Category: Gambling and Casinos

In the exciting world of online poker gaming, players are able to pit their wits against others from anywhere in the world at any time of the day. The game, which has traditionally been associated with skill, mind play and tactical integrity, has evolved to maintain the same skills but to incorporate quicker, faster flowing games. Players have adopted all of the trickery of the standard game and integrated into that of the online version. Bluffing, re-raising and slow playing are all part of the new virtual game. Players still have the same card configurations, the same rules apply, but with the restrictions of the physical game removed, online poker has evolved into a more exciting, fast paced game full of new options and opportunities.

As the game of poker has evolved, so have the opportunities associated with it. Like so many of the online industries, the online poker business has turned to affiliate marketing to spread the message of the individual sites. In a multi-billion dollar industry like that of online poker, the rewards for being an affiliate can be monumental. The affiliate-marketing program not only generates extra custom for the poker sites but also distributes a percentage of the wealth amongst a wider range of online users. With the non-prejudicial way in which website owner are able to become affiliates, there is a space in the market for any user no matter how small their site, or how low the number of hits to join a scheme, and potentially earn some money too.

As with any affiliate program, the affiliate sites only earn money if a person visiting their site clicks on the links within the site and either signs up or purchases an object. In the case of online poker, affiliates must wait until a player follows the link and deposits their first cash into the site. Because not everyone who visits a site is going to want to visit external links, it is in the best interest of the affiliate to promote the site and themselves in order to maximise their own chances of getting custom. Of course this favours larger affiliate sites that can afford to advertise themselves to a far larger audience. But for the everyday Internet user it is not impossible to earn a small percentage of a poker room’s revenue. With each customer attracted earning an affiliate 20 – 35%, it is not hard to see how just a few players can generate enough cash to put a smile on your face. Without overheads and costs that vast advertising campaigns incur, every penny made is essentially profit. Herein lies the beauty of this particular affiliate program. Because it is available to anyone, it is a true online entrepreneurial venture, site owners can earn enough to expand their operations and try new forms of advertising. Just like the surge in online poker rooms has created a boom in that market, it has also made affiliate marketing an attractive proposition. No matter what your area of expertise, your budget or your knowledge the possibility to make money in online poker affiliation programs is available to everybody.

Among the many betting streams practiced by the human beings, horse betting is of historic nature. Human race has been into horse racing from the time immortal when it started domesticating wild horses. This racing cake got the icing from betting. Ask any horse racing bettor – he can’t find such excitement form any other source.

Horse betting is a complex game of observation of understanding, observation, calculation and to a great extent, luck factor. Ask any horse betting expert, and he will tell you – you can’t expect profits rolling in from the first day. In fact, you may have to wait for years to make a great living from this discipline. You can get profits in between, but those will not be sufficient to cover your expenses for the livelihood. Bookmakers use this weakness of yours to their advantage – they will encourage you to place multiple bets. Pros in the business never try to place bets on multiples.

Keeping some money extra for the horse racing betting purposes is a great idea to start betting. This money should be kept aside for this purpose only. This not only offers confidence over a longer period of time, but also doesn’t meddle with your expenses on livelihood. This betting bank can steer you clear of any shortage of funds required for betting.

When you start betting on horse racing, it is always a good idea to start betting on the horse that has won the races earlier. This may not give you huge chunks of profits, it will inculcate a sense of confidence for betting more and becoming successful bettor. Here is a word of caution though – don’t bet on horses which belong to hypes category. Such horses will most likely win the race, but returns on your investments will be too low to be taken into account.

As you know, horses change the class they belong to. Betting on a horse, which has just moved up in the class, may prove to be disastrous. That horse may have been out of league. Look for betting on the horses enjoying recent racing history. Horses with no recent racing history may have been marred because of some injury or illness. This may lower your chances of good returns. Don’t try to bet on each race on the track. Try to be selective with the races, and stick to it for a longer time. When betting on a long distance race, give due weight to jockey as well.

Video poker has been around for over 30 years. It started out when casinos noticed that many people liked to play cards but were too scared to actually sit down at a poker table. Video poker allowed these players to play poker without having to look their opponents in the eye. With the explosion of online casinos Video Poker’s popularity grew exponentially. This growth in turn led to the development of new versions of video poker. Here we’ll take a look at some of the more important developments in the video poker world.

1. Multi Hand Video Poker

Multi Hand Video Poker is like “normal” video poker on steroids. As its name implies, you’re playing more then one hand at a time. Common variations include Jacks or Better (of course), 10’s Or Better, Deuces Wild and more. The Games come in 4, 10, 50, and even 100 hand versions. Multi hand video poker is an exciting twist on standard single hand video poker. Today, most online casinos have at least one multi-hand version.

