Gambling

Online poker, as the name suggests, is the game of poker played over the Internet. Online poker has been responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide. Thanks in part, to the proliferation of online casinos, the craze for poker is spreading beyond the mega-rich, business-suited elite, allowing everyone a fair chance to place modest bets from the comfort of their own homes.

Statistics confirm the above. In January 2003, the total global daily cash game turnover for online poker was just $10 million (£5.3m) and in 2004 it rose to $60m (£32m). Now, $180m (£95m) is wagered in cash game pots in online poker every day! Not surprisingly, this number is expected to grow steadily every year.

How different is online poker compared to playing it on-site?

There are hundreds of portals offering online poker; most of them are, more or less, similar. The difference, if any, is usually in the gaming environment and the quality of interaction with other players. This could depend a lot on the popularity of the site, as popular gaming sites try to have certain in- built checks and attract serious gamblers who can in turn, enhance your overall gaming experience. Also, while some portals have a responsible, informative approach and offer considerable amount of content (news, tournament results, strategy articles, reviews of online card rooms, etc.), others attempt to act as mere conduits to other sites, normally where actual gambling games are offered.

Though people have many different views, as far as differences between and brick and mortar poker is concerned, most agree on at least few of the following:

Online venues are cheaper and easily accessible.

Online poker rooms are more player-friendly, as they offer suggestions, allow the players to play for low stakes and are very much suitable for beginners.

Online poker playing is a lot faster, as there’s no banter around the table. Though brick and mortar casino players consider this interplay a central element of the game, for most playing online, the stress is laid on mathematical calculations and actual moves. Fixed place or offline poker game is time consuming where the average rate of play is around thirty hands per hour while in online poker these delays, dealing and shuffling, are instant and thus the average play is faster due to ‘auto action’ buttons.

One disadvantage of playing online poker is that it is more vulnerable to certain types of fraud even though most poker sites have safety checks.

Unlike a bricks and mortar casino, you can play at more than one table at a time when you play online. So, you could log into more than one poker site simultaneously, which means that you don’t have to be as good a player to make the same amount of money online (since you increase your chances of winning by playing on multiple tables simultaneously)!

Some experienced players also feel that people who mostly play online poker could be at a disadvantage in a brick and mortar casino, as they don’t have opportunities to learn to study and influence body language.

Another differentiating feature of online poker is that it provides free money play, so that new players may practice without the risk of losing real money.

From the legal point of view, some legal issues are common. Online game poker is very legitimate and regulated in many advanced countries in Europe. Many online poker websites are certified by legal Game Commission bodies and major auditing firms like PWC (Price Waterhouse Coopers) to review the fairness of the shuffle and payouts.

Getting Started

Whether you are a professional or a novice online poker offers you a comfortable and interesting gaming environment and a safer (compared to brick and mortar casinos) means of learning how to play using smaller bets. There are numerous sites that offer guidelines and tips on learning how to play well. Here are some interesting poker- related terms to get you started:

Royal flush: high cards (ace, king, queen, jack) of the same suit in number sequence.

Straight flush: cards of the same suit in number sequence.

Four of a kind: cards of the same value (e.g. four queens).

Full house: three cards of one value, two of another.

Flush: all cards are of the same suit.

Straight: cards are in number sequence, but not of the same suit.

Three of a kind: three cards of the same value.

Two pair: two pairs of cards with the same value (e.g. queen, queen and king, king)

Pair: two cards with the same value.

“Talkin’ About Poker: Straight Talk for Parents and their Players:” this 2006 book by Loren (Mom) and Chris (24 year old poker pro) Ackerman is the first book written to help parents educate themselves about poker, communicate with their young poker players, and determine if they are playing in a healthy way.

As Loren points out, “Cigar smoking, middle-age men no longer play poker in back rooms. Families and friends gather around the television, watch the games, and cheer on their favorite players. Within the last couple of years, poker has become the theme for family game nights, bar mitzvahs and birthday parties.” Loren adds another dimension: how about if your son wants to become a poker pro?

The book describes addiction and compulsive gambling behaviors and provides valuable suggestions on ways to help college and high school kids avoid the pitfalls of online gambling. This is a timely book in this regard because in December, 2005, Greg Hogan, president of the sophomore class at Lehigh University, ran up five thousand dollars in online gambling debts and tried to rob a bank in Allentown, PA to pay off his losses.

