How to Play High Pairs in Poker

It is always great to see a big pocket pair like AA, KK or QQ when you look down at your hole cards in Texas Holdem. These top 3 pocket pairs are the best possible hands you can be dealt before the flop, and so you should expect to make a hefty amount of money from them throughout your poker-playing career. However, if you are not careful with these big pairs and if you do not exercise good strategy with them, these types of cards can easily lose you money when not play them correctly.

One of the biggest mistakes novice players make when playing big pairs is that they tend to slow play them at every opportunity. Whilst it may be a good idea to play very strong hands on the odd occasion in poker, it is far too early to start slow playing a hand before the flop and by doing so you will just be allowing your opponents to improve on the flop and on future streets. Therefore whenever you are dealt a big pocket pair you should almost always raise before the flop to thin out the number of opponents and build the pot to increase the amount of money that you can win.

Now although AA, KK and QQ have been lumped into the same category here, I am going to split these hands up into two, and give a few basic strategy tips whilst playing them. I will firstly go through a good strategy for AA, and then I will go through tips on how to play KK and QQ well. The KK and QQ have been grouped together due to the fact that there is the possibility that over cards can appear on the flop, whereas this is not possible whilst holding AA. So let’s move onto the strategy for each of these hands…

With a hand like AA, you always want to be looking to raise or re-raise before the flop. It is never good Texas Holdem strategy with AA to limp or simply call a raise because you are missing the opportunity to get more money into the pot with the best hand, and you are giving weaker hands the opportunity to overtake you on the flop. You shouldn’t be worried about the fact that players might fold and you win the pot uncontested at this point, as it is always better to win a small pot than lose a big one.

After the flop you should again look to keep the action flowing by betting and raising. You do not want to give anyone the correct odds to call for any straights, flushes or drawing hands at this point, so make sure you put them to a tough decision for their chips. However, there could be the possibility that one of your opponents has made a better hand than you on the flop, and so you should always be aware of the fact that you may no longer hold the best hand. But in spite of this, you will normally still be ahead and so you should continue to build the pot unless you have reason to believe otherwise.

When playing hands like KK and QQ, you should again be looking to bet and raise before the flop. It is very rare to come up against a better hand before the flop when holding either of these hands, so be happy to be betting and raising to reduce the number of players that will be joining you to see a flop. Many players say that you should never fold KK before the flop because by doing so you are losing money in the long run, and I have to say that I agree. You especially want to be limiting the number of players that you are up against with either of these hands because of the fact that opponents can easily make a better hand than you be hitting an over card like an Aces to make a bigger pair.

Now on the flop you will be in one of two situations; you will either be facing over cards or you won’t. If there are no over cards on the flop, you should continue to play the hand like you would do if you were holding aces, as both situations are quite similar. However, playing a big pocket pair when there are over cards on the board can be a little tricky. A good way to play is to bet like you feel you still have the best hand, and then evaluate where you stand after your opponent responds. It is unlikely that you will be winning a big pot any more in this situation, and if the pot does get big it is likely that you will be on the losing end. So be prepared to let the hand go if you come up against a lot of action.

On the final few streets with big pairs you should continue to build the pot unless you are quite sure that you are no longer ahead. If you haven’t improved by the turn or the river, you should remember that you still only hold 1 pair, which is by no means a monster hand. It is important to never get ‘married to the hand’ when you have a big pair, as they are by no means invincible. Always consider the possibility that your opponent could have a better hand than you if they are also playing aggressively by betting and raising too. It is not easy to lay down a big pair, but you have to learn to do so when you genuinely believe that you no longer hold the winning hand.

Reasons to Play Blackjack

Blackjack is by far the most popular table game at online casinos. The reason for this is that if blackjack is played to a correct strategy, the house edge is less than one percent. This is the lowest house edge of any table game. However, most casinos plan based on a house edge of around two per cent. This is simply because they know that most people will not play a correct strategy. Many players give the house a massive advantage by playing erratically ("I know the blackjack has to come right now!"). So, betting decisions made by the player actually affect the advantage that the house holds. In games like roulette, the house edge is 5.26%. Each spin is a completely independent event. The house edge therefore does not change, and cannot be influenced by the player.

In blackjack, events are dependent. This is because as each card is drawn, the possible outcome of future draws change, as the deck has changes. The more big cards remain in the deck, the more the player is favoured. Advantage constantly shifts back and forth between the player and the dealer. Herein lays the basis of card counting. Successful card counters know when the odds favour them, but card counting is a subject all on its own. The issue is that you do not need to be a card counter to bring the house edge down to near one percent.

A mathematical strategy is possible because the dealer and the player are constrained to a set of rules. Basic blackjack strategy has been known for years and many simulations have been run by experts to devise a strategy. With a basic strategy, the player will decide the action to take based on the exposed cards. This will involve hitting or standing on that basis.

In blackjack you want to beat the dealer and get as close as possible to 21. As the player always acts first, you want to sometimes stand on a lower hand in the hope that the dealer will draw a card that will result in a bust. Even if the dealers bust, players who have already bust always lose. Therefore, players have to learn how to play a hand correctly to insure the best outcome based on the mathematically correct strategy.

Blackjack is fun and allows for a correct mathematical strategy, and it is not hard to learn. The great thing about online blackjack is that you can play with the strategy chart right next to you, and make correct decisions on that basis.

Video Poker: How to Play the Game

If you are looking for a fun and challenging alternative to playing slot machines, video poker is the game for you. Instead of simply pulling the machine handle and hoping that you will be lucky enough to meet a row of identical icons, in video poker your moves would rule whether you win or lose. Moreover, the house edge in video poker is much lower than at slots.

Playing video poker is similar to playing draw poker on a slot machine. It enables you to enjoy the action of poker without having to face other players who may be more experienced and skilled than you are. In addition, in video poker, there are no dealers, no rakes, no bluffing, no cheating; it is all about you and your poker skills.

How to Play Video Poker:

There are several variations to video poker. Some of the video poker variations are played with standard 52 card decks while others are played with additional wild cards. All the variations are based on the traditional card game of poker. Therefore, a basic knowledge of poker hand ranking is necessary.

You start by choosing the coin value you wish to play and then pick the number of coins that you want to bet. Afterwards, you click on deal and five cards will appear on your screen. You can discard some or all of the cards and replace them with new ones. After pressing hold on the cards you wish to keep, you push the deal button and the machine replaces your discarded cards with new ones.

The outcome of the second draw determines whether you win or lose. Each video poker machine displays its payout table, which details the number of coins the machine pays for each five card poker hand. The payout table differs from one video poker variation to the other and so is the minimum hand that qualifies for a payout.