2. Power Poker

Power Poker is Microgaming’s version of Multi-Hand Video Poker and is probably the most popular multi-hand version on the web. Currently there are 11 different Power Poker Games in 4, 10 and 50 hand versions. Playing Power Poker is like playing the single hand version of the game. You start with the same 5 cards in each hand. You then select the card(s) you wish to hold. The remaining cards are discarded and new cards replace the discarded ones. Winning hands are determined by a redefined payout schedule.

3. Progressive Video Poker

Progressive Video Poker is yet another exciting variation of good old video poker. Progressive Video poker follows the same rules as a non-progressive version of the same game. The difference is in the payout of the royal flush. Often times, progressive jackpots build through multiple casinos, so potentially the pot can be huge. When playing a Progressive machine, it’s crucial to play the max coins on every play, that’s the only way to win the jackpot.

4. Online Poker Rooms

Online Poker is not technically a video poker; however, since there are obvious similarities between the two, I felt a brief overview should be included here. In video poker you are playing against a machine, winning and losing hands are determined by a static payout schedule. However, when you’re playing online poker, you are playing against real people. There is no predetermined payout schedule, you can win as much as your opponents are willing to wager on each hand. Also, and more importantly, Online poker allows you to bluff, meaning in theory, if you’re a good enough bluffer, you can have the worst hand at the table but still win, if you’ve been able to convince your opponents to fold. This is the main reason for the huge popularity in online poker.

Lastly, as you can see, video poker continues to evolve. What started out as a game for would-be poker players who were too intimidated to sit down at a real table, has, with the advent of Online Poker, come full circle. Today a poker player can sit down at a virtual table with players from around the world. Amazing.

Online poker you can play anytime you want — 24/7 365. You can play it in total comfort, right from your own home, wearing whatever you like (or nothing at all), sitting, reclining, or jogging on a treadmill (though we don’t recommend it). You can set the lighting, temperature, and ambience to be just as you like it. In many ways, with online poker you simply have more control.

You have no other people to contend with (at least not in person) — no one hovering over you, talking at you, pushing you, crowding around you, giving you unsought advice, or shooting you nasty looks. You don’t have to smell smoke if you don’t want to. You have no sexy waitresses tempting you with mind-altering drinks and otherwise distracting your attention away from the game at hand (pun completely intended). You don’t have to drive anywhere (and with gas prices what they are, that alone preserves your bankroll tremendously), nor do have to get dressed up or tip your dealer — all of which save you time and money.

Another benefit of online poker is that you can play against people from across the globe. Think about it next time you sit down at an online poker table — not everyone there even speaks the same language. And globetrotting on the internet gives you access to more casinos and poker rooms than you can ever find in one single place, even if that one place happens to be Vegas!
Online poker players get to choose from an inordinate variety of cardrooms, game types, and table stakes. Moments ago, we mentioned the ambience of the environment where you’ll be sitting down with your computer to play online poker (most likely your home), but online poker gives you almost just as much control in determining the ambience of the cardroom itself.

Whether you enjoy an Old West setting, a Hollywood setting, an Egyptian setting, a jungle setting, a resort setting, and on and on…you can almost certainly find an online poker room designed around whatever theme suits your tastes. Likewise, you can find rooms more likely to have more (or less) experienced players, faster (or slower) action, higher (or lower) stakes, etc.

By the same token, however, when playing online poker it also helps to be aware of its perceived disadvantages as compared with playing traditional “offline” poker. A simple awareness of the difference alone can make you a better player.

For one, you don’t get that intimate, face-to-face contact with other human beings. But don’t rule online poker out as a social outlet altogether. More and more online poker rooms are fostering a real sense of community amongst their players with attractive and appealing member’s clubs, player forums, and sponsored land-based events.

For some poker players, the game just isn’t the same without the feel of the cards in your hands and the weight of the chips as you place them in the center of the table (or the sound of them clinking as you pull the pile towards you after a big win). And you can’t substitute a number, however large or small, for the visual impact of the chip stacks — red, blue, and white — increasing or receding in front of you and expect the same effect.

But probably the biggest deal that makes some offline poker players leery of playing online poker is the inability to read the other players. Most expert poker players rely on inadvertent visual cues given by their opponents — tells — as to the actual strength or weakness of their hands. There is something to be said for the amount of information you can glean by simply looking your opponent in the eyes (thus the prevalence of sunglasses at the poker table) and watching their hands, their posture, their facial expressions, etc. Fortunately, however, there are a number of tells you can look for in online poker as well, you just have to know where (and how) to look. But that’s a subject for another article.

As for this article, we leave you with an analogy. If you like going to the theatre for your shows, the arena for your concerts, and the stadium for your games, get thee to a brick-and-mortar casino for your poker playing enjoyment. If you like Tivo though (or if you just ain’t got the dough for the theatre, arena, and stadium tickets), then online poker is your ticket.