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Online casinos

There are a large number of online casinos, in which people can play casino games such as Roulette, Blackjack, Craps, and many others. These games are played against the “house”, which makes money due to the fact that the odds are slightly in its favour. Some unscrupulous sites have been proven to offer rigged games, which are less mathematically fair than they appear.

Online poker

There are a large number of online poker rooms which offer various games of Poker, most commonly Texas hold ‘em, but also Omaha, Seven-card stud, and other game types. Players play against each other, with the “house” making its money through the “rake”.

Online sports betting

Several major bookmakers offer fixed-odds gambling over the internet, with gamblers typically betting on the results of sporting events.
A relatively new internet innovation is the bet exchange, which allows individuals to place bets with each other (with the “house” taking a small commission).

Funds Transfers

Typically, gamblers upload funds to the online gambling company, make bets or play the games that it offers, and then cash out any winnings. European gamblers can often fund gambling accounts by credit card or debit card, and cash out winnings directly back to the card.
Because of the questionable legality of online gambling in the United States, however, U.S. credit cards frequently fail to be accepted. However, a number of intermediary companies - such as Firepay, Neteller, and Moneybookers - offer accounts with which (among other things) online gambling can be funded. Casino operators and online poker rooms often offer incentives for using these ‘alternative payment methods’.
Payment by cheque and wire transfer is also common.

General legal issues

Online gambling is legal and regulated in many countries including the United Kingdom and several nations in and around the Caribbean Sea.
The United States Federal Appeals Courts has ruled that the Federal Wire Act prohibits electronic transmission of information for sports betting across state lines. There is no law prohibiting gambling of any other kind.
Some states have specific laws against online gambling of any kind. Also, owning an online gaming operation without proper licensing would be illegal, and no states are currently granting online gaming licenses.
The government of the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, which licenses Internet gambling entities, made a complaint to the World Trade Organization about the U.S. government’s actions to impede online gaming.

The Caribbean country won the preliminary ruling but WTO’s appeals body has partially reversed that favorable ruling in April, 2005. The appeals decision effectively allowed state laws prohibiting gambling in Louisiana, Massachusetts, South Dakota and Utah. However, the appeals panel also ruled that the United States may be violating global trade rules because its laws regulating horse-racing bets were not applied equitably to foreign and domestic online betting companies. The panel also held that certain online gambling restrictions imposed under US federal laws were inconsistent with the trade body’s GATS services agreement.

In March 2003, Deputy Assistant Attorney General John G. Malcolm testified before the Senate Banking Committee regarding the special problems presented by online gambling. A major concern of the United States Department of Justice is online money laundering. The anonymous nature of the Internet and the use of encryption make it especially difficult to trace online money laundering transactions.

In April 2004 Google and Yahoo!, the internet’s two largest search engines, announced that they were removing online gambling advertising from their sites. The move followed a United States Department of Justice announcement that, in what some say is a contradiction of the Appeals Court ruling, the Wire Act relating to telephone betting applies to all forms of Internet gambling, and that any advertising of such gambling “may” be deemed as aiding and abetting. Critics of the Justice Department’s move say that it has no legal basis for pressuring companies to remove advertisements and that the advertisements are protected by the First Amendment. As of April 2005, Yahoo! has provided advertising for “play money” online gaming.

In February 2005 the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize and regulate online poker and online poker cardroom operators in the State. Testifying before the State Senate, the CEO of one online cardroom, Paradise Poker, pledged to relocate to the state if the bill became law. However, the measure was defeated by the State Senate in March 2005. Jim Kasper, the Representative who sponsored the bill, plans a 2006 ballot initiative on the topic.

Problem gambling

Because the internet brings gambling right into a player’s home, there is concern that online gambling increases the level of problem gambling. In the United States, the link between availability and problem gambling was investigated in 1999 by the National Gambling Impact Study, which found that “the presence of a gambling facility within 50 miles roughly doubles the prevalence of problem and pathological gamblers”. If this finding is correct, it is reasonable to expect that easy access to gambling online would also increase problem gambling.

