5 Essential Poker Tips And Tactics Part 2

This is second part of the tips and tactics to play online poker these points will further help you in playing online poker in a more professional way.

1. Watch out for flops that are in consecutive sequence such as 6-7-8, because even if you have a high pair there is a high probability that another player will make a straight.

2. Sometimes being caught bluffing can work out in your favour. While getting caught may not be your primary goal, it will make it harder for your opponents to guess your next move. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t always bluff to try and fake out your players, eventually a really good player will catch on and end up taking all of your chips.

3. Carefully study your fellow opponents. Pay attention to the moves they make during the game. How and when do they bet, call, fold, call, check, raise or bluff? Do they take their time when it is their turn to make a move or do they act quickly? Even though players tend to jump around from table to table online, if you frequent a certain table often, you will come to know the type of players that filter through. Never forget – you can always learn something from others.

4. Keep a watchful eye on the high stakes tables, as they usually draw more experienced and professional players. By studying the actions of these players during the game, you will gain a better idea of what separates the pros from the armature and mediocre players. This is an excellent opportunity so make sure you take notes!

5. If you are learning how to play Texas Hold’em at the fun tables, don’t fall into the trap of shrugging off the games because the money isn’t real. This careless attitude will only cause you to develop bad habits. Instead, play as if your chips are the real thing, you’ll develop great strategies from this.

Just bookmark these point while playing any poker game online.

5 Essential Tips And Tactics Part 1

This is a two part serious describing the tips and tactics of playing online poker or online gambling. The tips that you should remember when playing online poker,

1. If your two hole cards are a low pair, be cautious of how you play. It is a good idea to only stay in the hand if the betting is low. As the game continues, if you find you don’t have a 3 of a kind or two pairs, it is usually in your best interest to fold.

2. Don’t make the mistake of folding too quickly. REMEMBER, if you find everyone is checking, stay in the game and choose to check also; therefore you can move on to the next round without having to put in anymore money in the pot. After all, the next round may provide your hand with the card you’ve been waiting for.

3. As early as the second round of betting (after the flop) you will have 5 cards to work with, giving you a good idea of just how strong your final hand will look like, without putting you to much in the hole. At this time, carefully consider your odds and decide whether it is best to stay in the game, or quit while you’re ahead.

4. Don’t play at tables that you know you can’t afford to lose. Not only will this affect the way you play, making you more anxious and liable to make foolish mistakes, but high-stakes tables generally appeal to skilled players.

5. If you have a strong starting hand, play aggressively during the preflop and try to weed out as many players as you can who have weak hands. This will stop them from getting lucky during the flop. In addition it will ensure that players who think they have a shot at winning to put more money in the pot.

Therefore, do follow the tips and tactics of online poker as this will help in live playing.

Good Player Often Play Bad Online Poker

Bad online poker play is not always the result of “poor skills”. In fact, countless players who are great in live games but cant stack up online.

What’s going on here?
The fact is there are several reasons good players can behave like amateurs online.

First, online poker takes away some key leverage points. One is reading tells another is bluffing frequently and another is a solid table image.

Instead, you have to leverage odds calculations, a disciplined hand selection, and increased post-flop “aggression levels”.

And making this switch isn’t an instant thing. It takes a lot of time and energy and willingness to rethink one’s belief and how to play poker.

Another major reason good players “go bad” is because of the bad beats. The plain and simple truth is many people can’t handle the swings. They blame the card room, they call it “rigged”, and they give up.



Don’t let this happen to you.

The Online Poker Approach

Playing poker online is vastly different than playing it live. Players are constantly jumping around from table to table, which means you have to learn how to keep up with the fast pace online poker environment, forcing you to adopt a different approach than you would if you were playing poker live.

Poker, regardless where you play it, is ultimately about psychology and how you use it to gain the advantage over your opponents. For instance, many times during Hold’em the winner rarely has an impressive hand. Often a player wins by a low pair, such as a pair of 8’s. The point is it doesn’t matter if you don’t have an excellent hand, all that matter is that it is better than everyone else’s!

So how do you achieve the ideal online poker approach that puts you a step above the average Joe? Aside from practice, here are some aspects you should keep in mind and apply to your games:

AVOID DISTRACTIONS
It may not have occurred to you but many players are distracted when they play poker online. For instance, while playing, many players often:

* Play two tables at once
* Read or write emails
* Watch TV
* Talk on the phone
* Work
* Or busy themselves with other matters

Have you ever found yourself multitasking while playing poker online? It’s easy to do isn’t it? However, whether you’ve realized it or not these distractions have a negative effect on your game, because your mind is busy trying to focus on too many things at once. Remember, if you are planning on improving your game and winning, you need to take poker seriously, and to do that your full attention is required.

In addition, keep on the look out for players who may appear distracted, you can use their scattered mind to your advantage. Pressure them to fold early, or drag them further into the hand so they will add more money to the pot.

Online Texas Hold'em Poker Bad Beats

Bad beats, as I define it, is taking a winning hand and losing with it. Bad beats are no fun, but happen a lot more than the statistics say they should. The hardest part about bad beats is recovering from them.

Good Poker players will suffer MORE than their share of bad beats because good poker players are playing hands that are in the lead more than other players. If you can, you can look at a bad beat as a good thing. It means you were playing the hand correctly and had an advantage going into the showdown. THEY had to beat YOU. If the percentages work out, you win that percentage of the time.

Unfortunately, knowing you HAD the better hand and losing anyway doesn’t do any good to your bankroll or chip count. Bad beats are just a necessary evil of Poker. Deal with it, and move on.

Yeah, I can’t do it either. Bad beats tear me up more than just about anything because I DO know all the statistics. I know the supposed “percentages” of the other player catching a card. And most of the time that percentage is very low.

Here’s some advice.

Do NOT get worked up because someone hit an outside straight or a flush against you on the river. As far as percentages go, those are “good” percentages with one card to come. Right around 17-19%. Almost one in five.

Do NOT get worked up if a guy with a pocket pair gets his trips on the flop and ends up with a full house to beat your straight or flush. All that has to happen is ANY of the other 4 cards (or 5, 4 of a kind) pairs on the board. You CAN get a bit peeved if he hits his pocket-pair trips for a boat on the river.

