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Sunday 14 June 2020

New Jersey & Alberta Canada poker news



New Jersey Regulated Online Poker News

The massive blizzard that hit the East Coast from the U.S. along authorities warning people to stay inside, had an effect around the New Jersey internet poker market yesterday, in spite with the storm sparing residents with the state through the big load of  snow that hit other areas in the region.

This did cause a significant blizzard on the on-line poker tables though, with WSOP New Jersey and 888 New Jersey both posting gains of 40%, and Party Borgata setting up a nice 25% gain.

This, along with the fact that WSOP NJ and 888’s site being tracked together now because of the fact they're sharing a great deal of players, has really put some distance between this new combined site and Party Borgata.

Party Borgata had been leading the pack all along, but that is you can forget.  The combined site now boasts 220 average cash game players to Party Borgata’s 150.

We may even see this gap widen further since the mix of WSOP and 888’s All American Network builds much more momentum, where their better traffic now makes then more desirable to New Jersey on-line poker players.

Alberta Looks To Offer An Online Gaming Site

The Canadian province of Alberta, well-known for the huge oil deposits in their tar sands, is currently seeking to establish an internet gaming site to capture some with the on the net market of their province.

They estimate that residents bet between $120 and $150 million on so called grey market on the web sites, and government officials are aiming to capture a number of those funds as tax revenue.

Overall, the Alberta government already ingests $1.5 billion annually from gaming revenues but these are seeking more.  They will also be looking to be able to control the on the internet market more using this bid, particularly in limiting access to minors and cutting down on problem gambling.

While player participation on this scheme would be completely voluntary, as there is nothing stopping residents from playing at any website they wish that accepts Canadians, that is most of them, neighboring province British Columbia has experienced an internet gambling site up for some time now and it has found some really good success by using it, taking in $91 million this past year from this, this could end up working pretty well for Alberta.
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Sunday 31 May 2020

Playing Five-Card Poker

Playing Five-Card Poker
There is a great increase in popularity in the game of poker. With the help of poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker, the Texas Hold'em style of poker has overtaken the television, casino, and fundraising world. There are many willing to lay down some cold, hard cash for a chance at final table glory. There are also many of us that do not know how to play the popular card game. Poker is a game of skill and chance that comes in many forms; Texas Hold'em is but one. Someone unfamiliar with the game should try learning a simpler version, five-card draw.
First things first, familiarization with the winning hand rankings is essential. This order holds true for all versions of poker. The following list is from highest to lowest possible winning hands. The four suits are clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.


Royal flush - ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of the same suit

Straight flush - five consecutive ordered cards of the same suit

Four of a kind - four cards of the same number

Full house - three of a kind plus a pair of another number

Flush - five cards of the same suit

Straight - five consecutive ordered cards of any suit

Three of a kind - three cards of the same number

Two pair - two individual groups of cards with the same numbers

Pair - two cards with the same number

High card - highest single card


All players are required to enter an ante to be dealt into the hand. An ante is a set bet used to begin every pot. The amount of this bet can be set to suit any group's needs. Once all players add their ante to the pot, they are dealt five cards, face down. All players are then allowed to look at their cards and decide if they wish to stay in the hand or fold, leaving the game and losing their ante. At this time players are examining their cards for the best winning hand possible.
If a player thinks they have a good hand, or chance at one, they will stay in the game. These players will make their bets. The player to the left of the dealer starts the betting cycle. Their choice is to check or bet. If they check, they make no bet and the next player has the option to also check or bet, add money to the pot making all players pay to stay in the hand. If the first player bets, then the next player has the option to call, meet the bet, or raise, meet the bet and add more to it. A raise causes other players to commit more money to the pot to play.
Once the betting circle is complete and all players have paid or folded, the players are allowed to discard up to three cards. Some circles allow replacing four cards if an ace is the one card left. Players hope to better their hands with the cards they replace in this step. The cards are dealt one player at a time following proper dealing order. This is now followed by another round of betting, just as before.
At the end of this round of betting the winner will be determined. If during this final betting the pot was raised, the last one to raise the pot is the first to show their cards. If all check, then the first person to the left of the dealer shows their cards first. All players' cards are then compared to the rank of winning hands. The winner gets all the money in the pot.
Ties are broken depending on their rank. A tied royal flush is rare, but if it happens then the winner is determined by highest suit. The rank of suits is, from lowest to highest: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. The royal flush with the highest suit rank wins. A straight flush's winner is determined by highest straight or suit, if necessary. Four of a kind is won by the highest hand, as is the full house. For a straight, the highest straight or suit will win. A flush tie is won by the highest card, or suit. Three of a kind, two pair, and pair ties are won by the highest set. For cases that one pair is the same winning hand for two people, the winner is determined by the highest card other than the pair in the hand.
There are many variations of five-card draw poker, as with all other card games. It is best to make sure everyone is playing with the same rules before the ante hits the pot. This simple step avoids any heartache over lost pots due to misunderstandings between players. Practice with friends and family for fun and enjoy the game. Once this version seems easy to play, expand to others; but always play responsibly.

