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Why You Should Choose Omaha for Your Online Poker Action

nospam@example.com (Nora Larsson) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:57:22 -0400

If you play online poker, you’ve probably been playing a lot of Texas hold’em. It’s the most popular game on the Internet, and most big tournaments are played in a no-limit Texas hold’em format. You should be aware that there are more online poker games than Texas hold’em, and if you’re looking for a new game, you may want to consider Omaha. There are many great reasons to consider playing Omaha online.

Reason to Play Online Omaha Poker 1: Omaha is Rising in Popularity

Omaha is a game that has always positioned itself to be the next hold’em. After over five years of an unchecked hold’em boom, players may be gravitating to other games, and the game most similar to hold’em is Omaha. If you can get ahead of the curve and be an Omaha expert when the hold’em players start to roll in, you could make a tidy profit.

Reason to Play Online Omaha Poker 2: Omaha Provides New Challenges

Although Omaha looks similar to hold’em, there are crucial strategic differences in the games. If you don’t know them, you could get buried fast. If you do know them, you can start making money in Omaha right away, even if you aren’t the most skilled player at the table.

Reason to Play Online Omaha Poker 3: Big Pots

A lot of people who play online poker are looking for big pots to take a whack at winning. With each player holding four cards, nearly everyone has a shot at nearly every pot, meaning pots can grow fast. Furthermore, the most popular variations of Omaha, pot-limit Omaha and Omaha 8 or better hi/lo split, naturally lend themselves to gargantuan pots.

If you’re looking for a challenging, heavy action game that rewards skill in your online poker, it just may be time to give Omaha a try.

Online casino security given thumbs up

nospam@example.com (ste.b) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:47:00 -0400

Many people would have had their doubts, I am sure - myself included, at one point or another about conducting an online casino financial transaction over the internet and whether the website in question is not going to abuse its position, or is indeed safe and secure from would-be hackers.

Anyone in their right mind would think twice about using a website where the security of information, let alone monetary, is not beyond doubt as it only makes sense to protect yourself.

However, that is not to say that all online casino transactions are at risk and customers and would-be online casino goers can be confident that their security is not taken for granted and that there are sufficient measures in place to them secure.

That is not my opinion, although I agree with it, but one of the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) who recently released a statement that said that the online casino industry has "no security problems that people choosing to gamble online need to be concerned about."

The RGA's business director, Brian Wright did concede that online casino goers were a little paranoid over the handing over of their personal and account details over to the casinos in the beginning, but that the growth of the industry has seen huge resources directed towards safety and security ensure that they are the best in the business.

"It is a safe form of gambling," Mr Wright said, adding that 'usability' and 'comfort' were primary reasons behind the popularity of online casinos.

Mr Wright continued: "While it was all being built up and becoming established there was a perception that people weren't familiar with it and didn't really have the confidence to bet online, but I think customers now realise that it is such a safe form of gambling."

Pre-flop Omaha Hi-Lo, discussing the best starting hands

nospam@example.com (ste.b) — Wed, 28 May 2008 05:17:59 -0400

Omaha poker comes in two formats. Traditionally Omaha is played as a high only game, and has a similar format to Texas Hold’em – the only difference being you have four cards in the hole as opposed to two. Omaha Hi-Lo works rather differently, as you are ideally hoping to make not one, but two hands. Before moving on to discussing what hands you should be playing, let’s get some of the basic principles of the game laid out.

You overall goal in Omaha Hi-Lo is to make two hands... a five card traditional poker hand (as you would in most variants) and a five card Low hand (which must be 8 or lower, A-2-3-4-5 being the nuts). A hand must consist of any two of your hole cards and three of the five cards from the board. The flop, turn and river works in exactly the same way as it would in Texas Hold’em or standard Omaha poker. You can use your hole cards to make both a High and a Low... so should you be holding A-3-A-Q, and the board shows 2-4-5-J-Q – you can use your A 3 to make both a High and a Low hand – A-2-3-4-5 makes both a straight for High and the lowest possible Low. You are not required to use all four hole cards.

With this in mind, let’s discuss starting hands.

Ideally an Omaha Hi-Lo will have two aces and another two low cards. Double suited (e.g. two hearts and two clubs) would make this even better. These hands allow you to make both a good High hand and a potentially nuts Low hand.

Here are the hands you should always be playing... though never too aggressively as any variant of Omaha is very much a drawing game:

1. A-A-2-3 Double suited
2. A-A-2-4 Double suited
3. A-A-2-3 Suited
4. A-A-2-5 Double suited
5. A-A-2-4 Suited
6. A-A-3-4 Double suited
7. A-A-2-3 Non-suited
8. A-A-2-2 Double suited
9. A-A-3-5 Double suited
10. A-A-2-6 Double suited

There are many other playable starting hands. Your range should be A-A-2-X through to K-K-Q-J. Hands which can only make a High should almost always be folded on the flop if 3 low cards land - i.e below the value of 8.

If you are still unsure as to how to play Omaha Hi Lo poker, you can find many articles around the web with further instructions or tuition. Or, if you are ready to play, this Online Poker Site offers many tournaments and sit-and-go Omaha Hi Lo games.

3D Poker Site Review

nospam@example.com (Jeremy Miller) — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:17:30 -0400

To start off I really liked the fact that this 3D poker site gives a breakdown of the contents within the sites that they are reviewing. For example I took notice that the PKR Review had a 9.0 for customer support which really geared me toward this site. It shows a great deal of detail on each of these sites as well. Finding out that Absolute Poker held the biggest Bad Beat Jackpot in the world was very luring as an outside player. The poker traffic on these sites is also another nice feature that this site offers because now players can see which sites they will be able to play on right away without waiting for tables to open.

Once deciding on where I wanted to play, I proceeded to learn some of the strategies through their poker strategy tab which was easy to find and very helpful. They offered different levels of strategy as well from beginner all the way to advanced which helps all players of the game. The strategy ranges from Hold’em to Omaha Hi/Low which allows for people to play different games and still feel confident while playing.

This site also offers an exclusive poker league for members, who can compete for great prizes and even free bankrolls to the top place finishers. This is a unique and positive characteristic I found with this site. Their News Letter is also very nice as it shows recipients updates with the site and other new features occurring at other poker sites.

Their forum is a great place for members to chat about different events occurring in the poker world and it allows for them to chat about hands and how others would have approached the situation. Poker players are always faced with tough decisions and this is a great place talk about this. Overall 3D poker Life is everything a beginner needs to get started while at the same time offering advanced strategies and leagues for those who have been playing for awhile.

What is Keno?

nospam@example.com (ste.b) — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:18:44 -0400

Keno is fun and a very easy game to play holding a striking resemblance to lottery style games, and also has comparisons to the increasingly popular game of bingo. Although the game of Keno is traditionally played in casinos and bingo halls, an internet version of Keno is becoming increasingly popular and the accessibility of internet Keno is greater than ever.
Keno is one of the oldest casino games around, steeped in tradition, dating back more than 21,000 years. The game was originally conceptualised in China, and it was thought to have been brought to US shores sometime during the 19th century by Chinese immigrant workers. During this transitional period from East to West, one significant change was made to the way the game is played and this was that the amount of keno characters was decreased from 120 to 80; making it much easier for players to win! Other slight alterations included the Chinese symbols being replaced by numbers as the game started to become much more like the version of online keno that we all know and love today.

