Gambling

They may not look like one, but they certainly represent money. They may seem like good old plastic chips designed to be used as toys for children, but they really worth millions.

That is what poker chips are all about. They may appear synthetic or even look dazzling with the different colors, but the main idea of the item is that they are actually money.

In a casino, these brightly colored chips are actually illustrative representation of money, each having its own distinctive amount.

Generally, poker chips are constructed with complex �edge spot patterns� and diagrammatic illustrations so that they will be difficult to forged or imitate. The exact procedure in making these checks, other name of poker chips, is an absolute �trade secret.� Besides, it uses relatively expensive machines.

In the U.S., the most common colors used in poker chips are white, pink, red, blue, green, black, and purple. Each color represents a particular denomination. For instance, purple represents the highest denomination in the world of casinos, $500. However, there are some casinos like in Las Vegas, has larger denominations, $1,000, and this is represented by the yellow or the orange-colored chips. They also have higher denomination like $5,000 up to $25,000 but the colors for these chips may vary from time to time.

How to Buy Chips

Poker chips had revolutionized from the time it was first manufactured. Before, poker chips are made of clay materials. It was during the 60s and the 70s that the brittle chips were used.

Today, poker chips are made of different quality materials intended to be used for a longer time. These chips now have various kinds and colors. Hence, it is important to know the buying tips in choosing poker chips so that you only get the best.

Here�s how:

1. Decide on the kind of material chips you want to buy

If you are not so much after the kind of quality most of the casinos have, then it is best that you get the lightweight plastics. They are actually available at your local �big box store.� The best thing about these kinds of poker chips is that they are cheaper and they are also durable.

2. Contemplate on the design

Poker chip designs may vary depending on the color used. There are poker chips that are solid in color. There are those that have 2 to 3 colors. There are also poker chips that have designs on them.

Whatever design you choose, it is important to know that these poker chips should last as long as you want them.

3. The number of chips that you should buy

If you are considering to buy poker chips, you can either choose whether you would buy 500 chips or the 300. There are also sets of 1,000. If you want more customized numbers, you can buy sets of 200, 650, 400, and 700.

The number of chips that you should buy will depend on the kind of poker you will play. For instance, if you will play Texas Hold �Em Poker with more than 7 players, it is best that you buy sets of 500 chips.

The idea here is that 1 player should have a minimum of 35 poker chips and a maximum of 100 for better games.

So now you know what to look for when buying poker chips. It is relatively easy to shop for more if you wish to upgrade the number of chips that you have. Just keep in mind that as your players increase, it is best that you have more poker chips than the usual.

Behind the phenomenon of gambling industry, there are definite individuals. The attitude to them is ambiguous. Some people consider them to be talented businessmen, respect them and learn from them. Others, conversely, condemn them. Doubtless is only one thing – these people are extraordinary, often venturesome, but at the same time they have business acumen, feel the demands of time, they can correctly estimate the potential of their future enterprises. Particularly such people gain millions of dollars from gambling industry.

Sheldon Adelson

Presently he is the richest representative of the gambling industry. He owns the corporation «Las Vegas Sands», which controls the casino-hotel «Venetian» in Vegas and и «Venetian» in Macao. The life of Sheldon reminds of a classical story about an American dream. The future billionaire was born in 1933 in Boston in a poor Jewish-Ukrainian emigrant family. He had to work since early childhood. He earned his first money by selling newspapers on the streets. Practically without any education, the self-made man Sheldon became one of the best financiers in the USA. While working as financial advisor, he breathed new life into more than 50 companies. Adelson was one of the first businessmen who believed in the future of IT technologies. The international show-exhibition of IT-technologies “COMDEX” was his brainchild. In 1995 he sold it to the Japanese for 860 mln dollars.

The businessman came to the gambling market in 1989 buying the casino-hotel “Sands” in Las-Vegas, which was earlier owned by Frank Sinatra. Understanding that one more casino in Vegas is trivial and that is why relatively unprofitable, he decides to transform the capital of gambling into the international business center, in order to attract rich entrepreneurs (potential players) to his casino. Within several years Adelson built the business centre «Sands Expo». In 1991 he invested one and a half billion dollars for building the casino-hotel «Venetian». The new casino was targeted not only at players, but also at businessmen who came to his new business center. As many experts acknowledge, “Venetian” is one of the most beautiful casino-hotels in the world. There are more than 4000 rooms, 18 restaurants, a trade center (emporium), and all this is at the background of Venetian channels, with gondolas sailing and gondoliers singing their famous songs. In 2004 Adelson opened the casino “Venetian” in Macao, the first casino of Las Vegas type in Asia. In May 2006 he managed to obtain a permit for building a casino in Singapore, which will presumably be opened in 2009. It is planned that more than 3 billion dollars will be invested into its construction.

