Online casinos and poker

Another heavy month of tournament action saw major results come in from the United States, Europe and the Asian Pacific Rim. Annette Obrestad and Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson were two of the biggest names to go very deep in November events, while elsewhere, American poker players turned a bit political during a traditional election month. November brought us plenty of news worth reading, with these stories among the most important:

Peters Tops Obrestad in PokerStars.net EPT Dublin Final — Annette Obrestad’s run to victory at the PokerStars.net European Poker Tour stop ran into an unexpected roadblock, and the roadblock’s name was Reuben Peters. The young American online qualifier came from
Pokerstars
behind to prevent Obrestad from winning her second major title of the year after Obrestad held the lead at the start of heads-up play. Peters began the day as one of the shortest stacks at a final table also including European stars Thierry van den Berg and Trond Eidsvig, and when the day was complete had collected €532,620 for his comeback win. Obrestad’s runner-up showing was worth €297,800.

‘Jesus’ Ferguson Snares Third Circuit Ring — Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson became the first three-time WSOP Circuit champion in November when he held off local pro Dustin Fox in the main event at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe. Ferguson was a dominant player throughout the tourney and held a big lead as the final table began, while Fox chipped out early and became a serious threat while the other remaining players departed. The heads-up portion of the event set a record that can never be beaten — it lasted only one hand, when Ferguson, who flopped a set after starting with pockettens, cracked Fox’s pocket aces. Ferguson collected $203,649 for the win, with Fox taking home $119,333.

Assadourian Triumphs in PokerStars.net APPT Macau — Another form of history was made when the new PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour arrived in Macau — the hastily arranged event was the first-ever major poker tournament held in Mainland China. The winner here in the APPT Macau Main Event was young Australian pro Eric Assadourian, who came from behind to win the $368,640 first-place prize. Emad Tahtouh held a sizeable lead at the start of play but was reeled in early, finishing fifth, while Assadourian charged to the front and held off Bo Sehlstedt and David Paul Steicke for the win.

Duke Leads Poker World’s Testimony to Congress — America’s laws and policies regarding Internet gambling were the topic of a Congressional hearing in November and several big names from the poker world were on hand to testify. The hearing was called by John Conyers, chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, and among those appearing on the pro-poker side of the slate was pro Annie Duke, as a spokesperson for the Poker Players Alliance, and her detailed testimony was supported by that of others, including New York University law school professor Joseph Weiler and Internet security expert Michael Colopy. The antis brought out there big guns as well, including Family Research Council head Tom McClusky and several legislators and prosecutors who have made attackng online gambling a focal point of their work. The hearing brought no resolution or action but offered a chance to get many of the most important arguments on the topic into the public record.

‘fkscreennames’ Takes FTOPS VI Main Event — Full Tilt’s FTOPS VI series (Full Tilt Online Poker Series) concluded its late fall run after doling out more than $11 million over its 14 events. The biggest of the 14 evens was, of course, the Main Event on FTOPS VI’s final day, a $500+35 event that drew 4,371 entrants and easily topped its $2 million pre-tourney guarantee. When the day’s action finally wrapped up, ‘fkscreennames’ was the victor, taking down a $385,937.45 payday, after holding a commanding lead entering heads-up action and holding off ’southside1′ ($233,629.95) for the win.

New Jersey Man Slain in NYC Poker Robbery — One of New York City’s common underground poker games was the site of a botched robbery attempt in November that led to the death of one of the game’s players. Frank DeSena, 55, of New Jersey, died after being struck in the chest by a bullet that several local reports stated was discharged accidentally when one of the robbers dropped his weapon. NYC police have made two separate arrests in the case to date.

