Category: Gambling and Casinos

If you’re a Blackjack player or striving to become one, it won’t be long until you hear about counting cards-if you haven’t already heard.

Counting cards in Blackjack will give the good Blackjack player better odds to come out ahead in the long run. It’s not some super-secret formula for winning millions of dollars at Blackjack overnight.

Also, when you count cards, you’re just trying to get a read on what type of cards are left in the deck and not trying to guess what exact card is due next-ala the Rain Man.

Here’s the basic premise. When there’s a great chance that big cards will come out, the win meter swings to your favor. When there’s a great chance that small cards will come out, the win meter swings harder to the dealer.

So, the ideal situation is one in which lots of large cards are left in the deck and in which the probability of those cards coming out is greater. When this happens, you bet larger than normal.

And that’s really the main philosophy. When there are greater numbers of small cards left, reduce your wager. When there are greater numbers of large cards left, bet bigger. That doesn’t mean you bet $5 on one hand and $5,000 the next. A typical swing might be $5-$15. But, you’ll need to decide this for yourself.

Counting cards doesn’t work online. Why? Well, online casinos shuffle their deck(s) for each hand-unless noted somewhere. Since they do this, counting is of no value.

In the real world, you’ll typically find that counting pays off as decks get smaller. But here’s the catch. To count successfully, you must be able to see all the cards. That’s right. If the player next to you just tosses in his or her card face down, you’ve lost an edge. The more it happens, the worse your count will be.

Let’s dispel one false misconception about counting cards right now. You don’t need to be a math genius to do it. Can you count from 0 to 2 and from 0 to -2? If so, you’re talented enough. All you need to do is practice.

The first time you go out to count, it’s best to play with a small table. Also, if you can find a game that deals the cards face up, you’ll have an easier time learning.

Remember, counting cards by itself does absolutely nothing. If you’re a poor Blackjack player, counting cards won’t help you win. In fact, it can help you lose more money and faster. Counting cards in Blackjack is a tool to aid those who understand the game and can play it properly.

How do you count cards? We’ll go over that in another article.

I was going to come on here yesterday and give you my usual dose about how the smart guys were begging the public to take the Suns and the +7 points as they knew the sharp money would be all over the Mavericks.

The problem for me this spring is that I have been burned (no pun intended) by the Suns far too many times against the Lakers, Clippers and the Mavs that I have stopped betting this series.

Last night we were midway through the third quarter and Tim Thomas was putting on a shooting clinic and the Suns up tempo and distribution game was working to a charm for their whining coach Mike D’Antoni.

Then the wheels fell off or fatigue set in!

The stars for both teams and former teammates and best friends Dike Nowitzkie and Steve Nash have taken turns in this series dominating games and then having less then stellar ones. Last night it was the 7-foot German boy who torched the Suns for 50 points on 14-26 shooting, 5-6 from outside the arc and astonishing 17-18 free throws.

Meanwhile the feisty Canuck Nash look battered and beaten near games end and the 20 points he scored are misleading as he was just 5-17 from the field and 9 of those points came from the charity stripe.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0602sunsgamer0602.html If you recall I mentioned last month that the Suns were developing a reputation around the NBA as whiners and complainers and I suggested that their coach D’Antoni should lay off the refs. Last night the game was seesawing in the fourth quarter when Raja Bell decided to deliver another cheap shot and both he and his coach got hit with technicals. Dirk sank the two freebies and then hit a jumper for a huge 4-point play.

As I expected the linemakers are hoping the public will get sentimental tomorrow and bet with their heart by backing Stevie and his mates. The Vegas boys know the wise guy money will be all over Mr. Cuban’s lads and thus the line sits at Phoenix -1. Not with my money!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Defining Poker Players
Being able to read poker players is a talent that takes time to recognize, but the more experience you have playing poker, the more you will pick up on the character styles of players. Basically, there are three main types of players:

1. The Aggressive Player
2. The Conservative Player
3. The Juvenile Player

The following is what you can expect when coming across each type of these players:

The Aggressive Player

Aggressive players will do everything in their power to manipulate and put pressure on you to try and get you to do what they want. They usually will choose to raise or fold, which will affect other players by pressuring them to call or muck.

Great aggressive players show a lot of confidence, and can be unnerving opponents when the stakes are high. If you give them the chance, they will control your every move and will take all of your money.

The only way to outsmart the aggressive player is to not let them intimidate you, and learn how to play their game. Know your cards, know the other players and give the aggressor a taste of their own medicine.

The Conservative Player
The conservative player is a player who only takes necessary risks, and will not foolishly bet if the cards aren’t right. The conservative player is one who knows the rules inside and out, and has an excellent memory and analyzing skill. If he or she has the hand with the best odds, they will sneak up without the other players suspecting them to take the pot.

When playing against a conservative player, you will find that they will fold more often than take a risk, so be wary of the quiet opponent who stays within the hand carefully checking and calling in the first few rounds, only to raise the stakes in the later rounds.

The conservative player is a very tactical opponent, and like the aggressive player should never be underestimated.

The Juvenile Player
The juvenile player is probably the easiest player to recognize, as their poker style is incredibly immature, abrasive, cocky, overacting, careless and foolish. The juvenile player will seldom win any of the bigger pots, takes stupid risks and is usually the first to lose all of their money.

Just by the above description it should come as no surprise that these players are disliked and not respected by other players. They are easy to take advantage of, so use them as a way to gain a high chip advantage early in the game. The quicker these players are out of the game, the more money you will have to play with.

To learn more about online poker strategies – please visit: http://www.pokerscrubs.com

Montreal, Quebec, Canada June 30 2008 (PressReleasePoint): With the growth of the online gaming industry, DealtoPlay.com has stepped up and brought visual tutorials to their audience. Jan Balslev and his software development team at Online-Casinos have created the tutorials that bring the teacher right to the viewers computer screen. Viewers could learn the best way to play casino games with flash based animated visual tutorials. Using voice over technology, all aspects of the game are explained by a person.

“We want our members to be well versed in the casino games they play and not make easily avoidable mistakes. Building a solid foundation will allow them to increase their odds to win. These tutorials are designed to show them just how to do that.”

When people think about how to learn to play casino games, many will tell you “That’s easy, just Google it.” That’s not the case. There is a jungle of sites out there with information leading casino and poker players in all directions making it difficult for the viewer to build a solid enough foundation to be able to play right away at a game they’re not familiar with. Lucas Goldman explains “It’s difficult to learn in an easy to understand way how to play most games. Online Casinos has created a great tool that will allow viewers to learn the basics then apply them in practice right away. We want our audience to have the option to play games they might not have known how to play but were curious about. ”

This sort of content is potent and just what online gamblers are on the lookout for. The tutorials literally walk viewers through the rules step by step on how to play Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Video Poker, Hold’em Poker, Omaha Poker and 7 Card Stud. The tutorials are clean, concise and almost anybody could easily understand exactly what’s being taught. “We are a social networking site designed for online casino and poker players. Incorporating learning devices specifically designed to make them better allows us to increases the value of their overall experience not just at our site, but as gamers.”

Learning how to play the games is the first step towards responsible gaming. Members of DealtoPlay.com could use these tutorials then go straight to the tables at whichever online casino / poker room they choose.

Tutorials are available to members only, but membership is free and takes under a minute to complete thus making the tutorials easily accessible to all gamers. In addition to the tutorials, members have access to the forums, chat, custom profiles and the ability to create a custom blog. A sample craps tutorial is accessible from their homepage for anybody to view. Time to go back to class! Visit DealtoPlay.com for more information.