That same report noted the possibility that “the high-speed instant gratification of Internet games and the high level of privacy they offer may exacerbate problem and pathological gambling”. Bernie Horn, of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, testified before Congress that the availability of online gambling “magnifies the potential destructiveness of the addiction”.

Joe Boggs, a seasoned Online Gambler and active contributor to Bet Easy website, where the Best Gambling Recommendations are covered more in-depth.

What does the word “Gamble” mean to you?

For the average player the word “gambling” means much more than a risky bet. It can stand for just about anything from vacationing, Las Vegas, and even fun. Devised earlier than 3000 years ago, gambling was well documented to have existed in many civilizations. The games we know today are the incarnations of former ones, with adjusted rules. For the length of time gambling was invented, players have always seemed obsessed with trying to use various gambling strategies for games. However, Casinos have always had the mathematical advantage along with an adamant need for stopping the smart player. It has forever become a vicious cycle of exploitive players vs. casinos catching up.

Today, gambling doesn’t even need to be played at Las Vegas or any other casino chains.

Now for those of you who live under rocks or live in a time warp may say, “Wait….outside of Casinos?”

Well you see…

1. In-flight Gambling: Eflyte has been developing in-flight gaming and continues to spread its influence on many airlines. Currently they have the world’s first Multiplayer Poker Tournament along with over 60 games for airplanes. Ceo of Ryanair will also attempt use in-flight gaming by next year. Now casino gambling may be common on cruises, but it’s a breakthrough for airlines.

2. Mobile phones can also be used to buy lotteries and sports betting nowadays. If certain restrictions are lifted, it could even mean much more growth in its use.

3. Internet Casinos are also another medium in which gambling doesn’t seem to stop growing; despite being forced to open offshore from the US. This isn’t necessarily bad of course.

The gambling industry is on a growing trend and it doesn’t seem to stop anywhere in sight. Of course, this naturally means that more and more people will be hooked and continue losing to the casinos.

Even the strategic players are screwed over at times with certain technologies being developed. Some casinos even started to implement tracking devices in chips to catch card counters. Those days of Ken Uston and counting machines are getting harder to come by since casinos already know about the gambling strategies used. New mediums such as electronic gambling can stop card counting dead in it’s track.

Winning through strategy can still be done, just as internet marketing can still make some rich. Yet being particular savvy to news and gambling strategy alike can immensely help the professional gambler. That is, unless gambling is only treated as a simple recreation. Otherwise, the best a player can do is to read up on forums and reference news sources for any changes in their gambling strategy.

Owner of a gambling strategy site known as www.gambling-wizard.com. Covering gambling news, blackjack, casinos, sports betting, bonus hunting, and more.

Americans play Poker in many places such as in casino card rooms, online and at home. It is estimated over $170 million in bets are made through online casinos everyday and this figure may double by 2006.

Poker has been a popular card game for years, possibly the most popular casino game. Nowadays, most of the online casinos have some form of Poker. Even television has jumped on the bandwagon with shows such is the World Series of Poker and Hollywood Celebrity Poker just to name a few. There are all kinds of Poker tournaments played almost everywhere in world.

A new magazine, “Bluff Magazine” has been created for online Poker lovers. It is very popular especially with the younger generation.

Poker, just like every other game, requires skills in order to play. Basic know how is not enough. It is imperative to develop strategy if you want to win. This is when a good casino portal comes in, like CasinoCafe.com or our sister site GamblingCove.com. Both offer poker site reviews, tips and tutorials on how to play poker.

Actually, some feel it is easier to play at an online casino; the reason being you don’t face the other players. Your opponents can’t see your expressions which makes it difficult to perseive your moves.

