GameMaster Rating: 83 points (of 100)

General Comments: This casino is a throw-back to the 'early' days (1995 or so) of the Web where the programming for many casinos was in HTML instead of another non-download format like Java. Consequently, this is one of the least sophisticated operations out there, but it is compatible with Web-TV and, while it's not very pretty, when you see what's offered here, you might want to visit. It should be noted that I played only in the 'fun' mode, but you are hooked up to their server for that, so hopefully you'll get a good idea of how things would work should you choose to play for 'real' $$$. They also have a sportsbook but that's outside the scope of this review, so my rating is based only upon what I found at the casino.

The casino states that they do not accept accounts from residents of Missouri, Minnesota, Florida, Kansas, Wisconsin, Japan and Austria. While they'd like you to register in order to try the casino in the play-money mode, you don't really have to. Just click on the "Cafe Login" link on the site, then click on the "Free Look" button and you can play all you want in the play-money mode. I urge you to do that so you can see if the constant reloading of pages will drive you crazy or not. One player option available here that I've not seen elsewhere is the double up bet that can be activated on every game. Sure, I've seen it in Video Poker, but never in Blackjack or Baccarat! Just remember that you're doubling both your original bet and your winnings. That's also true at Video Poker, but in that game, it's much less apparent because it pays "X" for 5, whereas in Blackjack, you're paid even-money, so a winning bet of $5 ends up being a $10 double bet and $20 if you win. The double bet, assuming that it's honest (and it appears to be so) carries no house edge; it's a straight 50-50 proposition. One more very nice feature is the ability to quickly check the results of your most recent games.

Recommendations: I can live with a casino that is programmed only in HTML if it offers good games as this one does, but a Java-based version of the software does exist (this is basically a 'clone' of Oasis Casino) and it would be nice to have a choice. But the primary reason why the score here is so low in spite of all the good games is that they use a third-party company to service credit card purchases and it costs 4% of the deposit to go through them. It then costs 2.5% to get a credit back! That's just plain crazy. Also, they have a $7.50 charge for a player to get a check by snail-mail and that's too much. If these guys were smart, they'd eliminate those costs and make themselves some real $$$.

Games Analysis (All this information was correct on the date listed above)

Blackjack: Two types are offered here, a single-deck game and a six-deck game. The casino evidently shuffles the cards of both games after every hand. The rules for the single-deck game are: dealer hits A-6, double only on 10 and 11, double after split on 10 and 11, split like cards only to 4 hands and insurance is available. The dealer does not check to see if s/he (it?) has a Blackjack, so if you split or double against a dealer's up card of 10 or Ace, you can lose both bets. Up to two spots may be played at the same time and split Aces receive only one card each. The casino's edge is about 0.37%. Limits are 5 cents to $500.

For the six-deck game, the player can use up to 5 spots and the rules are: dealer stands on A-6, double on any first two cards, double after split, split pairs, including unmatched 10s up to four hands (three if more than one spot is used), split Aces receive only 1 card, and insurance is available. Again, the dealer does not 'peek'. This game has a 0.60% house edge. The limits are 5 cents to $500.

Blackjack playing tips: There's no reason to play here, but if you decide to do so, remember that the "European no-hole card" rules apply to the basic strategy.

* The theoretical return is the long-term payback a player who is using the correct strategy may expect. The return is lower for 1-coin play because the Royal Flush pays proportionately less when fewer than 5 coins are played.

Video Poker playing tips: What they call "Super Bonus " here is actually Double, Double Bonus. All games have the option for "autohold" which is good, but you need to remember that it will hold all 'made' hands and sometimes that may not be the correct play. The double up option is available and you should experiment with the optional settings which can be found at the bottom of each game. I recommend using the "enhanced hold" option which allows you to click on a card's suit to hold it, rather than clicking on those little squares.

Roulette: Two versions are offered, a 'European' single-zero wheel and a 'Las Vegas' double-zero wheel. Neither offer the 'en prison' rule, so the casino's edge is 5.26% on the double-zero game and 2.70% on the single-zero game. Limits are 5 cents to $500. Playing this game in HTML is a hoot. You click you bets into a form, click "Spin" and a page comes back with all the results. No wheel, no ball, no excitement.