Each chapter includes straight talk and tips from Chris, who started playing poker at eleven, with baseball cards as prizes. He played poker in college, then in local card rooms. Then to the big tournaments. His recent efforts on the pro poker tour have resulted in wins of $74,000 and $227,000.

Talkin’ About Poker also offers answers to these questions:

1. What is Texas Hold’em?

2. How do you play and bet?

3. Is it legal for my child to play poker?

4. Can my child become addicted to poker playing?

5. What kind of professional help is available for young gamblers?

6. Can poker really be played as a recreational sport?

Loren, a teacher of gifted children, took on “Talkin’ About Poker: Straight Talk for Parents and their Players” in order to open up communication between concerned parents and young, hopeful poker players.

“Initially, we thought our son was headed down a path of destruction, and we simply didn’t know what to do and I was terrified,” she said. “It was my fear of him becoming addicted that led me to learn everything there is to know about poker, so I could communicate with my son intelligently and in a way he would not find threatening.”

Chris is a graduate of a graduate of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and lives in northern New Jersey.

The book opens with this quote: “Each of us is the architect of our own future,” by Appius Claudius. Loren and Chris have decided their future in poker together and offer the book as a guide to others facing the same situation.

© 2006 Murphy James

Being able to read other poker players is essential to being successful at winning hands at the poker table. This is the case whether the table is virtual or real, in a tournament or in your friends’ basement. If you are going to win against the other players, you need to know how to read their tells.

One of the most valued skills among poker players is the ability to bluff, to have a good “poker face“. Bluffing is a term that is used to when a player is trying to get an opponent to believe what they are saying is true. This works for both good and bad hands, for a good hand, it may be in your best interest to let your opponent believe they have the better hand, they will then bet up the pot. However, a poker player with a bad hand who is good at bluffing might be able to convince their opponent to fold, therefore winning the hand with poorer cards.

The bluffing skill works well during online as well as off line play; however, online play has its own opportunities for poker players. Many times, while playing online, other players are more willing to share secrets of play with you. Use this to your best advantage, ask questions of them, they will usually tell you why they did or did not make a certain play during a hand. After all, they are, most likely not going to be playing against you in person. If you explain that you are new to the sport, most poker players will not mind teaching you.

Another skill that poker players must develop is being able to pick up on opponents tells, while hiding their own. Most players are not going to be as obvious as to jump up and down when they are dealt a great hand, but maybe the look up at the ceiling or begin to tap their toes. Being able to pick up on these little gestures will help you to play more effectively against them. However, just as important, never forget that while you are watching your opponents, they are watching you also.

Some poker players engage in idol chitchat while playing a hand. This can be very distracting if you are not one of the people who can do this and still concentrate. The reason for this talking is easy to understand, it is an effective way to throw off the concentration of a table. If you are to be a successful poker player, you will need to learn either to block this out, or to use it to your advantage.

All the planets seem to be aligned for the 2006 Detroit Tigers since they are holders of the best record in baseball as we head into the dog days of summer. While their hitting statistics place them in the middle of the pack their pitching is on a different level than most other teams.

Their ERA of 3.46 puts them 45 points ahead of the next best team which would be San Diego and they’re the only two teams below 4.00. They head back into action Thursday when they host the KC Royals for a four game set. Then they and the champion Chicago White Sox will begin a huge series on Monday.

One startling statistic that jumps out at you is that the Oakland Athletics are somehow are tied for first place with the Rangers. Considering that their batting average is the worst in the majors at .243 and their RBI total 364 is also the worst in the majors, I just don’t get it.

Former Braves pitching coach, Lee Mazzone, cannot be blamed for accepting a hefty raise when he moved from Atlanta to Baltimore, but his pitching staff’s performance is raising eyebrows. The ERA of 5.29 is only trailed by KC’s 5.79 and Baltimore’s season is over for the fans at Camden Yard.

I am usually very busy dumping on Joe Torre’s pitching staff this time of year, but the pinstriper hurlers have been awesome to date with the 7th best ERA in baseball at 4.30. What is astonishing, and points out how much better the pitching is in the AL, is that 4 of the top 7 staff are from the AL and they must face a designated hitter every game.

As I mentioned in April, those of you that do not want to listen and continue to bet against Detroit will be sorry come October!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Nottingham Forest

Odds: 5/1

Last Five Seasons

2005/06 – 7 (League One), 2004/05 – 23 (Championship, Relegated), 2003/04 – 14 (Championship), 2002/03 – 6 (Championship), 2001/02 – 16 (Championship).

