Gambling

Are you ready to start winning more online Texas hold em tournaments? Do you get sick of losing when you know you should be winning? Do you want the best tip on playing Texas Hold em online?

I have been playing Texas hold em online for years and I am very successful in the tournaments I enter. Enough about me, though, you care about you not me. So how do you win more tournaments? How do you make better decisions on hands and avoid that bad beat?

The best tip for playing Texas hold em online is to play patiently and smart. How do you do that? To play patient you must wait and have self discipline. It is not a good thing to play every hand or even hands that you think you might get lucky.

You should concentrate on playing the following hands” 9,9 – 9,10 suited – 10, 10 – 10, J suited – J,J – J, Q suited – Q,Q – Q, K suited – K, K – K. A of any type, and A,A. These are all the top hands and give you the best shot of winning the hand.

Now how do you play each of them? The top hands and pocket pairs you will want to play very aggressive with, but you have to read the table. If you are not in the blind position you want to raise the blind so you don’t get beat by someone getting a lucky flop. This usually guarantees that you are only in against top hands when the flop comes.

With the lower hands, I would try to limp in and see if I can get lucky. If I don’t get a piece of the flop I fold pretty quickly. There is no reason to waste your chips. With any hand lower than pocket 9’s I only play if I am in the blind and can get in for only the blind. Then, if I don’t catch the top pair or more I get out.

The biggest mistake that players make is they play too many draws. They get excited because they get four diamonds or a straight draw. You still need another card and you don’t have a lot of options. I try to only deal with hands that give me a top hand after the flop.

So if you want to start winning more poker hands and tournaments, then stop being the luck seeker and play the right hands.

In any casino, the only game where the player can have and take advantage of the odds, is blackjack and the MIT blackjack team did just that with stunning results.

MIT blackjack team & Beating the dealer

In the early 1960s when a university professor named Edward Thorp wrote his famous book ‘Beat the Dealer’ which featured a computer program for counting cards.

This gave the an understanding of the odds of the game, and the rewards to be had with the odds in a players favor and the MIT blackjack team were to use these odds to make a killing at the tables.

The game is quite simple. Both the dealer and the players are dealt cards, and whoever gets closer to 21 wins.

Thorpe’s system used card counting and other signals to “beat the dealer”. Just using one deck you could bring the odds to 2% in your favor.

However, casinos soon developed self-defence against card counters, in the same way as they had against cheaters.

The M

In the 1990s, at MIT an assistant professor and some students formed a kind of after-school club built around the mathematics of blackjack.

The MIT blackajack team developed a system around mathematics and statistics, and turned the club into a business; complete with investors.

Mock casinos were set up in various locations, and all aspects were examined, and considered, as in a large-scale mathematical study.

Psychological studies were made, both of the players and of the “house” employees, and all variables were taken into account.

It was science against the game and the game’s proponents.

The MIT group were far ahead in mental ability, and they proceeded to confront the casinos in an organized campaign.

To accomplish this they had a team which consisted of:

• A spotter. The spotter was the one who would sit at the table and play (always a mininum bet) but in reality was counting cards on their system.

• The rear-spotter. This player was the casual observer who did play, who studied the cards as well as the casino security and game supervisors.

• The gorilla. This was a player who just played big, and had nothing to do with the science, but was placed to distract attention.

• The BP (big player). This is an expert spotter that plays the high stakes.

The team would all pretend not to know each other, but they were all armed with superior mathematical knowledge, highly trained in their position and extemely funded.

The posts were chosen also for ethnic reasons, as the BP could not to be a white guy, but an Arab, or Oriental, appearing to be rich and unskilled players.

The Classic Method

The spotter sat at a blackjack table, bet always the minimum bets, and did the basic application of the card counting program.

The gorilla would sit at the same table and bet, winning/losing without the benefit of the program and only there as a distraction.

The black spotter was watching as a deck became “hot” that is, as the cards in the deck would favor the players and not the dealer.

By secret signals and signs, the BP would then join and beat the casino.

The system worked and worked well, till the team became sloppy and broke their own rules. The casinos also became aware of the system’s effects, and began to search for them.

The fraternized, were seen together by casino security consultants.

Were the teams disciplined, and under strict control, it would have been years later till they were caught and banned from all casinos.

