Gambling

“I do have a problem when I don’t feel like I’m involved enough,” said Terrell Owens this week. “I know I can make a difference. That’s not me being arrogant. I just know what I bring to the table.”

In related news:

“I don’t understand what the hubbub is about,” said Representative Mark Foley (R-Fla). “I find young boys to be nubile and delicious. That’s not me being perverted. I just know what I bring to the table.”

“I do believe the nation is overreacting,” said Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. “Yes, I probably knew about problems in the congressional page program, and yes I didn’t want anyone to find out. That’s not me being fraudulent. I just know what I bring to the table. Which is preferably overcrowded with bratwurst.”

“I do think sanctions against North Korea would be unwarranted,” said North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. “I want to own both a nuclear bomb and a Hollywood studio. That’s not me being megalomaniacal. I just know what I bring to the table. Which is located nowhere near the copies of Dr. Strangelove people keep sending me.”

“I don’t get why everyone is so concerned,” said Madonna. “I adopted a one-year-old African baby and pulled it out of its country to be primped and prodded by paparazzi its entire life, and probably indoctrinated into Kabala or Scientology or something. That’s not me being presumptuous or narcissistic. I just know what I bring to the leather-clad dildo emporium.”

“I do believe my breasts look better now,” said Tara Reid. “I had them fixed after that time when the strap of my dress fell down and everyone saw how disgusting my plastic surgery turned out. That’s not me being void and insignificant. I just know what I bring to a press release.”

And then there were two. Which team do you like more, Indianapolis or Chicago? Is that the Super Bowl matchup you expect in February?

BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.ws: The Bears are looking phenomenal right now. Only one team has broken the seven-point barrier against the solid Chicago defense, and they would’ve had their second shutout of the season, if greasy Griese hadn’t fumbled late against Buffalo. Regardless, with their fairly comfortable schedule, we expect the Bears to run their streak a while longer. With Indianapolis struggling to beat Tennessee on Sunday, we can’t give them early credit and expect to see them in the Super Bowl; certainly the Colts can score points, but they have yet to prove they are more than just a regular-season team.

Which is the worst winless team in the NFL? Tennessee, Oakland, Detroit or Tampa Bay?

BDB, BoDog.ws: Oakland and Tennessee have to be fighting for the worst spot right now, with Oakland having a slight edge. And with Randy Moss being satisfied with 136 receiving yards in four games, we’re concerned that something other than fruit and juice are being mixed in his smoothies at his juice store in West Virginia.

Do you think a team like the Louisville Cardinals has a legit shot at the BCS title game? More legit than, say, one-loss teams like Tennessee or California?

BDB, BoDog.ws: Louisville is currently ranked #7 across the polls, and their undefeated record certainly looks good. They also have a very comfortable schedule, with the only real concern being West Virginia in Week 8. Even though one game can turn the tide in the polls, right now they’re looking better than Tennessee or California, especially since they have defeated their opponents by an 18-point margin or greater.

What was the New York Yankees’ losing like in terms of the oddsmakers? A positive or negative result? What are you opinions about the Yankees’ sixth straight failure?

BDB, BoDog.ws: We expected to see a little more support for Detroit, but the public still backed the Yankees, and a Yankees loss is generally always a good thing for books. People have to start wondering if this cash machine is getting a little too old for the game: six players on the roster born in the 1960s and only four born in the 1980s. They may look unbeatable on paper, but they are far from it. It’s time to shuffle the deck in New York, or start cheering for the Mets.

Craps is one of the most exciting and social casino games in the world today. But the loud crowd and complicated-looking table can sometimes scare beginning players away.

Craps, at its core, is actually a simple game. There is only one main bet that players need to learn before heading over to the table or checking out a virtual table online.

After this one main wager, the other bets will come in time. Luckily, for the players, this one main bet has better odds than any of the other possible wagers in craps.

More money is played at craps today than at any other casino game. The game is also one of the oldest of all the casino games and the only popular dice game at American casinos today. Its popularity isn’t it doubt and after a player learns the one basic bet in the game, its simplicity will not be questioned either.

Before starting to play craps, a player needs to learn the basic etiquette and vocabulary of the game. Craps players have a language all their own. The terminology is also rivaled by the etiquette and politeness rules. This game is ancient and many of the players’ superstitions date back to its historic origins. Most players claim that learning the terms and etiquette is actually more complicated than learning the game rules and strategies.

There are two rounds in craps. The first round is called the Come Out Round and the second is called the Point. Even though there are two rounds, there is really only one basic bet.

The bet is this: the shooter - the person throwing the dice - needs to throw a 7 or 11 in the Come Out Round. These numbers mean an automatic win. A 2, 3, or 12 being rolled means an automatic loss. Any other number: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will become the Point and the game moves to the second round.

The objective in the Point round is to roll the Point number before rolling a 7. If the shooter rolls a seven before the Point this is an automatic loss and a new game will begin.

