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Las Vegas Gaming
Center: Tips, Advise, Practice Games.
Slots
Blackjack Poker
Video Poker
Craps Baccarat
Roulette
Gambling Taxes
Sharpen your gambling skills
and practice gambling before you go to Las Vegas with these free online casino practice games and tips. A few minutes here may let you win big in Vegas!
 Slots
Playing tip: Slots have the worst odds in Las Vegas (house advantage is about
10%), so if you lose you have been warned. Table games, like blackjack,
craps or baccarat will give you a much better chance of winning. The casinos
fill the place with slot machines because they take in the most money from
them. A major plus to playing them is that you can spend a lot of time
playing and not risk much if you play the nickel or dime machines (quarter
machines can add up fast). They are also a source of mindless entertainment,
which for many is one of the reasons we like to go to Las Vegas. That being
said, here is some advice for you avid slot players who are set on winning
that multi-million dollar jackpot. The higher you bet per slot pull, the
better your odds of winning. A one dollar machine has much better odds than
a nickel machine. Always play the maximum coins. The higher payout machines
tend to be hidden and not in the front of the casino. If a machine has
recently paid out it could mean it is a "loose" machine and *may* payout big
again sooner than other machines. Don't keep playing a losing machine. Go on
to another. Casinos will rarely put two loose machines next to each other,
so if a machine is winning don't play the one on either side of you. If you
are losing on a machine stop after about six loses in a row and move to
another machine. A good machine to pick is one that recently paid off well.
If you see someone winning big, wait for them to leave. Another way to pick
a machine is look for a jackpot left on the reels as the last spin. Have a
preset spending limit each day and be sure to stop when you hit it. You can
always play again the next day or on your next trip to Vegas. However, never
stop on a winning streak. Hotels can vary a lot in how loose or tight their
machines are set (within the legal limits).
A study was done by the Las Vegas Advisor comparing various hotels and
showed that the The Palms had the loosest slots in Vegas. You might give
them a try on your next trip. For more information on slot playing see our
guides below:
Playing Guide: Slot Machine Basics
More Slot Playing Advice: Ten Tips for Slot Players
Slot Machine Winning Strategies
Free Flash/Java Slot Machine Practice Games:
Riverbelle Slots
Lucky Nugget Slots
Gaming Club Slots
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 Blackjack
Playing tip: Blackjack involves skill in addition to
luck. Learn basic playing strategies to maximize your chances of winning. The
house only has a 0.5% advantage if you play by the basic rules ... if you
don't follow these rules the house advantages soars to over 7 percent (not
much worse than slot machines). Here are 4 simple rules you should learn and
memorize well to give you an edge and play close to 50 percent. You can do
better with more advanced techniques, but that just gives you a a fraction more percentage points for a lot more work. Be sure to practice using these rules before you try them (you can use the
free online flash blackjack link listed below). The rules are easy to learn,
but take practice to master (maybe a few hours of play). Use the blackjack
practice game link to try it out. In Vegas you will have a lot of
distractions, so you need to know things cold to get it right when you play
for money. A small investment of
time will make a huge difference when you play in Las Vegas.
Click here for a printable
version of these rules.
Hit or Stand is a
great website to practice blackjack strategy rules and learn while you play
online against a computer.
Blackjack Strategy Rules:
1.) If the dealer's up
card is 7 or higher, continue to draw cards until you have a
hard count of at least 17 or higher,
or a soft count of 18 or higher. A hard count
means you have no Aces that can count as 1 or 11. A soft count
means you do have an Ace.
2.) If the dealer's up card is 6 or
lower, draw cards until you have at least 12. Stop when you have
12 or higher.
3.) Double down when your
first two cards total 10 or 11 IF the
dealer has a 9 or lower.
4.) Always split aces and
eights. Do not split any other pairs.
5.) Do
not take insurance.
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Blackjack Playing Guides:
How to Play Blackjack
Blackjack
Winning Strategies
Free Blackjack Practice Games (no downloading required):
Riverbelle Blackjack
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 Poker
Playing tip: Poker requires the most
skill of any game in Las Vegas. It requires learning the rules, knowing basic
playing strategy, and learning to read other players (a bit of psychology).