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Texas Holdem Tips and Tricks

Texas Holdem Tips and Tricks
I've been playing poker for many years now, and my favorite game is Texas Holdem. Over the years I've become aware of some tips and tricks to becoming a successful poker player, and I thought I'd share them with you today. Check out the links in my signature to apply these techniques in an online poker room today.
Card Selection:
An important aspect to playing good poker, is knowing which hands to play. That's right guys, don't play that Jack Four Offsuit anymore. Sure, you might get a really 'bad beat' on someone, and then get to laugh in their face, but in the long run, YOU are the loser. All those 'bad beats' that you serve, don't make up for all the hands that you lose to higher kickers. Here are some really good guidelines that I've come up with myself, that I use everyday. Your two starting cards must meet 2 out of 3 conditions for them to be considered playable.
First condition: You should have at least one high card. A Queen is where I draw the line at being a 'high' card.
Second condition: Your two cards should both be able to be used in a flush. That means that they should be of the same suit (suited).
Third condition: You should be able to use both of your cards in a straight. This means that you can't have more than three cards that go between the two that you hold. For example, the lowest card you should play with a King would be a Nine. This way you could get a straight... Nine/Ten/Jack/Queen/King.
Now remember, your two card hand only needs to meet TWO of the three conditions. If your cards meet all three conditions and one of your cards is an ace, you've got a runner, runner, runner Royal Flush Draw! LOL! If you start following my hand selection method, your game will improve greatly, and you'll notice right away.
The Poker Mood:
Poker mood? Believe it not, your mood can and will affect your game play. If you're tired, hungry, or whatever, your game will suffer based on poor decisions on your part. I've found that the two most extreme moods that can have the most devastating affects on your game are when you're bored, or when you're angry. When you're bored, you'll find yourself playing cards that you know you shouldn't be playing, and that'll lead to making some poor calls with some very weak hands. Sometimes folding can seem very boring at times, but you know you're making the right move. If you play all those junky suited hands, it's just going to cost you in the long run. When you're playing online poker and notice that you're getting bored, try surfing the net when you're not in the hand. Or, like a lot of players do, try playing two tables at the same time.
It's almost impossible to win at poker when you're angry at someone or something. If someone bluffed you out of a big pot, or keeps stealing your blinds, or if you were just the victim of a bad-beat, just relax. Who gets the last laugh? The one who's left standing in the tournament does. Making poor, costly decisions simply because you're angry is so common that they've come up with a name for it. It's called being on "TILT". It's the easiest way to go broke in a hurry. If you've let your nerves get the best of you, and you find yourself on Tilt, just stop playing immediately. Come back after at least an hour or so.
So when you sit down to play a game of poker, make sure you're well fed, well rested, and just in a good mood in general. Playing in a good mood might not help you win, but playing in a bad mood will definitely help you lose!
Managing Your Money:
Playing good poker and winning more times than not, doesn't guarantee success. It depends on which games you play. If you play mainly single-table tourneys(STT) and jump around from buy-ins of $5 to $10 etc. and you do good at the lower buy-in tables and lose more often at the higher staked tables, your account balance won't show the success of your win percentage.
You should pick a limit that's appropriate for your bankroll and skill level and then stick with it. If you already have a good winning percentage, then i suggest you use my 10% buy-in rule. Never buy in a tournament for more than 10% of what's in your account. Do not brake this rule (or another rule that you create on your own) or you may fall victim to the dreaded Tilt monster. See, what will happen is you'll lose a couple of $10 tourneys in a row. Then you'll think that there's no way you'll lose a third, and if you play a $20 tourney you can make back all that you lost, and then some, in no time. Next thing you know, two $20 tables later, you're down about $70 and now you're looking at the $50 tables. Do you see the pattern? If anything, your table buy-ins should have been going down along with your account balance. This problem is very common amongst people who have gambling problems. They try to win back what they lost by risking even more until they end up with nothing left.
Now, after you've been successful at your current level over a long period of time, you might then consider moving up to the next step, which is the next highest level buy-in your site offers. It's important to have a buy-in rule, because it can keep you from going broke and having to redeposit. I currently play at a site where I've never made a single deposit. In the past they had 10 cent giveaway tournaments and the winner's share was 5 cents. I started with those and worked my way up. I've personally withdrawn thousands of dollars from this site having never deposited a dime thanks to these simple tips that I've come up with. Come up with a system that suits you, and stick to it.