Baccarat: This is a standard game with a 5% 'commission' on a winning Bank bet, (1.06% casino edge on a Bank bet and 1.23% on a Player bet ), with ties paying 8:1. Dealt from a 6-deck shoe which is shuffled after every hand, the limits here are 5 cents to $500. Because this game is in HTML, what basically happens is that you bet, then are presented with a completed hand and that's not a lot of fun. A nice point, however, is the double up option. If you win a Banker bet of, say $10, a 50-cent 'commission' is deducted. But, if you have the double up option activated, you'll be betting $19.50 and no additional commission is deducted if you win. Since Baccarat is basically a coin-flip with a small house "vig", you eliminate even that by using the double up option. The problem is that the first time you do, the dealer will pull an Ace and you'll be convinced, forevermore, that they're cheating. For what it's worth, it looked honest to me.

Keno: Three different types of Keno are available and, as compared with most Keno games, they have pretty good pay outs. But we're still in the 5% casino edge area here, so don't get too excited. Limits are 5 cents to $25 with a maximum payout of $50,000 per game. Here's an analysis of each type of game:

Spot Keno - This is what most of us call 'keno', where you pick one to ten spots out of 80, then 20 numbers are chosen, etc. You know the drill. The variation here is that on many picks, you may bet either a 'regular' or 'high' version. Let me illustrate this with an example:

A 'regular' 4-spot ticket pays the following: 2 for 2 hits; 7 for 3 hits and 73 for 4 hits. Add it all up and that's a 95.16% return. The 'hit' frequency (hands that pay something) is 25.89%.

A 'high' 4-spot ticket pays the following: 1 for 2 hits; 10 for 3 hits and 100 for 4 hits. Add it all up and that's a 95.15% return. The 'hit' frequency (hands that pay something) is 25.89%.

What they've done here is juggle the pay schedule so that those who feel "the big one" coming on (number, not earthquake) can really go for it. Just so you know, a 4 of 4 will hit, on average, once every 327 plays. Holdeth not thy breath, Keno player.

Super Keno- I'm not sure where the 'super' comes in, so let's analyze the 4-spot ticket to see what's different.

A 'regular' 4-spot ticket pays the following: 1 for 2 hits; 8 for 3 hits and 128 for 4 hits. That adds up to a 95.43% return. The 'hit' frequency (hands that pay something) is 25.89%

A 'high' 4-spot ticket pays the following: 0 for 2 hits; 9 for 3 hits and 183 for 4 hits. The total return is 94.93%. The 'hit' frequency (hands that pay something) is 4.6%

Well, no great difference with this. Just remember that with the 'high' version, it takes more $$$ to stay in the game, because you're trading off more frequent (though lower-paying) hits for a bigger, yet more rarely seen 'high' payoff. You pays yer money and you picks yer poison.

Zippy Keno- This isn't a reference to 'fast' but to 'zip', which is another word for 'zero'. This version pays when you hit zero numbers, so you might find that appealing if, like me, you never get anything good at Keno. Let's look at a four-spot ticket:

A 'regular' 4-spot ticket pays the following: 1 for 0 hits; 0 for 1 hit; 1 for 2 hits; 6 for 3 hits and 55 for 4 hits. The total return is 94.89%. The 'hit' frequency (hands that pay something) is 56.73%.

A 'high' 4-spot ticket pays the following: 1 for 0 hits; 0 for 1 hit; 0 for 2 hits; 7 for 3 hits and 111 for 4 hits. The total return is 95.1%. The 'hit' frequency (hands that pay something) is 35.04%.

So, even getting paid for zero 'hits' doesn't make a big difference, but at least with the 'regular' 4-spot, you'll have a lot more plays that win at least something.

Keno playing tips: First of all, don't. But, if you're going to play anyway, pick a game that will keep you in the running for a while; those are the games with more frequent payouts. Ultimately it won't make any difference, but at least you'll probably get to play longer.

Caribbean Stud Poker: This is pretty much a standard game and the betting limits are 5 cents to $100. You may bet as little as 5 cents on the progressive, even though your 'ante' bet is higher.

Summary and Rating of Cafe Casino: Okay, it's not pretty, but it has good, low-limit Video Poker games (where else, other than on a triple-play machine in Nevada, are you going to find full-pay Double Bonus in nickels?), an excellent way of checking the results of recently-played games, a low buy-in and it's Web-TV compatible, so my dear old Mother in New Jersey can gamble away my inheritance. If they'd only eliminate their credit card 'surcharges', this would be a 91-point casino. But, because a player has to give up 4% of his money for the 'privilege' of playing here, this gets an 83 point rating.