of the next card coming out. At the end of the day, you have to simply rely on luck, and hope that you don't go broke in the long run. LIVE casinos main blackjack game is a 6-deck shoe, that is shuffled prior to being dealt, but then remains unshuffeled till it nears the end of the deck. The upside to this, is that you can mentally keep a block of cards that have already been dealt, and if good enough, make statistical decisions based on your knowledge and memory. The downside to live blackjack, is the opportunity of sitting down with players who do not understand the statistics of winning and losing hands. That alone can drain your bankroll. The major upside to this, is when you have the ability to watch players, and find a good table to play at and use them to your advantage for winning money as a whole. Another huge advantage in a LIVE casino is your options to always double down, surrender, and most importantly, recognize a good and bad shoe. Your minimum bets are generally bigger at a live casino, so you will need a bigger bankroll. After basing my knowledge and mind of considering myself a good blackjack player, my experiment was truly more profitable in a live casino compared to online. There was no trends, no statistical edge, and no consistency online, which will have you change your game after being frustrated, and eventually leave you broke. In Foxwoods, i was able to turn $200 - $676 in about 2 hours. The fact I could pick and choose which table to sit at, and recognize the shoes, made a huge statistical edge towards my profit. Although you will always risk losing money with any casino, I would think its a fair assessment to say that there is more rewards for blackjack in a live casino than online. If you do enjoy playing online blackjack, here are my best and worse recommendations: AVOID: Bovada, Carbon Poker, Full Flush Poker Reasons: These casinos are some of the biggest in the market, and if not yet, growing to become a powerhouse. Because of this, I found their software to be very hard to win on, and the payotu percentages to be too low to turn profit. PLAY: Cool-Cat Casino and Affiliate Companies in the chain Cool-Cat is actually my favorite blackjack casino, and desire negative feedback, they have successfully paid me out all 4 times for large profits. There system is statistically more accurate, and you generally win more hands you would win in a live casino, than you would lose. The system is also not based on payout percentages, so you are not stranglehold on the amount of money you can win. Many online casino set a payout percentage cap which is virtually impossible to exceed, while these casinos do not.

There is, and always will be no sure fire way to consistently win in roulette. With that being said, you choose your own odds. Betting black and or red is about 48.97% either way, while betting 1st, 2nd or 3rd row is about 32.68%. Inside bets are obviously the toughest, but at the end of the day when you play roulette you are playing simply against chance. I find the best way is to just stick with a few numbers, and hope they come up. If they don't, all it a day and maybe you'll get it next time. If you are trying to play for long periods of time and make a little profit, then playing the outside gives you the "best" odds.

The proof is the fact I just said. Not being able to double down on hands, and or split in situations is a proof in itself which edges the house a lot more than you may think. You don't need hand numbers to show that, its a given fact in any casino whether it be online or in a real casino. I'm not sure what other proof you could possibly be looking for other than to look into it yourself. Truthfully, if I can win 50% more hands at a casino that allows me those options, there is frankly no option to play at one where you don't hit those numbers.

Everyones statistics will always be flawed, because everyone has a different strategy. However, I can prove that you CAN win more money on a site like Cool-Cat, compared to a site like Carbon and Bovada, with a very easy calculation. More specifically in blackjack, Carbon and Bovada, you do not have the power to double down on certain hands, hit on split aces, and split multiple times on certain occasions. This is statistically proven to give the house WAY more of an edge because it literally reduces a players profit on those hands they can split and double down on. Its just simple math, but on sites where you can do that, you will easily profit more when that oppertunity arises.

Real Time Gaming has and always will receive criticism. Thats why Casinos adapted "LIVE DEALER" as an alternative. As I mentioned above, I never once said that RTG systems are necessarily flawed. My point however was to stress that you should indeed pay attention to payout percentages for certain casinos. Every casino has a different percentage and I stress the importance of paying attention to it. Valdes in accordance to what you are saying, there are actually many casinos who don't have access to every single bit of information. Thats why there are indeed casinos which are blacklisted, and there are casinos which when you ask, don't have certain statistics like your current payout percentage. Most sites and I should say every site, will have a complete list of hand history, but there is no guarantee that unless you keep your on track, that you can see where every dime is going and how it reflects your payoffs. Ive won a TON of money off RTG platforms, but it also depends on the site I am playing on. As I mentioned, the same strategies I use at Carbon, are no where near as successful as they are on for example Cool Cat. Carbon works within a 97% payout percentage, and it quite funny that my exact rate remains at %97.56 after about 10,000 hands. On Cool Cat, I keep my own statistics because they supposively don't have access to a payout percentage. At about 10,000 hands, using the same strategies, my percentage rate is literally at about 138%, significantly higher. Yes I know every hand is randomized, but my point is that depending on which site you play at, there really is a difference. Until my factual statistics prove otherwise, I consider my own theory to be correct in accordance to the strategies I play with. This will be different for how anyone plays, but I think trying it for yourself could be interesting.