Video poker odds are the same as in regular card poker. A 52 card deck produces more than 2.5 million hand combination. Each video poker machine is set by a random number generator, which simulates the probabilities of drawing any of the poker hand combinations. While in regular card poker, the casino ensure its profits by collecting a rake, in video poker the casino ensure its profits by setting each machine pay table differently.

Video Poker Tips:

1) Learn the basics of draw poker before you start playing video poker at online casinos or at a casino nearby.

2) Know the machine payout of the table you have decided to play at by selecting the machine that offers the highest return.

3) Adjust your strategy to the specific video poker variation you intend to play.

4) Use a mathematical strategy to play the game correctly.

5) Do not keep cards that cannot be used to form a winning hand.

6) Hold on to any pair instead of keeping a high card.

7) Keep any pair rather than draw into a straight or a flush.

8) Practice playing online video poker in a play money mode.

PokerStars Promo 100% Deposit Bonus

PokerStars is pleased to offer some of the most generous poker deposit bonuses online. These deposit bonuses are a great way to increase your poker bankroll just by depositing and playing at the premier poker site on the web. PokerStars is committed to providing the discriminating online poker player with the best online poker experience available, and our deposit bonus program is just one of the perks available to PokerStars players.

First Deposit Bonus Promotion, 100% First-Time Deposit Bonus

From now until the end of 2008, if you make your first-ever real money deposit, PokerStars will give you a 100% bonus up to $50. Use the bonus code "First2008" to begin earning your extra cash. To earn this bonus, you will simply need to play on PokerStars and collect the number of Base FPPs equal to 10 times the bonus amount. You have six months after your first deposit to earn all the FPPs you need to cash out your bonus. Visit the First Time Deposit page for full details. This promotion ends on December 31, 2008.

Poker Reload Bonuses

From time to time, PokerStars makes reload bonuses available to our existing players. We publicize these redeposit bonuses via email, on our website, and in the poker software itself, so be sure to either visit our website or play the poker games at PokerStars every day so that you don't miss any announcements regarding the redeposit bonuses that become available from time to time.

Play Bingo on Ladbrokes

Bingo as we know is a game which has started long ago and is being played by a lot of people worldwide. The players choose numbers on a bingo card. Then, numbers are randomly called so as to obtain a winning combination. It is being enjoyed and liked by many across the world. The system of the online Bingo is identical as the offline version of the game. It is simple and you will be surprised for how fast it will be. We will try to describe you how to register your self and get started playing and enjoying online bingo.

Ladbrokes is a UK's based gambling company. It is the largest betting company in United Kingdom which gives variety of games like bingo, casino, poker and many others.

Step 1: Open an account

Just visit http://bingo.ladbrokes.com/en/online-bingo and click on the JOIN NOW link which you can see once you enter the site. You just need to fill up the registration form that opens up. Don't forget your detail accounts that you filled in the registration form, as they are needed to log in.

Step 2: Deposit Money

There are numerous ways to deposit money into your account. Normally we prefer to pick the best and easy way to do so. Some of the site supports credit card, Neteller, Bank transfer, Western Union, Moneybookers, etc.

Ladbrokes is one of the very few bingo sites which offer you to fund your money deposit through PayPal. If you choose to use PayPal, you will be able to deposit money anytime into your account and start playing the bingo online.

Step 3: Choose your nickname

When you finish the above two steps, you need to think about a nickname. The name you chose will be displayed while you are using the fun Bingo chat room.

You can win 1000 pounds every month in prize draw. The big winner will get 100 pounds, and even second prizes are worth 50 pounds each, there are 10 third prize worth 20 pounds, it gives eighty fourth prizes of 5 pounds each and also runners up prizes. Each time, there are 200 prizes.

There are lots of mini games which you can play and take pleasure in while having a brake from playing Bingo. There are many other nice prizes like 7500 pounds Super games Friday-Sunday which is valid this June. Once a week in Saturday you can win huge amount of cash prizes at 10 PM. There is much more, all to keep you interested and busy while you are playing Bingo with Ladbrokes.

You can start playing with as less money as 5p up to 1 pound. When you deposit 10 pounds you get 20 pounds as bonus for free, credited to your account within 48 hours. So just fill in your account details and start playing.

Ladbrokes bingo offers 75 Ball game!

Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout June (starting on Sunday 1st June) Ladbrokes will be having a 75 Ball super game in 'The Snug'. Get in nice and early at 7.50pm to get your tickets for the biggest game (actual start time: 7.54pm). The prize pool will be huge a massive £7,500 and tickets are 75p (this 75 theme is getting a little predictable!!!)

In conclusion, Ladbrokes is good site, which offers you massive jackpot prizes, and the side games and other prizes which are offered are attractive.

A little skill and a little flair, here’s Blackjack for You

A game of Blackjack is more fun when you have learnt the tricks and twists off the game. Many Blackjack lovers play it for fun and end up losing in dollars real soon. With a little skill and a little flair, you can perfect yourself the game of Blackjack. The object of the game is to get a hand higher than the dealer’s without going over 21.

Online players still stick to online gambling and end up losing most of the money they have earned till date. Some even fail to keep touch with their family members and lead a lonely life. Medical attention is the immediate resort or else these players will escape into their world of online poker, bingo or roulette. Of course these are irresponsible gamblers who do not pick up the roots of good, fun and entertaining gambling methods when they learn it.

Learn how to score a hand. Take ten points if you have a king, queen, jack and the number ten. An ace will fetch a point or eleven. It’s not wise to take cards before your hand exceeds 21 points. Also notify your dealer and the other players by showing your cards if you get a natural 21.

At the casino find out the available blackjack tables. Don’t forget to read the house rules written on table. Look out for a blackjack table which has a minimum bet in your price range. You can wait until all the players have placed their bets and the dealer has given two cards to each player and himself. One of the dealer’s cards will be shown face up. It’s good to place an insurance bet if the dealer is showing an ace. An insurance bet is one where the dealer has been dealt at 21. In case if the dealer does not have 21, the insurance bet is lost. If the dealer comes to you saying ‘Hit me’ ask for another card. You could pass on taking another card by waving your hand above the cards in a censoring manner or responding ‘No’ to dealer’s query.

If you are unhappy with your hand it’s safe to surrender. There are some casinos which give you half your wager in such cases. It’s good for you as you can surrender without losing the whole money. So tell your dealer ‘I am out’. Also check out these jargons which will be helpful while you take a shot at blackjack.

1. Double down means you could bet that you will win the hand with just one more card dealt to you. It doubles the original bet amount.

2. Split pairs give you the option to create two separate hands. When you indicate the dealer about splitting pairs, the dealer will then deal with a new card for each hand and each hand will be played individually against the dealer.