At the moment, according to “Forbes”, Adelson’s fortune is 16.1 billion dollars, i.e. he is number 14 in the world rating of the wealthiest people of the planet.

Kirk Kerkorian

This figure of gambling industry can be without exaggerations called the most experienced and sophisticated. He is the living legend, one of the “fathers of Las Vegas”. Kirk was born in 1917 in the town of Fresno (California) in the family of Armenian emigrants. In his youth he was actively engaged in boxing and participated in single combats, but at the age of 22 all of a sudden he decided to quit sport – the desire to learn to fly captivated his entire personality. During WW II Kirk became a pilot of British royal air force. Upon returning to his homeland, in 1947 he paid 60 thousand dollars and bought a small air company that specialized on charter flights between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He abandoned this business only in 1968, having sold it for 108 mln dollars. Frequently visiting Vegas, he realizes the huge potential of this city. In 1962 Kirk buys 80 acres of land on the famous The Strip, not far from the legendary casino “Flamingo”. The land at that time cost him 960 thousand dollars. The investment was not vain, approximately at this time there started the gambling boom and many companies became interested in gambling industry. The renowned casino «Caesars Palace» is built on his land, which he grants on lease. In 1969 he sells it, having thus earned more than 9 million dollars.

In 1967 Kirk buys 82 more acres of the “precious” land and builds «International Hotel», which was the biggest hotel in the world at that time. In order to make the hotel popular and attract potential players, Kirk hires Elvis Presley for concerts. At that time he also buys the casino “Flamingo”, which he resells in 1970 to the corporation “Hilton”. 1973 was crucial for Kirk. He invested most of his assets into buying the film studio “MGM” and builds the casino-hotel “MGM Grand” under the brand of his new company. Now this hotel becomes the biggest in the world. At the moment Kirk Kerkorian owns the corporation «Tracinda», which has the controlling stock of «MGM Mirage» (casino in Nevada, New Jersey, Macao etc). Kirk’s interests are not limited only to gambling industry. He owns 10% of the shares of «General Motors». All this allows him to be number 53 in the «Forbes» world rating, having the fortune of 8.7 billion dollars.

©Copyright 2006-2007 www.bonus-map.com

Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#78 � Indiana Hoosiers 4-7 SU; 3-6-1 ATS

Fargo�s Take Last season, the Hoosiers recorded their most amount of wins since 2001 but they still have an uphill battle to even think about contending in the Big Ten. The offense showed signs of brilliance in the first half of the season before completely disappearing in the second half. The defense was consistent all season but the problem is that it was consistently bad. There is a lot of optimism coming from second year head coach Terry Hoeppner and while he may be saying the right things, the results still need to occur on the field. A soft non-conference schedule should get the Hoosiers out to another hot start similar to last season but they need to find a way to compete in conference action where they were 1-7 and got outscored by 18.5 ppg in 2005. It starts with the defense that doesn�t look to be much better than last year and that is a huge problem before the season even begins.

Returning Starters on Offense � 6 Indiana averaged a solid 30.6 ppg in its first five games last season but followed that up with an average of 15.8 ppg in its final six games. The big name players are back including quarterback Blake Powers who set a single season school record with 22 touchdown passes. The problem is that he also threw 16 interceptions while completing just 56.4 percent of his passes. He has arguably the best group of receivers in the Big Ten, led by exciting sophomore James Hardy. The wideouts will be getting a lot of looks but getting them the ball might be a challenge as the offensive line is considered one of the weakest in the Big Ten. Also, the Hoosiers will be breaking in a new running back so the lack of a rushing attack will be detrimental to the offense. If the young line can jell quickly, Indiana has a chance to be the most improved offense in the conference. That if is huge however.

