Category: Gambling and Casinos

Suffice to say the “Diesel” Shaquille O’Neal has the weight of the state of Florida on his shoulders as he prepares for game three in Miami tonight. After the worst performance of his career five points on Sunday, 22 in 2 games, 2 for 17 foul shooting and oh yes outrebounded 13-6 by Mavericks Eric Dampier.

Dampier came to the Mavericks three years ago and signed a hefty $70 million contract at which time O’Neal suggested that “Erica” would be a star but he would have to play in the WNBA to do it. Needless to say O’Neal has enjoyed taking shots at the underachieving Dampier the past few seasons, but now it looks like turnaround is fair play!

You only have to look at the rebound total the past two games for Shaq to realize he has been missing in action, as his 13 in two games is 3 short of what Dirk Nowitzkie had in game 2 alone. Big players are supposed to perform in big games and O’Neal has been a bust and it is about time that he showed up ready to play.

That being said regardless of how Shaq and Dwyane Wade do Tuesday night, my gut feeling is that Antoine Walker must go off in a big way if Miami is to narrow the deficit in the series. Walker received a pair of All-Star berths in seven years in Boston, but has seen his role reduced in stints with Dallas, Atlanta and Miami over the last three years!

However, Walker has been a consistent scorer thus far in the Finals. He is averaging 18.5 points while shooting 43 percent (15-of-34) from the field, including 7-of-16 from the arc. He has added 10 rebounds and six assists but also has eight turnovers, including six in Game One.

The Heat are 7-0 in this years playoffs when they score over 100 points and even if Wade and O’Neal combine for 60, they will need major numbers from Walker who is capable of scoring 30+.

If however they lose the board battle, this series is over!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Basketball is the all-time favorite sport. It is played by all age groups, at all levels. Due to this popularity, now basketball season continues throughout the year either in the form of NBA or NCAA. But college basketball has captured the market. People can’t wait for the basketball season to start. With college basketball, they enjoy basketball round the year. And similarly college basketball betting. College basketball betting is the most popular form of sportsbetting. Because college Basketball is the most exhilarating sport to bet on. It gives more betting opportunities because of shear number of games played. With more than 200 Division I-A schools, you can be assured of being able to find some action any night you want throughout the year.

Description of basketball betting is incomplete without online betting. Online college basketball betting is no longer a thing of the future but something of the present. It’s safe, reliable, easy, and can be done by anyone with a computer and an Internet connection. A large number of online sportsbooks are available on the internet which provides online college basketball betting services 24*7. With greatest online basketball betting lines, live bet odds, Las Vegas point spreads and fastest payouts, online college basketball betting is simply jubilant. Affordable betting lines with all types of bets are also available online. Select an online college basketball betting lines either with point spread or money lines, and bet on college basketball online.

Don’t rate online college basketball betting for convenience and security. It is more than that! Online sportsbook are complete sports betting guides and perfect sports betting place. If you think that what should you do and what should you know for intelligent betting then you can get all this for free from online sportsbook. College basketball betting odds, college basketball betting lines, college basketball betting picks and NCAA basketball ATS standings – Every thing to give you a perfect and unforgettable basketball betting experience. With online college basketball betting, you start earning money even before starting the betting. Different promotional bonuses like free sign up bonuses, 1/2 prices, reloads give real college basketball betting fun and excitement.

Online college basketball betting is really amazing if you are on the winning side. And is terrible if you are on the other side. The best way to increase your earnings from basketball betting is to develop a basketball betting guide. Contrary to the usual belief that betting solely depends on chance and luck, a little mathematics and some proven game strategies can turn the game in one’s favor. In fact, it can guarantee a good payout. Good handicapping/ picking winner, money management and line value is the base of wise college basketball betting.

NCAA basketball gives basketball fun and basketball betting throughout the year. With internet, you can bet on all NCAA tournaments. And it is quite easy and simple also. So select an online college basketball line and bet online.

One of my favorite variations of traditional video poker is deuces wild. In this great alteration of the original, the deuces are like “jokers” and can become any card you want. Speaking of jokers, Jokers Wild is another version of video poker. It’s my second favorite. The payouts are pretty much the same, but there are some differences.