2005/06 Cup Progress

FA Cup Second Round vs Chester City (a) – lost 3-0.

Carling Cup First Round vs Macclesfield Town (h) – lost 3-2.

Football League Trophy Southern Section First Round vs Woking (a) – lost 3-2.

Top Goal Scorer 2005/06: Nathan Tyson (striker) and Iain Breckin (defender) – 10 goals each.

Players In

Paul Smith (Southampton – Free).

Players Out

Gareth Taylor (Released), Eugen Bopp (Released), Paul Evans (Released), Eugene Dadi (Released), Paul Gerrard (Released).

Nottingham Forest were the firm bookmaker’s favourites to win League One last season following their relegation from the Championship which gave them the dubious honour of becoming the first European winners to play outside it’s country’s top two divisions. However, under manager Gary Megson they underachieved and it wasn’t until the 17 February, when duo Frank Barlow and Ian McParland took over, that Forest started to play how they should have all season.

Barlow and McParland won their first game in charge with a 2-0 away victory at Port Vale, their first away win since August 27th. Their second game was a 7-1 thrashing of Swindon Town. The unbeaten run extended to 10 matches, with six straight wins – last achieved in the 1960’s. This was the first time the club had won more than twice on the spin since 2004 and first time they have won more than four in a row for 11 years.

The 13 match spell in charge saw Forest take 28 points out of a possible 39 and the club missed out on the play offs on the final day of the season. Forest have a new man in charge for the 2006/07 season, former Northampton Town manager Colin Calderwood, and expectations are higher at the City Ground than last season. Although both McParland and Barlow were promised their positions at the club would be safe under a new boss, Barlow left for Hull City in June to take up the role of caretaker manager.

Calderwood made Southampton goalkeeper Paul Smith his first signing and the highly rated 26 year old will provide current number one Rune Pedersen with competition for the position following Paul Gerrard’s release.

Verdict

The bookmaker’s have again made Forest the favourites for promotion but this time justifiably so. If new manager Colin Calderwood can get the players to display the same winning attitude shown during the brief tenure of Frank Barlow and Ian McParland, Forest will give you a good run for your money at 5/1.

Well its not often I get to critique a pros blunder, but this one stood out as a whopper, which turned the tables at the 2005 WSOP and propelled a young internet player to the final table in place of Greg Raymer who was on a miraculous path to challenge for the WSOP main title for the second consecutive year.

Down to 26 players, Raymer is one of the chip leaders with around 4 million. With the blinds a very comfortable 20 and 40 thousand, he picks up KK in middle position and puts in a raise to 100 thousand. Does that seem small to you? It does to me, even though it is a well concealed 2 and a half times the blind, it literally invites a draw out. Raising that small, compared to your stack in an internet tournament is tantamount to limping in. What it also negates is being able to judge what your opponent may have later in the hand when it could become crucial, as it did in this case.

With a small raise you are inviting low pairs, low connecters, weak suited aces, weak suited kings, and unpaired big cards. With such a variety of possibilities, you are essentially playing blind, and hoping your kings hold up. Kanter calls in the cutoff followed by Ivey and Hechem folding the blinds. The pot is around 300 thousand including the antes. The flop comes 6c, 3h, 5d. Raymer could look at this as a good flop, assuming Kanter called with big cards. Myself, I see straight chemistry, and definitely something that could jive with a call of ace, 4 suited or 8, 7 suited. When there is chemistry on the board you need to get your opponent out. If he calls a big bet, or re-raises, I am apt to let the hand go if I am playing another big stack. If my opponent is significantly shorter, I will put him all in without fear of jeopardizing my tournament.

Raymer follows up his wimpy preflop bet with an even more pathetic flop bet of 150 thousand. When assessing this flop, you need to bet big, and cut your losses with that. With an over bet here, you either eliminate the danger, or you determine that you are beat, or on way to being beat. But this is also your stop-loss bet. Once a reaction is taken by your opponent, you will know to fold, or check it down, save for other intelligence factors. Curiously, Raymer moves rather quickly through this hand, failing to assess this game critical intersect properly. Clearly, at this point Raymer failed to realized he was not the favorite in this hand anymore. Turn card is 7h. This is a great card for Kanter as it gives him his heart draw, and puts a scare card out there him to take it at the river. Raymer simply seems not to notice.

