Archive for the ‘Games and Bonuses’ Category
Posted on October 12, 2010 - by admin
Online Slots Bonuses
Slot bonuses are some of the most common bonuses that online casinos offer to players. This is because there is no way that the bonus can be abused, unlike bonuses for other games.
The reason that most online casinos offer slot bonuses is because slots have one of the lower payout percentages among the different casino games. The bonuses offered helps the slot player have a better chance of winning.
If the casino didn’t offer a bonus to slot players, there would be little incentive for them to continue depositing money into their account. And since their are several hundred online casinos, there is a lot of competition for slot players.
The wagering requirements for online slots tends to be a lot lower then other casino games. You really shouldn’t accept any slot bonus that is higher than 30x the deposit and bonus combined. That is why the slot bonuses are usually the best casino bonuses to accept and play with.
What are the different types of slot bonuses?
You are basically going to see two different types of slot bonuses. Any good bonus that is a match bonus (100%) will be a cashable bonus that players can withdraw from their account when they have completed the requirements.
An example of this bonus would be Cocoa Casino. They offer new players a 100% slots bonus that is worth up to $500.
The other type of bonus that you will be more likely to find are sticky bonuses. Because you cannot withdraw the bonus money, the casinos offer the players a much larger percentage on the bonus. This percentage is usually up to a 400% bonus on a deposit.
An example of this type of bonus would be Slots Oasis. This online slots casino offers new players a 400% bonus that is worth up to $4000. If you were to create an account and deposit $1000, you would receive $4000 and have a total of $5000 to play any of their slot games.
Slots Oasis’ bonus has a wagering requirement of only 20x, although the bonus money is removed after you make a withdrawal from your account.
Why would I want to accept a sticky bonus?
The main reason that you would want to accept a bonus like the one Slots Oasis offers is that it makes it easy to create a bankroll. Any serious gambler knows that if they go into a casino with only a couple hundred bucks, they can lose it all before they know what happens.
This happens all too often. A person deposits $100 at an online casino and then wonders why they lost it all within 30 minutes of playing. You are just as likely to encounter a losing streak when you first start playing then a winning streak.
This is what a bankroll is for. Mitigating your losses and being able to bounce back and win some money. After all, this should be the goal of every gambler. It just isn’t fun to lose all your money quickly and have to go home. This is especially true for any slots player.
Can I receive more than one slots bonus from an online casino?
It depends, but most often the answer is yes. The one thing that will determine whether or not you are offered another bonus is how you used your first bonus. If you lost all your money and followed their rules, of course they will offer you another bonus to come back and play.
The one mistake that I see a lot of people making is trying to cash their money out of their account right after they have cleared the bonus wagering requirements. Online casinos tend to frown on this. The more unscrupulous online casinos may try to void your bonus for doing this.
In general, you will want to clear the wagering requirements by an additional 5% to 10% before you ask for a withdrawal. This will let the casino know that you are serious about gambling and not just trying to take the bonus money.
What happens if I try to make a withdrawal early or play a casino game that is excluded by the bonus?
You have to make sure that you are following the rules of the bonus set out in the terms and conditions. The better online casinos will simply tell you that you cannot yet make a withdrawal. Some online casinos specifically say that they can remove the bonus money you receive and void any winnings if you do try to withdraw your money early.
As far as restricted games go, the same thing applies. The good online casinos will have a process in place to make sure that you are not using the bonus money if you decide to play a casino game that is not covered by the bonus terms. The alternative is either you will not be able to play these restricted games or the online casino may revoke your bonus and void your winnings.
Posted on October 12, 2010 - by admin
No Deposit Casinos
A no deposit casino bonus is offered by some online casinos in order to let people who are interested play for free while still getting the real experience of playing the casino games with money. For the casino, its a great way to expand their brand to new potential players. For the player, its a risk free way of trying out a casino’s software and games without having to make a deposit.
