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Gaming Widow Winners

Has your other half taken to poker or blackjack in a really big way? Does he move mountains to get to the nearest roulette table and constantly have a game on the go on his laptop and even his mobile phone? If this sounds familiar then welcome to the club ? you’re officially a gaming widow.

Don't be a gaming widowBut hey, this is not all bad news! You may enjoy a bit of time to yourself to play online bingo once in a while, but if his habit has escalated to a whole other level then as long as he is winning you are in for some great benefits. What starts out as an online pastime can quickly move into the real world if your man gets invited to big money games in person. Casino tournaments often take place in glamorous locations so pack your case, put on your sunglasses and get ready to check out the spa and the pool while he focuses on his game.

Another reason to tolerate his obsession is the pay off for you: how can he refuse your requests to head off out with the girls or hit the shops for some retail therapy when he is locked into his card games all the time? And who knows ? you may even get a share of his winnings to treat yourself with too: guilty husband equals open wallet syndrome is not to be ignored.

And finally, if you can’t beat ’em then join ’em! Women have a proven track record of success playing poker and blackjack so why not try your hand at the tables, virtual or in real time, and see how you get on. You are definitely not at a disadvantage and all his talk dissecting recent games may even have taught you a thing or too. Imagine his face if you turn out to be a better player than him!

Let it Ride

Let it Ride BlackjackThe game of Blackjack has been available in online casinos since their conception. It is one of the few games where a decent knowledge of conventional blackjack strategy can reduce the house edge to a 50/50 split and one of the reasons why it is so popular. Whenever you have a game worth a flutter, perhaps at a Live Casino, someone will design a betting system for you to use, and Blackjack is no different.

One such betting system used at the Blackjack tables is called Let it Ride. Let it Ride is a positive progression betting system similar to the famous Martingale system. It’s one of the oldest forms of betting systems in operation and takes its form from the same concepts that banks use to compound interest. Let it Ride is often used in horse racing betting as well as Blackjack.

Here is the Let it Ride system in action?

You are a high roller and are playing at a $50-1000 limit table and you start by playing $1000 per hand. You are having a lucky night and start off by being dealt Blackjack immediately while playing for $1000 per hand. At odds of 3:2 you receive $1500 profit along with your original stake. You now have $2500 as a result of that bet and so you now: Let it Ride!

You could try to test your success at the system on the Live Dealer Blackjack, but you need to remember that this betting system is not for the faint-hearted and it will keep you on the edge of your seat all night long. In order to keep a modicum of control it is often prudent to select a stop-loss or profit target in advance of your session as this will make sure that you don?t get too carried away with all the excitement of Let it Ride!

Splitting in the game of Blackback

There are four options available to the player in a game of Blackjack once he has been dealt his starting cards. One these is to split but what exactly does this mean?

Sometimes when you are playing Blackjack you will be dealt a pocket pair such as 88, 66, 44, etc. When you are dealt a pocket pair you have the option to split. Splitting means that you divide the two cards into two separate hands. The dealer then deals you two separate cards, one to each hand, giving you the net result of two hands instead of one. When you decide to split you also have to double your wager because you are now betting on the outcome of two hands. Anyone who is unsure as to what they’re doing may be better off sticking to video poker instead.

The number of times that you are allowed to split your hand will depend on the rules of the particular casino you are playing in. Imagine you have two eights and decide to split and the dealer deals you another two eights; in some casinos you will be able to split the two eights again giving you the net result of four hands. As you can imagine the splitting of hands can win or lose you a lot more money than you initially bargained for, but it is one of the most exciting parts of the game. Remember, Blackjack has just as many nuances as slot games.

Another rule variation you need to look out for when splitting is when you are dealt a pair of aces. Some casinos will not allow you split aces, others will only allow you to draw one additional card on each ace and some will not recognize an eventual 21 as a 3:2 Blackjack hand. It’s important to bear these things in mind before you start.

Don?t Make These Mistakes

All blackjack players make mistakes, even experienced card-counters. But there are some innocent mistakes that rookies seem to make on a regular basis that it’s better not to make, especially if you’re playing for the first time at an actual land-based casino.

