Tag Archives: analysis

FanDuel Sued by Redskins WR Garcon

Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon is suing FanDuel for misuse of his name and likeness. He is seeking class action status on behalf of NFL players similarly situated.

From the complaint:

  • Professional athletes’ names and likenesses are valuable intangible property. 
  • Indeed, Plaintiff’s and Class members’ continued popularity and successful performance on the field are critical to their own commercial success and the commercial success of the NFL.
  • Plaintiff, and upon information the other NFL players, have not consented,in writing or otherwise, to Defendant FanDuel’s use of their names or likenesses to promote or to operate its daily fantasy sports product.

OK. I get it. Yes, NFL players should be compensated for the use of their names and likenesses. And FanDuel should pony up.

Like DraftKings does.

That’s right — the NFL Players Association has a contract with DraftKings and receives compensation for the use of player’s names and likenesses. I don’t have the details of what that compensation schedule looks like, but that’s not my point here.

My point here is that this contract indicates to me that the NFL Players Association endorses fantasy sports in general. If the NFL Players Association objected to fantasy sports, they’d not have entered into this contract. And Garcon’s lawsuit would look very different and have very different claims — if it were to have been filed at all.

If you’d like to check out fantasy sport for yourself, you can go to FanDuel, DraftKings, and DraftDay. All have various promotions for new players.

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State scrutiny of daily fantasy sports grows

It was only a matter of time before some states challenged the UIGEA exemption for daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings, DraftDay, and FanDuel.

Starting with Nevada — which has told daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators to cease operating within their state without a gambling license — other states are now taking a much closer look at DFS.

One of the key issues is that DFS operators use gambling and betting related vocabulary when speaking about their site to anyone other than law enforcement. Another issue is the sniff test — it sure smells like gambling to anyone that cares to take a whiff.

But let’s take another look at this. It takes skill and analysis to determine the most probable profitable players to draft each week. You think that Manning will earn the most points this week? Who cares! The real question is which players — as a group — will earn the most points PER SALARY DOLLAR SPENT on drafting that player that week.

Gambling or not — DFS does make for a much more interesting sports  watching experience.

 

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Marking 10 Years in Online Gambling

This month marks my 10th year in the online gambling industry:

Oh, how things have changed since 2005.

Thinking back over the past 10 years, here’s my take on just some of big shifts that have happened in the industry. In no particular order…

  • Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 : A rider on a “must-pass” port security bill, the UIGEA resulted in the banning  of US players by 100s of online gambling sites. There are still several dozen online gambling sites that accept US players, but only a fraction of the number that were available prior to this act.
  • In 2008, Kentucky attempts to seize gambling site domains in an effort to stop illegal online gaming. Sites are down for at most a day or two; most just redirected to a .net or .eu domain. However, many online gambling sites now specifically ban players from this state.
  • Absolute Poker / Ultimate Bet Online Poker Cheating Exposed on 60 Minutes in 2008 : Savvy players analyzed online poker hand histories and discovered statistical anomalies that alerted them to the cheating. Former owner Russ Hamilton has since admitted his guilt in this scandal, having stolen around $17M.
  • Online Poker’s “Black Friday” of 2011 : Online poker in the United States is decimated as PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker were indicted on charges of bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling. It still has not recovered. Settlement talks are ongoing, some agreements have been reached, and some of the brands are attempting to make a comeback as US states begin to legalize and regulate intrastate online poker.
  • 2012 to present, states are moving to legalize and regulate intrastate online gambling. Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey all have some form of legal, regulated online gambling, with California, Washington, and other states not far behind. States are essentially claiming that online gambling, like lotteries and land-based casinos, are the purview of the states and not the feds — and it seems like no one is going to challenge that.

Some recent trends include:

  • The rate at which new online gambling sites come online has rapidly decelerated. Years ago, there were several new sites a month; now, I rarely hear about a new site coming online.
  • Many of the disreputable sites have gone out of business. Of the online gambling sites that remain, the vast majority are reputable, have been around for years, and have all the hallmarks of being in business for years to come.
  • Online gambling sites have adapted their sites to tablets and mobile phones; more and more players are playing on their iPads, iPhones,  and Android devices.
  • Just recently in the United States, some online gambling sites are paying out winnings to a player’s credit card. An all-electronic deposit and withdrawal system is necessary for widespread adoption of online gambling. Pre-UIGEA, NetTeller filled this role, but they were busted, paid fines, relocated from Canada to another jurisdiction, and currently steers clear of all United States markets.
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Top 5 Online Video Poker Games with 99.5%+ Payback

Finding video poker games with the highest paytables at land-based casinos can be difficult.

  • There are usually just a few of machines that have the “full-pay”, or best-you-can-expect-to-find, paytables.
  • They are often hidden away in the back corners of the casino.
  • They are often moved around from time to time so you have to hunt for them each time you go to the casino.

