Archive for May, 2010
The number of people opting to play what is known as ‘online video poker’ in the various Internet casino establishments has always been high since the game was first offered online. This strongly suggests that this is a highly popular game, which in turn strongly suggests that it is either a particularly exciting game, or a game in which there is potential for spectacular winnings; for it to be so popular, but what is the case?
Actually, as it turns out, both situations obtain: it is an extremely exciting poker game, as well as a game in which the potential to get quite spectacular winnings exists; naturally depending on how much of a risk you would be willing to take on. Online video poker is simply the Internet-based adaptation of the traditional ‘video poker’ we always had. This means that in order to understand the workings of game, we need some basic understanding of video poker in general.
As it turns out, video poker gets its name from the platform on which it is played, which happens to be a computer console that somewhat resembles a video presentation platform. It is one of the games in which a ‘hand’ is made of five cards. It is also one of the games where man gets to play against machine, rather than ‘man against man.’ As with any other poker game played in a casino, the first step in playing video poker is the placement of bets. Seeing that this is a ‘computerized’ form of poker, the betting is done by putting money into the console.
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Back in 1996, the explosion of online casino gambling swept the world. The United States had been a large part of this, and many gamblers had turned to online casinos for all of their gaming. For many years, these casinos continued to be played unabated. Unfortunately, back in 2006, legislation was passed that made it slightly difficult for online casinos to continue to operate. This legislation, sneaked in by piggyback through the Safe Port Act, would be named the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, and it became a thorn in the side of the online gambler, the online casino, and all payment processors there in.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, or the UIGEA, had, in a nutshell, prohibited banks and payment processors from processing transactions that would correlate to online gambling. This has not only complicated loading accounts, but also withdrawing. While USA online casinos have continued to operate, they have had to use payment processors that would circumvent these restrictions. Sadly, the UIGEA was not even set to go into effect until December of 2009, thought the implications of the legislation had fall out that would be nothing short of catastrophic for many online gambling companies, especially those that relied heavily on the United States market.
The UIGEA had hamstrung many of the operations around the world that utilized the American market in order to stay ahead in profits, all the while keeping losses to a low. The implications ran deep, damaging many companies operating these casinos. Not only had some of the larger, publicly traded online casinos taken a major hit to the price per share, which in turn hurt the shareholders of those companies, but also cost the companies profits from the United States Market. PartyGaming comes to mind specifically, though other large gambling firms had taken a hit. Additionally, many executives in charge of several of the online casinos, including Anurag Dikshit, one of the early founders of PartyGaming, had been indicted and fined for their involvement in online gambling – despite the fact that these companies had been based outside of the United States. Payment processors had also been significantly impacted, as many of these financial companies had taken a blow from federal persecution, which, in some cases, amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars in seizures. Sadly, the UIGEA had not even been invoked in many of these seizures. Rather, the Wire Act of 1961, a law that had been passed years before the Internet was even beginning to develop into what we see today.
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Video poker games came to the market over 30 years ago, and became a gaming industry hit in the 1980-s. Traditional table card games like Baccarat or Blackjack, Craps or various types of Poker played live at land based casinos can be a stressful and nervous experience for some people due to the fact that you play a live game against other people sitting right across you, and looking straight in your eyes. Quite a few people would consider this ordeal intimidating and uncomfortable, while playing the same poker game against a machine would put away these negative moments. Video poker games allow players to use their strategic skills so necessary for laying table games and enjoy a quiet, undisturbed time spent alone in front of the game screen.
Video poker is a machine based on rules of five-card poker. While no game strategy will help you win when playing against a slot machine, and the outcome of the game is completely unpredictable and random, the result of a video poker game can be somewhat affected by a well-thought and well-played strategy.
To play a video poker game you bet a certain number of coins to deal five cards on the game screen. If you activate the maximum bet, it triggers larger payouts on the higher ranked hands. You choose cards to hold, and draw poker cards to replace other cards which have been done with. At the end of the video poker game you get paid according to the payout table for the game.
Payouts percentages vary for different poker games. Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better poker machines are well-known for its relatively high payout percentages, which sometimes reach 100%! When you are skillful enough, you have a good edge against the house. Some online casinos offer very large jackpots.
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With over 160 companies developing software for online casinos as of 2008, the online casino software market is a competitive industry and shows little signs of slowing down. However, not every one of these companies shares an equal slice of the pie. Like any multi-billion dollar industry, there are what they call the “big dogs.” It is these companies that set the standards and continue to raise the bar in the online gaming industry.
Each online casino software provider has their own style. Just like Microsoft’s XBOX and Nintendo Wii have their own style and audience, so do online casino software providers. For example, if someone wanted a war game with graphic violence, their best bet would be to purchase the XBOX 360. If someone were interested in more family oriented material, they would purchase a Wii. Each company has their own niche and a style all their own. Becoming familiar with these companies can be a tremendous help to prospective players in determining which online casino works best for them.
Since many casinos license their games from these major software providers, it would be a good idea to find a developer that makes games you like and find other casinos that license games from them. Below are some of the major online casino software providers to help point you in the right direction.
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