Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Sit and Go Poker Tournaments

January 25, 2007 at 12:04 pm · Filed under Online Gambling, Online Poker

Welcome to the fourth in my Texas Holdem Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Holdem poker tournament play and associated strategies. In this article, we’ll examine the “Sit and Go” tournament - the most popular online poker tournament format today.

When I first started playing in Sit and Go tournaments, I was beginning to think they called it “sit and go” because you sat down, played a little, then it was time to go do something else since you’d just been whacked and knocked out of the tournament! These tournaments can be really tough, since they’re effectively like being at the “final table” of a regular tournament.

The recent popularity of playing online Sit & Go tournaments sometimes amazes me. On any given evening, you can try to jump into a Sit and Go (SNG) table on Party Poker, for example, and easily find yourself competing just to get into a seat before that table fills up, forcing you to go find another table (especially on lower-entry fee tables). I’ve seen times when it can take up to 10 attempts to get into a Sit and Go tournament table during prime time. That’s because there are literally thousands of players across the world who are hungry to get into these tournaments and hopefully win some money.

All of the major online poker rooms now offer Sit and Go format games now, so you can find a place to play just about everywhere. You can think of these games as being very similar to small “satellite” tournament games that surround the bigger poker tournaments at traditional poker tournament venues. They also somewhat resemble play at a final table in a regular tournament, with one key exception - nobody at this table earned their way to this tournament table - they simply paid their entry-fee to play there. Because of this, the broad range of players and skill levels you’re likely to encounter varies wildly - one of many challenges you’ll face in Sit and Go play.

Generally, there are two types of Sit and Go tournaments offered. Single table and multi-table tournaments. Nowadays, there is also a faster game, sometimes referred to as “Turbo” mode SNG tournaments. In these games, the tempo of the tournament is much faster (blinds go up every 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes), with the blinds increasing much faster and less time allowed to make your decisions. This is a very challenging game format, but it does move along much faster than a traditional Sit and Go tournament.

You can also get into 4-player and heads-up (2 player) games, which just effectively puts you into the poker tournament final table, short-handed mode of operation immediately, so you can play the end-game out from there. I don’t really prefer these games, though, since there are far fewer players and therefore the pool size available to win is much smaller and not as worthwhile.

In general, two-table Sit and Go’s are much more profitable, since they begin with more players (18 to 20), making the prize pool larger and more attractive. Once you know how to play and win in these Sit and Go tournaments and can adjust your play appropriately, the number of tables and players really doesn’t matter as much, since you’ll be able to adapt your play quickly as the situation changes around you.

Some of my favorite places to play Sit & Go tournaments include Party Poker, Poker Stars and PrimaPoker’s Captain Cook’s poker rooms. There are many awesome poker rooms out there, with a wide range of players frequenting each of them. They are all very similar.

There are a number of different entry-fee levels to choose from, typically ranging from $5 up to $5,000. There is very little difference in playing in the lower limit games in the $5 to $30 range. When you get above the $30 threshold, the level of players you’ll encounter improves dramatically. The poker room site typically takes a “rake”, a fee of around 10% for hosting the tournament, and the balance of the funds go into the prize pool. In single-table SNG tournaments, the payout goes to the top 3 finishers. In two-table games, the top 4 places are generally paid.

In higher entry-fee games, you’ll be playing against some very good players. In these high tier games, you’ll encounter some of the best, most dangerous players around. If you’re interested in getting into these high stakes games, one way is to win enough at the lower stake games so that you earn, or leverage, your smaller entry-fees into the bigger games, a traditional way that satellite games work and a good approach to take.

I play in a lot of Sit and Go tournaments and regular tournaments, both online and in casinos and poker rooms. Throughout all of this, I have finally learned how to win consistently at Sit and Go tournaments. There are some key areas that you must focus on and shore up in order to properly “shape” your play and end up in the money.

You’ll need a well-rounded approach, though, to place in the money consistently at Sit and Go tournaments, including:

* Playing Position Correctly - you’ll need to know how to use position in the Sit and Go tournament to your advantage, which hands to play in which positions and how to keep from losing your chips from poor positions. Earlier in the tournament, it’s best to be more conservative with your play by only playing the best hands from the best positions.

