About Gambling

Playing Online Poker For A Living

2006-08-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Playing online poker for a living is absolutely doable, but it takes a combination of talent, dedication, patience, discipline and disposition to succeed.

You must study and constantly work on the weak parts of your game. Reading a book like "Texas Holdem for Advanced Players" once, will not be good enough. You will have to read it over and over, and you must truly consume, study and learn it. You must take the game seriously at all times, maintaining your focus and always continue to learn, even when you are away from the table.

Knowing where and at what times the the loosest middle and upper limit poker games are played are the number one secret for those that play professional poker online. Online poker professionals win most of their money from the weak players(fishes-suckers), so finding a table with two or three fishes on it, is extremely important if you want to succeed at this game. Tight and conservative poker tables are not profitable to play on, even for the professionals.

Finding the right table to play on will take some time and effort from your side, but will definately be worth it if you are serious of making a living playing this great and complex game.

There are some great benefits playing online poker for a living compare to live casino poker.

*No intimidation from other players.

*No waiting around for a table.

*You can play wearing your socks only.

*No travelling expences.

*You pay no tips to the dealer.

*The rake is much lower.

TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT ONLINE POKER YOU HAVE TO:

Constantly change your style of play. Don't be predictable in your betting patterns.

Keep reading and practicing the game as often as possible.

Playing interactive poker on a Turbo Software program combined with reading a great poker book like Hold'em for advanced players is the best way of improving your game."

Only play in poker rooms that has a few fishes at the table.

Only play with money you can afford to loose. Have a poker bankroll and keep a record of your wins and losses.

Always give the game 100% of your attention when you are sitting at the table.

Take some time away from the poker table if you have suffered more than three consecutive losses.

Win more by playing fewer hands. A bet saved is the same as a bet won. Play quality hands and fold the junk, and you will see your bank-roll increase.

Ways to Earn Extra Cash in Order to Enter Online Sweepstakes for Money

2006-07-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

We all like to take a break from reality, play games and enter sweepstakes for that chance at earning free money quickly and for little effort.

Did you know you can enter sweepstakes for cash online or even play games for free money from the comfort of your own home?

It's true. There are a variety of sweepstakes for money available on the Internet, and plenty of other opportunities to get paid for a small investment of your time.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a little extra cash in your pocket to spend any way you choose, especially knowing you had a great time entering online sweepstakes for that money, or that you earned your free cash by playing games? There are even some offers available for those who have a penchant for gambling. The sky's the limit on the offers available to help you have fun while earning cash online.

Since in most cases you'll need to have some cash in order to enter online sweepstakes for money, reward programs might be your best choice to earn that extra cash.

To help you start earning free money, 1st In Rewards has taken some of the guesswork out of the hunt for sites where you can earn cash for your time.

Getting started on your way to earning free cash is easy. Just select one of the many options from the list below:

Earn free money accepting offers, get cash reading emails, get free cash taking surveys, play games and get free money, shop and get paid cash-back rewards.

Why not take the time today to begin earning cash toward that vacation, or for paying off bills or a night on the town? It's easy and fun to enter sweepstakes for money or play games and earn cash. And, what's even better, you can do it all from the comfort of your own home!

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Poker Tournament Betting Basics

2006-07-08T02:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the third in my Texas Holdem Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Holdem poker tournament play and associated strategies. In this article, we'll build upon the poker tournament strategy fundamentals from last time, with some important poker betting strategy basics.

Winning at Texas Holdem poker doesn't have to be a gamble, since it's actually a game of skill. Of course, there will always be an element of chance, but there's a lot more strategy and skill to poker than meets the untrained eye. When you learn to play the odds properly, it can make a huge difference in your winnings.

No limit Texas Holdem is the game of choice these days - and for good reason. The fact that anyone can decide to push a large raise or all of their chips into the pot by going "all-in" at any moment, adds an exciting dimension to the game. Unlike limit Texas Holdem, where each round of betting takes place in prescribed, fixed increments, no limit Texas Holdem is as varied as the players at the table, since everyone chooses their own betting style and approach.

When playing no limit Texas Holdem, you're faced with some important decisions. Arguably, the most important decision you'll make is how much to bet in a given set of circumstances; e.g., hand strength, your position at the table, total number of players, their styles, etc. There are many different betting strategies, but one of the first things to learn and pay close attention to are "pot odds" and whether you have a positive "expectation" to win.

You have a positive expectation whenever the odds favor you winning more than you're wagering at anything greater than 1 to 1 odds. For example, when flipping a coin, there is a 50/50 chance of it coming up either heads or tails. If you flip a coin enough times, both heads and tails will come up an equal number of times.

Casino games, such as craps, blackjack, slot machines, etc. all give the player a "negative" expectation and the casino a positive expectation. If you play these types of "gambling" games long enough, you will ultimately lose, since the game's odd structure is never in your favor - negative expectation. People who experience "hot streaks" also have losing streaks (they just usually quickly forget about the losing and don't discuss it). When you're making a wager, you'd always prefer to have a positive expectation. This is generally true in poker, but not necessarily always in no-limit poker. I'll explain why.

Pot Odds are the odds the pot is giving you for making a bet. Let's say there is $50 in the pot and it'll take $10 more to call - you're getting 5-to-1 pot odds to call, since if you win you'll be paid $50 in exchange for risking only $10. For purposes of this decision, any amounts you previously placed into this pot are irrelevant, since they're already expended and gone (if you fold).

It's essential to understand pot odds as it relates to your hand odds, as one key factor in making your betting decisions. If the odds of you holding or drawing to the winning hand are better than the odds the pot is giving you, you should call or even sometimes raise; otherwise, you should typically fold (unless you're going to bluff, a different story).

Continuing this example, let's say you're holding a pair of fives, and the board flops 9, K, 2 "rainbow" (no flush draw, different suits). With 9 players at the table, it's certainly possible and likely that someone else holds a King or a Nine, or both, making your 5's look pretty flimsy at this point. Your best shot to win is to draw another 5. There are two more 5's remaining out of the 47 cards that you can't see (in the deck or in another player's hand).

So, the odds of pulling that next 5 on the turn or river are: 2 in 47 (2/47 = about 4%) on the Turn, plus another 2 in 46 on the River (an additional 4%), for a total of roughly 8.6%, which equates to a 1-in-11.6 chance of pulling that third 5 to make a set. Since the pot is only giving 5-to-1 odds, it's generally time to fold. Otherwise, you'd just be "gambling" with a highly negative expectation of losing that additional $10. In no limit Texas Holdem, players will often raise the pot sufficiently to actually lower your pot odds so far that you can't possibly justify staying in the hand - at least not statistically.

Clearly you can't sit there in a real poker room with a calculator and run through all of these pot odds calculations while at the table! So, how does one learn poker odds well enough to apply them in real-time? Well, it starts by seeing the poker odds repeatedly, in a context that's suitable for you to learn and eventually retain them. A poker odds calculator is a piece of add-on software that runs on your PC, monitoring your actual online play. A poker odds calculator computes the prospective hands you and your opponents are capable of drawing at any point in time. It then displays all possible hands you and the opponents could draw, teaching you what the odds of making that kind of hand would be.

This makes it easy to see what's going on, and since a poker odds calculator displays the poker odds right there in front of you while you play, you'll begin to learn them, making it semi-automatic, so you don't even think about poker odds any more - you just know them. So, the first step is learning and internalizing these "hand odds". Then, you can quickly calculate pot odds anytime you'd like.

Calculating pot odds requires you to pay close attention to the game, a key trait of good poker tournament players. Unlike playing online, where the total size of the pot is easy to determine (the online Texas Holdem poker program typically displays the pot amount right there on the screen for you), when you play in traditional offline poker tournaments, you must keep track of the pot size and chip count yourself, so you can estimate the pot odds and your best betting options.

Pot odds become especially interesting as the blinds and antes increase as the tournament progresses. Let's say there are 10 players at your table, and the poker tournament structure has you at $25 antes with $200/$400 blinds. That's a total of $850 that's sitting thre in each and every pot before anyone even places their first bet! So, before you even look at your hand, you know that the minimum bet is $400, so you'll need a good hand (with roughly 1 in 2 odds or better) in order to simply break even.

At this point, people will be angling to "steal the blinds" by placing a hefty bet, typically at least two times the big blind, or $800, in order to make the pot odds so unattractive that everyone just folds. Therefore, the first player to act often makes off with the booty, since the pot odds become even less attractive and most everyone hasn't made a good enough hand to call. Of course, this can definitely backfire...

Let's say the first player to bet raises to $800 in an attempt to steal the blinds, making the total pot now $1,650. Let's say that a second player then calls with another $800, boosting this pot to $2,450. To get in on the action, you'd only need to call with $800, which means if you win the hand you're getting a slightly better than 3 to 1 on your money. If it's the Flop and you are one card short of making a King-high flush, then your hand odds are roughly 1-in-3. This would be "even money" if you joined in on this basis alone; however, you're holding a King and there's a King on the board from the Flop, so you now have a better than 1 in 3 chance of winning - a positive expectation! You place your $800 bet, so now the pot sits at $3,250.

You should generally make this bet, since it will yield a good return and you have the high pair (Kings), plus a flush draw, thereby improving your odds even further. Let's say there was an Ace also showing, making your Kings second best pair. In this case, it time to fold because you have a less than a 1 in 3 chance of winning this hand, and if you continued throwing money at this pot, you'll end up "pot-committed" and beaten by a pair of Aces (there's usually at least one player in 10 hanging in there with an Ace hole card).

So, let's say the last player to act goes "All-in" - after we've put our $800 in this pot. Now what? The first reaction should be - what kind of hand *could* this player actually hold? If the player is a relatively tight or solid player, chances are they've made a set or an Ace high flush. It's always possible they're bluffing, but very unlikely if they're a good player, since there are already far too many people in this pot and it's likely they'd get called with a real hand when bluffing.

So, what's happened to our pot odds? Let's say they went all-in with $5,000, pushing this pot up to $8,250. If you called with $5,000, you're now only getting a 8.25 to 5 return, or roughly 1.65 to 1 - especially unattractive under the circumstances with highly negative expectation and so many players in this hand, further reducing your chances of winning. Therefore, everyone will likely just fold; unless they have a very strong hand plus a great draw (some outs).

There's clearly a lot more to poker betting strategy, including position and acting first vs. last. Generally speaking, though, if you're going to take a shot at that pot, and you're in a position to act first, there's a good chance everyone else will fold; however, you'd better think carefully about the pot odds the opponents will be getting after your bet is in there.

If your bet modifies the pot size such that it improves their pot odds (by limping in with just a small bet), you're actually encouraging the opponents to hang in there with you, since they still have a good, positive (and improving) expectation level. If you bet enough, such as two to three times the size of the big blind, you'll be reducing their pot odds enough to swing into a negative expectation, so they'll be much more likely to fold. It's really important to think your bet amounts through and understand the pot odds implications of your betting.

When you make such a play at the pot, it's ideal to have some kind of hand, along with a good draw. If you find yourself short-stacked, then this may be as good as it gets. Bluffing will be covered more thoroughly in a later article, but at this point it'd be great to have at least a small pair, as well as a good straight or flush draw (since you'll also have the potential to make a set of trips, too). In this situation, you have so many good "outs" that your small pair begins to look a lot stronger, and your hand odds acceptable enough to go on a "semi-bluff" at this pot.

So, these are the basics of Texas Holdem poker tournament betting strategy that you should know and practice (the other good players do). Knowing your basic hand odds and being capable of quickly calculating pot odds are essential to making intelligent betting decisions under fire in poker tournaments, and regular ring game and limit play for that matter. A good poker odds calculator will help you learn the hand odds, and along with practicing calculating your pot odds, you'll be making better decisions and getting the best of it the next time you play Texas Holdem poker.

In the next article, we'll explore a popular Texas Holdem poker tournament format - the Sit & Go poker tournament. Until then, have fun. And as always - good luck!

MGM Mirage to build a city on Las Vegas Strip

2006-06-21T00:34:00.000-07:00

Plans include a 4,000-room hotel and casino, three 400-room boutique hotels, 1,650 condominiums and 550,000 square feet of a retail, dining and entertainment area.

The "Project CityCenter" as MGM officials call it, will stand on the 66-acre site located between Belaggio and Monte Carlo, on Las Vegas Strip. The Boardwalk hotel now occupies part of this area.

The project will be developed in phases. The first phase, to begin in 2010, is expected to create over 7,000 construction jobs and 12,000 permanent positions. This will be the largest employment opportunity in the history of Las Vegas.

For comparison, "Project CityCenter" is the size of New York City's Rockefeller Center, SoHo, and Times Square combined.

The history of Las Vegas began a hundred years ago, with a land-parcel auction. With MGM Mirage laying down the cards for its future project, the next question to arise is: How long will it be before a competitor puts forward a similar scheme?

"We hope they do, but I doubt it," says Jim Murren, president and CFO of MGM Mirage. Having the idea is one thing. It is far more important to have access to this kind of capital outlay, and a suitable property. Today, an acre on Las Vegas Strip is valued at $20 million. The estimated cost of the project is $4 billion.

The "Project CityCenter" seems to have put an end to themed resort-building in Las Vegas, and to open a new era in the history of Sin City. It is now clear that Las Vegas is moving towards becoming a major urban center in the US. "It's changing lifestyles," MGM Mirage chairman and chief executive officer Terry Lanni said.

Over the next 18 months, MGM Mirage will look around the world for a master architect, as well as for residential and hotel partners.

Become the Casino of Life Where You Control the Outcome Rather Than Playing the Odds

2006-06-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

I want to continue on the subject that I have been addressing as of late concerning building success.

Often it seems when speaking of success many automatically assume that one is talking about the rich and elite. People that appear to have huge sums of money, and drive fancy cars, and live in mansions.

I cannot clearly state this properly enough; the end result that we see with our eyes is never to be interpreted as success. One only need to peruse around the so-called elite of this world to realize that success is the furthest thing from most of them.

Many of these types are extremely unhappy, paranoid and delusional. More than not these same people never created their own success; they were simply born into the appearance of success.

Often they never learned the secrets that their predecessors understood; they were just simply handed down the fruit of someone else's labor without ever understanding the actual process that was behind it all.

Many people of this environment are no different than what could be considered a failure, because they lack any skills of personal development. They hold on to their money as if it was a god, because that is all they have to define themselves, and they protect it with all of their life-motion for fear of being without it, leaving them stranded without viable skills to regain their former situation.

Have you ever wondered why so-called wealthy people commit suicide when they find out that they have become bankrupt? Yet all the while 45% of the nation lives their entire life having less than the rich person had when they could no longer cope. It is because their entire life was based on them being successful when they were simply only rich!

You see this is not success, it is a facade. As I said in my last article, successful people could lose their last million and not concern themselves with it, because they have the skills and know-how to get it all back if they desire. They do not try to protect their wealth because they know that wealth is not success.

When people have created their own success they then prescribe to laws of generosity and concern for their fellow man. They are not wrapped up in the results of their success so therefore they are freer to be caring and compassionate. Most of all their state of mind is more important than riches!

One of the true keys of success is love towards one another. When Napoleon Hill, of the famed, "Think and Grow Rich" was speaking to people like Ford and Carnegie, he learned that these people considered the value of their fellow human. It was important to them to show respect and honor one to another, a trait that is sadly lacking today with the rich and elite.

Decades later many have misinterpreted the philosophy of success and turned it into the results rather than the building blocks. I assure you this is not what the successful people of the past were teaching. And because so many have misunderstood or misapplied the magnificent teachings of these men and women, we see today a strange mixed brew of philosophy concerning real true success.

On the Internet we are plagued with Business Opportunity Programs all advertising, join us, we have made it so that you do not have to do anything and you will become wealthy!

The philosophy of success today is all based on getting the results without effort. And when it does not occur people complain that they were defrauded and they begin to moan and blog their mind out so everyone else can be lured in by their negative mindset.

Sadly the true fraud was that individual's own mind allowing them to believe that they would get something for nothing. No one scammed them; no one deceived them. They allowed it to happen because they wanted the quick fix, the do nothing approach to success.

This is the problem I see today, most are not in the proper mindset to excel towards success, they really do not want to do anything that may make them responsible for their actions, they simply want the end result without the labor!

That is why all of these programs are popping out left and right, because this is what the majority of the people are looking for. They want the cute catch phrases and the luring clichés they state, "money tree here, all you have to do is sit under it and tons of money will fall into your lap!"

Time in and time out these same individuals enter these programs and they never make any money because they never had any intention to follow through with the actual viable stepping stones of the program that really makes it work. But of course not, they did not want to do anything anyway, that is why they joined! It is nothing more than playing the lottery for most people!

Yet in the almost dualistic fashion via the law of polarity the other side of the coin reveals other people that actually do work the system and constantly make more and more money on almost every program they join.

Most programs on the net could make anyone money if they wanted to work them. And it is not as difficult as one may believe; it just takes persistence and a real belief that you can do it.

As stated in my previous article, if you are producing energy of absolute belief without allowing any negative energy to dissuade you, then you can accomplish almost anything your heart desires through momentum over time.

If you truly desire or need money, then build the ladder of success that engenders it in your life. Don't keep playing the roulette wheel hoping your number will be the next chosen, this is not success. Instead why not become the Casino of life where you control the outcome rather than playing the odds, where nothing can defeat you! Where your own internal happiness will be the catalyst of life.

