Slot Machine Strategy: Calculating Odds
Modern slot machines are calibrated so that a player’s odds of winning are dependent on how the game is set up. The reels of the machine make a significant difference in that machine’s odds. Every stop on the reel corresponds to more than one stop as the wheel goes around. Symbols appear on the wheels more than once, so the actual odds of hitting a particular symbol are based on the total number of possible shapes on the reel.

Slot Machine Strategy: Hitting Jackpots
The top jackpot, or the most winning state on the online slot machines, is only possible once per reel. On the standard jackpot machine, the odds of hitting a jackpot are 1 in 64 as there are 64 symbols on a reel. When all three reels are considered in order to line up the odds necessary, the total likelihood is 262,144.

The higher the possible payout, the more symbols there are on the various reels in play. This makes the odds of actually hitting the jackpot far lower than they might be on the lower paying machines.

In addition to the larger reels making big jackpots harder, slot machines include blank spots right next to the jackpot symbols. There are multiple blank spots on the reel making it more likely that a player will earn nothing rather than winning the jackpot. Additionally, the close proximity of the blank spaces to the jackpot makes it feel as though the player just barely missed winning and he’ll be more likely to play again. Be mindful of your odds – not what appears to be correct.

Set a Limit
Before you get sucked into the fun of playing online slots, you should set your bankroll amount and be sure that you can stick with it. You don’t want to lose money that you can’t afford to lose. Using a separate bank account will help you do this without touching your regular credit cards or your bill money.

Check the Odds
A game might look flashy and fun, but always check the odds on the particular game you’re interested in. Each slot game is unique and if you’re playing a game that has low odds of winning, you’re risking more money than you should have to in order to be successful.

Bet the Maximum Number of Coins
When you bet, be sure you play on a machine where you can afford to bet the maximum amount each time. By betting as much as possible with each round, you’ll be sure to activate all of the play lines and bonuses which may result in more winnings, but should definitely result in more fun.

Check if a Bonus Is Worth It
You may need to do a bit of math to determine if a bonus is worth the wagering amount requested. Expect the bonus to always look good, but there are some times when you should just ignore it and save your money for more exciting play.

Themes and Fun
There is a lot to be said for the various themes on slot machines today. The themes and pictures make the games more fun, and often make the bonus rounds especially more interesting. When you pick a slot machine, pick one that interests you. If you’re not into Cleopatra, don’t pick a slots game based around ancient Egypt and the famous ruler. Instead pick one that you do have fun with – football, soccer, movies, celebrities, cartoons, virtually anything under the sun.

Payouts and Probability
Some slots tips will advise you to look for the slot machines with the highest payouts. The truth is most slot machines have an average return of about 95 percent, so there’s no point picking the one on the right or the one on the left since they will ultimately pay out the same amount. There is a difference in how those funds are paid out, however. One online slot machine might pay out large amounts infrequently while another pays out smaller amounts frequently.

If you enjoy winning, no matter how much the pot would be, you’ll enjoy the machines that win more frequently. You can identify these in the payout table. The more pictures and money signs present, the more likely you are to win at that particular machine. If you like the idea of hitting a big payout and you don’t mind a longer spell between wins, pick a machine with fewer pictures in the payout board. You’ll win less frequently, but you’ll win more when it does land on you.

Set Your Limit – You want to have fun playing as long as possible, so be sure to set your limit ahead of time. There’s no sense rushing through and spending all of your money before you have a change to win big. Before you’re totally enamored with the world of colorful and complex online slots, set your threshold. This is the amount you’re willing to wager and play with. Once that amount is gone, you’re done for the day.

Pick a Machine with Variety – The best online slot machines aren’t the ones with a single line. The better games have multiple lines and they include bonus levels and even story lines to keep things exciting and different – far better than a push button-spin-repeat game. The machines with variety also give you a one-click option to change your denomination for betting.

It’s a New Game Every Time – Online slot machines have the same random number generator that traditional slot machines do. This means that every time you push the button or pull a virtual handle, you have the same odds of winning or losing. Wait a second or even a fraction of a second and you’re looking at a totally different set of numbers. If you feel like you’re “due” to win after a certain number of attempts, you’re hopeful, but there’s no science to the hunch. The random number generator has no idea when the game hit its last jackpot or the last time you hit one. Every pull is a brand new game!