Do NOT think it is a “bad beat” if you are all-in against someone pre-flop and get beat. A bad beat doesn’t happen until the river card. Just because you are taking your
AA vs. his 7-2os pre-flop, don’t expect to win. Realistically, in that situation, there are only 2 cards that will help you in the entire deck. If he pairs, and catches his trips or two pair on the river, then THAT is a bad beat.

Pre-flop showdowns have WAY too many variables to try to predict what will happen. Just hope for the best, and don’t take them too seriously. Unless you are beat on the river card.

The real “Bad Beats” are the 4% draws against you on the river. These just tear me up. These bad beats have cost me a few hundred dollars, and I really don’t remember making any money getting a 4% draw to beat somebody. I’m just not in the “behind in the hand” situation very often.

Secrets To Win Any Online Poker

Online Poker can be a lot of fun. It isn’t when you are on the losing end. If you cannot afford to lose money, never mind gambling. This is also true that online poker games can make serious money and well you can be rich too.

But the things you have to keep in mind that don’t gamble just on luck or on pure chance include in little mathematics and poker tips and strategies this will definitely help you and can guarantee to get you a good pay out.

Below are some secrets of winning in online poker or gambling.

Know about right kind of gambling for you.
There are hundreds of gambling games are there on Internet its you to pick and master some. You can pick from casino, sports, betting or even arbitrage betting.

Learn the game.
Knowledge is power and you can enhance your knowledge by reading related materials to the game and rules. Investing in good poker books and tips could be a good idea for your professional or normal poker playing.

Set a minimum bet
After you win any game for the next just put the half of the pot that you have put in the previous round.

Always check the odds.
Choose a betting game that has 3 percent or less casino advantage. Among others, popular games are poker, black jack and craps.

Watch the trend
Paying attention to your winning and losing trend can sometimes help as you get the idea that you are on the brisk of losing then you should not bet.

Follow a Strategy
There are many strategies to the online poker game but follow, which work best for you. Note all the strategies available and pick the best that suits you.

Always keep one thing in mind that winning does not mean that you have to win every time you play online poker but the thing that matters most is your profit ratio by comparing to all the games.

Avoid Offline Gambling Scams

As the inflation is increasing world over and people are having much lesser liquidity with them so people are continuously seeking alternative ways to sustain their lives.

This is not widely known that why people are landing into scams related activities these days, especially who are into gambling activities but this is widely believed that due to the mouth watering offers and unreliable structure they tend to land in to these kinds of scams.

Common Gambling Scam Offline

When gambling scams are discussed this is way necessary to mention about that people are not landing into online gambling scams but recent survey showed that people who gambles offline are also a victim of scams and the ratio is pretty high if compared with the online gambling scams.

Identity theft cases are most common scams in gambling this is due to the fact that people who play casinos they but chips using their credit cards. In fact, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has estimated 350,000 to 500,000 of identity theft cases in the United States each year. These stats are enough to show that not much people are aware of the identity theft cases.

How to avoid

The simplest and easiest form to avoid online gambling scams is to have proper information about the task you are performing because as stated above people are not aware of the fact that identity theft can happen easily.

Financial Crimes Division of the Secret Service, authorities receive approximately 11 complaints a day from victims and 300 to 500 calls from people. These authorities also get the reasons that why people were victimized as they did not know it was a scam and had no idea till they fallen into it.

The matter of fact is if people should be aware of certain things happening around them and they should also be educated for the purpose to avoid any online gambling scams. You can truly surf the contents of the website as there is vast knowledge stored here on how to actually go with poker playing and things necessary for winning and your attitude towards online gaming.

As they say, ignorance is not an excuse. It really pays to know everything.

How to Avoid Bad Beats in Poker

Bad beats are going to happen always. The KEY is to NOT play on TILT after they do. If you are lucky enough to suffer a bad beat and STILL have chips left over, consider yourself blessed. Usually, one bad beat follow another, and soon you are out of chips and out of the game.

As was discussed earlier, the only true way to avoid bad beats is to play correctly. Playing correctly puts you in situations where you have the absolute best percentages to win. There is an old saying, “Always Be Raising” or “If you are going to call you may as well raise.”

With those sayings in mind, a good player should ALWAYS raise the big blind pre-flop. Then only exception that I can think of is the late position limp-in where you are trying to see some cards for a minimum amount of chips.

In the better games, at the higher buy-ins, you don’t get to limp-in. Someone seems to always raise. Raising pre-flop eliminates the marginal “fluke” hands that end up giving you a bad beat. You have to make the other players think, and make a decision. This starts with raising the big blind.

More often than not, to a significant raise, the big blind will fold. The big blind gets a FULL bet in before seeing what cards are dealt. The odds of anyone getting a Group 1-4 hand are 11.3%. So, a little more than 10% of the time the BB will have a “great” starting hand. The other 88.7% of the time they will have a “good” hand at BEST! If you have a playable hand, make them pay to play.

The other knock on the BB staying in the hand is that once they pay to stay in, they are rewarded with terrible position.

Perhaps even more importantly, YOU don’t know what kind of hand they have because they put their money in blind. By raising the BB, you at least get SOME information about their hand. Without raising, the BB could have ANY two cards under there.

The BB has two strikes against it pre-flop. They put money in blind, and have terrible position. Raise the big blind. The big blind will give you more bad beats than anyone else. The small blind is second.

Play Poker for Free On Your iPhone

Do you have an iPhone yet? If not, there is a good chance that you will end up with one sooner or later (especially if you are already an AT&T customer). I personally got my iPhone during December of 2007 (I was a Sprint customer at the time, but paid the fee to terminate my contract so that I could switch to AT&T), and I have to say that I still enjoy it as much as I did when I first got it. From staying on top of my emails to being able to hop on the Internet whenever I need (or want), my iPhone really does allow me to be a more productive person. Although there have been a lot of companies that have tried to imitate Apple's creation, none of the knockoffs can come close to comparing to the real iPhone.