Most often when an online casino offers a no deposit bonus, the only games allowed to be played are slots. A few of these bonuses will also allow blackjack and other casino card games, but don’t assume that they do as these casinos will clearly display which games are included or excluded.
Can I win any cash from a no deposit bonus?
Generally, you should assume no as these bonuses are generally for gamblers to test a particular casinos software. That doesn’t mean that it is not possible.
As with all bonuses, you have to read the terms and conditions. Some no deposit bonuses, also called a gratis bonus are cashable and some are not. The bonuses that you are allowed to cash out will have a maximum amount that you can win, say $100.
As you might expect, the wagering requirements are usually very high for no deposit bonuses. The casinos don’t want to let go of their money for free. It is not uncommon to see 60 to 100 times the bonus wagering requirements before you are allowed to cash out.
To give you an example, lets say you get a $15 free bonus and have to wager it 75 times. You would need to gamble a total of $1,125 before you are allowed to cash the bonus out. Unless you are very lucky, this is going to be pretty hard to do with $15.
If its hard to win money, why would I want to accept a casino’s no deposit bonus?
Yes, you could just download a casino’s software for free and play the games for fun as long as you would like. But this will not give you the experience of actually wagering money for real.
It’s the same reason no one takes the free poker tables seriously. If there is no actual risk or reward, there is no incentive to take the games seriously.
With a free casino bonus, you are still actually risking the casino’s money. Trying to make that money last will require you to take what you are doing seriously. This will give a person a more realistic experience then playing for fun.
Can I still receive another bonus from the casino after getting the no deposit bonus?
Any casino that offers a no deposit bonus will have other bonuses that a player will be able to use. In fact, a lot of online casinos will want you to take any bonus they offer. This is because the casino bonus will encourage a player to play more often (in order to complete the wagering requirement) and wager more money then they normally would.
Which online casinos have no deposit bonuses?
There are a lot of online casinos that offer $5 no deposit bonuses, but here are the three free bonuses that are the best.
DaVinci’s Gold Casino offers all new players a $22 free chip to play any of their online slot games. This bonus is cashable, but only after completing a 90x wagering requirement.
Pantasia Casino has a $15 no deposit bonus that they offer to new players to their casino. Only slots, keno and scratch games are included for this bonus. This free bonus is also cashable and only requires a 15x wagering requirement before you can play other games or cash out.
Mayan Fortune also offers a free casino bonus. New players can receive $14 free to play online slots at Mayan Fortune casino. You don’t have to download anything on to your computer as they offer a no download flash casino. This bonus is cashable and requires a 40x bonus requirement before you can withdraw money.
Posted on October 11, 2010 - by admin
Blackjack Bonus information
About 5 years ago, blackjack bonuses were infinitely better than they are now. When they still accepted US players, Cherry Casino offered a monthly bonus that was cashable and only had a 20x wagering requirement.
Sadly, those days are done for now. You are going to find that a lot of online casinos only offer bonuses for the slots players. Most blackjack bonuses will now have a wagering requirement of 50 times the bonus and deposit amount.
Most often, the blackjack bonuses that are available are what is referred to as “sticky”. This means that the bonus is for wagering purposes only and can not be cashed out once you have reached your wagering requirements.
How do these sticky bonuses work?
I’ve seen two ways in general and I prefer to get one over the other if possible. The first type of sticky bonus will allow you to make wagers from your bonus money account, which is separate from the money you actually deposited. If you win, the money used to make the wager is put back into the bonus account and the money won is deposited into the money account. If you lose, the money is subtracted from the bonus money account.
The other way I’ve seen is more common and is a true sticky bonus. The casino will have you wager your real money first. You will never use your bonus money unless you lose all of your real money first. I don’t personally care for this kind of bonus but it still is more worthwhile to not having a bonus to play with.
If the casino is really cool, they will let you keep your bonus money after you make your first withdrawal. Most sticky bonuses do not allow this and your bonus money will be gone after you cash out.