Returning Starters on Defense � 6 The offense can put up huge numbers but it won�t matter much if the defense can�t stop anyone. The Hoosiers finished 93rd in total defense, 104th in scoring defense and 110th in rushing defense. The entire front seven will consist of new starters in 2006 but that might not be a bad thing considering the 215.2 ypg and 5.0 ypc allowed last season. In the physical Big Ten, those numbers will have to decrease dramatically. The secondary returns all four starters to the unit that finished a respectable 35th in the country in passing defense. Unfortunately, like most soft rush defenses, the secondary wasn�t tested very much and won�t again this year if the run stopping doesn�t stiffen up. The defense allowed at least 41 points in each of the final five games of last season and that is not going to get the job done. A huge turnaround is necessary but likely won�t happen.

Schedule Similar to last season, the schedule is easy early on but it all comes down to Big Ten play. The first four games are all non-conference contests with the fourth game at home against Connecticut being the toughest of the four. The lone road game in there is at Ball St., a weaker team but a team that is on the upswing. A 4-0 start is not out of the question nor is a 0-8 finish. The Big Ten schedule is similar to last year with both Penn St. and Northwestern off the slate for the second consecutive season. The good news is that four of the five toughest games are at home, the exception being a game at Ohio St. Possible wins at Illinois and Minnesota or Purdue could mean bowl eligibility for the first time since 1993 but the Hoosiers must win the games they are supposed to win.

You can bet on� Indiana has improved its win total in each of the last three seasons and doing it for a fourth straight year is a definite possibility. It�s up to the defense as the offense should be able to move the ball and keep games within reach. The Hoosiers have gone a money-burning 22-42-1 against the number since 2000 including a putrid 15-37 ATS record as a dog. In conference action, Indiana has posted 2-6 ATS records in four of the last six years and for that to improve, it has to be able to stop the opposition. That is not likely going to happen as the Hoosiers have allowed at least 31.2 ppg in each of the last four years. Going against a potent Western Michigan offense in the opener should tell us a lot.

Texas Holdem Tip #1-

Strong Players Bet Big On BIG Hands

This is why they’re strong players. If you’ve made your hand, and are up against a tight player who’s raising you big, take a good look at the board. Possible flush, straight, full house? Chances are she’s hit something. The best players bet big when chances are very slim that they can be beat. This means you should very often take their implicit advice and get out–especially as a beginner. Unless you’ve got the nuts, or near it, yourself, that is. In that case, raise the hell out of them.

Texas Holdem Tip #2-

Be A Rock, Except�

Being a rock is a very good way to start out. Though it may seem unexciting to some, who long for the high-stakes stack-pushing (highly edited) drama of the TV-poker world, poker is a game of inches. A waiting game. Throwing 80% of your hands, at least, is the only way to win in multi-player games. Bet only on the best hands, semi-bluff very occasionally, and bluff almost never. This is a winning recipe against 90% of the poker players you’ll meet at low-limit tables. As a beginner, consider yourself a hunter sitting calmly in a blind, waiting hours for prey to fly overhead. If you go the other way, take your shotgun and go walking around in the jungle, very often you’ll get eaten by a lion.

Texas Holdem Tip #3-

Know The Nuts

For every hand of poker, there’s a combination of pocket cards called the �nuts,� which give the player who hold them the best hand possible. For instance, the nuts on a board of 9d-4h-2c-10d- Jd would be Qd-Kd, giving the holder a straight flush. Figure out the nuts for every hand you bet into–it’s important to know how beatable your pocket cards are. Knowing the nuts will also give you some insight into what your opponents may or may not be holding. For instance, if the nuts of a hand end up being 2-4, it’s unlikely an opponent who was betting big pre-flop would have them. In this case, your set will probably stand up. Texas Holdem Tips #4-

Set Limits, Goals

The worst thing you can do is keep playing poker until your money runs out. For a successful string of poker games, and to keep hold �em a hobby and pastime rather than an addiction, it’s important to decide beforehand both how much time you will spend at the table, and how much money you’re willing to lose. This keeps you from getting sucked into a hold �em �vortex,� where the game is playing you instead of vice-versa. It also keeps the rest of your life on an even keel. Some players like to set money goals–i.e., they’ll keep playing until they’ve won (or lost) a certain amount. Other players set time limits. For a good player, one- to two-hour short stints, peppered with the occasional four- to five-hour marathon, should be sufficient. Set whatever limits and goals you think are right for you. The important part, by far, is sticking to them. This increases your sense of self-control and discipline, the two most important components of consistent poker playing.