In addition to its built-in features, one of the best thing about the iPhone is the ability to add applications. Thanks to the hard work of third party developers, you can find an iPhone app to do just about anything that you want. From productivity tools to apps that are solely dedicated to providing entertainment, you can find all sorts of great apps in Apple's official store.

Although a large percentage of the apps for the iPhone cost money, there are also a lot of great free iPhone apps. While it may come as surprise, poker is one of the areas where there are a significant amount of great free apps. If you have an iPhone and want to be able to play free poker with it, you actually have a wide variety of choices.

According to their description, Live Poker is the most popular free poker application for the iPhone. Live Poker allows you to compete against 1.5 million other players, and gives you a thousand free chips every single day.

If you are in the minority of people who do not like the Live Poker app, you still have plenty of other choices for free poker apps. Other popular choices for people who want to play poker for free on their iPhone are Free Video Poker, Fat-Free Video Poker, Quick Poker and Oasis Poker. If you are interested in reviewing additional information about any of these apps (or would like to take a look at the paid poker apps that are available), all you need to do is open iTunes, launch the iTunes Store, navigate to the App Store and perform a search for poker.

Frivolous Lawsuit or Justified Legal Action: You Make the Call

As you are probably well aware by now, the world of online poker is a seriously large business. While making profits off of the game of poker was something that was controlled by Las Vegas and other brick & mortar casinos for many decades, the Internet has completely changed the landscape of the poker industry. Thanks to the growth and popularity of online poker, large businesses have been built on properties that only exist in the realm of cyberspace.

As with any industry where there is a lot of money to be made (and a lot of money to be lost), deals are made on a regular basis that can change a company's (or individual's) future forever. While many of these deals successfully go through and turn out for the best, this is not the case one hundred percent of the time. A recently filed piece of legal action shows what can happen when two parties are attempting to make a deal with each other, but end up not seeing eye to eye on the issue.

The piece of legal action in question was filed by Cycalona Gowen, who is better known within the poker community as Clonie Gowen. Clonie is a professional poker player, and until recently, she was working for Full Tilt Poker (which is a large online poker website). Although she had been working for Full Tilt Poker since it launched in 2004, the legal action filed by Gowen claims that she was recently told that she would not only no longer be working with the website, but that her name and image would be removed from all existing promotional materials.

The part of this legal action that gets interesting is how much money Gowen is seeking. According to the legal action she filed, Gowen is seeking a whooping forty million dollars in damages. In the legal action that she filed against Full Tilt Poker, she alleged the following against the company: Breach of Contract, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Breach of the Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, Unjust Enrichment and Fraud.

Although her lawsuit contains some pretty heavy allegations, the other interesting part of her story is that she never signed a written contract, and all of her claims are based on an oral agreement from 2004.

Microgaming Institutes Block in Response to Domain Seizures

As regular readers of this blog know, over the past few weeks, the hottest news in the world of poker has been the seizure of poker related domain names by the Governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear. If you are a new reader and aren't familiar with what has been taking place in Kentucky, take a minute to go back and read the last couple of posts that have been made on this topic. The events taking place in Kentucky are quite serious, and even if you don't realize it, what's happening there has the ability to impact every single US citizen who takes part in playing poker online.

A great example of the far reaching impact of the Kentucky case has arisen from Microgaming. As a well-known name in the online poker industry, Microgaming is one of the companies that has been targeted by Governor Beshear and the State of Kentucky. Like most of the other companies involved in this event, Microgaming initially used many of their resources in an attempt to fight the original decision that was put forth by the State of Kentucky. However, although they did their best to fight the decision, it seems that they have decided that the best resolution for their company is to take their operations out of this state.

In addition to blocking players from the state of Kentucky, Microgaming has also instituted a block in the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and Utah (the District of Columbia is also included in the Microgaming block). According to representatives of Microgaming, this decision was a result of US laws that are on the books but not being enforced (yet).

So, what does this decision by Microgaming mean for the online poker industry as a whole? Well, the biggest impact of this decision is the fact that Microgaming is the largest online poker website to make the decision to comply with what Kentucky wants. Although there are several smaller poker websites that have changed their polices to meet the expectations of Kentucky, Microgaming is the first major company to give in to the demands of the State of Kentucky.

Although there is no way to predict what the future holds for online gambling in the United States, given the impact of these recent events, it is safe to say that things are not moving in a good direction for online poker companies and players.

Some Poker Tips And Suggestions For Poker Player

If you really want to be a good poker player, then practice, practice and practice! You should also read some poker articles and poker books before you go to online or play with your friends.

Here are some general principles you should follow if you really want to become a good poker player.

1. Don’t try to beat the other players. Let the other players try to beat you. Keep this in mind!

2. Know the rules of the game as the player who knows the rules has the advantage over the players who don’t.

3. Know the poker probability tables.

4. Observe you opponents – learn their mannerisms, known as ‘tells’.

5. Play as often as possible – experience is the best teacher.

6. In any poker game, the average hand becomes less valuable with the more players there are, e.g., three 5’s is a great hand with only 3 players but only a good hand with 6-7 players.

7. Treat every round of betting as though it were the first – forget the pot and my previous bets.

8. When holding a cinch hand, wait till the last round to raise.

9. Fold a doubtful hand at the start rather than in the middle of a hand.

10. Call your opponent(s) when you think you have a hand good enough to win, not merely because you suspect a bluff.

11. As a general rule, don’t try to steal a pot by trying to bluff a poor player, a heavy winner or a heavy loser.

12. When in a losing streak, DON’t panic. Trying to recoup losses in a panic mode results in poor play. Leave the game, if necessary. Be patient and cool. Everyone has losing streaks, even with good hands.

13. You must expect and figure to lose the pot unless you have the best hand going in.

14. Most DRAW poker players would win instead of lose if they never tried to outdraw the opener.

15. Most STUD poker players would win instead of lose if they never tried to draw out against an open pair.

16. Bet your big hands to the hilt and make every player pay to see my cards.

17. RAISE on an early round to avoid calling a big bet later.

18. A loser will drop a close hand if raised early, a winner will stay in.

19. When you are sure of winning a STUD pot, wait till the last round to raise.

20. Drop a doubtful hand if you may be later in the middle between two strong hands.

21. The more wild cards and crazy rules, the greater the expert’s advantage.

22. Vary your playing strategy. The player whose game is always the same becomes an easy mark for smart poker players.

23. Try to keep a poker face. Don’t complain when losing or show elation when winning. The emotional aftermath will prohibit clear thinking and proper evaluation of succeeding hands.

