Vacations in Vegas Dying Down?

Las Vegas - the city of partying, gambling, and more - seems to be lacking in its excitement due to the rising cost of products such as gas and food. Every extra penny that would-be tourists reluctantly spend at gas stations and grocery stores is one less cent that won’t be slipped into a slot machine, placed in a desk clerk’s hand in hopes for a room upgrade, or spent to buy cheap flashy souvenirs.

Steve Chen states that, “It feels more expensive these days than it was last year.” Chen and his friends are scheduled to arrive in Vegas soon, but when they do get there they expect to pay a lot more attention to what they spend than past visits to the city of lights. In order to save money, Chen states that what they’re looking for this time around are bars or lounges that won’t charge a cover.

The tourism statistics from March report that Vegas’ visitation is flat compared to last year, with almost 10 million visitors. Although the city still leads the nation in tourism, the occupancy is down to 89% and room rates down almost 3%, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. In order to bring in more people, many large resorts are reducing room prices, giving away free food, and providing gambling and entertainment comps.

It certainly is not surprising that people are finding it difficult to put aside money for a Vegas trip. According to the American Automobile Association, compared to last year, the average cost for a gallon of gas is up 17% in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Our bare necessities in food - milk, eggs, and meat - have prices that have risen tremendously since last year. Contrasting, the value of homes is lower than last year and might drop even further.

All these fluctuations in the economy make it very hard for most people to open up their wallets for a vacation in Vegas (or anywhere, for that matter). Despite the recent economic status, it doesn’t seem like Vegas will shrivel up and blow away any time soon. Even Chen stated, “I still have got to relax and try to get away.”

Heads up Poker tips

The best way to win in heads up poker is by playing it aggressively. Most of the time, those who are first timers in this game are easily beaten by those who are professional and aggressive. In order for your opponents to look at every flop, it is necessary that you let them pay. Do not let other players catch your cards because you may lose lots of hands. The professionals in playing the heads up poker usually say that their cards are not the basis of their game. Take advantage to those players whom you think are weak.

Another thing that you can consider when playing Heads up poker is bluffing. Act as if you have the best hand with you. On the one hand, you also have to read if other players are also playing tricks on you. They might have the flush but you just have to do the bluffing. Keep in mind that placing the right bet is very important. However, this strategy is very dangerous because in the game of poker, it is hard to know whether or not your opponent has the best hand.

Next tip that can help you is by computing the outs and odds in heads up Texas holdem poker. The cards that are left in the deck, or outs, are the ones that will complete your hand. When you already have two clubs with you and another two on the board, that means that you only need one more card for flush, you then have 9 outs. You can compute it by subtracting the number of clubs from the total number of it.

Lastly, you also have to consider the pot odds. It is the ratio of the size and bet of the pot. You can call a bet if your pot odds are lesser than your hand odds.

Cards Slow Playing: WhenTo Do It

There are some things that a player should keep in mind in slow playing his/her cards.

1. Slow play when the players are against you. Always consider the players that are in with you. Play the hand properly and always be careful of your steps. Remember that with the opponents that you have, lots of things can happen.

2. Is your hand strong? You are not playing just because you do want to enjoy. The main reason why you are playing is that you want to win. Any move can be done with the unbeatable hands. On the other hand, you can spoil others with the use of your weak hands. Those which are in the middle will start the real game. Slow playing can be an option if you think your hand can be outdrawn.

3. Considering your position is also a good thing to keep in mind. You have to know what position you are in. It will determine what bet can you make. In order for other players to catch up in your game if you think you are advancing, you can just call or raise the river.

4. The last thing that you have to consider if you want to slow play is your opponents. Who are they? Slow playing would not work for good players because once you raise the river, they will just fold. The usual thing that you can observe in limit holdem games is that many raise preflop and on the flop. Their goal is to make more money.

Some reasons why people slow play are the following:

1. They want to get more money in.
2. Bluffing
3. Semi-bluffing
4. mixing up the game

Slow play is done to deceive other players. You can only use slow play when you know how to do it. Otherwise, you will just let yourself be beaten by your opponents.

PLAYING POCKET ACES IN TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER

Pocket aces are called in such a way because a pair of aces is hidden or concealed. There is a possible 169 hands in this game and the pocket aces in Texas Hold’em Poker is the best. If you would not play it correctly, you might not get the victory that you want.

