Monday, May 31, 2010

Difference Between .Net and .Com Poker Sites


You must have heard or read about the term “online poker” which is gaining popularity day by day. A whole lot of professional players play online poker as it is one of the convenient and quick mode. Now players are known with their userID rather than their own name.
An interesting fact associated with internet poker is that there are many gambling websites with different poker types .
For instance, pokerstars.com and pokerstars.net are two different websites under Pokerstars group. These two websites are very similar but not at all identical they serve different purposes.
.Net and .Com offer real money and play money respectively.


Have you ever wondered, why is that so?
This is because of the fact that .net websites are allowed to advertise on US television ( If the website is offering its services in US). That is the reason why online website giant like pokerstars and Fulltilt has two domains under .net and .com.

Television channels can't directly show the advertisements of the gambling websites offering real money poker like of Pokerstars.net and Pokerstars.com. So if you are a novice or amateur in online poker and want to learn poker, then you need to visit pokerstars/fulltilt.net for play money poker. Although online gambling is not prohibited but still the Television channels don't want to get into any controversies and loose their TRP.

This is because in many countries the TV channels are not allowed to advertise for real money sites. Even in the great World Series of Poker, players also wear the T-shirts containing website name under .net domain. The .net site is considered as for education and entertainment purpose only. These websites containing .net domain are advertised on famous channels like NBC and ESPN.

Also a same user ID works on both sites (.net/.com) and rules related to game along with the way customer support will deal with you will be the same. One last suggestion would be to uninstall the previous (.net/.com) poker software before installing the new one.

Friday, May 28, 2010

UIGEA - Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act

The common question asked in context with online poker that “Is it legal or illegal” or “as per UIGEA is playing online poker illegal” ?
Few people know the answer and more importantly very few sources are there to get a reliable answer from.
In short, online gambling (poker) is not illegal in US and neither does UIGEA makes any attempt to make it illegal. The ground reality is that there are no such state or federal laws that stops you from playing online . So what exactly UIGEA does and why is so much uncertainty prevails around internet poker.

Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act prevents US banks or businesses to allow and accept any kind of transactions related to unlawful online gambling. It means that this act simply don't allow any transactions from financial institution to any gambling site. The main reason for this is money laundering and black money from the mafia.
Due to this the US players have to use third party payment processors like Neteller etc to make any transactions related to gambling. UIGEA was opposed by Barney Frank( US congressman ) in order to change some of the gambling aspects related to online gambling. Bill was able to delay the UIGEA implementations.

What does UIGEA do?UIGEA - Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
UIGEA does not allow any business to take money for the purpose of unlawful online gambling.

UIGEA directs the federal reserve to create new regulations which states that how block these transactions related to unlawful online gambling. UIGEA does not cover paper checks.

What UIGEA doesn't do
UIGEA doesn't make online gambling illegal. It only refers to the current illegal gambling forms. It simply says that nothing new should be introduced in the existing laws related to online gambling.

This law is nowhere related to the players. It is only related to the financial institutions or banks.

This new law UIGEA does not relate to poker only, it is related to every online gambling game.
UIGEA has affected the US players very deeply because now the US players can't make any transactions related to online gambling.

So due to this reason some of the online gambling sites like party poker have decided to Quit from US market for their good. What this means is that if you are in US and want to plays on party poker you will not be able to do so. But as an US citizen, you still have the privilege to play online poker.

While some sites decided to leave others decided to stay because of the decreased competition in the market.

The sites will also find other legal ways to transfer funds related to gambling just to be on the safe side of the act.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Blackjack card counting

Whenever there is a game of Blackjack, there will be great money and style. Along with poker the game of blackjack (BJ) draws attention of the crowd than any other casino game. Even in the great Hollywood movies, we have seen blackjack tricks being used to win quick money.
Of course winning in blackjack is no cakewalk, but still there are professional BJ players who makes their living from the game.
One thing that sets apart blackjack from any other casino games is that it is beatable. You can beat the house and "card counting" helps in achieving this.
Basically card counting means counting the cards dealt by the dealer in a game along the remaining cards in the deck just to get a better hold on the game.

Card counting is of many kinds but the popular ones are:Card counting
  • KO Count
  • Hi-Lo Count
  • Hi-Opt I Count
  • Hi-Opt II Count
  • Zen Count
The basic thing that works behind card counting is that one must keep track of every card that is being dealt and then adjust the bet according to it.
In card counting people generally use Hi-Lo card counting because it involves less complicated maths and the speed of playing the game is also not affected. While if you use other card counting systems like Zen Count involves more complex calculations, resulting in slower game progress and casinos will be able to spot you easily. So on the whole you need to be extra good with your math in order to use advanced methods.