There’s no doubt in my mind that online casinos have played a big role in the Poker explosion. Let’s face it, poker is BIG, it’s getting bigger everyday and it’s here to stay.

HAPPY BETTING!

Tony Karabetsos is a webmaster of Gambling Cove an Online Casinos Portal with articles reviews and information related to online casinos.
http://www.gamblingcove.com

Poker is one of the few games where a player is judged a winner based on how much money they have won, not by the number of hands that they have won. While Poker is very much a game of acquired skills and not luck, this doesn’t mean that a beginner can’t also be a winner. This is what makes poker such a popular card game.

As a beginning player, there are some tips that can be followed to increase your chances of winning at the table. For example, it is very important to know when and when not to bet. Being able to learn a few tricks of the game, watching how other players make their moves and above all, taking responsibility for your own actions as well as for your own play are important skills to learn. It is also a good idea for new poker players to keep a log, of sorts, of the games played and how they performed.

One of the most enjoyable parts of playing poker, as a beginner, is to learn the tricks of the game. Keep in mind that as a new player, you probably won’t learn anything that will fool a seasoned cardholder, but you can certainly use them against your buddies on Saturday night. It is important to note that over using these tricks and tips can quickly become a disadvantage to your game. Tricks are nice, but should be used only when they can help you win and not just because they are fun to perform during the game.

Probably the most important trick that you can ever learn when playing poker, is to know when to bet and when to hold on to your money. When a good set of cards are dealt to you, it’s exciting and you may be tempted to bet larger than what you should. It is always wise, after you make a small opening bet, to sit back and observe your fellow players, try to see what they have going on. If need be, fold, even on a good hand. If you don’t learn when to fold, you won’t win very often. It is especially important for a new player to learn when to stop upping the pot; just because you “think” you can win it. Your opponents will gladly take your money.

Observation of the other players is also an important part of winning at the game of poker. The most effective way to learn how to win at poker is to find someone who is great at the game and watch what they are doing. Watch the fact that the veterans don’t use their bag of tricks on every hand, how they bet and that it is not every time their turn comes around, they wait. Pay attention to the fact that when they feel that their hand is turning cold, they stop betting.

For the newer players, it is important to be accountable for how they are playing. It is too easy in this game to blame a loss on a string of bad luck. This way of thinking will get you into trouble faster than anything else. Be responsible, realize that poker is a skill game, that you control how you use or don’t use the cards you are given.

A great way to learn to be responsible for your play is by keeping a chart, or a log, of how you are playing your games. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy; you are the only one who will see it. However, the log should keep track of the players, the time of the game, the money involved and what you think your strengths or weakness were during that particular game. You are looking for a way to improve your poker skills for the next time you square off against these same opponents.

For online poker news and local poker games, please visit http://www.poker-weblog.com/

We have all heard a handicapper or sports gambler boast of their ability to win at a 60% or better clip. Is it possible to win at that percentage over a short period of time? Absolutely. If someone is able to maintain that winning percentage over the course of years – enjoy your riches, and I wish you all the luck in the world. Now the truth. It’s not going to happen - forget it, 60% is nearly impossible over any substantial length of time. 55%, maybe, but anyone who claims a 60% win rate over multiple sports and seasons is simply lying – or they are betting a very small number of games. Don’t give up yet however. Below I will show that winning 54 out of every 100 games (54%) can turn a nice profit.

The example below will examine the attainable profits from different amounts a games wagered and different winning percentages of those games. For the sake of argument
someone could claim that they have hit 60% winners betting on sports the past three years, for example. But if they only bet 10 games a year – 30 total over the three year span – and they win 18 of those, I guess they have the right to claim they can handicap sports at a 60% win rate. Technically correct, but a very weak claim.

Wager size $110

Betting $110 to win $100

60% winning percentage over 30 games

18 winners = $1800

12 losers = $1320

Profit = $480

For someone who claims to pick 60% winners over the past three years, and is betting roughly $100 a game – a $480 profit does not look all that impressive. So much for that impressive 60% winning percentage.