Below are the steps in playing pocket aces in Texas Hold’em poker:

· POKER FACE: In a normal game of poker, players should remember that a poker face is necessary. Do not react if you get a good card or not. That means, you just have to stay neutral. Never show them that you are happy or sad by laughing or frowning too much. You can then conceal the pocket aces if you have them.

· BETTING: Be wise when it comes to betting. Do not raise your pre-flop. Just raise by a small amount and never give all in.

· CALL: Call them if they go all in preflop. A professional plays this way in order to get their money back.

· FLOP READING: The following are the styles of play according to the situation: K-10-J are the high cards. If you encountered these cards, raise up to 10. Just be attentive with the players who give all in because it might be a straight. The triple are the cards A-6-10. When you have these, raise just a small amount on anything. A quick straight is the 5-7-6 cards. This time, you have to be aware that the situation is not on a good condition. The best thing to do is to call. When you got the 4-8-2, just give just a small raise. You just have to call when you got K-K-Q.

· NO DANGER? RAISE THE FLOP: If there is no danger, you can raise your flop. But you have to be aware of those who have small raise.

· RIVER READING: If your condition is good, just raise the flop.

· REACTION: Do not show your reaction to other players. If you win, you win. If otherwise happened, do not say anything still. Be sports.

Three Card Poker

The three card poker is a very popular casino game that has caught the attention of many players. Aside from it is just simple and easy to follow, it is also an exciting game that makes people interested in playing it. Compared to the usual poker game, three card poker allows you to take a stab at two separate games in just one round that gives you the opportunity to win bigger pot money. A player may opt to take up both or either the Pair Plus and Anti bet but it still depends upon the rule of the game.

A regular deck is utilized by three card poker. Three betting circles are being displayed at the poker table. These are for the players. The Pair plus is shown at the topmost circle. On the other hand, the two circles below displays both Ante and Pair. This is just the regular form or layout for a three card poker table.

Each player will have to put their bets for Pair Plus and Ante Play circles. Sometimes, there is a requirement for players to bet on Ante before they could make a bet for Pair Plus circle. If a player would want to, he or she can just bet only on Ante Play instead of betting on Pair Plus. The dealing of three cards for each player will be started by the dealer. The player on the left side will then start the betting and will follow the clockwise rotation up until the right side gets his turn and does his move. The decision to fold the ante bet where a player loses or raise it by betting the same amount to his ante bet will depend upon the player.

From strongest to weakest, the hand rankings are straight flush, 3 of a kind, straight, flush, pair or two of any kind, and lastly, the high card. The dealer will then reveal his hand which will tell the pay outcome for every player.

Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is not extremely different form the typical poker we used to play. It is a combination of American-style poker and the game of Chinese dominos named Pai Gow. The only difference that can be noted in this game is that it uses a regular deck that consists of 52 cards plus a joker. The joker makes the game more challenging than the usual poker game.

Players have to beat only the banker in this game. The banker has to cover all the bets of the six payers by betting enough money. The house or the casino often plays the role of the banker. Players can have the opportunity to become the banker. On the other hand, a player can still decline this opportunity but it has to be kept in mind that there are lots of advantages if you are the banker.

This poker is played around a table that can accommodate the dealer and the six players as well. The dealer will make seven stacks of seven cards and will not include the four remaining cards after the 53-card deck is shuffled. Before the dealer could determine who gets the first hand, the players have to make bets. After the first hand, the rotation will be in a counterclockwise motion to deal the remaining hands to players.

A player should set the received cards in two hands; five cards and two cards respectively. The rule states that the five-card should have a higher ranking than the two-card. If it is not, then it is considered foul. Players have to place their two hands face down, positioning the two-card near the dealer and the other cards at the bottom. The banker’s cards will then be turned face up by the dealer to allow the banker to set his own hands. The player will then compare their cards, both two and five to the banker’s cards.

A player who beats the card ok the banker will be declared the winner and will get the equal amount that he bet.

Four Card Poker Game

Under the ownership of Shuffle Master, Roger Snow developed the Four Card Poker game. It is as exciting as the three-card poker. The two poker variants are almost similar to this but there is also enough comparison to differentiate the two.

