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Online Casino Games Coming from Sega

Consumers have long been fans of games that allow them to reenact the wagering experiences they would enjoy in a casino and video game making giant SEGA Corporation plans to enter this market to provide top notch game design for virtual gamblers everywhere. By teaming with software developer Playtech, an experienced maker of similar games, SEGA hopes to set itself up for success in a market that industry analysts agree will soon be teeming with even more top tier game developers as gaming fans look for a more entertainment based experience. Among the expected offerings will be online poker, a surefire hit in a market that caters to poker players who are going pro at a faster and faster rate these days. SEGA also plans to leverage a cast of its world famous characters from such titles as Virtua Fighter, House of the Dead, Sonic the Hedgehog and Phantasy Star. These intellectual properties are part of the enormous gaming industry’s move to place more well known characters on slots and other machines aimed at the gambling public.

By leveraging its branded properties in this way, games can use the CTXM technology that is used to power such hit games as blackjack, roulette, slots and plenty of other favorites from the casino world. The games will be offered at various gaming centers where players will have a chance to wager real money in such titles as SEGAPoker and SEGACasino. These gaming websites and machines will all work together to deliver a gaming experience that SEGA is betting its competition doesn’t stand a chance of competing with.

Casino Games

When it comes to games of chance and skill where players have a chance to wager and win, everyone is going to have their own favorite choices. The history of gaming goes back a very long way and many historians posit that it may, in fact, extend back to the very earliest civilizations simply because the ability risk for a thrill and potential gain seems to be innate in most people. Being able to play these games in a great social environment full of fun and food or even from the privacy of one’s own home is definitely a great thing that attracts people from all over who want to get together and experience a passion together. The gathering together of gaming fans as created a vast community of people who really enjoy being able to compete or simply try their luck for a chance at big cash winnings. The advantage of the web is that no matter where a person is located, they can give gaming a shot and see how they do without having to spend huge amounts of money traveling to specific locations in order to play. Strategizing appeals to a wide variety of people, but just as many prefer to try games of straight up chance and see how their luck performs for them.　

Online Slots have certainly built upon the vast foundation laid out by the first machines installed in casinos so long ago and today they have an enormous following of folks who play a wide variety of different machines. In fact, there are so many that it would be difficult for any given person not to find a machine that really suits their individual tastes when it comes to excitement. Plus, the allure of the gigantic progressive jackpots has brought in those seeking huge cash prizes that often reach into the multiple millions of dollars or pounds. There are themed Slots from a huge variety of TV shows, movies, popular musicians and even video games. Some have entertaining animations and others are more about the good old fashioned thrill of lining up the proper symbols to score a big win.

When it comes to a huge grassroots fan base, few wagering games will ever come quite as close to fanatical support that Online Poker enjoys. These days, the game has turned into a professional sport with people from around the globe gathering together online not only to play hand after hand, but competition in sprawling tournaments, too. There are now pro Online Poker players who have made their own career and even quit their day jobs just to focus on earning a living by playing poker on the internet. The popularity of this game is not expected to die off any time soon because it continues to grow with each passing day, a true staple of online casinos everywhere.

Blackjack is another hugely popular game that challenges players to hit 21 without going bust in the company of other friends who enjoy this simple but incredibly fun card game. It has a great following that enjoy not only the straight forward playing style, but the chance to try and pit their own mind against the mathematics of the game itself. Another big winner with that old fashioned appeal would have to be Craps, a dice rolling frenzy that always works up the crowd with its high level of chance. The Roulette wheel continues to draw all of those who love the action of the spinning wheel and the ever unpredictable ball. Will it fall on red or black? Even or odd numbers? No one knows, but the fun is definitely in the guessing.

Then there is Baccarat, the high rollers game with stakes so high that a casino can take a loss for one big win. This game offers the glamour and suspense that the best games in a casino promise and does so to such a large effect that it usually has its own room inside a casino with special security staff just to handle the huge money at stake. It is one of the most attractive for those who want the thrills to be epic.

Bonuses

No matter what sort of player a person might be, when first getting into the fast paced fun of gaming in online casinos, it is often the bonus that lures them to give it a shot. The bonus is offered by online casinos just to get the thrill level raised and often it works because it really does give a nice bit of starting money to be able to try out the different games that one might want to give a shot to. Many times this is the way that folks are able to start up in unfamiliar games and get a taste of what they offer without having to worry about not being so great at the game at the outset. While the rules for different types of bonuses are going to vary from casino to casino, most of the time the general idea is player friendly and actually does assist those who want to get started on a small budget so they can sample the various games the site offers. It is definitely important to understand all the terms of the bonuses first so players will want to be sure they have take the time to check out the bonuses and choose the right ones to suit their style of play and what their goals are.