Let us now look at a different example. A guy claims that he has hit a conservative 54% of his games over the past 3 years (52.38% is the break even point). However, over the course of that time he bets roughly 3 games per day on all major sports. His total games bet would be 3285 over that time span. Let’s examine his numbers using the same bet size as the so called 60% bettor.

Wager size $110

Betting $110 to win $100

54% winning percentage over 3285 games

1774 winners = $177400

1511 losers = $166210

Profit = $11,190

You can see from these simple examples that it is important to not only look at winning percentages, but also the number of games wagered and the bet size to realistically analyze potential profits. Be sure to take this into account when analyzing your bets, or when you hear outrageous claims of 60% or better winning percentage over a long period of time.

Good luck with your wagers, and I wish you the best of luck this year!

Corey Bachmeier is the owner of http://www.SportsGamblersEdge.com and provides quality free sports gambling content, Premium selections and packages, offshore sports book recommendations, sports betting radio, and more – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BE A WINNER! Corey can be contacted via his website should you have further questions or comments regarding his website or any of his articles.

The resurrection of the lottery has been less than understated
and discrete, and there are more and more adverts and games for
people to take part in. Some people see the lottery as a root to
evil and an argument used in conflicting lotteries is that they
signify the monotony and greediness of the present day.

It has been also said that legal gambling eventually leads to
illegal gambling. Contesters of the Lottery see legitimate
state-sponsored gambling obliterating moral principles by
endorsing the beliefs of “easy money” over hard work. Enemies of
such, point to the actions of employees, being disrespectful to
their bosses after winning the lottery.

There is also the argument that once huge funds have been won,
one does not have the experience and maturity, to handle such a
big fortune. This “handling of funds” is something that comes
with time. The poor may be encouraged into to spending money on
the lottery rather than basic rations, leaving local and state
government to help support the needy in times of crisis.

But, followers refer to the lottery as a painless tax. Capital
is given to good causes through people having fun. Lotteries are
distinguished because they re-establish consumer independence,
allowing people to spend money on what they desire.

There are some of the reasons why lotteries all over the world
have grown and gained in popularity. Firstly, tickets have
fallen in price, especially when you consider the rate of
inflation. The number of local and national outlets has
increased, so you can get hold of a ticket almost any where.
Online lotteries are available 24 hours a day and you can take
part in lottery games from all over the world, see
http://www.lottery24.net/ for an example. Also, the size of
grand prizes has grown, so there is a lot more incentive to want
to play. Currently the Euro millions lottery is still going with
an estimated $230 million jackpot looming. The occurrence of
draws has increased massively, because there are so many
different types of games now, and also, the payout rate has
increased, although in contrast to past times, it has decreased.

There is an element of fun that can come out of playing the
lottery, with the help of syndicates and other lottery
strategies; there just isn’t as much risk in taking part in the
lottery as there would casino or higher stake gambling games.
The lottery simply represents amusement that is not detrimental
to the pocket.

Playing craps online is fast moving fun and exciting game, with surprisingly good odds for a game of chance and the house edge is far less than in roulette for example.

Many novice players are put off playing craps online, as it appears to be complicated the reality however is craps is actually an easy game play.

So let’s look at how to play craps online and how you can pile up some nice profits by playing the bets with the best odds of success.

Playing craps online rules

When you are rolling the dice you are the “shooter”. Your first toss in a round of Craps is called the Come Out roll.

If you roll a 7 or 11, you win and the round is finished before it has started.

If you roll 2, 3, or 12 that’s a Craps and you lose and just like the example above the game is over.

Any other number becomes the Point. The purpose of the Come Out roll is to set the Point, which can be any of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10.

The Dealer puts a puck marked “On” above the Point number place on the table.

Playing craps online Objective of the Game

The basic objective in Craps is for the shooter to win by tossing the Point again before he tosses a 7. That 7 are called Out 7 to differentiate it from the 7 on the Come Out roll.

