Gambling

The main event, held at the Rio, lasts 13 days, most of which are 16-hour marathons in a convention room filled with 1,500 to 2,000 fellow competitors, all seated elbow to elbow. Sure, they’re only sitting there throwing cards around, but this isn’t a friendly game in your buddy’s basement. This is hours and hours of monotony, sitting in a thinly padded chair, playing hundreds of hands with very little action in a room that gets increasingly stuffy as the hours go by and fans ring the room crowding the players and gawking from behind velvet ropes.

Oh, and the grand prize is worth $11 million. The total number of entrants Monday hit about 8,725 — so many that organizers had to create four starting days of about 2,200 players each. It was the last day for alternates to buy in for $10,000 per seat.

While previous WSOPs have suggested that players like to throw back a few cocktails during this lengthy tournament, this year the beverage of choice is either water or Red Bull. The event is a marathon, not a sprint and most insiders suggest that age will play a factor in determining the ultimate winner.

As the prize money soars to epic proportions, players are appearing from all corners of the world, they have prepared themselves by going through some marathon card games that test their focus and durability. While poker is not a sport, the game is beginning to require a certain dedication to a healthy diet as the competition gets into the final days. The incredible media coverage and the mega-star actors and athletes that flock to these events can tax a player’s psyche.

Remember, this is a no-limit Hold’em where, unlike golf, if you have a bad opening round there is always Friday to get back in the running. One mistake and it is over!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

If you play online in the same poker room, under the same poker name you will probably at some point meet players that remember you. If you have taken good notes when you play, you will remember how they play. These players probably have some notes on you.

Some people who play online do not buy into the “online poker face” belief. However, “the online poker face” exists. The trick is learning to decide which poker face you will use for the day. If you feel like you are not very good at this, then switch rooms frequently and play at different times of the day. If you are “readable” then you are “beatable” and ome of the more “telling” signs are discussed here.

If you notice a player that is only playing the top hands, it is safe to say he or she is a “tight player”. You will also be able to determine the “loose” player who will inevitably show some weaker hands at the end of the hand after raising the pot before the flop. Don’t be that player. It’s alright to occasionally show some weaker hands at the end of the pot, but not after a ridiculous raise before the flop.

Another sign some of the more skilled online players will note is how quickly a player will bet. It is a sign of skill if you wait a moment before betting. It’s perceived as weakness if you auto-check or auto-fold. Think about your next move and think about the poker face you want the other players to see.

Another good rule of thumb is to mix it up a bit. Be aggressive when you may not need to be but can afford to do so, then “limp” into the pot with A-A and take your opponents for all they are worth!

The scene is set. It’s just past 2 A.M. on a school night. The windows are closed and the sun has long been gone, but the glow from the computer screen has never been more evident on his face than this moment. As the sweat crawls slowly down his forehead, his hands simultaneously creep up on either side of his face, the palms perching under his chin as the fingers extend to cover his eyes. His right elbow slips for a quick second on page 238 of his Econ book, but he recovers immediately and sits like a statue as he waits for the river. One more card. He needs a heart. He holds a deep breath in his throat before opening his eyes. 8 of spades. The $1200 Texas Hold ‘Em pot slides over to the man in the cowboy hat and the sunglasses at the corner of the table. A pop up window jumps onto the screen, but he already knows what it says as his head collapses into his Econ book. “You do not have enough cash to buy back in. You have 0 dollars.”

What may have been more of a fictional story some 5 years ago is quickly becoming a reality in more than half of every male college students lives today, as 50.4% of male college students gamble on cards at least once a month*. It’s never been more evident that online gambling sights are beginning to cater to their biggest audience today. Up and coming gambling poker sites such as absolutepoker.com not only offer easy ways to deposit and transfer money for college students who have easy access to credit cards and ample time to waste, but also are now giving away scholarships and tuition payments for winners of select tournament pools.

With 2.9 million Americans between the ages of 14 and 22 gambling on cards at least once a week*, it’s no wonder that the estimated revenue for Internet gambling in 2005 was $12 billion, up almost $9 billion from the $3.1 billion that was raked in from Internet gambling only 4 years earlier*. The numbers will only continue to skyrocket, and the reality of the situation is that most college students will end up in a similar situation to the one described in the opening paragraph. However, there are smart tactics that college students must learn to use while gambling that will not only help win some money in the short run, but will also help them manage their money successfully in the future.