Keno Rules
Unlike many popular online casino games, internet keno is purely a game of luck. Participants choose a group of numbers from a wider collection of numbers. Numbers are then drawn completely at randomly and you are a winner if your selected numbers can be matched up with those numbers which are drawn. Prize money all depends on how many matching numbers you have.
The game begins with 20 balls being randomly drawn from a collection of balls that are numbered from 1 to 80. Player then place their bets on which numbers they believe will be drawn. With the player hoping to have guessed as many numbers correctly as possible, the moment of truth then follows as the balls are drawn. Your payout is then determined by the number of matches you have made.
With keno being a game of pure chance, it has proved very popular with people who are new to online gaming and because you have as much chance of winning the first time you play as you do the 10th time you play, people often become drawn in very easily. If gaming strategy and complicated rules aren’t your thing then it sounds like Keno is the perfect casino game for you.
Whether you’re into games of chance or games of skill, the diversity of offerings at many of today’s top online casinos means you will, more often than not, find what you are looking for on the internet.

Online Slots or Traditional Slots – The Same thing?

nospam@example.com (ste.b) — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:40:48 -0400

A slot machine, more commonly known as a fruit machine (or fruity), was traditionally a coin-operated machine typically consisting of three or more reels which spin when the user pulls down on a lever attached to the side. In today’s rapidly expanding digital era however, traditional coin operated slot machines are in danger of becoming antiques… A thing of the past! Online slots machines work in almost exactly the same way as the traditional fruit machines found in your typical bricks’n’mortar casinos and arcades, making them an essential inclusion within any online casino. The key difference being that instead of pulling down a level to operate the machine, users simply have to click their mouse!

To begin, a player must deposit money or credits into the game in order to activate the lever. This then sends the reels of symbols into a spin, with the ultimate goal being to correctly match the symbols in specified orders to win cash and prizes. Usually, there is a variety of winning combinations of which will, more often than not, be illustrated to the user at the side of the screen or slot machine.

In order to win the biggest jackpots, you would be wiser to play progressive casino slot games as these offer the highest returns out of all slot machines. For people who wish to play for long periods of time, it might be worth investigating the other types of fruit machine games available. Such games include standard slots, bonus-feature slots and multi-line slots.

If you are hoping to win the biggest jackpot possible then the best strategy you could employ would be to play maximum coins, basically meaning that you are playing with the largest amount of money any given machine will accept. This is often the only way to receive the jackpot prize when a winning reel appears. If you land on the winning reel in a progressive slot game, but you have not deposited maximum coins, then the payout will be relative to the money you first put in… Kind of like “pro – rata” holiday entitlement when you work part-time!

For players who are not comfortable risking large sums of cash, the possibility to win the big jackpots on the fruit machines still exists. You will find slot machines out there with relatively low maximum bets allowing you to play maximum coins but without scary limits.

Some Popular Slots Terms
Bonus - A slots bonus occurs when a set combination of symbols are hit. Such combinations vary between slot machines, as will the value of bonus payouts and prizes.
Carousel - A group of traditional slot machines (i.e. bricks’n’mortar) often forming a circular or oval formation.
Credit meter - A credit meter displaying the amount of money or credits remaining in the slot machine.
EGM “Electronic Gaming Machine” - Optimal play A payback percentage based on a player using the best strategy in a skill based casino slots game.
Payline A line that crosses through one symbol on each reel to reveal a winning combination. The number of winning paylines in any given slots game will vary depending on what kind of slot game you are playing.

Essentially though, there is very little difference between slot machines you would find in a traditional arcade or casino to those you would play in a top online casino. The only variations are that you click a mouse instead of yanking a lever, and that you usually pay on plastic rather than using loose change. You also have total price transparency when playing at virtual slot machines, allowing you to carefully select the best online casino bonuses so as to receive the maximum return on investment.

Portal Rates Internet Poker Sites

nospam@example.com (Jeremy Miller) — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:37:18 -0400

Today I came across a new Internet poker portal, CoinflipPoker.com, which had a few cool features that I really liked. When I showed up at the site I instantly was attracted to the clean design and simple layout. Although there is a lot of content on the template, it is not obstructive at all and it easily lets you find the poker content you’re looking for.

The first thing I did was to check out the Internet poker sites section, because I’ve been looking to find a newer poker site that I can play at. There are over 35 different poker sites reviewed, and each review is a full look at the site, including sections like the game traffic, their sign up bonus, and if they accept USA players.

A few of the poker sites I really liked were BodogPoker and Cake Poker, and the Coinflip site had a review of each one. Plus, they offer special poker bonuses if you sign up through their links. Since they’re a big poker site, the poker rooms let them offer upgraded bonuses to their players. All of these bonuses can be found at the Internet Poker Bonus page.

Another really cool section on the site was the Professional Poker Players section. In this part of the site the authors write full profiles on all of the major poker professionals, so you can find your favorite pro and see how he/she got into poker, and what major tournaments they’ve won recently. A few of the included pros were Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, and Phil Ivey. Also, if the player is sponsored at any poker rooms, the site gives you their username there so you can search them and play poker with them.

Moving From Online To Live Poker

nospam@example.com (Clement Henry) — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:12:25 -0400

The difference between online poker and live poker is huge. The first time an online player gets into a live poker arena, odds are they will feel the difference. It's a lot easier playing poker in the comfort of your own home (you could be in your underwear if you wanted) than sitting down with a table of strangers. The differences are subtle, but important.

Beware of the Tell

Live poker relies on the tell a lot more than poker games online do. In online poker, it's possible to try to read how your opponent plays the game. Are they tight-conservative? Do they bluff when they reraise? Are they aggressive? You could still do this in live poker, but since you're now in the company of your opponents, you have to take into account the physical aspects. Does your opponent blink when they bluff? Never mind your opponent. What about yourself? Do you have a certain tell that is going to give you away? Do you scratch your arm when you don't have a confident hand? Whatever the tell is, try your best to eliminate it because there will be experienced live poker players who will pick up on it quickly and destroy you as a result.

Dress the Part

Live poker, unlike online poker, may require a little costume, but nothing too serious. Maybe some sunglasses, a little something to cover your eyes so you look like a stone cold mountain at the table. You would look like an idiot wearing sunglasses in an online poker tournament, but if you want, there's no one stopping you.

Practice Makes Perfect

When moving from online to live poker it's always a good idea to get as much practice as possible. Rome was not built in a day, just as surely as you are not going to be Phil Ivey or Daniel Negraneau after a few hours of live poker. Get the practice anywhere you can, whether at a local tournament down at the pub, or even a friendly neighborhood game with your buddies. Live poker is live poker, even if you're playing with a bunch of amateurs.

The same goes for those who change game in the other direction. Just because you kill the game in your local card room doesn’t necessarily make you an online-poker wizard. Start by playing freerolls before you deposit big money. Make a simple google search for free poker no downloads or something like that. You will surely find a site where you can practice your online-poker skills for free.

Handling the Chips

Live poker requires you to handle poker chips so don't act like an idiot with your stack. Be prepared to manage your chip stack like someone who knows what they are doing. Don't make a mess of yourself. This isn't online poker where the computer will do it for you.

Get Ready To Slow Down

Blackjack: The Pro's Pontoon

nospam@example.com (ste.b) — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:17:36 -0400

We’ve all played Pontoon at some point in our lives; it’s one of the simplest card games in existence. In the UK, Pontoon involves being dealt two cards and you can for ask more cards in an attempt to make a number equalling twenty one or as close as possible without going higher. Each player gets the choice to ‘hit’ meaning to take a card, or ‘stick’ meaning to stay with the cards you have. You can hit all you want and then stick so long as the total stays below twenty one otherwise you’re ‘bust’ or to put it simply - out of the game. Then when all the players have stuck or gone bust they reveal their cards and the highest number wins, it’s as simple as that! The only other rule involved is that if you have five cards in your hand and you still aren’t bust you win instantly! This is Pontoon!