If the Point is tossed, the shooter and his fellow bettors win and the round is over.

If the shooter tosses Out 7, they lose and the round is over. If the toss is not the Point or the Out 7, the round carries on and the dice continue to roll.

Playing craps online betting and payoffs

When playing craps online, you will see a lot of bets but only one good one and that’s the bet top focus on, as it has the best odds of success of any game of chance.

Pass bets

The simplest bet is a Pass bet.

It is placed on the Pass Line before the Come Out roll.

If the round goes past the Come Out roll, the player is betting on the chance that they roll the Point again before they roll an Out 7. Pass bets win at odds of 1:1.

Pass bets are generally betting with the shooter.

Pass bettors are referred to as betting “right”. They are with the shooter in his attempt to win to the game.

Win: If on the Come Out roll if the dice show 7 or 11. Win on any subsequent roll if you roll the Point.

Lose: If on the Come Out roll if the dice are Craps (2, 3, or 12). Lose on any subsequent roll if it’s an Out 7.

Don’t Pass bets

A bet placed on the Don’t Pass line is the mirror opposite of a Pass bet.

If the round goes past the Come Out roll, the player is betting that the shooter will roll Out 7 before making the Point.

In don’t pass bets the player is betting against the shooter and this is called a “wrong” bet.

Win: If on the Come Out roll if the dice show Craps (2, 3 or 12). Win on any subsequent roll if it’s an Out
7.

Lose: If on the Come Out roll of 7 or 11. Lose on any subsequent roll if it’s the Point.
Come/Don’t Come bets

Come and Don’t Come bets are the same as Pass and Don’t Pass but they are placed while a round is in progress.

They are there for players who join the game and play craps online late and the same rules are relevant.

Win if the next roll is 7 or 11, lose if it’s Craps. Otherwise the roll becomes the Come Point.
Odds bets

An Odds bet is a backup bet on a Pass/Don’t Pass/Come/Don’t Come bet already on the table.

They’re usually limited to two or three times (2x or 3x) the original bet and pay off at true odds:

The payoff and odds reflects the probability of the dice’s roll and there’s no additional house edge involved, which does not happen in these bets - original Pass/Don’t Pass/Come/Don’t Come bets.

Pass Odds / Come Odds payout 2:1 on a roll of 4 or 10, 3:2 on 5’s and 9’s, and 6:5 on 6’s and 8’s.

Don’t Pass Odds / Don’t Come Odds payout 1:2 on a roll of 4 or 10, 2:3 on 5’s and 9’s, 5:6 on 6’s and 8’s.

Other bets

Now for the rest of the table bets that include:

The Place Number bets and Proposition bets.

The odds against you here are woeful and if you play craps online you should not consider them unless you want to lose!

A Place Number bet is where players are betting that a specific number will roll before a 7 does, or vice versa.

These include the Place, Buy, Lay and Lose bets, the Big 6 and Big 8, and the Hard 4, Hard 6, Hard 8 and

Hard 10.

The Proposition bet is where the player bets that the next roll will be a specific number.

These include the 2, 3, 7, 11, and 12 bets, the Any Craps bet, the Field, Hop and Horn bets.

Playing craps online best bets

When playing craps online the bests to place are pass and don’t pass bets.

These are the only bets you need unless you’re feeling lucky and want some fun on one of the other bets - Don’t be tempted unless you’re playing for fun.

By playing the bets below with full odds you will have the house edge as small as it can be against you i.e you have the best odds you can when playing craps online.

Odds Bets

The craps odds bet is the best bet there is when playing craps online as there is no house edge. The bet is not listed on the craps layout (wonder why!) but this is the bet to play.

After a passline bet is made, the casino allows you to make an additional bet known as an odds bet.

This bet is placed behind your original passline bet on the table.