Carlos Uz Victorious at Caesars Indiana — The first major poker result of November came from the WSOP Circuit stop at Caesars Indiana, where Carlos Uz became the official winner after a late chop with Marc Fratter in the Circuit stop’s main event. Uz and Fratter split the proceeds for the final two spots almost evenly after dispatching the rest of a final table that also included 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom’Donkey Bomber’ Schneider. Uz finished with $165,000 in winning plus the winner’s gold-and-diamonds Circuit ring, while Fratter took home $175,034 and the $10,000 entry into the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

June saw the 38th World Series of Poker being its record-setting run at the Rio in Las Vegas, with throngs of would-be poker champions stretching the facilities to its limits, if not beyond. Every day brought one or two new champs, all while a handful of other big stories played out elsewhere in the poker world. There was no shortage of worthwhile poker stories as summer arrived in style:

Hellmuth Wins 11th Career WSOP Bracelet — Who would capture an 11th WSOP bracelet first? All three players with ten career titles made deep runs at bracelets in the opening weeks of the WSOP. But when the efforts of Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan in other events fell short, it left the door open for Phil
Mansion
Hellmuth, Jr. to make history. Hellmuth won his 11th career bracelet in Event #15, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em. Hellmuth emerged from a massive pack of 2,628 entrants to outlast Andy Philachack and seven others in a final seen by almost no one, for it was held inside the special Bluff tent created as a venue for televising a select number of finals designated as pay-per-view (via Internet) events. Nonetheless, word of Hellmuth’s triumph still spread through the Amazon Room and beyond and a special ceremony was quickly arranged. Hellmuth collected $637,254 in his record-setting triumph.

Antigua Asks for $3.44B from U.S. in WTO Trade Dispute — Early in June, the island nation of Antigua & Barbuda filed a claim for $3.44 billion in annual compensation from the U.S. as its rightful award for its successful case against the U.S. over ‘offshore’ access to the Internet gambling marke, specifically horseracing in this case. While some arbitration judgment was assured, once the U.S. abandoned its final appeal, the amount ultimately due was a matter of widely divergent opinions. The U.S. scoffed at Antigua’ claim and suggested that $500,000 might be appropriate, while other countries filed similar WTO claims as the deadline for filing passed. The largest of these was a $100 billion claim filed by the European Union, representing the interests of most European countries.

Freddy Deeb Takes $50K H.O.R.S.E. Championship — The biggest payday and most prestige at the WSOP outside the Main Event goes to the winner of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship, which returned for its second edition as Event #39 of the 2007 WSOP. 148 of poker’s biggest stars sought the title, including the late Chip Reese, who returned here to defend his crown from the inaugural 2006 event. The 2007 edition produced the most potent final table of the entire WSOP, consisting of Barry Greenstein, Amnon Filippi, Freddy Deeb, Thor Hansen, Kenny Tran, David Singer, Bruno Fitoussi and John Hanson. Deeb emerged the winner after overtaking final-table chip leader Filippi, collecting $2,276,832 and the special winner’s bracelet. Fitoussi emerged as the runner-up, cashing for $1,278,720.

Full Contact Poker Ceases Operations; Negreanu Joins PokerStars — The online poker sites hit hardest by the market impact of the UIGEA were moderately sized sites that catered extensively to the U.S. Among those was Full Contact Poker, which announced in June that it would cease the online-room portion of its operations and continue on as a discussion forum only, where it remained a major player. FCP announced the sale of its account base to PokerStars, and only a couple of days later, FCP spokesman Daniel Negreanu announced that he was making the move as well, joining the impressie lineup of Team PokerStars sponsored players and instantly becoming one of the site’s most recognizable endorsers.

PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Announced — A new major poker tour serving the booming Asian Pacific Rim poker market was announced in June with PokerStars’ launch of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour. The tour initially scheduled stops for Manila, The Phillipines, and Seoul, South Korea, along with a season-end championship in Sydney, Australia. The APPT would be boosted later in the year with the addition of an event in Macao, the first-ever major poker tournament held in Mainland China. The APPT events drew respectable entries at all venues and established a solid base for major poker tournaments in the region.