The odd thing about this hand is that Raymer was in fact, ahead all the way. Kanter played this hand like an internet rookie calling the flop bet with only a back door flush draw, and over cards. He could have been planning to take this pot from Raymer with a bluff on the river, but that doesnt explain his rash all in call after reraising Raymers 300 thousand turn bet. But when Raymer does make his turn bet and gets reraised, in that spot, with my tourney on the line, and that board, I am out of the hand, even if I still feel I am ahead. It is simply too risky, and too probably that your kings are beat. You think I am over analyzing? I have laid down aces in this spot, several times in money play in online tournaments. Maybe just a couple thousand was on the line, not millions!

I take this situation to reiterate several things here. Play back the hand, and figure your opponents possible hole cards. Investigate the flop by knowing what the nuts are at all times. Do not go up against another stack in marginal situations while moving up the pay scale. Raymers actions here would have been perfectly fine if he were up against someones last 700 thousand chips, but as it turned out, and I quote Norman Chad from ESPN, Kanter makes an horrendous play and puts a big hurt on Raymer. The heart came for Kanter who should have really never been in the hand, but his awful play was surpassed by Raymer in that particular exchange.

Bingo has been played for many a year, and has been known, too, as lotto or housy-housy. The game was played mainly in local halls for entertainment, and the winners often received small prizes. Come the Gaming Act of 1968, though, bingo halls came into being and took their place as casinos for the less wealthy. Even before that, some of you older readers might remember Joe Brown and the Bruvvers – “Dad’s gone down the dog track, Muvver’s playing Bingo; Grandad’s swearing at the telly, trying to make the thing go.”

The commercial clubs were concerned with profits, of course, and as a result the old halls have disappeared, in the quest for speed of play and to maximise the turnover. But how many of the old ‘uns can you remember? And how many are now non-PC or even outdated?

Well, I don’t imagine it would be the done thing to call Two Fat Ladies any more. Some of the clientele might just get a bit uppity about that, I suspect. Sweet Sixteen might be considered too personal, too. On the other hand, Key of The Door is a bit outmoded, since the age of majority was changed to eighteen a good few years ago. Out of date, too, is Maggie’s Den. She’s not been there for seventeen years now and even Tony is talking of moving out.

Two and Six, Half a Crown went out with decimalisation in 1971, and the same applies to Seven and Six, Three Half Crowns. Since everything seems to have gone metric nowadays. I’m not too sure about number twelve, One Dozen, or it’s related 24, 36, and 48. Maybe metrication has disposed of them too. Number Nine, Doctor’s Orders is rather archaic, too. Only old soldiers, I are likely to remember that expression.

Certainly there should be no problem with Clickety Click, nor Two Little Ducks, should there? I have even heard Clickety Duck called, but the perpetrator was Danish and an entertainments officer on a DFDS ferry, so that’s easily excused, even though it might have been Unlucky for Some.

Ah, yes. Those were the days. But you still have to shout “House” when you have a winning card!

Thousands of people have found that one of the easiest ways to make money on the Internet is with a good poker affiliate program. If you’re already involved as a poker affiliate, or you’re thinking of becoming one you can get some great information at a poker affiliate forum. There you can find out everything you need about how a poker room affiliate program operates. A poker affiliate forum will give you helpful information about what is takes to become an affiliate and how commissions are paid.

The information that is shared at a poker affiliate program will help you develop the marketing strategy that will maximize your referrals and your commissions. A good poker room will provide you with the tools you need such as a variety of banner ads and text ads to include in your e-mails. A poker affiliate forum will let you learn from other successful affiliates how best to use those ads on your website and in your e-mails. You can learn what works and what doesn’t from those that are already doing it.

In a poker affiliate forum you can get all of your questions answered. It’s almost like having your own private think tank without having to pay anyone to work for you or help you. What could be easier? So don’t stumble around in the dark, exchange ideas with the people who are making money every day as poker affiliates. Then use what you learn to start raking in those commissions. You’ll be glad you did.

Never tried online bingo? Sounds a little too ‘cyber bingo’ for you? Too much flash, not enough quality bingo, you know, the kind of bingo you’d find in a bingo hall. But let’s not be stubborn about this and jump the gun. Let’s not call out bingo before the final ball has been called and the last number in your row daubed. You know why? Because what is there to lose from playing a free bingo tournament?

The truth is , you have nothing to lose. There are a number of places to play free bingo tournaments online. Sure, some bingo websites might have a catch. Playing free bingo for money apparently means different things to different people. But, like any shopping or entertainment venue, once you surf through the fluff you’ll find a bingo room that may be worthy of the statement, free bingo tournament.