24. Trust NO ONE at POKER. It is a game for blood. Forget your friends and bet your hand for what it’s worth.

25. Give the game all you've got or don’t play. This is not only the best way to win at poker; it’s the only way you and the rest of the players can get any fun at all out of what ought to be fun.

Good luck and have fun playing poker.

Welcome to Sign Up Casino Bonus

If you’re interested in playing casino games online you must, first and foremost, familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations, terms and conditions, and jargons used in online casino. Since you are not physically located to the game venue, there are some regularities and perks that are offered on land-based casinos that are quite impossible to pull off when you are playing online. Some of these perks are called casino bonus. Casino bonus on land-based casinos ranges from a free drink to cash incentives. But of course, free drinks cannot be applied to casino online so game site owners markets and offers a lot of casino bonus that is eye-catching and appealing.

The most common online casino bonus is referred as the Sign Up bonus. It is also known as the Welcome bonus on other sites. As the name implies, you can easily get a bonus just by signing up or registering on a particular online casino website. In simple words, here’s how a sign up bonus works: when you register online and was asked to deposit the minimum amount of, let’s say, $50 dollars, the site will then give you a 100% bonus of your deposit hence you’ll have a total of $100 as a credit that you can use in playing and betting on different online games.

You have to bear in mind here that different percentage is offered in different sites. That is why reading the ‘terms and conditions’ is the most important step of all before registering in an online casino. The cash bonus under Sign Up bonuses in different sites not only varies with the percentage of the incentive but also with the approach or method they have in granting you the bonus.

You also have to be realistic in dealing with online casino bonus. Though most welcome bonuses doubles your deposit 100%, you can’t expect, for instance, for the site to double your money if you deposited $100,000. Generally, though not gambling law implemented, the minimum amount you will get upon registration is 100% of your deposit and the maximum amount is likely to be from $100 to $1000. This all depends, again, in the ‘terms and conditions’ of the casino bonus.

Another rational aspect in dealing with online casino bonus is to simply follow directions. If the terms of the casino bonus states that the welcome bonus will only be applicable to those who deposit $50 and above, then don’t expect to get one if you only deposited the minimum of $25. Some online gamers tend to get furious with online sites because of their misdirected expectations. Yet again, for you to avoid this confusion and embarrassment, read the casino bonus ‘terms and conditions’.

You also need to take into account the methods of the online casino website in giving the welcome bonus. Some sites automatically credit you with your bonus upon registration while others will first asked you to fill up forms and then wait for an e-mail approval.

And last, but not the least, be aware of the list of games that are qualified and suitable for casino bonuses. Unlike before, there’s now restriction in other type of games that does not offer the sign-up bonus.

Poker online Slow play or aggressive play

Well, as anything in poker it depends on position, the opponent, the texture of the flop, and how strong your hand is. Bottom two pair is a pretty vulnerable hand in hold em..more so in stud and omaha. If the board pairs then your counterfeited and a bunch of hands beat you. Top two is a pretty solid hand in hold em..it's one of my probably "gonna go broke if it's no good hands". But, if I'm last to act and it's checked to me, I'm betting it. If I have the right opponent and I'm first to act, then I might go for a check raise. But, again, I want to get money in on the flop here. If they have a draw they will pay you off...if they don't have squat you probably weren't going to get paid off anyway.

The hands that you need to slowplay are hands that you hold a monster and probably it didn't help anyone else...for instance...you have 66 and the flop comes 6 9 2 rainbow...probably no draws, you can slowplay that and let someone catch up a bit. Or you flop the nut flush...again, you're going to need someone to catch up because it is unlikely somebody is going to get aggressive with the king of hearts. If they have the flush too, you'll find out soon enough.

Your'e dream scenario is hitting a set against a raise on an ace high flop.

I guess the point is...don't slowplay when there is an action flop or if you think it hit your opponent hard...slowplay does do wonders if you have the deck crippled and need your opponet to catch up.

Video Poker & Poker Hands

Video poker is one of the most popular casino games that are founded on five-card draw. A five-card draw is a type of poker in where the player will be granted five cards and has the ability to cast off any cards from 0-5 of them and then collect new replacement cards. The ultimate goal of the game is to combine the very best five-hand poker. The term very best means to have the highest ranking possible.
The highest hand ranking in video poker is called royal flush. Royal flush consists of an ace card, a king card, a queen card, a jack card, and a ten card that must be in similar suits.

Following the great royal flush is straight flush. It basically has the same concept with the royal flush with the exception of the ace card. An example of a straight flush is a five-card poker that comprises of 10, 9,8,7,6 that must be all in the same suits. If for instance a player eventually combined a five-card that consists of an ace followed by 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the same suits, then this is referred as the high-straight flush or the ‘steel wheel’.

The third in the highest hand ranking in video poker is called four of a kind. Four of a kind is better known as the quads. As the name implies, four out of the five cards must be in similar ranks and one unequal card of another suit and rank. An example for this is the following: 8 of hearts plus 8 of diamonds plus 8 of clubs plus 8 of spades and any other card.

Next rank is called the full house or full boat. A full house in a five-card game consists of three matching cards and two matching cards but should be in dissimilar ranks. A sample of a full house is a five-card of 4 of hearts plus 4 of diamonds plus 4 of spades plus 9 of heats plus 9 of spades. If for instance, two players both have a full house, the gamer with the highest three matching cards wins.

Following the full house is the flush. Basically, the five-card is considered as a flush is if all the five cards have the same suits like combinations 6 of diamonds plus 3 of diamonds plus 7 of diamonds plus 2 of diamonds and 5 of diamonds. To compare two sets of five-card in video poker, the player with the highest card settles the winner.

After flush is the straight rank. Your card will be determined as a straight if all five cards consist of varied suits providing that everything is in sequence. An example of this is the following: jack of diamonds plus 10 of hearts plus 9 of spades plus 8 of clubs plus 7 of diamonds. If two players have the same straight rank then the winner is the gamer with the highest card.