The five-card hand which is most common is not used in this game. Four cards are required here. Four of a kind is placed at the top of the hand rankings. All four cards have the same value just like four nine’s. The second is the straight flush. This means four suited cards in a sequence. Three cards of the same value are indicated by three of a kind. 4 cards suited are called flush. The opposite of this is called straight which has varying suits. Two cards of the same value are two pairs. Two aces in the hand are indicated by pair of aces. High card is the last and has the highest value.

Just like the three card poker game, four card uses 52 cards on a table. Aces-up, Ante and 1-3x Ante are the labels of the betting circles. Among the five cards dealt, players have to get the best four card.

The beginning of the game will be the betting on the Ante circle. They can also bet for Aces Up or not. The same mount should be placed on both if the players decided to put wagers on those. Each player will be dealt five cards face down by the dealer. On the other hand, the dealer will have 6 cads, one face up, and will use these to get the best four card hand. Each player as well as he dealer will have to choose whether to fold or continually play but they have to remember the hand rankings for this game.

Four card poker gives you the opportunity to possibly win a payout twice even if the result of the other game was not good.

HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYER

As everyone may know, poker is a game of not just skills but also luck. The ways to win this game is to have the highest hand and the best poker face among the players. These ways really requires, number one, luck and, the second, talent.

Before they start the game itself, they shall first agree on the maximum amount that they can bet. An ante shall be placed on the pot by each player before cards can be dealt. Every player’s bet on ante shall be equal to each other. The dealer will then deal the cards to each player from the one who is in his left until all players get their own cards. Cards that are left undistributed will be placed in the middle of the table. Opening, seeing, checking, raising, folding, and a lot of bluffing will follow.

The strongest hand to the weakest hand is as follow:
• Royal Flush
• Straight Flush
• 4 of a Kind
• Full house
• Flush
• Three of a Kind
• Two Pair
• Pair
• High Card

Bluffing is the most important aspect of poker but it is not given enough attention. It means making others believe that you have a better hand even if you really do not. Just keep a poker face by not giving away clues to your opponents by your eye movements, facial expressions, etc.

You have to be an experienced bluffer if you want to master the game yet having no enough riches to shell out. Luck should not always be the basis o the game. You must have the strategy and the guts of trying the game even if you think you cannot give much money and wants to get more from it.

No Leads To Thief Of $100,000 Chip Theft Stolen From Crown Casino

Someone has stolen a $100,000 gaming chip was stolen from the Crown Casino. According to the reports the thief stole the chip in one of the more secure areas of the casino. Over 50 employees of the casino were interviewed and hours of security footage were analyzed – but the police were not able to turn up any leads.

The Victoria Police department believes that the thief might have been someone who is familiar with the workings of the casino a how everything is set up. This means that only a member of the staff would have been able to swipe the chip at the right time without getting caught.

The police reported to the Sunday Herald Sun that the $100,000 chip was stolen out of a cupboard in the counting room – which is one of the areas that has the most security within the whole casino besides the casino floor.

Close to 80 people have access to the counting room and over a dozen were interviewed to determine what had happened. The theft was first reported to the police back in 2006 and despite thorough investigation they have been unable to reveal any leads.

Gary O’Neill – the spokesman for the Casino confirmed this week that the casino was indeed down $100,000. "It is an on going investigation by police, we will leave it up to them," he said. "We are co-operating and continue to co-operate with the police. It is a police investigation, which is still open.

"Since the incident the casino has spent time and money to install better security cameras. "The existing cameras didn't capture anything. A couple of the cameras passed over the floor (where the theft happened) but they didn't show anything," stated a source."Obviously it was someone on the inside. But short of anyone coming forward, the police don't have anything to solve it. It appears to have been an isolated incident."

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Texas Hold'em Tournament

For someone who really loves poker, nothing beats the thrill of playing in a hard fought game against a bunch of great players and coming out on top. Not only is the money good but so is the feeling that comes along with besting a group of great players. But even this can get boring after a while and so what does one do then? Find a tournament to play in.

A person can find a good tournament to play in just about anywhere. Most towns will have these types of events at local clubs and bars. Some areas are even lucky enough to have their own card room where a person can easily find a tournament any week.

But if you aren’t the type that likes to play online poker against a big group of people, then you can easily find a Texas Hold’em tournament on the Internet. There are many card rooms like BetUS that constantly offer these types of poker tourneys and all you have to do is search for them.