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Monday 30 September 2019

Strategies for Online Craps

Of all the dice games out there, craps is the most popular. The online version of the craps game has taken this popularity to a whole new level. No longer will you find large crowds of people waiting their turn at the craps table. No, this time around players are choosing to do it from the convenience and comfort of their own homes. And why shouldn't they? Everyone wants to be able to play craps in their bathrobe.
There are many strategies that are available for players to learn. For new players, however, this may be confusing and mind boggling at best. This is why new players need to take the time to learn the rules and strategies of online craps, in order to have better success. Going hand in hand with playing strategies are the betting systems online craps players will encounter. There are different betting systems too, and it would be wise for players to recognize and learn them.
There are different betting strategies available, the following are just some of which players can utilize in their online craps strategies.
Pass line betting: This is made at the beginning of an online craps game. It is considered to be popular and very profitable among craps players too. This bet is dependent on the shooter either rolling a seven or eleven on their first throw.
Don't pass line betting: With this strategy, the player is betting that the shooter will throw a two, three, or twelve.
Come betting strategy: This strategy is very similar to pass line betting. It is usually a strategy taken by new players to a table. If the shooter rolls an eleven or seven, the player wins. If the roll brings a two, three, or twelve, the player loses.
Don't come betting strategy: This strategy entails a player betting against the shooter throwing a seven or eleven, and instead rolling a two or three. It is similar to the Come betting strategy.
Odds betting: This type of betting strategy adds on to the mentioned strategies. It can be used in combination with the other strategies, and results in bigger wins and better chances of winning (odds).
Win betting: This strategy assumes that the shooter will throw a four, five, six, eight, nine, or ten, before throwing a seven. The winnings for this strategy will depend on the numbers thrown.
Lose betting: This strategy assumes that the shooter will throw a seven before throwing a four, five, six, eight, or nine. It is simply the reverse of the win betting strategy.
Different online craps situations will necessitate the use of different betting strategies. It is therefore important for players to learn when to use a particular strategy. This will come from lots of practice and commitment to the game.
If you are thinking of playing online craps, then you should definitely go ahead and do so. There are numerous online casinos where you can sign up. Check out the casino reviews first, so you are sure the website offers good online craps games.

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Sports Betting Techniques - "Arbing"

There are many strategies that can be used when sports betting. The most basic strategy is of course to pick a horse and back it to win - or a tennis player or a football team or a snooker player... you get the idea. However if you choose this method you are very unlikely to profit in the long term. The odds are definitely in favour of the bookie being the winner. So what you need is an edge, something to swing the odds in your favour.
Many systems have grown out of this desire to get an edge. They all have different levels of risk and potential return. The least "risky" technique I have come across is matched betting. In theory this is risk free. You sign up to a bookie offering a free bet sign up bonus, place a couple of bets and take your money. The downside to this is that it is limited by the amount of sign up offers available. It is possible to make A�100s or even A�1000s if you look around for offers though so I would definitely put this at the top of the betting strategy list because of its low risk.
Another potentially risk free technique is called "arbing". This involves finding discrepancies between the advertised odds at different online bookies. This involves placing bets to cover any possible outcome of an event and still being able to make a profit no matter what the outcome. Many people use this technique and some do very well out of it.
The "arbs" are usually for a small percentage of your stake, perhaps 3%-5%, so a big bank is required to make a reasonable profit. Here lies a potential downside to this technique. If you start betting in big numbers time after time the bookies will notice you. They don't like "arbers" in general because the odds are against them now. If they think that you are taking advantage of this "loophole" they will either close your account or else severely limit the amount you can bet on an event. If this happens often enough then you will find it very difficult to get your bets placed.
Having said that "arbing" can be a great way to guarantee a profit if everything goes your way. But it is good to be aware of the risks involved. Another potential risk to look out for is if you find an "arb" and place a bet with one bookie by the time you get to place the next bet the price could have changed at the other bookie or bookies. So you could go from having a guaranteed win to having a guaranteed loss - all be it most likely a small one.
In follow up articles I will go into a little more depth about "arbing" and also discuss other betting strategies that can be used to give you an edge in the online sports betting game. Always remember that no matter how risk free something seems there is always a chance something could go wrong so please never risk more than you can afford to lose.