RTG systems whether you hate it or love it, are a random number generator for each and every hand you play in certain casino games. However, although many sites run off them, each site could actually make a HUGE difference on the amount you win. Why is this? and why don't many players know? Well, thats because its really not easy to pick it up until you try for yourself. The truth is, many recommendable sites, and top rated online casinos rave about their high payout percentage. Although this is true, its actually significantly lower than what you "could" be making at a different online casino that is smaller, and may not be as recommendable by players. The reason why this happens, is because of what we call "payout percentages". Bigger sites like Carbon Casino, and Bovada, are the two top dogs in the US right now. They monitor ALL their data, and keep a huge track of information regarding each hand. Because of this, their RTG system is very strict on their payouts and you may sometimes feel you are "targeted", or simply "can't win". When this happens, its generally after you won some decent money, and continued to play to find yourself soon in a hole. Its honestly like a real casino. If you go to a smaller poker room, the data base is smaller, and they truly can't keep tabs of player progress. However, large casinos keep track of everything and can take in depth analysis of each player and track their winnings. This translates to online as well. When switching from Carbon to a different casino for example Cool Cat Casino, they run off the same RTG system, yet they are a much smaller site. If you ask for your payout percentage rate, they actually don't even have that information to give a player. I noticed almost instantly that my winning rate was literally increased by 50% just by switching from a top dog site, to whats now a decent place to place after being lifted off the blacklist. It was actually quite funny to actually WIN hands you should statistically always be winning. It doesn't mean that the hands I play are no longer random, its just the fact that their payout percentage rates are higher, and their log truly doesn't keep a constant tab on your winnings. This is why much of the smaller sites have max cash out rates. If your good, you can actually win money. Now my point of this blog, is to honestly just spread this knowledge. Everyone has a favorite place to play, and for me, I been searching for simply the best places to win money hahah. Every since i stepped down from the "top notch" online casinos, I found myself make hundreds of dollars off small $30 deposits. Maybe this information and studies will help you win some money as well.

Yea I mean most anyones issues on here are generally US players. I can understand delayed payments, because casinos do have to work around the US government. I don't however understand a major poker site having a glitch and a system crash, and do nothing at all to fix the problem. Its also very disheartening to hear a manager deny a site crash when every employee is saying sorry for their site crashing on players. Massachusetts is already talking about legalizing online gambling, and NJ already did. However, I actually hope it stays illegal in the United States. I rather enjoy gambling as a hobby, and getting back that enjoyment of going to a physical casino, rather than get frustrated from animation and questionable online software we have no control over.

The situation has not been resolved. They have done nothing about it, and their manager Edwin Morris is the biggest a$$ there could be. I am taking a break from online gambling until the US legalizes it. Online Casinos are way to dangerous for US players right now because you have no control. And that is a scary feeling.

The glitch has caused the hand to constantly replay without my control. Then the screen froze completely, just as if you could click anything at all.

The truth about Online Casinos operating in the US is hard to swallow sometimes. It remains illegal in almost every state, and because of this issue, you really are at the casinos mercy with any situations that could arise. Sometimes its hard to forget about this because there are so many sites still operating and allowing US players to play on their site. The most recent complaints seen by online casinos is the inability to payout players, and even when players are paid out, it could take MONTHS to see your money. This is really frustrating as a player, and its very stressful as well. The two biggest US operating casino and poker sites which are rated in the top 5 at this moment are Bovada, and Carbon Poker. I never wanted to make an article like this, but the most recent Carbon Poker meltdown has caused me to stress players to be cautious in the US. Cabon Casino which has been in the business for 17+ years, is a very recommendable poker room and casino. They payout, they have live support, and do a great job with customer service. On March 15th, 2014, Carbon Casino had a huge melt down at around 10pm eastern time. The Casino glitched out players, and booted poker players in the poker room. One of the main issues with casino, was the inability to move away from a hand, thus creating a glitch which made you keep re-playing the same exact hand over and over again, and if it was a losing hand, you were in big trouble. I was one of those players. I was urged by customer support that any issues which took place in the system would be looked at and taken care of. Because of this, I assumed I was in good hands… WRONG! Carbon has refused to take any responsibility for what had happened, and dozens of players are also in furry as they have lost money as well. This moment was truly eye opening to me because it made me realize that online casinos are in full control, and there is really nothing we can do about this. You put your money and trust in their hands, and because they are not legally running in the US, you can't honestly do anything about who they treat situations. The manager for Carbon actually DENIED a site meltdown, while the employees and customer service said there was indeed a glitch and a system meltdown. How weird is that? I was actually specifically told NOT to play the casino because of the glitch. Yet a manager tries to lie to me saying there was no site malfunction. I guess my whole point of this blog is to sort of open players eyes about the risk you are taking. The FBI http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2007/june/gambling_060607 statement makes it very clear. And to me i can see why. I love gambling, I love playing with online casinos, but the truth is truth, the players don't have the power. I have seen some players who are going to try and take legal action against Carbon in this situation, but this happens everywhere. What can we do as players? Do we have any hope if its not legalized? These are questions I have to ask myself. Its scary knowing where my debit cards are being saved, who has my information, what can they do with it. I finally know that the risks are very much serious, and its time to be cautious as players before depositing on a sketchy site.

