Ever wondered how all those casino bonuses work?

Confused about the multitude of terms and conditions?

Stanton Tweni is here to explain the basics of casino bonuses.

The post Casino bonuses: What you need to know appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.

Let’s admit that for the first timer, craps can be not a little bit intimidating.

So many squares.

So many numbers.

A pair of dice, four casino croupiers taking note of every action on the table, an elongated wooden stick, and a chunk of chips that have to be placed with the utmost accuracy on, or even behind, all those carefully drawn squares?

It’s confusing. In fact, to someone who interprets the world visually and spatially, a craps table can seem to lie halfway between a Piet Mondrian masterpiece and those little arithmetic times tables you learnt at age 11.

Let’s talk straight: the single most important bet you can ever make on the craps table is the Pass line bet.

When you scan the table from the bottom to the top from the player’s perspective, you’ll notice that the Pass line is the very first square you encounter. It’s the closest square to you on the board, and in many ways it’s also the most essential and fundamental to your game play.

From the get-go, we want to let you know that the Pass line gives you what is probably the best winning odds of all the other squares. That’s because it carries the lowest house advantage of 1.41%. Compared to some of other odds at some of the other games, those are really excellent odds.

Think of craps as a neat little collection of countries, all with different laws, different payouts, and different ways of doing things. Let’s extend the metaphor just one step further. What do we know about countries?

1.   Some countries have stricter wagering requirements than others

Different bets have different denominational requirements. For instance, the 6/8 place bets must be wagered in multiples of six. That’s because the Place 6/8 has 7:6 odds, whereas the 5/9 and 4/10 bets have 7:5 and 9:5 odds respectively. Casino chips only come in integer denominations, so betting on the 6/8 squares in multiples of 5 would just get messy and confusing.

2.   Some countries tax you more than others

There’s a reason so many millionaires store their money is so-called ‘tax havens’ like the Cayman Islands. They get taxed less on a buck-for-buck basis. It’s the same in craps. Some bets are taxed – like Buy bets, which are for all intents and purposes the same as Place bets but with an important difference: they pay at true odds. Most payouts at the casino are made at casino odds, which are a bit less than the true odds value. It’s one of the core ways from which the house derives its profits. But here’s the kicker: not to be outdone by a petulant no-profit bet, the house will “tax” you on your Buy bet at 5%. Woof!

3.   Some countries aggressively take your profits

Some craps bets are so downright nonsensical from the player’s perspective that it boggles the mind why some people even make these bets. Think about the proposition bets. There’s good reason that these bets are called sucker bets. On the plus side, their payouts are handsome. A Craps “2”, for instance – a bet that snake eyes (that’s craps code for 2) will be rolled immediately after the wager – will pay you at 30:1. And while that sounds all good and well, when you factor in your actual chances of winning such a bet it becomes clear that the odds aren’t pitted in your favor. Proposition rolls are single­ roll bets, so you have but one round to make your profit. Not the sharpest bet. And at a house edge of over 13% you’re battling against a mountain of disadvantage, which only hurts your bankroll and, by extension, your profit-making potential.

Best advice we can give to the new comer?

Stick to the Pass line. And when the game moves from the come-out roll to the point, stick to the Come. It’s just safer.

As an alternative, the brave at heart can also play the Don’t Pass Line

The post Playing the Pass Line appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.

I need some help when it comes to roulette. Is it better to just put as many chips as I can on the table to ensure that I hit at least one number, or is it better to be selective about things and play only a few key, “lucky” numbers and make a massive profit on a win? I’m confused.

I trust you, Sunriseinsurance, trust that you’ll give me the right information. Please help. I don’t want to lose more money than I have to. In fact I want to win some.

Sincerely

Caitlin Emily

Dear Caitlin,

How many times have you been idly walking past the roulette table and seen a player score really big? Because it must be said that the only really big winners in roulette or those who don’t punch a leak in their bankroll pockets just to hit some kind of number at the end of the round. You’ve seen the guys who do: they’re so mortified at the idea of losing around that they will far too generously spread their chips around the table, covering virtually every square they can find. Will they get a hit? Chances are… yes, absolutely. But the more important question to ask is what has their bet cost them?

Let’s do some good old mathematics

Let’s imagine that you placed $10 on every one of the inside bets on the roulette table. Now, if we’re  talking European roulette (and really, that’s the only roulette we’re willing to play, given that it gives such improved odds compared to its American cousin), we know that there are 37 squares on which one can bet. This includes zero. Now, $10 on each of those squares means we’ve outlaid at least $370 in order to be guaranteed a payout of $350. See what’s happened there? Our odds are 1 in 37, but we are paid out at 35 to 1 odds. So already, the casino has made many money even when it pays us money.