Become the Casino of Life Where You Control the Outcome Rather Than Playing the Odds

2006-06-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Become the Casino of Life Where You Control the Outcome Rather Than Playing the Odds

2006-06-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Poker Tournament Betting Basics

2006-06-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

MGM Mirage to build a city on Las Vegas Strip

2006-06-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

Become the Casino of Life Where You Control the Outcome Rather Than Playing the Odds

2006-06-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

The MIT Blackjack Team Story

2006-06-11T04:36:00.000-07:00

What's the first thing that enters your mind when you think of MIT, the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology: engineering genius, mathematical wizard, visionary, geek, hacker? If you chose any one of those, you would be correct. Mix them all together, add some smoke and mirrors, big-time anonymous investors, a dash of anarchy for good measure, and you get one of the best scams of all times-the MIT Blackjack Team-the ultimate in high stakes, genius-backed hacking! Infamy is nothing new to MIT. Some of the world's wiliest hackers hailed from the hallowed halls of MIT; but when one gifted math professor and six gifted students banded together, they propelled organized hacking to dizzying heights and snookered organized gambling to the tune of millions! That was sweet music to the ears of millions who have left behind small fortunes in their quest to beat the casinos.
After school club

The MIT Blackjack team began as an after-school club held in campus classrooms where students assembled to apply their genius to card games, unwind (at least, by MIT standards), and have fun. The club eventually evolved into serious business. The team set up a complete underground system of casino mock-ups spanning apartments, warehouses, and classrooms scattered across Boston where they worked diligently to perfect their scheme. Before advancing to live play in the casino, each player had to pass a rigorous battery of tests encompassing all of the roles under simulated casino conditions, including distraction and harassment. Still, they were not ready for the big league until further honing their skills in Boston's Chinatown before heading to Las Vegas.
Card Counting

Card counting, the heart of their system, is a proven winning technique. Blackjack odds offer the one opportunity for those with skill, dogged determination, and discipline to consistently beat the house. The casinos know that Blackjack is vulnerable (that smart, disciplined players actually have a fighting chance of winning), and that is why they ban the big winners and harass and threaten potential big winners.

Casino management further understands that it takes only one or two mistakes to turn a player's winning system into a house win, and that is the only reason that they tolerate card counting-until it turns against them. They rely on human frailties, such as lack of discipline and distraction, to return the advantage to the house.

The MIT team used card counting as the foundation of their system; it was only one among a number of tools in their magical tool box, and even then, it wasn't traditional card counting. It added a high-low system, based on the statistical probability of receiving high or low cards, and they added an additional technique for cutting the cards that further skewed the odds in their favor.

Team members traveled together, seemingly as total strangers. Each assumed one of a number of well-crafted fake identities, the teams included several types of players, each member playing a well-defined role. Anonymous investors provided the stake and expected a return on their investment. One such outing netted a 154% ROI after expenses. Transporting huge amounts of cash back and forth was another obstacle they overcame with ingenuity. Cash traveled in every conceivable manner: strapped to bodies, on "mules," in hollow crutches, just to name a few.
High Tech vs Low Tech

Their reign spanned a good part of the 1990s when they traveled the casino circuit with total abandon. Their $400,000 winning weekend in Las Vegas is legendary. Casino technology was not yet at a stage where it could match wits with MIT genius. At least, it had not made its way to practical application in Las Vegas, Ironically, it would be low-tech sloppiness that brought the team down in the end.

The casinos had learned to deal with the card counters long before the MIT pikers hit the scene. When they identified a card counter, they would ensure that his play at the tables was a living nightmare, and should the card counter take the house for a large sum, they would immediately ban him. Technology in the 1990s had matured to a point where bad news traveled fast. When the card counter was detected at one casino, it became nearly impossible to escape detection at any other casino.
Profiled MIT Blackjack Team

Las Vegas casino bosses relied on a long-established profile of the Blackjack card counter, but since the MIT team ran counter to the profile, that also worked in their favor, helping them to escape detection. The profile assumed one lone card counter. The team's nonchalant, seemingly random style of play also ran counter to the profile. But they were crazy like foxes-until they were no more.

Finally, sloppiness brought them to their knees. Eventually, they lost their discipline and their cool; the well-oiled machine built with the precision of a Swiss watch began to fall apart. They began to fraternize, and not just with the usual Las Vegas temptations, but with each other-in public. A total chance spotting of the teams relaxing and playing at a Las Vegas pool blew their cover. The tale of their unraveling wound its way back to the back streets of Boston before they finally disbanded. The odds had finally turned against them, and the stakes were far too high for even the geniuses from MIT.

The last remaining team player was escorted from the table with the parting words, "You can't play here. You're too good for us."
Blackjack Team in the News

The tale of the MIT Blackjack Team doesn't end with its demise. ABC, CNN, History Channel, and CBS's 60 Minutes all picked up the story. Bringing Down the House : The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions (Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2002), by Ben Mezrich, chronicles the escapades of the team from its inception to the end of the line through the eyes of team member, Kevin Lewis (not his real name). One enterprising former member currently offers seminars based on the system.

The final irony has yet to play itself out. Kevin Spacey is producing the movie version of the book, due to be released by MGM sometime in 2006. One has to wonder if the movie will help MGM recover its losses to the MIT Blackjack Team.

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Poker Tournament Fundamentals

2006-06-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is the second in the Texas Holdem Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Hold'em poker tournament play and associated strategies. In the first installment, we examined a real-world tournament scenario and how to handle a particular class of difficult players - the "maniacs", aggressive, wild players that are commonly encountered in today's poker tournament venues.

In this article, we'll examine the techniques that were used more closely to best these players, along with stitching a Texas Hold'em tournament poker strategy together with some good poker tournament fundamentals.

Let's begin with some foundational elements of any winning tournament poker strategy - clearly understanding our priorities. In poker tournaments, each player's primary objectives are:

1. Survival - first and foremost, surviving to play at the final table, and ideally to be the last surviving player (the winner!) is of paramount importance.

2. Building and Protecting that Chip Arsenal - to survive increasingly large blinds and tougher competition at the latter and final tables, a player must build up and sustain a "chip arsenal" - a substantially large stack of chips - early enough in the competition to be capable of surviving and taking various necessary, calculated risks from time to time.

This must be accomplished without risking the entire tournament and building that chip arsenal in the process. Failure to build an early chip lead is a sure ticket to being eroded away once the blinds and antes increase, chewing away at your stack until you're cornered or dead.

3. Sustained Focus - concentrating on your game plan, attacking when the right cards and situations present themselves and converting those opportunities into "profits", while avoiding killer momentary lapses of reason (i.e., making occasional mistakes by not paying close enough attention). Focusing like this over an extended period of time is much more difficult than it seems, requiring a constant vigil, self-awareness and self-discipline.

4. Adaptability - as the tournament progresses, it's critical to recognize when the game dynamics change and quickly adapt to new conditions such as:

? Number of players at the table

? Style of the players

? Size of your chip stack vs. opponents'

? Odds the pot is giving you, especially as blinds and antes increase

? New players arriving that are initially unknown quantities

? New table you've been moved to and avoiding mistakes.

Since Texas Holdem tournament events are specifically designed to progressively eliminate players, your foremost objective must be to survive and protect your stack of chips. Taking unnecessary risks is a formula for disaster and an early trip home?someone can always get lucky against you.

Demonstrating the patience to hold back and attack at the most opportune moments, when the odds favor your success, and with a proper battle plan in mind is critical. While others are visiting and socializing, daydreaming, watching the waitresses, and otherwise taking their eyes off the ball, when you're at a tournament table, it's time for your focused attention on the game at hand. This kind of extended attention span becomes increasingly difficult to maintain, so rest up before playing in a tournament - do not play when tired if you can avoid it.

I also recommend against alcohol while playing, as it leads to impaired judgment and fatigue.

Here are some basic guidelines to use when playing in poker tournaments or at any table where there are many players that you don't know well:

1. Prepare and Refine your Battle Plan - when you enter a tournament, you're going to be fighting a "battle" for survival - against the blinds, the antes, fatigue, as well as against the other players. Would any good military commander go into battle without having first surveyed the battle field, understood the enemy and its tactics, and without having a well-conceived battle plan which takes these facts into account and ensures success? Of course not! If they did, they probably wouldn't live to tell about it.

You shouldn't go into a poker tournament without having completed some pre-planning for the battle ahead either. Think about your plan and several things you'll do in each typical situation ahead of time. Refine this once you're at the table as your battlefield unfolds before you.

2. Start out slowly. Be patient. Use the early tournament period, while the blinds are still low, to study everyone at your table, identifying the most likely prey, understanding their habits and play styles. Use this time to mentally prepare and refine your "battle plan" for transferring their chips into your stack. It's best to formulate several strategies during your pre-tournament planning, and then refine each one as you see how the game is actually shaping up, the types of players at your table and how you'll approach each situation.

3. Set the Stage - play a few "ugly" hands early, limping in occasionally and feeling your way around the table with the other players while the blinds are still low, playing a few hands you wouldn't normally even consider. This prevents you from starting out with a table image as a solid or tight player; otherwise, you may not get the action you'll need when you do get those pocket rockets (AA) and great opportunities later.

4. Know Your Own Table Image - Everyone develops a "table image". Be aware of your own table image, and be careful to mix your game up along the way so that you can't easily be "typed". Once others can predict your behavior and your likely reaction to a given situation, they'll definitely use it against you. For example, if you play mostly premium hands and fold at the first sign of trouble, other players will quickly type you as "weak" and will steal you blind, taking advantage of that knowledge by representing hands they don't actually have so you'll fold. If you project that image, know it, so you can trap them with a good hand - make the most of it, since that will definitely destroy your weak table image?

In the first article, I let several aggressive players push me around a little early on, then limped in and dropped out on a few draws, so they all thought I was a tight, weak player and a good target for their aggressive style of play. Letting them push me around some, while not losing much to them, conditioned these aggressive players to push me even harder when they absolutely shouldn't have - a huge error on their part that I converted into a chip leadership position.

5. Be Careful, Protect Your Stack - You must protect your stack and survive until you get some good hands you can use, so be careful to expend that chip depot deliberately and judiciously - always with purpose. When a player raises you significantly, you must think: 1) how much of my stack can I afford to invest in this one hand, 2) can I win this hand if I play it fully, and 3) what kind of play will yield me the most chips and give me the best overall odds to win against this particular player.

6. Get a Real Hand and Extract Its Value - don't go up against maniacs and aggressive raisers without a real hand - and definitely, do not challenge them while you're chasing a draw! Their strength is their bravado and wild, aggressive betting style - it's also their biggest weakness. When you do get a real hand that you believe is a winner, you must get the most value for it by extracting as many chips as possible from the other players:

? Hit aggressive players head-on, triggering their aggressive response systems, and be willing to stick it out with them, re-raising them all-in if necessary since you know you're likely in top position, or

? Trap them with a check-raise play. You can often just let aggressive bettors take the initial lead, betting into you and thereby become pot-committed, leading them to putting many or all of their chips at risk. That's another reason you'd better have a real hand whenever you challenge the aggressive players - they typically just will not fold or back down, and

? Bet enough to extract a significant chip "profit" from the opponents, without forcing them to fold, if you're sure you have the winning hand.

7. Pay Attention and Focus Outwardly - watch everyone and everything that's going on at your table. Don't daydream, and for Pete's sake - do not focus on your own hand! As a general rule of thumb, spend 3 times as much energy and time trying to determine what other players are holding (especially when you're not in a hand), gauging their play and betting styles, and refining your battle plan - than you do thinking about your own hands and play. You won't be playing that many hands if you're a good poker player, so use this available time wisely.

8. Play the Pot Odds - most people think too much about their own hand and what they might draw next. That's because calculating and playing the pot odds isn't yet second nature to them. If that's you, then you definitely need to get the poker odds ingrained into your subconscious mind, so they're second nature and you don't even need to think about them while you're playing. Find yourself a good Texas Holdem poker odds calculator, practice with it, and you'll learn the odds of drawing each type of hand and find that you don't need to think about them.

9. Bluff for the Pot from Good Positions - as the blinds and antes increase, the size of each hand's pot becomes substantial. Bluffing for these pots from proper positions (e.g., acting late with a big bet, acting first with a semi-bluff hand and bigger bet) is a good way to hold your own while everyone else struggles against the blinds.

10. Play the Player - the key to winning in poker is to get other players to make the wrong play, which you then profit from. To do this, knowing your opponents, understanding what kinds of hands they play, whether they'll fold when bluffed, and knowing when it's time to lay down your hand to simply survive and play another is crucial.

The alternative is to do what many players do - just leave most everything to chance and play the game in a random, unpredictable fashion with whatever hands you're dealt; a.k.a. "gambling".

They say "those who fail to plan, plan to fail", and that "hope is not a strategy" - a couple of my favorite sayings that come to mind?have a plan, and execute it.

You must be prepared to mix up your play enough that players aren't sure what to expect from you. It's helpful to "shift gears" from one mode of operation to another from time to time. It's also recommended to play the opposite from everyone at the table; e.g., if most everyone is playing tight overall, then loosen up your play and take advantage of them by overplaying some hands, going on some draws, and a few semi-bluffs. If the table becomes loose, tighten up and attack with a good hand or trap them.

Remember, aggressive players' egos usually can't handle being overtly raised or publicly challenged. They expect to be the preeminent raisers and dominate the game, so they'll often re-raise or go all-in in order to leverage their aggressive position against you. Be ready! You can just about count on it. When they push you at the wrong time, sock it to 'em! You can use these types of players to build up your chip arsenal and possibly earn yourself a seat at the final table.

There aren't any absolutes in no-limit Texas Holdem tournament strategy, which is one of the things that make it so entertaining and challenging. These are just a few good tips and techniques that will help you get started and do reasonably well against some good players and some aggressive ones.

Finally, it's been said "if you can't spot the sucker at your table, it's probably you!" I love this saying, because it's so true. If you do your pre-planning and have confidence in your game plan, along with an ability to observe the opponents and apply the proper techniques against different kinds of players, you'll go far in Texas Holdem poker tournaments.

So, there's your first set of Texas Holdem poker tournament strategies. I sure wish someone had condensed things down like this for me when I first started playing. It would've saved me years of learning it the hard way. Enjoy.

Good luck!

Tips To Ponder Before Buying A Poker Table

2006-06-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Poker tables come in al shapes, sizes and prices.

Folding poker tables are reasonable priced and can easily be stored away or brought with you to the cottage or a friend's house

Racetrack poker tables are probably the most popular tables on the market. They are a great choice if you are buying a permanent piece of furniture for your gaming room, and the cloth/felt can easily be replaced .

Octagonal poker tables made out of oak or birch looks nice as a furniture and can also be used as a dining room table. The draw back with the octagonal all wood tables is that they scratch easily and the cards are harder to pick up than on felt tables.

Standard all felt poker tables gives you more playing surface and are in most cases cheaper and more poker friendly than both the octagon and racetrack table.

The felt on your new poker table should be of sturdy quality. There are several types of felt to choose from and the most expensive is speed felt.

Many poker table owners swear to velveteen and will never get anything else, but wool felt should also be taken in to consideration.

Moneyboxes are very practical and they have to be placed near the dealer slot.

A very important factor to consider when buying a poker table is to decide if you want cup holders or not.

Some feel that there will be more problems with players spilling drinks when they can place their drinks in cup holders on the table.

Many poker table owners use the three Cs rule during poker games. Cash, chips and cards only. No food or drinks allowed on the table.

Others believe cup holders will reduce the number of spills on to the table, because if the player's drinks are not in a cup holder, than they probably will be on the table felt.

If you decide to go with cup holders, than you should by a table with cup holders that are 2 3/4" in diameter and 3" deep. These measurements are perfect for both beer bottles and cans. Any deeper and the players will have a hard time getting the cans out.(Especially after having consumed a few beers).

Getting a table with the cup holders underneath the table or in the armrest of the chairs is also an option.

The Secret of Grinding Out a Profit

2006-06-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

Pssst...Wanna know a secret?

How about the secrets of grinding out a profit?

The term "grinding" means making a small amount of money on a consistent basis. Many dealers look at grinders with derision because they make bets and then take them down after each one hits, which means constant work for the poor dealers. These dealers can spot a grinder right away because they never press bets and are satisfied with one small profit on each shooter. But can you really make a consistent profit with grinding?

Let's find out!

One way to grind out profits is to bet don't-come and make a corresponding place bet on the same number. If you have a $10 don't-come that goes to the six or eight, you can place the same number for $6. If the seven rolls (which is favored) you'll win $10 (and lose $6), but if the six rolls you'll only lose $3 instead of $10.

If the point is four or ten, you can place either number for $5 to balance out your $10 don't-come. If the seven rolls now you'll win $5 ($10 - $5), but if the four/ten rolls you only lose $1 ($9 - $10) instead of $10.

Finally, with a five or nine point, you can also place either number for $5 to balance out your $10 don't come. If the seven rolls you'll win $5 ($10 -$5), but if the 5/9 rolls you only lose $3 ($7 - $10) instead of $10.

If you bet at a higher level, you can make bets that will win if either the point or the seven rolls. For example, if you have a $25 don't-come that goes to the six or eight, you can place either number for $24. If the seven rolls you win $25 and lose $24, giving you a $1 profit. And, if the 6/8 rolls, you win $28 and lose $25, which still gives you a profit of $3.

You can use the same $25 don't-come on a 5/9 point, and place either number for $20. If the seven rolls you win $25 and lose $20, giving you $5. If the 5/9 rolls, you win $28 and lose $25, which gives you a $3 profit.

Finally, with a $25 don't-come on a 4/10 point, you can place either number for $15. If the seven rolls you win $25 and lose $15, giving you a $10 profit. If the 4/10 roll, you win $27 and lose $25, which still puts you $2 ahead.

Of course, the main disadvantage to all of these don't bets is that you're vulnerable to the seven or eleven while you're in the don't-come box. You can protect this don't-come bet in a number of ways. The most common is by laying the four and/or ten and then removing them when the bet is placed. See my articles on don't betting for other methods of protecting your don't-come bet.

Some people do not like "grinding" as they say it is a boring method of playing and does not provide enough monetary reward. But it is a way to make a nice, consistent profit, as well as gather up a lot of good comps, which could even be worth more than your winnings! Give it a try the next time you play!

Pssst...! Now you know the secrets of grinding out a profit!

The Secret of Field/Place Betting

2006-06-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

Pssst... Wanna know a secret?

How about the secret of profiting with field/place combination bets?

The field bet, when used by itself, is not a good bet. It must be used with other bets or in a progression to make it profitable for the experienced crapshooter. These seven different field numbers (2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12) can be made a total of only 16 times, leaving 20 for the other numbers. If a 5, 6, 7, or 8 rolls you lose. So if you place a field bet by itself, you'll win 16 times and lose 20 times (in 36 theoretical rolls). And, the field only pays off 1:1 - that is, if you bet $5, you win $5. For example, if you bet $5 on the field and the 4 rolls, you'll win just $5 (at 1:1) instead of the $9 (at 9:5) you would win if you placed the 4.

Wanna know the secrets that craps pros use to make money from field/place betting?

Let's find out!

The seven field numbers can be made a total of 16 times. The 6 and 8 can be rolled ten times, the 5 four times, and the 7 six times. So if you bet on the 5, 6 and 8 in addition to the field, you can win 30 times (16 + 10 + 4) and lose only to the 7, which rolls six times.