One of the most important things to realize is that as much as gambling is televised and glorified today, it is dangerous and there is little help provided for those in trouble. A common misconception is that in order to win big, you have to bet big. In the long run, if you bet big on poker, blackjack, sports, ect, you will lose. This is why these establishments and websites exist, because the odds are in their favor. Even if you get lucky and win once or twice, they know you’ll be back, and they’ll get the best of you in the end. The best advice you will ever receive on Internet gambling is to set self-limits for your gambling habits before they get out of control. If you are a poker player, make a weekly deposit limit for yourself, $50 for example (on some Internet gambling sites such as partypoker.com, there is a feature which allows you to actually set a weekly deposit limit online). This way, if you lose, you will have some time to relax and think about how you can manage the money better next time, and if you win, you will have a more conscious attitude of how to make the money you have earned prosper, as opposed to the attitude that the gambling sites want you to have: “well, if I lose this, it’s no big deal, I can just cash out some more.”

For most college students, Internet gambling is seemingly a small risk, big rush, fun opportunity to pass the time between classes. But without a weekly deposit limit, the small risks can too often get out of control. By setting a weekly limit, you’ll not only be holding a better hand than others on the Internet sites that you’ll be playing against, but you’ll also have an ace up your sleeve when dealing with money handling issues in the future. Trust me from personal experience. I’m all in on this one. It’s up to you to make the call.

* All statistics courtesy of The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s 2005 National Annenberg Risk Survey of Youth; Christiansen Capital Advisors, LLC

Tottenham had one foot in fourth place until Thierry Henry equalised in the North London derby. Robbie Keane gave Spurs the lead after 66 minutes which left Arsenal outraged as their opponents did not play for an injury. However, substitute Henry secured a share of the spoils at odds of 5/2 six minutes before the end.

Newcastle remain on course for an UEFA Cup berth after a convincing 3-0 win against West Brom. Nolberto Solano gave the 4/5 Magpies the lead after half an hour and Shola Ameobi showed there was life after Alan Shearer with a penalty five minutes before the break and a second goal just before the final whistle.

Bolton remain hot on Newcastle’s tail after a 4-1 demolition of Charlton. Vaz Te scored for the 5/6 Trotters after 14 minutes, Kevin Davies on 21 and Jared Borgetti 10 minutes later gave Sam Allardyce’s team a commanding lead. Darren Bent struck a penalty for the Addicks on 76 but Davies netted his second a minute from time to ensure Bolton won by three goals.

Portsmouth left it late to beat relegated Sunderland to edge out of the bottom three. Sunderland, a speculative punt at 8/1 took the lead through Tommy Miller after 70 minutes but Svetoslav Todorov equalised three minutes later. With two minutes remaining, Kevin Kyle gave away a ridiculous hand-ball and Matthew Taylor converted the resultant penalty to ensure a 2/5 home win.

Birmingham gave their survival hopes a boost with a goalless draw at Everton. A dour match with few chances for either side was played out to a 9/4 stalemate.

Being six points away from Portsmouth, West Brom are now 1/100 for relegation while Birmingham City, two points behind Portsmouth, are 3/10. Harry Redknapp’s side are 5/2 outsiders to face the drop, although they have two tough matches remaining in Wigan Athletic and Liverpool.

The FA Cup semi finals were both all-Premiership affairs with Liverpool meeting West Ham in the final on Saturday 13 May.

Liverpool were 16/5 outsiders in their match at Old Trafford but stunned Chelsea by racing into a 2-0 lead. John Arne Riise stuck a free kick after 20 minutes and Luis Garcia fired in a second seven minutes after the break. Didier Drogba took full advantage of a defensive mix-up on 69 but the Reds held firm..

West Ham left it late to dump Middlesbrough out of the cup at Villa Park. Marlon Harewood struck the decisive goal with 12 minutes left for Alan Pardew’s 9/5 outsiders and secured a place in next season’s UEFA Cup as a result.

The only thing more exciting than watching a televised land-based poker event, like the World Poker Tour (WPT) – a series of 18 high stakes global tournaments that are televised on the Travel Channel, is actually playing in it.

Take last year’s WPT Foxwoods event that lasted 4 days with four hundred and thirty-one players battling it out for the ultimate title and everlasting poker glory. Loads of players from all over the world came together at Foxwoods, one of the largest casinos in the world, and it was here where poker legends met head to head.

The final table consisted of a pro and five amateurs, who included a doctor, a student, a used car salesmen and a couple of retired businessmen. After 120 hands and six hours to complete, semi-pro Victor Ramdin, who had been pursuing the title for the past 3 years, finally secured victory with his winning Ah Js hand. He walked away with everlasting poker glory and the first prize ($1,331,889) that made him the next poker millionaire.

This year online poker players don’t have to become couch potatoes to see some World Poker Tournament action. They could play in WPT satellites where the winner gets a $12,500 package to WPF Foxwoods Main Satellite that includes buy-in, flights, accommodation and $500 spending money. The WPF Foxwoods Poker Classic happening at the Foxwoods Resort, Connecticut takes place from 1 April – 4 April 2007. Nestled in the hills of Western Connecticut – WPT Foxwoods is the largest casino in the world. Surrounded by the beautiful greenery and wooded hills of New England’s rolling Connecticut countryside, Foxwoods Resort Casino is an internationally recognised gaming destination.

