Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Tribal Gaming Boards Say No to Proposed California Casino Security Standards

Over the past eighteen months, the California Gambling Control Commission (which consists of individuals appointed specifically by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger) has worked continuously to come up with a new set of proposed security standards for casinos located in the state of California. During much of this eighteen month period, the California Gambling Control Commission was in direct communication with the attorney general's office. Therefore, many were caught off guard when the attorney general voted no during a meeting about the new set of proposed regulations. While it was known long in advance that almost every one of the fifty tribes that sent representatives of their gaming boards to this meeting were going to vote no, the no vote from the attorney general came as quite a surprise.

One of the biggest implications of the attorney general voting no for these regulations is that if there is any lawsuit in the future that involves these regulations, it will be extremely challenging for the office of the attorney general to defend this type of casino regulation in the future.

According to Attorney General Jerry Brown, the reasoning behind his decision to vote no on these regulations was his way of attempting to avoid a huge battle with the tribes. Because the Indian gaming industry is an eight billion dollar industry in the state of California, any type of unfriendly proceedings between the state of California and the Indian gaming industry could turn into an extremely expensive affair.

So, what exactly are the proposed security guidelines that are at the center of this issue between the state of California and the Indian gaming industry? The regulations are intended to establish uniform standards for employees and equipment to monitor the flow of cash as it makes its way through the casino system. The regulations range from requiring specific surveillance equipment to mandating how and when internal audits should be performed by the casinos themselves. While this may sound like a reasonable request for the state of California to make, according to the tribes who run the numerous casinos throughout the state of California, they are already spending millions of dollars every single year on top of the line security systems in their casinos, along with other internal controls. In order for any additional regulations to be put in place, they feel that there needs to be open negotiations between the tribes and the state of California, instead of simply a forced mandate.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Awareness on Video Poker Rules and Game to Have a Sure Win

If you are comfortable playing the real live games of poker then you will surely enjoy the excitement and thrill that video poker games can bring. Video poker is usually being played by way of the worldwide web. As a matter of fact, there are various websites which offer video poker games in this day and age. However, you have to be familiar first with the video poker rules and game before playing.

The rules concerning video poker is somewhat similar to the ordinary poker games except for one thing. In an ordinary poker games, you are playing against other poker players while in a video poker games, you are playing only against a particular machine. Following are the simple rules associated with the video poker games:

• A bet must be made by a particular video poker game player.
• The player will be given five cards provided by the machine.
• Cards should be kept and discard by the player depending on his or her own playing strategy.
• The cards which have been discarded will be replaced by the machine.
• The player can reimburse as well as lose the bets laid, depending on the value of the cards at hand.

There are actually different types of video poker games. Some of the types are the Joker Wild, Jacks or Better, and Deuces Wild. As a matter of fact, there are times when the rules regarding the video poker games depend upon the type of video poker you are playing. However, the difference in the rules is not a big deal for the rules only have slight variance.

If you are already aware of the rules in playing the video poker games, then you are now ready to play the game. In the course of playing the video poker there is a higher possibility that you will meet some of the terms being used in the game like the video poker jackpot and the video poker comps and bonuses. The video poker jackpot is in point of fact, a machine which is linked to other thousands of machines. The said jackpot increases whenever you make wager in any of the machines associated with the video poker jackpot. On the other hand, the video poker comps and bonuses can pave the way to your winnings. This is due to the fact that you can expect a positive outcome by way of the said opportunity being offered by the video poker.

Therefore, you have to have first the knowledge about video poker rules and game before engaging yourself to such gambling activity. In this way, you can surely have your winnings at hand. Furthermore, you can absolutely enjoy the thrill and excitement that the game may bring. You just have to be careful when playing. Thus, you have to have some effective strategies with you in order to gain and avoid losses. After all, no one wants to lose a certain amount of money as their bets in video poker games. So, you have to be sensible and clever in making decisions while playing such poker games.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Learn Poker Strategy from Professional Player Daniel Negreanu

If you have ever watched a poker tournament on television, there is a good chance that you have seen Daniel Negreanu play poker. From a high school dropout to one of the best players in the game of poker, Daniel is a great example of what can be accomplished if you work hard everyday and follow your dreams. In addition to claiming two World Poker Tour titles and four World Series of Poker bracelets, Negreanu is fourth on the list of all time cash winnings from poker tournaments. As of 2008, Daniel Negreanu has won over ten million dollars from playing in poker tournaments. Although Negreanu has yet to win the Main Event of the World Series of Poker, he is only thirty-four years old, so he still has plenty of time to claim the highest honor in the world of poker.