You can place $25 on the 5, $30 on the 6 and 8, and $20 on the field. If the 5, 6 or 8 roll, you win $35 and lose $20, giving you a $15 profit. If the 2 or 12 roll, you win $40 (field pays double on 2 and 12). And if the 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 roll, you win $20.

The trick to this, of course, is not leaving everything up so it can get whacked by the 7. You should wait for a come-out 7 before you make this bet, leave all your bets up for one roll only, and then take everything down. Then wait for another come-out 7 before you start betting again.

For smaller bankrolls, try placing the 5 for $5, the 6 and 8 for $6 each, and $2 on the field. Again wait for a come-out 7 first, and leave your bets up for one roll only. You'll win $2 on the 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11, $5 ($7 - $2) on the 5, 6 or 8, and, $4 on the 2 or 12.

The next time you want to bet inside, try betting the field also - but just for one roll!

Pssst... Now you know the secrets of field/place betting!

The Secrets of Cold Tables

2006-06-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Crapshooter

The Secrets of Cold Tables

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?

How about the secret of profiting from cold tables?

It's not hard to find a cold table. Just look for quiet tables with lots of empty spaces and somber looking people with just a few chips in front of them. You can also look for a lot of don't bets. It's hard to make money on the don't side, but it can be done.

Wanna know the secret that craps pros use to make money on cold tables?

Let's find out!

When you've found the best cold table in the casino, wait until a seven is rolled and bet $30 Don't-Pass. After your point is established, bet $10 on the 5, $12 on the 6 and 8, and $5 on the field. It doesn't matter if any of these numbers are the point.

You will now win on almost any number, while you wait patiently for the seven to show. As soon as the 6, 8, or 5 wins, take them down. This way you maximize your winnings as you wait for the shooter to seven out. You will only lose if the point number shows, and hopefully by then, your loses will have been covered.

On a very short roll, you will win. If the point is a six for example, and the shooter rolls a eight and a seven, you win $14 for the eight and $30 for the Don't-Pass. Total win $44. You lose your 5, 6, and two $5 field bets for a total of $32, so you're ahead by $12.

You'll also win on long rolls too. For example, say 6 is still the point and the next rolls are 4, 5, 10, 8, 3, and 7. You'll win $5 on the four (field), $5 on the five ($10 - $5 field), $5 on the ten (field), $9 on the 8 ($14-$5 field), $5 on the 3 (field), and $25 on the 7 ($30 - $5 field) , for a total win of $54. You'll lose $12 on the seven out (from the six), so your net win is $42.

Now, look what happens when the point is made. The same six is the point again, and the rolls are almost the same, 4, 5, 10, 8, 3, and, this time, a six. You win $5 on the 4, $5 on the 5 ($10 - $5), $5 on the 10 ( $5 field), $9 on the 8 ($14 - $5 field), $5 on the 3 (field), for a total win of $29. You'll lose $18 on the six (don't-pass $30 - $12), so you still have a net win of $11!

Give this method a try the next time you're at a cold table!

Pssst...! Now you know the secret of making money on cold tables!

The Secrets of Martingale Systems

2006-06-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?

How about the secret of Martingale systems?

Most people do not care for most Martingale systems. They are simple systems, and ask you to double your bet every time you lose. This way, the theory goes, you will eventually recoup your loses when you win. If, for example, you are playing on the pass line with a $10 bet and big red rears his ugly head, your next pass line bet would be for $20. If you lose again, the next one would be for $40, then $80, then $160, then $320. If the table has a $500 limit (done to discourage Martingales), you have to stop and take a $320 loss.

Wanna know the secrets that craps pros use to win using Martingale systems?

Let's find out!

Craps pros win using this method by playing at a casino with no table limits or, try a modified Martingale system, two of which are described below.

The first is a Dont-Pass system. You bet one unit on the Dont-Pass and, instead of doubling when losing, increase your bet by one unit only. Then, when you win, start decreasing your bets by one unit until you are back at one unit again. For example, if you lose the first two Dont-Pass bets, your third bet on the come-out would be for three units. If you win, the next bet would be for two units. Then one unit. If you win again, stay at one unit until you lose again.

A more interesting system is to bet on the field, again starting with one unit and increasing your bets by one unit when you lose. The interesting part here is that you will eventually win on a 2 or 12 which pays at least double.

The advantage to using these modified Martingales is that you will be ahead, eventually, instead of breaking even. If, for example, your unit is $10 and you lose your first four bets, you will be down $100 ($10 + $20 + $30 + $40). Your fifth bet will be for $50, and if you win, you are now down only $50. If you win the next four bets, ($10 + $20 + $30 +40) you ll be ahead by $50! And if you are betting on the field and happen to hit a 2 or 12, you will be even more ahead!

If you are betting on the field, try waiting until a seven rolls and a point is established before you start betting. Then, make bets for the next four rolls only, or if the point is made. Then, wait for another seven and come-out, and start betting where you left off.

Try these systems out first online at a free site. (http://www.TheCrapShooter.com has a FREE craps game.) See how well they work! Then go to a casino with low table limits and try betting $1 units. When you win $20, increase your unit to $5. When you win $50, increase your bet to $10 and really make some money!

Pssst...! Now you know the secrets of Martingale systems!

The Secrets of Converting Come Bets

2006-05-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?

How about the secret of converting come bets?

Most of us were taught to play the pass line with odds, and have two come bets up. Come bets are liked by most players because they represent the hot numbers. By betting the come, many people believe that they can take advantage of a hot streak or a "monster roll." In addition, come bettors often take double (or more) odds, both on the pass and come lines, to maximize their wins.

The come bet, however, does have some disadvantages. Let's say you have a come bet on the six and eight, nine was the point, and the point was made. You now have a six and eight working on the come-out, with odds. If the seven hits now, you would win your new pass line bet, but lose the flat portion of your "left over" come bets.

Another disadvantage is that the payoffs for come bets are not much higher, and in many cases lower, than equal place bets. For example, a $10 come bet on the six with $25 odds returns $30 for the odds plus $10 on the flat portion, a total of $40. However, if you bet $36 on the six as a place bet, you would win back $42. In addition, you can not take down a come bet. If you stay on the come line with every roll, eventually you'll lose all of the flat portions of your bets.

Wanna know the secrets that craps pros use to convert their come bets?

Let's find out!

Craps pros know that a number has to hit twice for a come bet to win, compared to once for a place bet. Instead of having your come bet poised to follow the trend of the table, it is easier and more profitable just to make what is called a converted come bet.

A converted come bet is a place bet that is made instead of the corresponding come bet. For example, if the first roll is, say, a four and the next two rolls are five and six, you might normally have come bets of $10 with odds on the five and six - $20 odds on the five and $25 on the six. So, you have a total of $65 in play - $30 on the five and $35 on the six. Betting the come bets and winning, you would have won $40 on the five and $40 on the six, a total of $80.

Instead of betting on the come, you could just place $30 on the five and $36 on the six, giving you $66 in play. You would win $42 on the five and $42 on the six, for a total of $84. Of course, you can then take your bets down so you don't have to worry about the come out seven (if the point was made), or the two, three, or twelve (while in the come box).

The next time you want to make a come bet, try a converted come bet instead

Pssst...! Now you know the secrets of converting come bets!

How YOU can Regress the Six and Eight !

2006-05-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Crapshooter

What are the secrets of regressing the Six and Eight?

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?

How about the secret of regressing the sixes and eights?

A regression system is one that usually can provide you with a profit after just one win at the tables. They always start out with your highest bets first and, when the seven eventually hits, you are left with minimum (or no) bets left on the table.

Wanna know the secret that craps pros use to maximize their regression bets?

Let's find out!

One of the most popular regression systems begins by betting $30 six and eight. You just place $30 each on both the six and eight, so you have $60 in play. When either number hits, you win $35 (at 7:6 odds). You then regress both bets down to $18 each. Now you have $35 in profit and $36 on the table so you are only risking $1 to win $21.

If either number hits and you win the $21, regress both numbers down to $12. You have won $56 ($35 + $21) and on the third hit will win another $14 for a total of $70. After this third hit you should regress down to $6 each, and if you win, you'll have a total of $77 in profit for any four hits on the six and eight.

An alternative to regressing both numbers is to regress only the number that is hit. For example if the $30 six hits, you'll regress just the six down to $24 and leave $30 on the eight. If the six hits again, you go to an $18 six and $30 eight. After any four hits you should take everything down and wait for the next shooter.

If you're a red chip player, you could begin by placing the six and eight for $12 each. If either hits, regress it down to $6 and leave the other number up at $12. If it hits again, just leave it at $6 while you wait for the other number to hit. As with the previous system, you are looking for any four hits before you take your remaining bets down.

The whole point of regression systems is to place your biggest bets at the beginning of a shooter's roll, and your smallest bets at the end. Sometimes the shooter will keep on rolling, and you will regret your smaller bet. But most of the time you will lock up your profit and have your bets at the table minimum (or off completely) when he sevens out.

Pssst...! Now you know the secrets of regressing the sixes and eights!

The Secrets of the Inside Numbers

2006-05-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

The Crapshooter

The Secret of The Inside Numbers

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?

How about the Secret of the Inside Numbers?

The inside numbers are 5, 6, 8 and 9, which are the most popular numbers on the layout. Betting on this combination gives you 24 chances to win and only 6 chances to lose (on the seven), giving you a big four to one advantage!

Wanna know how craps pros profit from the inside numbers?

Let's find out!

If you bet $44 inside you'll have $10 each on the five and nine, and $12 each on the six and eight. You can regress each bet when it hits, and then take them all down when you get any three hits. It doesn't matter if any of these numbers are the point when you start betting.

If your $10 five hits you'll win $14. Keep $9 and regress it down to $5. Then if your $12 eight hits you'll win $14. Keep $8 and then regress it down to $6. If the eight hits again you'll win another $7 and then take all the bets down. You've just won $35!

If you're at a hot table you can leave all the regressed bets up after any three hits. In the previous example you would have $5 on the five, $10 on the nine, $12 on the six and $6 on the eight. If the nine hits regress it down to $5 and if the six hits regress it to $6. You now have $56 in profit and $22 on the table, so you're ahead no matter what happens.

A slight variation of this method is to bet $22 inside and leave everything up for any two hits and then take all of the bets down. If the table is really hot instead of taking the bets down you can press up the six and eight to $12 each and when you get any third hit, take everything down.

Next time you place any bets try this inside regression. It will minimize your losses when the seven shows, and give you profits with very little risk!

Pssst...! Now you know the secrets of the inside numbers!

The Secrets of the Outside Numbers

2006-05-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?

How about the secrets of the outside numbers?

When you bet outside you can give the dealer $40 and he places $10 bets on the four, five, nine and ten. The five/nine pay $14 (at 7:5) and the four/ten pay $18 (at 9:5). The combination of the four numbers will roll 14 times (in 36) compared to six times for the seven, giving you more than a 2:1 advantage.

If you continue to place the outside numbers for 36 sample rolls, you'll win $220 (6 x $18 + 8 x $14). In worst case you'll lose all $40 six times (from the seven) or $240 - resulting in a net loss of $20. It's unlikely to happen but still, you won't lose too much money betting in this manner.

Wanna know the secrets that the craps pros use to turn the outside numbers into real profit makers?

Let's find out!

To turn these outside numbers into profit makers you need to buy all of them instead of placing them. You can buy the four and ten in many casinos for $39 and only pay $1 vig each. You should also be able to buy the five and nine also for $38 with the same $1 vig for each number.

So, now you have $38 on the five/nine, and $39 on the four/ten. In 36 theoretical rolls, you should win on these numbers 14 times - three times each on the four and ten, and, four times each on the five and nine.

On the four and ten you'll win $78 (at 2:1). Since the four and ten roll three times each (total six times) you win a total of $468 (6 x $78). On the five and nine, you'll win $57 (at 3:2) . Since the five and nine roll four times each (total eight times) you win a total of $456 (8 x $57). So the total possible win (if you win all 14 of your bets) is $468 plus $456 or $924.

The seven, however should roll six times and if you have all four bets up when it rolls you'll lose all of them for a total of $154 ($38 x 2 + $39 x 2). In this worst case scenario, though, you won't lose much. $154 times six (rolls of the seven) is also $924 so theoretically you will break even (minus the vigs).

Practically, you can buy all four numbers and then take each down as they hit. If you're unsure about the shooter, take all your bets down after any one hit. If the shooter is a proven one, take each bet down as they hit, and when you win all four bets (for a total of $270) wait for either another qualified shooter or until this shooter throws a seven (hopefully on the next come out) before you buy all four outside numbers again!

The next time you play, remember to give some attention to the outside numbers! They are rarely used and can be very profitable!

Pssst...! Now you know the secrets of the outside numbers!

The Secrets of the Big Numbers

2006-05-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?

How about the secrets of the Big Six and Big Eight?

As you might know, the Big Six and Eight are even money bets. This means that if you bet $12 and win, you win $12. If you placed $12 on the regular six or eight you would win $14, at 7:6 odds. The casino gives a lot of space to the big six and eight, so beginners who are afraid to give the dealer a place bet can bet directly on the Big Numbers in the corner. In most cases these bets should be avoided.

Wanna know how craps pros use the Big Numbers?

Let's find out!

There are two good uses for the Big Six and Eight. The first involves those "match play" coupons so common in the Casino fun books. Most of these coupons state they are for flat bets only, and are usually used for pass or don't pass bets, with no odds. If you put a match play coupon for $5 along with $5 on the pass line, you take a chance on getting stuck with a 4 or 10. But if you put your $5 coupon along with $5 on the Big Six or Eight, you are getting the best bet you can get, under the circumstances. If the six or eight hits, you'll get back $10 in real money. Not as good as placing the numbers, but you can't use a match-play coupon with place numbers.

The other good use of the Big Six or Eight involves table limits. If you happen to hit a really hot table and have progressed your bets on the place 6 and 8 up to the table limit, then the dealers will not let you increase your place bets. However, they will always let you make additional flat bets on the Big Numbers in addition to your place bets. So instead of a $1000 table limit, you now have a $2000 limit on the six and eight. This becomes especially useful in tournament play.

In a tournament, the winning crapshooters are usually decided in the last few moments of a game. It is not uncommon to see someone place $480 on the place 6 & 8, as well as on the big six and eight, hoping for a six or eight on the last few rolls of the dice. If the six or eight does roll, they'll receive $480 for the Big Number bet, and $560 for the place bet - a total of $1040 for one roll of the dice!

Pssst...! Now you know the secrets of the Big Numbers!

The Secrets of the Fives and Nines

2006-05-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?

How about the secret of the Fives and Nines?

Most Crapshooters do not buy the five or nine as the 5% vig makes it unprofitable to do so.

For example on a $30 bet you would have to pay 5% of $30, or $2 (rounded up from $1.50) just to make this buy bet. If you place the 5/9 for $30 you will win $42 at 7:5 odds. If you buy the 5/9 for $30 you will win $45, but you'll have to pay $2 vig. So you win $42 on the place bet and $43 ($45 - $2) on the buy bet. You do get $1 more with the buy bet, but there is a way to make even more!

Wanna know the secret that Craps pros use to buy the fives and nines?

Let's find out!

The 5% buy vig that the casino charges is not a precise figure. On the $30 buy bet, most casinos do charge you $2, even though 5% of $30 is $1.50. However, if you ask your friendly dealer BEFORE you bet if he will charge you $1 vig on a $30 buy bet on the 5/9, they will USUALLY agree - especially if you have a credit line, are friendly, call the dealers by their names and tip them.

You can take this one step further, by asking to buy BOTH the five AND nine for $30 each and only pay $2 vig for both bets. Usually this bet will cost you $3 (5% of $60). Then, when either number hits just take the other one down. You'll be doubling your chances of winning for the same low $2 vig!

Once you have the dealers trained to accept $1 vigs on the $30 buy bets, see if you can bump them up a little. A $40 buy bet will obviously require a $2 vig (5% of $40 is $2), but what about a $38 buy bet (5% of $38 is $1.90). Just ask your friendly dealer if you can make a $38 buy bet on the 5/9 and only pay $1 vig. You have absolutely nothing to lose by trying this. When you win you'll win $57. If you placed the 5/9 for $35 you'll win only $49.

As before, ask if you can buy both the five nine for $38 each. Then, when either number hits, take the other one down.

If you succeed and the table is hot with fives and nines, you might want to go up one step further. Most dealers will let you buy the 5/9 at $50 for only $2 vig (instead of $2.50). The vig will change to $3 when it hits $60 (5% of $60 is $3) so offer to buy the 5 AND 9 for $58 each and only pay $2 vig. As before, when the first number hits just take the other one down.

At this level by buying the 5/9 for $58 you will win $87 (at 3:2). If you placed the 5 or 9 for $55 you would win $77. So by spending just two more dollars you will win ten more dollars - well worth asking the friendly dealer for!

By buying two numbers and only paying the vig for one of them, you are doubling your chances to win while still paying a minimum vig to the casino!

Pssst...! Now you know the secrets of the fives and nines!

Playing Ace-King in Texas Holdem

2006-05-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

Everyone who plays Texas Holdem knows that Ace-King is one of the very best starting hands. But, it is just that, a starting hand. It's only 2 cards of a 7-card equation. In nearly every situation, you want to come out firing with A-K as your hole cards. (The exception would be when faced with a big raise from an early position bettor.) When the flop comes, you need to reassess your hand and think things through before you just assume your overcards are best.

Like many other situations in Texas Holdem, knowing your opponents will help you gauge your situation when you hold A-K and see a flop like 9-8-2. Since you bet preflop and were called, you assume your opponent is also holding good cards and the flop may have missed them as badly as it missed you. Your assumption will often times be correct, but they could be holding a pocket pair and be leading in the hand, or worse yet have pocket 9s, 8s, or 2s. Also, don't forget that many poor players wouldn't know good cards if they tripped over them and could have called with A-x and paired the board.

If your opponent checks, you could check and see a free card or make a bet and try to pick the pot up right there. If they bet, you could raise to see if they are for real or fold. What you want to avoid is simply calling your opponent's bet to see what the turn brings. If any card other than and Ace or King hits, you won't know any more information than you did after the flop. Let's say the turn brings a 4 and your opponent bets again, what do you do? To call a bet on the flop you had to think your hand was the best, so you must surely think it still is. So, you call a bet on the turn and one more on the river to find out that your opponent was holding 10-8 and only had second pair after the flop. At that point, it dawns on you that a raise after the flop could have won the pot right then. Instead, you called and lost 3 more bets in the hopes of catching a miracle card or that your Ace high would hold up. If you would have raised on the flop and been called or reraised it would have only cost you 2 bets to learn more about the strength of your opponents hand.