Here is how I view these bonuses: As a blackjack player (which I definitely am) I am going to go through some ups and downs no matter what. If I only have $200, I’m probably going to run into a cold streak long enough to get frustrated and waste my last $50 on one bet. Having $400 to play with when I only deposited $200 is going to give me an advantage because I can go on some hot streaks and make the money back before I get desperate.
Cashable bonus – Another way I’ve seen before is to not have separate accounts and you are given the bonus money with the money you deposited. This is typically a cashable casino bonus, meaning once you complete the wagering requirements you can withdraw the bonus money out of the account.
Which online casinos offer good blackjack bonuses?
My favorite place to play for a blackjack bonus is Bodog Casino. You can get a 100% sign up bonus worth up to $200 (cashable bonus) to play any casino game besides craps, roulette, baccarat and pai gow poker.
I had no problem with BetUS Casino with this bonus and was able to make a withdrawal without hassle. They do have a wagering requirement of 40 times before you can make a withdrawal. Make sure you go a bit over that requirement before you try to cash out all your money. They may raise your wagering requirement if they think you are only playing for the bonus.
In addition to that, they also offer a weekly bonus called Extra Point Monday where you can either get a 10% or 15% bonus for making a deposit on Monday between 4:00 and 6:00 PM EST. It will be credited to you after you bet the money you deposited 1 time. $100-$499 deposit gets a 10% bonus, $500+ gets a 15% bonus.
Another place I like to play is Cherry Red Casino. They offer a 200% sticky bonus that is worth up to $1200 for a deposit of $600. Have you ever wanted to feel comfortable gambling $25 hands. With $1800, you should be able to play for quite a while.
This is a sticky bonus, so you will be using your real money first; but having that much money to bet with can give you an edge and help you build a bankroll. The other thing that makes this a great bonus is that it only has a 20 times rollover before you are allowed to cash out. I’m serious, most online casinos have 50 times rollover minimum for blackjack, even for sticky bonuses.
Things to watch out for with blackjack bonuses
I don’t like it when an online casino tries to take advantage of a player by trying to pull something shady in order to not have to pay the player. I’ve had this happen before. Mainly, this is the case with smaller online casinos that aren’t well known.
Here is what happened to me: I got a 100% blackjack bonus for $500 from a casino that they claimed to be cashable. Once I was finished with the requirements, I wanted to cash out but was told that I couldn’t because I hadn’t yet risked any of my own money. This wasn’t listed anywhere in their rules for the bonus, they just made it up. So I would have to lose all of the bonus money in order to cash out or they weren’t going to let me cash out.
What do you do if this happens to you?
1) Talk with the casino and tell a casino representative your problem. Make sure that you haven’t broken any of their written rules.
2) If that doesn’t work, try to get a third party to help you settle things. If you were referred to the online casino by a website, try to get someone from that website to talk with the casino. They are most likely an affiliate of the casino and won’t like having their players getting screwed with. I have done this before for other players and have resolved problems this way.
3) If that doesn’t work either, time to cut your losses, blast that casino on the online casino forums and don’t associate with them again.
How can you avoid something like this from happening?
Online casinos can void your bonus for any number of reasons. But in general they won’t because that isn’t good business. They want legitimate casino players that are going to stick around for a while.
The number one mistake that players make that irks online casinos is trying to cash out right after they complete the wagering requirements. This makes it look like you just wanted to make money off of their bonus (online casinos call it bonus abuse). I would recommend that you go another 5 to 10 percent over the wagering requirement before cashing out. The worst that usually happens is that the casino won’t offer you another bonus if you cash out right away or they will make your wagering requirements higher.
Posted on September 5, 2010 - by admin
Bonuses for Casino Games
You always have to be wary about excepting some bonuses from online casinos. For the most part, there are several games that online casinos do not want you playing when you are using one of their bonuses. The four main casino games that come to mind are Roulette, Craps, Baccarat and Pai Gow Poker.