* Adjusting to Changing Conditions - the key to winning Sit and Go tournaments is adjusting your play style and approach as the blinds and number of players increases. Done correctly, you’ll end up in the final 3 in the money up to half of the time (no approach you can take will allow you to win all of the time). As the game progresses, you must adjust or the blinds will eat you up.

* Winning Heads-up Play - arguably one of the most misunderstood, yet most fun part of any tournament, is playing heads-up against another good player. Learning to play winning heads-up poker means the difference between being the Winner and 2nd Place - a huge difference in payout in all tournaments goes to the winner, along with the recognition as the champion, so you must learn to play great heads-up poker. In general, you must play much more aggressively heads up than you would otherwise.

* Beating Aggressive Players - see my article on playing vs. aggressive players, which will definitely make a difference for Sit and Go play, as it explains how to take advantage of aggressive and wild players, without losing all of your chips in the process.

* Online Tells - there are many different special tells that you can use when playing online. Do you know them? Do you use them? If not, chances are they’re being used against you! For example, when players use checkboxes online and make a lot of their decisions ahead of time, then suddenly they’re not using the checkbox (because they’re taking longer), that could be a tell that they’re having to think things through more, which could be a tell. If they use checkboxes and act instantly, chances are they don’t have a very good hand, so didn’t even need to think about it (just clicked the checkbox and now waiting on the next card).

* Successful Bluffing and Blind Stealing - one of the most important moves in poker is bluffing the opponents, and in tournament play, you must be capable of successfully bluffing in order to survive the blinds and antes and to win heads-up. You can’t bluff weak players, so don’t even try. You’ll need to learn how determine the style or type of the players, so you’ll recognize who to bluff.

The next time you’re thinking about playing a poker tournament, give the Sit and Go a try. It’s a fast-paced tournament, where you’ll have the opportunity to experience first hand what it’s like to play at that Texas Holdem poker tournament final table. You’ll go through a sequence of fast play and changing conditions, starting from a full table of 10 players, progressing rapidly to only 5 to 6. Then, if you’re a good enough player, you’ll find yourself in the most dangerous position of all - where you’re one of only 4 players remaining, so you’re only one seat out of the money. The key goal is surviving to the heads-up phase, so you get a shot at being the tournament winner, who receives the bulk of the prize pool.

So, you can practice for bigger tournament events by playing in Sit and Go tournaments and that way you’ll be very comfortable when you do make it that final table in a big Texas Holdem poker tournament, and you’ll have a lot of fun and gain some great Texas Holdem tournament poker experience along the way.

Comments      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

The mathematical theory of gambling games

January 25, 2007 at 10:02 am · Filed under Online Gambling

Despite all the obvious popularity of games of dice among the majority of social strata of various nations during several millennia and up to the XVth century, it is interesting to note the absence of any evidence of the idea of statistical correlations and probability theory. The French humanist of the XIIIth century Richard de Furnival was said to be the author of a poem in Latin, one of fragments of which contained the first of known calculations of the number of possible variants at the chuck-and luck (there are 216). Earlier in 960 Willbord the Pious invented a game, which represented 56 virtues. The player of this religious game was to improve in these virtues, according to the ways in which three dice can turn out in this game irrespective of the order (the number of such combinations of three dice is actually 56). However, neither Willbord, nor Furnival ever tried to define relative probabilities of separate combinations. It is considered that the Italian mathematician, physicist and astrologist Jerolamo Cardano was the first to conduct in 1526 the mathematical analysis of dice. He applied theoretical argumentation and his own extensive game practice for the creation of his own theory of probability. He counseled pupils how to make bets on the basis of this theory. Galileus renewed the research of dice at the end of the XVIth century. Pascal did the same in 1654. Both did it at the urgent request of hazardous players who were vexed by disappointment and big expenses at dice. Galileus’ calculations were exactly the same as those, which modern mathematics would apply. Thus, science about probabilities at last paved its way. The theory has received the huge development in the middle of the XVIIth century in manuscript of Christiaan Huygens’ «De Ratiociniis in Ludo Aleae» («Reflections Concerning Dice»). Thus the science about probabilities derives its historical origins from base problems of gambling games.