The blackjack mistake I’m most guilty of is sitting down and trying to play at a higher limit table than I have a bankroll for. It probably happens consistently all night long that players sit down and try to make $5 or $20 bets at a $100 minimum table. The dealers and other players get understandably frustrated when this happens. The solution to preventing this mistake? Just have a look at the little sign on each table stating the table limits, and make sure it’s the right stakes table before you sit down.

Another common mistake is throwing chips haphazardly into the betting circle. Your chips should always be in a single stack, so the dealer doesn’t have to get confused about whether or not you’ve doubled down. Related to this mistake is handling your bet after you’ve placed it. Dealers will snap at you over touching your bet, because they need to make sure you’re not adding chips to your bet when you have a good hand, or removing bets when you’ve got a bad hand.

Don’t touch the cards in a face up blackjack game. Cheaters will often try to mark the cards with a sharp fingernail, and the rule for not touching the cards prevents this. Be careful when handling the cards in a face down game too, because if you’re careless with the cards, you can expect correction from the dealer rather quickly.

Playing live blackjack is a lot of fun, but it’s a lot more fun when you avoid these common and sometimes embarrassing rookie blackjack mistakes.

Randy Ray

Counting Cards

Many inexperienced players have a misconception about card counters as mathematical geniuses who can keep track of every card in a multiple decks of cards. While there may very well be people who can do this kind of thing, card counting is not about keeping track of every card. The idea behind counting cards is to keep track of the players statistical likelihood of winning a hand and then adjusting betting and playing accordingly.
The idea behind card counting is simple gambling strategy. Any professional gambler will tell you that the way to win at gambling is to bet more when you have the advantage and bet less (or not at all) when you do not. It is that simple. In black-jack, certain cards remaining in the deck are good for the player and certain ones are not. If you “count” these cards, you will always know when you have the advantage.
Edward O. Thorp’s work confirmed that 10’s and A’s remaining in the deck were good for the player, while 5’s and 6’s remaining in the deck were bad for the player. He worked out the circumstances under which particular combinations of cards remaining in the deck gave the player and advantage over the house. He also presented the first two card-counting systems, Thorp’s five-count and Thorp’s ten-count. The latter, which is more powerful, was based on determining the ration between 10’s and non-10’s remaining in the deck. Card counting was born from irrefutable logic: Keep track of the cards: make small bets when the deck favors the house and large bets when it favors the players.
Thorp’s analysis was later improved upon by the work of many others, notably Julian Braun, Lawrence Revere, Peter Griffin, Stanford Wong, Ken Uston, Arnold Snyder, and Lance Humble. Today the game is understood at a rather deep level, and sophisticated systems exist that give the knowledgeable player a distinct edge over the house.
Which Cards Matter?
The object of card counting is to keep track of cards that are advantageous to the player. The simple question is, then, “which cards matter?”
The card most beneficial to the player is the 10. 10’s are ad-vantages to the player for several reasons. One, they will cause the dealer to bust since he is required to take cards based on the rules of play. He may not take other factors into account while playing (like you do!). Two, they turn hands that you double down on into very strong hands (which is why you double down on those hands, by the way). Three, they are used to create blackjacks. Remember that blackjacks are more beneficial to the player since getting one pays 3 to 2 but losing to one only costs the original bet! Another important card for the player is the A. Aces present soft doubling (and hitting) opportunities and they create blackjacks. Remember – blackjack is more important to the player than the house!
The worst cards for the player are the 5 and the 6 (and 2, 3, and 4 to a lesser degree). The reason these are not good for the player is simple – they are beneficial to the house. Since the house is forced by the rules of play to take cards on any hand lower than 17, the 5 and the six present the possibility of very strong hands for the dealer (remember that 10’s are not advantageous to the dealer since they make “busts” of these hands).
Before we begin to learn how to count we should talk about how this will help us. You should remember that the purpose of counting is to know when the player has an advantage and when he does not. This knowledge will do nothing for you unless you do something with it. What you want to do is adjust your betting and your play based on your advantage.
Adjusting Your Bets
Adjusting your bets is very straightforward. When the composition of the deck is in your favor, you bet more. When it is not, you bet less. Very simple. Learning just this can give you as much as a 2% advantage against the house. If that advantage does not sound like much, keep in mind that many casino slot machines only produce a 2 – 3% advantage for the casino and that is enough to make billions of dollars of profit for the casino. Granted, this is at a much higher volume than you will play at but remember that bet sizes are much smaller.
Adjusting Your Play
Learning to adjust your play based on deck composition is not an easy task, but the rewards are phenomenal. Taking this step can increase your advantage by another 2% for a total of 4% against the house. The good news is that you can learn this with a lot of practice. The principles are simple but mastering this level of play takes many hours of practice.
An expert card counter will adjust play in many different ways depending on the composition of the deck. It is common for an expert card counter to do things that “break the rules” of basic strategy like:
1. Standing earlier if the deck is very 10 rich — if the dealer can bust, so can you!
2. Standing later if the deck is very 10 poor.
3. Splitting 10’s when the deck is extremely 10 rich.
4. Doubling down on A, 9 when the deck is extremely 10 rich.
Of course, the most important play adjustment can be deciding when to start playing at a table and when to stop.