Let’s say we didn’t bet on every square, but that we bet on a majority of squares. Let’s use 25 squares as an example. Although there is a very good chance that we’ll get a hit, the cost of the bet will be very high, and could very well outweigh our potential winnings. You see, although we’ve covered most of the board, we’ve also substantially increased the (opportunity) cost of a loss. In other words, although on the face of it we seem to have reduced our risk, we actually just increased it. The difference is that we’ve done it from another end. Instead of wagering less, and over less squares, we have risked losing a chunk of chips on a seemingly good value bet. And if we lose out? All those 25 chips go away. Big loss.

Let’s get down to what I’m trying to tell you…

What we’re trying to say is this: don’t think that by wagering more chips you’re somehow bettering your chances of scoring a positive bankroll. Granted, betting more will definitely mean scoring more straight-up hits. But straight up hits don’t mean anything unless they mean a better bankroll, or profit.

The post Roulette: Is betting more chips always a better strategy? appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.

The more I trawl through the online landscape, the more I realise that they are casino hills and casino valleys. Which is to say, there are some establishments out there that fly their proverbial flag high, honouring the patrons with quick payments, reliable security, and good support; they are others, however, they just feel dodgy. How am I supposed to know the good ones from the bad ones?

Yours truly

Wan Sum Help

Dear Wan,

If there was an easy answer to your question, we probably wouldn’t even be here on this site. The rub of the online space is finding honest merchants. Unfortunately, the casino industry as a whole is full of thieves and swindlers, which makes it tricky to find a good gambling joint. Unfortunately, a great front end doesn’t mean anything in this industry. Pretty banners, alluring jackpot widgets, scantily clad babes in superhero costumes… they really mean nothing if the casino you’re at isn’t rock solid in terms of security, dependability, and fairness.

Well, there are two things you could look for: one is a gaming license from Malta or Gibralta (these tend to be more recognised licenses then many others), the other is some kind of external certification system like eCOGRA.

The fact is, Wan, we’ve tried to make things easier for you by listing casinos that we trust. And if we trust them, you can sure as heck trust them too. We won’t endorse any establishment, group, collective, organization, or individual that doesn’t meet our exacting standards.

Stanton’s word on the matter:

I’d suggest you start with our Approved Casino List.

 Going anywhere else… well that’s just a gamble.

The post Is this Casino Safe? How do I tell? appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.

One thing that has resolutely confused me since I started gambling on the Internet is the difference between instant play and download casinos. Why the distinction? Am I meant to download a big file every time I want to play? Is that instant play option safe? I get so confused sometimes.

I know that you’ll tell it like it is: it’s one of the things I really admire about you.

Any words of wisdom?

Heim Confused

Dear Heim,

No one likes to be confused. You feel like you’re at sea. And it’s especially not pretty when the confusion is related to your bankroll. Money is a precious thing. A man has to eat, doesn’t he?

Let’s ease your confusion. Almost all casinos have this distinction between instant play and a download option. The instant play function is for those who want to play quickly, easily and you often switch between computers on a regular basis. There is no risk of your password being saved. Also, in some countries the cost of bandwidth is quite high. Can you imagine having to download a large program every time you want to play the casino on a different computer? It would add up to quite a lot of money. So, casinos make any easier and more accessible option available in the form of instant play.

Now, you might be wondering, if instant play is so great then why download the casino in the first place? I can think of two reasons: firstly, the visual and visceral experience of the downloaded version is often superior to the instant version. They’re just able to cram more in. Secondly, many casinos have bonuses that they will give only two players on the download. It’s just the way they structure their offerings.

Stanton’s word on matter:

There are advantages and disadvantages to both instant play and the download versions. If you always play on the same PC, stick with the download. If you’re like me and want to stay under the radar, go instant play.

The post Download version or Instant Play? Which is better? appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.

I’ve been following your work quite closely, and I feel I have a connection with you. Just like you, my own father also died from lung cancer. In retrospect, though, it was probably a combination of things that led to his death, certainly not helped by the rampant boozing each weekend at the local gambling house. I think that’s where our stories really collide: I see in you someone who’s taken every oddball moment that life has thrown at him and become smarter and savvier in the process. I decided to try online gambling for myself, and I wanted to pick your brain about where to start. Playing slots over and over again gets a little boring. Can you give me any advice?

Yours in admiration,

Novice

Dear Novice,

Those cancer sticks will get you every time, I’m waiting for the day they’ll come knocking for me. You’d think a guy whose dad pegged from the black lung would be smarter.  Sometimes, I wonder. And don’t get me started on what too much boozing means. But enough about me.