We highly suggest you practice a lot before playing in Las Vegas. Reading a good
book on poker is another good idea. One of the best practice poker games we have
seen comes from
PartyPoker.com
. They have the largest number of online players and will give you a lot of good players for you to go up against (similar to what you might encounter in Las Vegas). Their site lets you play against real players and is worth downloading. Here is a link to
learn the rules of poker, including Texas Hold'em. You can also take a look at our Poker Dictionary to get familiar with all the terms.
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 Video Poker
Playing tip: Video Poker requires a lot of
skill and luck. You need to learn the percentage edge of different hands and
what beats what. Learn to read the machine odds and know which ones pay better
(they don't all pay the same). As with regular poker, reading a good book on poker strategy can
go a long way in helping you keep your edge. If you follow basic rules the
house has a 3 percent edge. Here is a
link to learn the basics. Knowing the odds of various hands can help you
make decisions.
Here is a printable
version of poker card odds.
Video Poker
Guide: Video Poker Basics
Free
Video Poker Practice Games:
All
American
Deuces Wild
Double Bonus
Jacks or Better
Joker Wild
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Craps
 Playing tip: Craps is one of the most
exciting games in Las Vegas. A single game can last several minutes, so you
really get your money's worth in terms of playing action. There are many bets,
but the one that will give you the best odds is to bet Pass or Don't Pass (house
advantage is 2 percent). Go
with your hunch and don't be afraid to bet Don't Pass if you feel the
shooter will not make the point. You can also backup your bet after a roll
(assuming you did not lose) and increase your bet to pickup an additional
percentage edge. This is always suggested. Here is
a link a that
describes all the different bets and how to play. Again, your best bet is to simply go Pass
(shooter will win) or Don't Pass (shooter will lose). As with any game, set you
limits and walk away from the table if you hit them. Learn to walk away when you
reach your winning limit. There is always the next
day or your next trip to Vegas to catch up.
Craps Playing Guides: Craps Rules
Craps Winning
Strategies
Free
Craps Practice Games:
Craps
Practice Game
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Baccarat
 Playing tip: Baccarat has one of the best odds in
Las Vegas (house edge is under 1.4%). It is like Pass / Don't Pass in craps, but
you are betting on certain hands coming up that the dealer plays. We won't go
into the details, but it has to do with getting closest to 9. Pictures cards are
worth zero. You can bet on yourself winning or the dealer. They also have a bet
on a tie hand, but that is really a sucker bet and should be avoided. The
minimum playing amount for a game can be steep, but many casinos have
mini-baccarat games that start at $5 per bet. You may have troubles finding the
baccarat tables, so ask around (there is a reason they are hard to find, since
the casinos make the least amount of money from this game).
There is a major
downside to baccarat: The games go very fast and a round is often done in less
than a minute, so you can lose very fast (also win fast). You must be very
strict with limits and watch your bankroll with this game. Learn to walk away
when you reach your winning limit. Try
playing some practice games using the links below. You will be amazed at how
simple it is to play.
Baccarat Guide: How to Play baccarat
Free Baccarat Practice Games:
Baccarat Practice Game
(Java)
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Roulette
 Playing tip: Roulette is all luck. The odds
are worse than almost any game in Vegas except for Slots and Keno (5.3 percent
edge on outside bets). However, it
is fun. Betting on Black or Red, Odd/Even, or any of the outside bets has the
best odds. If you can find a table with only "0" instead of the usual "0" and
"00" it will give you much better odds... some of the casinos in downtown have
single "0" tables. Everyone loses when a "0" or "00" come up, unless you bet
on these numbers, which is a poor bet. Playing numbers are the worst odds, but
if you are very lucky you can win big. Be sure to watch your bankroll, since
games can go very fast. Just go with a hunch and play black/red. If you feel
red coming on bet it. Don't pay any attention to previous outcomes. 100 reds
could come up and the odds of getting another red are still the same. Walk
away when you reach your loss limit. Learn to walk away when you reach your
winning limit too!
Roulette Guide: How to play roulette
Roulette Winning Strategy Guide
Roulette Practice Games:
Roulette Practice Game
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