In today’s world, sophisticated cheating is the game, using technology to beat the house, if possible. The casinos know this, and have developed their own highly sophisticated defense systems.

The MIT blackjack team card counters proved that you can win at blackjack, and without cheating.

The ATP already announced some changes that will take place in a number of 2007 men’s tour tournaments. Some of these changes include starting the events on Sundays instead of Mondays, reducing the number of best-of-five-set finals and using round-robin formats. These are the first steps of a proposal to increase tennis’ appeal.

The initiative also includes the first extensive prize money increase since 2000, a 10 per cent hike at events currently at the minimum purse level. It has been more than six years since changes like this happened in the world of tennis, so maybe they might just see the light. The moves are clearly a part of a much wider project to renovate a sport that has seen slowly how it’s popularity drops. Another change would be that the tour is also increasing its marketing funds from $800,000 in 2006 to $5 million US in 2007.

The optimism is also relied in stars such as Roger Federer, he enters the U.S. Open more than half way to meet Pete Sampras’ record for the most Grand Slams titles at his age. Another hope star is young Rafael Nadal. The word is the ATP wants to see more changes that include figuring out ways to discourage top players to withdrawal from tournaments. The idea is to change the calendar, but this could take time so they came up with another one which is to threaten with fines or rankings point reductions, but if you think about it, this might even cost the players to come in at all, so yet another one is to reduce wear-and-tear by eliminating best-of-five-set finals at non-majors that use best-of-three matches earlier in the draw.

This year’s French Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to start on a Sunday, and this allowed more TV exposure and ticket sales. Some seven-day ATP tournaments will expand to eight days in 2007, and the plan is to have Sunday starts everywhere by 2009, and it makes more sense since nobody opens a movie on a Monday morning if you want people to come and see it right, it is the day that everybody hates!

It’s Texas Holdem, with a twist. At least that’s the way you would see Pineapple Poker described on a drinks menu.

Pineapple poker is a tasty version of Texas holdem in which players each receive three hole cards instead of two. This obviously increases the chances that a player could land a high quality starting hand. So, you can expect to see more players in each pot. The average winning hands are stronger in Pineapple than they are in Texas Holdem.

In Pineapple Poker, players do not keep all three of their hole cards during the entire hand. Instead, they discard one of their hole cards at a designated point in the hand.

After receiving their cards, players engage in a round of betting. Now comes a choice. Many players play the game using this point in the hand to decide which hole card to discard. Discarding your extra hole card before the flop is how to play the more basic version of the game of Pineapple.

But, since you are spicing things up by playing something other than Holdem in the first place, you can decide to play the more popular version of Pineapple Poker called Crazy Pineapple. In this version, which is dealt at several of the online poker rooms, players keep their extra hole card until after the flop is dealt.

Once the flop is dealt and the following betting round is completed, Crazy Pineapple players discard their extra hole card.

For both the basic and the crazy versions of Pineapple Poker, the rest of the hand is played exactly like Texas Holdem.

This derivative of Texas Holdem offers more action, with the familiar gameplay. Players can use any number of hole cards, including none, to make a hand. The betting rules are the same, and if you play Texas Holdem, you already know most of the strategy involved in Pineapple Poker.

But wait, there’s more! Unlike Texas Holdem, there is a popular hi-lo (often called 8 or better) version of the game as well. In hi-lo games, players have a chance to win half of the pot by presenting the best qualifying low hand at the table.

What’s a qualifying low hand? It’s one with five cards with different ranks, all below eight (hence the name 8 or better). The lowest qualifying low hand wins half of the pot. So, players have nearly double the chances of winning.

Low hand ties are broken by reading the cards as one five digit number, with the highest digits first. Lowest number wins. For example, a hand of A,2,4,5,7 would be read as 75,421. A hand of A,3,4,5,6 would be read as 65,431, and would win in a tie-breaker.

Crazy Pineapple 8 or Better is not just some exotic homegame variety of poker, it is also dealt at several of the online poker rooms.

If you want to liven up your home games, consider adding a couple of hands of Crazy Pineapple to the mix. It’s a break from the same ol’ same ol’, but since it’s holdem-based players don’t need to learn many new rules and strategies to enjoy it.