Thanks for sharing your story. I’m a straight talking kind of guy, so let’s cut to the chase: casinos are only ever out for themselves. They’re a business, an outfit, an organisation, a racket of businessmen. Don’t ever expect them to be nicer to you than they have to. With that in mind, you really have to keep your wits about you when you step onto that casino floor. You’re probably better off not pandering to the slots all the time: some of those machines have quite a high edge to them, which can really bite your bankroll.

I was tempted to tell you to try craps, specifically the Pass line bet. It has a relatively low house edge compared to some of the other bets. If you’re a first timer at the tables, though, I’d steer clear of the game. There’s so much happening all at once. Read up on the rules of craps first. Make sure you get a good feeling for the game, for how the different squares work, and then play by all means. Until then, I’d go back and forth between a basic probability strategy at Blackjack and a few rounds on the Roulette table.

Blackjack will remind you that understanding the heart of the game does pay off.

Roulette will remind you that chance is chancy, and very liable to ups and downs.

Good luck, Novice.

The post So Many Games! Where do I Start? appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.

I recently decided to withdraw some money from a casino I opened an account with not too long ago.  I’ve actually had a great time playing with them and I’ve won a substantial amount of money.  But, I hear it takes a long time to withdraw.  I was hoping to have the money within a few days and, after having spoken to a few friends, it seems to me like they might take a while.  Why is that?  It’s my money.  I should be able to access it.

Sincerely,

Frustrated

Dear Frustrated,

I’m sorry for your frustration.  I know it’s immensely trying when you’ve got money that you’ve won and yet you can’t access it.  Casinos will only withhold your funds on your first withdrawal until their risk screening department are satisfied that you are the account holder and meet the casino’s requirements.  Usually, the casino will request a copy of your ID document and a copy of a utility bill – these must be clear.  When they are not clear, complications may arise and your money may be withheld for longer than you expect (until they get a clear copy).  Once the casino has received your documentation, they will keep it on file and never sell it to a third party – you need not worry.  This will only be to verify your identification.

Casinos do take longer than other establishments to pay out.  It is believed that this in the hopes that you and other player will reverse their withdrawal or at least some of it.  Indeed, all casinos will allow a player to reverse their withdrawal.

Nonetheless, if you are patient, you will get your money.  So, Frustrated, you can relax.

Good luck!

Vera

The post How Long do Casinos Take to Pay Out? appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.

Thanks to you, I now know what a match bonus is.  And I have thought twice.  In fact, I don’t even know if I want if I want to opt in.  I’m nervous to go play lest they try rope me in to accepting the bonus.  Is there a way that I can opt out?

Sincerely,

Flustered

Dear Flustered,

Nice to hear from you again.  I’m sorry that you are still feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the casino you are dealing with.  But, don’t worry: you can always opt out.  You just need to ensure you opt out before you make your first deposit.  This goes for any online casino you might encounter – you will always get an opt-out option.  Should you opt out, you will be excluded from all bonuses and promotions.  In some ways this will save you from a lot of hassle and get the casino out of your hair but, it may also reduce your chances of making money (as you will have less money to play with).

Nevertheless, you will be under no obligation to play a certain amount of times nor will you be tied to the casino in any way.  You will be able to withdraw or deposit your money as you see fit, and what you see on your digital counter is truly all yours to do with as you see fit (and is available immediately).

Flustered, I hope this helps you to make a decision regarding whether or not you would like to accept certain bonuses.

Good luck!

Vera

The post Are Casino Bonuses Compulsory? appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.

I was browsing the internet the other day and I was bored.  On impulse, I decided I’d take a shot at this online casino thing – I was really in the mood for a game of poker (I’m a Texas Hold ‘Em kind of gal).  When I’d registered with the account the casino offered me a match bonus.  I got so flustered – it seemed too good to be true.  I believe in blessings darling but this?  The casino was just giving me money but this seemed too good to be true?  Tell me Vera, is it?

Sincerely,

Flustered

Dear Flustered,

Well, I can imagine it must seem overwhelming, but the fact is the casino was indeed trying to give you money.   A match bonus is when the casino will match your deposit according to a particular percentage (usually up to a certain limit).  Although, this giving away of money does usually come with conditions.

Usually a casino will dictate that a player will have to wager the money a certain amount of times before they can withdraw it – this is often 20 or 30 times.  So yes, Flustered, I think you are right in feeling a little overwhelmed as this is quite a big commitment.  Obviously, if you turn a profit with the cash, you could win big – but you are wise to think twice.

Good luck!

Vera

The post What is a Match Bonus? appeared first on Casino Sunriseinsurance.