When a shooter makes his point, you are paid even money for your passline bet but you are paid the true odds for you odds bet.

If the point is 4 or 10 your win is paid 2 to 1.

If the point is 5 or 9 your win is paid 3 to 2.

If the point is 6 or 8 your win is paid 6 to 5.

Most online casinos also allow you to take double odds on your passline bet.

For example, if you put $40 on the passline, you would be able to place an odds bet of double i.e. $80.
The passline bets house edge is 1.41%.

When you place an additional odds bet, you lower the house edge on your passline bet.

A passline bet with single odds has a house edge of 0.85% and with double odds the edge is further to just 0.61%

Playing craps online Best Bets

When playing craps online there really are only two bets to focus on as we said before that have great odds and they are:

For right bettors are pass and come bets with full odds on both.

For wrong bettors are don’t pass and don’t come with full odds on both.

Craps good odds for a game of chance

When playing craps online for the first time you may be confused by the number of options open to you but as you will have seen above there is really only one good way to bet.

Dice games have fascinated man for centuries, we all love the excitement and fun they provide. With the rise of online casinos and the chance to play craps online, more players than ever are discovering the unique thrill a game of craps provides.

This is part 4 of a multipart series of articles regarding proposed anti-gambling legislation. In this article, I continue the discussion of the reasons claimed to make this legislation necessary, and the facts that exist in the real world, this time discussing the “drain on the economy”, and money laundering.

The legislators are trying to protect us from something, or are they? The whole thing seems a little confusing to say the least.

As mentioned in the previous article, the House, and the Senate, are once again considering the issue of “Online Gambling”. Bills have been submitted by Congressmen Goodlatte and Leach, and also by Senator Kyl.

The bill being put forward by Rep. Goodlatte, The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, has the stated intention of updating the Wire Act to outlaw all forms of online gambling, to make it illegal for a gambling business to accept credit and electronic transfers, and to force ISPs and Common Carriers to block access to gambling related sites at the request of law enforcement.

Just as does Rep. Goodlatte, Sen. Kyl, in his bill, Prohibition on Funding of Unlawful Internet Gambling, makes it illegal for gambling businesses to accept credit cards, electronic transfers, checks and other forms of payment for the purpose on placing illegal bets, but his bill does not address those that place bets.

The bill submitted by Rep. Leach, The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, is basically a copy of the bill submitted by Sen. Kyl. It focuses on preventing gambling businesses from accepting credit cards, electronic transfers, checks, and other payments, and like the Kyl bill makes no changes to what is currently legal, or illegal.

Previously, I discussed a quote from Goodlatte “Jack Abramoff’s total disregard for the legislative process has allowed Internet gambling to continue thriving into what is now a twelve billion-dollar business which not only hurts individuals and their families but makes the economy suffer by draining billions of dollars from the United States and serves as a vehicle for money laundering.”

In that article I covered the comments about Jack Abramoff, and damage to individuals and the family.

Also included in that quote is a comment that online gambling drains billions of dollars from the US economy.

There are a few problems with this statement.

If you were to assume, as these politicians seem to, that online gambling consists of Americans putting money in and the off-shore gambling businesses taking money out, then they would have a completely valid point. However, just as in any industry, there are primary businesses and there are secondary, tertiary, etc. businesses involved. For instance, the online gambling organizations spend millions of dollars on advertising of various types, which goes back into the American economy.

In spite of obvious thinking to the contrary, Americans more than occasionally win money from individuals in other countries, or win prize money put up by the gambling businesses, thus draining funds from those economies which are then spent in America. The gambling businesses also routinely give back to the players in the form of bonuses, prizes and gifts, which also go back into the economy.

Even if we were to assume that the statement is largely correct, who is to blame for the movement of money out of the country?

Once again, we need to consider this industry just as we do any other industry. Obviously, there is a product involved that a large segment of American society wants. Just as with other products such as steel, electronics, textile and clothing, and cars there is a demand in this country, but the supply has moved offshore, thus draining funds from the American economy.