The most prominent of all the many bonuses that players are offered by casinos online is, of course, the signup bonus which immediately deposits a set amount of cash or credit into the player’s gaming account so that they can wager worry free while the bonus is in effect. Often, a bonus of this type will match whatever the player decides to deposit, but some gaming houses require a certain minimum to be deposited before the signup bonus kicks in. On certain occasions, players will even need to go so far as to wager X amount of dollars or credits before the bonus is deposited into their gaming account. Some casinos do not allow the bonus to be cashed out and some do, it all depends on the rules of that particular site. There are also stick bonuses that are not cashable because they are to help players wager higher amounts to get larger wins, but they can be deducted from the winnings before they are deposited into a player’s bank account via a withdrawal. The leveraging power of a sticky bonus can definitely come in handy, however, so players will want to consider taking advantage of it when it suits their needs.

Of course, the most prized of all the different types of bonuses are the cashable bonuses. With this type of bonus, the casino actually allows the player to withdraw the bonus whenever they would like, but generally for a cashable bonus to be deposited to the player they need to wager a set amount that the casino states at sign up or, if the player is already a member of the site, during the terms of the bonus being granted. Certain games may not be allowed, most notably the big winner games like baccarat or roulette where stakes are incredibly high. This is to protect the casino from losing too much money. There are also cash back bonuses where players will be awarded a percentage of their losses so that they can continue to wager if they like. These are the most rare of all bonuses, but they are certainly worth seeking out at quality online casinos.

History of Land Based and Online Casinos

According to scientists, the human species, like all animals, is hard wired to attempt big risks for big payoffs and that might just be why historians believe that the art of gambling has been with us since our earliest days on this planet. The fact is, wagering is a safe way to take risks without putting ourselves into harm’s way and still getting the thrill at the same time. It would be impossible to say precisely when the first organized gambling took place, but most archaeologists believe that it has been present even in the earliest and most primitive cultures on Earth. The very first mentions of actual wagering date back 4,300 years ago in ancient China. However, until the end of the 17th Century, there were no real casinos as we know them today. The first arose in Venice, a town in Italy and it was called Casino di Venezia which means “little house of Venice”. It is still running today and has become a real destination for many gamblers around the world who are into the history of this world famous entertainment. The Casino di Venezia has its root in an earlier Italian tradition of the casino as an extension of the homes of the wealthy. These were literally very small houses or out buildings were people would gather to play and listen to music, to dance and then to take part in exciting games of chance. Clearly, the games won out because they are what modern casinos focus on even though they, too, have their share of other entertainments to offer.

Those who know a good deal about the sport of betting know that there are few places around with quite the same history and allure as Monaco, Founded in 1861, Monaco served as Europe’s biggest and best casino for a great many years, especially as Britain did not approve of such establishments for a great many years and the United States did not yet have Las Vegas to offer the world. This is still a very famous casino today that people come from all over the world to visit. In the United States, the Wild West era ended and gambling may not have actually gone with it, but it did sink below the surface of national consciousness for quite some time. In the middle of the Great Depression, the state of Nevada legalized gambling as a way to help boost its small economy which had been based on mining. It worked and in a very big way. Las Vegas became a hugely popular destination for tourists not only from within America, but from all over the planet. Whether it was roulette, slots, poker, craps, blackjack or baccarat, Las Vegas determined to have it all and now a huge number of casinos reside there.

Of course, in the 1990’s it was all about the dot com boom and that affected the casino industry the same way it did nearly every other market across the globe. In the same way that people loved being able to shop from their homes or even work from their homes, they loved the ability to play all their favorite casino games from home, too. This was a brand new era for gaming, especially online poker which has become something of an international sport with more and more people going pro as time goes by. The world keeps on expanding and so do the casinos. Today there are more than ever before online and the numbers are expected to just keep increasing.

Online Poker

As a real symbol of the American Wild West, Poker is one of those games with a long and storied past, but it is a game with a strongly global following and a culture all its own. It has come a long way since the 19th Century when it first caught fire in the saloons of those dusty Western towns to where it is now as Online Poker took things to the next level beginning in 1998 and the world has not been the same. The Internet enabled players from around the world to go head to head and test out their skills against one another in Online Poker rooms where the rules eventually morphed into what is seen today, a very unique version of the game that might be played a little bit differently, but lacks none of the appeal of the original card game that was loved for so long in casinos around the planet. Today, millions of players are online at any one time and Online Poker has become a billion dollar industry that constantly re-invents itself, even now having a pro path where players can get involved and establish a career for themselves instead of working a day job. The web has blown away the need to travel to far off places to enjoy a good game of Poker against skilled players and that is precisely what has made it so popular online.