Before the Reformation epoch the majority of people believed that any event of any sort is predetermined by the God’s will or, if not by the God, by any other supernatural force or a definite being. Many people, maybe even the majority, still keep to this opinion up to our days. In those times such viewpoints were predominant everywhere.

And the mathematical theory entirely based on the opposite statement that some events can be casual (that is controlled by the pure case, uncontrollable, occurring without any specific purpose) had few chances to be published and approved. The mathematician M.G.Candell remarked that «the mankind needed, apparently, some centuries to get used to the idea about the world in which some events occur without the reason or are defined by the reason so remote that they could with sufficient accuracy be predicted with the help of causeless model». The idea of purely casual activity is the foundation of the concept of interrelation between accident and probability.

Equally probable events or consequences have equal odds to take place in every case. Every case is completely independent in games based on the net randomness, i.e. every game has the same probability of obtaining the certain result as all others. Probabilistic statements in practice applied to a long succession of events, but not to a separate event. «The law of the big numbers» is an expression of the fact that the accuracy of correlations being expressed in probability theory increases with growing of numbers of events, but the greater is the number of iterations, the less frequently the absolute number of results of the certain type deviates from expected one. One can precisely predict only correlations, but not separate events or exact amounts.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

Online casinos. Mathematics of Bonuses

January 24, 2007 at 10:01 am · Filed under Online Gambling

online casino players know that the latter ones offer various bonuses. “Free-load” looks attractive, however, are they really useful these bonuses? Are they profitable for gamblers? The answer to this question depends on a lot of conditions. Mathematics will help us answer this question.

Let’s begin with an ordinary bonus on deposit: you transfer $100 and obtain $100 more, which it will be possible to get having staked $3000. It is a typical example of bonus on the first deposit. The sizes of a deposit and bonus can be different, as well as the required stake rates, but one thing remains unchangeable – the amount of the bonus is accessible for withdrawal after the required wager. Till this moment it is impossible to withdraw money, as a rule.

If you are going to play in the online casino for a long time and rather insistently, this bonus will help you, it can really be considered free money. If you play slots with 95% pay-outs, a bonus will allow you to make on average extra 2000 $ of stakes ($100/(1-0,95)=$2000), after that the amount of bonus will be over. But there can be complications, for example, if you simply want to have a look at a casino, without playing for a long time, if you prefer roulette or other games, forbidden by casinos’ rules for winning back bonuses. In the majority of casinos you won’t be allowed to withdraw money or will simply return a deposit, if a wager is not made on the games allowed in the casino. If you are keen on roulette or blackjack, and a bonus can be won back only by playing slots, make the required $3000 of stakes, in the course of 95% of pay-outs you will lose on average $3000*(1-0,95)=$150. As you see, you not only lose the bonus but also take out of your pocket $50, in this case it is better to refuse the bonus. Anyway, if blackjack and poker are allowed for winning back the bonus with a casino’s profit only about 0,5%, so it can be expected that after winning back the bonus you will have $100-3000*0,005=$85 of the casino’s money.

