Is online poker worth a gamble?

January 11th, 2011 | Gambling, Online Gambling, Online Poker

No person would condone reckless gambling, but some online poker players make a nice living from playing the game. An example is the American online poker player who has earned an astonishing $5.5million (£3.5m) through the game during 2010. Dan Cates has finished the year on the top of online poker company Full Tilt’s money list, following a major boost of $502,000 in the last few days of 2010.

Cates, who plays under the username ‘jungleman12′ approached a $250,000 loss at the beginning of his final game of online poker, but managed to reverse his fate and took $382k off the player ‘Antonius’ over a total of 1000 hands played. A word of warning though, whilst it looks as though online poker is now appearing to be an effective mode of income, there are many players whose fate was not as fortunate in 2010. Gamble carefully, but above all enjoy your game of online poker.

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Online bingo boom

January 7th, 2011 | Bingo Hints and Tips, Online Bingo, Online Gambling

Bingo has gone through many changes in the last few years with what can only be described as an unbelievable boom in online bingo and unfortunately a decline in live bingo. The general image of bingo has also gone through a major change with bingo now popular with those aged under 25, more than ever before. How times have changed as it was but a few years ago bingo had an image of people playing it that were 50 plus. The decline in the popularity has been laid at the door of online bingo, but this is not strictly true. The smoking ban, increased taxation on top of complacency, has been mirrored in the pub trade when thousands have been forced to close, in the same way as bingo halls.

It’s not all bad news for the live bingo scene in the UK, as the heavy marketing of online bingo and a fresh new image for the game is driving online bingo players to play live. Thanks to the clever marketing of online bingo, the popular game now has a great fresh new image. Online bingo operators such as 888Ladies.com have been shrewd by offering big value prizes and freerolls. Visit any bingo hall now and you will find that a large proportion of the players are now women under 25 years of age.

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Traditional High Poker Hand Ranks

January 5th, 2011 | Gambling, Online Poker, Poker

Knowing the order in which hands are ranked is essential to the new player.  This list outlines the ranking of the various hands used in Texas Hold’em, seven card stud, five card draw, and Omaha, from the best hand to the worst.

The Royal Flush

The royal flush is the best hand, and is comprised of an ace, king, queen, jack, and ten, all from the same suit.

The Straight Flush

A straight flush is five cards in numerical sequence, and all from the same suit.  If two or more players have a straight flush, the player with the flush beginning with the highest card wins.  An ace can usually be counted either as the highest or lowest card in a flush.

Four of a Kind

This hand consists of four of the same cards, for example four aces, one from each suit.

Full House

A full house is three of one card, and two of another.  Three kings and two aces is an example of a full house.

Flush

A flush is five cards of the same suit, which are not in sequence.  The 2, 5,8,10, and jack of diamonds are classed as a flush.

Straight

A straight is five cards of different suits in numerical sequence.  If you have a two, three, four, five, and six in your hand from different suits, you are holding a straight.  An ace can usually be counted either as the highest or lowest card in a flush.

Three of a Kind

This hand consists of three of the same cards, for example three kings.

Two Pairs

Two pairs consist of two different sets of paired cards.  An example is the king of diamonds and the king of hearts, and the two of spades and the two of clubs.

One Pair

A pair consists of matched cards; for example two aces.

If two or more players have the same hand, the person with the higher value cards is declared the winner.  From lowest to highest, the accepted card ranking is: 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A.

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Why Gamble Online?

January 3rd, 2011 | Casino Hints and Tips, Online Casino

In the beginning days of the Internet as an information highway, very few people were able to imagine how it would influence our world. Today, people can practically control their life online. Everyone became accustomed to ordering groceries, shopping for clothes, coupons and promotional codes to managing their finances through online banking and financial institution websites. The early games on the Internet were the precursor to today’s modern online gaming sites.

The best aspect of playing in an online casino is playing from the comfort of your own home. There is no need to search out a brick and mortar casino when it is right in front of you on the computer screen.

Another advantage is you are not bothered by the traffic jams getting in and out of a land casino, or exasperated with the crowded land casinos with no empty tables or available slot machines.  You don’t have to deal with the people, the noise or finding your way to the casino floor. Now, anytime is the right time for playing in a relaxed atmosphere at home.  One of the best perks is knowing that your machine or game is waiting for you anytime of the day or night.

Reputable online casinos offer everyone a fair chance at winning. The odds and house advantages are the same as a brick and mortar casino and oftentimes, you will enjoy the exact same games you have always played. However, you find your attention captured by a variation on an old favourite or try out a new game without being nervous.

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The Basics of American Baccarat

January 1st, 2011 | Casino Hints and Tips, Gambling, Online Gambling

The American variant of baccarat is the most commonly played, and is also known as Punto Banco. Baccarat is played with between six and eight decks of cards, and is available in many actual and online casinos.  Two hands “punto” and “banco”, each with two cards, are dealt face down by the croupier, and players must bet on whichever hand they believe will have a score closest to nine.  Baccarat allows players no actual control over how the game progresses; winning is purely dependent on chance.

Card Values

Cards of every suit between two and nine are worth their face value.  Aces are worth one point, and tens, jacks, queens, and kings have no value.  If a hand has a value which exceeds ten, the tens digit is ignored.  So, for example, if one hand consists of a five and a nine, that hand’s score will be four. 5 + 9 = 14 = 4 (Remember, the tens digit is ignored.)

