I’ve found a variety of slot tournaments to play today. Well, I have to admit I’ve already busted on one of the freerolls, which means I’m already out no money. That’s the beauty of free roll tournaments. I can enter as many as I want because they’re free. And that means I have plenty of free time to practice my strategy when it comes to playing the games. First, slot tournaments come in two basic types - long play and short play (or fast play) tournaments. And I always check the length of the tournament when I sign up. Now, the length doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll win more money or less money, but it does change how I’m going to bet.

Let’s look at the fast play tournaments first. Club USA Casino has a series of these going on this week as free roll tournaments. Now a fast play tournament is one that runs ten or fifteen minutes but usually under half an hour. For these types of tournaments the casino usually starts you out with a hefty bankroll. The idea here isn’t to build up the bankroll and keep playing for a long time. It’s to earn as many credits as you can in a short period of time. So there’s no reason to bet cautiously. Bet big, spin fast and rack up the credits. I always hope to hit a free spin bonus early in the game because it doesn’t do me much good to win free spins if my time has run out. So playing fast is important.

Now long play tournaments usually start you out with less money and give you more time to play leisurely. With these I play more cautiously at the beginning and hope to build up a bit of an extra bankroll and then increase my bets a bit. I experiment with certain games to find out which offer the best chance of winning a bonus or free spins. Also, I check to see how many winning places there are. Sometimes it pays to stop early if I’ve made it to a point where I’m in the bonus money. I may not win much, but if I play in a free roll, that means I’m still ahead in the money.

Welcome back. I hope you had a great weekend. Anyone get out for a little casino action? I’m heading to Tampa and the Hard Rock but not for a couple of weekends. Which means I’m keeping my eye out for online casinos that accept US players and offer good bonuses. So, I’m checking out Lucky Red Casino because I like to be lucky. Okay, I don’t think a casino name is going to make me win more, but there’s no reason not to play at a casino with a good name. And it’s actually pretty lucky to find a casino that takes US players and this Realtime Gaming Casino does.

So, how are they going to convince me to play with them? How about a 400% Welcome Bonus that can get me up to $4,000. Just use the coupon code LUCKYRED400 and get a 400% deposit bonus on your first deposit. But check the bonus terms first because some games like Baccarat, Craps, Roulette, War and Sic Bo don’t count toward the wager requirements for the play through. It seems you’ll have to play slots, keno or scratch cards to work you the bonus. But the casino also offers Continual Bonuses to keep you playing. They promise there will be a bonus available every day of the week if you sign up with them. And the good news is that not all of those restrict you to playing slots. In fact right now you can get a coupon for 55% cash back to play Blackjack or Video Poker with just by using the code OTHERGAMES55. Yep, money to play other games. Just what I need.

So, I’ve been playing some slot games. Well, partly because I have a handful of bonus dollars that can really only be played out on slots. Oh, and I’ve entered some freeroll tournaments, which is where I sometimes win those bonus dollars. Now slot games are lots of fun. There’s no denying that. And you not what’s fun to me? Winning! Which is why I really tend to notice when a slot game seems to want to keep me from doing that.

Not all slots are created equal. But no, this isn’t going to be a blog about how Random Number Generators work or how payouts or determined. Nope, I’m talking about being “slot blocked.” Now to be “slot blocked” you have to be playing a slot game that has a Scatter symbol. In other words a symbol that doesn’t create matches in a line but needs other another scatter symbol or more to win. These are often considered to be good symbols, and if you get enough of them, they are. But if the winnings for them aren’t good enough and they fall in the first or second reel, they can slot block you. See, a scatter symbol in those spots means you can’t line up a match on those lines. And if I’m not seeing the second and third scatter symbol turn up often enough to at least give me something in the way of a win, then that scatter symbol is just getting in my way. Do two scatter symbols just give you the amount you bet back? Not much of a win is it? Those are the games I don’t like. Now, if two scatters double my money or trigger a bonus round or bonus spins, then they’re worth the space the take up on the reel. Otherwise, well, in those other games, I’ve noticed I seem to lose money a lot faster.

In this world of fancier and fancier slot games Ruby Royal is introducing a new 1 line, 3 reel slot game with lots of fanfare - and some free spins. The new slot game is Heroes’ Realm and shows off a brawny hero and a beautiful blonde. The symbols are appropriate for a hero swords, shields and battle weapons.