Schneider Becomes 2007 WSOP’s Only Double Winner — Winning two bracelets in the same World Series of Poker requires both exceptional skill and a great rush of cards. In 2007 the breakthrough performance was accomplished by veteran cash-game player Tom ‘Donkey Bomber’ Schneider, who won his first title early on in Event #5, $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha & 7 Card Stud (Hi/Lo), and followed that up by taking down Event #46, $1,000 7-Card Stud (Hi/Lo). In addition, Schneider held on to narrowly edge out Jeffrey Lisandro for 2007 WSOP Player of the Year honors.

Billirakis Snags ‘Youngest-Ever Winner’ Title ¬— With an age limit of 21 in place for all Nevada-based WSOP events, the record for youngest-ever bracelet winner has edged ever closer to that 21-year minimum. While Jeff Madsen had claimed the record in 2006 by winning the first of his two bracelets in that series, his mark lasted exactly one year: Steve Billirakis, aged 21 years and 10 days, set a new youthful standard by winning the very first event of the 2007 WSOP, the $5,000 ‘Mixed Event’ tourney. Billirakis outlasted Greg ‘FBT’ Mueller to collect the $536,287 winner’s prize in an auspicious WSOP debut.

NETeller’s Lawrence Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charges — The NETeller saga marched on throughout the year. Shortly after the company itself announced a plan to repay U.S. customers whose funds had been frozen for months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that NETeller co-founder John Lawrence had pled guilty to one count of conspiracy regarding the facilitation of money transfers between U.S. residents and offshore gambling sites, primarily bookmakers. Lawrence agreed to be partially responsible for the $100 million the U.S. was believed to be seeking in the case.

I drove down to Atlantic City, New Jersey from my home in Boston, Massachusetts to see how the poker scene was playing out in this East Coast gambling mecca. I left at 3:00 AM on a Saturday morning, stopped only briefly for coffee and a short nap, and arrived refreshed and ready for action at 9:00 AM.

My first stop was the Hilton – the southernmost poker room on the strip known as the boardwalk. My plan was simple. I parked on the street next to the Hilton at a meter – for about $4 in quarters. I would then play successively at each poker room, from one end of the boardwalk at the Hilton, to the other end at the Showboat. In between I would hit, in order, the Tropicana, Caesar’s, the Wild
Aussie Millions
West, Bally’s, Resorts, and the Trump Taj Majal. If I had any time remaining during my first day I would take a jitney to the marina area of Atlantic City – about two miles or so from the boardwalk, and play at Harrahs and the Borgota, before returning back to my car at the Hilton by jitney.

I kicked things off at the Hilton, remembering that two years earlier, when I had played there, the place was just kicking off huge plans to expand and upgrade the room. The room had been rocking back then – all newly renovated and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean from the impressive casino’s second floor. There were over a dozen tables in full action including limit hold’em and stud besides no-limit hold’em. The future looked bright indeed.

Alas. I was hugely disappointed to find that the upstairs room was no more – though players talked about returning to some smaller new space that was under renovation. Today, and for the past few months, they were downstairs, next to some blackjack tables. Their once proud, bursting room had been reduced to one table on this Saturday morning of Veteran’s Day weekend. And though the floor person said this was a slow time, knowing players told me that there might be one or two other tables as the day progressed. My, how the mighty had fallen.

Even so, my playing experience was relaxed and pleasant. The room is a peaceful alternative to the other rooms in Atlantic City. The patrons at my table eagerly told me why they liked it here. “It’s not full of hot shot kids and drunks,” said one poker player. “It’s more quiet than the big rooms,” added another player helpfully.

And so it was.

The room has the standard rake of 10% up to a maximum of $4. There is also a bad beat jackpot of $1 taken from the pot. Aces full of jacks beaten qualifies you for it – and you have to have two aces in your hand to hit it.