Blackjack however has a few other rules. It seems to be very basic itself, but is usually marketed for the high roller casino types! Money is involved so everything changes as to who you play against. In Pontoon you play against the other players, in Blackjack the players are pitted against the dealer, you don’t directly take any other players money. This makes Blackjack friendlier and more relaxed to play but you know that if you’re losing money the house is more than likely getting it all.

In Blackjack there is a special rule like in Pontoon that allows you win the round instantly, but unlike Pontoon you can’t do it by having five cards in your hand. This rule is actually why Blackjack is called Blackjack. If you are dealt any Ace and a Black-Jack (i.e. the Jack of Spades or the Jack of Clubs) then you win the round instantly no matter what anyone else has. Although the dealer can also get Blackjack, you get the chance to take out insurance against the possibility of the dealer getting Blackjack, which will cost you more but will protect some of your wager.

The only other rules in Blackjack that differ from Pontoon are the ‘Split’ and ‘Double Down’ rules. Split allows a player that is dealt a pair to split the pair into two hands, though an equal wager must be placed on each hand. The ‘Double Down’ rule allows the player to double their bet and draw only one more card in the hope of beating the dealer.

Well that is Blackjack and whether it’s Online Casino Blackjack or just regular casino blackjack, it’s all the same and you’re essentially just playing a fancier version of Pontoon. Enjoy!

Is Online Bingo Replacing the Tradtional Bingo Halls?

nospam@example.com (ste.b) — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:54:52 -0400

The friends, the atmosphere, the exhilaration... bingo halls have long since been a firm favourite on the social scene of millions for decades. In recent years, online bingo has brought players a whole new way to enjoy their game of choice. But can it ever compete with the sheer thrill that is offered by the real thing?

In the 1970’s, bingo was at its height of popularity. A local bingo hall provided its patrons with a cheap and cheerful way to spend an evening out with friends. The trend changed in the early 90’s as bingo halls became synonyms with old aged pensioners and a gloomy, smoke filled, environment. Bingo has, however, seen a sudden rise from near extinction – thanks to online bingo.

With their colourful display and excitable callers, it can be said that online bingo is trying to recreate the experience of the bingo hall that was once loved by so many. With a very much community driven feel, incorporating chat boxes and message boards, the bingo sites offer many individuals a chance to meet more people and make new friends. Various sites now even have progressive jackpots worth millions of pounds to whoever manages to strike it lucky.

The clear downside to all of this, of course, is that you are sat at home behind a PC screen, alone. For many people going to a bingo hall simply is not an option. Mothers with young children are just one group of people targeted by online bingo sites. While bad weather can make even the most hardened bingo fan re-consider leaving the house to head to a bingo hall. You can play online bingo 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so there is always an opportunity for bingo fans working irregular hours to get their fix.

Traditional bingo halls are said to have seen a rise in numbers in the past 2 years. I think it is fair to say this can be accounted to the number of people who play online bingo. While you may not be able to get your dauber out and mark your own cards, online bingo has certainly given new life to a game which was being threatened with becoming nothing more than something our parents used to play.

Online Poker in The UK – For Once We’re Not Following the Americans!

nospam@example.com (ste.b) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:47:42 -0400

Despite recent legislation aimed at preventing online poker advertising and participation by US citizens (look up UIGEA), the popularity of the game continues to grow at exceptional pace in the UK. The rise in popularity of online poker has been brought on by a number of factors, but it is largely down to the improved accessibility of sites offering online betting services coupled with continuously increasing internet penetration rates here in the UK.

The increasing take up of online poker is also largely down to the freedom which playing at internet poker sites offers the end user. In the days before internet access was readily available; one would have to locate a casino housing a poker table, and then attend only during specific time slots set by the casino’s operator. Such inconveniences simply do not exist within the virtual gambling world. Today, poker players can join a game from any location supporting internet access, at any time - day or night, and compete with players of various skill levels located right across the globe!

Many internet poker sites present users with opportunites to compete in a variety of game types – Some sites set players against each other in “high stakes” tournaments where the winnings are potentially huge - whereas others will allow players to play free poker online. Sites permitting players to compete with “virtual money” are also contributing to the escalating popularity of the game in the UK - because they allow less experienced and “newbie” poker players to gain experience in a no risk environment. The hope is that once they have played a few successful hands, they will feel comfortable enough to place real money on the outcome of future rounds – thus the ability to play free poker online is arguably contributing to its increased take-up, simply by offering a taster to UK punters.

UK poker players have never had it so good when it comes to poker. There has never been more poker streamed on our television sets, and today’s UK gambling laws have now been relaxed; allowing money to be bet on poker in public houses – something which previously, was illegal. When the pub is closed, all your mates have gone home, and no poker is on the T.V; there is guaranteed to be an internet poker site out there to satisfy your needs!

Find an internet poker site which will let you play free poker online; allowing you to hone your skills before you potentially empty out your bank account!

Pros vs. Amateurs at the 2008 WSOP – Who Will Win?

nospam@example.com (Alex McCay) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:14:00 -0500

One of the reasons people watch the World Series of Poker is to see how their favorite pros perform. Others want to see if an unknown amateur can achieve instant poker fame. More than a few try to imagine being the unknown amateur. Here’s what you can expect from the pros and amateurs at the 2008 WSOP:

An Amateur Will Win the 2008 WSOP Main Event

The odds are against the pros. Even if they are better players than the amateurs, of whom many will have qualified through poker sites, the sheer numbers suggest that it is statistically unlikely that a pro will clasp on the championship bracelet.

Amateurs tend to clash early, building up big chip stacks that are tough to overcome. Even a pro making the final table will probably be facing a group of amateurs all looking to put a bad beat on a pro. The last time a known pro won the main event was seven years ago when Carlos Mortensen took home the 2001 title. Of his successors, Varkonyi, Moneymaker, Raymer, Hachem, Gold and Yang, only Raymer and Hachem have become part of the ranks of professionals.

A Pro Will Win the $50,000 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. Championship

The odds shift much more in the pros favor during the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship. The high buy-in means fewer amateurs in the competition. Furthermore, the games, including Texas Holdem, are played fixed limit, which means a bad player isn’t going to be able to bludgeon all the pros with an enormous chip stack earned through repeated all-ins. It’s also unlikely that an amateur is going to be skilled enough at every game to make it through to the end.

Pros and Amateurs Will Share the Other Bracelets

Expect amateurs to grab many Hold’em titles, while events like Deuce to Seven lowball and the professionals will probably take down pot limit Omaha.

Dark Chess draw rules

nospam@example.com (Olavi Jaggo) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 05:01:09 -0500

I've been thinking when should a Dark Chess game be declared a draw.

Obviously, games might occur where none of the opponents has a reasonable chance of winning, but one of them stubbornly refuses to agree to a draw and insists on playing on. The problem is well known in Standard Chess, and therefore there is a number of rules to determine under which conditions a player can demand that a game be declared a draw.