Increase Your Winning Chances on Online Lotteries

Whether they are serious or sporadic, many gamblers are drawn to lottery. Part of the lottery's appeal is that it is really easy money if the odds work in your favour, but of course, it can get you bankrupt if you get obsessed.

If you are like any other gambler, then you are probably wondering how you can better your online lottery results by understanding the math behind probabilities. Many lottery experts are wont to give this piece of advice: brush up on your math and you will work the odds in your favour.

What you can do to improve your online lottery results is to play a system entry, or constantly betting on a set of numbers. If you're playing a six-number lottery, then choose four numbers to be constants in your combination with the two other numbers being variable.

If you can find a lottery that allows you to play a 15-number system, you have over 5,000 better chances of winning than a six-number combination. A 15-number system lotto is typically more expensive than ordinary lotto, so be prepared to shell out money.

The only downside to number systems is that they are expensive, although you can always share betting costs with friends with similar interests. If you're not able to find willing partners, what you can do is to bet on lottery games with an eight-number winning combination. If you switch from a six-number set to an eight-number set, you actually increase your odds of winning by 33%. For better results, make six of eight numbers constant, and the two other numbers variable.

Getting Good Online Lottery Results or Spotting a Good Lotto Website

There are two types of lottery websites: one that generates online lottery results from its own system, and one that generates online lottery results from lottery draws in actual brick-and-mortar locations.

In finding a good website that generates good online lottery results, it always pays to do your homework. Since there are so many scam sites out there, your job is to find reputable and legitimate sites that are proven to give out honest online lottery results. In general, most of reliable sites offer a 100% money back guarantee. A good website would also offer a free testing system. If these are not being offered by the website you are looking at, then you might want to reconsider and find another site that gives a better outcome.

Sports Betting - What to Keep in Mind

Looking for sports betting advice is practical as betting on sports online has become ever more popular. This has become so popular because of the opportunity you have to win money and enjoy watching your favourite teams. You don't have to go see a bookie to place your bets. You don't even have to leave your house. Want to join in, but aren't sure how? Keep reading for some sports betting advice to help you out.



The best sports betting advice involves knowing how to understand the odds. Several factors will need to be considered. Study a team's record to judge their performance. Look at how they've played in the past against the opponents they'll be facing. Are any important players out with injuries? Random factors like weather might also affect the game's outcome. If weather is an issue, will the game still be played?

Are you focusing on whether or not you'll win instead of eagerly anticipating the game? Some more sports betting advice to follow is not worry about calculating odds if you can't. You can find lots of betting systems online. Let these systems do the work for you. All you have to do is take a look at the picks. Then you can decide how many bets to place and how much to bet. But the trick is to get hold of a system which is very sound and has a good winning record.

Most betting sites involve paying a membership fee and others a one-time payment. How do you know if you're getting your money's worth? The person who built the system should be knowledgeable about statistics. Before you pay to join, find out how effective the system really is. Find out what the rate of success has been for the creator when they've used their system. How many times have they won and how much are their winnings?

Another piece of sports betting advice is to take a good look at customer’s testimonials. Are the picks generally successful for people? What is the average amount that people have been winning? Do a comparison among customers to see if the money they've won is enough for you. Have they been winning the majority of the time? Or have their winnings been overshadowed by huge losses? A high success rate is an indicator of a reliable system.

The next bit of sports betting advice is to see if a money-back guarantee is offered. With most sites, you'll need to pay a membership fee. If the system isn't living up to its potential, you should be able to get a refund on your fee. Solid businesses always offer refunds on their products if the customer isn't satisfied. Online betting sites should offer the same guarantee.

This sports betting advice is easy to follow. The details of calculating odds are far more complex. If you aren't able to do that, then let an online system calculate odds for you. Follow the advice presented here, and you'll be sure to succeed.
...

For more articles about Online Casino, Poker, Blackjack, Backgammon, Bingo, Sports Betting go to Gambling Articles, or to Learn to Gamble at http://superrake.blogspot.com, or Myspace Gambling Blog at http://www.myspace.com/pokertracker. If you would like to play some casino and have your deposit matched 500% up to $5.000 now, go to room: Betway.

If you would like to play some poker and have your deposit matched 110% go to Doylesroom (American players welcome!) Qualify for the WSOP at PokerStars.com. Sign up now! come and play where all poker brains play

Sports Betting Strategy, What Makes a Sports Betting Strategy Reliable

Welcome to SuperRake.com - Casino, Poker, Games, Sports betting.

Ladbrokes Casino - Home to Hundreds of Online Casino Games

If you hope to play online casino games, you will discover that few online casinos manage to give pleasure and attraction to players. Ladbrokes casino - home to hundreds of online casino games is a reputable casino which has set some good standards in online casino games. If you are looking for a faultless, secure, safe and thrilling gambling atmosphere, this is the site for you. Players find what they wish for from a site and the playing options are excellent.

The online Ladbrokes casino is a part of the most sophisticated enterprise of the world which is brought by the most respectable company in the U.K called Ladbrokes. It runs countless betting shops in England, across Europe, and other places. It is the perfect online site for you for sports betting, skill gaming and poker games. There are hundreds of online casino games in this site which you can play sitting in home.

Why the Ladbrokes is the chosen site by millions to play online casino games? That's because they have chosen the best software for all its gambling offerings and the micro gaming platform selected for its casino games never disappoint you. Besides that, the features and graphics from this company are really superb. You have the most interesting phase of games and when it comes to selection of casino games, Ladbrokes is second to none. From regular table games to all sorts of arcade games and advanced skill games, everything is available in Ladbrokes online casinos. There is something for every kind of player and his needs. Every month nearly 300 games are added to its suite along with information on how to play. Thus, you never run out of variety in this online casino games site.

You are guaranteed excellent range of roulette and blackjack games along with classic and video slot games like video poker, keno and others. You also enjoy proprietary games like free online slot machines, freeroll slot tournaments, online slots, play slots for free, deal or no deal slot game, and others , thus making it an ultimate site for gambling games. The software available in Ladbrokes online site can be accessed through over ten languages thus making it a truly global site where player from every corner of the world are allowed to play the games. Those who are new player to this site have some reasons to smile as they are welcomed with 100% bonus which is up to an amount of £100. There are both download versions as well and no-download versions games in this online casino games site.

32Red.com joins 123 tier one sites to display prestigious 'Safe and Fair' seal

TOP ONLINE CASINO AWARDED eCOGRA ACCREDITATION

London, 8 October 2008 - The online gambling player protection and standards body eCOGRA has announced the successful completion of its rigorous inspection and testing process by listed gaming company 32Red Plc and its online poker and online casino operations.