Texas Holdem Tip #5-

Bet With Won Money

It’s okay to put a little money into the cosmic kitty every now and then, and if you can afford it, dropping a few hundred bucks here and there might not be a problem. However, the best players work themselves up from low-limit games, building up their poker bankroll as they go along (and keeping it far, far away from their personal finances–the money they need to live). If you’re not someone with a ton of disposable income, and you want to play high-limit and no-limit games, the best idea is to work your way up there through previous wins, not to buy in with �your� money. This has the built-in benefit of ensuring you’re ready for the level of play at high-limit and no-limit tables.

You may be wondering, why discuss the Poker Hand Rankings? It’s a good question. The reason is quite simple.

Beginners often don’t know what will beat what in Texas Hold ‘em and a lot of people who have played for some time, think they know, but possibly don’t really know either.

Here is a quick reference guide for you to print out and use as a reference, just in case you ever need to check back to verify what you already know!

We’ll start with the lowest possible winning hands and go up from there.

HIGH CARD ACE

For example, A-9-5-3-2 In case of a tie, then the next highest card would be determined as the winning card.

ONE PAIR

Highest pair wins, in the event of a tie then the highest card wins. Example 9-7-3-3-2

TWO PAIR

Two Pair. Example Q-Q-4-4-2

THREE OF A KIND

Three cards of the same numerical or face card rank Example: K-K-K-9-4

STRAIGHT

Five cards in sequence. Example: 7-8-9-10-J

FLUSH

Five Cards of the same suit. Example: 5-6-7-8-9 all of Hearts

FULL HOUSE

Two Cards of one rank and three cards of another.

Example: Q-Q-J-J-J

FOUR OF A KIND

Four of the same exact cards. Example 5-5-5-5-2

STRAIGHT FLUSH

Five cards in the same suit in numerical order.

Example: 2-3-4-5-6 of Clubs

ROYAL FLUSH

The most beautiful poker hand you will find! Same suit A-K-Q-J-10

Hopefully these few tips will help you the next time you sit down at a poker table and find that some of the hand rankings aren’t fresh on your mind like you had hoped!

This is handy to keep somewhere close to your computer as a “cheat sheet” if you are new to the game and still want to have a little more confidence in your play.

Try using it for a while, and then you can put it away when you don’t need it as a crutch anymore!

Do keep in mind; because each poker game is different, sometimes it helps to keep a cheat sheet around for hand rankings when you are playing numerous online games, especially if you have the tendency to jump in and out of different games.

The most common mistake you find new players making in Texas Hold’em is the three of a kind and straight , if you don’t know that a straight beats a three of a kind , you’ll remember it after it beats you a few times!

Playing Deuces Wild Video Poker and can bring you hours of entertainment, and some money if you follow the tips below

In Video Poker games, only the ranking of the hands is the same as in table poker.When you play Deuces Wild video its fast fun!

Lets look at the game, how to win and have some fun.

Play Deuces Wild Rules

You make your bet, and then the machine deals you a five-card hand. You can keep or throw away as many cards as you wish. Obviously you never throw away a deuce, as its “wild”, and can represent any card you wish it to in the deck.

You now decide which cards to hold and which cards to throw away; you press the appropriate buttons, and then you are dealt new cards for those which you discarded. The game is over, except to determine if you won or not.

When you play Deuces Wild Video Poker, as any Video Poker game, the ranking of hands follows the general poker rules.

Where this differs from the other poker games is that the four deuces can represent any card in the deck you wish, so you can augment your hand accordingly.

Here is how the hands are ranked.

• Five of a Kind

• Royal Flush

• Straight Flush

• Four of a Kind

• Full House

• Flush

• Straight

• Three of a Kind

• Two Pair

• A Pair

A Five or kind may seem unusual, but not when you play Deuces Wild Video Poker

Here are Three Tips to help you Win when playing deuces wild video poker:

1.Play the maximum number of coins per game. The payout for five coins at once is far greater than five times the payout for only one coin.

2.If you have an empty hand (no matching cards, and no deuce), discard all five cards and try your luck with a new hand. Statistics show you have more of a chance this way.