There are three occasions when a Standard Chess game can be declared a draw against the will of one or both of the players:
1. Stalemate;
2. Upon request of the player who is on the move, if the same position is repeated for the 3rd time, it’s been the same player’s move each time and the rights of castling and en passant capture have not been lost;
3. Upon request of the player who is on the move, if each player has made 50 moves without a capture or a pawn move. In certain cases (e.g. King + 2 Knights vs. King + Pawn), the number of moves required is 75.
As you can see, in the first case, the game is always a draw, regardless whether or not the players want it, whereas in the last two cases, the game can only be declared a draw if one of the players requires it. (In chess software, rules 2 and 3 are often enforced automatically, but never in chess tournaments.)
I should also mention that some national chess rules include a fourth draw rule, according to which a game is declared a draw when a checkmate is theoretically impossible, e.g. King vs. King, King + Bishop vs. King etc. However, FIDE rules at the time of writing state that if one of the players objects, the game must be continued until the 3rd repetition rule or the 50 move rule becomes applicable.

Now, let’s look if and how those draw rules can be used for Dark Chess games. After that, let’s discuss the possibility of other means for defining draws.

Continue reading "Dark Chess draw rules"

Take the Rake Back

nospam@example.com (JoeKingston) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:13:12 -0500

If no one had an edge in Internet poker, the only one who would ever win would be the casino. This is because no matter who drags the pot in any Internet poker hand, the online casino always wins. They always win by taking a percentage, called the rake, out of each pot. While most of the players can do nothing as the casino reaches in and grabs a piece of their winnings (or adds to their losses), you can. If you know how, you can take the rake back.

Taking the Rake Back

How can you take the rake back? You can do this by taking advantage of a promotion offered by independent websites known as rakeback affiliates. These sites sign you up with a participating online poker site. As a reward for signing up through them, you automatically receive a percentage of your rake returned to you at regular intervals, usually once a month. The average rakeback a player receives is around 30 percent, but in some cases, players can receive even more. The more you play on that site, the more rake you get back.

Why Do Sites Give Rakeback?

Not all online poker sites are eligible for rakeback . There are many online poker sites out there, all interested in a piece of the Internet poker player pie. To drive new traffic to their site they are willing to give some money back. This is where rakeback comes in. These sites know that if you never play on their site, they will receive no money in rake. As a result, they are much happier to get a reduced amount of rake from you than no rake at all. Examples of popular poker sites allowing this are Cake Poker rakeback and Full Tilt Poker, both open to US players.

Taking Advantage of Rakeback

To get your rakeback, all you have to do is sign up for an Internet poker site by clicking the link on the rakeback site – Pacific rakeback, Paradise Poker rakeback or any other site. If you sign up any other way, you will not be able to receive rakeback. If you have already signed up with a site, because you were offered a sign-up bonus or a friend referred you to the site, for example, you may not sign up again and receive rakeback. Using a different account to sign up will not be permitted and you will be booted off the site and may be subject to other penalties if you are discovered.

Rakeback is a great and simple way to increase your win rate if you are a winning player or cut your losses if you are not. There are a number of different online poker sites that are linked to rakeback programs so find your favorite and get started taking your rake back today.

No Deposit Poker Rooms and Casinos

nospam@example.com (IPM) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:09:58 -0500

Online poker rooms and casinos are gaining worldwide popularity every year. They offer convenience and a great variety of game play at any time of the day. If you are looking to try out online gambling without any of the risk, a no deposit bonus is your best option.

No deposit poker rooms are a great way to try out some new sites before making a purchase. You get to play real money poker without having to risk your own money. These no deposit needed promotions are typically offered by new poker rooms to attract a player base. The no deposit poker bonus offered by these poker rooms is usually not very large, but that doesn't mean you can't win big! If you enjoy the poker room, these sites also offer a generous bonus on your initial deposit.

No deposit casinos also offer free money for you to try out their site. Online casinos often have bigger bonuses than poker rooms so that players can truly have the experience of gambling. However, there is usually a limited time period for you to gamble the free money, after which you get to keep any winnings as your own money. Some no deposit casinos also offer free time promotions where you get to gamble as much as you can during a fixed time period, after which you keep any winnings. If you get lucky, you can really win some fast and easy money!

The IPM site currently has $50 in free bonus money at 3 no deposit poker rooms and $1260 in free bonus money at 5 no deposit casinos.

The Lifelong Game of Poker

nospam@example.com (Simon Nystroem) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:02:00 -0500

Those who play poker often get caught up in the results of individual hands or how they performed in a particular session. It is very easy for a poker player to conclude from a single winning session that they are masters of the game. Deciding that you are doing something wrong because you have a bad session or a run of a few bad sessions is also a mistake.

It will be helpful for you to think of poker as one lifelong session that you play for your entire life. Your individual “sessions” simply represent breaks that you take over the course of that lifelong session. How will this help you as a poker player?

Corrects Results Oriented Thinking

You may have made a certain play and because of the way the cards came out, you won a big pot. It is easy to conclude from this that you have made a correct play. However, this is not always the case where you play in online poker room. It may simply be a matter of luck that it worked out this time. If you keep in mind that you are playing one lifelong session, you are more likely simply to file this result for the next time the situation occurs and revise your judgment about the play based on repeated trials.

Corrects Snap Judgments Based on Individual Sessions

Poker games such as Texas Holdem is a game of long-term skill and short-term luck. As someone once said, “The short term can be a very long time.” Your luck may run such that even the best players would not have won with the cards you were dealt. However, the better players will lose less in these situations than weaker ones. Remembering that your results as a whole are what matters will stop you from using your last session as evidence for whether you are a winning or losing player and disregarding all the sessions that came before it. Make sure that you have some understanding of basic bankroll management if you want to become a long term winner.

Makes it Easier to Get Up From the Table

Many players have difficulty knowing when to quit. When they have a big stack they don’t want to stop even after their luck turns, and when they are down they don’t want to leave until they get even. If poker is one lifelong session, the only way to know whether you end up or down is your total when you die. Therefore, there is no leaving “even” or “ahead” during a particular session. You are where you are and you’ll continue at that spot when you resume playing.

Calling the Clock in Texas Hold’em

nospam@example.com (Alex McCay) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 02:28:41 -0500

Online Texas hold’em tournament players have a built-in clock spurring them to action. If you wait too long before acting, most poker sites will activate a time bank of a minute or two. Once that bank is expired, your hand is declared dead. In a live Texas hold’em poker tournament situation, there are no built-in timers at each seat, thus, the clock comes into play.

Calling the Clock

It is assumed during a poker tournament that a player will act on their hand within a reasonable amount of time. However, some decisions are more difficult than others are. If someone is facing a bet for all their chips, the amount of time they take to make their decision may be excessive. They may not even be able to make up their mind at all. While in a cash Texas Holdem game this may be merely annoying, in a poker tournament it is a real problem, since the blinds rise continually after a pre-determined amount of time. Due to this, other players at the table should feel no compunction about “calling a clock,” on the opponent. Calling a clock means telling the dealer you want to force the player to make a decision. The dealer will call a floor person over who will announce that the player has one minute to act on their hand. This floor person will usually alert the player when his time is running down, at the very least letting him know when he has ten seconds left. Once that time is expired, if the player has not acted, his hand is dead.

Clock Calling Etiquette

Some players, especially those not involved in the hand, are reluctant to call the clock for fear of earning the enmity of the player who is put to the decision. However, it’s clearly stated in the Texas Holdem rules that no one but another player can call a clock, not the dealer and not the floor person, and every player at the table is well within their right to do so (some players have even called the clock on themselves!). If anyone calls a clock, the dealer should summon a floor person immediately. If the dealer does not, any player at the table can and should remind the dealer that a floor person needs to be brought to the table immediately to begin the countdown.