The independent directors of eCOGRA recently awarded 32Red management the authority to display eCOGRA's revocable 'Safe and Fair' seal, identifying the venue as one committed to high standards of business practice, player service, gaming fairness and integrity.

Ed Ware, CEO of 32Red.com said that the process had been comprehensive and in-depth, with eCogra teams spending time on-site at his operational base examining every aspect of operations to ensure compliance with the standards body's detailed requirements on systems and policies.

"It was an exhaustive inspection, and I am pleased that our systems were found to be professionally sound and of integrity," said Ware. "The eCOGRA regime insists on continuous monitoring of our transactions to ensure fairness, and periodic reviews which keep eCOGRA 'Safe and Fair' accredited operators on track at all times."

Andrew Beveridge, the CEO of eCOGRA paid tribute to the cooperation of 32Red management, saying that the company had been opened up completely to eCOGRA inspection and had successfully passed all requirements.

"32Red has a fine reputation for management transparency, player sensitivity and professional conduct, and this was proved in the report from the inspection teams. We are delighted to welcome them aboard as a truly tier one online gambling organisation," he said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About eCOGRA:
eCOGRA is a non-profit London-based organisation that sets online casino and poker standards and provides an international framework for best operational and player protection practice requirements, with particular emphasis on fair and responsible gambling. These are enforced through inspections and reviews, and continuous monitoring. Standards will shortly be announced for bingo and sportsbetting operations.

Companies that have achieved accreditation with eCOGRA are entitled to bear the organisation's "Safe and Fair" seal, indicating to players everywhere that all operational systems and games are fair and continuously monitored to consistently high standards.

Accreditation remains open to all software companies and their operators. For more information, go to http://www.ecogra.org/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About 32Red plc:
32Red is the five times winner of the Best Casino title awarded by watchdog and player advocate site Casinomeister and renowned for providing industry-leading support to players. 32Red is UK-focused and licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar. 32Red Plc has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2005 (ticker: TTR).
...

For more articles about Online Casino, Poker, Blackjack, Backgammon, Bingo, Sports Betting go to Gambling Articles, or to Learn to Gamble at http://superrake.blogspot.com, or Myspace Gambling Blog at http://www.myspace.com/pokertracker. If you would like to play some casino and have your deposit matched 500% up to $5.000 now, go to room: Betway.

If you would like to play some poker and have your deposit matched 110% go to Doylesroom (American players welcome!) Qualify for the WSOP at PokerStars.com. Sign up now! come and play where all poker brains play.

The World Poker Tour Championship

As a big name boycott ends, the WPT Championship finds itself low on poker player quantity, but high on quality.

The World Poker Tour Championship started Saturday at Bellagio's Fontana Lounge, but something is missing - poker players. This year, 210 poker players turned out for Day 1A, which means it does not look like the tournament will match its numbers from last year. Sunday was better, bringing in 335 poker players, a strong rebound which should guarantee a nice prize pool. It looks as if over $13 million will be awarded to 100 players, with the winner taking home a little over $3 million while second place will have to settle for a little over $1.5 million.



Some of the better known poker players in this year's field include Mike Sexton, Jonathan Little, Michael Gracz, Brandon Cantu, Andy Black, Joe Sebok, Scott Clements, Tony "Bagels" Cavezza, Hoyt Corkins, J.C. Tran, Marcel Luske, Eli Elezra, Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Mike Matusow, Bruno Fitoussi, Barry Greenstein, and eleven time World Series of Poker champ Phil Hellmuth.

One of the reasons some names are missing from this year's WPT Championship may be the WPT boycott many players were observing. On July 19, 2006, some of the biggest and most respected names in poker - Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Greg Raymer, Joe Hatchem, and Howard Lederer - rocked the poker world when they filed an antitrust complaint against the WPT. Specifically, the poker players disagreed with wording in the WPT tournament documents, fearing that that it would caused a conflict with their endorsement deals. As the lawsuit dragged on, Hatchem and Raymer dropped the boycott. Hatchem went on to win the WPT Five-Diamond World Poker Classic in December of 2006, taking home $2.1 million.


Ferguson, Duke, Bloch, Gordon, Lederer, and the WPT just settled the suit, but not in time for any of them to play in this year's championship. WPT does have a new standard form release being used at this year's championship, however, it admitted to no wrongdoing and no money was exchanged as part of the settlement.

Back to poker news! Day 1A saw Daniel Alaei went all in against Roy Winston, but lost when a 3 of Hearts came out on fourth street. Paired with a Queen of Hearts and a Four of Hearts, that gave Winston had a flush and Alaei was eliminated. The end of Day 1A saw Billy Baxter, hot off his second Five-Star World Poker Classic preliminary event win, in first with 167,150 chips, Darrell Dicken in second with 163,675 chips, Steve Billirakis in third with 156,800 chips, Scott Epstein in fourth with 147,800 chips, and Brandon Cantu in fifth with 145,125 chips.

Tom "durrrr" Dwan played well on Day 1B, despite having to wear a Chiquita banana hat. He lost a bet with Alan "The Usher" Sass that he would arrive on time for the tournament and must wear the hat the entirety of the tournament as punishment. The end of Day 1B found Paul Chaudersonin first with 200,900 chips, Kenny Tran in second with 193,025 chips, Robert Mizrachi in third with 173,375, Juan Carlos Mortensen in fourth with 172,075 chips, and Jordan Morgan in fifth with 171,750 chips.


Poker Bluffing

Bluffing is an integral part of poker and is a skill that few players master. A bluff is when you make a bet to make your opponents think that you have a better hand than them; causing them to fold despite the fact you have a worse hand than them. This is a very extravagant and exciting play, which is one of the reasons why poker has become such a popular game over the years.

Bluffing has been popularised even further in the advent of TV coverage of some of the major tournaments, where you can see some of the top professional players pulling off elaborate bluffs against one another. However, these coverage shows are usually edited down, and you do not see the build up to these plays and you get the impression that the bluffs were formed on the spot, when in real fact the bluff was probably set up from hours of play in numerous hands. Therefore you can find many online players trying to pull off bluffs at inappropriate times trying to imitate what they have seen on TV, and thus losing money in the process.

A common problem amongst poker beginners is that they try to bluff far too frequently, which costs them a lot of money. You may be surprised to learn that it is not actually essential to be able to pull of successful bluffs to be a winning poker player. If you play your hands well, it is possible to come out as a winner without ever having to risk your chips in a bluff. However, bluffing will increase the amount you can win from the game if you are able to do it successfully. If you are quite new to the game, it is recommended that you avoid bluffing too frequently so that you can find your feet, and gradually find out when a bluff will be successful.