3.Play only at machines that offer the full-pay schedules of 9/5 (9 coins for a straight flush and 5 for 4 of a kind. Read the payout schedules before you start to play Deuces Wild Video Poker, or any other gambling machine

Some Basic Strategy to Help You Win

Winning when you play Deuces Wild Video Poker can be easy, but you need to remember some rules about holding and discarding the cards in your hand.

If you have Four, three or two Deuces – Hold all the deuces, and determine what kind of a hand you can make with what you have.

Discard carefully, and never a deuce.

If you have only One Deuce - Keep the cards and the deuce that go for a high-ranking hand; otherwise, throw all except the deuce and wait for a better combination.

If you have no deuce, you need to follow this strategy:

Hold all paying hands, except the four cards to a royal flush.

Hold a four-card straight flush.

Hold any one pair

Hold the cards that make a four-card flush.

Hold the cards that make up a consecutive four-card straight.

Hold any three cards that go to make a straight flush. Hold any two of 10, J, Q, or K, if they’re in the same suit.

Play Deuces Wild for a great time

Remember,playing Deuces Wild Video Poker can bring you hours of entertainment and follow the rules above and you could make some money as well!

While most gamblers would bet on a cockroach race if they thought they could collect with any regularity the same cannot be said for wagering on the National Hockey League which attracts a very small percentage of the betting dollar. Significant rule changes, however, have resulted in significant changes in betting on hockey — changes which might make wagering on NHL action a more attractive option in the future.

In an attempt to boost interest in the game after losing an entire season to a lockout the NHL finally came to the conclusion reached by legendary Notre Dame football coach Ara Parseghian many years ago when he declared that �a tie is like kissing your sister� and decided that games that remained tied after 60 minutes of regulation and five minutes of four-on-four overtime would be decided by a shootout.

The move spurred great debate in the sports betting industry and resulted in significant change, namely the elimination of the split-goal — or Canadian Line as it is known, and a move to a money line for all games.

�There was a lot of debate between the books on this topic right up until a couple of days before the first game,� said Rob Gillespie, President of Bodog. �Many books were considering staying with the Canadian Line but settling the game after OT and before the shootout. I fought against this because I knew it would be confusing to bettors, especially those that had the winning team minus half-a-goal, saw the 3-2 final score (after the shootout) and then couldn�t understand why their bet was a loss�

A review of a number of sport books shows that a clear consensus has not yet emerged though all have eliminated the split-goal line in which for example a team would be a 1.5 � 2 goal favorite, meaning if you took the favorite you needed to win by 2 or more to collect and if you selected the dog a 1 goal loss resulted in a win and a two goal loss in a push.

Bodog, Legendz and BetCRIS are offering only money lines on NHL games while Bet Jamaica, Pinnacle, CanBet, Nine Sportsbook and Betcom offer the money line as well as a straight -1.5 goal line on games.

Gillespie said Bodog concluded that the money line was the easiest way to deal with the rule change and while the jury is out on whether it will increase NHL handle he is certain the Canadian Line would have resulted in even less NHL action.

�Moving to a baseball system with all lines -1.5 was a possibility but just impractical for the bulk of games. That leaves the money line as the best alternative to deal with the new rules. Will it help? Maybe. Would booking on a Canadian line have hurt? Absolutely. That was the crux of the decision.�

The shootout will have a minimal effect on over-under totals as the team that wins a shootout will get credit for just one goal in terms of the final score regardless of how many goals are tallied in the shootout. Luke Martin, CEO of Legendz Sports, doesn�t believe the elimination of ties will have much of an impact in NHL handle but increased scoring that can draw a television audience might. �In my opinion the only thing that will have a bearing on increased volume for hockey wagers is the NHL continuing their aggressive marketing campaign to generate more public interest,� said Martin. �A game with limited scoring potential doesn�t seem to have the viewing power over other high action sporting events. In addition, hockey season is in direct competition with higher spectator sports such as the NFL and NBA.�

Gillespie concurs, noting that hockey accounts for just 4 percent of Bodog�s handle compared to 16- 22 percent for each of the �Big 5� NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA football and basketball, and that a lack of television exposure is a problem. �Television drives sports betting and hockey just doesn�t get the eyeballs,� Gillespie said.

