A blind is commonly placed by two players before play commences.  In the most popular variants of community-flop poker games, the blinds are referred to as the small blind and the big blind.  The blind bets ensure action on every deal.

To call in poker is to match a bet or raise from another player.  The round of betting ends when players have each bet the same amount.  A player wins a pot if they bet and no one else calls.  Cold calling is the act of calling a raise when you have not yet invested any money in the pot during the round.  Smooth calling is a form of slow playing where a player only calls their opponent’s bet despite holding a strong hand.

A player can check if they do not wish to make a bet.  This action can only be used if no one has entered the pot previously during the betting round.  The big blind is the only player who can check his hand before the ‘flop’ if no one has decided to raise.

A raise in poker is the act of increasing the bet amount during a round.  For example, the big blind may be £1.  A typical raise is usually 3x the big blind.  The other players and the big blind must then meet the £3 bet or re-raise to remain in the hand.

Folding or mucking a hand ends a player’s interest in the round.  They are not required to meet any bets and cannot win the hand.  It is common for house dealers in the UK to turn over the two cards before discarding them.

Apr 16 2011

Blackjack is a card game commonly found in casinos, and it has been one of the most popular casino games for many years.  It is currently one of the most widely played casino games worldwide, both in land based casinos and on the internet.  It is also sometimes referred to as 21 due to the fact that the game involves getting a hand of cards with a combined value as close to, but not exceeding, 21 as possible. 

The game begins with players being dealt two cards, which is followed by a round of betting.  The size of a bet can often be taken as an indicator as to how confident a player is that they have good cards.  The general aim of the game is to bring their hand value as close to 21 as possible without going over – if their card value exceeds 21, they lose the game and lose their stake. 

In blackjack, the dealer also plays and a player must beat the dealer if they want to win the pot.  The dealer will take the last turn in the sequence of play.  In most variations of the game, a player can choose between two values (either one or eleven) for any ace they have, and this can offer a player the ability to choose to take another card without fear of exceeding 21.  This doesn’t mean that choosing an extra card will always be beneficial, even if it can be done without fear of losing.  This game is popular with ‘advantage players’, as the game does not rely merely on chance – skill can help a player win.

Apr 13 2011

If you dream of winning one of those high stakes poker tournaments, that dream won’t come true without a little work on your part. 

Rules and Strategy

It is all very well to watch poker in the movies and on TV, but you cannot play effectively if you do not know the rules, or understand the game.  Read books by prominent poker players for tips on how to play better, and check out a few of the online tutorials available.  Also learn about probability and statistics – this is one case where your high school math will come in handy.

Body Language

Did you know that when a person is lying, chances are that he or she will look up and to the left?  That is one of the signs law enforcement officials look for in interrogations.  There are many other ways to read body language to your advantage, and learning them can be one of the most effective ways of increasing your winnings.

Watch televised poker tournaments and games at your local casino.  Watch the people playing: do they have any particular quirks that will show you how they are doing (such as drumming their fingers, letting their gaze wander, etc.)?  Host a game at your home, and watch your friends.  You will find yourself picking up “tells” in no time.

Experience

Start by playing free online poker against a computer; when you feel comfortable, start playing against other people, either in a live online game, or with your friends.  As with any other skill, the more you play, the better you will get, and the more you will win.

Apr 07 2011

Bingo is a great game and can be entertaining for the whole family.  Bingo is often associated with being played mainly by older women, but the association is slowly fading away as more young people of both sexes find bingo to be an enjoyable game. 

Many people get their first taste of bingo through regular bingo nights that are held in local pubs or social clubs, but bingo is often played in arcades in seaside resorts, such as Blackpool and Rhyl.  There are many bingo halls in the larger towns and cities.

However, if you do not want to leave the house to play a few games of bingo, consider gambling online.  There are many online casinos that have bingo areas: you can play for free or for real money.  There are also dedicated online bingo sites you can join.

Bingo games are played with a card that has various numbers on them; the numbers are printed randomly.  When the game starts, a machine pops out balls one at a time with numbers on it, much like lottery machines.  If the number that comes out of the machine matches one of your numbers, you cross it off.

Each bingo house has different rules and different jackpots, but they usually pay out when you get a full line or a full house.  A line occurs when any row on your card has all of the numbers crossed off, and a full house occurs when all of the numbers on the card are crossed off.  If you are the first one to call “house”, you win the jackpot.

Apr 05 2011

Casino games are the sort of games that are played in casinos around the world.  They usually involve betting and gambling money at various odds.  It is very common to find that a casino will have its own chips, which a person will trade for money when they enter the casino. 

You can also find lots of casino games on the internet, both on sites which have nothing to do with gambling and on sites which are run by casinos where a person can win or lose money on the outcome of a game. 

There are two types of games that are played in casinos – those played on machines such as the one-armed-bandit, and those played on tables such as blackjack.  Slot machines have been popular for a long time and are often called one-armed-bandits because they used to have a big lever on the side that looked like an arm, and they had a habit of taking a punter’s money like a bandit.  Fruit machines were also once popular outside casinos, in pubs and shops, but now they have become less so. 

Popular table games include most common card games such as blackjack and pontoon, also non-card games such as craps and roulette.  Most of the table games will be operated by a croupier and in some cases the croupier also competes with the players and must be beaten for players to win the game.

Some casinos are only allowed slot machines and not table games, depending on the regulations for their country or area.

Apr 02 2011

The game of bingo has a fascinating and rich history and culture.  In Britain, three million people play regularly.  Online bingo is a draw for the rich and famous too, with celebrity players such as Denise Van Outen and Vic Reeves enjoying the game.  Royalty endorses bingo too, indeed the Queen favours it and Prince William has been spotted playing.  However, though he failed to win with his £5 worth of tickets, he said he had a very good time.

