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The game seemed to progress in a manner
consistent with a random drawing of cards, while
playing against a house edge of about 2.5 per
cent (the expected house edge for a player that
usually follows the Basic Strategy described by
Thorp, 1964). The rules of play were a bit more
liberal than those in our local casinos. The Web
game allowed surrender (i.e. giving up half the
bet when your hand is hopeless, say, a hard 16
against a dealer's ace) and hitting after
splitting aces. Betting $1 per hand, I initially
just intended on playing until my $5 bonus was
gone. I won a few hands, then started losing.
Since Internet gaming is unregulated, there is
no way of knowing how valid the randomization
procedure is, but the experience was not unlike
my other bricks-and-mortar gambling experiences;
that is, I win some, lose some, win a bit back,
while slowly, but surely, see my bankroll
shrink. After losing about $17 US, I cashed out.
As correctly noted by clubchance, if the random
number generator was biased, "An expert player
could discover the bias and spread the word,
quickly breaking that casino's bank." Thus,
"it's in the casino's best interest to be as
random and unbiased as possible."
Cashing out was also a two-step process. I first
cashed out from the casino and then from EzCash.
Cashing in was posted to my credit card
immediately; however, cashing out took another
month. This delay is apparently due to the
credit card company trying to discourage
credits, not to the on-line casino. I also found
that the customer service of the on-line casino
responded quickly to my inquiries.
If I had won more than I cashed in for, I would
have received a certified cheque. Cashing out at
a bricks-and-mortar casino is usually more
difficult than cashing in. You have to wait in
line for a cashier. If you're down to your last
few chips or tokens, you may feel that it's
hardly worth it and just gamble the rest away.
In contrast, cashing out at an on-line casino
was actually less tedious than cashing in,
except for the one-month delay in getting my
cash back.
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