The one basic and holy rule of slot machines is that you always play the maximum bet to keep the odds on your side. This is particularly good for progressive slot machines because you will have a greater chance to hit the big target: the jackpot. If you look at the odds, there is 1 in 4,096 chance of hitting the jackpot in a 3 reel slot machine, so you might not hit it but you will definitely be closer to getting the highest payout rate, which at good casinos is between 94% and 98%.

A common error amongst online gamblers is that they can get too supersticious. Whereas I respect any type of rituals people may have to attract luck and good energies, when you believe that a cold slot (i.e. a machine that has been on the losing end for a while) will start paying out all of the sudden, you could be right… or wrong. This is totally up to chance and there is nothing you can do to influence that.

Basically, your odds are the same in a hot or cold slot but if you stick to the one basic rule your results will be definitely on the black side of the line in the long run. Good luck at the tables!

Recently, RTG launched several online slot games with two central sports themes: American football and baseball. The first game causing novelty is called ‘Field of Green’ and it is focused on American football (warning: not soccer!). When you enter the game you can see a background of a football field and on top of it are the reeels. The symbols include a trophy, a football player, a helmet, a whistle, a football and a cheerleader. The high value card symbols will remind you of the numbers on football players’ jerseys. The bonus involves a kick and if you score a goal then you get a lot of free spons and bonus credit.

Also on the American football category is ‘Fruit Ball XXV’ which came out last year at the beginning of the 2010-11 season. This is a favorite of mine as each character associated with football is represented as a different fruit. When you get to the bonus part your objective will be to bypass opponents using football moves and depending on how many you bypass, that is the amount of free spins and credits you will get, it is very entertaining to play and watch!

Tomorrow I will talk about the baseball themes RTG slots, I hope you are enjoying the games as they are really worth playing.

The Android is a mobile operating system that was originally developed by Android Inc. and bought by Google in 2005. This apparatus extends the functionality of mobile devices and has been a huge addition to the mobile technology industry. This smart phone has become a favorite among online gamblers because of its functionality and high quality features.

Even though online software developers only recently finalized projects to bring online gaming platforms to the Android 2.2, they are already getting ready to do the same for the newest version of the phone: Android 3.0. This means that if you already have an Android 2.2 you should be about ready to start enjoying a lot of your favorite casinos comfortably from your phone. It also means that if you are planning to get the newest version you will get a lot of new features.

Last week, Android introduced the 3.0 version at the Consumers Electronics Show (CES) and announced the most innovative 3D features to be in place. Online casinos are already setting up 3D gaming and software developers are beyond excited for the opportunity of bringing this new reality to your mobile screens. There is a lot to be excited about in terms of technology as now enjoying your favorite online casino games is as easy as taking your phone out and logging into a world of fun wherever you are.

More importantly is that after you are sure that you like the slot machine in all the aspects that we mentioned before, you check that there are progressive jackpots. Why? Because this will be your chance to get really lucky and perhaps become a millionaire in one spin of the reels. Even if it does not happen, it is good to know that the possibility is there, instead of it being completely inexistent.

It is important for players to know that there are two types of slot machines. The first type has symbols which offer very high payouts and other symbols with very low payouts, these are called volatile slots. The second type has symbols offering a payout around a central value, these are low volatility slots. Keep in mind that if you like risks and high payout you might want to go to the volatile slots, but there are fewer chances of you actually hitting those prizes. Choose wisely.

Finally, you should examine the bonus rounds because, as you know, all slots come with a free spin bonus round. In order to pick a good slot machine, you need to look at the number of spins given, check if there are payout multipliers and if the free spins can be re-triggered. I also recommend that you read the bonus rounds rules and that you try to test them on a play money account to see how often they are triggered.

I hope you find this helpful and if you have any questions please post them as comments and I will try to answer them all.

First of all, always test out slot games before deciding to put money into them; in order to do this, take advantage of the free play mode. There is no point in you putting your money in a slot game that you might not even like after all. Once you are on play mode, you should be off to evaluate the audiovisual characteristics of the slot game. You should try to pick up on the audio effects and notice if there is any music playing in the background. You should also judge if you like their graphics and animations and if they run smoothly on your computer.