There are times in a poker game where a bluff will be more successful than at other times. If your opponent is showing weakness by checking, then it more likely that you will be able to push your opponent off the hand with a decent sized bet. Subsequently, if your opponent is showing a lot of strength, then it is less likely that you will be able to run a successful bluff because they are showing a lot of interest in the hand. A very common question asked by players new to the game is “When should I bluff?” This is an incredibly general question, but there is a very simple answer to it; you should bluff when you think your opponents will fold.

The art of bluffing in poker is a skill that is acquired over months and years of play, through seeing countless numbers of hands and situations. The more poker you play, the easier it will become to find situations in which you can bluff opponents off of their hands. Bluffing is all about knowing your opponent and knowing the situation well enough to understand that a bluff may be effective. Being aware of live tells and online poker tells will also help with knowing when a bluff will be successful. This kind of knowledge does not come overnight; it simply takes practice to be gain such an understanding of the game.

...

For more articles about Online Casino go to Casino Articles, or to Learn to Gamble at http://superrake.blogspot.com , or Myspace Gambling Blog at http://www.myspace.com/pokertracker

If you would like to play some casino and have your deposit matched 500% up to $5.000 now, go to room: Betway

If you would like to play some poker and have your deposit matched 110% go to Doylesroom (American players welcome!)

Blackjack Strategy Revealed

Blackjack Strategy explained in this article is just a piece of a detailed blackjack strategy that anyone playing black jack, can find on my blackjack strategy blog, the URL below. Blackjack, unlike other games, has an element of player choice, where players can actually reduce the casino advantage to a small percentage by playing what is known as basic blackjack strategy. This blackjack strategy determines when to hit and when to stand, and also determines when doubling down or splitting is the correct action. Basic strategy is based on the player's point total and the dealer's visible card.

There are slight variations in basic blackjack strategy depending on the exact house rules and the number of decks used. Under the most favourable conditions (single deck, downtown Las Vegas rules), the house advantage over a basic strategy player can be as low as 0.16%. Indeed, casinos offering special rules like surrender and double-after-split may actually be offering a positive expectation to basic strategy players; they are counting on players making mistakes to make money.

The following rules are beneficial to the player:

1. Doubles are permitted on any two-card hand except a blackjack.

2. Doubles are permitted after splitting.

3. Early surrender; the ability to forfeit half your wager against a face or ace before the dealer checks for blackjack.

4. Normal (aka "late") surrender.

5. Re-splitting Aces.

6. Drawing more than one card against a split Ace.

7. Five or more cards with the total still no more than 21 as an automatic win (a "Charlie")

The following rules are detrimental to the player:

1. Less than 3:2 payout on blackjacks (as is the case with Las Vegas Strip single-deck blackjack, paying out 6:5)

2. Dealer hits on soft seventeen (ace, six)

3. Splitting a maximum of once (to two hands)

4. Double down restricted to certain totals, such as 9-11 or 10, 11

5. Aces may not be re-split

6. No-Peek (European) blackjack—player loses splits and doubles to a dealer blackjack

7. Player losing ties

There is one thing happening in black jack game when someone can win in blackjack by looking for warps. In the casino industry, is called a "dealer tell," meaning, a dealer who gives away information that the casino believes players shouldn't possess. When a dealer checks the hole card under tens or aces, some inexperienced dealers will unknowingly bend those cards upwards and this will cause the tens and aces to have a different shape than the rest of the cards in the deck. With this information, the sharp-eyed player believes he knows the dealer's hole card by its disfigured state-which is known as "playing the warps."

The worst move a player can make with a hand while playing blackjack, its actions like doubling down on a natural blackjack. Actually for the average player in the casino, it's standing on a pair of eights versus a dealer up card of 7 instead of splitting them. A player making this basic strategy error will lose 70% of the time. There is no perfect black jack tip, but to find out more, visit the website and learn this shocking blackjack strategy.
...

For more articles about Online Casino go to Casino Articles

If you would like to play some casino and have your deposit matched 500% up to $5.000 now, go to room: Betway

Jason Mercier wins the pokerstars.com EPT London £1 million show down

LONDON, UK, October 6, 2008 – Jason Mercier– the EPT4 San Remo champion - haswon the PokerStars.com EPT London £1 Million Showdown – and a first prize of £516,000. His victory – against some of the best players in the world - comes only a week after he made the final table of the WSOP Europe Pot Limit Omaha event and less than a month after his sixth place finish at EPT5 Barcelona for €227,800.

In the winning hand - against four-time WSOP bracelet winner John Juanda – Jason was dealt KQ. It was the same hand which won him the San Remo event. John raised from the button and Jason Mercier moved all-in. Juanda called and turned over AJ, but the flop gave Jason a winning King-high straight.

The two-day £20,000 buy-in tournament at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino was the first high roller event to be held at an EPT tournament and attracted a field of 86 players. The star-studded final table featured three WSOP bracelet winners - the legendary Scotty Nguyen, WSOP Europe winner Juanda and David Benyamine, as well as Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier who finished ninth for £51,000. Third place went to Canadian Michael Watson, 24, who captained the Canadian team at the PokerStars World Cup of Poker last year in Barcelona.

Among the stars who played in the high-roller event were Team PokerStars Pros Andre Akkari, Barry Greenstein, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, Joe Hachem, Dario Minieri, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, Luca Pagano and Greg Raymer as well as Gus Hansen, Chris Ferguson, Patrik Antonius and Phil Ivey.

Five of the PokerStars ‘Million Dollar Men’ also competed, as well as five players who won their seats online at PokerStars.com including Sorel Mizzi and Soren Kongsgaard. PokerStars ‘Million Dollar Man’ Dennis Phillips finished tenth.


name Country Pokerstars Status £
1 Jason Mercier USA
516,000
2 John Juanda USA
327,000
3 Michael Watson Canada PokerStars player 241,000
4 Peter Jetten Canada
189,000
5 Scotty Nguyen USA
137,500
6 Isaac Haxton USA PokerStars player 103,000
7 Masaaki Kagawa Japan
86,000
8 David Benyamine France
69,000
9 Isabelle Mercier Canada Team PokerStars Pro 51,500

The next stop on the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour is the €4,350 buy-in Budapest event running from October 28 – November 1 at the Las Vegas Casino, Sofitel Hotel. This is the first EPT Open in Hungary, following on from the success of recent EPT launches in Prague and Warsaw during Season 4. For more information, please visit http://www.ept.com.