haha I'm learning. My apologies for any inconvenience. And yes I am!

Full Flush Poker is a new and upcoming poker site with a small casino. It is run by equity poker network, and the assistance and staff promote quality gaming, customer support, and excellent response rate to emails. My review of this site is going to focus on two separate parts, my experience in the poker room, and my experience with the casino. *DEPOSIT $50 OR MORE AND RECEIVE 10% BACK INSTANTLY : FIRST TIME DEPOSITORS WILL RECEIVE 20%* Poker Room: The poker room has a similar style and layout to Carbon Poker, however some players will have an advantage of being able to play with users who seem to be fairly new to poker, and often inexperienced. This can allow some players to significantly make some great money, but also be prone to losing to terrible hands due to bad play. There is always that chance that 7-2 off suit flops a boat, and your AA loses to a bad player. At this very moment, the poker room is small, but growing rapidly in support of some great reviews. I have had a great experience playing in the poker room, and have had some great runs, and some bad beats, but no software issues, and no issues with players colluding. I recommend players who like online poker, to tryout this site. The tournaments are also packed with great guarantees, and I think you will all find a game you can enjoy playing on this site for poker. Casino: The casino for Full Flush Poker is something I simply cannot write a great review on. I find the games to be very limited, and the setup and layout to be rather cheap in software. Most of my play was spent on the popular table game Blackjack. This is mainly due to the fact that Full Flush Poker does not have many games for the casino, and this is by far the most promoted table game they have. Once Full Flush Poker becomes more adapted, you will be able to find more casino reviews that can go in depth about other games, and the layouts they have. For now, I would recommend this site to poker players, but would recommend casino players to find a better site to play on till this site becomes more adapted.

I also apologize for posting this in the wrong area, I am new to this site

Every poker room and online casino use Bonuses and Promotions as a great way to market to new players, and existing players through deposits. This also benefits the casino because more often than not, a deposit will be made, and if a player enjoys the experience, they will recommend a friend. Although a deposit bonus seems like a fantastic way to make your $20 bankroll suddenly turn into a $100 balance or more, there are many factors you need to consider when using a deposit bonus. You may find that more often than not, denying a promotional offer will be the best option. A rollover/playthrough is generally the most notable amongst these restrictions with the additional bankroll added to your account. The most recent bonus I received, gave me an extra $100, but required a 60x rollover, which means I basically needed to place $6000 in bets before withdrawing any money. I am someone who doesn't even like to bet more than $5 or $10 on a single hand of blackjack, so that number to me definitely scared me off at first. These bonuses which come with a high rollover rate, can really affect the way you play because you know that you are playing to reach a certain amount of bets rather than the money in your account. Although some experienced and profound players could see this as reachable, it is indeed a task that is very hard to obtain especially if that bonus limits you to a specific game, and many times, that bonus will limit your gaming options. Now, this doesn't mean you should go to a site and deny their bonus opportunities, and the reason why, is because EVERY bonus is different. You need to read the fine line between each and every promotion you are interested in. Go to LIVE chat, ask questions, and save the terms and conditions. If you slowly find similar information of rollovers like I described above, you may be better off taking your chances with that $20 balance rather than throwing away a deposit to chase a pipe dream. Carbon Poker and Bovada, have more recently implemented some great new bonuses which come with good incentives, and an opportunity to actually reach the requirement for withdrawal. I want to stress in this post the urgency to constantly check on terms and conditions, because 1000's of players each month lose out on their withdrawal for not following the casinos terms and conditions on bonuses. Many complaints posted on this site, you will also see were voided because of the violation of a bonus. Sometimes you are your own worst enemy, and I made this mistakes more than a dozen times, I've thrown away thousands of dollars on wasted deposits in my young age by simply ignoring bonus requirements. I would get up to $5000 and jump for joy as I hit withdraw, only to find myself violating almost every rule implemented on that bonus. Its good to see a site like this, because it truly helps any online player learn from other peoples mistakes, and also learn a little bit more about online poker or casinos that they may have not known before. I hope some of you reading this find some of this information useful. I know many of you are very well aware with how bonuses and rollovers work, but hopefully I was able to give a better understanding on whats reasonable and unreasonable for using such bonuses that sites promote.