Game Progression

First, bets are taken by the croupier.  Both hands are dealt face down and then turned upright. From here the game progresses by the dictates of a number of rules which apply to the punto and banco hands.  If the value of the player hand is less than five, another card is drawn.  Depending on the value of the player hand, and whether an extra card has been drawn, the banker hand may also draw another card.  When the rules have been followed to their conclusion, the hand closest to nine is announced the winner, and the bets are settled.

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Online Gambling and Betting

December 28th, 2010 | Casino Hints and Tips, Gambling, Online Casino, Online Gambling

Gambling and betting has come a long way since the smoke-filled dens of previous decades, and especially since the relaxation of the gaming laws things have very much improved. The bookies in the high street now resemble plush hotel lounges rather than shameful dives, and their clear glass windows are proud to display what’s going on inside.

With casinos, too, things have changed. The biggest change of all is the advent of the online casino, a virtual equivalent of the casino online rather than in the familiar surroundings of the high street. In these casinos, you play games such as poker, blackjack and roulette from the comfort of your own home via an internet connection. All the actions of the online game are performed with a mouse, and payments are made into an online account that can be set up in under a minute.

Online casinos have been attracting people who would never have stepped into a real one, and they’re finding that it is great fun to place small bets as well as large ones and while away some time testing their skills against the bank.

Between games of roulette or blackjack you can play online slots and similar games of chance. These are similar to the old fruit machines and often give out top prizes.

All you need is an internet connection and a computer to start exploring the world of online casinos and have a fun time winning some extra money.

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Boxing Day bingo

December 26th, 2010 | Bingo Hints and Tips, Online Bingo

When the big day is all over and you are full of the Christmas spirit, what better than to relax, maybe with some friends and enjoy a game or two of online bingo at your favourite online bingo site? Unlike many establishments, online bingo games at 888ladies.com is open and what’s more they are dishing out some really fancy promotions over the whole of the Christmas period.

This Christmas the 888ladies have teamed up with Santa’s elves to create the best ever Advent Calendar, full of 24 fun and fab treats, including a £5,000 Shopping Spree! Every day leading up to the big day, there is a unique sparkling prize up for grabs! You can win an iPad, flat screen TV, laptops, and many more exciting prizes. All you have to do is have a look at the tasty offers, if you have not already done so, download 888ladies now and join in the fun.

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Blackjack – At What Point Does the Dealer Stand?

December 23rd, 2010 | Casino Hints and Tips, Online Casino, Online Gambling

Understanding how to ride a bicycle is one thing, but it doesn’t help much when it comes to actually riding a bicycle.  Similarly, understanding how blackjack is played will help to avoid inconveniencing other players at the table, but it won’t do anything to improve your chances of winning.  In order to win, the first thing you need to understand are the rules which govern every hand the dealer plays.

Stand on Hard 17

A dealer will always take an extra card if his hand is below 16 and will always stand on a hard 17 (or greater).  A hard 17 is any combination of cards which amount to seventeen and do not count an ace as 11.  A king and a seven; a queen, a six, and an ace are both examples of a hard 17.  It goes without saying that if a player stands on 16, they will be beaten by the dealer unless he goes bust.

H17 or S17?

Conversely, a soft 17 is any hand which comes to seventeen by counting an ace as 11.  An example of a soft 17 is an ace and a six.  Some casinos adopt the S17, or stand on a soft 17 rule, while other establishments use the H17 rule, meaning that a dealer must take additional cards if he has a soft 17.  There is a difference of 0.2% in the player’s favour if the house utilises the S17 rule instead of the H17 rule.  It mightn’t seem like much, but over a large number of hands every little advantage can be significant.

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Poker Site Networks

December 22nd, 2010 | Online Gambling, Online Poker, Poker

It is vitally important when joining up to any online poker website that the company is part of a network.  Networks bring together players together from across different sites and places in the world, allowing large and expansive games to be played.  For websites, which do not have a network, even if their tables are open all day, there may often not be enough players at a table to play a good game.

In addition to making sure a website is safe and reliable, there has to be a large number of users to make signing up worthwhile.  Therefore, many websites have become part of larger networks, pooling players from a range of websites and operating software so that a better variety and quality of poker games can be offered.  Using and liking a particular piece of poker software is especially useful as you can compare all the different sites, which use the programme.  You can then sign up for a number of different websites which use the software, earning each firm’s bonus cash and allowing you to easily switch from site to site until you find a game to sit in.

Visiting a number of different websites and looking carefully at the software they use is particularly advantageous when first starting out.  This will allow you to find groups of websites within one network, increasing your gaming possibilities, and making online poker a smoother process.

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Playing online roulette is easier than you think

December 16th, 2010 | Online Casino, Online Gambling, Roulette

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion in internet gambling.  Betting from your own home is quick, fun, and easy way to take up the hobby.  Meanwhile, it offers professional gamblers an ideal way of working from their own homes without having to visit casino’s.  Like many other forms of online gambling such as poker and bingo, online roulette has become popular for thousands of people, and as such, has spawned a huge number of websites offering the opportunity to play.

As with any online casino or actual casino, finding the best one to play is very important. With your money at risk it is important that any casino is above board, legislated, and fair. Especially when you’re playing online and can’t actually see or get a feel for the premises, it is vital that any gaming experience is fun and friendly as well as ensuring that gambling is carried out in a safe and secure way.

It is vital to make sure that the bonus offers provided by online casinos are related to online roulette.  Some establishments will entice customers with great offers of free games or high percentage cash matches but upon entering a roulette game you discover that the bonuses don’t apply to this casino game.

Anyone looking to play online roulette, utilise comparison betting sites to find a good casino which offers some of the best options. This will ensure that you not only a fun and exciting time, but that you’ll get a head start with bonuses when you start to play.

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