Next in line ranking is called three of a kind. This combination of three cards in the same rank and another two different cards (4 of hearts plus 4 of diamonds plus 4 of spades plus 8 of diamonds plus 2 of clubs) is also referred as the triplets.
Following triplets is two pairs where the five-card consists of two dual pairs and a single card in different rank (4 of diamonds plus 4 of hearts plus 7 of spades plus 7 of hearts plus 2 of diamonds).

Second to the last in the rankings is called a pair which in simply examples shows two cards in the same rank and three cards in different ranks (3 of spades plus 3 of hearts plus an ace of hearts, 8 of spades and 5 of clubs)
The lowest rank in video poker is the high card. The high card means no pair at all (4 of hearts plus 3 of spades, 8 of clubs, 9 of diamonds and queen of spades). To determine the winner in high card is to know who has the highest card amongst the players.

The Real Reasons If Why Do People Gamble

Gambling is somewhat a risky pastime game enjoyed by most of the people nowadays. Some of them play with family and friends at home while others opt to play at casinos, clubs, and other certified institutions. Such game is a risky one, for you can gain by way of monetary winnings. As a matter of fact, gambling has its own negative and positive side. Some really think that gambling is a bad activity for it may entails several unhelpful and pessimistic effects to a particular person. However, have you ever wonder if why do people gamble?

There are various reasons on why people engage themselves to gambling. Some of the reasons have something to do with boredom, charity, financial responsibilities, fun and relaxation as well as lure of the winnings. There are some people who gamble just to escape the monotony and boredom of life. Gambling at casinos can be a very good way to freshen up in order to face all the toils that life may bring. It actually transfers a person to a unique kind of world. Furthermore, there are some who gamble for charity purposes.

Besides, it is a good cause to gamble for a particular charity and help those who are in need of some assistance. Gambling for charity works in a way, wherein the bets act as the contributions for the charity. Moreover, gambling is sometimes being considered as an option to fulfill some of the financial responsibilities. Nevertheless, this is not a good deed because it cannot give any one a sure source of earnings and profits. Engaging in gambling for this reason may be a dangerous one for even a little amount of money may disappear in just a blink of an eye. In addition, there are also some who gamble just for fun and relaxation. This is due to the fact that gambling has its thrilling and exciting moments unlike any other games.

People who gamble for this reason are only after the merriment that gambling can offer. In point of fact, such activity can pave the way to get rid of all the pressures that life brings. Also, people do gamble because of the lure that the winnings may bid and present. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of bonuses that gambling may offer. Some of these include free bets with a huge sum of money as winnings. However, one has to be ready for the circumstances that there can be more losses than winnings in the gambling world.

Indeed, there are really lots of reasons if why do people gamble in this day and age. After all, gambling is a pleasurable activity which can be enjoyed and loved by people from all walks of life. It can also be played in different occasions at different settings and venues. However, it is not really necessary to view gambling in a negative approach. It may have its downsides but it is not right to prejudge the essence of gambling as a pastime and leisure interest.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Mistakes that Even Experienced Players Make

Out of all the types of poker players, there is no question that new players make the most mistakes. However, this does not mean that experienced players are immune from making mistakes. Although most experienced players won't make the same mistakes that new players commonly make, they often make their own unique mistakes. So, even if you have been playing the game of poker for quite some time, there are probably still areas of your game that you can improve. Here's a look at some of the most common mistakes that experienced players make while they are playing poker:

Failing to Pay Attention to the Game: When players are new, they are extremely excited every time that they sit down at the poker table. However, as players gain more and more experience, it takes more intense situations for a player to get really excited during a game. Therefore, since experienced players have played in more games than they can count, it is quite easy for them to drift off during a game and not give the table their full attention. Even though this mistake may not mean the difference between winning and losing, you would be surprised at how much you can improve just by paying attention at all times to what's happening.

Letting a Losing Streak Continue: Even though you may be experienced, there will be days when you simply can't avoid a few bad games. However, it's important to pick yourself up and focus on the next game. Too many experienced players let a couple of loses get inside their heads and impact their future games.

Betting Excessively at New Games: While you may have mastered a specific type of poker, when you start learning a new game, check your ego at the door and avoid going over the top with your betting. Although it's tempting to go full steam into a game, your bank account will thank you for keeping your ego and experience in check and focusing on learning.

What Poker Game is Right for Me?

So, you have been playing poker almost every week with your buddies for the last few months. And you have even dabbled with playing in a few different online poker rooms. You have decided that poker is definitely a game that you enjoy, and you want to start pursuing it more aggressively. However, before you fully commit to the pursuit of playing poker on a more regular basis, you have one big question looming over your head: which poker game is the best fit for me? Since every poker player wants to win, you want to find the poker game that maximizes your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses. It may seem like an unimportant decision, but choosing the right type of poker can make a big difference in how well you perform over the long-term.

So, how do you decide what style of poker is the best fit for your skills and personality? There are no concrete rules, but there are some guidelines that can help you narrow your options down. Here's a look at several of the most popular poker games, along with the most common characteristics of players who excel at these games:

No Limit Hold'Em: In order to be successful at No Limit Hold'Em, you need two main sets of skills. The first is the ability to read your opponents and understand how they play, while the second is knowing how to bet based on the actions of your opponents.

Shorthand Limit Hold'Em: If you really have a knack for bluffing, Shorthand Limit Hold'Em may be the game that allows you to truly excel at poker.

Longhand Limit Hold'Em: If you are a patient and analytical player that grasps the concept of hand values, Longhand Limit Hold'Em will be your best bet for winning at poker.

Power Sex and Poker

Ewart Brown, who is currently the Premier of Bermuda, has lead a very successful life. Born in Bermuda, Brown was given a scholarship to attend Howard University in the United States thanks to his extensive accomplishments in multiple sports, most notably track and field. Not only did he letter in track and field (along with football) and receive a Bachelor's degree while at Howard University, but he went on to obtain his M.D from the school's college of medicine. After practicing medicine in Los Angeles (where he also obtained a Masters of Public Health from the University of California), he returned to Bermuda in 1993 to pursue a political career, and in 2006, was elected as the Premier of Bermuda.