The thing you have to watch out for is the ‘free bingo for money’ websites that are just advertising their bonuses. Every bingo website has bonuses, like coupons or rebates, when you deposit money they’ll give you a little extra. Sure, it’s free bingo, but it’s not the free bingo tournament you’re looking for. It’s nothing more than two for one bingo.

Actually, ‘free bingo for money’ bonus advertisements is almost better than the free bingo tournament that ends up bringing you to a website that you can’t even see because it’s covered with pop-ups trying to lead you to an online casino. It gives the term blackout a whole new definition when your computer screen is filled with virtual slot machines.

What we’re looking for here is the real deal, free bingo tournaments and finding it’s not as hard as you think. All you have to do is close all those annoying pop-ups and keep searching. Eventually the keywords free bingo tournament will lead you to the promised land. Remember, you’re doing this for fun, so don’t be frustrated by the online bingo search. There are good bingo rooms, great bingo rooms, bingo rooms that actually do let you play free bingo for money. When you find one of these bingo rooms you’ll know. It will be simple and straightforward. To play a free bingo tournament click here. You’ll need some kind of membership, but as long as it’s just an email address and password you’re fine. Sign up and try playing online bingo for free.

The worst that can happen: you get a newsletter from the online bingo website that you can easily unsubscribe to. The best that can happen: you win the tournament, fall in love with online bingo and can play the game whenever you please. It’s worth the somewhat annoying search if you find a good place to play free bingo.

Many bingo sites offer free bingo for prizes but few sites actually offer free bingo for money. Many sites have free bingo games so the newcomer can learn the games quickly and easily. The real trick is finding a site where you feel comfortable and that has good security features. The sites that offer free bingo for money are few and far between, but they are out there if you’re willing to search for them. Remember you’re doing this for fun, and hopefully for profit. Many sites have promotional games where you may play for free, not for money, but for some decent prizes. No matter what the rewards you’re still playing for fun.

As it is with most popular card games, the origins of Poker and the history of 7 Card Stud Poker are shrouded in mystery. No one is entirely sure how or where the game began. Further, when considering the history of 7 Card Stud Poker, you should first know how Poker is thought to have come about.

There are many theories about the history of Poker and the history of 7 Card Stud Poker. The most commonly held belief is the name Poker came from the French card game Poque (from the German word pochen, which means “to knock). However, the game itself more closely resembles a Persian game called Nas, which was played with a five-suit deck. Likely the game of Poker as we know it resulted from some combination of Poque and as Nas. The concept of bluffing in Poker came from still another source: the English game brag (first spelled Bragg), which is very similar to Poker but played using only three cards.

The first recorded instance of Poker in the United States was an 1829 game in New Orleans, played with a 20-card deck consisting of all cards with values of 10 and higher (four tens, four jacks, four queens, four kings and four aces). The game was not named, but the object was to bet on whose five-card hand contained the highest cards. This game soon spread to Mississippi riverboats, where con artists used a 52-card variant to bilk unwary travelers and claim their “pokes,” or gambling money stashes. Author Jonathan H. Green described this “cheating card game” in one of his books, and some give Green credit for coining the final term of “Poker.”

Stud Poker emerged during the American Civil War. Some attribute the invention of stud, or stud-horse as it was sometimes called, to cowboys around Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. 5 Card Stud was the first version played, appearing in The American Hoyle as an “official” Poker variant in 1864. Still, draw Poker was the favored variation until someone–no one is certain exactly whom–introduced 7 Card Stud in the early 20th century. The game remained the most popular form of professional and casino Poker until the 1980’s, when a slight twist on 7 Card Stud called Texas Hold ‘Em overtook the traditional version to become the favorite among gamblers and casual players alike.

The majority of Poker tournaments are based on core games of 7 Card Stud or variations of it. Binions Casino, the founder of the largest professional Poker tournament in existence–the World Series of Poker–began a Poker Hall of Fame to commemorate the greatest Poker players in history. Among them are “Wild Bill” Hicock, who was shot and killed during a Poker game holding a two-pair hand of aces over eights (which is still known as a “dead man’s hand” among gamblers); and “Red” Hodges, considered the greatest 7 Card Stud Poker player to have ever lived. 7 Card Stud is still an immensely popular game in Vegas, home games and Internet casinos.