Ace-King is a beautiful thing to see in your hole cards. Just be sure you play them wisely and they can bring you great happiness at the poker table.

Lotto System: Interview With The Creator Of Lotto System That ROCK The Market!!!

2006-05-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

Lotto System: How you can win lotto easily and automatically

In this article, we will discuss on "A personal interview with the

Honest Lotto System's creator, Ken Silver."

Q: Hi Ken, thanks for joining us in this interview. Before we talk about your lotto system, tell us a little about your background.

Ken: It really all started with the lotto system. I first developed the Honest Lotto System in the early 90's, and it sold really well through direct mail. After a couple of year's success with it I wrote a "how-to" manual about my experience and how others could do it--which also sold well. In fact you can still buy it today. Then I went on to sell it over the internet in the mid-90's and sales increased massively. I wrote another, "eBook Secrets" about writing How-To ebooks, and together my manuals have sold around 200,000 copies from myself and other marketers who bought the limited number of Rights like Ken Evoy (Make Your Site Sell) and Allan Says (The Internet Warriors).

Q: Tell us how you developed your special lotto system.

Ken: Well, for several years in the early 90's I had been looking for ways to turn the lottery to my advantage, and I studied a lot of material. It was an interesting period. You wouldn't believe the weird, off the wall theories out there. I even read one book that claimed several thousand people could 'will' the numbers they wanted through mass ESP (Extra Sensory Perception).

Q: Strange solutions indeed. How did you figure out your own system then?

Ken: Through a lot of hard thought and lateral thinking. It helped that my late father was a brilliant optical engineer, and some of his analytical mathematical abilities might have rubbed off me! When I found the "eureka" solution that seemed to work, I spent a further couple of years researching and checking it. Although at that time I had computers that might have sped the whole research process up, the Honest Lotto System doesn't actually work on patterned or computed numbers. So it had to be done by hand. Took a while.

Q: Why is your so system different that you couldn't use a computer?

Ken: I found that despite the blinding speed and computational abilities of modern systems even back then, no-one had actually come up with a way to predict a win from past draws. This was the breakthrough for me. It simply told me this: That no-one can actually predict winning numbers through analysing and extrapolating past results. And when I realized this, it made my own system solution much more valuable as a result. So, although it took a while to figure out, suddenly I had found the 'missing link' to winning lotto.

Q: If you say that no-one can predict a win, how does your system work then?

Ken: The system works mainly by eliminating the millions of number combinations that won't win. For example, you'll never see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in a winning draw... that is pretty unlikely. And there are countless other losing combinations too. My Honest Lotto System identifies these bad boys, giving the winnable combinations preference. Easy--once you know how!

Q. How is the Honest Lotto System different from other systems out there, like Wheeling?

Ken: Wheeling just gives a variety of number combinations. It doesn't make any distinction between good and bad number combinations, so most times you are wasting your money on the many poor number selections in there. With the Honest Lotto System, EVERY line has the best number combination you can find, which hugely increases the chances of winning. That makes it different from almost every other system I've studied. (And if you find a system that works like the Honest Lotto System, you can bet your bottom dollar that is was adapted from mine!)

Q: OK, that sounds good. But has anyone won with your system?

Ken: Yes indeed. The most recent was an Australian couple who won over AU$280,000.00 using it. Many people have covered their costs, and as well won smaller amounts up to $50,000.00. One of the main advantages with my system is that you can be winning moderate amounts WHILE you are waiting for the Big Win to come along--as it eventually will.

Q: Is waiting part of your system? Why can't we get the main prize straight off?

Ken: What many folks don't realize is that when a system like mine can't predict a winning game (and this is why I call it "Honest Lotto" because to my knowledge I'm the only system that admits that fact), the next best thing is to 'wait in line' for your winning turn. So what you're doing here is still winning while you're waiting for the big one. The Honest Lotto System puts you in the line, right up near the top of the queue. When the right combination of winning figures strikes - you will have the correct number combination to win it. The best thing about my system is that you don't have to wait several thousand years - as one academic predicted for other systems. It could be just a small number of games before the right combination is hit.

Q: So we might have to be patient? That's hard to do!

Ken: Many people don't have the patience to keep going, and going, even when the draws go against them, but the real winners will persist. There's a story I read in a book about the first British Camelot lottery. Two partners in a double glazing window business took out over a thousand pounds a week (that's about US$1400) to play the game. They were almost broke at the 3 month mark, but - luckily for them then - they won several million pounds! This is an extreme example of how persistence pays off. Imagine how much quicker they could have won using my Honest Lotto System!

Q: I was going to bring that up, Ken. Is there another way we can win lotto quicker with your system?

Ken: Sure. Just increase the number of tickets you play. For example, when I play in my country, I buy 120 lines. My chance of winning is very much less - not very good at all in fact - if I were only able to take out 2 lines a game.

Q: Are you saying you've got to spend a fortune each week then?

Ken: Definitely not. Every single line using the Honest Lotto System gives you a better chance than any other system I know. But the more lines you have in each game, the higher your chances become. So if you can't afford many lines each week, you should maybe wait a month and play then what you were going to spend each week. But I emphasis to everybody playing any lotto game at all--make sure it is money you can afford to lose. Because it might take weeks before you make it back or get a major win.

Q: What do you say to those people who think lotto is bad karma?

Ken: Haven't heard the word karma for a while! Not many people remember that over 50% of most State-run lotto game profits go back into the community to help worthy causes. If you ever think you're not helping your fellow man, think again. The community benefits from your contribution.

Q: From your website and what you're saying here, you sure don't sound like someone trying to sell your system. You've covered the downside of playing too.

Ken: I'm a highly ethical person - my wife's a pastor, so she keeps me in line too :-) So it's really important to me that people get the right balance of information to play right. That's why I've named my system as an 'honest' concept, exactly because I bring up all the negatives as well.

Q: Is this why you use the term "honest" a lot in your website?

Ken: Sure. Most other systems out there are highly optimistic about you winning, but they're mainly based on guesswork and wrongly-calculated maths. I believe mine is the first honest representation of what you can and can't do with a system.

Q: Thanks for your time here. Is there a last word you want to say?

Ken: Yes, I'd like to say to all future Honest Lotto System owners this... take a good look at my system. Don't spend your last cent on playing. And above all, keep going - - even when your wins are small or take a while to come through. You WILL eventually triumph!

Q: Thanks! Readers can see Ken's Honest Lotto System website here:

That's all.

Publisher's Directions: This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author's information, disclaimer, and an active link (where possible) are included.

Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. The author will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.

Halftime Betting for Football

2006-05-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

There are several different ways bettors use the halftime wager, but for the most part, they use it more as a hedge bet. No matter how you want to bet a halftime bet, it is just another fun way to bet.

A quick example of a halftime wager:

Lets say you have a bet on the Dolphins and Bills game. The Dolphins were favored by 3 and are up 14-7 at halftime. At halftime a new bet comes out with a new spread. Most of the cases in which a team that is favored at the beginning of the game is up by more than the original spread, the underdog will most likely be favored in the second half.

With this example, the Bills being 3 point underdogs at the beginning of the game and find themselves down by 7 at halftime are most likely going to be favored in the second half by at least 3. Another example of this bet deals with the over/under. Lets still use the Dolphins/Bills game. The original over under of the game was 46. With it being a total of 21 points in the first half, the likelihood of the over/under of the second half to be more than 21 is a great possibility. Most likely, the over/under in the second half will be somewhere around 24 to 26.

One of the biggest reasons for the halftime bet for a bettor is to hedge their bet. The thing with betting is, winning is great, losing sucks and a push is ok! Breaking even is a lot better than losing! With a halftime wager, you could possibly take that losing part out if the right bet is made.

Example of halftime betting:

Let's stick with the Dolphins/Bills game. Lets say the Dolphins were favored by 3.5 and are up at halftime 24-7. The halftime bet comes out and the Bills are favored by 4. Your original bet was the Dolphins. Well, right now they look pretty good in covering the bet right? But you want to hedge your bet just to be on the safe side. So if you were to hedge your bet, you would bet on the Bills in the second half -4. Here are the possible scenarios that could play out:

1) The Bills go all out in the second half and win the game 28-27. Well, your original bet of the Dolphins -3.5 is down the drain BUT you did take the Bills in the second half so that bet covered. OUTCOME: HEDGE BET= PUSH

2) The Bills come out in the second half and get smoked and lose the game 41-10. You win your original bet of the Dolphins -3.5 BUT lose the second half bet of the Bills -4. OUTCOME: HEDGE=PUSH

3) The Bills come out in the second half and make a valiant effort but get beat 27-21. You win your original bet of the Dolphins -3.5 AND your second half bet of the Bills -4 because the Bills outscored the Dolphins in the second half 14-3. OUTCOME: HEDGE=DOUBLE YOUR MONEY.

To me, this is the best way to bet a halftime bet. Pushing beats losing any day of the week!

The halftime wager is just another way to bet on a sporting event. It keeps you intrigued with the second half of even a blowout game! Just realize this when it comes to halftime wagering: You don't get days, weeks, etc. to analyze the bet like you would with a regular spread on a game. You get about 10 minutes to figure it out and go from there. Choose wisely!

Halftime betting can be very beneficial to bettors that know what they are doing and have watched the first half with a purpose. The sports books only have a short time to put up a line for the second half and because of the short time frame, the so called smart money has not moved the lines yet. This is a golden opportunity for you to make money if you have done the research before the game has started and have watched the first half closely.

Examples of pre-game research are to see how the teams play in the first half compared to the second half. Look at their stats and points scored for each half and make charts for when they are behind and in front at halftime. Some coaches play close to the vest during the 1st half and then come out and throw every play at the opposition in the second half. Other coaches look to jump on a team in the first half and then try to take the air out of the ball in the second half.

Chart these teams accordingly. Chart how teams play on the road and at home, inside the division and outside the division for each of the scenarios above. This is only some of the basic chart examples. If you make these charts and watch the first half of the game with a purpose you can find opportunities for you to make money. You may have to hold off on the pizza and beer until after the second half starts so your head is clear and you are focused on winning some money. We will be offering as a bonus in our football packages, possible 2nd half plays to all our subscribers, this season.

How do we know that the second half plays might be there? In our research we look for possible outcomes in the first half and predict the second half. This could be for a side or a total.

Halftime betting example:

We liked the over in the in the Houston Bowl last year but thought the total was too high at 72. We waited to see how the 1st half played out. We were hoping for a low scoring first half but with both teams moving the ball, just not converting the movement into points. Both teams combined to lose the ball inside the opponents' 5-yard line 3 times. This presented a golden opportunity to snatch a total for the over in the second half. When the line was posted we jumped on the over and then watched in misbelieve that it actually went down.

So we bet it again, because we did our homework and felt the total would be an easy over in the second half. As the game proceeded the overall total of 72 was never approached but the second half total was an easy winner.

So what should you do? Chart teams the first 3 weeks and see how the coaching staff and the team plays in the 1st half and 2nd half. You should have a good feel for what they are doing and what they are capable of doing after a few weeks. When you are ready to bet, have a couple of games picked out and scenarios written down. Watch the game with a purpose. Leave the brews in the fridge and scout the preview of the 1st half. At halftime if you have a chance to cash in on one of the scenarios then do so. Keep charting the teams and expand to home and away, behind or in front for all your tables.

When to Bet and When to Stay Put, this sounds easy but there are a lot of greedy gamblers out there. They seem to think it is a crime to win so they bet more to enhance their winnings. The best time to bet at halftime is to pick a dog in the second half.

Why is that? Teams in the lead, especially in the NFL, usually will not try to hammer teams in the second half. Players and coaches in the lead by a large margin start thinking about the next week and/or lose the emotion in the second half. Taking an underdog in the second half for the side is the only way to go if you want to stay in the game longer. It is the safest way to bet during the second half. Here is one specific situation and example.

Taking an underdog with extra points is another winning proposition. Betting the favorite or a team at a pick-em in the second half usually will be a losing proposition. What am I talking about? Read the examples below.

Smart halftime betting:

Example: Team A is favored by 1 point to start the game and leads Team B by 4 points at half. If Team A is favored by 1 point again at half, you should bet Team B with the point. Numbers wise if you take Team B, it is like getting 5 points for the game. They are already down 4 and now you are getting 1 more point. If they lose the game by 3 points you win because they covered the 1-point in the second half.

Not So Smart halftime betting:

Same example as above but you take the favorite in the second half. Many bettors that have picked Team A in the beginning bet them again in the second half. I do not understand the theory except that bettors want to win, win, win.

Well if they are laying 1 point and are up 4 why the hell are they laying another point, total of 5 points for the game?? I am guessing that they think if they hedge they will only break even and/or their team is up 4 so what is another point. Greedy bettors usually end up at some cash loan store cashing their future paycheck looking for the big score. Stop, there is no big score, go play the lottery. Investment into football betting is just that, an investment. Playing to hedge your bet and possibly win twice is much more productive than laying all your little marbles in one bag.

We will giving out more examples of when to look for an advantage in the future Nose Bleed Sections of thehooks book ezine. Be sure to read Thehooks book for our most recent free football picks. You would have read this article already through Thehooks book.

Football Handicapping List

2006-05-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

This will not be a long ad to buy our picks, but it will be a reminder to have all your ducks lined up so you, not us, are ready for the season. On our site we have several articles that cover most of the checklist below. Go through the checklist to help you understand what being ready for the season means.

Checklist for football betting:

This is just a short list of what you will need to do to help you win money this football season. If you do not understand look through our site and research our articles to help you. That is why we wrote them.

1. Research every team and map out possible games to win money on for the entire year.
2. Cross off games to stay away from this season.
3. Make charts for halftime betting situations.
4. Understand your bankroll and money management.
5. Set aside money for the entire year and do not go over your predetermined amount to spend.
6. Understand that this season is a long season and you need to win over the long haul.
7. Know your betting options and understand the odds.
8. Do not chase your money.
9. Understand when you should hedge your bets.
10. Research each team and each game every week.
11. Is there a motivational advantage for one team?
12. Look at trends as part of the equation.
13. Stay up on the injury list.

Checklist for football handicapping season:

1. How much does it really cost?
2. Do you get all the top picks with your subscription or is it a tease to get more money from you?
3. What is their guarantee?
4. Does the cost of the service justify your bankroll?
5. Are you doubling your bet just to cover the cost of the service?
6. Money back if they lose is great, but hey you just lost YOUR money at the sportsbook, did you lose too much because you had to bet double or triple your amount to pay for the pick?
7. Are they monitored by an outside source?
8. Do they pay money to be monitored?
9. Are the monitors respected and trusted?
10. Are they in the Las Vegas Hilton NFL Super Contest?
11. If they are not, why the hell are you giving them money when they are not putting up a large amount of money ($1,500) to compete against other Handicapping services?

This list is just the tip of the iceberg. Please do your research before you start betting this season. Research all the information yourself or research the services you are thinking about using. There is information on betting throughout the web, use it to your advantage. After all it is your money.

Betting Options For Football

2006-05-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

It is in one's best interest to know all your options before making a bet. The straight bet is more of a long haul type of bet. You are not going to rack up the big dough right away but over time, it will add up. The parlay bet is more of hope for bigger payouts quicker. These are more of a weekly bet. The teaser bet can be used in several ways. You won't make a ton on teasers because the payouts are lower but they are a good way of "hedging" your bet. "Hedging" will be explained in more detail later. Finally, the round robin bet is a mix of straight bet payouts and parlay payouts. They can keep you in it for the long haul or can be a real quick payout. The following explanations should help you make the right choice and hopefully you will find a betting option you really enjoy.

The first and easiest football betting option is the straight bet. Let me rephrase that, making the bet is simple, picking which bet you like is even simpler if you have the right picks or knowledge. The straight bet is exactly like it sounds...straight. You find a team or an over/under you like and you just bet that. It's a one-team bet.

For example, you like the Bengals -5 over the Texans. You would go down to the casino or make an Internet bet and tell the Sports book you would like 50 units on the Bengals. If they cover, you will receive you original bet back plus another 45.5 units. Same thing goes if you like an over/under. Say you like the over in the Chief's game, which is 50. You would make the same bet as you would have with the Bengal's game and the payout is the exact same. The straight bet is a betting option where you are in it for the whole season.

This isn't the biggest moneymaker bet books have to offer. This is a bet where if you stay in it for the long haul, the profit will eventually start to show. Most handicappers choose this betting option.

The money line betting option is a lot like the straight bet with just a little twist. When you bet a football game on the money line, this involves a simple bet on the true winner of the game without a point spread. Lets go back to the example we used in the straight bet. In the straight bet, we liked the Bengals -5 over the Texans. With the money line bet, we could make two choices. We could bet that the Bengals are going win the game or the Texans are going to win the game. No point spreads, just win the game!

That is called the money line bet. There is a difference between the two choices though. If you decide to bet on the favorite, you must bet more than you stand to win. The reason for this is you are taking away the point spread and making it easier to win the bet. If on the other hand, you decide to choose the underdog, you are saying the underdog is going to win the game not just cover the spread. In this case, you stand to win more than you bet.

The next betting option is the parlay. Easy to do, a little harder to win. The parlay is a way to bet multiple games with the hope of a big payout at the end if all of the games win. The point spreads for the games are just the same as the straight bets so nothing changes there. For example, say you like the Dolphins +2 against the Eagles and the over in the game at 37. You would go to the sports book and tell them parlay and the Dolphins and the over for 50 units. If both bets cover you will receive your 50 units back plus an additional 180 units. A much bigger payout than the standard straight bet but again, a little harder to win. If just one game doesn't win or draw you lose the whole bet, that's why it's considered a little harder.

With a parlay, you can bet more than two bets. Two bets is the minimum and depending on the casino the maximum amount of bets will range from 5 to 8. Of course with the more teams you bet, the higher the payout. Here are a few of the payouts. For a three-team parlay, the payout is 6 to 1 plus you original bet.