How card counting works :
When counting cards in a Hi-Lo method the count initially begins from 0. Every card is assigned a value positive or negative. Card from 2-6 are assigned a value of +1, 7-8-9 are assigned a value of 0. 10-J-K-Q-A are assigned a value of -1.
This was the hard part now just add the value of cards that are being dealt by the dealer this is known as Running Count.

This running count just keeps on fluctuating between positive and negative values. If there is a higher count this would mean that there are high value cards left in the deck and this is where the basic strategy should be recalled. One should now that card counting system calculates the odds of a 10 value card being dealt by keeping in mind only the cards which are still in the deck.

As a precaution, Casinos are a private place and they don't allow card counting. Having said that, this does not means that card counting is illegal. Because card counting directly benefits the player by reducing the house edge, casinos can throw you out from their premises if they find you for counting cards.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Martingale System

The people who are familiar with the casino game 'roulette' must be familiar with this gambling term named “martingale”. It has often been called a system that can help you in winning in roulette. Now as we know that roulette is a game of luck or atleast a game in which luck plays a huge role, martingale can be strategy that you can apply in order to increase your chances of winning against the house or casino.

What is martingale system?
Martingale is the oldest betting systems that is being used today. In this system standard bet is made, say a person bet $8 on an even-money bet, such as red in roulette. Basically, Martingale system involves doubling of bets after each loss and doing it again and again till you win. Now this may be very difficult for many players as it is simple that when you loose a bet you will not double your bet . This can be because of your tight budget or lack of belief in yourself. You have to keep doubling your bet until you hit big or win. Doubling of the bet is the hardest part of this system, often risky and hence its drawback.

1 hour of play


Chances of Winning

$1 bet, $200 bankroll, $200 table limit

$5 bet, $1000 bankroll, $1000 table limit

Avg. Win

Avg. Loss

Avg. Win

Avg. Loss

Craps, no odds

85%

$13

$91

$69

$454

Roulette, European (0) w/Surrender

85%

$14

$92

$74

$463

Roulette, European (0)

84%

$13

$91

$68

$456

Roulette, American (00)

82%

$13

$92

$66

$461

Baccarat

62%

$55

$104

$281

$518

.

8 hours of play


Chances of Winning

$1 bet, $200 bankroll, $200 table limit

$5 bet, $1000 bankroll, $1000 table limit

Avg. Win

Avg. Loss

Avg. Win

Avg. Loss

Craps, no odds

47%

$118

$121

$590

$605

Roulette, European (0) w/Surrender

45%

$126

$120

$634

$603

Roulette, European (0)

44%

$116

$120

$583

$603

Roulette, American (00)

38%

$113

$120

$568

$601

Baccarat

17%

$420

$109

$2097

$543


An example can help us in understanding what exactly is martingale system. Suppose you gamble with your money, say $8 and win. Now as the next step, you bet same amount which was, $8. This time around, if you loose lose then you need to bet $16, i.e double of the previous bet. Again you lose, so you bet $32. You lose again, so you bet $64. Then you win. At the end your net win is $8, and since you won $8 before you started loosing, you are up with $10. You have to place even money bets if you want to use martingale system. It is most popularly used in roulette in which you bet on a red or black in roulette wheel.

But as they say, gambling is a risk. Only the gamblers that possesses a great deal of wealth or a aggressive attitude can think about using this system. But before using a system, one must know that there is no system that is 100% full proof. Any type of gambling is unpredictable you never know what's going to happen and after all gambling is all about taking risk isn't it. If you are not able to take risk you better not gamble. It's better to know the realities of the game before you step into it.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Blackjack basics

Internet is providing many sources of entertainment. People take leisure by playing online games for the sake of fun and relaxation. You love the hustle bustle of the casino. You love how you can go down at all hours of the night, and there is always a blackjack table opens for you to sit down at. This is the game where your luck plays an important part to win your bet. You can easily find a blackjack table in every casino site, you search online.

The game begins by dealing 2 cards to each player and the dealer drawing two cards. Then the value on one of his cards will be displayed by the dealer. Each player has an option of drawing another card (hitting), keeping their hand as is (standing) and, depending on the cards, they could choose from some more advanced betting options such as doubling up or splitting.