Beginners can find some great resources online at sites like the CrapsWizard (http://www.crapswizard.com/tutorials.asp) and Online-Casino (http://www.online-casino.com), where players can brush up their rules and game tips then head over to the free practice play version of craps. It is important to keep in mind that the online version of craps is significantly different than its land-based counterpart.

Poker pot odds, just what are they?

When we are referring to pot odds we are actually talking about a crucial element in the game of poker. The pot odds are determined by evaluating the size of the pot and the bet that is about to be made. Let’s take a little example for clarification purposes: the size of the pot is $20 and a bet of $5 has been made and now you are about to call it. The pot odds in this case will be 20/5 that means odds of 4:1. If the call would be done for $10 instead of $5, then you would get pot odds of 2:1. Generally, the pot odds are identified by dividing the size of the pot to the amount of the bet when all bets of the round are equal.

The size of the pot

You must always be aware of the size of the pot if you are planning to calculate the pot odds. When playing in a Limit room, the odds will also depend on the numbers of the bets in the pot, instead of the actual amount of the pot. For double bets like some games of hold’em have when on the river you will count twice, that means two small bets for each double bet. If the limit is put only on the pot or if you are playing no-limit hold’em, then the amount of bets is a little harder to calculate and the resulting pot-odds will be more as a guideline than as exact facts, but you still have to try and calculate them at all times.

Using pot odds

In order to use the pot odds, you first have to know them for your game. After you calculated your pot odds, they must be evaluated in a direct connection to the value of the cards you are holding. This includes evaluating the hands of the other players too, and making a plan or a statistic of the outcome of your own hand, calculating the chances you can get to have the best hand in the game. Let’s say you are playing hold’em and are currently on the flop, having a flush draw. Your opponent is most likely to have at least a high pair. The cards you should concentrate on are the outs, the nine cards that can give you a flush once you already can see four of the cards that will be used in your flush. The chances to get the card you need on the turn or on the river are of about 35%, or 1:2 for you, so in order to be sure you are making the right choice, you calls on the flop should be made only if they are based on 2:1 pot odds.

The implied odds

The term of implied odds asks for a calculation of the pot you are most likely to win if you do win. The implied odds are relative and dependent on the evaluation that you provide the game with. They are the relation between the actual size of the pot and the expected final size of it. Let’s consider one player bets in a limit game $5 and the pot is $20, so if you call your implied pot odds would be of 5:1 because you are betting a fifth of the expected winning. This is where we should tell if your opponent is either going to call or raise later on the game. Then the implied odds can get to 6:1 or 8:1 depending on the future bets that you must predict.

Full Tilt poker has been boasting some of the largest online cash games in recent months. Well-known pros such as Phil Ivey, John Juanda, and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow have been playing on the high-limit tables every night. Matusow generally plays the 50/100NL game with a maximum buy-in of $10, 000. He is often seen playing one to three tables while he talks to the rail. Television may have given you a glimpse into Matusow’s personality and online reinforces it ten-fold. Matusow often tells his opponents that he is the greatest player in the world and everyone will go bust in the game. He berates the younger poker whiz kids such as OMGClayAiken and tells them they will be broke soon enough. Matusow is known for making very big bluffs at the wrong times. You may have seen Matusow on High Stakes poker bluffing off thousands of dollars into Phil Laak who held the nuts.

While playing online, Matusow often shows his $10, 000 bluffs with 7 or 8 high. He makes attempts to get under his opponents’ skin and send them on tilt. Sometimes his tactics work but most times they back fire. He often plays very long sessions where he is not fully concentrating. Matusow makes some huge mistakes and the other professionals take advantage. Matusow may be one of the most entertaining poker professionals on television along with Daniel Negreanu. Matusow has proven himself as a very strong tournament poker player over recent years. Cash games may be a different story for this hot-headed poker player. If Matusow learned to control his emotions, he might become one of the best players in the world. Enjoy Mike “The Mouth” Matusow playing online poker because it is the most entertaining poker you will ever watch.

Working in the casino industry for 9 years, first as a dealer, and then as a pit boss has taught me many things. Two useful tips are:

1) Consistency is KEY

2) If you get greedy, you’re going to get careless

To start with, you CAN beat the house, which brings me to the first point.

In a game like Blackjack, being consistentin the way you play is the key factor to winning on a regular basis. For example, if you split Aces, ALWAYS split Aces. If you hit 16’s, do it EVERY time. You won’t win every hand, mind you, but it will help the flow of the cards, and if you’ve been staying on your 16’s for an hour and then suddenly decide to hit, and the dealer makes their hand, the other players will be less than thrilled because, chances are, they played their hands on the assumption that you were going to stay on 16. It’s been my experience that a good, consistent game will result in a good shoe. This holds true for online blackjack as well, whether you’re playing by yourself, or against a computer.