The “sticky” or “phantom” bonuses:
More and more popularity in casinos is gained by “sticky” or “phantom” bonuses – the equivalent of lucky chips in real casinos. The amount of bonus is impossible to withdraw, it must remain on the account (as if it “has stuck” to it), until it is completely lost, or annulled on the first withdrawal of cash means (disappears like a phantom). At first sight it may seem that there is little sense in such a bonus – you won’t get money anyway, but it’s not completely true. If you win, then there is really no point in the bonus, but if you have lost, it may be of use to you. Without a bonus you have lost your $100 and that’s it, bye-bye. But with a bonus, even if it is a “sticky” one, $100 are still on your account, which can help you worm out of the situation. A possibility to win back the bonus in this case is a bit less than 50% (for that you only need to stake the entire amount on the chances in roulette). In order to maximize profits from “sticky” bonuses one needs to use the strategy “play-an-all-or-nothing game”. Really, if you play little stakes, you will slowly and surely lose because of the negative math expectancy in games, and the bonus will only prolong agony, and won’t help you win. Clever gamblers usually try to realize their bonuses quickly - somebody stakes the entire amount on chances, in the hope to double it (just imagine, you stake all $200 on chances, with a probability of 49% you’ll win neat $200, with a probability of 51% you’ll lose your $100 and $100 of the bonus, that is to say, a stake has positive math expectancy for you $200*0,49-$100*0,51=$47), some people use progressive strategies of Martingale type. It is recommended to fix the desired amount of your gain, for example $200, and try to win it, taking risks. If you have contributed a deposit in the amount of $100, obtained “sticky” $150 and plan to enlarge the sum on your account up to $500 (that is to win $250), then a probability to achieve your aim is (100+150)/500=50%, at this the desired real value of the bonus for you is (100+150)/500*(500-150)-100=$75 (you can substitute it for your own figures, but, please, take into account that the formulas are given for games with zero math expectancy, in real games the results will be lower).

The cash back bonus:
There is a seldom encountered variant of a bonus, namely return of loosing. There can be singled out two variants – the complete return of the lost deposit, at this the returned money usually is to be won back like with an ordinary bonus, or a partial return (10-25%) of the loosing over the fixed period (a week, a month). In the first case the situation is practically identical to the case with a “sticky” bonus – if we win, there is no point in the bonus, but it helps in case of losing. Math calculations will be also analogous to the “sticky” bonus and the strategy of the game is similar – we risk, try to win as much as possible. If we are not lucky and we have lost, we can play with the help of the returned money, already minimizing the risk. Partial return of the losing for an active gambler can be regarded as an insignificant advantage of casinos in games. If you play blackjack with math expectancy – 0,5%, then, having made stakes on $10 000, you will lose on average $50. With 20% of return $10 will be given back to you, that is you losing will amount to $40, which is equivalent to the increase in math expectancy up to 0,4% (ME with return=theoretical ME of the game * (1-% of return). However, from the given bonus can also be derived benefit, for that you need to play less. We make only one but a high stake, for example $100, on the same stakes in roulette. In 49% of cases again we win $100, and 51% - we lose $100, but at the end of the month we get back our 20% that is $20. As a result the effect is $100*0,49-($100-$20)*0,51=$8,2. As you see, the stake then has positive math expectancy, but dispersion is big for we’ll be able to play this way rather seldom – once a week or even once a month.

I will allow myself a short remark, slightly digressing from the main subject. On a casino forum one of the gamblers started to claim that tournaments were not fair, arguing it in the following way: “No normal person will ever make a single stake within the last 10 minutes of the tournament, which 3,5-fold surpasses the prize amount ($100), in nomination of a maximal losing, so as to win. What is the point?”

And really does it make sense? The situation is very similar to the variant with return of losing. If a stake has won – we are already in the black. If it has lost – we’ll get a tournament prize of $100. So, the math expectancy of the above-mentioned stake amounting to $350 is: $350*0,49-($350-$100)*0,51=$44. Yes, we may lose $250 today, but shall win $350 tomorrow, and over a year playing every day, we’ll accumulate pretty 365*$44=$16 000. Having solved a simple equation, we’ll find out that stakes up to $1900 are profitable for us! Of course, for such a game we need to have thousands of dollars on our account, but we certainly can’t blame casinos for dishonesty or gamblers for being foolish.