Since there are four deuces in the deck, the minimum payout is on three of a kind hands. Jacks or better don’t apply here. The strategy for playing deuces wild are different than traditional video poker as you can see. One major difference is that there are two royal flushes. The first one is the traditional one and it pays the best. The second one uses one or more deuces to complete it and that pays not too much. Why? Well, since there are four deuces, getting a royal flush with one of them is a snap. You’ll get 100 or more easy before getting a “real” royal flush.

The payback on deuces wild machines tend to be very good. 98%+ with optimal play is a reality. As always, check the payback percent of any deuces wild machine before playing. The payback percent varies from machine to machine even in the same casino. It’s not uncommon for a 100% payback machine to be positioned right next to a 94% payback machine. And it varies in the online casino world as well.

Deuces wild machines function the same way as all video poker machines. You can play one or more coins per hand. And as always, you want to max out your coins. If you don’t, you’ll lose a fortune when you hit the big hand. Once the cards are dealt, hold what you want by hitting the hold button and then hit the deal button for your new cards. After this, the hand is complete and you’re paid if warranted. Pretty simple stuff and you already know this if you’ve played any video poker before.

Deuces wild, just like any “wild” video poker game, has more payout points than traditional video poker. The three extra payout points are: royal flush with a deuce, five of a kind, and four deuces. Payout on the five of a kind is usually about 75 coins for a 5-coin bet. It varies, so check your machine.

The four deuces is the big hand, just under a real royal flush. The payout varies by machine, but you’re usually looking at 200 coins per coin bet on this hand, which is just under the 250 coins paid for a real royal. Some machines offer progressive payouts too. I’ve even seen machines paying 500 coins per coin bet too.

In the end, I recommend trying out all types of video poker to find your love. Deuces wild is a great place to start.

Up to this point we’ve talked about Caribbean Stud Poker’s layout basics, typical hand play and some other entry-level information. Today, we’ll continue the discussion by venturing into payouts. After all, that’s the best part, right? We’ll start with Caribbean Stud Poker hand payouts and finish with a segment about progressive payouts. Let’s get started.

As you know from our previous segment, the dealer must qualify for you to be paid on your raise wagers. Antes are always paid even money. Here’s a handy listing of what raise wagers are paid when the dealer’s hand rank is an Ace-King or better.

One Pair: paid even money. Ex: $10 is paid $10.
Two Pair: paid 2x your raise. Ex: $10 is paid $20.
Three of a Kind: paid 3x your raise. Ex: $10 is paid $30.
Straight: paid 4x your raise. Ex: $10 is paid $40.
Flush: paid 5x your raise. Ex: $10 is paid $50.
Full House: paid 7x your raise. Ex: $10 is paid $70.
Four of a Kind: paid 20x your raise. Ex: $10 is paid $200.
Straight Flush: paid 50x your raise. Ex: $10 is paid $500.
Royal Flush: paid 100x your raise. Ex: $10 is paid $1,000.

Here’s an important note. These payouts are not globally applied. Each casino may have different payouts. For instance, I once saw an online casino that paid 200x on the Royal Flush and 6x on a Full House. Shop around. That’s vital for the progressives.

The real money in Caribbean Stud Poker is won via the progressives. These payouts vary from casino to casino, so shop around to find the best deal. Some will pay less on a Royal Flush, but a lot more on a Four of a Kind. Also keep in mind that these payouts are always made regardless of the dealer’s hand. It’s $1 per hand to get locked into the progressives.

Here’s an example setup for a Caribbean Stud Poker progressive:

Flush: Payout of $50 – $100.
Full House: Payout of $75 – $250.
Four of a Kind: Payout of $100 – $500 (see, shop around).
Straight Flush: 10% of the current progressive jackpot amount. Ex: progressive is $50,000 so the payout would be $5,000.
Royal Flush: The big boy. It pays the whole progressive.

If you read any decent book on casino gambling, it will probably tell you that the progressive is a bad wager. But, they obviously haven’t been sitting at a Caribbean Stud Table and received a Four of a Kind only to see the dealer not qualify. To me, it’s a small price to pay for insurance.

In our last part of this series, we’ll talk about hand rankings and perhaps look at some strategy for winning.