As craps is a game of real chance you need to focus on the bets that give you the best odds in craps to win.

Craps Odds of success with the best bets are surprisingly good and you can play at almost even with the house, making craps odds on best bets, better than those in other games of chance such as roulette and slots.

Let’s look at the bets with the best odds in craps.

To understand the game better, and why Craps Odds on the right bets give you great chance of winning, lets look at the various bets you can make, and what advantage (in percent) they give to the house.

Although there are over 40 bets you can make in Craps, here are the most popular and the odds (advantage) they bring to the house.

SEVEN -16.66%

ELEVEN -16.66%

PLACE BETS - 1.51%.

BUY BETS - 4.76%. Note: Player pays 5% “vigorish” to get true odds on all numbers. Only the 4 and 10 make buy bets are worth it. They reduce the house edge to 4.76%.

HARD WAYS This bet can be made in two ways on 4, 6, 8 and 10. Payoff is 9 to 1 on the 6 or 8 and 7 to 1 on the 4 or 10. The house edge is 9.09% and 11.11%, respectively

PASS LINE - 1.414%

DON’T PASS - 1.402%

COME BETS & DON’T COME Same house percentages of 1.414% and 1.402%, as pass line bets.

THE FIELD - 5.55%.

ANY CRAPS - 11.11%

BIG 6 & 8 - 9.09%

How to get it even.

As each throw of the dice is unique, systems cannot predict anything, especially what will fall on the next throw.

All you will need to know, to play well and win is how to bet with the best Craps Odds bets.

First, you need to know how to bet on the passline and then how to apply Craps Odds.

The passline bet is first made before the new shooter begins his throw. If he throws a 7 or 11, you win with him. If he throws a 2, 3, or 12, you lose with him. But if he throws a 4 or 5 or 6 or 8 or 9 or 10, he achieves a “point” (a number he will roll to make again before he rolls a 7), and here you can apply Craps Odds.

The Odds Bet

As we said, the Odds bet will reduce the house advantage. Here is how it’s done.

After you bet on the passline and the shooter has his point, the house may allow you to make an additional bet known as an Odds bet. You place this bet behind your original passline bet on the table.

If the shooter makes his point, you are paid even money for your passline bet and additionally you are paid the true odds for you odds bet reducing the house advantage. These are:

If the point is 4 or 10 your win is paid 2 to 1.

If the point is 5 or 9 your win is paid 3 to 2.

If the point is 6 or 8 your win is paid 6 to 5.

Some casinos will allow you to take double Crap Odds on your passline bet. For example if you put $50 on the passline, you would be able to place odds bet of $100.

Statistically, the passline bet has a house advantage of 1.41%. When you place an additional odds bet, you bring this way down.

A passline bet with single odds has a house edge of 0.85% and with double odds the edge is further too just 0.61% 4, 5, 6 Times Odds. A player sometimes allowed to take three/ four / five times odds, depending on the point number.

If the point is 4 or 10 you can take 3 times odds

If the point is 5 or 9 you can take 4 times odds.

If the point is 6 or 8 you can take 5 times odds.

Always take odds when you have the opportunity to do so The best bet?

When betting you need to keep the odds of craps bets in your mind and only play the ones with the best chances of success.

For right bettors (those betting with the shooter) are pass and come bets with full odds on both for wrong bettors (those betting with the house) are don’t pass and don’t come with full odds on both.

Focus on the bets with the best craps Odds and you will increase your chances of winning dramatically and keep in mind craps is a fun game to but more fun, when you’re winning!

Many poker players who are just starting out often make a few basic but very serious errors early on. This can lead to crushing losses and disillusionment causing the novice player to give up playing Texas Hold em. We don’t want that to happen to you so we’ve prepared a beginner’s guide with a few valuable tips to help you avoid making the common mistakes that can easily be avoided.

Tip #1: Don’t play too many hands.

When a player first learns to play Texas Holdem poker obviously they are enthusiastic and want to play. Unfortunately this translates into an over eagerness to play any hand that looks even half decent. I’ve seen plenty of novices play any hand with a picture card. There are some occasions where calling with an unsuited Jack-5 or Queen-4 is the right play, but those occasions are quite rare.

