Gaming Blog

Texas Hold’em poker

Everyone wants to play poker. It’s on TV, in the college dorms, the senior centers, in the home and just about every place else. People want to know how to play this interesting, fun and exciting game. The game itself is really easy to learn. With a little bit of concentration, in one short hour you should have some reasonable knowledge on how to play the game. John Marchel now has special training cards to help new players as well as experienced ones, on how to play the game correctly. The cards are a standard 52-card deck, with each card having a specific instruction on how to play the game. For example; one card says, “You hold suited cards. What are the odds against flopping a flush?” than list the answer below. Another says, “In a full game (10 players) you’re dealt an Ace. What are the chances someone else has an Ace too?” Again, the correct answer is provided. There are 52 different strategies for Hold’em listed in this compact deck of cards, plus some Jokers that explain the structure of the game itself, along with a good size glossary. This is a great tool for any player.

Gambling 101

Most people would not think to go out on the tennis court without first taking some lessons. The same is true for golf, driving a car, or going scuba diving. Well, it should also be true when it comes to gambling. You need to take some lessons before you go to a casino and make a bet. One way to get some lessons is by buying a good book about your favorite game. Now I know you can’t get everything from a book, but what we are talking about here is some basic knowledge. The A to Z of how the games are played, along with the who, what, how and why of casino gambling. Later you need to get some experience, but for now lets acquire some basics. First, you need to know that books in general are not designed to encourage you to give up your day job and take up gambling as a profession. People can and do win at casino gambling. You too can win in the short run; however, only a very small amount of players can win consistently. It is extremely difficult to be a professional gambler. The hours can be long, there can be long losing streaks which can play havoc on your bankroll, and you are always playing against a house which has the edge and an unending source of funds. On the other hand gambling can be fun, exciting and in many cases, when played correctly, very rewarding.

Craps - Best and worst bets

If you expect to beat the house at casino craps, you need to know which are the best bets you can make and which ones to avoid. You can beat the house in the short term by making the bets discussed here and then taking your winnings and leaving. Always keep in mind that the longer you stay at the craps table, the more the house edge will get to your bankroll.

1. Adding maximum odds to the pass or come line, spots are considered the best bets in the entire house. Always make those bets.
2. Always Place the 6 and 8 instead of betting on the “Big” 6 and 8. The house will pay you even money on the Big 6 and 8, but they will pay you $7 for $6 when you Place these same numbers. Placing the 6 and 8 is considered one of the best bets in craps.
3. Stay away from Field bets. These one-time bets have a high house edge of 11.1 percent.
4. Only play craps in casinos that offer double odds or better. With single odds, the house will have an edge of 0.8 percent. With double odds, the house edge drops to only 0.6 percent. This means, technically or in theory, over the long haul you can expect to lose only 60¢ for every $100 wagered.
5. Remember, every hand will end in a seven-out. If you insist on leaving your bets on the table until the seven-out and relying on the length of the hand to make you a winner, you’ll end up a loser. The only way to be a long-term winner is to make smart bets, win, and move on.
6. Like most other games, streaks in craps will happen. Shooters will start to make numbers and hold the dice for lots of rolls. You need to take advantage by making larger size bets when that starts to happen.
7. If players are making a number, than sevens-out after only two or three rolls, stay away; don’t be placing bets when they have demonstrated they can’t throw numbers.
8. Consider this alternative to #7; a player must be able to demonstrate his or her ability to throw 5 rolls of the dice without a seven appearing before you start betting on that player. You can save a lot of money doing this simple strategy.

Gaming Tip on Winning

As a player you should always establish win goals. These goals should be realistic and based on your skill and knowledge level when it comes to gambling. While it would be nice to turn $100 into $1,000 at the roulette wheel, or $50 into $1500 at blackjack, a more realistic win goal would be 25-50%. When you stop to think of a 25% return on investment for a fun-filled hour, compared to annual returns of 10% on the stock market, it just doesn’t get much better. The greatest undoing of casino players comes from taking long odds in pursuit of unrealistic winnings. It’s important to note that the casino counts on the average player to do just this.