Bingo is the only game of chance that members of the armed forces are permitted to play and unlike other forms of gambling, the church does not frown it upon.  It fact it is used regularly as a fundraiser for worthy causes.

The first purpose-built bingo hall in the UK was Castle Bingo in the Welsh capital, Cardiff.  In Scotland, today, one in five of the population are regular players.

Unusual variations of the game of bingo include ‘buzzword bingo’, which is played in call-centres and workplaces, nationwide.  In this form of the game, players agree on ‘buzzwords’ used by their callers before the game starts.  They are then marked off as callers unwittingly say them.  Typically, the prizes in this game generally take the form of cups of tea or coffee.

One of the most unusual variations is ‘cowpat bingo’, which involves a field full of cows, divided into squares.  Players choose squares and at the end of a given time the field is examined and scored where cowpats have landed.  No pushing or shoving the cattle around is permitted in this game and losing players may well be handed a shovel.

Mar 30 2011

If you love roulette, there are a wide variety of websites that provide information about the best online roulette casinos available.  You can view ratings and read opinions from other players to help you find a reputable online roulette casino.  With so many roulette casinos available, you are sure to find a casino that offers roulette games that match your ability.

Exploring the many online casinos available will enable you to seek out a roulette casino that offers high roulette bonuses.  However, when searching for casinos that offer the best bonuses, it is vital that you select a trustworthy casino.  Seeking out a reputable online casino will enable you to receive bonuses that are entitled to you.

Joining up with an online roulette casino is simple.  All you need to do is download the software that is required to play roulette directly from your chosen casino website.  You can even download directly from websites that list top-rated online roulette casinos.  Installation is often quick and easy, and once you have downloaded the software you can begin playing roulette.

If you are a newcomer, there is a large selection of sites that offer free roulette games.  Playing free roulette games enable you to work on your skills, allowing you to build up confidence so you can move onto bigger roulette games and start placing real bets.

Before signing up with any online casino, it is vital that you check their terms and conditions. Researching a casino beforehand will provide you with the knowledge you need to enjoy a better online gambling experience.

Mar 28 2011

Brits love to be connected and this connection includes online gaming. The number of people participating in online gambling is increasing as the availability of the Internet increases.

According to the UK Gambling Commission, there were approximately 9.7 per cent of Britain’s population participating in online gambling in 2008 compared to 8.8 per cent in 2007, proving another steady increase from the 7.2 per cent of gamblers in 2006.

Although many do indulge in online gambling for fun, critics are concerned about the anonymity that the Internet provides to those who play. It allows anyone, including under aged minors, exposure to gambling.

The anonymity affords gamblers unlimited spending. It also affords the online games more potential for cheating or to be rigged. Due to the enormous number of online gaming sites, it is near impossible to police them. For these reasons, many critics are concerned that online gambling may be even more dangerous that real life casino-style gambling.

As with casino gambling, online gambling can still be addictive to those with compulsive disorders. The effects of online gambling are thought to be the same as those in casino-style gambling in that people are tempted to play.

However, in the UK, it has been recorded that less than 0.6 per cent of the population has a gambling problem, which is great news considering it’s thought that approximately 70 per cent of the British population participates in some level of gambling.

Perhaps Brits just have a good measure of self control, but it’s still a good idea when gambling to stay within your limit, don’t gamble more than you can afford to lose and always have fun.

Mar 27 2011

While bingo is essentially a game of chance, anyone who has spent any amount of time playing, either online or in person in a bingo hall, will realise that some people win more often that others.  So why is that and how can players improve their bingo performance?

The first rule of bingo playing is to practice, as with all kinds of stakes games, becoming proficient in the basic skills of bingo games are an important step.  Playing regularly in a bingo hall or visiting online sites and taking advantage of sign up offers to get free games and bonuses are great ways to build a basic bingo skill set.

Once the basic skills have been acquired there are a few tricks that the bingo player can employ to optimise their chances of winning.  The first thing to do is pay close attention when deciding when and where to play games, whether in person or online.  Less popular games, with fewer players, offer the greatest odds of becoming a winner, although prize funds may be smaller.

Use each game as an opportunity to hone your bingo skills and only play as many cards as you can realistically manage at one time.  Disorganised playing may mean missing wins and while buying more cards may theoretically mean higher odds of a win, if the cards are not covered then those chances will be wasted.  Finally, players should disable automatic settings, in online bingo games, in order to become comfortable with hand dabbing, a skill that will serve you well when playing ‘live’ games in a bingo hall.

Mar 25 2011

When playing Texas Hold’em poker, the essential part of the game is the betting.  How exactly do you “know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em” as the old song goes?  Here are some tips for beginners.

If you hold a pair of aces or a pair of any “royalty” (kings, queens, jacks – also known as face cards), you will likely have a very easy time beating the competition.  The only caveat is if you are holding a pair of jacks – if there is an ace, king or queen in the flop, someone else could beat out your hand.

If you have an ace and royalty of the same suit, but not a pair, you also have excellent odds.  You should definitely raise or call.

Things get a little riskier if you have an ace and a ten.  Anyone else with an ace and royalty can beat you, but it can be pretty good for starters.  Watch for subconscious signals from the people around you.  If they look confident, fold.  If not, feel free to stay in the game and try to outsmart your opponents.

Now that we have looked at the best Texas Hold’em starting hands, you also need to know about the worst ones.  Basically, any hand with a two or three and either a seven, eight, or nine should be folded.  The only possible exception would be if the flop includes a three, four and five for a chance at a straight, but even that is a long shot.

Mar 23 2011