Starting hand selection is an important aspect of the game. A novice player playing too loosely will be quickly identified by more experienced players and taken for a ride. Keep your play tight to begin with. If you are unsure of a hand then don’t play it. Think about what hands you could potentially make from your starting hand. For example, cards five apart or less can potentially make a straight (e.g. Queen and so are more worth playing than cards six or seven apart (e.g. Queen-7).

Tip #2: Don’t be afraid to fold.

Many mediocre Texas Hold em poker players, especially when they first learn to play, often won’t let a bad hand go, whereas a good poker player knows when to fold. If they’ve invested a lot of chips in a drawing hand that looked good but failed to hit the outs on the turn or river many novice poker players will still call or even raise on the off chance their opponents have nothing either or they can be bluffed into thinking he has hit his outs after all. Occasionally, but seriously seldom, that is the right play, but you have to be a pretty experienced and positive poker player to know when that occasion is and get away with it.

Instead I recommend for a player learning the game of Texas Holdem poker the best plan, if you miss your outs on the turn and the river or completely miss the flop, is to fold. There’s no point in throwing good money after bad. If you had a decent drawing hand, four-to-a-flush or four-to-a-straight for example, but don’t hit the final card you need you’ll end up with nothing. Most decent poker players will be aware that there is a potential straight or flush on the board. They will also be aware that if when the river comes down and it doesn’t add to the straight or flush they are safe and will probably call your bluff if they have anything themselves.

Don’t worry about the money you’ve put into the pot. It’s not your money anymore. If you’ve invested in a good drawing had that’s turned sour, just get out. Even if you only have to put in a small amount to call, £5 on a £100 pot, it’s almost never worth it if you’ve ended up with a nothing hand. You’re just losing another £5.

The gambling world is full of people who just throw down hard earned money without thinking about what they are doing. Are you one of those people who will just go with the flow? If so, you are most likely a losing gambler or you are not winning as much money as you could be. There are three main factors that make up every successful gambler: money management, value and knowledge. This article will take a look at all these of these areas and help you become a sharp gambler.

Money Management

It’s amazing how many people gamble and don’t think, for even one second, about money management. You wouldn’t go on a trip without thinking about what you want to do right? Then why gamble without a goal? When you go on a trip, is your goal to simply go on a trip? Of course it’s not. You at least decide on a destination, time of stay and so forth.

Before you gamble, you should have some goals in mind. Here’s a quick list of a couple goals you want to define.

1. What is your total bankroll for the gambling session?

2. If I am ahead $X, I will leave.

3. If I lose X% of my bankroll, I will leave or I will leave once my bankroll is gone.

4. I will devote most of my time to playing [ insert game ].

5. While playing [ insert game ], my average bet will be around $x.

Defining these five goals will help you keep organized and focused.

Value

The sharp gambler stay way from bets that are for suckers. He or she is only concerned with getting good value. Here’s a list of key bets and activities to stay away from.

1. Slot Machines – The payback percentage is poor.

2. Roulette – Huge house advantage.

3. Proposition bets in Craps.

4. Parlay cards in sports betting that contain a large amount of selections.

5. The insurance bet in Blackjack.

6. The tie bet in Baccarat.

7. Caribbean Stud Poker, which has a large house advantage. 8. Bingo

There’s no law against playing the above items from time to time, but you have to do it in moderation and not make these items part of your main betting activities.

Knowledge This is one of those factors that separate the long-term winning gamblers from the consistently losing gamblers. If you are going to wager on something, you should know all you can about it. Study the game, learn the tricks and understand everything about it. By being knowledgeable in the game, you will know how to maximize your wagers and your time.

Pick a game you want to play and follow this guide to become a guru.

1. First, research the game by typing in the name at your local search engine. Look for how-to-play articles, tips and strategy. You will find many free resources out there.

2. Find an online casino that offers play money games and go practice what you have learned. If are learning about sports betting or horse racing, find a sports book to get odds from and play bet.

3. Visit your bookstore and look for books on the subject. Sit down at the store and read a little.

Keep reading and searching for the area(s) you like and soon you will become a very sharp player. Knowledge is power, especially in the gambling world.

By improving yourself in these three areas, you will have a great possibility of winning more consistently and you will have more fun because you are organized, focused and education.