And they have bonuses.

First, they’re offer 5 on the house just to play Heroes Realm and see just how much fun the game is because in these days of fancy slot games some of us have forgotten how much fun a three reel game can be. Really, they can be. They may not be as fancy as the iSlots or the 3D games but there’s something hypnotic about the play of a single line, three reel game.

But what to play some more? Well, you can get a Heroes Realm bonus of 200% on up to $100 or place at least $100 in wagers on Heroes Realm and Ruby Royal will give you $20 free. Yes, I know it’s all their attempt to get you addicted to three reel slots. Talk to me about it. I’ve been addicted to three reels for a while now.

So I recommend that you head over to Ruby Royal to check out the slots and play some slots. Hey, I’ve heard that if you’re a new player, they’ll let you have 888 spins to start you off. I’ve claimed my bonus, now it’s your turn. Happy spinning.

I saw the Microgaming 3D slot today and I’m channeling my inner “Church Lady.” Well, isn’t that special. I’m going to see if I can drop an image in with this post, but don’t look at it too long or it’ll make you queasy.

Now I know 3D is all the rage these days, ever since they redid “Pocahontas” in 3D with blue people everybody wants everything in 3D. In some cases, 3D is used as an excuse for not offering something unique, original or interesting. And this seems to be one of those cases. Now, I haven’t been able to play this new 3D slot game because, well, Microgaming doesn’t like me anymore because I live in the United States. But look, 3D by itself doesn’t mean something is exciting. After all, life itself is in 3D and we frequently overlook it. So, what’s the point of doing a “real 3D slot game” if it’s going to be a monochrome black and silver thing that relies on the standard card symbols for symbols?

Dear Microgaming — playing cards are in 2D. Even in real life they are flat.

Now, if they’d done Avatar or even Pocahontas (though I doubt Disney would go for that) in 3D, we might have something worth looking at. Hey, if they’d used color we might have something worth playing. But, eh, silver coins on a black background — I’m going to head over to Ruby Royal and check out the “not real” 3D slots which actually have a great presentation and great storyline.

Need someplace new to play? How about Ruby Royal Casino. Now there’s one thing I love about Ruby Royal — slots. They have iSlots and 3D slots and every type of slot you can imagine. All right if you’re not a slot player, they have other games too. Video Poker, Blackjack, table games, specialty games. All the games you can want. But hold on to the slots idea for a moment because you might just have a reason to play slots.

See, Ruby Royal has a special offer for new players. Sign up and they’ll give you thirty minutes and 888 spins on the house. Now why 888? Well, in Asia, the number 8 is considered lucky so these are 888 lucky spins coming your way. Now, there are some terms and conditions you’ll want to read. But hey, it’s free spins so any casino is going to have conditions.

But here’s where the slots come in. See, I’m more of a video poker player myself, but I ran a little test on these 888 bets and the thirty minute timeline. Yeah, I don’t usually play video poker for speed. Though you don’t have to hit all 888 bets. But still, slots seemed to be the best bet for fast bets. Unfortunately not the iSlots. Oh, those are lots of fun, but give yourself some time when you want to play them. No, for 888 spins, you want to go with simple slots. Probably three reel slots. I find those are the best for playing out bonuses. Now, after I meet bonus requirements, I switch over to video poker. But check out Ruby Royal and some free spins.

It’s like the Energizer bunny of online poker rooms. Okay, first Doyle Brunson decided to leave Doylesroom.com after being the spokesperson and basically the name bringer. Though if you visit the poker room, you’re unlikely to know the Godfather of Poker has left the building because his names is still there, his picture is still there, a link to his Texdolly twitter account is still there and the poker pros are still the Brunson 10 - hand picked by Texas Dolly himself. The only thing that shows there’s something going on with Brunson’s involvement with the site is the information that the Bounty tournaments where player go up against Doyle Brunson and others have been postponed.