Let’s come back to our bonuses, to the most “free-load” ones- without any deposit. Of late one has been able to notice more and more advertisements promising up to $500 absolutely free of charge, without any deposit. The pattern is the following – you really get $500 on a special account and limited time for play (usually an hour). After an hour you get only the amount of your gain, but still not more than $500. The gain is transferred on a real account where you must win it back, like any bonus, usually having run it 20 times in slots. $500 free –it sounds attractive, but what is the real price of the bonus? Well, the first part – you need to win $500. Using a simplified formula, we can see that probability of winning is 50% (in practice, it is certainly even smaller). The second part – we win the bonus back, you need to stake $10 000 in slots. We don’t know the rates of pay-outs in slots, they are not published by casinos and make up on average about 95% (for various kinds they fluctuate about 90-98%). If we get at an average slot, then till the end of the wager we’ll have $500-10 000*0,05=$0 on our account , not a bad game… If we are lucky to choose a slot with high pay-outs, we can await $500-10 000*0,02=$300. Even though the probability to choose a slot with high pay-outs is 50% (you have listened to the opinions of other gamblers since by random choice this probability will make up hardly more than 10-20%, for there are few generous slots), in this case the value of a generous deposit free bonus amounts to $300*0,5*0,5=$75. Much less than $500, but still not too bad, though we can see that even with the most optimal suppositions the final amount of the bonus has decreased seven-fold.

I hope, this excursion into mathematics domain of bonuses will be of use to gamblers - if you want to win, you simply need to think a little and make calculations.

Comments      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

Why You Should Learn Blackjack Strategy

January 23, 2007 at 7:03 am · Filed under Online Blackjack

The first reason that motivates the majority of people who want to become black jack experts is financial. When you know the ins and outs of blackjack strategy, you will win more often, which means that you will make money at the blackjack table instead of losing it. When you master blackjack technique, you can even win so consistently and profitably that you can look to blackjack for regular extra income. If you’re ever wanted to put a little bit of extra cash into your pocket without taking on the obligation of a job, playing blackjack well can
help you achieve your financial goals so that you have plenty of extra spending money. If you refine your blackjack strategy and learn to choose where and how you play in order to maximize your profits, you can use your winnings to treat yourself and your loved ones to some of the finer things in life.

The second great reason to spend some time learning blackjack technique is that it will help you beat boredom. Many people who play blackjack do so as a way to spend leisure time on an exciting hobby. The more advanced your blackjack skills are, the more fun you will have exercising them and challenging yourself to improve even more. blackjack strategy is a great hobby to have, because it will improve your reasoning and calculation skills. When you make improving your blackjack strategy a focus of your leisure time, you will gain a boost in your brain power while you have fun and make money. There are very few hobbies that offer all three of these advantages, so it is little wonder that blackjack is such a popular game.

The last, but certainly not the least important, reason to give your blackjack game a boost is because winning is more fun than losing. After all, there are few things more satisfying than walking away from a casino with several hundred dollars worth of their money in your pocket. When you become great at blackjack strategy, you can feel proud of the fact that you have found a way to beat the casino system, or to make money playing black jack over the internet from the comfort of your own home. If you become accomplished enough to consistently win at blackjack, you can make every game a chance to feel great about your skills, and to bask in the reward for your study and practice of blackjack technique.

As you can see, there is more than one major motivator that causes blackjack enthusiasts to want to learn how to play better blackjack. The great news is that, no matter what your reasons may be for wanting to learn the ins and outs of the game, mastering blackjack techniques that will help you win is as simple as counting to twenty one.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

How to Develop Your Own Winning Roulette Strategy

January 22, 2007 at 11:24 am · Filed under Online Gambling, Online Roulette

There are literally hundreds of theories and strategies associated with playing roulette whether you play online roulette or play in one of the major casinos in Las Vegas. Developing a winning roulette strategy takes some time and some research to ensure that you have the one that works for you. Many players will try different forms of roulette and play different strategies before they settle on one basic one.

Before we discuss a winning roulette strategy further it is important to understand the game of roulette. Generally the rules are the same regardless of where you play, whether it is online roulette or at a real casino. However we urge you to check the local rules before you start playing to ensure that you fully understand how to play. For example, some online casinos as well as real world casinos will request that you make a minimum bet in certain areas of the table.

Next as part of your winning roulette strategy, you need to understand whether you are playing American roulette or European roulette. The games operate the same way, with one major difference. American roulette will have a “0″ and a “00″ at the head of the table, while European roulette only has the “0″ at the head of the table. This changes the odds considerably in favor of the house, and is one of the major differences you need to understand.