Breaking down the Final 16

We are down to the final 16 teams in the NCAA tournament and as always, there are a few surprises. Of the 16 teams remaining, 10 of those coincide with their seedings as we have all four numbers ones, two numbers twos, two numbers threes and two numbers fours still in the mix. Bradley, who was one of the last teams to be given an at-large bid, is the lowest remaining seed at number 13. George Mason is the only other team with a double-digit seeding that remains while the last four teams are seeded fifth through seventh.

Connecticut and Villanova are the two numbers ones that were taken to the final minutes in the second round while Duke and Memphis made it through with ease. The Big East leads the way with four teams remaining and of the top seven conferences, only the Big 10 is without a representative. All of the media experts who were up in arms about the Missouri Valley Conference receiving four bids can now wipe the egg off of their faces since that conference has two teams left, the same as the ACC, Pac Ten and SEC.

Schedule strength usually plays a big part in teams making it through since tough games tend to get teams more prepared this time of year. However, that has not been the case this year as only five teams remaining have schedules ranked in the top 25. Florida, Gonzaga, Washington, Memphis and George Mason all have strength of schedule rankings of 81st or worst while the average schedule strength of the remaining 16 teams in just 48.9.

Defense wins championships but don’t tell that to Duke, West Virginia, Boston College, Gonzaga and Washington who are ranked 122nd or worse in shooting percentage defense. The Mountaineers are easily the worst of the bunch as they are allowing 45.4 percent shooting, 246th in the country. Connecticut, Texas, Memphis and George Mason are the best of the bunch with all being ranked in the top 10. The average defensive ranking of the final 16 teams is a lofty 73.6.

There is definitely more offensive talent remaining with five of the top 10 in the country still alive. Florida and Duke are one and two respectively with Boston College, George Mason and UCLA rounding out the bunch. Wichita St., West Virginia, Bradley and Villanova are all ranked 128th or worse and they are the only four teams with shooting percentages below 45 percent. The Mountaineers are the only team that has a shooting margin in the red. The average offensive shooting ranking is 57.

Successful free throw shooting in extremely important this time of year and some of the best free throw shooting teams remain. 12 of the 16 teams are hitting more than 70 percent from the charity stripe with LSU, Memphis, Boston College and George Mason being the only four teams falling below that mark. The Patriots are the worst as they are hitting a very pedestrian 66.8 percent from the line. Gonzaga is the best remaining team as the Bulldogs are shooting a solid 78.3 percent, third in the country.

Rebounding is something that is often overlooked but it is once again playing a huge role in the success of the winners. Eight of the top 18 teams in rebounding margin are still playing with Connecticut, Texas, LSU and Memphis all ranked in the top 10. 14 of the 16 teams are all ranked in the top 100 in rebounding margin with Duke and West Virginia being the only two on the outside and way on the outside as a matter of fact. Duke is 250th while West Virginia is one of the worst in the country at 327th.

West Virginia makes up for its shooting offense and defense and rebounding by bringing in the best assist/turnover ratio of the group. The Mountaineers have a ratio of 2.082 which is by far the best. Boston College is second with a ratio of 1.341 showing just how big the gap really is. 14 of the 16 teams have a ratio better than breakeven with Memphis and UCLA being the only two teams falling below the line. The Tigers are at 0.994 while the Bruins are at 0.979 so they are not far off.

Putting together all of the rankings just looked at and arriving at an average pull out some surprises. Florida has the best average rank as the Gators are ranked 50th or better in all categories with the exception of schedule strength. They are followed closely by Texas and Connecticut with the Longhorns joining Florida as being the only other team not to be ranked outside the top 100 in any of the categories. The Mountaineers bring up the rear without a problem. A look at the average rankings:

39.5 FLORIDA 41.5 TEXAS 43.5 CONNECTICUT 50.7 GEORGETOWN 56.5 WICHITA STATE 57.0 LSU 59.3 WASHINGTON 66.3 GONZAGA 68.3 BRADLEY 68.5 UCLA 72.2 DUKE 77.5 BOSTON COLLEGE 77.5 VILLANOVA 79.8 GEORGE MASON 82.8 MEMPHIS 123.5 WEST VIRGINIA

When I signed up to be a Blackjack dealer, I had no clue what was in store. Aside from Blackjack, I had no idea what other games were available for playing. I’d never heard of Caribbean Stud Poker, Mini-Baccarat, or Red Dog, and I had no clue what Sic Bo was. What I did know was that I had to step-up my math skills if I wanted to make it in the industry. I also knew that if I was going to learn anything at all, it was going to be from the players. And I was right about that.