Online Gambing Addiction – Play Safely

Can you imagine being able to place a bet with just a press of a button? Can you imagine playing and betting as long as you want?

Can you imagine gambling from the comfort of your own home?

We know for a fact that gambling is risky business, and unrestrained gambling is just asking for trouble. Compulsive gamblers already have a hard time restraining themselves from the call of casinos and bookies, and now Internet gambling just takes the ante a step further.

With Internet gambling, you don?t need hard cash. Everything that is online is so easy to access. Play Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Keno, Roulette or Slots. Play all day, all night.

Before the 1990s, gamblers who wanted to place a casino or sports type bet in the United States basically had two choices: they could travel to a legitimate brick-and-mortar gaming establishment or place an illegal wager through a bookie. However, with the emergence of the Internet in the mid-1990s, a new form of gambling appeared; Internet gambling through gaming casinos and sports wagering. Internet gambling can take place on any electronic device that offers Internet access anywhere on the globe.

Internet gambling makes payment options for gambling individuals easy. They can just choose from several types of payment options other than credit cards. These include:

VISA and MasterCard cards: These cards are tied directly to the cardholder’s bank account. Funds for all transactions are deducted directly from the cardholder’s bank account, but cardholders can make credit card-type transactions that do not require a personal identification number.

Private-label debit cards: These cards are similar to check cards above but are issued by private companies rather than credit card associations.

On-line payment providers: These companies send and receive funds electronically for such uses as on-line auctions and purchases.

Wire transfers: Some Internet gambling sites promote this method of payment, which allows Internet gambling customers to wire money directly from a bank account to the site.

?E-cash? or digital cash: It is a digital representation of real money that can be placed on a computer hard drive, smart card and other devices with memory. It can be purchased from an authorized provider.

Internet gambling sites also offer money orders; traveler?s checks; bank drafts; cashier?s, certified, and personal checks; and a number of other electronic banking systems or processors as payment options. With Internet gambling?s easy payment options, even a non-gambler would be tempted to try.

Statistics also show that Internet gambling has nearly doubled every year since 1997 ? in 2001 it exceeded $2 billion. It also boasts 110 sport-related Internet gambling sites.

According to the American Psychological Association, Internet gambling could be just as addictive as alcohol and drugs.

This is a confession from quoted from The Gambling Problem Talking Point website:

?? I am addicted to online poker, not to mention soccer betting and casinos whenever I am in the vicinity of one.

For the longest time I thought I had the beast under control. Thought I was smarter than the pack, and shrewd enough to beat the pack. Considered my betting to be more of an investment than anything else.

How much have I lost gambling? I am afraid to tally.

Has it ruined my life? Almost ? I guess being from a wealthy family, it helped me to cover the tracks not to mention the losses.