If this is in fact the reason the NHL lags well behind the Big 5 in terms of wagering interest it will likely be some time before the effect the elimination of ties and other rule changes implemented to boost scoring (smaller goalie equipment and legalizing the two-line pass for example) will have in grabbing a bigger chunk of wagering handle because the only national television deal the NHL has is with the Outdoor Network and I have to believe you�re a diehard if you can find that on your remote.

I�ve lost count of the number of times I�ve heard newcomers to the game of Texas Holdem say to me �how can you have a poker tell online?� Many believe success is due to the cards alone because you can�t see you opponents across the other side of the table. Such attitudes, combined with the speed of play (online poker is much faster than the land based poker game) make it a more profitable place for those that have taken the time to learn the signals.

Here�s my top 10 poker tells that you need to pick up on:

1) Weak is strong � The most common of all poker tells and one you�ll have heard many times before. If you have a hand you are betting and your opponent is simply calling you down then you are probably in trouble. Calling down large bets is more commonly an indication of over-cards or a hidden set.

2) Timing � A lot can be read into timing. I would actually be more accurate in naming this tell �false timing� to give the impression of thought, or indecision. In its most common form you find this poker tell combining with the first point. Players who wait for a period, often going into their online time bank to send out the required impression before calling. This action hardly ever indicates indecision � your opponent has you beaten, you just don�t realise it yet.

3) Players that use the instant call button � You often see this in online poker play and, more often than not, it indicates players who have no hand but who are looking to catch cards. They are impatient to get on to the next set of hands. Raise it up and watch them fold.

4) Frequent aggressive betting pre-flop � Usually this indicates a quality player who recognises that aggression is the way to go. The exception are players who act in this way at the start of large No Limit Texas Holdem Tournaments where this signifies a player who does not have the requisite 5-6 hours required to make it to the end of the game. If you are fortunate to receive large starting cards put them out of their misery early. Returning to the players who re-raise by decent amounts each hand.

It is likely that you need to be prepared to go all-in with whichever hand you chose to call a flop (at some expense) and top pair would be my recommendation for proceeding. The biggest and common mistake people make against these players is to call down bets while attempting to catch cards. You will pay dearly for those extra cards. Don�t be intimidated by this playing style (it is unusual), simply wait for the big starting hand and slow play it to maximise value.

5) Players that are multi-tabling � You can�t do this in a land based card room, but it is more common than you may expect online. If you play for any duration at the same poker room you�ll see player names time and again and realise they are playing up to six Texas Holdem tables at once. Amateur poker players do not multi-table so you need to avoid these players at all cost. They often operate under names that are difficult to remember such as �cra5313t�

6) Players who are using �Table Position.� Table position is arguably the most important concept in Texas Holdem Poker. It is surprising to me that most people playing today know little or nothing about it. It won�t take long however to see betting based on table position alone (2 or more bets from late position usually being all you need to confirm it). This tells you that the player making the move is an accomplished poker player and should be treated as such.

7) The check then re-raise: One of the most clear tells you�ll ever see, especially when employed after the turn card. A check then re-raise is the clearest signal of hand strength that you can give online. When this happens to you then it is important you realise that your opponent is maximising the value of his hand. The fact that this strategy is such a clear Texas Holdem Tell means it can be employed as an effective bluffing strategy (although I�ve only ever seen it deployed against me as a person with a genuinely strong hand telling me what he has). The check re-raise used as a bluff works best where the Turn Card makes 3 suited cards to a flush. If you check then go for a medium to large re-raise you�ll probably steal the pot. If your re-raise is called then unfortunately for you your opponent has already made the flush you are pretending to hold!
People who do not post blinds immediately upon arriving at a table. You won�t often see players joining a table in this way (joining but not immediately entering the action). Where you do notice it you should have respect for the player as it is a sign of a) good bankroll management, b) a multi-tabling player who is occupied elsewhere, or c) someone quietly observing the play before joining. This Poker Tell shows intelligence which you need to associate with a high quality player.

9) Date in Name � Quite often you will see players who�ve chosen a name like �Jack1983�. Usually these players tried to play as �Jack� at the point of signing up and having been rejected for that name they couldn�t think of an alternative. The date of birth gives you information you shouldn�t have. In this case your opponent is 23 years old and certainly won�t have the experience to play like Doyle Brunson.

