Microgaming Software Review...

Microgaming has a good reputation among players and it is well deserved. Their software is sharp and easy to use. The speed of the cards is rather slow which can be a plus or minus depending on your preference. Some Microgaming casinos offer a feature in which you can check how much you bet on any given day, see a log of past bets, and a host of other information about your play. Microgaming casinos vary at how they conduct business but many are very generous bonus givers. There is a trick to speeding up the cards in Microgaming blackjack. Click here for more information. The table game limits are $2 to $1000 and the slots and video poker machines take coins from 25 cents to $5.

Following is a listing of the games available at Microgaming casinos, their rules, and some strategy tips.

Single deck. House edge on banker is 1.012% and on player is 1.286%.

The rules are as follows:

• One deck

• Dealer stands on soft 17

• Double on 9 to 11 only

• No doubling after splitting

• No resplitting

• Player may draw to split aces

• No surrender

• Full no peek (player loses total amout bet against dealer blackjack)

• Insurance not resolved until end of hand

Following is the correct basic strategy for these rules.

The house edge under these rules is 0.13%.

There is also a multi-hand game in which the player may play up to five hands. This has the same rules as above, except for five decks instead of one. The house edge in this game is 0.57%.

Microgaming craps players may not bet more than their original wager either buying or laying the odds. The combined house edge on the pass side is 0.85% and on the don't pass side is 0.82%. Winnings always get rounded down to the next dollar so be sure to bet in correct increments.

A Place bet to win is called a "win bet" and a place bet to lose is called a "lose bet." The payoffs are the same on win bets as conventional place bets. The payoffs on the lose bets are the same as place bets to lose on the 6 and 8 but are less generous on all other numbers. The 4 and 10 to lose pay 2:5 and the 5 and 9 to lose pay 4:7, for a house edge of 6.67% and 5.71% respectively.

The proposition bets have the same high house edge as in conventional craps. The field bet pays 2:1 on both 2 and 12. Overall Microgaming's craps game is rather stingy.

This is what Microgaming calls Caribbean Stud Poker. The pay table is the most generous I have seen online, paying as follows.

The strategy is still the same as for the conventional pay table game. The house edge under these rules is 5.01%.

Microgaming offers a pay table to compete with any other game of keno, whether on land or the Internet. The only game that comes close to Microgaming is Unified Gaming. Overall the best keno bet on the Internet, among all software brands reviewed, is Microgaming's pick 13. Following is the expected return according to the number of picks.

Microgaming has the only pai gow game I have seen online. For those unfamiliar with the game it is an ancient Chinese game played with dominos. This is not to be confused witn pai gow poker which is played with playing cards. Not all Microgaming casinos offer this game but I have seen it at the English Harbour, Caribbean Gold, and Silver Dollar. The dealer is always the banker, which results in a hosue edge of about 2.39%. A button is available to set your hand according to the house way.

Unlike the standard rules in Microgaming's game of pai gow poker the joker may not be used as a singleton ace. It still may be combined with other aces or used to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush, otherwise it is counted as a one. The dealer is always the banker results in a house edge of about 2.86%. No advice feature is available.

A single zero wheel is used. The house edge is 2.70%.

The payoffs on some bets are more generous than those offered in Atlantic City. A double pays 11:1, any triple pays 31:1, 4 and 7 pay 62:1, 5 and 16 pay 31:1, 6 and 15 pay 18:1, 9 and 12 pay 7:1, and a three of a kind on a single number bet pays 12:1. Anywhere you play sic bo it is still a bad bet. The best bet remains on big and small with a house edge of 2.78%.

No information available.

Four out of six Microgaming video poker games have a return of at least 99%, however none are over 100%. The following tables shows the return of all six gams available assuming optimal strategy.

The following tables display the pertinent statistics for Microgaming's video poker games.