Betting in roulette can be any or all of the following: single number bets, multiple number bets, black or red, even or odd, betting with the house on “0″ or “00″ and on rows or columns of numbers. The odds and payouts will change depending on the type of bet you make. Betting on a single number pays 35:1 odds while betting on even or odd, black or red pays 2:1 odds.

Now that we know the basics of the game of roulette, you can begin developing your winning roulette strategy. Some players will bet only single numbers while others will be odd or even, black or red, and so on. Players will watch the history board, which shows past numbers and bet accordingly. One of the basic winning roulette strategies is to ensure that you never bet more than you can win. Some players cover the roulette table with chips and win less than what they put on the table. Do the math to ensure that you can at least make back what you wagered when you win. Enjoy the game and investigate your winning roulette strategy to maximize your winnings.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

Top Online Casino

January 22, 2007 at 7:05 am · Filed under Online Casino News, Online Gambling

There are hundreds of top online casino sites that offer a broad diversity of appealing features to pull more of new online players who play online casino. Many of these top online casino sites have even set up educational portals, which help the new players, learn all about how to play online casino.

These top online casino sites regularly bring out features to attract people by putting forward exclusive high valued prizes, competitions and free games. These free games are called satellites by which the winners get entry to real life casino tournaments. These top online casino sites do these tournaments once in a month when they need to increase visitors. One such tournament on a website had a player who won his ticket to the Football World Cup Series. This person was offered to watch the games and a return ticket as well!

However there is a darker side to playing in these top online casino websites. According to views of some casino specialists and experts, playing online casino with fake or play money is okay for a while but if you wish to bet on your real money then it can become a habit leading to financial problems at times. If you are thinking of playing serious poker with money then you need to be an expert at it before losing out a big deal! By and large, it is sensible to take some time away from the casino table if you have suffered more than two losses in the beginning of the game.

Playing on these top online casino websites and winning fake money is relatively easy. The reason behind this is that there are no clear rules and the game is very free indeed, therefore nobody actually cares about winning or losing the game. Becoming used to this kind of fake money in these online casino games can fast become a habit and the player might not be able to learn the rules that are applied in the real money poker game. Therefore, as a result, that style of play will reflect in real money games directing the game in the most unanticipated directions.

Talking about the legal view point of these top online casino sites, they may vary in many or some ways from live casino gambling, but many of the check points and guide lines apply here as well. Therefore, it is suggested that be more careful while you are playing on these types of sites online.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

Online Gambling Tips For US Residents

January 21, 2007 at 9:24 am · Filed under Online Casino News, Online Gambling

BetOnSport chief executive officer David Carruthers was at the top of the online gaming industry not so long ago. He was running one of the most successful operations in the world, and loving every minute of it. But unfortunately for Carruthers, his stay at the top appears to be over for good. On July 16, 2006 Carruthers was detained by Police at a Dallas Airport. Federal charges have been brought against Carruthers by the St. Louis Attorney Office.

At this point authorities have not released any information as to why Carruthers was arrested, but it is thought to stem from a violation of the 1961 Wire Act. Generally speaking, the Wire Act states that federal law does not allow anybody to take sports bets via the internet or over the phone. Many people think that if they are overseas they do not have to follow the Wire Act, but this is not true. At this time, it is very difficult for United States officials to bring charges against overseas operations because the laws are not as clear as they should be. This area is a work in progress, and the senate is currently revising the laws that surround these issues.

It seems that executives who are doing illegal business would know better than to come to the United States, but time and time again they take the risk. In addition to Carruthers, Sportingbet chairman Peter Dicks was arrested recently as well. It appears that just like Carruthers, Dicks also violated terms of the Wire Act.

Even though a lot of the pressure in these cases falls on the people who run the illegal operations, you need to also make sure as a player that you are watching who you deal with. After all, you do not want to get caught up betting with a company that is not legally conducting business. The best way to avoid these problems is to research every opportunity that is available, and only move forward when you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.