On the surface, his son seems to have lead a similar life to that of his father. Like his father, after Kevin Brown graduated from college, he went on to obtain his M.D. In addition to becoming a well-known doctor in Los Angeles (he practiced at the Crenshaw Expo Medical Center), Kevin Brown also operated his own charity named the Urban Health Institute. Kevin Brown had stated that the goal of the Urban Health Institute was to provide medical relief after natural disasters struck, specifically in the United States, Africa and South America.

Although the last paragraph makes Kevin Brown seem like an admirable person (just like his father), this all changed at the beginning of July. On July 8th, the thirty-seven year old was arrested for sexual battery against a patient. Although he probably thought he would be able to put all of this behind him by posting the fifty thousand dollar bail and hiring a great legal team, the city of Los Angeles had a lot more up their sleeves. Approximately two weeks later, Kevin Brown was arrested again, but this time he was charged with nineteen felony counts! Spanning over the course of two years, the counts range from sexual exploitation to performing a lewd act on a fifteen year old girl. Since Brown has so many connections in other parts of the world, he was deemed to be a flight risk and this time given a four million dollar bail, which has kept him sitting in a cell since he was arrested.

While nineteen counts of sexual felonies against patients seems bad enough, prosecutors are now finding more blemishes in Brown's past. One of the main ways that Brown would raise money for the Urban Health Institue was by throwing lavish poker tournaments at the Playboy Mansion. In addition to Hef and his beautiful bunnies, these poker tournaments attracted celebrities like Don Cheadle, Khloe Kardashian and of course, one of the best known celebrity poker players, Shannon Elizabeth. Although these poker tournaments were amazing and raised significant amounts of money, authorities now believe most of this poker money went into Brown's pockets instead of being given to the causes that truly needed it!

Since his arrest, prosecutors have added four more felony counts, bringing his total to twenty-three. His next appearance in court will be on September 4th, and if he is eventually convicted, he could face up to twenty-seven years in prison.

US Blows Off Online Gambling Trade Meetings with the EU

As noted awhile back, the EU was planning to hold trade meetings with the United States regarding their regulation of the online gambling industry. Because the EU feels that the United States' regulations are discriminatory and in direct violation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) treaty, the EU feels that it is important for them to get a chance to sit down with US representatives and discuss why the situation is being handled as it is.

These discussions were scheduled to take place at the beginning of August. However, the US recently announced a postponement of the scheduled meetings with representatives of the EU to discuss these online gambling issues and the stance of the current US administration on the issues (which, it should be emphasized once again, that from the EU's point of view are not in compliance with the WTO treaty).

The postponement of these talks came with very little notice from the United States. As you may remember from the previous post on this topic, the last time that the EU tried to have discussions with the United States, they prepared a lengthy report to justify how they were feeling about the situation. However, the US simply replied with nothing more than a two page document that they disagreed with the EU.

In addition to the EU, there are several other organizations that are becoming increasingly unhappy with the USTR (United States Trade Representative) about their stance on the issue of online gambling. Not only did they fail to make any progress with Antigua and Barbuda (both central locations for online gambling operations), but they also haven't released the specific terms of their previous agreements with the EU for Congress to review.

Basic Tells A Poker Player Should Know

Poker is not just a social game; it is also a game of intelligence. However, poker does have many social elements, so it is important for a poker player to know how to interact with opponents. One of the most important skills of a good poker player is the ability to read their opponents.

Because every player is different, it makes it harder for a beginner or even an experienced player to read their gestures, understand the meaning behind their words, their behavior and habits. All of these factors are known as tells. A tell is basically any of the actions mentioned above that will provide the player information about their opponent's hand. Tells will not only help you play better by knowing information about you opponent's hand, but it will also keep you from disclosing information about your hand by controlling your body language. It is very important to take advantage of tells, as they will help you understand your player's game tactics and at the same time they will help you make the right decisions, which will lead to you winning more money.

Some of the most common tells that players exhibit when they have a good hand are:

Breathing rapidly: A result of their immediate excitement.
Sighing or Shrugging: Trying too hard to act like they have a bad hand.
Shaking Hands: This is especially common in beginning players.
Looking at Their Chip Stack Directly After Seeing Their Hole Cards: They know they've got a good hand and want to see how much they might be able to make.
Not Paying Attention to a Hand: Once again, an obvious tell that they are "playing it cool."

Some of the most common tells that players exhibit when they have a bad hand are:

Although there are less than those for good hands, the two most common are holding their breath and trying to stare down other players.

Is Online Poker illegal in USA?

There is a lot of dispute as to the status of online gambling in the US. In fact the law change in 2006 in many ways did more to muddy to waters rather than clear things up.

The law was an eleventh hour addition to an unrelated port security act. Ultra conservative Bill Frist added the anti-gambling measure after proclaiming that gambling was a attack on American families and hurt society. Ironically, and perhaps due to some bribery the anti-gambling bill completely legalized online horse betting. Americans can now bet horse races online completely legally in most states. In inconsistency that has seen America losing legal battles internationally involving out breach of contract with the WTO.

But anyway, the law change does not make it illegal for Americans to play poker online. What it does is make it harder for Americans to send and receive money to online gambling sites (unless it is given special treatment like the horse racing industry). So other than a slight inconvenience with the money transfer, the bill does nothing to outlaw the act of playing online. Although a handful of states have passed laws making it technically illegal to gamble online.

Thanks to this illegal change to the law, America has been successfully sued by some small countries that rely on gambling for an income. And also some companies have banned American players, because they don't want the hassle.

Anyway, I've found you a decent overview of the law to read in the link. With any luck once this useless administration is booted out of office, the law will be updated to reflect the fact that Americans want to play poker online and in a free country there should be no laws preventing it. or attempting to.

What is Strip Poker

Sometimes people wonder what is Strip poker? how to play it and what does it involve etc etc.
Any variety of poker can be played in a strip poker version. Strip poker sometimes starts with all players wearing the same number of clothing, but the actual rules of strip poker are flexible.