That means if you put 50 units on three different teams or over/under you would get back 300 units plus your original 50. For a four-team parlay, the payout is 10-1 plus your original bet. For a five-team parlay, the payout is 20-1 plus your original bet. Of course, the more teams you add the harder it is to win. The parlay is a quick way to a big payout if you have the right knowledge and picks.

After the parlays, the next football betting option would be the teasers. Teasers are just like parlays since you choose multiple games and have to win them all. Teasers are bet the same way as parlays except you will get more points for your bet. There are a couple types of betting options for teasers with football. Usually, depending on the casino, there are 6-point teasers and 7-point teasers.

You may be thinking to yourself if these are any good. You will get two separate responses for this. For college football, people don't believe they are any good because the games are usually blowouts and an extra 7 points won't do me any good. For pro football, people seem to enjoy the teasers and the extra points they receive because pro games tend to be a bit closer.

ere is an example of a teaser bet: Say you like the Raiders to win this week over the Bills but you don't think they would cover the spread of -7. So, you would like to do a 7 point teaser and now you have the Raiders as a Pick em'. Of course you would have to add at least two more teams to make the bet. Again, a teaser is bet the same way as a parlay, you need more than one team to make the bet. Another thing to remember with a teaser is you can bet both the favorite and the underdog of the same game.

Lets go back to the Raiders example: Raiders -7 over the Bills. On a 7 point teaser, you could take the Raiders as a Pick em' and the Bills as a 14 point underdog. You could win both ways. People enjoy the teasers for other reasons as well such as "hedging a bet." Lets say you have a 100 unit 5 team parlay going into the Monday night game. You have already hit 4 teams and if the fifth team hits you are looking at a 2000 unit payout. But you want to make sure you win something. If that fifth team doesn't cover the spread, there will be no payout. So this is where you would "hedge your bet." You could also "hedge" with a straight bet as well but a teaser is a better way to go. "Hedging" means betting on the opposite team than your original team on your original bet. This way, you are insured of winning something no matter what.

The only time you would want to "hedge" is when it is with a parlay. Some people may find it strange to bet against your original bet, but the only difference between you and them is you will be walking out with units in your pocket using this betting option. The only draw back to a teaser off the board is you cannot do the over/under. You can do over/under teasers off a card but we will get to those later on in the article. You may think this is a great bet receiving extra points but the player ends up paying for these points in the end in the form of lower payouts than on the parlay. This is not a betting option where you want to make bad picks with a lower payout.

The round robin is a form of the parlay betting option. With the round robin you would bet just like a parlay only now you are combing all your teams. This can be confusing to someone one at first, but once you do it, it is one of the best betting options out there.

The reason this is a good football betting option is because you do not have to win all the games to win at least some of your money back. Of course you have to hit all the games to win a big payout but if you hit a few of the games, you could just win your money back or even a little profit. A round robin parlay consists of two to eight teams. When you pick the amount of teams you want to bet, they are broken down into two team parlays. Before all the confusion starts, let me explain: Lets say you want to bet a 3 team round robin. Your bet would consist of 3 teams. For this quick example, lets call the teams, team 1, team 2, and team 3. I'll get into a better example when we start talking betting units. A 3 team round robin is team 1 and team 2 (two team parlay), team 1 and 3(two team parlay), and team 2 and 3 (two team parlay).

Each team is parlayed with each other only once. Realize that each parlay is a bet. The more teams you bet, the more parlays you have and the more it is going to cost you.

Now, here is your full 3 team round robin betting option example:

Let's say you want to bet 100 units on a three-team parlay. That will come out to be 300 units because of the three different parlays.

Here are the teams you want to bet:

Panthers -1
Rams -10
Patriots -2

If all three teams hit this is how your payout would look:

Panthers and Rams 100 unit bet to win 260
Panthers and Patriots 100 unit bet to win 260
Rams and Patriots 100 unit bet to win 260

Your total bet was 300 units and if all three win, you would win 480 units plus your original 300 for a total of 780.

Now lets say only two of the teams covered their spread:

Panthers and Rams 100 unit bet to win 260
Panthers and Patriots 100 unit bet no win
Rams and Patriots 100 unit bet no win

Your total bet is still 300 units and you'll cash out 260 total. So in actuality, you would only loose 40 units. That is the difference between a round robin and a regular parlay, that chance of hitting two out of three and just losing a little bit.

Now remember, the more teams you bet, the more parlays you will have. Another added feature of the round robin is you can do more than a two-team parlay. You could do two's and three's. What that means is you want to bet all two team parlays and three team parlays. Let's use our easy example of a 3 team round robin: Team 1,2,and 3. All the two team parlay bets stay the same: 1 and 2, 1 and 3, and 2 and 3. Now you are adding another bet to the round robin with threes: 1 and 2 and 3. Now depending on how much wager, you bet has increased by that amount. You now have 4 bets instead of 3.

More of a wager but if they all hit, your cash out increases as well. The round robin is just another betting option sport books give you.

There are so many betting options you can choose when it comes to betting football. Let's hope that these last few pages of information have helped you figure out what betting style fits you best or maybe you have found a new betting option you want to try. Whether you are in it for the long haul or a quick payoff, football betting is fun and exciting!

Building Your Bankroll

2006-05-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

The first thing one needs to do before they even think about laying a bet down is: set your bankroll before the season even begins. You have to know how much money you are going to start with. To clarify what a bankroll is, it's the total amount you have saved up, put in dresser and so on, and can afford to lose and not effect the way you eat, sleep, live, etc?

Next, one needs to set a base amount or percentage of their bankroll that they are going to bet on each game. This means, it will be the same amount for each game all year. Now you may be thinking, what if you have a for sure bet, shouldn't you bump it up?

Remember this, no matter how much someone tells you they have a "lock" or sure bet, there is no such thing! We strive for 100% every time but that most likely will not happen. If it were true we could get 100% correct, we would all be millionaires. You are doing the set amount for one thing: making it through the long haul of the season. If one was to bet a set amount for the season and hit on a clip of 60% there is a real good chance of doubling your money!

I don't know of anybody who doesn't mind doubling their money in just a few short months. Last thing to remember when it comes to setting a base amount to bet, make sure the amount is an amount you are at ease with. There will be times where the weeks are not too kind to you, so by betting a easy set amount, you won't feel too bad when those weeks come by.

Lastly, Do Not Play Catch-Up! If you are betting a set amount and are on a losing streak, do not try and play catch up because it will end up biting you in the butt. Remember, by setting an amount on each game, all you need to do is hit 50% of the games for the year and you break even minus the vig. If you are behind and feel you need to play catch up and double or triple your set amount to "catch-up" your bankroll can take a dramatic hit.

If you keep your set amount through the season anything above 50% winning percentage will give a profit at the end of the season! There is no real reason to play catch-up and it is not worth the risk!

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Sit and Go Poker Tournaments

2006-05-14T03:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the fourth in my Texas Holdem Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Holdem poker tournament play and associated strategies. In this article, we'll examine the "Sit and Go" tournament - the most popular online poker tournament format today.

When I first started playing in Sit and Go tournaments, I was beginning to think they called it "sit and go" because you sat down, played a little, then it was time to go do something else since you'd just been whacked and knocked out of the tournament! These tournaments can be really tough, since they're effectively like being at the "final table" of a regular tournament.

The recent popularity of playing online Sit & Go tournaments sometimes amazes me. On any given evening, you can try to jump into a Sit and Go (SNG) table on Party Poker, for example, and easily find yourself competing just to get into a seat before that table fills up, forcing you to go find another table (especially on lower-entry fee tables). I've seen times when it can take up to 10 attempts to get into a Sit and Go tournament table during prime time. That's because there are literally thousands of players across the world who are hungry to get into these tournaments and hopefully win some money.

All of the major online poker rooms now offer Sit and Go format games now, so you can find a place to play just about everywhere. You can think of these games as being very similar to small "satellite" tournament games that surround the bigger poker tournaments at traditional poker tournament venues. They also somewhat resemble play at a final table in a regular tournament, with one key exception - nobody at this table earned their way to this tournament table - they simply paid their entry-fee to play there. Because of this, the broad range of players and skill levels you're likely to encounter varies wildly - one of many challenges you'll face in Sit and Go play.

Generally, there are two types of Sit and Go tournaments offered. Single table and multi-table tournaments. Nowadays, there is also a faster game, sometimes referred to as "Turbo" mode SNG tournaments. In these games, the tempo of the tournament is much faster (blinds go up every 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes), with the blinds increasing much faster and less time allowed to make your decisions. This is a very challenging game format, but it does move along much faster than a traditional Sit and Go tournament.

You can also get into 4-player and heads-up (2 player) games, which just effectively puts you into the poker tournament final table, short-handed mode of operation immediately, so you can play the end-game out from there. I don't really prefer these games, though, since there are far fewer players and therefore the pool size available to win is much smaller and not as worthwhile.

In general, two-table Sit and Go's are much more profitable, since they begin with more players (18 to 20), making the prize pool larger and more attractive. Once you know how to play and win in these Sit and Go tournaments and can adjust your play appropriately, the number of tables and players really doesn't matter as much, since you'll be able to adapt your play quickly as the situation changes around you.

Some of my favorite places to play Sit & Go tournaments include Party Poker, Poker Stars and PrimaPoker's Captain Cook's poker rooms. There are many awesome poker rooms out there, with a wide range of players frequenting each of them. They are all very similar.

There are a number of different entry-fee levels to choose from, typically ranging from $5 up to $5,000. There is very little difference in playing in the lower limit games in the $5 to $30 range. When you get above the $30 threshold, the level of players you'll encounter improves dramatically. The poker room site typically takes a "rake", a fee of around 10% for hosting the tournament, and the balance of the funds go into the prize pool. In single-table SNG tournaments, the payout goes to the top 3 finishers. In two-table games, the top 4 places are generally paid.

In higher entry-fee games, you'll be playing against some very good players. In these high tier games, you'll encounter some of the best, most dangerous players around. If you're interested in getting into these high stakes games, one way is to win enough at the lower stake games so that you earn, or leverage, your smaller entry-fees into the bigger games, a traditional way that satellite games work and a good approach to take.

I play in a lot of Sit and Go tournaments and regular tournaments, both online and in casinos and poker rooms. Throughout all of this, I have finally learned how to win consistently at Sit and Go tournaments. There are some key areas that you must focus on and shore up in order to properly "shape" your play and end up in the money.

You'll need a well-rounded approach, though, to place in the money consistently at Sit and Go tournaments, including:

* Playing Position Correctly - you'll need to know how to use position in the Sit and Go tournament to your advantage, which hands to play in which positions and how to keep from losing your chips from poor positions. Earlier in the tournament, it's best to be more conservative with your play by only playing the best hands from the best positions.

* Adjusting to Changing Conditions - the key to winning Sit and Go tournaments is adjusting your play style and approach as the blinds and number of players increases. Done correctly, you'll end up in the final 3 in the money up to half of the time (no approach you can take will allow you to win all of the time). As the game progresses, you must adjust or the blinds will eat you up.

* Winning Heads-up Play - arguably one of the most misunderstood, yet most fun part of any tournament, is playing heads-up against another good player. Learning to play winning heads-up poker means the difference between being the Winner and 2nd Place - a huge difference in payout in all tournaments goes to the winner, along with the recognition as the champion, so you must learn to play great heads-up poker. In general, you must play much more aggressively heads up than you would otherwise.

* Beating Aggressive Players - see my article on playing vs. aggressive players, which will definitely make a difference for Sit and Go play, as it explains how to take advantage of aggressive and wild players, without losing all of your chips in the process.

* Online Tells - there are many different special tells that you can use when playing online. Do you know them? Do you use them? If not, chances are they're being used against you! For example, when players use checkboxes online and make a lot of their decisions ahead of time, then suddenly they're not using the checkbox (because they're taking longer), that could be a tell that they're having to think things through more, which could be a tell. If they use checkboxes and act instantly, chances are they don't have a very good hand, so didn't even need to think about it (just clicked the checkbox and now waiting on the next card).

* Successful Bluffing and Blind Stealing - one of the most important moves in poker is bluffing the opponents, and in tournament play, you must be capable of successfully bluffing in order to survive the blinds and antes and to win heads-up. You can't bluff weak players, so don't even try. You'll need to learn how determine the style or type of the players, so you'll recognize who to bluff.

The next time you're thinking about playing a poker tournament, give the Sit and Go a try. It's a fast-paced tournament, where you'll have the opportunity to experience first hand what it's like to play at that Texas Holdem poker tournament final table. You'll go through a sequence of fast play and changing conditions, starting from a full table of 10 players, progressing rapidly to only 5 to 6. Then, if you're a good enough player, you'll find yourself in the most dangerous position of all - where you're one of only 4 players remaining, so you're only one seat out of the money. The key goal is surviving to the heads-up phase, so you get a shot at being the tournament winner, who receives the bulk of the prize pool.

So, you can practice for bigger tournament events by playing in Sit and Go tournaments and that way you'll be very comfortable when you do make it that final table in a big Texas Holdem poker tournament, and you'll have a lot of fun and gain some great Texas Holdem tournament poker experience along the way.

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Winning vs. Aggressive Players

2006-05-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

The Texas Hold'em poker phenomenon has taken the country by storm. There are reportedly over 100 million active poker players worldwide. Poker's popularity is largely the byproduct of technology and several recent trends: 1) online gaming, where players engage and socialize in real-time over the Internet, and 2) the broad publicity created by high profile TV shows like the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour.

With all the poker-mania, there's an amazing shortage of quality information to help people learn how to play properly and become great players quickly. This is the first in a series of Texas Holdem strategy articles aimed at helping players learn how to win at Texas Hold'em poker. Tournament play is a popular, fun sport. These articles will help players understand how to approach tournaments, which differ greatly from regular "ring game" play.

This installment deals with the most-asked question: "How do I deal effectively with aggressive players?" Many players struggle against "maniacs", the aggressive, wild players who play most every hand, somehow seem to pull cards out of thin air, and often manage to dominate the table.

Here's what actually happened in a recent poker tournament. I entered a tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, about 20 minutes from my home in South Florida. This weekly $300 entry-fee tournament fills the poker room with 220 players every Monday night.

The blinds start at 50/100 and go up every 15 minutes. I spent the first 30 minutes just hanging out and occasionally limping in to see a flop. The reason for "treading water" was to study my opponents and their playing patterns very closely. There were a number of solid poker players, but right away I spotted the aggressive ones.

I was sitting in the middle, directly across from the dealer. There were two "wild men" to my right. These two participated in most every hand, and agonized with themselves whenever they had to throw a hand away. This was hilarious to me, and it was also very telling. I knew these dudes were doomed from the onset, yet they were extremely dangerous if they caught something with one of their trash hands. These types are great targets, but only when you know how to play them correctly. If you do, you'll end up with most or all of their chips in your stack. The key is to get to their chips before someone else does.

There were some squeaky-tight and solid players, as usual. Finally, there were two other players to my left who knew one another very well and spoke what sounded like Russian. These two played very aggressively. They rarely called or checked. They would bet or raise the pot significantly, so if they played a hand, you knew they were going to bet it big and you'd better be prepared to push a bunch of your chips into the middle. As a result, the table became tight overall, except for these four players who controlled the early action and dictated the table tempo for the first hour or so. They gambled with wanton abandon, trading chips with each other as the rest of us just observed and wished for a real hand to materialize.

It became apparent that our maniacs were playing mostly garbage hands, and using assertive chatter in an attempt to intimidate everyone. They were enjoying pushing everyone around with their aggressive betting and raising style. Humorously, they got into a number of showdowns, causing all of their trash hands to become openly exposed; e.g., 69 off-suit, Q3 suited, etc. I definitely had these guys pegged now - if only I could get a strong hand?

Later, one of my Russian "friends" came in over the top of a bet I'd placed with a huge raise, then smiled at me as he leaned his head back as if to say "Go ahead. I dare you". My middle pair just wasn't strong enough to engage with him, but I remembered this little "lesson" and my mistake. He'd used this tactic many times against the others and I should've expected it. I also realized that we had not seen any of his supposed "big hands", as he always mucked them. Whenever you see an aggressive player dominating, and then mucking all those supposed "great hands", you know you've spotted a target.

We played on, with the two maniacs to my right getting busted out by the Russian contingent. It's been an hour and fifteen minutes - and I still haven't seen even one decent hand yet! This is, unfortunately, typical poker.

After about an hour-and 45 minutes, I finally pick up a pair of wired 9's (99). Now I was hoping the flop would yield a set (trips). Sure enough, it came: 9, K, 5. I was elated and jumping up and down (inside). I was finally in a position to make my move, and hoped it would be against one of my aggressive Russian friends with their big stacks.

To prepare my trap, I delayed and muddled around for about ten seconds, and then casually "checked" verbally and using my hand in a chopping motion, with a slightly disgusted look. Next, the younger Russian moves in with a big bet of 3,000 chips. I was sure I had him now. As expected, everyone else quickly folded and got out of his way - except me. This fellow had pushed everyone around and I was finally properly armed and ready to do battle on my own terms. Note that this had been my "battle plan" all along. I was deliberately targeting these aggressive characters, knowing that when the time was right, their ill-gotten stacks would become mine!

The action came back around to me, so now it was just the two of us heads-up. The two Russians said something to each other that the rest of us couldn't decipher. I delayed and bobbed my head around as if to be struggling with my decision. Then, I motioned with both hands and uttered "I'm all-in". I knew this series of actions would likely trigger an aggressive reaction, since my "check-raise" made it appear as if I was trying to steal this pot! A check-raise almost always triggers a full-tilt response from an aggressive player.

He immediately called me - he was so aggressive (and pot-committed) that it was like a fish taking the bait and running for deep waters - hook line and sinker! I threw my pair of 9's over, revealing the trip 9's. There was a low murmur around the table from the other players. My young Russian friend reluctantly flipped his five/trash hand over - he had a pair of fives (with a King over-card showing on the board!). He was definitely angling to drive me out of this pot with his ascertive play - one too many times?

You see, no one actually gets that many great hands in poker - nobody. If someone plays 30% to 40% or more of the time, they're just "gambling" and bluffing. This guy thinks he has a "good" hand, because he actually had a real pair - something he doesn't often have when pushing everyone around with mostly aggressive betting as his only real weapon.

The turn came and it wasn't a five - then someone pipes up and says "he's drawing dead". Believe me, you never want to hear that when you're in a showdown! I looked over as he said something in Russian to his buddy - another violation of tournament rules, as everyone is compelled to speak English at the tournament table. It wouldn't matter, as he stood up, grabbed his jacket and left after receiving some consolation from his friend.