After my first week at work, I knew the rules of Blackjack like the back of my hand. When to hit; when not to hit; the best time to double down; how to split, and that surrender and insurance were sucker bets. The players at the casino were regulars who were in there just about every day, and they more or less taught me the ropes. This proved to be beneficial when I’d get a rookie player who had no idea how to play. I was able to suggest what he should do. It wasn’t like Vegas, where dealers could out right tell their players what move to make. We weren’t allowed, but we could suggest; strongly.

My next hurdle was to learn Let It Ride. I had no idea how to play Poker, and I didn’t know the ranking of the hands. This only made things harder. Luckily, the table itself had a payout table on every player spot so I could look at that. It didn’t take me long to catch on, and from there I learned Caribbean Stud. Both fun games and I highly recommend them.

As for Sic Bo, well, let’s just say that it became my arch nemesis. It’s a glorified carnival game where the player takes three balls and rolls them down a track into a spinning wheel. The three balls add up to a total and the winning number it called out. The payouts on that game were a little bit similar to Roulette with odds like 19 to 1 and 35 to 1 etc. Again, I really had to step up my math skills, and I did, but I never really got into the game. In fact, I dreaded coming to work sometimes because I knew I’d be dealing it. They eventually got rid of the game because players figured out a way to roll the balls in such a way that would bring them the best results and the casino lost A LOT of money. When I showed up to work the next morning, and saw that the game was gone, I almost dropped to my knees and thanked God. And I’m not even religious!

Mini-Baccarat, to me, seemed like the most ridiculous game in the house. It was very popular with the Asian players and there would often be a waiting list because all three tables were full. It was like a 50/50 chance of hitting Player or Banker, and the players would track each hand by marking down on paper who would win. It’s basically like playing black or red on Roulette, but the players bet according to some sort of pattern. I didn’t mind dealing that game because there was a lot of excitement and the players had a good time.

All in all, I did enjoy being a dealer. I was considered quite lucky and players often called me The Terminator or Hurricane Loretta. Sometimes I’d come to a full table, deal for all of fifteen minutes and kill it. But after a few years I began to get bored. I needed a challenge, but I didn’t want to leave the industry because I liked the players (well, most of them) and my co-workers a lot. The next rung on the corporate ladder was Dealer Supervisor (Pit Boss) and I was looking forward to the day I’d one day become one.

The growth in online poker has been phenomenal over the past two years with the industry more than tripling in size to a staggering $1.5 billion. But why is this?

There have been many avenues available for people to indulge in online gambling for years now; bookmakers, casinos and bingo sites have spread across the internet and have had some level of success, but nothing compared to the rise of online poker.

Is it that people think they have a more realistic chance of winning at poker?

Is it that they think poker requires more skill than other forms of gambling?

Is it more of a thrill to take money from another human being rather than a company?

Has poker become a fashion trend?

It is probably a combination of all those things, but whatever has pushed poker into the spotlight will no doubt lead many people into trouble. The problem with all forms of gambling is the obvious addiction that occurs in many players and if people are not careful they may find themselves spiralling into financial meltdown.

The biggest problem will be with people who have no previous poker experience, who just plough straight into the high stakes end of the betting spectrum looking for that “big win” that will see them happy for life. It is a dream for everybody and, for many, the lure of big money wins will prove too much.

On top of that, it is clear that out there in the realms of the poker rooms will undoubtedly be some people trying to spot these inexperienced players and to take advantage of them. For these poker sharks, nothing could be easier than stripping these amateurs of all their cash.

That’s why, to be successful in poker, you need to work your way up from the very bottom rung of the ladder, gaining experience as you play, before you can count yourself ready to take on players at the top.

The best ways to begin your journey into online poker are by playing on free tables for fun and playing in freeroll tournaments until you feel confident to take the plunge with real money.

As an extra tip, if you are being successful playing at a certain level with lower limits, don’t change anything. Many small wins will soon add up to a big win but you may feel just a little safer getting there.