Thank you everyone for the feedback. As always, I appreciate opinions, questions, and anything you may want to say.

I appreciate the feedback everyone! I wanted to point out something rather interesting just as a side note. I won't mention the site, but it is a recommendable poker site where this story happened from. I haven't posted the actual statistics on here because it would create an extraordinarily long thread that I wasn't trying to do. However, I sent basically this same story to the site I was playing on, implementing the numbers, and to trying to at least show what was happening, and that it could possibly be picked up by above average blackjack players. The poker site upon the review, refunded all my transactions, and said that they would like me to continue my play elsewhere, and deactivated my account. I am very thankful and actually surprised I was able to get my transactions refunded, but it did shock me that the information I was able to provide showed some type of odd consistency which implemented this to happen. As I mentioned in the original post, I do not by any means believe that these systems are rigged. It is however 100% known that these systems are randomized every single hand, and follow a guideline of winning percentages. The issue I have always had with randomized systems, is that it often affects my "live" play when I actually go to a casino. The hands that you will receive online, as well as the dealers hands, will seem slightly odd because of the randomized system. My best suggestion to both casino and online players, is to make sure you understand the differences of both so you don't end up making poor choices.

Hello Rapt, I don't necessarily think its a coincidence, but the sketchier the casino, the higher payout percentage I have found to receive. Cool Cat and the providing affiliates, have given me a $100 free chip. I noticed that amongst sites like these, I was easily able to obtain the 60x play through and rollover required for a withdrawal. The issue and the chance you take with those sites, is that it takes a VERY long time to withdraw your money. I am still waiting on a $200 withdrawal I received from a rollover, and I do believe in time I will get it, but it will take a very long time with hassle to obtain that money. Sites that I truly respect like Bovada, Full Flush Poker, and Carbon, are amongst the more recommendable US sites, but I find the percentages to be much more strict concerning the 97-98% payout percentages. My numbers amongst Bovada, Carbon, and Full Flush, were actually all ironically in the 97.50% range. I don't have one favorite site in particular at this moment, but after some more research this upcoming week, I will gladly share it!

Online Blackjack is generally run by gaming commissions, and require that the payout percentages usually fall under the 97% or higher percentile rate. After running 1000+ hands through an excel sheet, I found some staggering information which I am going to spread on here to hopefully help players like myself understand when and when not to play. First off, I want to say that I am a very good blackjack player. I understand mathematics, betting trends, and often most importantly, when and when not to stay at a table. Even with knowledge, online seems to always be a completely different animal to tackle when it comes to blackjack. After running 1000 hands of history, my number one suggestion to you is, know your payout percentage rate. This number is absolutely key when determining how successful you can be online. Generally, online casinos want a player to be 97% or higher. If you are a person maintaining 97%, you are most likely actually losing money online. The most common trend I noticed after depositing on 3 different sites, is that each time I sat down at a blackjack table, my payout percentage rate would be an incredible 140%+ from the first 50+ hands. Even if you only doubled your money, I would honestly recommend cashing out as soon as possible, and I will explain why. Online Blackjack more specifically targets these payout percentages, this does not mean the hands are rigged because they are not, but it does mean that depending on that % you have, can have a huge impact on the amount of hands you will win, or the amount of money you will lose to even out the percentile. After hitting my high of 152%, I continued to play mainly for research purposes. I then went on the worst run online I probably ever had. I lost 79 hands out of 100, which is terrible. I went from a nice hefty profit, to about even money. In the next 100 hands, I didn't even get past 56 hands. My 21's would push, my 20's would lose. My double downs would always miss. Everything was literally falling apart. Mathematically winning hands were getting crushed against the dealer. By the time I spent my last dollar, I realized that my payout % ended up being 97.56%. Which falls very well in line the gaming commissions rules. Even with statistics showing that a player lost 128 hands to 156, it doesn't matter. The system only cares about a players payout percentage. It does not matter how they monitor it, or how the system controls it, but they will make sure that if you don't walk away from being an above average player, you will ultimately control your own demise. You can make some good money with online blackjack, but if you are a player that likes to play for hours, and manage your bankroll, please be wary of payout percentage rates. It literally will control the rise and fall of your deposit. If you don't believe me, try it out for yourself with a 500-1000 hand excel sheet. Try and monitor your winning percentages, and see where you end up. Thanks for reading guys!