His older friend glared over at me and uttered something derogatory in Russian. I had no clue what he said, but I knew from his tone that I didn't like it. I also knew I'd gotten under his skin by taking down his buddy and raking in all of his chips. I responded with "what's that, I don't understand what you're saying since you're not speaking English?" loudly so everyone at the table could hear me.

He mumbled something about his friend...I smiled and said politely with a smile "I deliberately laid that trap for your friend and he fell right into it!", pushing the knife in deeper, knowing he'd be gunning for me anyway - might as well make sure my next trap was fully set. This also signaled to everyone else at the table that whenever I checked or limped, it could be extremely dangerous if assumed to be a sign of weakness - something I'd leverage later as the blinds and antes rose and the proper time to bluff and steal blinds actually arrived.

After a slight pause, my Russian friend noticed that everyone was now looking at him. He looked down at his chips and said "nice play" with a reluctantly polite tone.

Boy, I was elated! My battle plan was definitely becoming field-proven here - and my next target was clearly sighted. It had taken careful observation, planning and a lot of patience to wait for the right hand, and then play it correctly to take this highly-skilled, aggressive player out and rake in all of his chips.

About ten minutes later, it was tournament break time, after two hours of play. I counted my chips, which totaled 14,900 (we started with 5,000 each), then grabbed a quick bite to eat, reflecting on what had just taken place.

Within ten minutes of returning from break, I finally picked up a serious starting hand: Cowboys (KK). I knew it was time for my new Russian friend and me to tango, so I fired out a bet of 3 times the big blind: 3,000 chips, bait that I was sure he couldn't turn down. Sure enough, he bit - big time. His all-in raise came almost instantaneously, before I could even get my bet onto the table. He was totally ready to engage, and had been laying in wait for me - just like I had planned. I had set him up by taking out his friend and then challenging his poker ego in front of everyone. He just had to retaliate against me - it was a totally predictable "full-tilt" response from this kind of player.

This is what the game of poker is really all about - having a well-defined strategy, the patience to wait for the right hand, and then executing properly. It's what makes poker a game of strategy instead of a game of chance (for some of us).

He raised by going all-in with around 8,000 chips to my roughly 14,000. I quickly called his all-in bet. Everyone else quickly folded and got out of our way.

I flipped my pocket kings over, then looked him straight in the eye and just smiled. Then someone says "Yeah! Now we've got some action!" He sighed and flipped over QQ - he actually had a real hand for a change. That's one of the problems with these kinds of "semi-solid, aggressive" players, like my Russian friend here, and other poker greats like Gus Hansen. You never really know exactly what to expect from them. Of course, my opponent could've held pocket rockets (AA), but I'll play those KK cowboys strong each and every time I get them, since there's only one hand that can beat them heads-up. I also knew this aggressive player on tilt was likely to be overplaying his hand, improving my odds significantly.

The flop, turn and river came and went without another Queen and it was done - my cowboys stood up and I had all of both Russian's stacks, which included most of the other two poor maniac's chips (who lost to the Russians earlier). This instantly made me by far the chip leader at our table with well over 22,000 chips!

I went from having an average chip stack to being the table chip leader, against tough, aggressive opponents, within less than half an hour by:

a) Playing solid, reasonable tournament poker,

b) Not taking big, undue risks with weak or "drawing" hands,

c) Studying my aggressive prey and where the chips were sitting,

d) Formulating and refining a battle plan while observing the game progress,

e) Remaining patient while waiting for the right hand to make my move, and

f) Executing this plan with precision against a predetermined opponent, and on terms of my choosing - not the opponent's.

There was no luck involved at all - except that my opponent didn't hold AA or pull some lucky cards with a trash hand - which was simply playing the odds in my favor.

I started out with a high-level strategy to target aggressive chip leaders, and go after them with strong hands from the right position. I planned this before I ever arrived at the casino that day, or knew who these players would be. Then, I refined my plan once I knew for certain whom the evening's targets would be and how I'd provoke them. It certainly helped that I caught two decent hands during those first hours of play.

Unfortunately, I later lost to a legitimate full house, but made it into the top 40 - it happens?

The key to playing against aggressive and maniac players is having a viable Texas Holdem strategy you can profit from when you get some good hands. If you have a good plan, you can convert it into a formidable stockpile of chips - a stack that you'll definitely need as the blinds and antes increase and the tournament field narrows in the latter stages.

This is how I approach Texas Holdem strategy for tournaments now - at least when the tables are full with 8 or more players, some of them aggressive and maniacs. So, the next time you encounter wild and aggressive players at your poker table, get ready to have some fun! It's like Tae Kwon Do - using the opponent's own energy and momentum against them.

In the next installment, we'll detail this Texas Holdem strategy more formally, along with exploring some other tournament tips for playing better Texas Holdem poker.

Until then - good luck!

Roulette System: 4 Most Important Factors To Beat Roulette at Online/Offline Casino

2006-05-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

In this article, you are going to learn about the most important factors to beat the roulette and the entire casino including most of its games.

Very few people get rich gambling but you can win and I will show you how! For over 60 years, casino style gambling has been legal in the state of Nevada, USA. Because of its success, other states and provinces have either legalized gambling, or are currently considering legalizing gambling. Since it is relatively new to most of these gambling jurisdictions, the business of gaming is an unfamiliar and untested entity. It is a high tech industry with its own language and historical products. The understanding of gaming and feeling comfortable with the operations of electronic gaming devices is also a new experience for many and creates job advancements for those already in the industry.

You may not believe it, but gambling is probably the second most frequented activity in the world. We are continually faced with the opportunity to take a chance on a gamble of one sort or another.

No way, you may say! Well, think about this... how many people do you know who place a friendly wager on a football, baseball, or basketball game? How many play a little game of poker once a week or once a month; how many play gin-rummy, pinochle or backgammon? We all know pe*ple wh~o appear to live just to go out and play bingo or who cannot go along without studying race forms and betting on the horses. Tell me the state or province that does not offer people a chance to scratch and win on some fancy sounding game in the guise of handing out money to needy charities. People bet millions and millions each and every week on some sort of lottery game sponsored by the government. As well, thousands upon thousands of people of all ages place daily bets on government run sports pools.

Gamblers are a diversified and varied group. Some have played at the big casinos, some only buy scratch and win tickets, some only play their favorite numbers in the lotto games, and some only play bingo or bet on horses. However, most gamblers will bet on a variety of games.

Gambling knows no age group, race, or ethnic group. Gambling knows no time limit or specific year or place. It happens everywhere, all the time, with all peoples of the world.

Now you can see why it is North America's fastest growing industry. And it is a very serious business, not just for the owners of casinos or for governments offering games of chance, but to every person who has ever placed a bet.

So why do people from each and every corner of the world gamble? NEED. People usually gamble out of need. They need the money, or they need the fast paced excitement offered by the games. Once they get a taste of betting they are hooked. Some people have the ability to stop but once a person makes a winning bet, he or she is usually hooked by the gambling bug. They change their list of priorities and gambling becomes one of the top requirements. A win is perceived as eas*y mo~ney tha.t can~ be duplicated time after time after time. Lady Luck becomes their constant companion, friend or foe, and they talk to her, beg for her help, and even silently pray to her. Hope, anger, disgust, anticipation, confidence and despair all become constant companions. It is not unusual to hear such things as "the next best thing to gambling and winning is gambling and losing", or "I don't mind losing, after all, it's only money". Emotionally, there is no other fix th~at ca~n take you so high as winning and bring you down so low as losing.

Mathematically speaking, gambling is an art at which most people must lose. The odds are against all who gamble. This is ensured by the house taking a house edge called a vig. Or in the cases of government run gambling, you cannot get the correct odds on any given bet. If you are making the right bets at the right time you can win big dollars. However, most people are doomed to be on the wrong bet. Casinos and millions of dollars donated to charities by governments do not come about by most people being on the right bet at the right time.

Why do so many people lose? Because they do not know what they are doing. They have not become experts in their field. Would you take thousands of dollars and invest them in a stock or business without knowing anything about it? Logically, no one would be that silly. But thousands of dollars are bet every minute by peopl~e wh~o do not know the proper odds or who have been given a hot tip, or who know someone who is hot and on a winning streak, so they bet with that person.

We all know someone who has placed a wager or has gone to a big commercial casino saying that "I will lose only X number of dollars. I can afford to lose this much without hurting my financial situation." What is wrong with~ thi.s train of thought and with these otherwise very intelligent people? ATTITUDE! Your mind frame c.an help~ you to be a winner or cause you to be a certain loser. Millions of people have gone to Las Vegas thinking before they go that they can afford to lose a set amount of money. This thought process is contagious and occurs with millions of people. Their first thought about the trip was that they were going to lose. Where would these people be today in their personal lives or jobs if they assumed that they were going to fail? Why did they make 'losing' an assumption in the first place? The reasons are numerous but the most common a.re yo*u know all the different games of chance but you do not really understand them, so you do not expect to win.

Only the 'lucky' people win and you have never been known as a lucky person. People always lose, after all, casinos do not survive by everyone winning. These thought are the most common perceptions that people have about gambling. Nearly everybody assumes that he or she is going to lose. Therefore, nearly all the people lose.

If you expect to win, you are amongst the minority of gamblers. Attitude alone will not make yo.u a~ winner*. Your first step is to assume tha.t you~ can win. Now comes the hard part and the part that most people will not do. You must learn about the games you are going to play. You must learn what the chances of success or failure are at each game, and plan and play according to w.hat you~ have learned. This is~ no.t only a reasonable thing to do but a necessary thing to do. People lose because they don't know how to win. Winning at gambling is a tough business. If it was not, then we would all be professional gamblers. Professional gamblers all have one thing in common. These people make a comfortable living doing nothing but gambling. Whatever the game that they gamble at, they are experts. They have taken the time to learn and practice every facet of their particular game. They know all the odds and probabilities as well as all the rules of the game and of the gaming house in which they are playing. And most of them bet only on the one game of chance in which they are experts.

All professionals will tell you that to become successful in games of chance, y*ou mu~st learn, have, and practice the four following ingredients: * A sufficient bankroll * Money management * Knowledge of the game or games tha~t yo~u wish to play * Discipline

The above mentioned four ingredients are a must. Without them, a professional gambler does not stay a gambler for very long. There are other secrets, such as learning session play, and pacing yourself so that you do not fatigue out, both physically and mentally.

The amateur gambler's most notorious downfall is greed. Next comes stupidity. The professional gambler has eliminated greed from his game and replaced it with the above items, and he has eliminated stupidity by learning the rules, odds, etc.

Your chances of success are best wh.en you~ know wha~t yo~u are up against. What bets will gi.ve you~ the best chance of winning, what bets to avoid because the house advantage is too big. Give the house as small an advantage as possible. Learn where the house has little or no advantage and use it. Learn about systems and use that knowledge to your advantage. (There is no known system that can overcome the house advantage except in one game - Blackjack). A good systematic approach can keep you out of traps and protect your play against emotions of the moment; they can limit your risk taking, and they can get you out while you are still ahead.

I hope you enjoyed today's article! Yours for. yo~ur gambling success!

Roulette System: Illegal Tactics Casino Use Against You

2006-05-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

Roulette System: "The Almost Illegal Tactic Casinos Use Against You So They Win"

This article is going to show you an evil tactic the casino and Las Vegas employs so you lose more and win less. Let's face it, you go to have some fun and win money. But in the casino's eyes you're cattle being lead to the slaughter house.

They'll do almost anything to get your hard earned cash.. I'll tell you more below.. ;)

I hate it. It absolutely makes me sick, when the casino uses this tactic against people like you and me, who go to the casino to have fun and win some money. If you are one of my students, you'll know that gambling requires strategy and sharp precision judgements and decisions.

So how can the casino ruin you're thinking? It's really simple and wins them even more of your hard earned money even worse than slot machines!

Their chief tactic against players is to fill them up with free booze. Let's face it when you get hammered you don't exactly think in a very logical way. You're emotions start controlling your brain and you make stupid decisions -- And the casino loves that!

I had one student who was up $5000 at the roulette table and then the casino started feeding him free drinks. Hey, I can't blame him he was a young guy, and who can resist free booze? Well anyways he had over 10 people watching him at the table, he was winning winning and winning some more. Until he had one too many drinks.

Slowly but surely he started making stupid bets, he quit using basic pivot strategy, he lost all focus on money management strategy and before you knew it he was down to his last $5.

So the moral of the story is, stay away from any drugs or alcohol that will impair your judgement. Gambling shouldn't be just for fun.

Gambling is deadly serious since it's about winning money not losing it!

So to keep your shirt on your back, I repeat, stay away from the free booze. If you do plan on drinking stay away from the gambling pit, you'll just dig yourself deep into a hole, like a dog buries his bone.

Want to win more money even with a small bank roll? It's easy and thousands of people are doing it! Download your copy of 101 roulette winning tips and see what all the buzz is about!

Publisher's Directions: This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author's information, disclaimer, and an active link (where possible) are included.

Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. The author will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.

Roulette System: 5 Biggest Gambling Mistakes You Should Avoid

2006-05-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

In this article I'd like to share with you the 5 biggest gambling mistakes of most average gamblers. Las Vegas thrives on people making these mistakes and makes more money this way.

Since it's time you started winning follow these tips so you win more and lose less :)

Discover how to turn professional at the casino using my time tested advice and tips that have won me thousands of dollars, and have got me banned.

"The 5 Biggest Mistakes That you should avoid!"

For years the casinos have been ripping off players just like you for hundreds of years, to generate insane profits in the billions every year! Within this article I'd like to share with you the five most common mistakes gamblers make that maximize your odds of losing, that you may not even know you do!

The 5 Biggest Gambling Mistakes:

Most gamblers visit a casino in hopes of winning some money but ultimately you gamble for fun. Unfortunately people wholely on pure luck to win nearly always lose. If you want to win then make sure you follow these rules...

Mistake #1. Not setting a bank roll limit.

When you go and visit a casino only take a certain amount of money with you for gambling purposes, and leave all your plastic cards at home. When you spend your entire bank roll move on and find something else to do, don't bother getting emotionally involved with the games you're playing because it's the quickest way to spend much more money!

Mistake #2. Not knowing how to play.

When you choose a certain game to play at the casino, you should know well in advance exactly how the game works and how to play it scientifically so you win more money. Most players hit games they don't know, thus they lose more than they can gamble.

Personally speaking, if you truly want to super charge your results, then I highly recommend you uncover every tip and strategy for maximizing your odds

Mistake #3. Impairing your judgment.

The casino loves to fill their guests and customers with free booze of all types and kinds. Drinking impairs your judgement and gets you emotionally involved within the game thus losing feels worse, and most importantly you won't be able to play using scientifically proven strategies that shrink the odds of the casino winning.

Whatever you do, don't gamble if you are going to be drinking. It just makes no sense and just drains your bank roll!

Mistake #4. Choosing the wrong games.

In order to win you've got to choose the games that pay out the most money and that the casino has less power of making the odds of the game in their favor. Not all games are created equal, so find out which games pay out the best and then start practicing, studying and playing those games in real life or the net, until you master it!

Once you've mastered a game then and only then are you truly ready to fork out cash to play at a real casino.

Mistake #5. Picking the wrong casino.

Like the games themselves casinos are not all created equal some casinos may pay out much better than others, and it's your job to find the best paying casino. If you are searching for a list of loose online casinos that fork out free 25% signup bonuses, you can review my personal list of favorite casinos by visiting my website:

Discover The Secrets Of A 101 roulette winning tips that Las Vegas Is Desperately Trying To Ban!

Unlock the diamond mine of insider roulette winning tips, and scientifically proven formulas for super-charging your profits like a pro within five minutes! Download the brand new e-book that's being hailed as, "The number one roulette bible for players who want to win."

Roulette System: Discover Why You always Fail At Roulette Game

2006-05-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

Online Roulette System: Discover Why You always Fail At Roulette game even you have the best roulette system!!!

In this article, let's take a look why you always fail at roulette game even you have the best roulette system!!!

I want to tell you a story about a touchstone.

I think it is relevant to this article topic.

Now if you don't know what a touchstone is, it is a stone that if you touch it to any kind of metal it turns it to gold.

This story starts in the city of Alexandria in ancient Egypt.

There was a great fire in the great library of Alexandria. This library was the largest library in the world at that time. This fire destroyed the building and a lot of the books as well.

There was a very poor gentleman who used to hang around the steps of the library because he was not allowed to enter due to his social status. He started to rummage through the remains of the fire. Upon doing so this gentleman discovered a few books that could still be read.

As he was going through one of the books a piece of parchment paper fell out of the book. As he started to read the parchment he discovered that it talked about a touchstone and had a map of where the touchstone could be found on the shores of the Black Sea. The parchment said that you could recognize a touchstone if it was hot when you placed it in the palm of your hand.

So he decided to take the belongings that he had, which was his donkey and tent and journey to the shores of the Black Sea.

As he reached the shores of the Black Sea he began to think to himself, "If this takes me 20 or 30 years it would be worth it."

As he started to pick up the stones to find the hot one, he thought, "How will I know which stones I have already picked up?" So he decided that as he picked up the stones he would throw all the cold ones back into the sea.

So he picked up his first stone. It was a cold one so he tossed it into the sea. He did this all day long, picking up stones and tossing them into the sea.

The second day came, same thing... pick up stones, cold, throw it into the sea, cold, throw it into the sea, cold, throw it into the sea.

This turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months and the months turned into in years. But he had a goal and he knew what he wanted to get, so he kept working.

Year after year, 5 years, 6 years, he picks up the stones, cold, he throw them into the sea, cold, he throws them into the sea. 10 years, 15 years, 16 years day after day he is working his way around the shore of the sea picking up stones, cold, throws them back into the sea.

Now he is into twenty years. Finally into 21 years and a few months, he gets up one morning and he goes out and starts picking up the stones just like he's done every day for the past 21 years, here's another cold one, throws it back into the sea, here's another cold one, throw's it back into the sea. Picks one up, here's a HOT one ... and he throw's it back into the sea!

Now, why did he do that? It was a habit. He was so used to failure and disappointment after 21 years, that when he had finally found what he had been looking for he threw it away.