There was a $1/2 no-limit game when I was there. They expected maybe another table – of $2/4 limit. They never get higher than this, said a player, though another added that they sometimes get a $2/5 no-limit game.

The comps are generous by any standard I’m familiar with. Players earn $2 an hour in the $1/2 game, $3/hour at the $2/5 game and, officially, $5/hour at the $5/10 game that, apparently, never is spread (but if it were that would that be the highest player comp I’ve ever seen).

The poker room spreads a monthly tournament with a $250 buy-in and there’s also the annual New Jersey State Tournament. They also list daily tournaments, but I was told by regular players that they only go off on the weekends. The rest of the time the room is pretty much dead, as it was on this Saturday morning. Things pick up a little for Friday night. And Saturday night is their busy time – maybe with three or four tables going at once.

The level of play while I was there was, as advertised by the players, pretty subdued. Players tended to be loose and passive pre-flop. Then they all tightened up. One player would come out for $10 and the rest would usually fold – perhaps with a brave soul calling and then folding on the turn to a $20 bet.

In the hour or so that I played I saw maybe three rivers – usually in hands that were not bet on the turn or river. As I said, it was indeed a subdued no-limit game. I lost $15 pretty much just watching all but one hand. I raised in late position with A-J after three players had called the $2 big blind. I had folded all of my hands until then and hoped I might steal the pot. I got called by one player in early position who bet the flop for $30 when the board was Q-Q-10. I quickly folded and he showed me a queen. As I said, nice relaxed game.

The physical playing conditions were okay – surely nothing special. Wedged in next to table games wasn’t annoying in the morning – with the other games still relatively quiet. But I imagine that ambient noise and passing traffic might be distracting and bothersome as the general attendance picked up later. The chairs were general-issue banquet chairs – thinly padded but not uncomfortable. The lighting was about average, surely acceptable though not nearly as nice or bright as some rooms designed for poker. The dealers were all competent, helpful, and skilled… and unobtrusive. The floor was friendly but knew less about the room than most of the players, and couldn’t answer any questions about the rake, player comps, or games being spread.

All in all, I’d come back to kill some time or if I had business on this end of the boardwalk. If I lived in the area and wanted a nice place to come regularly, earn comps, and relax, I’d surely consider making this my regular room. But as a tourist, craving action, I think I’d tend to gravitate toward the bigger, more lively places down at the other end of the boardwalk.

I was playing at my favorite stud venue, Foxwoods, this past week. They had a midday stud tournament, so I took off a day from work to play in it. It was a nice diversion.

I drove down, arrived an hour before the tournament was set to go off and found there were no open seats in either the $20/40 or $10/20 game. So I eagerly took one of the four open seats in the $5/10 game, becoming the fifth player in the game.

My first concern was resisting the urge to try and run over the lower-stakes short-handed game. This is a powerful temptation in such a game for me for two reasons. First of all, since I normally play higher, the stakes lure me into “screwing around” by playing more
T6Poker
wildly than normal. It takes some discipline to take the lower stakes seriously. It’s a normal distraction, but also a potentially damaging one. A few foolish hands that go to the river in $5/10 can cost over $100.

The other temptation comes from it being short-handed. This temptation is based on the apparent and oft-held, but incorrect, notion that it makes sense to bluff more frequently in a short-handed stud game. With fewer players, and thus fewer opponents, it seems that bluffing more often than in a full game is a correct strategy. But it isn’t. Let me explain.

It’s true that there are fewer players who must be convinced of the true strength of your hand when you bet – since there are fewer players to begin with. But the object in poker is not to win the pot but to maximize the money you win.

In stud, a short-handed game has a pot that is smaller to start off with than a full game. Think about it. Each player antes $1 in a $10/20 game. In a full game that is $8 in antes. The bring-in is $3. That’s a pot of $11 in a full game. In a five-player game an ante steal wins the five antes plus the $3 bring for $8, a $10 bet to win $8.00. In a full game the steal attempt risks $10 to win $11. That’s a much better return on the investment.