My next point is:

If you get greedy, you’re going to get careless. I’ve seen it so many times. A player starts to lose, so he starts playing inconsistently. For example, taking a card when he does’nt normally, splitting 10’s or “surrendering” on a card total of 12. You’re probably thinking “Who would do that?” Well I’ve seen it done at least once a day at the casino. This is the surefire way to LOSE YOUR SHIRT.

I’ve recently become an affiliate for Windows Casino, since I have experience in the gaming industry, and I have to say Windows Casino is the best “bang for your buck.” When you download their software to play the games, they give you $1000 free to start with. It is very nice software, easy to use, and I found it better than most online sites I’ve played at in the past.

In the future I’ll be posting more articles about the different games that are fun and have the best odds. So stay tuned!

Although I started using online sportsbooks almost ten years ago, I still maintained contact with a couple of local books for the express purpose of getting better lines with regard to the local or favorite teams of choice in my neck of the woods, the reasoning of course was so that if I saw “Value” in going against the the local or favorite teams of choice then what better place to get the best line when going against them then in their home area?

However, a not so funny thing happened when one of the locals that I was using got crushed one week three years ago and skipped town and in doing so stiffed me for $1200, since that point in time I have wagered strictly online!

I have always held the believe that if you want the beat deal available then it would be foolhardy to purchase the first car that you see at the first dealership that you visit, that very same line of logical thinking should be applied to “Sports investment” and of course is the very reason why I personally use four different “outs” as a means of gaining as much of an edge as possible with regard to finding the best line on games that I am wagering on, sometimes a half of a point here or a half of a point there can make all the difference in a winning week versus a break even or losing week.

It never ceases to amaze me for example how some people will be totally misers with regard to insisting that any light on in a room with no one in it is a capital crime, these same individuals always seem to be the ones not willing to take the wife and kids to a movie or out to a restaurant for lunch or dinner because they may have to fork over a few dollars on something they consider unwarranted and wasteful.

However, these same individuals find nothing wrong with shacking up in a tavern all Saturday or Sunday afternoon with the boys watching the games and betting with the local bookies, don’t get me wrong as I like to stop for a beer or two myself now and then, but why do I make this comparison you ask?

Simple my friend, if someone as I described above was truly cost conscious and on a quest of sorts for savings and “Value”, why then would anyone in their right mind make sports wagers strictly with local bookies? Aren’t these local guys the ones who make you wait until the morning of the game to get their lines? Aren’t these the same guys that you have to track down and fight busy signals to reach on the ole telly phone?

What real “Value” can be had from a local book that basically shoves his/her line in your face and figuratively speaking says “take it or leave it pal”?

Hometown gamblers using strictly local bookies are missing out on more than just the convenience of being able to place a wager on an upcoming NFL or College football game days in advance, these hometown gamblers using strictly local books are also missing out on their fair share of “Moola”—-”Black gold”—-”Texas Tea”….No I am not going to start singing about Jed Clampett here but instead about the sign up bonus’s offered by online sportsbooks.

Think about it a second, let’s say that you have a $5000 starting bankroll that is dedicated to nothing but sports investing, you could deposit the whole $5000 with one sportsbook and get as much as a 20% sign up bonus for doing so, which means that you would now have a starting bankroll of $6000…that’s your $5000 plus the $1000 sign up bonus, right?

WRONG!! Most sportsbooks in fact have limits on the total sign up bonus for an individual that ranges anywhere from $200 to $500, if that is the case then why not divide up your initial $5000 starting bankroll four ways between four different sportsbooks and possibly get a 20% sign up bonus from each sportsbook?

$5000 divided four ways would mean that if you were to deposit $1250 at each sportsbook and got a 20% signup bonus with each one, your starting bankroll with each of your four sportsbooks would then be $1250 plus a $250 sign up bonus for a total of $1500.

Thus $1500 X 4 means that you now have a $6000 starting bankroll, ( that’s your $5000 plus the $1000 in total sign up bonus’s ), and your money is now evenly spread out over four different sportsbooks which now allows you to “Line shop”.

As you now see, by depositing your entire bankroll with one sportsbook you could actually cost yourself some dinero in lost sign up bonus money, an added benefit of spreading your starting bankroll over three or four different sportsbooks is derived from the fact that sportbooks require you to “Roll over” the amount in your account so many times prior to being able to withdrawl funds.

For example, if the sportsbook that you are using has a five (5) time rollover rule in effect and your initial deposit was $1000.00, you would have received $200 with your initial deposit for a total of $1200 if the sign up bonus was 20%.

You would now need to wager a total of $6000 or ( $1000 + $200 ) X 5 in total bets placed before you are entitled to keep the initial sign up bonus and make a withdrawl of your funds, I would however advise you to be careful and to do your homework before depositing any funds anywhere as there are probably just as many “Fly by night” operations out there as there are legitimate and reputable ones.

Ask questions of others that you know who may have used the different sportsbooks and hear what they have to say, troll thru the various forums and posting boards and post messages that ask the opinions and experiences of others.

The main over riding factor to the equation is that you want to have the ability to “Line shop” for the best possible odds with as many reputable sources as possible.