Archive for December 26th, 2009

Shark Tales Party Theme for a Kids Birthday at the Pool or Beach

Saturday, December 26th, 2009
The success of Shark Tale, the movie, starring greats like Robert DeNiro and Will Smith has made this flick a favorite for both adults and kids. Having a Shark Tales party is a great way to bring the theme to life.

Turn off all the lights and put in a blue lamp that makes the whole room look like its underwater. Bring in some planters with tall leafy plants in them. Beg, borrow, steal or simply use the ones in your garden. Surround these with sea pebbles or any smooth round stones. If you have any seashells, you can place them on tables and next to the bathroom sink. Add a fish bowl or two if you can get one.

For a Shark Tales party use a lot of seafood snacks (it’s a fish eat fish world out there) such as shrimp cocktails, fish hors d’oeuvres or simply fish fingers if it’s a kiddy party. Use a cookie cutter mold shaped like a fish for making cookies for the kids or the base for a hors d’oeuvre out of flour or bread slices. Bake or deep fry the base before adding the topping, which could be minced fish.

Invites are easily available at any department or stationery store. If it’s a fancy dress party, you can rent costumes to dress like a sea creature. If not, you can dress for the beach in a colorful shirt and shorts or skirt. Add a bubble machine at the front door to greet your guests as they come in. Hang up a pair of flippers just over the front or bathroom door and suspend a snorkeling mask from a hook or door frame. Go ahead and swim with the Sharks!

Microgaming Slot Machines: Seven Casino Slots Games That Have Holiday Themes

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

Slot machines are the most popular form of casino entertainment, both at land-based casinos and on Internet gambling sites. Microgaming, the major software provider for the online gambling industry, has launched over 50 new slot machine games over the past two years. Each of these slots has its own unique theme, ranging from game parks to high society to the supernatural. This article summarizes seven of these new slot games that have a holiday theme, including Gift Rap, Halloweenies, Ho Ho Ho, Mardi Gras Fever, Rainbows End, Happy New Year, and Jingle Bells.

Gift Rap is a 5-reel, 25 pay-line video slot machine with a traditional Christmas theme. There are plenty of elves, spinning tops, teddy bears, and music boxes. Two or more Wild Bauble symbols on the pay-line create winning combinations. Two symbols pay out $3, three symbols pay out $50, four symbols pay out $500, and all five Wild Bauble symbols pay out $6,000.

Halloweenies is a 5-reel, 20 pay-line video slot machine all about Halloween. Enter into a spooky world of witches, werewolves, Frankenstein, skeletons, and chocolate candy. Two or more Wild symbols on the pay-line create winning combinations. Two symbols pay out $13, three symbols pay out $130, four symbols pay out $1,300, and all five Wild symbols pay out $13,000.

Ho Ho Ho is a 5-reel, 15 pay-line video slot with a Christmas theme. You enter into a festive world of Santa and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Two or more Santa symbols on the pay-line create winning combinations. Two symbols pay out $5, three symbols pay out $50, four symbols pay out $1,000, and all five Santa symbols pay out $15,000.

Mardi Gras Fever is a 5-reel, 20 payline video slot that has a New Orleans Mardi Gras theme. It was released in February, 2008. Mardi Gras Fever accepts coins from $0.01 to $0.50, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet per spin is 200. The maximum jackpot is 2,000 coins.

Rainbows End is a 5-reel, 25 payline video slot with a Irish theme. It was released in March, 2008, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. You can win as many as 25,000 coins in the base game and as many as 50,000 coins in the bonus feature game.

Happy New Year is a 3-reel, 5 pay-line slot machine with a Chinese New Year theme. It was released in January, 2008 just in time to celebrate the Year of the Rat. Happy New Year accepts coins from $1.00 to $25.00. The maximum jackpot is 2,400 coins.

Jingle Bells is a 3-reel, 5 pay-line slot machine with a festive Christmas theme. The coin range is 25¢ to $5.00, and you can play up to 1 coin per pay-line per spin. With a maximum bet of $25.00 ($5.00 x 1 coin per pay-line x 5 pay-lines), you could win a possible jackpot of $30,000 (6,000 coins).

So there you have it, six 5-reel bonus slots that have holiday themes. Whether you play slots online or at a land-based casino, remember to gamble only with the money you can afford to lose. Decide beforehand how much you wish to spend, and don’t exceed your spending limit should you lose. Never gamble when you are tired or irritable. Finally, have fun and quit while you are ahead.