What I want to suggest to you is that this 101roulettewinningtips ebook is your touchstone of Roulette Game because nobody on the Internet has what 101roulettewinningtips ebook has. Maybe you have had so many disappointments and so many failures, so many things that have not worked out that when you see the real roulette system, you throw it into the sea.

And hopefully after today you'll have some ideas inside yourself, that you won't just throw it into the sea. Because we have something so incredible here.

Would it be worth 20 or 30 years to you if you could find a stone like that? To dedicate your life to finding that stone?

Walt Disney once said,

"All our dreams can come true -- if we have the courage to pursue them."

How about you?

Do you have the courage to pursue your dream-to beat the casino at roulette?

The only way you will fail in this roulette system is by NOT ENGAGING THE PROCESS and under the 101 roulette winning tips.

Publisher's Directions: This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author's information, disclaimer, and an active link (where possible) are included.

Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. The author will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.

Understanding The Logistics of Poker Tournaments

2006-05-04T23:40:00.000-07:00

Tournaments are poker competitions where all of the players play at the same time and continue to play until only one player is left. Tournaments are fun to play in, have a low entry fees and offer a large prize pool to be won. For these reasons they are a very popular. They are inexpensive way for novice poker players to learn how to play the game, as well as a providing a place for more experienced players gain experience.

While there are many different types of poker games played at casinos and online rooms, tournament play is usually reserved for Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and 7-card Stud, because these games have a large following.

Poker tournaments can have as few as 6 players (single table tournaments) to thousands of players for larger events. Large tournaments consist of many tables, each table having 8 to 10 players. The tables are slowly removed from the tourney as players are eliminated, and players are balanced from table to table as needed. (These are known as multi-table tournaments). Finally all but the last table will be removed and these last 8 to 10 players play until only one of them remains.

Tournament Basics

To play in a tournament players have to pay two fees. They have to pay an entry fee to the poker room hosting the tournament to cover the expenses involved. This gives the player an assigned seat and a set quantity of tournament chips with which to play (these chips have no cash value). Players also pay a buy-in fee. The buy-in fee is held and paid out as prizes. The prize payout differs from tournament to tournament but typically it all goes to the few players fortunate enough to make the final table.

The object of a tournament is to win all of the chips. All tournament players start out with the same quantity of chips to play with and all start playing at the same time. Players play until they lose all of their chips and are then removed from the tournament. A tournament continues non-stop, often for several hours, until only one person remains. As playing progresses the stakes rise (Blinds are doubled on a timed interval), making it more and more difficult for players with short stacks to remain in the game.

Players are awarded prize money based on their finishing position in the tournament. The top finishers earn the most money with the 1st place winner usually receiving about 30% of the total prize money, the 2nd place winner about 20% and so on. The number of winners and the size of the payouts depend upon the rules for the tournament being played and the number of people playing.

Re-buys and Add-ons

Some poker tournaments allow players a re-buy option. This re-buy option allows players to purchase more chips if they run out of them at the start of the tournament. A player can purchase the same number of chips that he/she started the tournament with. Some poker tournaments allow unlimited re-buys during the first hour of play, while other tournaments allow only a single re-buy.

An add-on option is similar to the re-buy option. Add-ons differ in that they are usually only offered once at the end of the re-buy period and can be purchased regardless of how many chips you have. As the name implies these chips are added on to your stack of chips.

All proceeds from re-buys and add-ons are added to the prize pool less house fees (if applicable).

Betting

Tournament betting is structured with the betting limit increasing regularly. The changes in betting limits occur differently depending on the tournament; some are timed while some increase the limit after a set number of rounds are played.

Balancing and Collapsing Tables

Larger tournaments start out with more than one table, each having 8 to 10 players. As the tournament progresses players will be eliminated and the number of players at each table will not remain the same. For the tournament to be fair the number of players at each table should be the same, so the organizers move players from table to table in an attempt to keep all the tables equally populated.

Balancing is the practice of moving players from full tables to less full tables when the difference is 3 or more players.

Collapsing tables is the practice of removing tables once there are enough empty spaces among the rest of the tables to do so. Thus with 10 player tables when there are 10 empty spaces the players from one table are moved to empty spaces and that table is taken out of play.

Las Vegas Whales

2006-05-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

What Las Vegas jargon names "whales" is in fact the creme of the high rollers species. They are a handful of people that in some opinions don't exceed 500 individuals in the world. Las Vegas hoteliers are nuts about them; some claim four or five of those whales bet much more than the rest of the thousands customers they receive daily. No wonder they are suspected of going as far as selling their first born child to get one of those whales into their gaming area. Five tips to recognise a whale

* the size of the bet: $50,000 is the low end; Australian tycoon Kerry Packer likes to play seven blackjack hands at one time; his top bet was $375,000;

* the line of credit: 4 to 5 million dollars for one weekend; a fortune for us ordinary earthlings, pocket money for a "whale";

* the treat: whales get all the freebies from the hotel they play: fine dining, luxury accommodations, private jet transportation, expensive gifts... often the US visa for the Asian high rollers;

* the escort: it usually includes bodyguards, beautiful gals and close friends; Las Vegas history saved for the record a legendary tale in which the Saudi Prince Adnan Khashoggi dropped for a bet at Stardust with an entourage of a dozen people;

* the generosity: whether they win or loose, everybody's happy as long as they play; "whales" don't spare tips & gifts.

While the "whales" number just a few hundreds in the world, the amounts they can afford to lose are purely impressive; that is why hoteliers pay specially trained staff for "whales hunting". The Asians form a big part of this exclusivist market, about 80 %. The bottom line is to keep them coming in, at the same rate, after nine eleven.

Unfortunately, Las Vegas seems to be experiencing a decrease in whale strands these days. One reason, that all hoteliers agree about, is they don't get as much privacy in Las Vegas casinos as they would normally get in other gaming destinations of the world. While hotel owners in Las Vegas await their VIP saloons approved, the "whales" gamble in Macau, Monaco or Australia.

Soccer Livebetting

2006-05-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Live betting is one of the main sources of income for the bookmaker why?

Well before the match starts there is always large publicity about the coming fixtures for Live matches.They are often 2 strong team facing each other and they are most likely to be telecast throughout the world.why? It is because a lot of people likes to bet on sports that they are able to view live especially those recreation punters who gets real kick watching their favourites team play and also big-time soccer punters who bet 30K-50K per match.There is the jalan bet or live betting bet and the half-time bet which make it more interesting and more variety for punters to bet.These live matches are matches where the bookmakers makes lots of money through the vigourish and not forgetting fixed match.

Observations

How to you identify whether the match is fixed?

1.) During the match observe the 1st 10 mins if any team scores, the match it is mostly fixed.They will score at the most unimaginable timing like within 30 seconds or 3 mins are common signs.

2.) Pay attention to the speed of both team players.The team that will lose will tends to run slower than the other team.Another point to note is the team that is fixed to win they will fight with all their might to get to the ball and the one that is fixed to lose {note this also refers to team that gives ball but unable to cover the AH given} will miss even inches infront of the goal post.Sometimes the team that is fixed to lose will even score for the next team that is the own goal or they are extremely disorganised at the defence showing no effort in blocking the strikers attack.

3.)Not all footballers are great actors pay close attention to their body language, they will display great agonies while missing clear cut shots but their eyes are secretly laughing away some even had difficulty in controlling their facial expression ,occasionally they subconsciously look into the camera before diverting their eyes swiftly away.

4.)Coach odds decision to remove key players from the team substituting with a less superior player.consider this why would a coach remove that particular key striker that has just scored the crucial goal and try to defend the 1 goal lead well within the early 50 or 60 mins.

5.) biased refeering decision.legimate goals claimed as off-side, or clear penalty given as no foul are common signs.giving unessary penalty to team that don't deserve it.

What to do when you know its fixed?

1.) Don't bet big when its livematches.Try to observe 1st before you bet then bet during the 2nd half as thats where the bookies tricks reveals itself.

2.) you need to master the art of odds decoding before you are capable of betting big.

3.) Don't fully trust what you see in the 1st half as what is obvious is often a trap.

4.) Do not doubt the odds, the odds posted are often set in a way to trap the average punters ,so try to mold your thinking like a bookie and you will see much clearer.

How to Win Texas Holdem

2006-05-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Texas Hold'em...minutes to learn, life time to master. One of the most important things that you need to do in order to win, is to be patient. Most people that are unsuccessful are the ones that like to play every hand and chase cards. Be selective on the hands you play and you will increase your odds greatly. Get an understanding of how the other players at the table are playing, loose....tight? This is important to know because the person playing loose is very hard to bet out of a hand and the players that are tight usually only play when they have a monster hand.

A few tips to remember. A loose player likes to bluff alot, one way to feel a loose player out is to raise his bet or check raise him and watch how they react. Remember mentally how they reacted in each betting round, so if it does come to the show down and you see their cards, you have just been given a great read on their style of play. A tight player generally only plays the "nuts" early on, but then they know you have a read on them and their style of play, so in the later rounds they try stealing the pot with a big bet. If you have a feeling they might be trying to steal the pot, again raise their bet. If a tight player is quick to call, more than likely they have a hand so fold. Otherwise with your raise, a tight player will put you on a higher hand, fold and wait until their hand comes along.

Watch how players are betting and remember that, so if it comes to a show down and cards are turned over, you'll get a good read on their betting sytle. What I mean here is; did they have a made hand or were they on a draw? Did they bet on the flop, turn and river, or slow play their hand? It's very important to learn how others play in order to win in the later rounds when the blinds are higher.

Playing Pocket Pairs. a couple things I suggest, if its early in a game wait to see a flop. The more players at the table, the riskier it is to go all-in. Wait until you see the flop and then if you pocket pair is higher than the board, bet aggressivly and see how others react. If over cards come out and someone bets big, do not be affraid to fold. Be cautious to what the board gives you, does it give other players an opportunity at a straight or flush? Several times I have had my Aces cracked going all in pre-flop. Later in the game and with less players, pocket pairs increase in strength, becasue you are not on a draw, unless someone else has a pocket pair that is higher than yours.

Bluffing, this is a big part of the game. Alot of players seem to be bluffing more (more so online). Here again, you need to get a feel on others playing styles in order to get a read on them to determine if it is a bluff or strong hand. All players bluff to win a pot, you have to. I think you need to bluff a win, maybe one an hour. If you are a player that doesn't get caught in bluffs early on, it makes it that much easier to bluff a win once the pot is larger in the later rounds. If you do get caught early and often, players are more than likely to call your bets and get tells that you may not know you have.

On TILT? Another important part of this game is to control your emotions. We all take bad beats or fold a winning hand, it's a part of the game, but if you get upset or go on tilt, you will not win! Stand up for a minute, sit out a hand, get your thoughts together, put it behind you and get re-focused.

Always remember to be patient and play solid hands. It's a marathon not a sprint. A Thought to play by; it's aways better to rake a small pot than to lose a big one.

Online Poker Tournaments -- Time to get aboard

2006-05-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

Online poker tournaments are skyrocketing in popularity due to reasons ranging from low buyins into major tournaments for a fraction of their usual cost to those who do not live within driving distance of a land based poker room. (And of course another factor is the money that can be won.) The Internet has changed where and when one can play. This revolution in how the game is played has resulted in millions of dollars being placed into online poker tournaments and satellite poker tournaments, with more opportunities on the Net coming up each week.

Poker as a "sport" is widely enjoyed by millions around the world due to the necessary level of quick thinking, skill and challenge of the game. For those who don't understand, what makes it a game of skill is this, the element of luck is in the draw of the cards, but the skill is in how those cards are played. Too many times on televised tournaments you can see extremely bad hands winning because of how the hands were handled in a case-by-case situation by the player. Anyone can get lucky for a good run or even enough to win a tournament, but over time the skill level of a player will reflect their number of victories and the amount of winnings taken home.

What fundamentals does a poker player need to know before playing tournaments over the Internet? Here are some tips:

Make sure you are ready. Practice in regular play over the Internet as much as possible. This is what lets you gain years of playing experience in a matter of months. Many young players in their 20's are doing well against top players and this is one of the big ways of how they get their knowledge so fast.

Take the time to invest in learning strategies, techniques and how to read players. Purchasing a few books written by experienced top players is a better investment than playing at a table without an idea of what is going on. Combining the two will enable you to play a solid game and wait for others to make mistakes and bust out. And know how to adjust your playing strategy when the blinds increase.

Surrender in order to survive. It does not make sense to play marginal hands in a tournament if you don't have to. Unless you know you have a winning hand, it may be wiser to fold. The chips you save may help you to win a larger amount when you get a superior hand. For the first few rounds in a tournament, you are trying to survive while others are being eliminated.

Take the time to understand when a player is "pot committed". When a player is pot committed, they have so much invested that it makes it hard to back away from folding or putting more chips in. Knowing to watch for this will enable you to put on more pressure when you know you have a superior hand. It should also help you know when to abandon a hand so that you do not place yourself in a situation when it becomes hard to back away.

Finally, keep a written record to track your play and earnings. It will help you to focus in order to become a better player. This lets you stay on track and forces you to ask yourself if you are playing the best game you can play.

Poker Online Freeroll Tournaments

2006-04-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

Poker online freeroll tournaments are a huge way to leverage a player's way into major tournaments and to win big money at no cost to the player. Casinos and poker rooms offer them to reward active players and to recruit new ones. Generally by playing a number of hands using real money, invitations are extended to play in tournaments at no risk. Players are also sometimes given points based on their play that can be redeemed for cash entries to the tournament of their choice.

It is always a good idea for players to review the poker room or casino's policy for gaining free entries to these tournaments. Sometimes by playing 50 to 100 hands, you can meet the requirements or standards for being given a freeroll. Or by being one of the top ranked real money players for the month, you can receive an invitation. On occasion one can be given an entry simply for being a member who plays with real money. The rewards for entering such tournaments can be huge such as receiving a seat to the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour or other major tournaments where the entry fees range from $10,000 to $25,000. Others reward top finishers with real money cash and/or satellite entry to other cash prize tournaments.

Choices expand greatly when using earned points with a particular online poker room. Players accumulate these points mostly by playing in raked cash games, multi-table tournaments and tournaments that include a paid fee. These points, depending on the poker room, can be redeemed for things such as actual cash or prizes. They can also be the ticket for entering some of the most prestigious poker tournaments on the Internet worth millions! As these points are rewarded for each raked hand of play, experienced players may want to focus on heads-up or shorthanded games instead of the full-table games. This is because the pace of these types of games are much faster and points can be accumulated at a quicker rate. Also higher limit tables generally play faster than smaller limit games that attract newer players who may not wish to risk the larger amounts per hand. Plus the single pot games over split pot should be a better choice for accumulating points as the decision making is not as complex, hence a speedier rate of play.

An experienced player should keep in mind that with so many people getting into poker, the prize pools for online tournaments often go into the six-figure range. And that it is worth it to keep in mind how they can obtain greater options for freerolls like what poker room to join with when considering where to play poker. For beginning players the advantage in using freerolls whenever offered or available is huge when starting out as it gives additional leverage to the player's bankroll. Just keep in mind, the more you play the more free entries that will be offered to you.

World Poker Tour -- The Beginning of a Phenomenon

2006-04-29T00:42:00.000-07:00

World Poker Tour high stakes poker tournaments started a revolution in the way the game is viewed, enjoyed, followed and played. Even though the World Series of Poker had been televised for years before the World Poker Tour (WPT), the game of poker was elevated when "WPT cams" were placed around the table so that the world could experience seeing what hand the players were playing and become emotionally involved in the decisions that were being made. When you add the fact that hundreds of thousands of dollars are laid out on the table with watching a few "instant millionaires" being made at these events, the world was hooked. But when word got out that anyone could challenge the planet's top poker player for six to seven-figure piles of money, individuals from all over came out to take up the challenge.

The WPT is made up of a number of high stakes poker tournaments held in different locations all over the globe. They are open to anyone willing to pay the entry fee, sometimes as high as $25,000 per seat. A person who wishes to enter any of these events can simply contact the casino hosting the event to do so. WPT CEO Steven Lipscomb started the idea of televised poker events with the WPT cams on cable back in February 2002. The breakaway success of this idea spawned many similar ideas and has inspired numerous land based casinos that had closed their poker rooms after dismissing poker as financially not worth the effort, to reopen them. Today, on top of seeing the best of the best in poker you can see millionaires, CEO's, rocket scientists, software kings, mathematicians, women and actors at the tables shoulder to shoulder competing to see who is the best. And on occasion, you can see an amateur beating a seasoned professional which sends out a resounding message that anyone can win.

Having been rewarded for staying a step ahead of the pack by reaching for new levels in the arena of poker, in September 2004 the WPT announced the tournament schedules for seasons 4, 5 and 6 that covers up until 2008 to a waiting public. (Those schedules are subject to change as more and more casinos and online poker rooms vie to host WPT events.) Beginning in 2004 the WPT has also announced the creation of a special poker tour for professionals only called the Professional Poker Tour. The difference is that the criteria for entry will be based on success in previous tournament play verses the WPT where anyone willing to pay the fee can enter regardless of past performance or skill level.

Another innovation is that WPT has partnered with land based and online poker rooms to establish satellite tournaments that can allow a player to win a seat to a WPT event without having to pay the pricey seat fees. These satellite tournaments often have entrance prices of under $200.00, which makes it more affordable for those seeking to play in a WPT event.

The WPT has grown to where it has made an offering of common stock under the NASDAQ symbol WPTE (World Poker Tour Enterprises). And agreements have been completed to have the show presented in Australia, Sweden, South Korea and the Philippines. They have also partnered with WagerWorks to build an online site that will allow real money wagering for poker players, so look for it in the future. (At the time of this writing, U.S. wagers will not be accepted on this new site). Being the version of a reality television series, you can expect new innovations to keep the World Poker Tour on top of the game of poker.

Online Poker Tournaments -- Time to get aboard

2006-04-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Poker Online Freeroll Tournaments

2006-04-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

World Poker Tour -- The Beginning of a Phenomenon

2006-04-23T03:03:00.000-07:00

Online Poker Gambling Sees Tremendous Growth

2006-04-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

Online poker gambling at casinos and poker rooms is one of the fastest growing forms of wagering on the Internet. Fueled by the televised tournaments seen on Travel Channel's World Poker Tour, ESPN with the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP), and Bravo's Celebrity Poker, the popularity of the game is seen everywhere. A huge number of the qualifiers for the 2004 WSOP gained their entries from playing in online satellite tournaments for a fraction of the large entry fees paid by others. Look for more players to enter 2005 world series of poker satellite tournaments for this reason.