In the competitive world of high stakes poker, the “final table” is comparable to the final episode of Idols or Survivor. The only difference is that anyone can enter the World Poker Tour, unlike reality programmes where a panel decides on the contestants. This is one of the main reasons why the World Poker Tour is so popular because for a buy-in, a complete unknown has just, as good a chance of winning as a poker pro.

Online poker players who have the heart, game and talent of a champion should stop daydreaming of becoming the next poker millionaire, and consider the WPT satellites as their chance to face off against poker’s stone-faced superstars, and secure everlasting poker glory.

Poker is a game of chance. You play the hand you are dealt and the highest wins. So how can you improve your odds in such a game where your hand depends on the cards you hold? There are several strategies used to do this.

Though there are many different poker variants, that is, different types of poker games, each with a slightly different set of rules, the general concepts remain the same.

Even though the game is based on luck, there are tips you can use to help improve your hand and know how to play even the bad ones. Remember, it is a game of chance, so even if you have a bad hand, there is still a chance you could win should you implement a technique such as bluffing, or use a different strategy.

First keep reading. There are various books available on poker, hand strengths, and strategies, many of which were written by pros. These people have been there and know what it takes to be successful. They have also been on both sides, so can provide both angles. The more information you arm yourself with, the better off you’ll be in the long run.

Next, play the game often. Though repetitively playing the same game can seem to be boring, it will help you use the information you gained when reading about it. When you read, you will learn how to improve your game, as well as learn why other players play the way they do. When you play, you’ll see how that works. Use your knowledge to gain more. Though you have the “textbook” perspective, so to speak, there is still nothing like the true experience to learn how it really works.

Next, play for keeps. If you are serious about playing to win, and wish to play in a large stakes game, playing at a free table will not get you where you need to be. Though doing so is a good way to learn and practice, it will not give you the practical experience of playing a large stakes game. This is because when nothing or next to nothing is at stake, people aren’t concerned with losing much so they aren’t playing to win. Some will even do things such as bluffing for no good reason because they have nothing to lose by doing so. Instead, play with others who are interested in the same thing as you, that is, to win. This will teach you how to be more competitive and give you a more realistic idea of the strategies and techniques employed in this type of game.

Lastly, don’t give up. Everyone will lose, that’s how you learn more about winning.

There is an interesting background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino gambling is illegal. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a three to four drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are few restrictions or registration requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly required to cross, there are ways around this, as is true of most border crossings.

The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, features 150 slots and sixty table games. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel complex that features a number of amenities in addition to the casino, which has 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 table games.

Across the Cambodian border at Asmech/Surin is one casino, the Casino O Samet, with 100 slots and 50 tables of baccarat. In addition, the Koh Kong Casino, in the province of Trat, is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with 100 slots and four table games. A smaller casino, Le Macau Casino and Hotel, opened recently at Bavet on the Vietnamese border.

Once upon a time, in order to find a truly beneficial poker room, a person would have to travel, sometimes hundreds of miles, until they were able to find a casino in which they were comfortable working. Not that it isn’t fun to travel to gambling hubs such as Atlantic City and Las Vegas, Nevada, thanks to advancements in technology, this is no longer mandatory when it comes to finding an acceptable place to partake in poker.

Located on the internet, there is a wide variety of different types of poker room sites that a person can visit. Some deal with different specific games, such as Texas Hold’em, and some sites have a poker room just as one of the many different gambling and casino activities that they offer. This enables a person to be able to access a casino and a poker room from the comfort of their own home. All that is needed is a personal computer and an internet connection, and the world of casinos and poker games can come alive to a person instantaneously. While the poker sites do not have the physical ambience of a poker room in a physical casino, they do have the same types of monetary rewards for players who are capable of playing successfully.

Convenient, lucrative and just as exciting, the poker rooms of online casinos are every bit as alluring as physical casinos. When you factor in the ability to be able to play these casino and poker games from the comfort of your own home, it can be safe to say that online poker rooms are growing to be even more successful than those of brick and mortar casinos.

What makes a poker a player a professional? Does it mean that by adding the word professional the person loses less money? Or does it mean that the player enter tournaments through out the year? If you are thinking about getting the word professional embossed on your ‘poker resume’, here are some skills that you should consider mastering.

1. The Mathematician

a. These guys have mastered the odds of certain combinations that comes out already. For example, they know that when you hold a pocket pair, you can hit the set with only one in eight and a half chances. Those pocket cards also give you odds of having one in three chance of completing a ‘by the river’ flopped flush draw.

b. Mathematicians also able to compute the number of “outs” because they know it is important. Outs are the number of cards that will improve your hand. They compute it by multiplying it by two and adding one and that’s the percentage of them hitting the pot.

c. Knowing outs will be useless unless it is translated into rational and calculated betting. When you figure out that you have a 20% chance of hitting, you then figure out your chances of winning or losing. You divide the size of the pot at the river by the amount you have to put in. I.E. the current pot and the amount of bets that will be added on in the future. If you have calculated that the bet to you will be 50 and have 20% chance of hitting and the pot at the river will be higher than 250, try to call for it. If not, fold. Confusing right?

d. Review these concepts if you really want to be an expert.