About PokerStars:
PokerStars (
www.PokerStars.com) is the world's largest online poker room (with 15 million players worldwide) and also the #1 poker tournament site. As the premier destination for the top players - with over 100,000 tournaments running every day-PokerStars is renowned for offering the best software and security in the online poker world. PokerStars:

  • Has dealt over 20 billion hands
  • Has run more than 100 million poker tournaments
  • Pays out more than $300 million in tournament prize money every month
  • Entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the first and only poker website to reach the 160,000 simultaneous players mark

PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) is the biggest online poker tournament series in the world. The tournament consists of 33 different events in total, covering a wide range of poker games.
PokerStars is the official sponsor of: The European Poker Tour (www.ept.com), PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour (www.lapt.com), Asia Pacific Poker Tour (www.appt.com) and The World Cup of Poker.
PokerStars is the home of Team PokerStars Pro, a group of 30 veteran and up-and-coming players from around the world who play online at PokerStars and are sponsored by the site in international tournaments around the world. For more information please visit
PokerStars.com.

...

For more articles about Online Casino, Poker, Blackjack, Backgammon, Bingo, Sports Betting go to Gambling Articles, or to Learn to Gamble at http://superrake.blogspot.com, or Myspace Gambling Blog at http://www.myspace.com/pokertracker. If you would like to play some casino and have your deposit matched 500% up to $5.000 now, go to room: Betway.

If you would like to play some poker and have your deposit matched 110% go to DoylesroomQualify for the WSOP at PokerStars.com. Sign up now! come and play where all poker brains play (American players welcome!)

Free Online Casinos and Casino Bonus

There are two types of players: the ones that play for the money and the ones that play just for fun. The second category now has another option. If they don’t want to go to the casino and spend money while playing, they can choose a free online casino game. Now what’s that? you might ask. A free online casino game is a casino game that you can play for free, just like the name says. The advantage of a free online casino game is that you can enjoy yourself but you won’t loose any money while doing so. These free gaming sites can’t be called online casinos because a casino involves loosing or winning money. When you start playing on this type of gaming site you receive an online casino bonus in the form of credits, points or even currency. This casino bonus will be your virtual money which you can bet with. This is the beauty of a free online casino game: you play, you enjoy yourself, but your pockets are as full as they were when you started. Another advantage of a free online casino game is that it eliminates the stress factor. Any person who plays in a real casino will be under a lot of stress if he looses all of his money. Fortunately this will not happen with a free online casino game. If you loose all your credits, then you can just ask for more or wait another 24 hour for your credit to restore, depending on the rules of the site.

People have been trying to compare online casinos with land based casinos ever since competition appeared between the two. This is a very tricky thing to do because both have their advantages and disadvantages. It depends on how every person looks at the problem. Suitability is questionable when deciding between a normal casino and an online casino. If you want to play a casino game for fun you should consider going to a land based casino because it’s a lot more fun. You’ll be able to interact with other people, meet a lot of interesting persons, maybe even persons like you who come there for fun and not necessarily for the winnings. At a normal casino you can be caught in the moment and do all kind of crazy things; it’s not necessary to play the games. You can just go there walk around, enjoy your drink and go home. On the other hand the online casino experience is different.

Most of the players prefer it not for fun necessarily, except when you play a free online casino game, but for the financial improvements. Usually people that play at an online casino play for the money. The experience is a lot colder, you won’t be able to interact with anyone, you won’t be a The thing with online casinos is that everything happens a lot faster and that is absolutely understandable because one of the defining proprieties of the Internet is speed. This speed can be a good thing, but it usually means otherwise because it increases the loosing of money. This is one of the reasons more and more people stop playing online. So, to stop people from giving up their favourite virtual games, a new concept has been introduced: the online casino bonus. This online casino bonus doesn’t have a real life equivalent, like a casino bonus or something else; it’s a strictly online bonus. This online casino bonus is a sum of money the casino gives you when you deposit money into an account. It’s virtual money which you can use to play. An online casino bonus can come in different forms, depending on the policy of the casino. It can be a fixed bonus, which means you get a certain amount of money no matter what amount you deposit. Another type of bonus is the variable bonus, this means you gat a certain percent of the sum you deposit. The percentage is different for each site - it can be 20% or 50%. Some casinos even give a 100% casino bonus. This is a way to get people back in the virtual game rooms, but an online casino bonus means that you have to play by some rules especially when you want to redraw your money. This is difficult because when you get an online casino bonus you have to meet some conditions which are not very easily accomplished. However, your efforts will be rewarded.

There is a category of people who play online just for the online casino bonus. They are called casino bonus hunters. These people look for the sites where the casino bonus is the largest so they can scam the casino. Being a bonus hunter is not a brilliant idea because, when you get caught, all your rights are revoked and you won’t be able to get a bonus on that site again.

So it doesn’t matter whether you play for the money or just for the fun of it because, whatever choice you make, you must think of your actions thoroughly before. And if you do pick an online casino you have to be attentive also because, if you don’t, you won’t get the results you expected.

...

For more articles about Online Casino, Poker, Blackjack, Backgammon, Bingo, Sports Betting go to Gambling Articles, or to Learn to Gamble at http://superrake.blogspot.com, or Myspace Gambling Blog at http://www.myspace.com/pokertracker. If you would like to play some casino and have your deposit matched 500% up to $5.000 now, go to room: Betway.

If you would like to play some poker and have your deposit matched 110% go to Doylesroom (American players welcome!) Qualify for the WSOP at PokerStars.com. Sign up now! come and play where all poker brains play

E-Z Blackjack

Playing blackjack is fun and it can be profitable. And you don't have to be a math whiz to become a smart blackjack player. In this article, I'll get you started with an E-Z playing strategy that will take you all of 10 minutes to learn.

But first let me address the fear that most players have about playing blackjack. I know it's the "I" word, intimidation, that the dealer or worse a fellow player will scold you for making a "wrong" play that causes everyone at the table to lose.

First off, how you play your hands has no bearing on the odds of other players on your table winning or losing. Sometimes a player could make an "incorrect" play that will cause players to lose but an equal number of times it could cause players to win. Plus with the strategy you are about to learn, you’ll be playing better than the majority of players.

My advice if you've never played blackjack is to first read a good book that covers the basics so you understand the playing rules. Then attend a free lesson offered by most casinos so you get some hands on experience at how the game is played. Then use the playing strategy I'm about to discuss and you'll be playing like a pro in no time.

What follows is an abbreviated strategy that involves learning only 9 rules.

It's not as accurate as the complete basic strategy you will find in blackjack books but it's much easier to learn and it'll allow you to get an overall return in the range of 99.1 to 99.5% (depends upon the number of decks and the playing rules).

Trust me that you'll be hard pressed to find another table game or slot machine that returns in excess of 99%.

The first column in the table below indicates your hand. The second column shows the playing strategy you should follow based upon what the dealer's upcard happens to be.

For example, suppose you are dealt a 9 and 7 and the dealer's upcard is a 7.