The next thing is to evaluate the number of paylines because in some slot machines you might be able to choose the number of paylines and the number of coins per line, whereas in others it could already be predetermined. Make sure that you check the coin size range so that you know the minimum and maximum coin size and work out the maximum line bet and maximum total bet. If all of those characteristics have appealed to you so far, keep reading, otherwise start over with a new slot game.

Once you have decided that you like the general look of the slot game you should look at the pay table and the game rules (they tend to vary), there is usually an information button above or below the reels that provides quick access to this information. You should be looking at the payouts, the wild symbol, the multipliers and extra features that are offered, and whether scatter payouts are offered.

This is only the first part, come back tomorrow to check out the rest of things you NEED to know about online slot games.

The slot game selected for the first online tournament is ‘Texan Tycoon’ and the entry fee is only $9 and you could win $9,999 fast and easy. Even though we are aware that Texan Tycoon does not have a Christmas topic, it is one of the most popular games at Silver Oak and we thought players would like to see these tournaments in one of their favorite slots.

Texan Tycoon embodies all of the ideals of the American Dream, in which everyone has a chance to live well through perseverance and hard work. The symbols are an oil rig, wads of cash and fancy limousines, the Texan Tycoon us the wild symbol and multiplies your payouts 1- times. If you see the Oil Well you can get up to 25 free spins at tripled payouts, players at the tournaments will be looking forward to that strike.

The second tournament will be played on the slot game ‘Naughty or Nice’. The entry fee is really accessible at $5 and you can win up to $2,512. Naughty and Nice are Santa’s gorgeous helpers and they are dressed according to the holiday season. They are both wild symbols and you will definitely enjoy seeing them come up on the reels, they also offer doubled payouts and additional free spins.

The tournaments are scheduled to happen at different times so that our players can participate in both. All you need to do is create an alias different from your account name and then it will be displayed in the tournament leader board. The next step is select which tournament you want to play, register, post the buy-in and get ready to win.

The first of our new additions is ‘Lucky Tiger’. This refers to the Year of the Tiger and it is a new 5-reel slot with Golden Tigers appearing grouped on reels 1 and 5 and functioning as wild symbols for everything but scattered gongs. If you spin 3 or more gong symbols in a normal game you can trigger three different “free game” features. The Lucky Tiger will triple your winnings and will add extra free game. If you like online slots, we definitely think this is one worth checking out.

Our second addition is for a different type of player as this is a very particular bingo game. ‘Roaring Twenties Bingo’ is an advanced bingo game that will take you back to the 1920s and bet on up to 100 cards per draw. This game features a “Wild Ball” that will hit the middle spot on each card in play if it is drawn, therefore increasing your odds of hitting the winning patterns. The other great feature is the ‘Extra Balls’ which enables any player to draw 5 extra balls!

If you manage to complete a full card then you will get the Maxi Progressive Jackpot, and the Major and Minor Progressive Jackpot can be won at any random time. There are great prizes, lots of jackpots and variable draw speeds so that everyone can enjoy this great bingo game.

Remeber, at Silver Oak Casino we are always doing things to make our players happy. If you have any suggestions please share them with us by posting a comment below!

Today we want to talk about rebuy slots tournament and the type of choices players face in this format of play. The decision making in these tournaments is more complicated than in once play tournaments. This is because players have to factor in a number of rebuys and this can result in their investment being more than the smaller prizes offered at the casino.

In this type of tournaments it makes no sense to go for the smaller targets because you could end up losing money and nobody likes that. I think that the best suggestion for this could be that players fix their investment on a proposed number of rebuys and set a target that will enable them to win a larger amount of money than that which they are putting in.

A final reminder for all of you is that the leader board is constantly changing and the highest scores will probably keep increasing as the tournament unfolds. A good way to deal with that is to set a target that is higher than the highest score to make up for the rapidly increasing high scores. The scores usually increase a lot during the first minutes of the tournament and the rate of increase declines towards the end, therefore it might also be agood idea to wait a couple of days watching the leader board so that you can go in when the increases in scores have slowed down.