You will find that a tournament is held in many different types of formats as well. Some involve hundreds of people while others only have a handful of people playing in their room. And the amount of money to get into a tournament varies as well. Some will charge a big entry fee to get into and offer a big prize while others may have a small entry fee but a small prize for the winner as well.

Whatever type of tournaments you choose to get into depends on your interests though. But the point is that it serves as a nice change of pace for people who want to get away from the cut and dried format of typical poker.

World Crown Poker - is a live poker tournament that will be held on May 8 in Barcelona

888.com, one of the biggest online gambling companies, decided to give all poker players around the world the chance to win millions of dollars.

While this is mostly an online poker tournament, the 888 WPC final event will take place at a casino as a live poker event. The final 10 players that reach the final stage of the online tournament will be invited to play in this exclusive event (which will be broadcast live on TV) and win the big prize (guaranteed total prizes of $3 million and a guaranteed first prize of $1 million!).

This huge prize is for anyone to take. The World Poker Crown Final Event at Perlada Castle in Barcelona, Spain between May 6th to May 10th will be broadcast live on television and the internet.

As mentioned above, you could watch the live tournament on the internet at: http://WPC.888.com/ and vote for who you think will win. The viewers will get a chance to win a $17K package to the WSOP (World Series of Poker - another live poker event that will take place in Las Vegas later on - these are two separate events).

In addition, there will be three events during the broadcast:

Pre-event: all you need to do is to vote. All players who voted until the event started are eligible to play an online tournament that will start 3 hours later, giving the winner 1 WSOP package ($17K).
The WPC - World Crown Poker - is a live poker tournament that will be held on May 8 in Barcelona (see further details bellow).

During the event: freerolls in the 888 forum for all members who post their user name, prizes are tickets to your WSOP qualifiers ($550).

Post-event: another online tournament will be held, this time awarding

3 WSOP packages (3x$17K). This is open only to those who guessed / placed their bet on the player who actually won the WPC.

Another slogan - Vote now to win a free WSOP $17,000 package!

If you need further information you can go to:

http://specials.888.com/wpc/

The History of Online Poker

The late 1990's brought with it the beginnings of what was to become one of the fastest growing phenomena of the twenty-first century. The beginnings of online poker started with the free poker games offered by IRC Poker. This was such a hit that Planet Poker soon made its appearance online with electronic card games that could be played for real money stakes.

Soon established casinos entered the market with their own websites and games to encourage and entice new players to try their luck with the cards. The biggest difference in playing online poker is the speed with which play continues. While at a real casino, one must allow for the time to gather and shuffle the cards and count the chips, online poker is dealt instantly. The average for a physical game is about thirty-three hands per hour. Online this can increase to as much as one hundred hands dealt and played in the same hour's time.

Many of the real casinos use their online games as advertising for their physical locations and often reward players with extra Poker bonus that can be used when they visit. The laws regulating real casinos are different from the laws that regulate online gambling and there are some places in the United States that online poker playing is illegal. Therefore it is provident for the new player to check with local and state regulations to assure that online poker is allowed in your hometown.

Funding your games of Internet poker is easy to do. Some banks and credit card companies refuse to allow transfers to online poker sites. Thus the emergence of virtual credit cards and intermediary online "wallet" accounts allow the player to transfer funds without having to be constantly connecting to their bank accounts or being denied the use of their regular credit cards for funding their online poker accounts.

The online poker establishments use a number of methods including IP address checking and automatic scanning for evidence of "robot" program patterns to keep their online poker games fair and above-board. With online poker being a multi-million dollar a month enterprise, they make tremendous effort to maintain a high degree of ethical behavior to assure their users that the games are run fairly and properly.

Although the chance of winning with such speedy play increases more with the ability to play multiple tables and games at one time, there is the loss of ability to watch your fellow players for body language and the subtle signs of a bluff. However, this is again offset by the fact that even the beginner, or person with a small budget to wager, can find a game of online poker that will fit their needs. While the stakes start high at real casinos, the online poker establishments allow games with bets as low as one cent so newcomers to the game can practice their skill while learning how to improve their performance and not be merely discouraged at an early loss.

Online poker is not limited to low-stakes or purely web-based play. Increasingly Championship poker tournaments are developing online games that allow a person to win the right to play in real casinos in international tournaments. It was through such a "satellite" online tournament that Chris Moneymaker won his seat in the 2003 World Series of Poker and ultimately became the winner of the real-life game as well.