Beat Web Casinos: The Shrewd Player’s Guide to Internet Gambling

Despite its obvious age, Bill Haywood's popular Beat Web Casinos internet gambling guide continues to be a valuable gaming resource. The author isn't afraid to be honest with potential players and sees no need to sugar coat reality. Haywood will show you how to capitalise on bonuses, work game variations to your advantage, and pick the right places to play. While there's no denying that the online gambling industry has changed drastically over the years, much of Beat Web Casinos is as relevant as ever.

As Bill Haywood notes at the beginning of Beat Web Casinos, the concept, or strategy, behind the book is relatively simple. To beat an online casino, you merely need to take advantage of the “cash promotional incentives”, or the bonuses gambling websites offer. While such advice might seem obvious to seasoned players, Haywood’s description of his tactics comes with a key clause: “Most people do not stop gambling after they’ve earned their bonuses”. This, along with other subtle nuances and differences in gameplay, separates a “bonus hunter” from an average casino player.

If you’re interested in becoming a “bonus hunter”, then Beat Web Casinos is an essential purchase. However, players looking to beat the casino at their own game, whether it’s by taking advantage of particularly generous blackjack rules or video poker payouts, will also find use for Haywood’s book. In reference to the latter, Haywood aptly illustrates how by combining skill with the ability to “hunt”, players will find a variety of promotional offers available, which will allow them to profit from a casino’s welcome and monthly offers. Coming from a background in card-counting and land-based casinos, Haywood’s book (first published in 2000) has meant that more and more casino experts are venturing into, and consequently analysing the online gambling world, in a way which has no doubt proved fruitful to online players.

As Beat Web Casinos was published well over a decade ago, sections of the book have inevitably dated. It’s clear that after fifteen years in the business, online casinos, which were picked as prime for bonus hunting within the chapters of the book, have inevitably wised up to the tactics of players such as Haywood. In 2000, players rarely had to compete with strict wagering requirements and could even take advantage of the player-affiliate relationship. Now, casinos often attach high wagering requirements to bonuses they know players will attempt to take advantage of. Also, the rules regarding who can play at a casino and who can be subsequently banned are stricter than ever. Haywood is of course aware of the recent fluctuations in the online casino industry, noting on his website (HoldemTight.com) that “bonus hustling is not as lucrative as it once was”, but goes on to suggest that you can still make “thousands of dollars” through the method.

Indeed, while parts of Beat Web Casinos may have become irrelevant, other areas of the book have matured and become more relevant than ever before. In particular, Haywood’s apt definitions of whether a casino is “beef” or “dairy” based provide new players with an easy to understand guideline, which can be used when evaluating the merits of a casino online. As Haywood explains:

The beef side of the industry wants all your money right now. They do not expect to ever see the gambler again, so they devour the entire carcass and leave the bones in the sun. Dairy casinos are different – they know that thriving, happy cows are the best milkers. They want you healthy for your entire productive life span (and then the ride to the glue factory is on the house).

Haywood’s book suggests that it’s the dairy based casinos which are of most use to players looking to take advantage of bonuses, as they constantly offer promotional cash incentives to tempt players back. Throughout Beat Web Casinos, Haywood provides information on how to claim, wager and cash out these bonuses, noting that players need a mix of skill, intelligence and the ability to cloak their activities. While part of the thrill of reading Beat Web Casinos is discovering how to apply these cloak-and-dagger tactics to your gameplay, it’s important to note that the application of Haywood’s advice requires players to really consider their actions and consequences.

Whilst parts of Beat Web Casinos have inevitably dated, on the whole the book is an essential guide for players looking to take advantage of casino online bonuses. Even though Haywood’s guide requires players to plot, examine, and work, if you really want to beat the house, then Beat Web Casinos is a must.