A stealer in a short game may win more pots. But the risk-to-reward ratio is worse for him – and so it makes less sense.

But, you might ask, aren’t there fewer players to convince? Wouldn’t that make it more likely to succeed?

Not necessarily. In a full game, timed correctly, a bluff may only need to convince one player. Just wait until it’s only you and the bring-in.

What you really should be doing in a short-handed game is value-betting more. Those hands that are medium strength for a full game are more likely to be the best hand at the table in a short-handed one – since there are fewer opponents. So you’ll be in more hands and being more aggressive – but it won’t be because you’re trying to bluff more but because your hand is more likely to be the best one at the shorter table.

Similarly, drawing hands tend to be less profitable – since there are likely to be smaller pots than in full games. This isn’t always true, of course, since even full games can be heads-up most of the time if you’re up against tight players. But in short games, it’s less likely on average that you’ll have many players going to the river – meaning the money you win when your draws come in is likely to be less. This, in turn, makes it generally less profitable to play those drawing hands.

In any event, I held in check my natural inclination to be more aggressive in this short-handed game. As it turned out, I got out drawn on the river a few times and managed to lose $25 in about an hour while I waited for the tournament. Who’s to say if I would have done better or worse had I been more aggressive? As it was, I felt as if I played each hand correctly so I didn’t mind losing the $25.

Sadly, the tournament was not what I was hoping for. Having played in some no-limit hold ‘em tournaments at Foxwoods, I was expecting 50 or 60 players at this noon stud affair. There were only six of us. The house gave us the option of taking our buy-ins back and canceling the tournament. But we had all driven down to play in a stud tournament. So that’s what we elected to do.

The proper strategy for playing a six-handed tournament is different from playing a multi-table tournament or even a single-table tournament with a full table. A lot depends on the particular structure of the event.

This tournament had 20-minute blinds, a $5,000 starting stack, and a $50/100 limit to begin. The limits went up by either 50% or 100% each level. This makes it a moderately accelerating deep-stack tournament. There is a premium for careful, solid play. Though it’s always nice to accumulate chips early, there’s no need to bully anyone at the start.

As it was, this tournament was an extreme example of how to play short-handed cash games. Have patience, wait for either high-quality hands or excellent situations, and then be aggressive.

The experience can be very difficult – watching, as one will, the passing back and forth of large amounts of chips, as other players aggressively push against each other for small advantages. But waiting and watching is generally the best approach. Let other players get impatient, play too aggressively, and get knocked out – leaving you in the money.

After four hours of this I was in the money. That, in and of itself, might not seem like much of an accomplishment, considering that three of the six starters cashed. But after four hours it sure seemed like something. By then, I was impatient. And the 50%, 30%, 20% split was so flat that I couldn’t justify sticking around (and I guess it provided a convenient excuse for becoming wildly aggressive). I incorrectly ramped up my aggressiveness, pushed very hard – almost maniacally, and busted out shortly after making the money. The better strategy for winning the event would have been to wait until either of the other two players got impatient – and then watched them do what I did. But I didn’t have it in me to wait around. Hey, none of us are perfect!

In sum, let me list the general strategy tips for playing in a short-handed tournament:

1. With a deep stacked structure, put a premium on patience;
2. Wait for high quality starting cards;
3. Let opponents knock themselves out;
4. Resist the urge to gamble with borderline cards – especially early in the tournament;
5. Play very aggressively when you have an advantage – but wait until you’re sure you have that advantage;
6. Stay out of the way of players who have already locked horns. Let them fight it out between themselves;
7. If the structure is steep – with first getting more than 50% of the money, play to win;
8. With a shallow-structured event, shoot to make the money first, and then worry about where you’ll finish.