Having a Clock Called On You

Just as you should hope that other players will not take offense if you call a clock on them, you should not take it personally if a clock is called on you. In most cases, the other player is simply anxious to keep the game moving or to stay ahead of the blinds, and has no personal investment in making your decision more difficult.

Chess - improving your play

nospam@example.com (James) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:53:07 -0500

Back in the days, if someone set his/her mind on becoming a reasonable chess player (or turning their offspring into one), there wasn’t a whole lot they could do about it, other then sign up to a chess club, where they could only hope they’d stumble upon a master who would not spare the effort to aid their development properly.
Nowadays, thanks to technological advancements, learning tools have become much more accessible for those truly willing to improve.
The computer, being the wonderful good-for-everything tool that it is, can be a superb aid for beginners. There are many chess programs out there (some of which come as cheap as 40-50 bucks) which will pit players against the pre-programmed skills of a virtual brain. Like it or not, these programs are likely to give players an exceptionally sturdy challenge in the beginning. Unlike playing online poker, learning to play chess against human opponents can often be intimidating. Playing against a computer eliminates that aspect and makes sure the rookie stays fully focused on the game. The computer won’t taunt junior, and won’t go into a rage when it finally loses a game. The downsides of learning to play chess on a computer program are diverse too, though. Therefore, it is seldom recommended as an advanced learning tool. It’s more like a fast and accessible way to get started in the sport.
The social aspect lacking, the chess program will not teach players any people skills, and believe it or not, playing chess has a lot to do with knowing how to handle people. Even though the “professional” chess engines feature a plethora of individual settings which can be used to fine-tune their play, a computer program will never be able to even approximate the behavior of a human opponent, and thus it is not going to prepare someone for the battle against natural intelligence. Bottom line is, an offline chess program, beyond the advantages it provides, has some pretty obvious limitations. One can basically use it for putting strategies to the test, training, analyzing games and solving chess problems. Make no mistake, all of these factors are useful, but in order to take his/her play to the next level, a player needs to measure up against human opposition.
Fortunately, the computer still doesn’t fall out of the equation here. Online training and learning can be much more valuable than what any good chess program can provide. Nowadays, playing chess online doesn’t involve more fuss than preparing yourself a cup of coffee. As one specialist puts it: it has never been easier to find a human opponent, no matter what time of the day you feel the urge to give the grey matter in your skull a little bit of workout. There are chess servers online 24/7, some of which are free, while others are paid. Depending on the level of expertise you’re looking for, and the conditions in which you like to play, you can choose any of those. Player traffic is certainly very important when playing chess (or some other board game) online, because you definitely do not want to spend half an hour waiting for some potential opponent to drop in. In this respect, large and popular servers provide much better services, whether they’re free or paid.
The power of the internet will impact one’s chess education on several levels though. Chess websites do much more than just provide a safe and stable platform where opponents can hack away at each-other. They bring the social aspect of the game back into the fold via specialized forums, where public wisdom comes for free, and socialization is right at home, too. Before the internet, many of the people who joined chess clubs did so for the social benefits involved. Those same social benefits are conveyed through community message boards and forums these days. It is kind of scary if one stops to think about the fact that one doesn’t even have to leave the house to become an excellent chess player anymore.
The articles and in-depth analysis on certain aspects of the game come in extremely handy as well, whether the discussion is about the King’s Indian Attack or the Marshall Attack.
Online chess sites, portals and servers play host to a wealth of information about this game, adding to it the benefit of the “wisdom of the crowd”. As soon as it appeared, the internet looked like something that could potentially revolutionize all boards games as well as card-games, and in the case of chess, we can safely state that the transformation has come full circle indeed.

Online poker rakeback can single handedly turn you into a winner. Do not neglect this edge.

Learning Math Through Poker

nospam@example.com (Simon Nystroem) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:45:26 -0500

Most people who start playing poker don’t start out by thinking too much about the math of the game. They know a flush beats a straight and it’s hard to see how math figures into that. Sure, there are numbers on the cards, but it’s not like you have to add them up or anything, right?

The reality is that poker is all about math, and you can learn a lot about math through poker. In fact, if you don’t understand the math behind poker, you may struggle to be a long-term winner.

The Mathematics of Gambling: Getting an Edge

Poker, like any other game that involves gambling, or a randomized outcome, is about odds. If you can get an edge, you will come out ahead. An edge means a way to tilt the odds in your favor that is not reflected by the conditions of the bet. For example, if you are betting on the flip of a coin with a friend, where every time it comes up heads, you win $5 and every time it comes up tails, he wins $5, there is no edge. This is a 50-50 or 1-to-1 proposition and you are both wagering the same amount. Eventually, you should break even. However, what if you convince your friend that tails comes up more often? If you convince him that tails will come up twice as often as heads, then he should give you 2-to-1 odds, since he’ll win $5 two out of every three times, you should win $10 the one time out of three you win to make it even. Of course, the reality is that this really is a 1-to-1 chance, so you will win $10 for every time he wins $5 over the long run and you will come out ahead.

The Mathematics of Poker I: Pot Odds

In poker, this idea is reflected through the concept of pot odds. Pot odds represent how much you can win versus how much you have to put into the pot. If there is $20 in the pot and you have to put in $5 to see the showdown, you are getting 20-to-5, or 4-to-1 odds. Why is this important? If you know that you are 3-to-1 to win the pot, meaning you will win the pot once for every three times you lose it, it is correct to play for 4-to-1 pot odds. You will come out ahead just as you would if you got odds on the coin.

The Mathematics of Poker II: Counting Outs

To determine your odds to win the pot, you will have to rely somewhat on your read, but you will also have to learn to count “outs.” An out is a card that you believe will win you the pot. For example, if you have the Kh Qh and the board is 8s 9h Th As, you may consider all the remaining hearts as outs (although you may be wrong as someone could be drawing to the ace high flush). You also may consider the jacks as outs to a straight, although you might discount the Js since this may give an opponent a flush.

As you play poker, you will become more skilled at counting outs, calculating pot odds and learning to appreciate percentages and ratios. Not only are these math skills good for poker, you may be surprised that they translate to other walks of life as well.

The Rules of Chess – A Basic Guide to Understanding the Game

nospam@example.com (jimmyrock) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:45:00 -0500

The Rules of Chess – A Basic Guide to Understanding the Game

The Board

Chess is played on a chequered board containing 64 squares.

The squares of the board alternate in color and are termed light, and dark squares.

These squares are arranged into rows and columns.

Rows are called ranks and are numbered from 1 – 8

Columns are called files and are labeled from A – H

Pieces are set up in lines which are parallel to the files, and perpendicular to the ranks of the board.

The Pieces

Pieces are divided into two sets which are generally called white and black, despite what the colors of the pieces actually are.

Each player starts with 16 pieces. Those pieces are…

1 King: Arguably the most important piece on the board, the point of the game is to try and capture your opponent’s king. The king can move in any direction one space.

1 Queen: A powerful piece the queen can move in a straight line in any direction, as far as the player wants, as long as another piece doesn’t get in the way.

2 Bishops: The bishop can move diagonally in any direction, as far as the player wants, as long as another piece doesn’t get in the way,

2 Knights: A Knight can move two squares forward and one step to the right or left. This move can be done in any direction, as long as the same amount of distance is covered in the same way. The knight can also make his move over other pieces.

2 Rooks: The Rook can move in a straight line in any direction, as far as the player wants, as long as another piece doesn’t get in the way.

8 Pawns: Pawns are the backbone of a chess army. In general they can only move forward and can only move one space at a time. However, on their first move they can go forward two spaces. Also, the only way for a pawn to capture an enemy, is to move diagonally to take them.