Your hand totals 16. You should hit the 16 according to the first rule below.

Your Hand--Playing Strategy vs. Dealer Upcard

12 through 16--Stand on 2 through 6, hit on 7 through ace

17 through 21--Always Stand

10 or 11--Double down on 2 through 9

Soft 13 through 17--Always hit except double down on 5, 6

Soft 18 through 21--Always stand except double down on soft 18, on 5, 6

2,2; 3,3; 6,6; 7,7; 9,9--Split on 2 though 7 (except stand on 9,9 vs. 7)

5,5; 10,10--Never split

8,8; ace, ace--Always split

NEVER TAKE INSURANCE

Once you learn the above playing strategy that will also help build up your confidence and overcome your fear of intimidation.

Look at this way. By following the above E-Z Blackjack strategy, you'll be playing better then most of the players on your table.

If you're still concerned about making mistakes, jot the above strategy on an index card or print it out and take it with you when you play.

If you forget what to do, refer to your index card and/or printout.

Another tip to keep in mind is do NOT play blackjack at any table where player blackjacks pay 6-5 (or worse only even money).

These games are popular on the Las Vegas strip (offered as a single deck game as a come-on) and are proliferating to other areas of the US.

Getting paid 6-5 is far worse then getting paid the standard 3 to 2 so avoid all 6-5 games.

You should also avoid any table that uses a continuous shuffling machine meaning the discards after each round is returned to the shuffler.

Playing blackjack is fun and your chances of winning are much better if you follow the above abbreviated E-Z playing strategy.

Online Casino Games, BlackJack, Baccarat...

Blackjack

The objective of Blackjack is for a player to come as close to 21 without going over, while still having a higher number than the dealer. Prior to receiving any cards, the player must place a wager. Once the wager is made, the player is dealt two cards face up. The dealer is also dealt two cards. If the total value of the player's cards is closer to 21 than the dealer, the player wins as much as he wagered. The player wins if the dealer goes over 21.

Baccarat

Although many people do not know how to play, Baccarat is actually one of the easiest casino games to play. It has been played in various forms since the early 1800's. This Internet Casino offers the most popular version of baccarat, as found in most casinos in Las Vegas. In Baccarat, cards are dealt to two hands, named Player and Banker. The object of the game is to correctly pick which hand will have the higher score. You can also place a bet on Tie, which pays 9 to 1. To play Baccarat you simply choose whether you want to bet on Player, Banker, Tie, or any combination of the three.


Craps


To play the game of Craps, place your bets by placing chips on the Craps table. The table seems to have about a hundred different kinds of bets. Critical to the understanding of craps is that it is a game of rounds. The first roll in a round is called the come out roll. Sometimes the outcome of a round will be determined on the come out roll. In particular a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 on the come out roll immediately ends a round. If any other total is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) that number is called the point. The dealer will place a white puck on an area of the table to designate what the point is, in case you forget. If a point is rolled the dice will be rolled continuously until the same point is rolled again or a 7.

Casino War

The objective of Casino War is for a player to have a higher card than the dealer. If the player's card is higher, then the player wins 2 times the amount wagered. In the case where the value of the player's card and the dealer's card is the same, the player can either fold or choose to "go to war" by raising the bet. If the player folds, the amount wagered is automatically lost.

If the player raises, an amount equal to the original wager is added to the bet and both the dealer and player receive three cards face down, and another card face-up. The highest face-up card wins. In the case of a win, player receives a win 2 times the amount wagered plus the raise amount.

For example, a player's wager (ante) is $5 and the player raises $5 and the player's card is higher than the dealer, the player would win two times the amount of the wager (ante) and will win the raise amount, which is a total $15. However, if the card is lower than that of the dealer, the player loses the wager (in the case above, the player would lose $10, both the wager (ante) and the raise). If after a war the player and the dealer have the same card value, then the player wins

American Roulette

American Roulette is the modern game of Roulette found in most casinos, especially those in Las Vegas.

Roulette is one of the oldest and most popular casino games in the world. It is also one of the simplest to play. The game of American Roulette consists of a wheel with 38 stops, and a ball that can land with equal chance in any of those stops. Players make wagers by placing chips in the betting areas of the Roulette table. After all bets are placed, the ball is spun and eventually lands on a number. Wagers placed on the winning number or on groups that include the winning number are paid a multiple of the bet. The house collects all other wagers.

European Roulette

European Roulette is similar to American Roulette except that the table is laid out in the traditional European format, and the Roulette wheel and table each have only one "0" on them.

Roulette is one of the oldest and most popular casino games in the world. It is also one of the simplest to play. The game of American Roulette consists of a wheel with 38 stops, and a ball that can land with equal chance in any of those stops. Players make wagers by placing chips in the betting areas of the Roulette table. After all bets are placed, the ball is spun and eventually lands on a number. Wagers placed on the winning number or on groups that include the winning number are paid a multiple of the bet. The house collects all other wagers.

Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker is standard Five-Card Stud Poker with a slight twist: one of the dealer's cards is always displayed. Players compete against the dealer, rather than other players. The objective of the game is to beat the dealer's hand.

There is also a Progressive jackpot available with this game. To play, place a side bet of $1. If the player is dealt any of the Progressive Pay Table Hand Rankings, he may win all or a portion (depending on his hand rank) of the progressive jackpot. The current jackpot is displayed at the top, which increases as players place these side bets.

To place a progressive bet, click on the coin slot. The light on top of the slot will light up red to show that you've placed the progressive bet. To undo the bet, simply click on the slot again.

Let Em Ride

Let Em Ride is a variation of poker, except that the player plays against the house and does not compete against the dealer or other players. The player is dealt three cards and the dealer is dealt two. The objective of the game is to get any winning poker hand consisting of a pair of 10's or higher, using all five cards.

After placing the ante bet, the player receives three cards face up, and the dealer receives two cards face down. The player decides whether or not he wants to raise the original bet (by the same amount as the original bet), or continue without a raise to the next round of play. Once the player decides to raise or continue, the dealer's first card will be shown. Now the player has another opportunity to raise or continue. If he decides to raise, the bet will again increase by the original bet amount. After the player raises or continues, the dealer's second (last) card is shown.

After the dealer's last card is shown, the player's hand is evaluated as a normal poker hand, combining the player's three cards and the dealer's two cards. If the player has a pair of tens or any higher winning poker hand, the player wins. Otherwise, the player loses.

Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is a card game played with a 53-card deck consisting of a standard deck of 52 cards plus one Joker. In this version of Pai Gow Poker, the banker (or house) always plays as the dealer and covers all bets, and the player only competes against the dealer. The player receives seven cards, which must then be "set" or split into two poker hands: a five-card hand and a two-card hand. Once split, the player's two hands are compared with the dealer's two hands to determine the winner.