It is safe to say that both BetOnSport and Sportingbet have lost many customers over the recent developments. Even though some people may stick by their side, the fact of the matter is that there are enough alternatives that this is not necessary.

The most important thing to remember is that you should not stick with a service just because you think they are the best. Chances are that you can find the exact same set up with another online gambling site if you put your mind to it.

For instance, many established more than 30 years UK companies help you to get the best of the best if you are interested in placing bets. Not only do they help to set you up with reputable online services, but the bonus features are not bad as well. They offer sign up bonuses, as well as many other promotional benefits that are sure to make your time online much more fun.

Overall, the online betting industry is being watched closely. This goes for executives such as David Carruthers, as well as members that belong to these sites. As long as you keep yourself safe by doing business with reputable services, you should never run into any problems.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

Online Bingo vs Land based bingo halls

January 21, 2007 at 9:11 am · Filed under Online Bingo

Bingo has always been an exciting game to play. Initially Bingo was played in land based bingo halls where it was played only by rich wealthy elites. There has been a tremendous development in the way Bingo is played over the years. Today bingo is played by women as well children who now play bingo for educational purposes.

Initially Bingo was played using a cardboard and a marker to mark the called numbers. Moreover people had to move over to a land based bingo hall just to play a game. However today with the development of the Internet one can play bingo right from their own homes 24 hours a day.

If one happens to compare an online bingo to land based bingo halls, online bingo will turn out to be a winner. There is no doubt that online bingo is much faster as compared to an offline bingo. The games are easy to understand and far better than an offline bingo.

Playing online bingo gives players an opportunity to make use of optional features, which make playing the game easier as auto-daub. The automatic system of the online bingo halls marks off the numbers on cards as they are called on. As a result the players do not have to do mark any numbers. The whole system works on its own.

Playing Online Bingo

· Purchase your cards from buy card menu on the site
· Your cards will be automatically sorted and your best card will appear at the top
· The player who covers all the required spots in the cards wins the game.

Online Bingo also gives players an opportunity to try on games for free, which is not possible in a land based bingo hall. Playing games for free help bingo players to learn different techniques related to the game. Online bingo halls offer both online casino games as well as bingo games to players.

Online bingo offers chat features to players while enjoying the game. This enables bingo players to chat with their fellow partners while the game is going on. The story is very different for land based bingo halls where players are not allowed to communicate to each other especially when the game is going on.

There are millions of site today where you can play a game of bingo. This makes it very much important to select a site, which is secured and safe to make your bingo experience a pleasant one.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

About Free Online Black Jack

January 20, 2007 at 12:01 pm · Filed under Online Blackjack, Online Gambling

A message about gambling: Gambling or betting is any behavior involving risking money or valuables making a wager or placing a stake on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event in which the outcome of that activity depends partially or totally upon chance or upon ones ability to do something.

Free online black jack is offered by some websites on the internet. You can play free online black jack to your heart’s content. You can also avail of outstanding software. Some use Macromedia Shockwave Player. Free online black jack allows you to use links to switch between games. Some websites allow you to download the free online black jack software. With a 56K modem, download of free online black jack could only take half a minute. Once you have loaded the free online black jack game, you can play offline. Free online black jack has vivid and attractive graphics complemented with sound effects that make you feel like you are in a real Las Vegas casino.
Free online black jack is a great alternative to real casinos. Although online casinos are not meant to replace the real thing they do serve an entertainment purpose as well. Free online black jack lets you have the thrill, excitement and passion of blackjack at the comfort of your home. Free online black jack is risk-free. You do not need to bet to be able to play. For the hardcore black jack players, free online black jack offers an opportunity to fulfill their craving for the black jack game.
Free online black jack operates the same way as real black jack casinos. The object of the game is to beat the dealer by getting closest to 21 without going over. If a hand goes over 21, it is called a “bust”. The bet is lost. In black jack card game, the cards have the following values: Ace is either 1 or 11. Cards 2 through 9 have their face value. Card 10, Jack, Queen and King are all valued at 10.

