Online Casino Review: Club Dice Casino

10 Jul 2001

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Casino:

Club Dice Casino
(www.clubdicecasino.com)
reviewed by Tam Lee

Registered Owner of Domain:

Celebrity G.Y., Ltd.
P.O Box 27142
Nicosia, NI 1642 Cyprus

Software Provider:

Playtech Software

Download of software required?

Yes

PC compatible?

Yes

Mac compatible?

Web-TV compatible?

Size of download:

5.2Mb

Time required (56K modem):

20 min.

Country of license:

Antigua

Account Restrictions:

None

Loyalty program/Slot club:

Buy-in Bonuses:

$50 at sign up with a deposit of $50-$250

The Games

Machine Games

Slot Machines

Club Dice Casino's
Triple Dice

Only one machine is available, a three-reel, one payline game that takes 1-3 coins. It's available in $.25, $1 and $5 versions.

Comments: I must be the unluckiest slot player in the world, because I risked $10 on the quarter machine and did not hit one payoff as the machine ate it up.

Video Poker

Club Dice Casino's
jacks or better

One machine is available and it's the "full-pay" version of Jacks or Better, which returns 99.5% if the proper playing strategy is used. The software includes a feature that will automatically hold a hand of Jacks or better and that speeds things up considerably. Machines are available in $.25, $1 and $5 versions.

Comments: While I didn't do well here, I must admit that the software performs very well and I have finally found a game where the cards on my computer screen are just the right size for my old eyes. This is very well done.

Table Games

Blackjack

Club Dice Casino's
Blackjack

The casino doesn't say how many decks are used in this game, but it's certainly more than one, so I'll assume it's six to keep my calculations on the conservative side. The dealer stands on all 17s, doubling down is allowed on any first two cards and after splitting pairs. Pairs may be split only one time. The dealer does not "peek" under an ace, but does under a 10. Split Aces receive only one card and insurance is available. Table limits are $2-$200. Single-player, multi-player and "private group" tables are available.

Comments: If six decks are used in this game, the casino has a 0.47% edge. It appears that the cards are shuffled after every round of hands is completed. The software does work very well and I had no problems with it.

Craps

Club Dice Casino's
Craps

Free odds of up to three times your bet is allowed and the software pays all bets in the correct amount without any rounding. Whenever a "decision" roll is made, a good accounting of which bets won or lost and the amounts involved appears on the screen. The odds bets may be removed at any time. Table limits are $1-$300.

Comments: This is a very good rendition of the game and was a pleasure to play. It's definitely one of the best craps games on the Internet.

Roulette

Club Dice Casino's
Roulette

A single-zero wheel is used, but the partage rule is not in effect, so the casino's advantage is 2.70% on all bets. The software displays the last 15 numbers that hit, something you "system" players will find helpful. Table Limits are $1-$300.

Comments: I have not seen this at other casinos, but here the player can make the wheel spin and a number is chosen without placing a bet. That's a nice feature for those who believe in the "maturity of chances," such as: "Red has come up 15 times in a row, so now Black must get even." It's a fool's bet, but they indulge it nicely here.

Baccarat

Club Dice Casino's
Baccarat

The number of decks used isn't listed, but they are most certainly shuffled after each hand is completed. The standard rules are followed, ties pay 8 to 1 and the table limits are $1-$300. The usual 5% commission is charged on a winning Banker bet.

Comments: There is nothing special here, but the software works well.

The Financial Transactions

I used a Visa card for my purchase and a $50 bonus was added to my account immediately. The casino does require that bets equal to three times the deposit and bonus be made prior to withdrawing the bonus money. All withdrawals that are credited back to the credit card used to make the deposit are free, as are checks sent via snail mail.

However, they do delay any payout requests for four days to give you, I suppose, an opportunity to change your mind. Nothing unusual happened in my transactions and everything proceeded smoothly.

The Good Points

I am very impressed my the software used at this casino. While it cannot be called opulent, it functions well and the games can be played at a rapid clip. Payoffs were accurate and well-documented by the site's "game history" data and I had no problem with staying connected every time I played here.

I had heard very little about Playtech software prior to visiting this casino, but if the company can develop a reputation for fair games and good customer service, we'll all be hearing a lot more about it in the future.

When viewed as a group, the odds and payouts on these games are above average and the minimum bets are reasonable, so they should find wide appeal among the online gamblers of the world. I hope Playtech will expand the number of games they offer (full-pay Deuces Wild would be a nice addition :-) and I'm sure more slot machines would be welcomed by most players.

The Bad Points

To have such good software and such a skimpy help section just amazes me. It's not to say that there is no help at all, but there are some basic questions that most of us have, like how many decks are used in the blackjack game, and they have obviously been ignored. The information provided for each game is correct, but it's generic ("The object of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible...") and doesn't provide a lot of the specifics that serious players want.

Also, when it comes time to leave a game, you'll need to look under the bottom part of your browser (is that the tool tray?) for the "exit" button. It took me five minutes to discover that.

It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway), that holding my withdrawal request for four days is not the way a top-notch operation takes care of its customers.

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