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If
it looks good, it probably isn't.
The introduction of Casino Stud
Poker with progressive side bet has proved a huge hit in UK casinos after the
approval of the game in 2002. This is the regular Casino Stud Poker with an
extra bet costing £1 that can win part or all of the jackpot prize. The
jackpot is collected from all the money around the country that goes into
trying to win the jackpot. However 28% of that pool of money is kept by the
casino organisation!
For your pound you will win £50 for a flush,
£75 for a full house and £100 for quads. The big money comes when
you get a straight flush for which you pick up 10% of the jackpot total and if
you are lucky enough to find a Royal Flush then the whole jackpot is
yours.
It is a little difficult to work out when this becomes a good bet
but a quick note to those wishing to play with an edge, your pound will only
have an advantage when the Jackpot reaches £263,206 or more. If you sit
and play all the time then the house edge against you is on average about
25%.
A new casino has opened in Liverpool with a new style operator.
French industrialist Amaury Taittinger who is of the champagne family is the
new owner and also runs the hotel chain that owns the two adjacent hotels. It
cost £6million. The glass rotunda-fronted casino, run by the champagne
magnate has 16 tables for roulette, black jack, stud poker, dice and punto
banco. Downstairs, the casino will offer club-style environment, with bar, slot
machines, TV and a card room. Lets hope poker does well there.
News has
finally surfaced in the press after months of rumours that Gala Casinos and
Bingo Halls are on the market once again. If they go for the asking price of
£1.25 billion it will be the third owner of the group and fourth owner of
the casinos in the past five years.
Last time I pointed out that Rank
was performing well in the casino business but was lacking a bookmaker to
really compete with Stanley. Now that has changed. Bingo giant Rank, which
also owns Grosvenor casinos and the Hard Rock Café chain, has bought
popular betting
website Blue Square in a deal worth £65m. The site, established in
1999, has around 113,000 regular customers and will significantly boost Rank's
online operations, which have failed to generate the expected number of
players. The combined operation will have a turnover of £400m a year from
129,000 regular users.
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