The gambling operators have moved to other countries due to the political climate in the U.S. If given the opportunity, many of the current gambling organizations would be happy to set up operation in the U.S. and be regulated and taxed. As well, many of the current land based gambling establishments would set up online gambling sites in the U.S. to compete.

We chased the online gambling companies away, and now we are bitter that they earn a profit off of our citizens, by providing a service that many Americans want.

Now we want to pretend that we can shut them down, at least as far as Americans are concerned. It isn’t going to work, it has never worked in the past, and it will not work now.

The last part of the quote from Goodlatte mentions money laundering, a concern that seems to be on the mind of anyone who opposes online gambling.

Again, the truth of the matter is much different from the rhetoric.

Before any individual can begin to gamble online, they must first establish an account with an online gambling company. In the process of doing this, the individual provides personal information.

In the online gambling industry, the flow of money is electronic. You start with money in a bank account, transfer it electronically to a payment service, such as Neteller, and then deposit the money into an online casino or poker room, again electronically. Note, that before you can transfer money to Neteller you must set up an account, providing your name, address and email account. You must also connect a bank account to your Neteller account, or take similar action in order to facilitate the transfer of funds. This further identifies you.

All of these transactions are tracked, and recorded for future review. The online gambling sites need a rigorous system of tracking and review to protect themselves and their reputations.

Once the money is on deposit at an online gambling business, the site monitors, tracks, records and reviews all betting activity. Of course they do this to protect themselves, and their customers, from cheating, fraud and errors.

At some point, individual customers remove funds from the online gambling operators. Once again, these electronic transfers are monitored, tracked, recorded and reviewed in order to protect the site, and its customers. In many cases, before you can withdraw funds for the first time, you must provide further proof of identification, such as a copy of a driver’s license.

Contrast this with similar transactions in casinos, racetracks, state lotteries and VLTs.

For example, you walk into a casino with cash in your pocket. No one stops to ask your name or check your identification.

You walk up to a cashier and get some chips. The cashier does not know you’re your name, or request any identification.

If you would prefer, you go to a blackjack table and get some chips and play for a while. You wander over to the roulette wheel and place a few bets. Bored with this you head over to the craps table and gamble there for a while. Sometime later, you head into the poker room, sit down, and play poker for a while with people you have never met.

None of the dealers or other individuals asks your name, or checks any identification.

Eventually, you take your remaining chips to a cashier, and change them for cash. Once again, no one asks your name or looks at any identification.

Once I leave the casino, did I win money or lose? If I won, how much money did I win? The casino doesn’t know. They don’t even know my name much less anything else about me.

Now, where would I rather do my money laundering? In a casino, where I am completely anonymous, or in an online gambling operation where they know the name and address of every player? Would I rather play where I can claim to have won any amount I like, or in an online gambling operation where transactions are tracked, where bets, deposits and withdrawals are not only tracked, but are reviewed for patterns such as chip dumping, collusion, and fraud?

It would seem that if law enforcement were worried about money laundering, and the funding of organized crime and terrorism they would welcome online gambling where the money trail can be followed so completely and accurately. Instead of harassing online gambling operators, maybe they should welcome new partners in the fight against crime and terrorism and learn to work with them.

For more detail, and similar articles, contact the author at http://A1-PokerInfo.com.

Copyright © 2005 A1-PokerInfo.com. All rights reserved.
This article may be freely distributed and published, providing it is distributed and/or published in its entirety, including the contact information and copyright.

Both variations of Texas Hold’em (Limit & No Limit) are played with a standard deck of 52 cards, what’s different about Hold’em is how players make their hands. In this popular version of poker, players receive 2 face-down cards – called the hole or pocket cards. These two cards make your starting hand. As betting rounds progress, up to 5 community cards (dealt face up in the centre of the table) will be dealt. The winner is the player who either forces his opponents to fold, or has the best ranked 5 card poker hand at the end of the hand (the “showdown”).