The board is positioned so that the closest square to each player on their far right is light colored.

The row closest to each player contains the non pawn pieces.

If you are the white team, the pieces are set up from left to right as rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishops, knight, rook.

If you are the black team the pieces are set up from left to right as rook, knight, bishop, king, queen, bishop, knight rook.

The two armies should be mirror images of one another. Each queen should stand on a square of its own color.

Game Play

The player who is designated to be white makes the first move.

Pieces are moved either to an unoccupied square or to a square with an opponent’s piece on it. Each player can move one piece on each turn, and turns are alternated. When your piece moves onto an opponents piece, their piece is said to be captured, and is taken out of play.

En passant is a move done by two opposing pawns, in which one pawn can capture the other, under special conditions, without moving to his square.

Casteling is a move in which both the king and the rook move during the same turn, to a predefined position, under special circumstances.

If during play a pawn reaches the other end of the board, they are promoted, and can be exchanged for an extra of any piece the player wants except the king.

The object of the game is to capture your opponent’s king.

When a player maneuvers their pieces such that on their next move they can capture the opponent’s king, the opponent is said to be in check.

When a player is in check, they have to move their pieces in such a way that they get out of check before the next move.

If it is not possible to move their pieces in such a way that they get out of check before the opponents next move, the player is said to be in checkmate, and loses.

Not all games are ended by putting a player in checkmate. A player can resign, or if it seams impossible to achieve checkmate, a game may end in a draw.

If it is a timed game a player can also lose by running out of time.

This article provided courtesy of PebbleZ's natural stone chess sets

Free Poker Money and Free Bankroll Offers

nospam@example.com (IPM) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:13:50 -0500

Playing poker online is a great way to enjoy the game because you can play with thousands of players at anytime and anywhere. Online poker is a huge business and there's a lot of competing poker sites. For that reason, the online poker rooms need to have very generous bonus offers to attract new players.

A bonus is a great way to build your bankroll. It gives you some extra free money to help you profit from online poker. There are two types of bonuses that you can get when you make a deposit at an online poker room: a standard deposit bonus and a free money bonus.

If you want to start playing poker for real money without making a deposit, you can also try a free poker bankroll offer.

Standard Deposit Bonus - It's a lot of money but...

Online poker rooms all offer a standard deposit bonus. The bonus is awarded to you when you make your initial deposit and the amount of the bonus depends on how much you deposit. The bonus is a percentage of the initial deposit amount. For example, a $100 deposit will get you an extra $100 with a 100% bonus or $200 with a 200% bonus. There is also a maximum limit to the bonus amount.

However, this bonus money is not instantly added to your account. Actually, you will only receive the bonus money in your account when you start to play. That's because you need to meet certain requirements before the bonus is released to your account. Most rooms ask that you earn a certain amount of points in order to get the bonus money. The bonus is usually released in increments of $5 or $10, and you usually have a limited time period to redeem all of your bonus money. That's why it's very important to read all of the terms and conditions associated with a bonus before you make your deposit.

Free Money Bonus - An instant bonus!

Free poker money is automatically added to your account after you make an initial deposit. The amount will sometimes depend on how much you deposit, but it can also be a fixed amount. With this type of bonus you don't need to earn any points to get the money, it's all yours once the deposit has been made. Unlike the standard deposit bonus where you might not get all the money, this bonus money is guaranteed to be yours right away!

IPM currently offers a $20 free money bonus at 4 great poker rooms: Carbon Poker, Poker.com, Titan Poker and Tony G Poker. The $20 bonus is on top of the standard deposit bonus offered by the poker room and it's automatically added to your account if you use the bonus code.

Free Poker Bankroll - No Deposit Needed!

A free bankroll promotion offers free money to new players. The money is usually quite significant and best of all there's no deposit needed. A free poker bankroll is offered by affiliate sites who are paid by poker rooms for sending new players, and so they offer free money as an incentive for players to try out a new poker room. In order to make sure you are properly linked to the affiliate site, you must follow instructions to sign up and it's very important that you use a specific bonus code. The sites may have certain restrictions such as your country of residence and they often require that you follow some procedures in order to verify your identity. Usually this can be done with a phone call, but some sites will also ask for a copy of a valid ID card. IPM currently offers up to $680 in free poker bankroll offers.

A Poker League with Private Freeroll Tournaments

nospam@example.com (IPM) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:06:09 -0500

A freeroll is a poker tournament with free registration. There is usually a real money prize pool but sometimes there can also be other prizes such as entry into other tournaments. With freerolls you can play exciting real money poker for free, with no deposit needed. It's a great way to start learning poker and to increase your bankroll. You will find two types of freeroll tournaments in online poker rooms; those with a registration that is open to everyone and those with a restricted registration. Here is the difference between these tournaments and why a poker league is a great way to win some poker money.

Freerolls with Open Registration

Free tournaments are very popular in the online poker rooms as they are used to attract new players. Some tournaments are open to everyone and are held on a regular basis. For example Pitbull Poker hosts free tournaments every hour for all of their members. Some poker rooms have special tournaments that are reserved to new or loyal players. For example Carbon Poker has a $50 Freeroll for all new players which runs 4 times a day. New depositing players at Carbon receive 14 days entry into their $500 Freeroll which runs once a day. To reward loyal players, Carbon also has a $50,000 Freeroll that is open to all players who earn 5000 comp points during the month.

Most of the tournaments which are open to all members will have a lot of registrations. This can lead to very long tournaments, and often frustrating because it is difficult to finish in the money. In fact freeroll tournaments with many players involve a lot more luck then regular buy-in tournaments since the players have nothing to loose. The play is usually more aggressive and you will see a lot of all-ins in no limit games. Some freerollers play in as many free tournaments as they can. You will notice these players quickly as they play with no fear (and no skill) trying to raise their stack quickly with many all-ins.

Private Freerolls

The registration for these tournaments is either restricted with some password or with a list of players. Private freerolls are usually offered by affiliate sites that promote the poker room. The tournaments help to send more players to the poker room and also give the players a better experience once they have joined. Playing in free tournaments is a good way to try out a poker room before making a deposit. Since private freerolls have fewer players than those with open registration, the tournaments are easier to win and the skill level of players is usually better. In order to gain entry, you usually need to be a member of a certain site or community. Very often you will also need to meet other requirements before you can gain access to the passwords. The idea of private freerolls is to reward loyal visitors of the site, and that is why most sites do not give an easy access to their passwords.

Poker Leagues

A great way to play in some private freeroll tournaments is by joining an online poker league. By registering as a league member, you not only get to play in some free tournaments, but you also get the chance to win some extra prizes if you win the league. For example, Instant Poker Money has a poker league at Pitbull Poker and Carbon Poker. Every week, both leagues have private freerolls and buy-ins with money added to the prize pool. At the end of the month, the top 3 players receive cash prizes and coupons to play in buy-in tournaments. IPM also has a VIP Freeroll at a different poker room every month. You can register at the IPM Private Freeroll League to start winning some poker money!

Poker as a turn-based game

nospam@example.com (Alex McCay) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:50:14 -0400

Poker as a turn-based game

While the main stream hordes look for ever more action in all of life’s activities, some people still appreciate really, really slow games, such as the classical game of correspondence chess. But what about poker – could today’s popular poker games be played on a turn-based site?

Poker is defined as a turn-based game

The short answer is an unequivocal “yes”. Poker is a turn-based game per definition. No changes to the game mechanics would be necessary to make it work on a turn-based site.