The one consistent aspect of strip poker is the removal of clothing in place of or in addition to the betting aspects of other poker games. Like other adult party games, other activities besides removing clothing and playing cards might be involved. ("Truth or dare" type options are often included.) Strip poker is usually played as a variant of simpler poker variations with fewer betting rounds, like Texas Hold em poker.

Tips for Being Able to Successfully Manage Your Bankroll

If you are new to world of poker, you may not be familiar with the term bankroll. A bankroll can be defined as the money that a poker player sets aside specifically for the purpose of playing poker. Although this may seem like a minor detail, being able to successfully manage your bankroll can help you become a better poker player and increase your frequency of winning.

Although being able to successfully manage your bankroll can play a major role when you are playing poker in a casino or with your friends, it plays an even bigger role in online poker. Because online poker rooms make it so simple to purchase more chips, many online poker players make the mistake of continuously buying more chips immediately after they run out. A countless number of new and experienced online poker players suffer from this problem, and it is one of the leading reasons why statistics show that ninety percent of the people who play online poker end up losing money over the long term. If you want to be in the small ten percent of players who win money from online poker over the long term, it's time to pay attention to how you can successfully manage your bankroll.

Above all else, you should never, under any circumstances, play with money that you need for necessities. Casinos refer to this type of money as "scared money," and choosing to play with it puts you at an immediate disadvantage. If you find yourself in a situation where you do not have any disposable income to play online poker with, you need to exercise some self-restraint and avoid dipping into any money that needs to be used for more important purposes.

The next key component to being able to successfully manage your bankroll is knowing what kind of stakes you will be facing as you play online poker. By taking the time to determine this information, you will be able to avoid ever finding yourself in a situation where your bankroll is completely depleted. Although you need to figure out what works specifically for you, here are some guidelines that can help get you started:

$200 or Less Bankroll: $5 Sit-&-Go Tournaments or Tables with a $0.50 to $1.00 Limit

$500-$900 Bankroll: $10 Sit-&-Go Tournaments, Tables with a $1.00 to $2.00 Limit or $0.10 to $0.25 No-Limit Tables

$1000+ Bankroll: $20 Sit-&-Go Tournaments or No-Limit Games where you can afford 100x the big blind

The Role of Luck in Poker

Poker is quite a bit different from many other types of casino games. When it comes to games like slots, your chances of winning are determined solely by the odds of the machine. Even though every person who regularly plays slots has a million different little superstitions and tricks for increasing their chances of winning, the reality is that there is nothing you can do to change the odds that the slot machines are set to pay out at. If you do happen to win, it is purely luck that you are sitting at a machine when it's odds are set to deliver a payout.

However, poker presents a completely different scenario. Unlike slots, poker does not involve a person and a machine. Instead, it involves a group of human beings. Because poker pits people against people instead of people against machines, players are actually able to have control over how they play. While slots players have no option but to bet and spin the reels, poker players can employ almost an endless amount of strategies. Whether it's betting in a specific way or going after a specific player, poker offers many opportunities for players to use their skill to increase their odds of winning.

Although skill does play a huge role in the game of poker, this does not mean that there is no room for luck. If you have ever played or watched any amount of poker, you are well-aware that there are plenty of instances where luck determines the outcome of a hand. You can play a hand exactly as any expert would recommend, but at the end of the hand, if the card you need doesn't come out of the deck (or a card your opponent needs does come out of the deck), you will ultimately lose that hand.

So, how does a player make sense of the balance of luck and skill in the game of poker? The key is focusing on strengthening your skills and improving your techniques as much as possible. Luck does play a role in the game of poker, and there is no way to eliminate that fact. However, if you work hard at making your skills and techniques as strong as possible, when you do lose a big hand, you will be able to walk away from the table knowing that you did everything right, and the next time around, luck could just as easily swing the outcome of the hand in your favor.

Child Predators, Coke Dealers and Murderers...A Recap of the 2008 WSOP

One of the reasons that poker has gained so much popularity is that anyone can start playing. Unlike other professional sports, which require an incredibly high level of athleticism, if someone is dedicated enough to practicing and learning how to play poker, they can still become a great player, even if they are five feet tall and weigh three hundred pounds. Poker is arguably the most popular professional sport that does not require its players to possess an ounce of athleticism.

While mainstream America loves watching poker and hearing the stories of average people that beat the odds and made it into the tournament, they seem to be turning a blind eye to many of the questionable individuals that make it into the tournament. Just as it's possible for an average person to get a seat at theWSOP , it's possible for people that would normally be labeled a degenerate or threat to society to earn a seat in the event. If you think I'm exaggerating, let's just take a look at some of the individuals who made their way into the World Series of Poker:

Shahram "Shawn" Sheikhan: A resident alien of the US, he was arrested in August of last year for violating his immigration status and faced possible deportation. So, what violated his immigration status? He was convicted in 1995 of misdemeanor sexual battery on a child under 18 (he allegedly offered the child a skateboard in exchange for sex)!

Mike Matusow: Over the course of his poker playing career, Matusow has won over $6.5 million. While this seems like enough money for anyone to live a very nice life, it apparently wasn't for Matusow. In 2005, he spent six months in jail for selling coke and pills to an undercover cop! When he was younger, he also stole money from his own mother to fuel his video poker playing habit.

Thomas A. “Amarillo Slim” Preston Jr.: Making an appearance in this year's Senior Tournament, Amarillo Slim is a 79 year old poker player from Amarillo, Texas. While he may sound normal enough, consider this: in 2003, he was indicted by a grand jury on three charges of indecency with a minor. And that's not all: the minor was his own twelve year old granddaughter!

Ernest Scherer III: Back in March, both of Ernest's parents were found brutally beaten to death in their Pleasanton, California home, and still wearing their pajamas. Before you start feeling sorry for Ernest, check this out: Ernest has been named as a person of interest in the investigation. Yes, you read that correctly: Ernest may have beaten both of his parents to death! What could possibly drive someone to committing a horrendous act against their own parents? According to reports circulating around the Internet, Ernest has some major gambling debts, which could serve as the motivation for taking the lives of his parents, who had accumulated a significant amount of wealth as a result of investing in real estate.

Counting Cards in Blackjack?