In 2004, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google stopped running advertisements for online casinos under pressure from the US Department of Justice, but apparently that didn’t go far enough to quell the DOJ’s ire. Yesterday the DOJ announced that the three search engine companies had agreed to pay a total of $31.5 million to settle allegations that they “aided and abetted” illegal gambling under their former ad policies. Under the terms of their settlements, the companies neither admit nor contest any charges.

Microsoft has agreed to pay a total of $21 million, $4.5 million of which is a direct forfeiture to the government. The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children will receive $7.5
Guaranteed tournament
million from Microsoft, and the remaining $9 million will go to a public-service advertising campaign aimed at college-level or younger people, with the message that online-gambling enterprises are illegal. Yahoo will forfeit $3 million to Uncle Sam and contribute $4.5 million to the public service ads. Google’s share of the settlement is $3 million.

These settlements are not the first time media companies have settled with the US relative to online gambling advertising. In 2003, the Disney Channel forfeited millions of advertising dollars associated with dot-com online gambling companies. In 2006, The Sporting News agreed to a $7.2 million settlement with the DOJ relative to their print, web, and radio gambling advertisements.

The recent deal with the three internet companies was announced by Catherine Hanaway, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. Hanaway is fast becoming the Department of Justice’s poster girl in its battle against online gambling. Hanaway represented the DOJ during last month’s House Judiciary Hearing on Online Gambling. It was also Hanaway’s office that settled a civil case against BetOnSports last year whereby the company agreed to stop accepting bets from US residents.

118 players returned to Harrah’s Atlantic City for a marathon Day 2 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event. Over the course of an 18-hour day, those 118 players dwindled to the final nine who will return today for the WSOP Circuit Championship final table and a shot at the gold-and-diamond champion’s ring. Among those still alive as Day 2 began were defending champ Richard Rosetti, WSOP Circuit regular Louie Esposito, Robert Williamson III and talk show host Montel Williams.

With such a large field, the pace of play was deliberate throughout the day. Montel Williams was eliminated in the middle of the day when he went all in over the top of Michael Esposito’s preflop raise with

. Esposito tabled pocket Jacks, and Williams departed when Esposito picked up a third Jack on the flop. Rosetti and Louie Esposito both busted near the money bubble, guaranteeing a new champion for the Atlantic City event.

The money bubble burst late into the night, with Heung ‘Scott’ Yoon pushing the last of his chips in preflop with . John Racener quickly called with , and the the board of sent Yoon to the rail in 28th place. Mike Sica held the chip lead for much of the afternoon, but as the field narrowed to two tables, it was Sica who exited in 19th when he went all in with A-3 against Eric Buchman’s K-10. Buchman hit a ten on the flop for the knockout.

Chad Furbay was first to bust after a redraw for the final two tables when he and Robert Seman got all their chips in preflop. Seman was ahead with , but Furbay’s was live until the board ran out to send him to the rail in 18th ($9,485). The pace of bustouts picked up as the night dragged into morning, and Avdo Djokovic and Eugene Jandris quickly followed Furbay to the cashier’s cage in 17th and 16th, respectively.

James Nelson took out two players in one big hand to thin the field when he got in a three-way all in with James Lee and Seman. Lee pushed all in with , Nelson called with , and Seman called as well with . When the board came down , Nelson took down the entire pot and sent Seman and Lee to the rail in 15th and 14th, good for $11,856.

Jay Mensh was next to fall when his was outflopped by Adrian Velez’ . The board ran out , giving Velez the unnecessary full house on the river. Next, Michael Russo called John Racener’s all in with , and was eliminated when Racener’s held up on a board of .

Soon after, Nelson was involved in another three-way pot, this time with David Zhu all in and Joey Brooks making the call as well. Nelson and Brooks checked it down on a board of . Zhu tabled , Brooks revealed , and Nelson’s was good to take down the whole pot and bust Zhu in 11th place ($14,625).