Thanks to major hi tech innovations, this is possibly one of the safest ways to play and the atmosphere is closely monitored by staff to make sure that the players are all having fun. The rules operate much differently than at the old fashioned table games since players aren’t as able to read each other’s ulterior motives – there is no way to gauge body language, eye contact and tone of voice, for instance. However, the game now has many more strategies suited just for online play such as paying attention to whether players are using automated patterns to bet and other tell tale signs which can be learned over time while playing Online Poker. Reaction time is a big give away and there are lots of new and different ways to try to out maneuver one’s opponents. With all of the support offered, players can get their skills up rather quickly. Flop percentages and also the watching of folding for cues to player behavior are common tactics. Beware the chat box because many player still love a good chance to try to get into their opponent’s minds and throw their game off, but it is all in good fun. The speed of the game has definitely increased now that it is on the web which means that where players might have been able to go through 30 hands at an old school table, they can now blast through nearly three times as many hands in an online session. The budget conscious will enjoy the fact that Online Poker is a much cheaper alternative to what is offered in land based casinos.

Online Slots

It was Slot Machines that really changed the landscape of the modern casino so long ago, the same machines that are known as Fruit Machines in the UK and in Australia, Poker Machines. While each country may have a different name, the fact is, gamblers love to give a try on the Slots and this is why they quickly became famous for being the so-called One Armed Bandits, a reference to the lever that players would pull for each spin on the old fashioned models. After nearly one hundred years in service, it is no wonder that they would make their way onto the web where they dazzle the high and send the heart thundering. The point is easy, players spend their tokens for a chance to pull the virtual lever and see just how much cash can be won. It is all about luck with Online Slots since there is rarely any type of skill that is required to play, but the machines get more complex and entertaining with each passing year. The symbols used to be cherries, oranges, grapes and other fruits, but today they have been diversified into all sorts of images that are often organized by theme. The patterns are created randomly and the right line up of the reels will earn players a sizable portion of cash or prizes. These days, Online Slots have all sorts of themed machines that make use of everything from famous movies to popular music loved around the world. 

For those who love to play Slots but either do not have a local place where they can go or simply like to get away from the noisy casino environment and wish to play from the privacy of their own home, Online Slots have proved to be the perfect solution. There are many more ways to win than the old fashioned 3 reel jackpots so prevalent in casinos. These days, there are Single Line Slots still, but there are a huge number of other options out there besides simply lining up 3 of the same symbols. Now there are more ways to win, with some machines using up to 9 different lines allowing players to win through horizontal and vertical line ups, plus being able to win with diagonal ways and sometimes, all three can win at the same time resulting in a huge pay out. Multi Line Slots such as this are extremely popular because they are able to offer much more depth of play a lot with bigger pay outs, but the really big advance is the Progressive Jackpot. In this style of Slots, all of those playing are constantly building a jackpot that is tied to each of the machines that are connected to the network of Online Slots. If a player strikes it big they can win thousands, hundreds of thousands or even multiple millions of dollars in one spin. Obviously, this has attracted a huge following and many players prefer this style over all others. It is the biggest of all the Online Slots winnings possible.

Craps

Hundreds of years ago, a game was being enjoyed on the streets of what is now the United Kingdom and that game was known as Hazard. It was a betting game and is believed to be one of the root games which later evolved in what we now know as Craps. Once it hit France, it found an eager culture of gamblers who not only popularized it in Paris, but took it to the New World, beginning in Quebec and eventually finding its way down to New Orleans where it really took off. The game’s name comes from a French word, crapaud, the term for a toad. Craps is played with the use of dice and although it can be played on the streets, this is technically not allowed and therefore the game has become popular in casinos where it enjoys a much better aesthetic and more complex rules, not to mention higher stakes. Since it is a rapid paced game, it does well in the casino environment where it is sometimes referred to as Bank Craps.

Generally, in the casino version of this game there is at least one player who is playing against the house. However, most games will include several players. The house establishes the odds on its pay outs and covers each of the bets placed at the particular table. Since dice are only rolled by one player at a time, this player is known as playing the role of the shooter. While that player is rolling the dice for the table, the rest of the players will put their wagers in against his or her dice rolls at the start of each round. The dice are normally served up in a bowl with 5 for the shooter to choose from offered by the stickman who runs the Craps table. Since each player has the chance to try their hand at being the shooter, they will each pick dice when their turn arrives unless they choose to pass. In that case, the dice will be offered to the next player in a clockwise rotation around the table. Shooters must roll a total numerical value of either a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 in order to establish a point and be able to keep playing. In the first round, called the come-out round, rolling a 7 or 11 means that the pass line bets are win. However, a roll that totals either 12, 3 or 2 means the shooter has “crapped out” and all the players lose their pass line wagers. Rounds continue after a point is established and with each roll, the shooter is trying to reach either the point value to get the pass line wagers to win and also avoid rolling a 7 because this is called a 7 Out and will mean the pass line wagers are lost. If this happens, a new shooter must be selected. The fast pace and high risk factor of this game, along with its complex set of rules, makes it a very popular destination in most casinos where it is seen as a very social game and generally enjoys a fairly robust atmosphere of camaraderie as players work to beat the house.