There are several levels of action the casinos will take if they suspect you of cheating.

The first thing they will do is have the pit bosses stare you down and/or make comments to try and screw you up. This is really more of a feeler move to see how much you are actually paying attention to the cards coming out.

Next, they'll back you off the table. A couple of guys will come over and say something nice like, "Hello sir. We think you're a little too good at blackjack. Feel free to enjoy any of the other games offered in the casino."

The next move if actually kicking you out of the casino. 3 or 4 security guys will come over to your table, and ask you to leave the property. This, or the next step is actually pretty rare unless you're cleaning up with black chips.

The final move is the most severe. They will walk you to the door, then read to you the Trespassing Act. This is official notice that if you ever come back, they will have you arrested for trespassing.

Some tips if you're going to take a professional level counting system to the casinos:

1.) If you're kicked off the table in any capacity, do NOT cash out that day. Come back some other time, or send someone else to cash out for you. They may or may have a good picture of you from the table, but they'll definitely have a nice clear picture of your face if you walk up to the cage and cash out.

2.) Don't use a fake id like in the movie. Counting cards is not a crime, but using a fake id certainly is. If you don't do anything illegal, you're not going to get into any actual trouble.

3.) If they ask you to go to a back room or try to detain you in any other way, refuse to go with them. If they ask you to go somewhere, just say they can talk to you where you stand, or you'll be leaving through the front door. If they say they think you're cheating, tell them you'll stand right where you are until the police arrive, otherwise you're leaving. This doesn't really happen anymore, but just in case, be aware that you do not need to go anywhere with them that you don't want to go. All they would really do is take you somewhere to "sweat" you (make you sit around for awhile and ask you some stupid questions). They're not going to beat you up like in the movie.

At the end of the day, these aren't really things you should worry too much about. Don't splash around too much cash, and don't be too obvious and you can get away with counting. If you're actually planning to attempt to become a professional blackjack player there are a lot of things to consider, but that's not something I can go into here.

BTW, The "Black Book" is a list of actual casino cheats who have been convicted of a crime and can be arrested if stepping into a casino. There are known counters who are banned pretty much everywhere, but that's not what the real "Black Book" is for.

WSOP Guide to the November Nine (Part Three)

Seat Five: Darus Suharto
Chip Count: 12,520,000

Born in 1969, Darus Suharto is the other playing that will be representing Canada at the final table. A resident of Toronto, Canada, Suharto made it into this year's World Series of Poker through a six hundred and fifty dollar satellite.

Suharto has been playing poker on a consistent and serious basis since 2005. Although he didn't take home any money from the WSOP last year, in 2006, Suharto earned just over twenty-six thousand dollars by finishing four hundred and forty-eighth in the tournament.

Seat Six: David "Chino" Rheem
Chip Count: 10,230,000

Nicknamed Chino, David Rheem has had quite a lucrative poker career since his first major tournament in 2005. Over the last three years, Rheem has taken home just short of six hundred thousand dollars in prize money.

As a result of a warrant for his arrest that was issued several years ago, there is some speculation that Rheem could be arrested during the final of the WSOP. However, the man from Miami, Florida doesn't seem to be letting any of these potential issues interfere with his trip to the final table in November.

Seat Seven: Ivan Demidov
Chip Count: 24,400,000

Born in 1981, when Ivan Demidov arrives at the final table in November, he will have the second largest amount of chips in front of him. Demidov, who is from Moscow, Russia, began playing poker at the beginning of 2006. In addition to skiing and scuba diving, Demidov found time to place 11th at a WSOP event several weeks ago and earn himself just under forty thousand dollars.

Seat Eight: Kelly Kim
Chip Count: 2,620,000

With just over two and a half million chips, Kelly Kim will sit down at the final table with the shortest stack of chips. However, with over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in career winnings, this California resident may have enough skill to outlast his opponents, regardless of their larger stacks.

Seat Nine: Peter Eastgate
Chip Count: 18,375,000

A resident of Odense, Denmark, Peter Eastgate was the man responsible for knocking Tiffany Michelle (the last woman in the tournament) out of the Main Event in seventeenth place. Although he's young, Eastgate pocketed over eighty thousand dollars during the Scandinavian Open in February of this year.

Now that you have been introduced to the nine men who will sit down at the WSOP Final Table, all you have to do is wait until November comes around and the action resumes!

WSOP Guide to the November Nine (Part Two)

Seat Two: Craig Marquis
Chip Count: 10,210,000

Although he is the second seat at the final table, Craig Marquis has the second lowest chip count. However, Craig was the player that eliminated twenty-five year old Dean Hamrick's hopes of having a seat at the Main Event's final table.

While twenty-five may seem like an extremely young age for someone to make it all the way to the final ten, Marquis has made it all the way to the final table and is only twenty-three! Yes, that's correct: he's only twenty-three. Craig has actually taken time off from college to pursue his poker dreams, and judging by his performance so far, it's paying off extremely well. While he probably received quite a bit of criticism for his decision to take time off from college, it's hard to say anything negative about it now that he will be taking home a minimum of just under one million dollars.

According to a quote in USA Today, in response to his next plans, Marquis said, "I'm going to take it easy and relax. These last several days have been pretty stressful and grinding."

Seat Three: Ylon Schwartz
Chip Count: 12,525,000

Although Ylon Schwartz has won over $250,000 during the course of poker career, he is just as excited as anyone to have made it to the final table of the biggest event in poker. According to several interviews, Schwartz said he was able to make it all the way to the final table by playing conservative. Instead of going for the huge wins, he focused on picking up small pots by waiting for people to make mistakes. Schwartz picked up his first tournament prize of just under nine thousand dollars back in 2004, and four years later, will be picking up a minimum of nine hundred thousand dollars!

Seat Four: Scott Montgomery
Chip Count: 19,690,000

As the third largest chip leader, Scott Montgomery is one of two Canadians that will be present at the final table. Although this will obviously be his biggest achievement of the year, 2008 has treated Montgomery quite well. The twenty-six year old from Perth, Ontario finished fifth at the LA Poker Classic, which earned him close to three hundred thousand dollars. He has also finished quite well in a handful of other notable poker tournaments.

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