So what hands are better than others? Remember, each player makes their best 5 card hand out of the available 7 (the 5 community cards plus the 2 hole cards) – every player can use the community cards and sometimes the 5 communal cards from the best hand (in which case the pot is shared between all remaining players). Hands rank as follows…

1. Royal Flush (10,J,Q,K,A of same suit)
2. Straight Flush (any consecutive 5 cards of same suit)
3. 4 of a kind (as it says! 4 cards of the same value)
4. Full house (3 of a kind combined with a pair e.g. A,A,A,5,5 “Aces over 5’s”)
5. Flush (5 cards of the same suit)
6. Straight (any 5 consecutive cards, not suited)
7. 3 of a kind (3 of the same value)
8. 2 pairs (exactly what it says e.g. A,A,5,5,3)
9. pair (two cards of same value)
10. high card (no other hand)

In the result of 2 players having the same hand (e.g. a pair of aces), the high card kicker (the highest card after the Aces) determines the winner.

The order of play in Hold’em is decided by the “dealer button”. This is a visible marker that rotates between the players, in a clockwise motion, before the start of each new hand. The player seated left of the button always acts first in any given betting round. The player who has the button therefore, acts last. This is a huge advantage as this player can wait to see how all the other players act, before making his own decision.

After players are dealt their hole cards, betting begins with the obligatory blinds. These are small forced bets that ensure that every single pot has a value. In Hold’em, the two players left of the button place these small bets. As the button moves before each round begins, so does the obligation to place blinds. It’s always the two players left of the button that pay the blinds. The value of the blinds depends on how big a game you are playing and are only placed on the first round of betting.



So now, we’re set up and ready to gamble – the hole cards are dealt and the blinds are in. Let’s start gambling!



When it’s a players turn to act, he has 5 options.

1. Call – match a previously made bet
2. Bet – wager an amount, adding it to the pot
3. Check – make no bet but stay in the hand. This can only be done if no other player has made a bet before him in this particular round of betting
4. Fold – drop out of the pot and throw away your cards. Cards should never been shown when folding as this could give an unfair advantage to another player.
5. Raise – increase the wagered amount

A betting round does not end until all players have either folded or matched the highest amount bet. When ended, all chips are gathered into the total pot and the next card(s) dealt if applicable. Remember the player to the left of the dealer button always acts first (placing a forced blind counts as an action).



The first betting round, the pre-flop betting round, begins with just the hole cards in play. When it is completed, 3 community cards are dealt and the flop betting round begins. Next is the turn betting round where an additional community card is dealt, and, lastly, comes the river betting round - with all 5 community cards now on the board.

A little about Hold’em variations

There are 2 variations of Hold’em – Limit and No Limit.

Limit – Each table has a specific limit. This limit determines the forced blind amounts, for example, in a $1/$2 game the blinds would be $0.5 and $1 to get the action started. The small blind is usually half the value of the big blind. Remember to choose a table that suits the amount you have to gamble, there is no point joining a $10/$20 table with $100 as you stand the chance of being ‘blinded’ out of the game i.e. losing your money before you even have a hand good enough to bet on. In a limit game of $1/$2, the first bet must be $1, a raise would be an additional $1. No more, no less.

No Limit – This is the most popular version of Hold’em. Any player can bet or raise any amount – only limited by the amount he has in front of him! If a player puts their whole stack of chips in, they are going “all in”. If a later player puts even more chips in, the first player does not lose but will only win the amount equal to his own bet. Should there be a third player in the hand, the two players with remaining chips can continue betting as normal. In this case the players’ chips which are all in are matched with the same amount from the other 2 players and are moved to one side as the main pot. The other two players will add any additional chips to what is called a “side pot” and continue as normal.

Ryan Billau
http://www.mensportal.co.uk

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