The bank pays the winner--minus a 5% commission--and the game ends. The commission is 5% of the bet and is rounded up to the next quarter. For example, a minimum bet of $6 would be a commission of 50 cents. (5% of $6 = 30 cents, but since the commission is rounded up to the next 25 cents; the commission is actually 50 cents. 5% of $11 = 55 cents, which makes the actual commission 75 cents.)

Red Dog

Red Dog is a simple game from the old West played with three cards. After receiving two cards, the player wins if the next card dealt is ranked between the first two cards. If all three cards are the same rank, the player wins 11 to 1. After placing the initial bet, the player receives two cards. If the two cards are different, the player must decide either to raise the bet (with an amount equal to the initial bet) or continue with the current bet before receiving the third card.

The player wins if the third card falls numerically between the first two cards. Winning hands are paid based on the spread between the first two cards--how far apart the first two cards rank. The player loses the total bet--including any raised bet--if the third card does not fall between the first two cards.

When the first two cards have consecutive ranks (for example, 5 and 6), then the hand is a tie and all bets are returned to the player.

When the first two cards have the same rank, the third card is automatically dealt. If the third card has the same as the first two, the player wins eleven times the initial bet. If the third card is different than the first two, the game is a push, and all bets are returned to the player .

Keno

Keno is one of the oldest games played in casinos and is easy to learn. Keno is a lottery style game.

There is a Keno Card with numbers from one (1) to eighty (80). . The player selects a wager amount from the top right of the Keno Card, and predicts what numbers will be drawn by selecting one or as many as fifteen of those numbers on the Keno Card. The wager amounts are $1, $5 and $10 and stay the same regardless of how many numbers are chosen.

After clicking on the Play button, twenty of the numbers are then drawn and rolled out randomly. The numbers that are drawn are rolled out on the bottom of the Keno Card and are highlighted on the Keno Card automatically. The more numbers that are correctly predicted, the higher the payout.

The Payout Table is shown to the upper left of the Keno Card and displays the payouts based on the number of catches (correctly predicted numbers) from your selections on the card.

Texas Holdem Poker

Texas Holdem Poker is the most popular casino card game by far. Texas Holdem is a "community card" game, meaning that some cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table and shared by all the players. Each player has two down cards that are theirs alone, and combines them with the five community cards to make the best possible five-card hand.

Play begins by dealing two cards face down to each player; these are known as "hole cards" or "pocket cards". This is followed by a round of betting. Most Holdem games get the betting started with one or two "blind bets" to the left of the dealer. These are forced bets which must be made before seeing one's cards. Play proceeds clockwise from the blinds, with each player free to fold, call the blind bet, or raise. Usually the blinds are "live", meaning that they may raise themselves when the action gets back around to them.

Now three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table; this is called the "flop". A round of betting ensues, with action starting on the first blind, immediately to the dealers left. Another card is dealt face up (the "turn"), followed by another round of betting, again beginning to the dealer's left. Then the final card (the "river") is dealt followed by the final round of betting. In a structured-limit game, the bets on the turn and river are usually double the size of those before and on the flop.

The game is usually played for high only, each player making the best five-card combination to compete for the pot. Players usually use both their hole cards to make their best hand, but this is not required. A player may even choose to "play the board" and use no hole cards at all. Identical five-card hands split the pot; the sixth and seventh cards are not used to break ties.


Becoming an Online Gambler

There’s a lot more to online gambling than casino games. Anyone who has followed the Worlds Series of Poker for the past few years knows that slowly but surely online poker players have started to creep in from anonymity and take center stage.

They've even had the audacity to win the main event for two years running.

But online gambling isn’t just poker, either. It’s everything. Every form of gambling you can imagine (and more than a few that you can’t) from progressive slot machines to bingo halls, international lottery drawings and sportsbetting.

There are even more than a few sites where you can bet on the winners of reality television shows or what the last digit will be at the closing bell of the Dow Jones.

The point is, that before you dare to venture into the cyberspace void in search of new gambling adventures, you'd best know what you’re looking for and how to find it.

Getting Started: Finding the Best Sites

Although becoming a successful online gambler involves many steps, the most crucial one is also the most obvious ­ finding a place to play. Or rather, finding a good place to play.

Despite the Internet so often being likened to the ‘Wild West’, online gambling itself is a far cry from those wicked saloons of old. The increased competition, a higher level of player awareness, and the development of 'watchdog sites' that patrol the online gambling industry has made it a relatively safe medium.

However, just because it’s safer that does not mean it's devoid of risk. Nor does it mean that all sites are created equally. Sometimes, even the most well intentioned site may not be quite up to par, resulting at best in an unsatisfactory experience and at worst a complete fiasco.

Luckily, avoiding such problems is relatively easy--it just takes a little effort and a little bit of homework.

Below are some of the basic steps you need to follow when looking for a new online gambling site:

Make sure that the site is reputable. Always find out everything you can about a site before depositing a cent. Read site reviews in respected gambling magazines, visit gambling portals and check out what’s being said about the different sites.

You might also consider visiting online gambling forums or chat room (available on many gambling portals) where players meet to discuss gambling topics.

There you’ll find first-hand accounts of player experiences that may help steer you towards ­ or away from ­ a particular site.

Ask yourself: Does this site fit my needs? Although choosing an online gambling site requires a lot of objectivity, it is also a matter of personal taste.

For example, if you’re the sort of gambler who likes to mix it up, playing a little blackjack then maybe a couple of pulls on the slots while waiting for the results of the Yankee game, you need a site that caters to both casino gamblers and sportsbettors.

On the other hand, if bingo is your only love, you’ll need to refine your search to include only sites that offer it.

See for yourself. Once you have narrowed down your selections to a manageable level, begin visiting the sites and examining them. Really study them. Are the graphics top quality? Did the designers put some thought into the site's development or does it have that 'thrown together' look?

Does anything about the site make you feel uncomfortable or wary? Your answers to these questions will help to determine if the site is a worthwhile contender for your business or just some fly-by-night operation.

For a little extra insight, consider calling the site’s customer services department with some basic questions to see what kind of a response you get.

If the associate is hesitant or unable to answer your questions, seems uninterested, or is just plain rude, consider that this might be the type of service that you’re likely to receive should a real crisis arise.

Now that you have found a place worthy of your attention, the next step is getting down to the business at hand: becoming an online gambler.

Becoming a Player

In days past when the number of online casino could easily be counted on a single hand, getting online, downloading the software and establishing a player account was a tedious series of events that made the trip to the local casino more than worth it.

But as technology advanced, so too did the entire process and what we're left with is the streamlined progeny of those early pioneers.