The game is played in the following manner:
The player places a bet, then dealer deals two cards Blackjack Basics(usually facing upwards) to the player and one card to himself. He draws a second card for himself and places it face down. Then the player is asked if he/she wants another card (hit) or if he wishes to stand, may request as many hits as he/she would like until the total value of his card reaches 21 or he busts. If the player busts, the house (casino) will win. And if the player stops at a total card value that is as close to 21 without going bust, then the dealer will reveal the value of his second card. Now if the value of the dealer's second card gives him a Blackjack (total value of 21), the house (casino) will win. The dealer must keep drawing cards until the total value of his cards is 17 or more. If the dealer has got value more than 21, then the player will be declared as a winner.

In blackjack an Ace counts a either 1 or 11, cards from 2 to 9 are valued as shown and 10, Jack, Queen and King are all valued at 10.

So as an example, if a player is dealt an Ace and a 5, the value of the hand would be 16 (ace = 11 and 5 =5), if the next card dealt to the player is 9 the value of the hand would be 15, the ace now equaling 1 not 11. If the hand is equal to 21 exactly, this is referred to as blackjack.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Keno : The Basics of Keno Playing

Keno is an exciting and amazing kind of lottery or bingo online gambling game, consists of a circular glass enclosed space called a "bubble" containing 80 balls which consider the ball draw result, played at modern casinos. The keno game is very easy and enjoyable to play has no typical confusing rules nor do have fussy principles of betting. The game has similar to that online bingo. All what you need to do is, purchasing a keno ticket and make the game in motion.

The game can be played both live, or on a machine. Keno is a simple game having simple rules. Choose 1 to 10 numbers from the range of 1 to 80. If any of your picks matches one of the drawn numbers by the casino/machine, it is called a “catch.” The more catches the player has, the more he wins.



Players are facilitating with the choice of playing multi-race keno, in modern keno which reserves a keno ticket. The game must always start on the next sequential bet to be drawn. When the sequence of bets are finished, the player is able to exchange any prize money within the time limit that is specified in the casino's rules booklet

How to play keno
  • You can put bet of like $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10 & $20.
  • Choose any number starting from 1 to 10 out of a pool of 80 numbers. For this you can also use a bet card or the Auto Pick feature.
  • On one bet card, you can play up to 20 following drawings
  • by matching your number(s) to the 20 numbers selected by the Lottery you can win that bet and van get a jackpot
  • You can purchase tickets 7 days a week during normal gaming hours.
  • Claim your prize, by referring to the directions printed on the back of your winning ticket.
  • Persistent draw tickets can be sustained before the last draw written on the ticket. You will be getting an exchange ticket with the original play varieties and remaining draws will remain printed on the ticket.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Video Poker : The Online Video Poker Guide

Video poker is a casino game, first appeared in the 1970's, but didn't start enjoying widespread popularity until the 1980's, that has much in common with slot machines, but it is a slot machine game combined with the rules of five card draw poker in a very specific manner.

How to play Video Poker :

Video poker games are easily played. The player wages 1 or more coins in order to get dealt five virtual cards on a computer screen. (A smart player always plays usually 5 coins, since the max bet triggers the bigger payoffs on the higher ranked hands.) The player make a choice which cards to hold and then draws cards to get replaced his discarded cards.


While playing these poker games online, there are a couple things that you should watch for to ensure that you have the best return for you. On a standard video poker machine, payouts start with a minimum hand of a pair of jacks. Pay tables assign the payout for hands based incompletely upon how rare they are, and also based upon the total hypothetical return the game operator chooses to offer.

Every video poker game has different payouts for various arrangements of cards. For example, jacks or better will pay your bet back for a pair of jacks, while in deuces wild or jokers wild, you typically need to have three of a kind before you will win any money.

The best video poker machines pay 9 credits for a one credit bet when you hold a full house, however many video poker games will only pay 6 credits for the same full house. clearly you will want to play video poker games that pay 9 credits to take the best opportunity.

Strategies involved in the game :
  1. One must know that the house edge in the game of video poker is minimum when compared to other games.
  2. Be a member of the slot club it will definitely increase payback percentage of that machine.
  3. Understand the pay-tables of the game and play only at full tables of the game.
  4. Don't try to bluff because these tricks are used with traditional poker not with video poker.
  5. Learn how to manage your money i.e bankroll management which is the very basic strategy of playing at casino.
  6. At last just try and enjoy the game with a few drinks as long as you don't loose you cautiousness, means your decision making power should not be effected.