Because Daniel Negreanu is such a hardworking and successful poker player, it only makes sense that other poker players of all skill levels would be interested in finding out more about how Negreanu approaches the game of poker. Fortunately, if you are one of the countless poker players that wants to know more about Negreanu's strategies for the game of poker, you can get all of the information that you want from his new book, Poker Hold'Em Strategy. I have already gotten a chance to look through the book for myself, so I thought I would give you my take on Negreanu's new book.

With over five hundred pages of information, Poker Hold'Em Strategy is a book that can be read multiple times and literally studied. Although Negreanu's advice fills over half of the book, it also contains information and strategies from five other poker players, all of whom are in their twenties and thirties. Each of the five authors presents their own unique information and strategies for succeeding at the game of poker (most of the information and strategies provided by the other five players focuses specifically on cash poker games).

The area where the book really shines is the information provided by Negreanu. He goes into extreme detail (over two hundred pages) to describe his strategy for playing in No-Limit Hold'Em games with deep stacks, which is ironically named "small ball." I couldn't begin to summarize Negreanu's strategy in a simple blog post, but I can say that the information he provides makes the book a worthwhile investment for any poker player that is interested in improving their No-Limit tournament play.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

How Do You Make the Most Out of Freerolls?

Whether you are new to the world of online poker or have been involved in it for quite sometime, you have undoubtedly seen advertisements and promotions for freerolls. In case you aren't quite sure what a freeroll actually is, a freeroll tournament is a tournament that doesn't require an entry fee. Most online websites use freeroll tournaments to attract new players, and to reward beginning players who are just getting started with the website. Although it is not the easiest route in the world, if you need a method for building up your bankroll and are extremely limited on your own funds, playing in freeroll tournaments can help you establish a bankroll that you can use to start playing in more online poker events.

So, exactly how much money can you win in freeroll tournaments. To be honest, since freeroll tournaments do not require an entry fee, you are not going to find freeroll tournaments with big major prizes. However, this does not mean that you can't win any money playing in freeroll tournaments. Although it's not true for every single freeroll tournament, most of them are setup so that the winner gets a respectable prize, while a few other top finishing players may also get a small prize. If you don't win or place at the very top of a freeroll tournament, you need to realize that you are probably not going to walk away with any sort of prize. If you do finish at the top of a freeroll, depending on the website, you will win bonus money or even an actual cash prize.

This key to freeroll success is patience and focus. While it may be tempting to play a freeroll loosely, if you stay focused and take freeroll play seriously, you will end up getting a lot more out of the tournament than most players.

In addition to the monetary rewards that you can gain from freeroll tournaments, they also give you the opportunity to gain a significant amount of online poker experience. While your strategy in freeroll tournaments may end up being slightly different than how you play in other online poker events, the experience you gain in freeroll tournaments can form the basis for a wide variety of necessary skills, ranging from reading the habits of other players to not allowing your emotions to interfere with your play.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Online Poker Addict Turned Bank Robber Released From Prison After Almost Two Years

If you have never heard the story of Greg Hogan, Jr, you are missing out on quite the interesting tale. The story of Greg Hogan, Jr demonstrates that many times, reality truly is stranger than fiction.

Back at the beginning of December 2005, Greg Hogan, Jr walked into a Wachovia Bank and handed the teller a note that he had a gun. Although he didn't actually have a gun, the teller followed standard procedures and handed over just under three thousand dollars. Hogan put the money into his backpack and left the bank, and by the end of the night, was arrested for the crime he had committed earlier in the day.

While this story may not seem that unique, it becomes much stranger once you get all of the details. Instead of being a hardened criminal, Greg Hogan, Jr was a nineteen year old college student at Leigh University (located in Bethlehm, PA). Raised as the son of a Baptist Minister, Hogan actually served as the class president at Leigh. However, Hogan was hiding a secret that no one knew about: over the course of 2005, he had lost nearly eight thousand dollars from playing online poker.

On the day that he committed his crime, Hogan was actually on his way to see The Chronicles of Narnia with two of his friends. On the way to the movie, Hogan told his friend that he needed to cash a check, and his friend took him to the Wachovia bank that Hogan robbed. Because neither of his friends had any idea what Hogan was planning to do (or what he had done until he was arrested later that day by the police), neither of them were charged in connection with the case.

After Hogan was sentenced to serve twenty-two months for the crime he committed, his father used the incident as fuel for his own campaign against online gambling (which he took all the way to the Financial Services Committee of Congress). Like most attacks against online poker, the actions of Greg Hogan, Jr's father were not viewed positively by the countless number of individuals who enjoy online poker responsibly.

In addition to the extensive counseling he has received, now that Greg Hogan, Jr has been released from prison, he will not be allowed to place any type of bet or enter a gambling establishment for eight more years (2016).