Poker involves dealing cards in an order that should be unknown to the players, so it does require a central part – the usual role for turn-based sites.

The random element of poker

Poker games also require a random generator to shuffle the cards. This requirement is not a new one; it’s valid also for some already existing turn-based games such as backgammon and poker dice.

So, technically there should be no surprising complications when setting up, for example, a turn-based Texas Holdem application. The question is, would turn-based Texas Holdem be a fun and playable game?

Preserving the fun of real-time poker

For sure, the tempo that online poker players have gotten used to, with a couple of hands being dealt every minute, won’t be achieved in turn-based poker. But then again, the low tempo is the very heart of turn-based games.

A more acute question is that of playing poker with no money involved – or some kind of actual, real-world value. It’s a quite generally accepted experience that poker without real values is badly degenerated. It’s no fun. Weighing in potential real-world losses is the heart of poker.

Anyone who has played at the fun-money tables of Full Tilt Poker or any other site knows that it’s very easy to call down an opponent just to see what he’s holding. It’s also very easy to just push all in with any two cards and see what chance brings.

Sure, you could play turn-based poker with some kind of points, maybe in a sort of league or ranking. This would represent a kind of real value for those who engage in the competition, much like any other game that doesn’t involve money.

But again, it’s questionable whether the value will be large enough to conserve the key mechanism of poker – that of actually not wanting to loose your chips.

Real money is a world of difficulties

Of course, nothing prevents you from playing turn-based poker games for real money or texas holdem freerolls. This would bring back the really tough decisions that characterize good poker. But it would also bring a host of problems otherwise foreign to turn-based sites, involving such hard-core areas as fraud, collusion and banking.

A turn-based hi stakes tournament such as WSOP probably lies in a very distant and obscure future.

As a last objection to turn-based poker, one could mention the issue of short term vs. long term results. Even if poker is clearly a game of skill, the random element plays a big part in any short term view. Basically you need to play, say, 10,000 poker hands for the long term results to be reasonably stabilized and “fair”.

In turn-based poker games, where a number of emails or the like would have to be passed back and forth between as much as ten players in each and every betting round, the long term could turn out to be extremely long.

Multi-tabling and headsup poker

Two possible solutions can be outlined to handle this issue. One would include headsup poker, that is, poker games with just two players. This is a much more fast-paced game than full-table poker.

Another gimmick that could jazz up turn-based poker would be to play a large number of parallel poker hands. Ten players playing 100 simultaneous hands would clearly get a lot of action, and the long term would be much, much shorter.

To summarize: poker could indeed do very well as a turn-based game – with a wise set-up and a train of very patient players.

How to Compare Rakeback and Bonus Offers

nospam@example.com (JoeKingston) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 07:11:10 -0400

Many poker players are faced with a legitimate decision when choosing a new site: do they go for a rakeback program or a bonus program. If you're thinking the same thing, it's time to sit down and choose between the two.

First of all, how do you compare an online poker rakeback program to a bonus program. The answer lies in defining the two, and hopefully that will answer whether to choose a carbon poker bonus or carbon poker rakeback for instance.

Bonus Offers

Many sites offer new players a bonus for joining. The bonus is usually a percentage of the initial deposit. This bonus percentage could be anywhere from 25 to 400 percent. Bonuses are usually capped off at a certain figure. For example, a site may offer a 400 percent bonus up to $1000. That means if a player deposits $250, they will be entitled to a $1000 bonus. If they deposit $1000, they will not receive a $4000 bonus, but the same capped figure of $1000. Different sites offer different bonus schedules and it's very important to read the fine print when examining a site's bonus schedule.

Still, most sites that offer bonuses do not convert the bonus into cash immediately. The bonus is usually in the form of bonus money that is converted into real money based on the amount of hands you play. For example, for every 10 raked hand you play, you may get one bonus dollar converted into real money. In this scenario, you would have to play 1000 hands to get a $100 cash bonus, or a whopping 10,000 hands to receive the full $1000 bonus. Most bonus sites allow players to engage in low stakes games. If you play 50 hands of low-stakes poker per hour, you'd be surprised how fast the hands pile up. Again, each site has a different bonus schedule, and you need to study each site to understand what they offer.

Rakeback Programs

Rakeback programs are more direct. A rakeback is a rebate based on how much rake you've paid during a certain period. Different rakeback sites offer different percentages, but let's say a site offers 30 percent rakeback. If you pay $100 in rake per month, then you will be entitled to a $30 rake back. The amount of rake you contribute depends on the quantity of raked hands you play, in addition to the level of stakes. If you play high stakes raked poker with high average pots, chances are you contribute a lot of rake. For example, if you play 1000 hands per month, which is about 20 hours of pokerper month, and you average $3 rake per hand, then you contribute $3000 per month in rake, and would be entitled to $900 in rakeback.

Choosing a bonus or rakeback program truly depends on how much poker you play, and the stakes you engage in. In the long run, however, high rakeback is usually the best choice.

The Power of Chess Sets in Home Decor

nospam@example.com (jimmyrock) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:13:00 -0400

Chess is a game of mystery to the many people who don�t know its rules. Often even the most intelligent will remark that they don�t really know how it�s played, or never really understood it. For them the existence of a chess board in a setting is a constant challenge which they cannot meet. If it is your chess set, that challenge is being made by you, and it puts you in a subtle position of dominance over the other person.

For those who do play chess, there will be a sense of respect. Chess is a challenge which pits two minds against one another in a struggle for superiority. Your chess set leaves you as open to an invited game as it does your guest. In that game you could win gloriously, or you could lose, humiliatingly. A chess set shows that you are willing to take that risk, and that you are confident enough in your own abilities to handle anyone who enters that room.

A chess set does not necessarily guarantee a challenge every day, but the eventual invitation to battle will arise, and when it does the worst thing you can do is be bluffing. Answering that you �don�t really know how to play� or that you �just keep it around for show� will make you look week, and even phony. While including a chess set in a setting doesn�t require you to be Bobby Fischer, it does help to have a working knowledge of the game for when contests do arise.

When you walk into a room and you see that someone has chosen to display a chess set, your subconscious mind will probably give them a few extra points of respect for their audacity and fearlessness at displaying this open challenge. You may also attribute qualities of strength or intelligence to them, whether they possess these or not, merely because of the possibility presented by that game. These effects are usually very subtle, but by knowing what they are you can use the space around you as a tool to increase perception others have of you.

This article provided courtesy of http://PebbleZ.com home of Unique Stone Chess Sets

Comparison of Poker, Chess and Backgammon

nospam@example.com (Alex McCay) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 01:18:19 -0400

Poker is a game of incomplete information. You cannot know which cards your opponents hold or what cards will come on later streets. You need to make decisions based on the little information you do have. How does this compare to other popular games?

Level of information scarcity defines the game

In backgammon, both players know the current situation perfectly, but they have limited information about future dice rolls. Td they have to act without that information, which is a lot like how a Texas Holdem player maneuvers using Texas Holdem odds.

In chess, the game position is perfectly known to both players, and there�s no dice or deck of cards to represent hidden information. Theoretically you can analyze all possible future moves to find the best move in any situation.

In practice, however, the number of combinations gets astronomical. Not even the strongest chess computers are able to finish such a calculation, except in certain simple situations, like chess mate in five moves etc.

Chess computers have not finished working

Since the chess player cannot foresee all possible moves and positions, a kind of incomplete information is present even in chess, and a successful chess player must work with probabilities and game theoretic methods just like a person who plays Texas Holdem online.