For the most part, casinos should be fine with you betting on these games; you just won’t earn any credit towards your bonus’ wagering requirement. But be careful because there are some casinos may specifically say that they can revoke your bonus and any winnings if you play a game that isn’t approved. Be sure to read the casinos bonus terms and conditions. Specifically look for any part that they tell you they will void the bonus and any winnings. This is most likely to happen if you try to cash out before you reach your wagering requirement.
The fact is that not many online casinos will allow you to play games like Roulette, Craps, or Baccarat in association with their casino bonus.
Very rarely will you find a bonus that includes European Roulette; the American version of Roulette is more likely to be allowed. This is because European Roulette has half the house advantage without the 00 on the board.
Also, I have not found an online casino yet that has a bonus with the dice game of Sic Bo. But if you like playing this game, or any casino game that isn’t allowed with a bonus, make sure that the casino will allow you to play without wagering the bonus money.
This is often how online casinos set up a player’s real account. You will see two separate totals: your real money and your bonus money. Good online casinos (or at least the ones that I like) will allow you to play other games not covered under the rules for the bonus. Instead, they will just take the money from your real money total and not credit you for any wagering towards the bonus.
What bonus should I take if I like to play Scratch Cards and/or Keno?
It is almost always the case that players at any online casino that offers casino games like Keno or virtual Scratch Cards will allow these games to be played with the casino’s slots bonus.
So why don’t online casinos offer bonuses for some casino games?
There are two basic answers for this: First, these games have odds that are very close to 50/50. Compare that to the slot machines which will typically pay out between 40% to 45%. This means that the casinos are trying to give players incentives to deposit money and come back when playing games that they are more likely to lose at.
The second reason that these games are not often allowed to be played, even when other games like blackjack and casino poker variants are allowed, is because of the ability of the player to abuse the wagering requirements.
In a lot of online casinos, a player can wager on both Red and Black in roulette. Several years ago, online players took advantage of this and were able to fulfill the wagering requirements and cash out the bonus by doing this. The likelihood of losing the bet by getting a 0 or 00 wasn’t very good.
The same holds true in craps, where a player could technically bet on Pass and Don’t Pass or Come and Don’t Come. This would credit the player for wagering money that could not be lost. Baccarat is very similar as the gambler could bet on Player and Bank. Online casinos caught on very early on in the process and chose to disallow these casino games rather than program the games to not allow dishonest players.
Pai Gow Poker is a little bit different. The reason this game often does not count towards casino bonus wagers is mainly because there is a high probability to Push with the Banker, thus making the process of wagering money a little bit less risky. It is also a game that is very close to 50/50 odds against the banker, if not for the 5% commission paid to the bank on wins.
Online Casinos that offer Bonuses for these Casino Games
If you are a fan of any of these games, you may think that it would be better for you not to accept a bonus and be able to play the casino games that you want without restriction.
I do have good news for you, though. There are several online casinos that offer a casino bonus of one kind or another while allowing you to play almost any game.
If you like playing these games and want to get a bonus, here is the online casino that I would suggest for you:
English Harbour: They have a bonus that is all purpose and almost all inclusive as far as playing different casino games goes. English Harbour’s welcome bonus is a series of bonuses for your first 4 deposits. Each deposit can receive a maximum of $200 on a deposit of the same value.
They have an interesting way of doing this bonus. For slots players, the wagering requirement is 20 times the total amount of the deposit and bonus combined. From there, English Harbour awards a percentage of the wager for other games. The only casino game that is not allowed is European Roulette.
For craps and baccarat wagers, you will receive 35% of your bet towards the wagering requirement. This is about the same as having a 50x requirement overall, which is better than you will find anywhere else.
For American Roulette and Pai Gow Poker – not so much, you will only receive 10% towards the requirement (or 200x overall – seriously that’s too much) which means you better like playing other games if you ever want to meet the requirements to cash out. That being said, at least you aren’t restricted from playing and no other places offer anything better.