But Texas Dolly may have stepped out of the online poker ring just in time. Because if you go to Doylesroom.com, you won’t see the poker room but rather a notice that the domain name has been seized by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, Office of the Special Agent in Charge, Baltimore Md. (I’ve included the full name because as a tax payer, we have to pay for his business cards, and he probably has to order tri-folds just to get the full name in there.) Yep, like Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, DoylesRoom has been seized by the feds. But like the other poker rooms, Doylesroom has packed up and moved to a non-US domain name. Doylesroom.ag has issued a statement that “standard business operations have not been affected. All player account balances and information are safe and secure as always.” The only thing missing on the new site is the clear statement that they accept players from the US, but I notice there’s also nothing clearing stating that they don’t accept players from the US, just a recommendation to check your local jurisdiction before playing.

I mean that sort of literally. Bodog has packed up the .com and moved over to a .eu domain name. Players who visit the site will still find everything exactly as they left it, but they’ll be automatically redirected from Bodog.com to Bodog.eu. Why the change? Well, Bodog has explained that they expect the .eu domain to resonant more with players in the countries that they want to expand their business into. The .eu domain is a country domain used by those in the European Union while the .com domain name is a more generic domain ending simply used to indicate a company. Also .com is more common in the United States.

Which brings up a bit of speculation. Because speculation is something I do well. This week the US Department of Justice seized 10 more .com gambling sites, bring the total of seized sites to 14. All ending in .com. We know that the original four sites seized continue to do business as .eu or .uk businesses. So, is bodog.eu just being forward thinking? There’s no indication that they are in danger of being seized by the feds, but are they moving off their .com domain to make any seizure by the US more difficult? After all, there is no indication at the player level of Full Tilt Poker or PokerStars being anything other than strong, reliable sites. And yes, it’s been tricky for sites to get payments to their US poker players, but there is some argument that the banks and payment processors weren’t being entirely mislead about where the money was coming from. But those are arguments to be made in court. But some of us suspect the Bodog domain name shuffle may be a protective measure. And perhaps a wise one.

News and speculation. Speculation and news. When I started writing about online gambling, I had no idea how interesting the ride was going to be. So, the feds, this time the Department of Homeland Security, have seized 10 more gambling domain names. And some people are asking “why now.”

You know what, it’s an interesting question. Why are we seeing online gambling seizures now when it looks like the country is on the verge of actually moving toward online gambling. Well, the feds would probably say because this is when they had enough info from their investigation to bring charges against the sites they were after. The feds generally don’t like any suggestion that they’re working for alternative motives. But others are seeing a potential alternative motive — with the country on the verge of approving some form of online gambling, is there a need to get rid of some of the offshore gambling companies in order to make way for US run operations? Is that why were suddenly seeing these domain name seizures? Or is it totally unrelated?

What about the gambling domains seized? Well, the biggest one to hit the news is doylesroom.com. Just a week ago, Doyle Brunson made statements that he was leaving doylesroom.com and that they were to stop using his name. Nothing happened after the statements, which leads me to believe that there may have been contractual obligations that prevented him from leaving. But did Doyle sense something wasn’t right at his poker room? And will the feds actually go after the Godfather of Poker himself? That’s what I want to know.

Oh, the other domain names seized — Bookmaker.com, 2Betsdi.com, Funtimebingo.com, Goldenarchcasino.com, Truepoker.com, Betmaker.com, Betgrandesports.com, Betehorse.com and Beted.com.

Win a Day casino is a casino with some of the most unusual games out there. They have games like Fair Tycoon where you earn money to build a fair while playing slots. Unfortunately it’s not like some of the non-slot tycoon games that have become so popular recently where you work your way through different lands. You just get one place to build in. But still for a slot game, that’s a new level of fun. But Win a day is launching a new slot game and players are invited to give it a name.

The new slot is themed to pay tribute to America, the land of “no legal online gambling.” Which, okay, I find utterly ironic. But the slot game features burgers, baseballs and Uncle Sam’s hat. The Statue of Liberty will be the wild symbol and the background and border will be the Grand Canyon.

Now, here’s the big news. You have until Wednesday to suggest a name for this new slot game and win $500. If you suggest a name and it doesn’t win, you’ll get $10 credit in your Win-a-day casino account and if your name is selected, you get $500. Oh, I should tell you how to enter, shouldn’t I? But then you might enter and steal my idea. I’m going to suggest a name that really exemplifies online gambling in America. Let’s call the game UIGEA!

Okay, all you have to do is visit the Win-a-day casino Facebook page and you’ll find the contest rules. Oh, and yes, I have submitted and entry into the contest. I want my $10.