2. Discipline

a. Always try to find a table where you have an advantage. Try finding tables where there are more amateurs or “fish”. Fish only want to win by being lucky. Poker players want to win by skill and by hoping that his opponents don’t get lucky.

b. Every different game, table or opponent set needs the poker player to have different disciplines or styles. He or she cannot always rely on one style. For instance, a player may play the better hands when there are not much pre-flop actions. The player can make a loose call with other speculative hands when lots of opponents are limping in.

c. A disciplined limit player has excellent pre-flop skills. However, the disciplined no-limit player is quite different. This player doesn’t care much with paying lots of blinds but instead this kind of player would not want to be trapped. The difference is that limit players avoid squandering their stack bit by bit while no-limit players avoids losing his whole stack in just one hand. A disciplined no-limit player can play a lot of hands. Even if he or she has cards such as 5 spades and 3 diamonds he or she will still be loose preflop. But expert no-limit players know how to quit as well when their hands are really bad.

d. The disciplined player knows when to quit even when the pot is really juicy.

e. A disciplined player learns from his mistakes and admits that they will still make them later on. Disciplined players will just keep on learning because nobody is a perfect poker player.

There is a ton more to learn about poker and gambling, this is just the start.

Being a poker professional I receive tons of emails and questions about how to play certain hands or what I would do in a particular situation. In this article I’ve outlined seven critical factors you need to be aware of any time you play Texas Hold’em poker.

Use this article as an outline to help make the best possible decisions when playing poker. All of these factors are very important to understand if you want to be a successful Texas Holdem player.

1. Table Position.

The first thing to notice when playing Holdem is where you’re at on the table. There are good positions and bad positions.

The best position is when you’re on the button. That is the Dealer Button. The reason for this is because you get to act last and see what everyone else does before you.

The worst position in my opinion is the small blind. Since you have a little money already in the pot you may play marginal hands that you wouldn’t otherwise. Thus you get yourself into a lot more pots when you really shouldn’t be. Most of the time these come back to bite you.

2. The Read on Your Opponents

The read you have on your opponents is all important. Depending if you’re playing against real loose players or real tight players will greatly help in choosing what hands to play and how to play them. The best way to get a read on your opponents is to simply watch how they play when you’re not playing.

3. Number of Players at the Table

The number of people at a table is important mainly because it will increase or decrease the strength of your hand. If you have a full table of ten you’re A,T suited won’t be nearly as strong as if your playing at a short-handed table of five or six. All of a sudden that A,T suited is now very strong.

4. Number of Players in the Hand

This goes along with rule number two but with a slight variation. When everyone at a full table folds except for you and one opponent; immediately your hand strength has grown stronger.

However, you need to be aware of one thing. You must be aware of all the other cards that were folded. Granted you won’t know what they were but you can make an educated guess based on the read you have on other players. Most of the time your opponents folded because they didn’t catch a monster hand. Even if there are loose players at the table and they folded. You know they folded junk or they would still be in the hand.

Therefore if you have a low to middle pair the likelihood of you hitting trips on the flop diminishes. So you need to proceed with caution. On the other hand if you have A,Q suited be aggressive in your play.

5. Your Cards

What are your cards? This is important. Right? Now you will see some of the pros talk about how they don’t even have to look at their cards sometimes because they know their opponents so well. If you’re reading this my guess is you’re not one of them. Therefore, the cards we’re dealt have a dramatic impact on our ability to win. We must be patient. And when the right hands are dealt we need to be ready to pounce and win big pots.

6. Chip Stacks

The reason chip stacks are important is because people play differently when the size of their chip stack changes. For example, if you’re the short stack you may play more tightly waiting for that right hand. At the same time if you’re the chip leader you may get so aggressive and try to bully people around and steal blinds. Now I’m not saying either way is the right or wrong way to play. It’s just important to know how your opponents begin to change their play as their chip stacks change. How do you change your play when you’re the short stack or the chip leader?

7. Table Action

What’s going on before you? Does the guy to your right always lay down big raises? It’s important to pay close attention to what the action is doing before it comes to you. If someone raises, and then two people reraise and you’re sitting on QQ you may want to lay it down. You can safely assume someone if not two people have AA and KK leaving you on the short end of the stick if you choose to play.

Remember, poker takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. Understand and use these seven critical factors to help you master the game and win a lot more when you play Texas Holdem poker.