Friday, May 7, 2010

How to play Roulette : Online Roulette Strategies

Roulette is a casino game, where you may need to choose place bets on both a single number and a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even. A roulette game allows you to double your betting even after if you loose a bet. There are several roulette systems that make profits, though a major one is the Money organized System. If you sensibly use this system, it works well and generates profits for you. Roulette is a lucrative game to invest your money. However, remember that even with a $1 chip, you may lose your full prize money.


How to play Roulette
Roulette players have an array of betting options. There are more than 150 ways to wager in the game of roulette. A player can place bet either inside or outside. Inside bets is better as compared to outside bets paying where one can bet on a single number, or two adjacent numbers, or three numbers on a single horizontal line, or a square, or a six line or on a trio. Players desire to bet on the 'outside' will select bets on superior positional groupings of pockets, the pocket color, or whether the winning number is odd or even. The payout odds for each type of bet are based on its probability.

Generally both the minimum and maximum bets are inflicted by roulette table, and these rules usually apply individually for all of a player's 'inside' and 'outside' bets for each spin. For 'inside' bets at roulette tables, some casinos may use separate roulette table chips of various colors to differentiate players at the table. As the ball spins around the wheel until the dealer announces "no more bets", Players can continue to place bets.

When a winning number and color is revealed by the roulette wheel, the dealer will place a sign also called ‘dolly’ on that winning number on the roulette table layout. No players may place bets, collect bets, or remove any bets from the table when the dolly is on the table. The dealer will then brush away all other losing bets, and release all of the payouts to the remaining inside and outside winning bets. When the dealer is done with making payouts, the marker is removed from the board and players gather their winning amount and make new bets. The winning chips stay on the board.

Strategies of roulette

Go for European wheel:
It’s a better choice for you to pick the European wheel; because it has the single zero slots, that means the house advantage is cut back to almost half, as compared to the American version. The smaller house advantage means a bigger chance for you to win.

Recognize your bets:
It is always suggested that never bet on the single numbers if you can help it. They are probably the nastiest odds in all the casino games today. The house advantage on single number bets is so vast that it is actually unusual to see a player win. And if someone actually wins, it's usually after an extensive amount of bets was placed and lost before the winning bet came up. Pick the organized bets; those are the ones that pay out as close to even money as possible, because they have the smallest house advantage in the game.

Play for the sake of fun:
If you're only playing for money, you will become tensed and stressed out somehow, which means more silly mistakes in the game. If you're finding roulette as a means of income, you should stop right there. Roulette should be played as a game, not as a source of income. So play it for fun.

Fix the amount you want to bet :
fix an amount of money that you are all set to gamble with, and never play more than that. If you lose your money, you were ready for it anyway. But if you play more than what you initially set, you'll soon see yourself chasing after your money and incurring even more losses in the bargain.

Set aside your prize money:
No matter how big or small your jackpot may be but it’s constantly a good idea to set aside your prize money. Play with budget that you set to gamble with, and don't think about your winnings at all. So if you walk away, you must have a decent winning amount to take along.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Bingo : The game of chance

The game of chance Bingo, they call it a game of chance because luck is the only factor that helps a player to swing the odd situation in his favor. Bingo is played with randomly drawn Bingo Cardsnumbers printed or written on the bingo ticket or card. The numbers are printed in the 5*5 matrices. Though this game was invented in 1934 but modern bingo has evolved some modern games more recently. Bingo card is the flat piece of disposable cardboard or paper which contains 25 squares on it. Each square filled with a unique number arranged in 5 vertical columns and 5 horizontal rows. The letters B, I, N, G, O are pre-printed above the five vertical columns, with one letter appearing above each column.

How to Play Bingo
Anyone can play bingo as it is very simple and easy to learn. Today anyone can play bingo online. For online bingo, the player can play with a single or multiple cards. Each card is unique so that every player has an equal chance of winning the game. Many online bingo players look for some sort of winning strategy for the game of bingo, but there is no strategy as such. There is nothing that a player can do with the numbers displaying on the card. A bingo player purchases the bingo ticket and marks off the numbers called out by the host of the play the moment all the numbers are marked off winner jumps out and says BINGO.

Strategies of Bingo
  1. First of all make sure that the ticket you have selected is correct and valid to play.
  2. In no way play more cards that you can not watch.
  3. While playing with in excess of 1 card, pick cards that are as similar as possible
  4. Try to choose the game with fewer players and make the maximum chances to win the game.
  5. Try to chase big prices and jackpots.