10) Table chat � My final Poker Tell is a lucrative source of information in the online poker world. A surprising number of people want to coach each others play based on the observation of a single hand they just won. The best form of table chat is observing the people that swear (software often cuts out such chat with **** or other marks). The people clearly lack etiquette but also intelligence. If you don�t mind the comments they are easily put on tilt with a few choice observations about their vocabulary skills. Players on tilt almost always lose to a slow played large starting hand against an enemy they are desperate to prove a point against. Enjoy!

With his career on the “Surreal Life” on hold, former major league baseball player Jose Canseco has decided to join a baseball team known as the San Diego Surf Dawgs. This is the lowest rung in professional baseball and you may recall that future hall of famer Ricky Henderson played for the same team last year.

Far too many times in the past we have seen athletes in usually baseball and boxing not have the ability to let the game go and they hang around one too many games or fights and then the door gets slammed completely.

The same day that this was being announced, word came out of California that Barry Bonds personal trainer Greg Anderson has refused to testify for a federal grand jury.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles it was learned that former Dodger Steve Howe had drugs in his system when he crashed his vehicle last April. Howe had an incredible arm but was suspended 7 times by MLB for drug infractions.

In regards to Jose it is a shame that he continues to make news in an embarrassing fashion as I and several other baseball analysts respect that he came forward and ripped the lid off this embarrassing steroid scenario. It exposed players such as Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and Jason Giambi and of course Barry Bonds.

He hit 462 home runs in a 17-year career with Oakland, Texas, Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. The news release announcing the deal said Canseco will be the DH “and will showcase his knuckleball as a member of the team’s pitching staff.”

Canseco made one big league pitching appearance, working the final inning for the Texas Rangers in a 15-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on May 29, 1993. He walked the bases loaded and allowed three runs and two hits. He threw 12 strikes and 21 balls, most of which were far from the strike zone.

But he tore a ligament in his elbow, ending his season. He said he felt a sharp pain in his elbow on his second pitch, but stayed in and threw 31 more pitches.

Canseco was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1986 and MVP in 1988, when he hit 42 homers, drove in 124 runs and stole 40 bases to lead the A’s to the World Series, where they were upset by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That season, Canseco became the first player in major league history to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases.

Talk about from the “Penthouse to the Outhouse”!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Do you like to gamble on the greyhounds? Do you enjoy a night out at the dogs but are not really sure how to read the form? Are you looking for some advice about how to bet on the greyhounds? In this article I give advice on how I go about successfully betting at the greyhounds and about what some of the form quotes mean.

I have been enjoying going to the greyhounds for many years. The main tracks that I go to are Hall Green and Perry Bar which are situated around the Birmingham area of England. I was taken to Hall Green for the first time by my father when I was about fourteen years of age. I had been to watch the horse racing many times but this first experience at the dogs was altogether different.

The races are much more frequent than that of the horses. There is normally a thirty minute gap between each horse race, where the gap between the dog races is only about fifteen minutes. I could also not quite believe how quickly these greyhounds could actually run. I also enjoyed the fact that despite some of these dogs bumping into each other and even knocking one another over at times, that there were no stewards enquiries.

I did not do very well in the gambling stakes for quite a while but then started to learn more about how to read the form book. For example a dog may have been running in an A4 class for the last six races but is now running in A5. This means that he has dropped down a class and therefore would have more of a chance. A dog may also have been winning well for the last three races in A4 but is now running in A3. This of course means that he/she has moved up a grade and that it could be harder for the dog to win.

These are some of the meanings in the form guide:

FA- Fast away

SA- Slow away

BLKD- The dog got bulked

RO- Ran on

VSA- Very slow away

The form guide also shows times for the greyhounds last few races and also times of how quick it started from the traps. These are all aspects that should be taken into account when deciding which dog to bet on.

I also like to stand in the betting ring and to see how much money is going onto the different dogs. After a while you get to know the faces and at times I will watch who a certain person backs and then bet on that dog as well. This is because of course I have seen that person do well in the past and because I think he will know more than what I do.

By learning how to read the form and by other things that I now do, I have started to do a lot better when gambling on these greyhounds. As well as betting on a single dog, I will also bet on a forecast and a tricast, just for a bit of fun. A forecast is where you predict which dog will come first and second, a tricast is where you predict which dog will come first, second and third. This is not easy to predict but when you get it right you tend to win a lot more money.

At the end of the day a night out at the dogs is a lot of fun and it is important to only gamble what you can afford to lose.