Free online black jack allows the player to do the basic strategies which are: hit, stand, double down, pair splitting, double down, insurance, even money and surrender. Free online black jack may even let you win free money. Some online casinos use this as a promotional tool to lure players to their websites.

Free online black jack lets you play one-on-one with the computer that will deal you the cards. With free online black jack, computers are programmed to deal the cards randomly. The computer programs on free online black jack seem to reward you for playing basic black jack strategy. Even with free online black jack game, you need to play smart in order to win.

Free online black jack is one good way to while the time away and be entertained without having to shell out money.

Play for fun and have fun playing

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts

Casino games history or how people have learnt to count cards

January 20, 2007 at 7:17 am · Filed under Online Blackjack, Online Gambling

The dream of capoting a casino is as old as the notion “casino” itself. Every gambler wants to win. Every other invents his own “system”. Every hundredth attempts to carefully analyze the game. And only the few of millions succeed.

The most famous achievement in the sphere of “system” game against the casino was the so called “card counting” at blackjack – mathematically based methods of game allowing to get some advantage over the casino. The casinos, surely, knows about the existence of “counters” and are trying to oppose them – from changing the rules to banning the game. Sometimes even exceeding the limits of reason and legality. In fact, all the history of the blackjack is the struggle between the gamblers and the casino which is more clever.

More than half a century passed since the first attempts of beating the casinos in blackjack, based not on the marked cards and intuition. There has been a peck of salt eaten since then, but the struggle is still going on….

Mammoth.
Probably the first person in history who applied mathematic analysis to the game blackjack was Jess Marcum originally Marcovitch was born on 30th December 1919.

It happened at the turn of 1949 and 1950, when Jess, being an excellent mathematician and physicist-theorist got to Las Vegas. Then his mathematic flair prompted him that most possibly not everything depends on intuition in blackjack.

Marcum started analyzing blackjack. First, the uniqueness of his attempt is that he performed absolutely all calculations with his pen on the paper, on principle without using any technologies whatever weak they might be at that time. Second he had found the solution

Jess manually developed what is now called basic strategy and counting systems ten years before someone else has done that. He counted that theoretically he had an advantage over the casino of about 3% –under the conditions of that time it was quite real. Moreover, Markum had been playing blackjack in all known to him casinos- both in the USA and abroad. His name appeared on the pages of the newspapers as an example of “lucky man” who managed to hit the jackpot.

Jess Markum also went down to history as probably the first man thrown out from the casino because of cards. Though at that time casinos did not understand that such system existed. Jess lived in Las Vegas for about a year. The casino owners exchanged the information when they gathered at the general meeting. And they were terrified. After that Markum was not admitted at all Vegas casinos. He went to Reno. The same story- in half a year after unbelievable “luck” the casino owners started making inquiries about the incredible gambler. Then other states and cities. Then Cuba, the Bahamas. Nobody knows how much money he has won during that time. One thing is known for sure- in fact, Jess Markum started the war between the gamblers and casinos in blackjack, that is still going on and getting more and more strained.

He did not share his calculations with anyone, and completely gave up playing against casino after a wide public publication of blackjack methods by other authors.

Jess Markum died in 1992, at the age of 72.

The four of Neanderthals.
The next effort of great influence on the blackjack math was made in 1956 by the group of four mathematicians- Roger Baldwin, Wilbert E. Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott.

These people had never played in casino before, having spent a great number of m/hr, they created basic strategy of playing blackjack according to the most popular at that time rules and published it together with the calculation methods in the specialized math journal for statisticians – Journal of the American Statistical Association entitled “The Optimum Strategy In blackjack“.

They made several slight mistakes in calculations which is nothing serious taking into account their enormous contribution. A year later they issued a small book Playing blackjack to Win, which is now a bibliography rarity.

In fact their book and the article did not spark much furor, and remained almost without attention regardless of their innovative approach. However, the word almost turned out to be the key for all the gambling industry, as someone did paid close attention to the research of the excellent four.

Comments off      » Print This Post      » EMail This Post

No related posts