Tournaments at land based casinos are becoming so popular that people are being turned away, with waits at some lasting two hours to get a table on the weekends. Smaller land based casinos are promoting poker tournaments in order to capitalize on the growing trend of the game. Even though the cut for the house is pretty slim, they report increasing revenues by the number of patrons who play other games, buy drinks and food. It is also allowing them to attract new players which are mostly twentysomethings and women which expands their customer base.

It seems that most of the upcoming poker stars are a lot younger than in the past. This is because the years of experience formally gained at the brick and mortar poker rooms is compressed into months when playing online. College students watching Texas Hold'Em poker on TV have taken to playing at crowded tables on campus or online where they can take advantage of the 24/7 availability of other players when they can. One college student stated that "Being able to lie (bluff) and get away with it is exciting when you know the hand you have is inferior to the one your opponents have." Plus being able to play for free is also a nice way to learn the game which is a feature that most poker rooms on the Net offer.

Learning the game is also becoming easier with free lessons at brick and mortar casinos and also The Travel Channel featuring review and analysis of poker hands on Wednesdays through it's WPT Poker Corner. Viewers will learn more in-depth about what they did not see. Discussions will go over the tells, the big mistakes, and the bluffing made by others players. This is an excellent way to learn how to improve one's game.

With the huge piles of money that people can win, more and more are getting into the game of poker. The 2005 WSOP championship for next year will boast a $6,000,000 first place prize and anyone making the final table will be a millionaire. The 2004 WSOP winner turned a $160 buy-in satellite shootout into a massive $5,000,000 check and so many endorsements he quit his job as an patent attorney. Visit our sister site to learn more about the 2005 World Series of Poker .

Why All the Excitement Over Poker ?

2006-04-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

Poker's new upsurge in popularity in is due to televised showings of championship poker tournaments, such as The World Poker Tour and The World Series of Poker. This has resulted in millions of people all over the world playing either online or at land based casinos. Even movie stars and professional athletes are getting into tournament action. This really became evident when actor Ben Affleck won $356,400 and a tournament title at Commerce Casino's California State Poker Championship in June 2004.

And big business likes poker too. Bear Stearns estimated that annual revenue from poker was $4.5 billion in 2003. Another analyst group feels 2005 revenue will exceed $10 billion. PokerPulse.com stated that $200,463,154 .00 was wagered at online poker rooms in a 24 hour period on March 13, 2005.

People see the excitement and money that is involved in poker tournaments by watching poker on TV, which is one reason the perception of poker gambling went from being played in dark rooms to a preferred status. The seasoned professional players are excited about this as well. They are not winning as many tournaments as they have in the past due to the influx of many new players, but they are winning more than even because of their levels of expertise at the game.

Plus, the makeup of the top players has been changing. In the past only people who played for years and built up instincts for knowing how to win were champions. Now the newer top players are highly educated, highly successful and are analytical in nature. You will see individuals from top professions like Financial Analyst, Rocket Scientist, Attorney, and Mathematician along with industry CEO's in the ranks of champion. People like Phil Ivey and Chris Ferguson who can perform mathematical calculations in their heads with ease will be the future.

But not having an Ivy League education won't stop enthusiastic poker players from playing the game. On a televised episode of the 2004 World Series of Poker tournament, a former homeless man stated in a game he got off of the streets by learning to play poker. He stated that he learned the game by losing $1500.00, one penny at a time. (For the record he did not win that tournament, but did leave Binion's with over $40,000 in cash.)

And with the 2003 and 2004 World Series of Poker Champions earning their seats from online poker room tournaments, the Internet will eventually be the main producer of players. A huge number of online poker rooms have been sponsoring seats to top tournaments with buy ins less than $100, which is a far cry from the standard entry fees for these events at land based casinos. So keep an eye on what is going on in the poker world, because the excitement is just getting started!

World Series of Poker Mania

2006-04-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

The popularity of the World Series of Poker gained tremendous
momentum from The Travel Channel's World Poker Tour showings.
Although the event had been showing for a number of years on
ESPN, when new technologies such as the table camera were used,
television watchers began getting involved in the hands as they
were being played.

Other advancements will also take place since the purchase of
the World Series of Poker (WSOP) from Binion's in 2004 by
Harrah's. They will need them because of the sheer increase in
the number of players entering the tournament. In 2003 when
Chris Moneymaker won the title and $2,500,000, there were 839
entrants. In 2004 Gregory Paul Raymer became champion after
defeating 2576 players and was rewarded with $5,000,000. For
2005, the WSOP will be estimated to have over 7500 players
hammering each other for a top prize of $6,000,000. And most
of these will come from Internet poker rooms. A significant
number of online poker rooms will host online tournaments to
sponsor seats to the WSOP main event with buy ins that are
far less than the $10,000 fee.

The Internet will be instrumental in tournament poker because of
the 24/7 availability to play large numbers of hands that would
take months in just a number of days. This will allow experience
in the game to be gained much more quickly than one could gain
say 5 years ago. With the numerous poker games that are played
at the annual WSOP, (in 2004 there were 32), anyone can learn
and practice any game over the Internet in order to compete
for a WSOP bracelet and title.

Players come from all walks of life to play at the WSOP, both
male and female. But the makeup of the top performers has
changed. Aggressive players who understand areas of mathematics
in analytical professions will come out on top more and more.
No longer will champions be made up of just those who have
played poker for 20 to 25 years in order to build up razor
sharp instincts. This is why so many younger players are
being seen winning championship events. A number of newer
champions will be current college students.

For those who do not possess such knowledge, that will not stop
them from playing the game from a competition standpoint. Expect
more satellite tournaments at land based casinos to sponsor
seats to the WSOP in order to cash in on the poker craze. They
admit they don't make much from the tables, but what they make
on other sales and games from the players and the crowds they
attract, make poker something they will promote. Land based
casinos went from closing down poker rooms to opening them
up again and building new ones to handle the capacity.

You will still see familiar faces playing at the top of their
games like Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, T.J. Cloutier, Doyle
Brunson, Annie Duke and others. They are excited because even
though it is becoming tougher to win more tournament titles at
the World Series of Poker, overall they win more money because
of their level of expertise at the game. Players of this caliber
will stay contenders to be respected (and feared) at any final
table. The future of the World Series of Poker has an incredible
amount of potential with an estimated 50,000,000 poker players
in the United States alone. Keep your eyes open to see what
will happen next.

The Truth Behind The Limits: What Minimum and Maximum Bets Are About

2006-04-17T00:36:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought about the reason behind the existence of minimum and maximum bets? The truth is simple: casinos want your money. As simple as that. So they restrict your possibilities to win.

It was in 1654 that Antoine Chevalier de Mere asked Pascal why he usually lost when he bet even money that are double, 6 would show up at least once in 24 rolls of two dice. Pascal demonstrated that 24 rolls would be against the gambler, but 25 rolls would be slightly in his favor.

Pascal solved the question, and sent the solution to Pierre Fermat and Christian Huygens. The science known as Probability Theory was born. Up to then gambling odds were found by trial and error. Pascal, however, was able to calculate the odds of chance in a scientific way.

But if one knows the odds he can find the way to trick them. Since that time people also began developing the schemes to beat the system. A good deal of the systems is build around increasing each consecutive bet as anticipation of winning grows, known as martingale systems. So gambling establishment elaborated a simple method shut out a game transformation in to jump with bets, where a resource-sufficient player was practically "doomed" on winning. Maximum bet has its limits.

In any world casino each table, be that roulette, blackjack or poker, features signs clearly defining minimum and maximum rate of bets on a given table. A difference between them can be in 10, 30 or even in 100 times. But nowhere to you will be allowed to multiply your bets without restriction.

Please pay attention, that the very existence of maximum bet limits proves that a system, founded on bets augmentation principle, threatens the success of the casino. Take any table in regular or even on-line casino. For example the one, on which minimum bet is $25, and maximum one is $1000. Why do you think you are not allowed to bet more than $1000 at once? Do you believe they won't have money to pay out? Or do they fear, that you will win and take your money home? But in VIP-halls of the same casino you can make a bet of $2000 or even $10000! And if you have specially requests you try negotiating with the administration to satisfy them. Most casinos have more than enough resources to meet any bet of yours.

The deal is about the correlation of maximum and minimum bets. So, in case the maximum is set at a $10000, the minimum bet will rarely be less than $250. The idea is to limit your double bets to certain number of times depending on the game. Usually you want be able to double more than 5 times. Otherwise your odd of winning become impermissible high.

In the Eighteenth century, Jacomo Casanova hit upon a method to win at gambling. Each time he lost, he would redouble his bet until he won. In letters he wrote to the friends, he discusses how his martingale system would guarantee his win every time. And mere two days later, he wrote a letter from prison. The scheme had failed -- and series of losses overcame his funds, and he was now in debt. In 1755, after suffering ruinous gambling losses and participating in various illegitimate dealings, Casanova was denounced by the Venetian State Inquisitors and imprisoned beneath the lead roofs of the Venetian Ducal Palace, in place known as the "Leads".

Roulette System: Confession of the Roulette Dealer on Dealers Signature

2006-04-16T01:24:00.000-07:00

Roulette System: Confession of the Roulette Dealer on Dealer's signature

This article is going to show you how you can use the dealer's signature to beat roulette.

Not many people know this, but it's absolutely critical.

"I don't believe it! Impossible."

Those are some comments I hear when I tell people that dealers can and do make a difference to the outcome of a spin. "BS! It's random!"

I disagree. Ever since my book "101 roulette winning tips" was recently published, this single topic has attracted more interest than any other. Before I started playing Roulette seriously around twelve years ago, I would have agreed.

The wheel spins one way, the ball the other. The slightest variation in speed or place of release of the ball can send the next spin to a very different part of the wheel. But I am beyond being convinced now - I know that many dealers, though by no means all, can influence the outcome.

Some experienced dealers can influence the outcome by predicting the landing at neigbouring bet from the previous bet.

Even the best-intentioned dealers can get it wrong. Equally, they may be fearful of reprimand from the Pit Boss or higher if they go too far to help you.

So what are we talking about? Strictly, a neighbour bet is backing five numbers next to each other on the wheel e.g.: 15, 34, 22, 5 and 17. In the UK where call bets are common, the dealer places such bets on the racetrack. This is an oval shaped ring marked on the green baize. For example, a bet might be called as "22 and the neighbours by five." This would mean that the player wanted five pounds on each of these five numbers. In Las Vegas, the Mirage has a racetrack now on it's 25 dollar minimum table. This table has the single zero and if zero strikes, outside bets lose only half. This is a great deal and mirrors casinos in the UK and much of Europe.

Even if there is no racetrack, you can place the five chips yourself on the layout, backing them with any sum subject to the table minimum. This is an ideal bet if the dealer is into a trance and is spinning into these numbers as a signature spin. It is an excellent bet if the dealer is trying to help you by going for a repeat. The winning bet if 22 hits with one dollar on each of the five numbers is: Stake x 35 minus 4 losing chips = +31.

Even the worst spinner in the world spins repeats as a random event anyway, so after 22 has hit once as a winner, you should always add to your stake for the next spin. If the dealer is friendly and appears keen to help and / or to receive your tips, make clear you hope for a repeater (ain't nothin' sweeter!). Personally, I would then place something on the two numbers either side as well

I used the word strictly earlier to define the bet as being on five numbers. A dealer who did well for me and who received generous tips along the way told me he wanted a landing-strip of seven or eight numbers. Some dealers call it their signature. Anyway, I took his advice, covering seven adjacent numbers and until the Pit Boss had him taken off after I started staking twenty-five dollars on each of the numbers (having increased from only 2 dollars), this genius touched down as precisely as a jet on autopilot.

In France, where the dealers are greedy for tips, the older heads are amazingly accurate, spinning slowly to boost their modest salaries. In the better casinos in united states, I have found that even though tipping is banned and so the loyalty of the dealer cannot be bought, many of the older / more experienced dealers do spin neighbours. In some cases, this is down to a signature spin but some take a pride in accuracy to relieve the boredom of spinning for hours each day.

I spoke to a sharp guy of about thirty-five who told me he loved predicting where the next spin would land. He was unable to deliver a neighbour bet by intent. His signature spin was about 25% too long so that the ball landed predictably but not close to the previous number. That is equally useful - and indeed is better because to Inspectors and Pit Bosses, it is less obvious from the number boards that the dealer is spinning into a signature than if the last six numbers have been 34, 17, 22, 22, 5 and 34.

One reason why most players do not believe the concept of neighbour or signature betting is ignorance! Their idea of five close numbers is 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. These are scattered round the wheel and are not neighbours at all. To read a number board and interpret what is happening is essential. It means knowing where the numbers are on the wheel. From this you can spot the repeats and near repeats - but gradually you will pick out the more obscure footprints where the ball will land in a different but predictable part of the wheel each time.

Las Vegas is full of talented dealers who can help. There is more to this than random selection of the first table and dealer you see.

Do not forget this.

Well, that's it for this article. Download your ebook at my website.

Until then, my friend, I wish you all the best!

Publisher's Directions: This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author's information, disclaimer, and an active link (where possible) are included.

Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. The author will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.

How To Extend Your Stay & Play At A Casino

2006-04-15T03:22:00.000-07:00

How To Extend Your Stay & Play At A Casino

If you decided to build a new home, would you start construction without first developing a plan or blueprint? Or would you begin a new business without having a business plan? Would you go to war without knowing your enemy and having a predetermined plan for victory? Well why do you go to the casino without a plan for winning?

Winning is what it is all about. I have never lost money at a casino and felt good about it and if you are honest, neither have you. I work hard for my money and when I go to the casino I want to know I have extended my very best effort towards winning. It is a small consolation when I lose and I do lose a lot but I also win a lot.

Here are a few tips to extend your next gambling vacation or casino day trip:

Plan Your Trip

Make your visit to a casino more enjoyable by calling ahead and finding out what is happening at the casino you plan to visit. Ask questions about available comp promotions and entertainment options. Are tickets available to upcoming shows? Inquire about food establishments, when they are open and if they are offering any specials?

Also never nail yourself to one casino. Find out if there is a neighboring casino. If so, call them and ask them the same questions. You may want to plan a visit there.
If you do plan to visit more than one casino, ask how much rated play is required at your host casino to have your room comped both at Casino Rates and fully comped (If you do not know what I mean by this, read Comps 101 or The Ask Game.).

Count Your Money

Before you go to a casino you should determine how much money you have to spend. Decide how long you plan to stay and divide your money up accordingly. If you have $200 and you plan to stay two days, plan on spending $100 per day.
Or if you only plan to stay several hours you can divide your money by how many hours you staying.

Set your stop losses and stay with them.

Plan Your Play

Plan your play based on your bankroll. How much money you have should dictate how much you can wager on a single hand, throw of the dice or pull of the wheel. Use common sense and decide this before you leave home and stay with it.
You should always have a good knowledge of the game you are playing if you play table games. Start slow and see if you are hot or cold. If you are winning, put some back for later. If you are losing, walk away. The tables will be there all night long. Do not try and create a hot streak.
A good slots system should be studied and used if you play slots. Slots pay in trends. Take your time and look for a trend. Watch what is going on around you and make your decisions based on what you are seeing. If you are winning, put some back for later. If you are losing, walk away. The slots will be there all night long. Do not try to start a trend.

Take A Break

You should have planned other activities when you called ahead to the casino. Stay with your plan. Go to a show or eat your meals when planned. Get away from the action and clear your thoughts. If you have friends at the casino, meet with them and get their opinions about what is happening. My dad always said two heads were better than one even if one is a goat head.

Plan On Taking Money Home

I have visited casinos where every penny I put in the slot was gone with the pull and I was not smart enough to walk out of the casino. Do not be afraid to leave. Many people won't leave a tight casino because they have just got there. You are not there to give your money away. You are there to have a good time and losing every dime you have is not having a good time.
Leaving when you are broke is easy. No decision to make, you just leave. On the other hand, it is hard to head for the door when you are winning. In your planning you should always set a time to go to the room or to go home, win lose or draw.

If every time you hit a jackpot or have a hot streak at the tables you put some of your winning away and do not touch it till you leave the casino, you will never have a long ride home.

Setting a game plan and staying with it requires a lot of self discipline especially in the bright lights and hot action of a casino.

Happy Gambling!

Gambling Comps 101 or The Ask Game

2006-04-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Gambling Comps 101 or The Ask Game

I don't know who did it or when it happened, but someone shortened the word complimentary to comp and made it an industry standard.

In casino language, comps are cash or gifts (freebies) that the casinos give to their customers as a reward for gambling with them. It promotes good will and also entices players to be loyalty to the establishment. In order to get comps from the casinos, you must play the ask game.

Most players think that comps are only for the guest who spend big bucks at the casinos and therefore don't ask for them.

This is wrong. There are many different comps given out by the casinos and it depends on how much money you play which comp you might get.

Casino properties give away everything from free candles to promotions that offer free rooms and food.

A small comp that a casinos gives away to everyone is free drinks. Most casinos will give you a beer or cocktail as long as you are playing. I have seen high rollers ( big money gamblers) ask for special drinks such as a rare Scotch Whiskey and the casino would get it to keep him there and gambling.

There is another comp that is generally easy to obtain and that is Casino Rate. The casinos like you staying and playing on property. They are willing to give you a discount on the hotel room rate and if you play enough you can probably get a full room comp.

In order to qualify for comps you need to do two things:

* First of all you have to get your play rated. This means you must sign up for the casinos player's club and use your card whenever you play the machines. When you play table games you have to ask the pit boss to rate your play.
* The second thing you must do when looking for a comp is to ask for it.
No one will ask if you would like a free meal or a free hotel room, you will have to ask for what you want. If your play qualifies for the comp you are looking for you will get it. If not you are told you don't have enough play. You can then inquire as to how much play is required for the comp you are seeking. Most of the casino employees will bend over backwards to keep you on property and playing.

So to recap:

* Most casinos will give food and beverage comps freely if you ask.
* Some will give the hotel rooms fairly easy during off peak times and sometime during peak times if you ask.
* If you gamble big denominations, the sky could be the limit, if you ask.

A friendly smile and a polite inquiry can land you right in the middle of some very nice freebies. Aways play the ask game when you visit a casino.

Happy Gambling!