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How to Use the Continuation Trap in NL Hold'Em

Many poker strategists recommend continuation betting as an ideal way to build up a pot when you have a strong opening hand and hold top pair or better after the flop. They suggest that rather than scare your opposition with a major pre-flop raise (which initiates pre-flop folding), a modest raise followed by one of the same size after the flop, turn and river will be more effective.
However, there are also opportunities to indulge in this strategy when your hand is not the best, but the circumstances are right. Consider you have been dealt 4h 5h in late position with a couple of limpers in the pot and maybe one or two tight players in the blinds. If you were to raise 5x the big blind you could possibly steal the pot straight away but, when one of the other players chooses to go with you, you could face a dilemma should you not catch on the flop. As you have the advantage of being in late position, the likelihood is that your opponent is only going to bet if they have caught a top pair (or better) on the flop and is waiting to see what you do after they check through. Your dilemma is whether to show the weakness of your hand by also checking, or by implying that your pre-flop bet still holds credibility by repeating your 5x big blind bet. The majority of times, your opponent will fold if you action the continuation bet.
A different scenario may occur if you were to be in front of your opponent in the betting. Having already initiated the betting pre-flop, you then have to either bluff your way through the post-flop round of betting with another continuation bet or demonstrate your hands weakness with a check. Your decision here may well be influenced by the size of your relative chip stacks. If you were to continue betting in the knowledge that you may have to bluff all the way to the river, your strategy is going to cost you (or your opponent) twenty big blinds. Will a post-flop continuation bet drive a short-stacked opponent all-in or are they slow playing you to raise after the river? If you have been studying the way your opponent plays, this may be able to guide you, but there is one fairly effective manoeuvre you can use at least once in a game - the continuation trap.
The continuation trap consists of checking your hand after the flop - indicating that it is weak. The player behind you in the betting is more than likely to raise, at which point you shove all your chips into the centre. Based on the principal that you initiated the betting pre-flop, your opponent will have serious reservations about calling your bet unless he has caught a set on the flop - odds of which are heavily in your favour.
The continuation trap has more to do with bluffing than continuation betting, and is far more effective if you have been seen to use continuation betting strategy previously in the game. It is definitely a useful option to have in your arsenal when playing in multi table poker tournaments.

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Roulette Betting Strategy - Understanding Where to Put Your Money on Roulette

Roulette is one of the simple games that you may want to choose playing in a casino floor as it may look pretty easy and simple to play. Playing the roulette is just actually choosing from among the slots in the wheel the possible slot where the ball would settle after the wheel stops.
Although the game may look simple but betting on a roulette game can be risky and you may need some roulette betting strategy to win the game. Of course, losing is always a part of any gamble and being able to increase your chances in winning in any gambling game can be a good thing however. If you are a roulette enthusiast, here are a few things that might be of help the next time you go out and have fun with the roulette.
Aside from choosing the slots in a roulette game, it is also wise to choose which of the roulette games you want to play to win more. Keep in mind that the European roulette is one slot less than the American roulette and that can mean a slightly higher chance of getting the right guess. Be on the look for the double zero slot. If you have one, then you might want to look for another roulette game without the double zero slot.
You can also choose to play away from the inside bets as your roulette betting strategy.  The outside bets have fewer options thus you may also have a 50-50 chance of getting the right choice. The outside bets can allow you to choose whether the ball would land on red or black or whether it will land on an even or odd number. You can also place your bet on the dozens bet or group of 12 consecutive numbers which allow you to choose from only the 3 sets of choices.
Another roulette betting strategy that you may want to explore is to get a roulette betting system. They may not be a surefire way to hit that jackpot prize but they can help you choose wisely on where to put your bet.
Of course, one of the most important roulette betting strategy that you need to keep in mind even before playing is to make sure you know the risk of putting your money on roulette. Yes, the game may look simple but it can also drain your funds if you do not manage your money right from the start. In any gambling game, always remember that losing is always a part of it. Indeed, you cannot win all the time in gambling games such as the roulette, thus you have to be able to manage your money and be prepared to lose and still have fun.
Also make sure that you can afford to lose the amount that you bet on roulette and other gambling games so that losing will never be that devastating. For sure, you don't also want to end up broke if ever you lose in roulette. Remember to have fun as well.  These games should be for fun, thus it is always important not to gamble all your money on roulette, not to end up broke and you enjoyed the game.

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