In backgammon, the main task for the reasoning player is to estimate the likelihood of different events, that is, different combinations of dice rolls and the moves that they enable. A certain level of psychology is also involved: in judging which tactics will work best against a player with a particular mind set, or foreseeing a certain opponent�s choice in a potential future situation.

Constantly groping in the dark

In poker, the relation is different. In choosing your Texas Holdem strategy, much more thought goes into questions regarding the opponents� minds. Judging what cards they might hold and the effect of future cards is essential, but the psychological dimension is much deeper than in chess or backgammon.

This is where the bluff comes in. It�s basically non-existing in backgammon and chess, but ever-present in poker. Understanding the reasoning of your opponents is the key to sound game decisions in poker. You�ll get nowhere by just thinking about cards and probabilities.

Poker isn�t a game of cards, it�s a game of people. It�s also a game of money, and you�ll have more of that if you play with a good rakeback scheme.

Online casino bonuses

nospam@example.com (henrike) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 02:57:40 -0400

Finding a nice online casino bonus is a good way to gain some extra money to gamble with. There are many different types of bonuses to take advantage of, and in this article we will take a closer look at them.

First there is the sign-up bonus you get when you open an account. A standard online casino sign-up bonus is normally somewhere between $100 and $500. When you have registered an account and made a deposit you can usually wager the sign-up bonus right away (cashing the bonus out is another thing, which we will discuss later in this article). A standard online casino sign-up bonus is normally around $100 and $500. Another thing you have to consider is the bonus match � how much of your deposit will be matched in bonus dollars? Normally, the bonus match is somewhere between 20% and 100%.

You can also earn bonus money by referring your friends to the online casino. A standard refer-a-fried-bonus offer is normally around $25-$50. Normally, you will get a fixed amount paid out to your account when your friend has signed-up, but in some cases you can get a percentage of your friend�s deposit instead.

Loyal customers can take advantage of re-load bonuses. These bonuses are paid out every time you deposit more money to the online casino, and are usually in the sum of $10 and up.
Some online casinos give loyal customers a certain percentage of the total amount they have deposited over a pre-determined period of time.

No matter what type of bonus you�re getting you always have to study the bonus requirements closely. Normally the bonus has to be rolled over between 1 and 12 times before it�s cleared and you can get access to the money. As mentioned, it�s very important to study the terms closely. Nothing is more frustrating than when you have to make an additional deposit just to clear your original bonus. If you�re not careful, bonus hunting can turn out to be very expensive.

How to Play Texas Holdem - The Rules

nospam@example.com (Alex McCay) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:46:45 -0400

It's time to learn the game that everyone is playing and that everyone is watching. (Well, almost everyone.) Texas holdem comes in three popular varieties: limit, pot-limit and the most popular, no-limit. All three are dealt the same and played the same, yet betting limits and strategy change dependent on the game. There are also two game versions: cash games and Texas holdem tournaments.

-No-Limit Holdem: If you so choose, you may bet every chip you own at any betting opportunity.

-Pot-Limit Holdem: Maximum bets are restricted to the size of the pot. As the pot grows, so does your betting potential.

-Limit Holdem: Maximum bets are based upon a predetermined amount.

As you can see, the varieties are pretty self-explanatory, so let's waste no more of your time that you could be playing online Texas holdem!

The Blinds

The dealer will get the party started by placing a small disc (dealer button) in front of the player to his left. The action in the game will always move to the left. Thus, the next two players following the dealer button are required to post blinds. The first player will post the small blind and the next player will post the large blind. Blinds are used for the same purpose as an ante. That is, they insure there is a prize everyone is trying to capture.

Pre-Flop

After the blinds have been posted, the dealer will deal around the table to the left until each player has two cards facedown. These cards are the foundation of your hand. They are your hole, or pocket, cards. After all players have received them, the first round of betting begins with the player to the left of the large blind. At this point, all players must at least equal (call) the largest bet on the table (at this point, the large blind), raise the largest bet or quit the hand (fold). Once all bets are equal, the dealer will place three cards face up on the table: the flop.

The Flop

The three cards making up the flop can be used by any of the remaining competitors in order to build their strongest five-card hand. At this point, another round of betting takes place beginning with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer button. Whoever happens to have the first opportunity to bet may choose to check (pass) the action to the next remaining competitor. It is possible that no money would be added to the pot after the flop. However, that possibility is very unlikely. Once a bet is made, everyone must at least call the bet to remain in the hand, including anyone who previously checked the action. After all bets are equal, the party continues when the dealer offers another community card face up known as the turn.

The Turn

Once the turn card has been placed, another round of betting ensues in the same fashion of the previous round. After all bets are equal, the dealer will put down the final face up community card: the river.

The River

The river is the seventh card on the table, and offers the remaining competitors the opportunity to use any of the seven cards (two pocket, five community) to build their strongest hand. The final round of betting begins, and for anyone remaining after all bets are equal, it's time to experience the showdown. All players will show their cards in the order that they played and the player with the highest value five-card hand is declared the winner. The dealer shuffles, rotates the dealer button and blind responsibilities one player to the left and the whole process repeats.

After a few hands, you'll have the hang of the game flow and you can begin reading up on Texas holdem tips and how to maximize your winning potential. A good idea is to start practising the game by playing free poker; play money or Texas holdem freerolls. Good luck!

Online Casino

nospam@example.com (henrike) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 04:10:15 -0400

Online Casinos are open around the clock and packed with action. There are loads of different games to choose from - one single online casino can offer more than 100 games. In this article, we will describe a few of the most common and popular online casino games.

Blackjack � a classic card game and one of the few games which actually requires a bit of skill from the player. Of course, the house has an edge (they always do), but by using basic Blackjack strategy you can reduce the casino�s edge and make your money last longer. Strategy charts telling you how to act in different situations are available all over the internet.

Roulette � a fun and exciting game with no skill involved whatsoever. For hundreds of years people all around the world have been trying to come up with unbeatable Roulette systems, but there is no point � one spin of the wheel have absolutely no bearing on the next. You should, however, keep in mind when playing online roulette that some bets are more advantageous (or less disadvantageous) than others. Betting the right way is the only thing you can do to minimize the house edge.

Craps � the most action-packed casino game of them all, but probably more fun when you�re playing live than online. Craps is a fast game and that fact combined with the messy layout of the craps table and the rather complicated rules makes it a difficult game for beginners. But once you get a hang of it, you will have a lot of fun at the craps table.

Slots � There are hundreds of different online slots machines � one more colorful and crazy than the next. Knowing how many coins to play for each spin of the reel is the key to getting the best pay out. Playing the maximum number of coins allowed will give online slots players the best winning outcome over time.

Chess and Google Product Search

nospam@example.com (bcturner) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 17:27:25 -0400

Is Google product search (formerly known as Base or Froogle) affected by external links to a particular set of results. We're trying this with a search for chess sets on google.co.uk. Can it achieve high rankings even though it doesn't have any Google page rank? Currently on page 6 (2nd June 07) - will linking lift it higher - even to compete with the first current chess set retailer. If you want to link - feel free - it's an interesting experiment - the link is:
[http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en&rls=GGLJ,GGLJ:2006-33,GGLJ:en&um=1&authorid=1104921&cdn=ChessBaron+Chess+Set&q=&scoring=pd]

This has important implications - it means that as well as optimising web sites - one can optimise the free results allowed by Google. What then of a shop on eBay or a free chess computer page on eSnips or a chess computer page on Squidoo? This potentially gives another realm to any search engine optimisation company that optimise web sites.