Finding video poker games at online casinos with the highest paytables is a snap. Why? Because I have do it for you!

Slots of Vegas - Wanna Play Video Poker (200% Signup Bonus)

Here is the list of the top video poker games and their payback percentages that you will find at online casinos.

  1. Joker Poker (99.97%) – Bovada
  2. Two Ways Royal (99.79%) – Tropical Cash – Player Edge
  3. Aces and Eights (99.78%) – Slots of Vegas
  4. All American (99.59%) – Slots of Vegas
  5. Jacks or Better (99.54%) – Many online casinos, including BovadaTropical Cash – Player EdgeSlots of Vegas

All three of these sites are US-friendly, and have 5-star ratings at The Online Casino Gambling Directory.

 

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Guide to Best Paytables for 19 Online Video Poker Games

In my last blog post, I provided an update to the video poker paytables for 19 video poker games found at online casinos. In this blog post, I’ve summarized the easiest way to get complete coverage of the best paytables for these video poker games.

Step 1. Open accounts at these six online casinos. All are US-friendly and are 5-star rated by The Online Casino Gambling Directory.

Step 2. Use the table below to determine where to play each video poker game. For example, Joker Poker video poker should be played at Bovada, Deuces Wild video poker should be played at Bingo Fest, while Jacks or Better video poker can be played at any of Slots of Vegas, Bovada, or Treasure Mile.

Game Payback SOV BOV TM 3D TC BF
Aces and Eights 99.78  
Aces and Face 99.25  
All American 99.59  
Bonus Deuces Wild 99.45      
Bonus Poker 99.16      
Bonus Poker Deluxe 99.44    
Deuces and Joker 99.06  
Deuces Wild 99.48  
Double Bonus 99.45  
Double Double Bonus 98.98      
Double Joker 98.54  
Jacks or Better 99.54      
Joker Poker 99.97  
Loose Deuces 99.13  
Super Double Bonus 99.49  
Tens or Better 89.47  
Triple Bonus 98.15  
Triple Double Bonus 97.60  
Two Ways Royal 99.79  

Good luck and have fun!

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Online Video Poker Paytables Updated

Do you love video poker? I know I do. In fact, I’m kind of obsessed with it, and am always looking for any edge I can get against the online video poker machines.

I’ve just completed updating my online video poker page to include the current paytables for 19 video poker games that are common at online casinos. In addition, I have made it much easier to see which online casino offers the lowest house edge / highest player return for each video poker game. As shown in the image below, your best bet is highlighted in bold font on a light green background.

 

Here are links to the paytables for the 19 video poker games that are most common at online casinos.

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Don’t play online video poker until you read this

One of the first things that video poker players learn is to pay attention to the pay table for the video poker game that they are playing. In the long run, the difference between a 9/6 and an 8/5 Jacks or Better machine is enormous.

(For the uninitiated, the “N/M” designation for a Jacks or Better machine refers to the payouts for a Full House and a Flush, respectively. The payouts for other winning hands are (usually) the same for all Jacks or Better machines, e.g. 1 for a high pair, 2 for two pair, 3 for a three of a kind, etc.)

Just like when playing video poker in a land-based casino, online video poker players should shop around and compare pay tables at various online casinos. This is a time-consuming process — I know because I have done it for three popular video poker games: Jacks or Better (JoB), Deuces Wild (DW) and Double Double Bonus (DDB).

What makes the comparison even more difficult is that not all online casino operators that run on the same platform (e.g. Real Time Gaming, Rival, BetOnSoft, etc.) have the same paytables, as operators are typically allowed to use whatever paytables they wish. So, you can’t look at just one online casino on each platform — you have to hunt for the best online casino on each platform.

Here is the expected return percentages for three popular video pokers, single handed, assuming optimal play and maximum coins in. For each variety of video poker, a green cell indicates the highest available return, yellow indicates a reasonable return, and red indicates a poor return.

Online Casino JoB DW DDB
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Treasure Mile 99.54 99.42 98.98
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Slots Plus 99.54 98.91 98.98
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Bovada 99.54 98.91 98.98
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) 3Dice 99.54 98.91 97.87
Accepts real-money players from the United States (most states) Americas Cardroom 99.54 96.77 95.71
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Dendera 99.54 98.91 N/A
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Buzzluck 99.54 98.91 N/A
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) SuperBet Palace 99.54 96.77 N/A
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Tropical Cash – Players Edge 96.15 98.01 N/A
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) OddsMaker 94.38 95.13 N/A

It looks like the top three are pretty close, with Treasure Mile holding a slight edge over Slots Plus and Bovada. But look what happens when you compare the same games in their multi-hand varieties.