Blackjack

As with most games featured in a casino, Blackjack is of uncertain origin, having possibly arisen in the 1600’s when a game named after the Spanish word for 21 was first recorded. Pontoon or Twenty One are two other popular names for this game, but one thing is for certain and that is that it rose to the heights of popularity that it now enjoys back during the Wild West era of the United States when gambling was an even bigger focus of the population than it is now. As a result, there is something of that era’s charm in the US version of this game, but it remains popular across the globe. As a very simple game, Blackjack uses a standard deck of 52 cards, but it employs a level of skill paired with chance to create an original experience. Many versions of the Blackjack rules exist, with each casino deciding which version of the rules it prefers to employ. There are a huge number of strategies that players have tried out over the years and each fan of this game is sure to have his or her favorite, but one of the most well known is called card counting. In this strategy, players will attempt to mentally keep track of which cards have been played so far by assigning them points. While this is not technically illegal, casinos do from on this practice and if they suspect a player is doing this, they will often eject them from the premises.

The table at which Blackjack is usually played has a shape that resembles a kidney bean, with players forming something similar to semi circle around the dealer who is situated at the indented center of the table and passing out cards, taking chips and so forth. After players have made their wagers they are dealt a pair of cards, which can be face down or face up – the method varies by casino and by what version of the game is being played at the time, being based off of the rules printed on the green felt table. Each player is technically squaring off against the dealer with the object being to defeat the hand that the dealer has in order to have their bet win. The ultimate goal of the game is, of course, to reach 21 or as close to that number as possible before going ‘bust’. Cards from Joker through King are worth 10 points; Aces are worth either 1 point or 11 points, depending upon the player’s needs; and the rest of the cards are worth their face value.  If a player has the good fortune to get an exact 21, also known as a natural, then they are said to have a Blackjack, the score from which the game derives its game. Due to its fast pace and simple to understand rules system, this is one game that is wildly popular in almost all casinos, both offline and online. It will often have quite a following standing behind the players and observing the fast paced action, cheering at wins.

Roulette

Surprisingly, the first wheel that was used for Roulette was not actually invented just for the game, it was a design by Blaise Pascal intended to be used as a perpetual motion machine in the 1600’s. It would only later see use as a gaming wheel, rising to prominence in France after being combined with a board game from Italy and some factors that came from an English game which also utilized a wheel. Paris is where Roulette first became immensely popular, the spinning wheel being a major attraction in visual terms and the game actually took its name from a French word that means ‘little wheel’. Also referred to as the King of Casino Games, Roulette is a very popular game in most establishments, coming in two main varieties: a European version and one which became popular in America. In the American variety there are 38 pockets for the ball to drop into as the spinning wheel slows, along with a double zero wheel configuration, the most common in Roulette globally speaking. In the European version, there are 37 pockets with only one zero slot that allows the bank to win.

No matter which style of Roulette wheel is being used, the wheel itself is almost always set at an angle with either a zero or double zero slot for the house to win and numbers 1 through 38 or 37, depending on which variation of the game is in play at that particular casino. Every number goes with a certain color, black or red. Odd number are red and even numbers are black for numbers 1 to 10 and 19 to 28. Numbers 11 to 18 and 29 to 36 are black when odd and red when even – this color configuration is true for both versions of the wheel. The zero or double zero pockets are green, sometimes being marked by an eagle. During play, those at the table will put their wagers on one of four factors that the ball might stop on: whether end slot will be even or odd, which color it will be, a range of numbers they have chosen or a single number they believe will win. The odds are determined based on each of these choices and the more selective the choice, the higher the difficulty and therefore, the higher the payout should the person placing the wager be correct. The Roulette wheel is then spun by the croupier who whirls the wheel in one direction and the ball in the opposite direction, through a track that encompasses the diameter of the wheel. Eventually the balls slows enough to fall into one of the pockets and the winners are decided. The casino keeps a chart of odds that it uses to base payouts on for each bet in play. Generally minimums and maximums are required to place a wager. At the end of the spin, payouts are given and croupier will rake in all of the chips from the betting parties who did not win that round, then starting the game once again after all the new bets have been placed for the upcoming spin.