Online Casino JoB DW DDB
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Treasure Mile 99.54 99.42 98.98
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Slots Plus 97.30 98.91 98.98
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Bovada 97.30 98.91 98.98
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) 3Dice 99.54 98.91 97.87
Accepts real-money players from the United States (most states) Americas Cardroom 99.54 96.77 95.71
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Dendera 99.54 98.91 N/A
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Buzzluck 97.30 98.91 N/A
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) SuperBet Palace 99.54 96.77 N/A
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) Tropical Cash – Players Edge 96.15 98.01 N/A
Accepts real-money players from the United States (all states) OddsMaker 94.38 95.13 N/A

Treasure Mile offers the same return on its multi-hand video pokers as it does on its single hand video pokers, giving it the clear edge over Slots Plus and Bovada.

Beyond paytables, other factors may be important to consider, depending on your preferences and style of play.

  • Keyboard shortcuts: Only Treasure Mile offers complete keyboard shortcuts (1-5 to toggle cards, spacebar to deal).
  • Winning hands on the deal: All sites except for Treasure Mile indicate that you have been dealt a winning hand using either sound, by lighting up the appropriate row in the paytable on the screen or both. (Treasure Mile — if you are reading this — you really should make an improvement here.)
  • Auto-hold winning hands on the deal: It’s curious to me that none of the top three sites in the table above offer this feature, while all of the bottom seven sites offer this feature.
  • Denominations: For single-handed video poker, Treasure Mile has limits from a penny to $5; for Slots Plus and Bovada, the limits are a nickle to $5. All sites on the list have lower limits for multi-hand video poker, typically from 0.01 to 1.00.

Overall, Treasure Mile is the best choice for online video poker.

A note for beginners: You might want to look at 3Dice; their game selection is lacking, but their odds are top of the line on Jacks or Better, which is what you should play when just starting out. What 3Dice has that you might like is auto-selection of winning hands after the deal AND very good suggestions for which cards to hold after the deal if you are not dealt a winner. Their auto-suggestion engine does a good job in matching optimal strategy: for example, it offers to hold 4-straights and 4-flushes over low pairs, and only the lowest two high cards when dealt more than two unsuited high cards.

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Best Online Sites for Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker (also called Tri-Card Poker) is a popular table game at many casinos. Most casinos, both online casinos and land-based casinos, have reasonable pay tables for winning hands. However, as with most casino games, it pays to shop around for the absolute best returns that you can find.

I’ve analyzed the Three Card Poker pay tables from over a dozen online casino software vendors. Eight of them offer the best pay tables — meaning the lowest house edge, and the best returns for the player. The Three Card Poker from these eight online casino software vendors has a 5.32% house edge, assuming that you play with Q6x or better, and fold otherwise. Here is the pay table to look for:

HandRanking Pair Plus Payout
Straight Flush 40 : 1
Three of a kind 30 : 1
Straight 6 : 1
Flush 4 : 1
One Pair 1 : 1
High Card Lose
HandRanking Ante Plus Payout
Straight Flush 5 : 1
Three of a kind 4 : 1
Straight 1 : 1

The eight online casino vendors with this Three Card Poker pay table are as follows:

Good luck at the tables!

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NuWorks Video Poker Analysis

As I recently blogged, NuWorks is a new online casino software vendor. It is being used by only a few sites, one of which is US-friendly BuzzLuck Online Casino.

BuzzLuck offers 1, 3, 10, 52, and 100 hand versions of Jacks or BetterDeuces Wild, and Joker Poker video poker. Looking at their paytables for single-hand quarter video poker, and assuming optimal play and max coins in:

  • Their Jacks or Better video poker is the best. They have a full-pay paytable with a return of 99.54%. You won’t find a better Jacks or Better video poker paytable anywhere, either online or in land-based casinos.
  • The Deuces Wild returns 98.91%. This is decent, and matches the best return that you can find at any online casino that accepts US players.
  • You can skip their Joker Poker video poker with its 98.40% return. BoDog rocks Joker Poker with its incredible 99.97% payback.

To attract the real video poker player, NuWorks/BuzzLuck are going to have to:

  • Add more video poker varieties. Double Double Bonus comes to mind.
  • Support keyboard shortcuts for card selection a dealing.
  • Provide a way to turn off the double-or-nothing screen that annoyingly appears after each win.
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    Two Ways Royal Online Video Poker with 99.79% Return

    In Two Ways Royal online video poker, a 2-through-6 straight flush is called a Low Royal Flush and it pays the same as a Royal Flush. With the proper pay table, max coins played, and optimal play, Two Ways Royal online video poker returns an exceptional 99.79% — that’s only a 0.21% house edge!

    The good news is that there are several US-friendly Gaming Right Media (GRM) online casinos that deal Two Ways Royal online video poker with this player-friendly return table.

    Playtech online casinos also deal Two Ways Royal online video poker with this same generous  in return table, but are not open to players in the US.

    Don’t you just love video poker? I do! Video poker has some of the best returns in the casino — if you play it correctly, of course.

    (While some claim that a Low Royal Flush is an Ace-through-5 straight flush, this is not correct. It is, in fact a 2-through-6 straight flush.)

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