Vincent Procopio rode a roller coaster of chips most of the evening before he finally busted out not long before sunrise. After Feming Chan raised preflop, Procopio called for a little less than the raise with . Chan held , and hit an eight on the turn to bust Procopio. Procopio picked up $14,625 for his tenth-place finish, and the final table was set.

Samuel Skolnik took the chip lead as the day drew to a close, with tentative final-table chip counts as follows:

Samuel Skolnik – 572,000
Feming Chan – 371,000
Eric Buchman – 340,000
Adrian Velez – 320,000
James Nelson – 210,000
John Racener – 210,000
David Fox – 200,000
Joseph Brooks – 160,000
Thomas Fee – 160,000

Number ten on the list is Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos located in Southern New England between New York City and Boston, 30 minutes of each other. They are claimed to be a favorite destination for college-aged gamblers flooding the region annually. You’ll be able to find one of the world’s largest poker rooms in Foxwoods, and world class entertainment and high-end shopping in Mohegan Sun.

The Bahamas are number nine on the list, the islands that are famous all over the world. The resorts located there such the Atlantis, The Westin Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort and the One & Only Ocean Club are attractive not only as gambling spots, but also as bech-themed allure.

The Bahamas are followed by the Bicycle, Commerce, Hollywood Park the Hustler casinos – the major gambling attractions in Los Angeles. There are more than 30 other casinos located along the coast all the way to San Diego.

France is the seventh on the list. Being a wonderful tourist destination with such attractions as the Eiffel Tower, Musee du Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and Cathedrale Notre-Dame, France is regarded to be a wonderful gambling destination. There are more than 450 casinos in the country. The Aviation Club de Paris is considered to be one of the world’s most famous poker rooms due to its exposure on World Poker Tour Broadcasts.

The Mississippi River area, the unofficial birthplace of American gambling, is the next on the gambling list. The immense gambling spirit comes from the casinos lining the Mississippi River coast from Louisiana to Canada.

Lots of famous gamblers come from Australia, home to more than 400 casinos and racetracks. So, Australia is number five on the list. Both the general gambler and the poker player can choose as their places of destination such casinos as the Crown Casino and the Star City Casino located in Sydney at top online casinos.

Cruise ships for gamblers are associated with only one thing – time to gamble. It doesn’t really matter where you are cruising as cruise ships feature some of the best gambling action. So, cruise ships are number 4.

Atlantic City which is the third on the list is the place where such pros as Johnny Chan, Erik Seidel and Phil Ivey made their millions and their marks playing cards at the Taj Mahal and the Borgata. The world’s major gambling brands (Harrah’s, Wynn, Bellagio, Sands) have a large presence in Atlantic City at top online casinos.

Macau has already been called the new Las Vegas. It is becoming bigger than the most famous of gambling destinations. The Venetian Macau, the largest casino in the world by far, has been opened this summer. The size of the casino is really impressive – it is bigger than four American football fields. Macau is number two on our list.

Thanks to the tourism and gambling industries Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in America, and number one on our list. It has become home for mega-casino resorts like the Bellagio, the Wynn, the Sands, Mandalay Bay and dozens of others. Even with Macau quickly becoming the world’s first choice for gambling, there is nothing like Las Vegas having a hotel room and gambling chair for everyone.

Once you have decided to join poker madness and to play a poker game, you have to start your poker education. Obviously, the first step is studying poker rules. You may play poker of different types depending on what you are looking for. For example, you may play Texas Hold’em if you want to play poker of skills involving a fair amount of thinking. However, you may choose standard five-card draw poker game with your winning odds depending rather on luck than on your poker skills.

Then you have to know how poker cards are according to the value of the number on the card or the value of the face. And of course, you won’t be able to play poker if you don’t know the combinations of your cards known as poker hands.

How to play poker

Poker games start with a shuffle and cut of the deck and then the players ante before the dealer deals a card. To ante, each poker player is required to put a small amount of money, usually a percentage of the minimum bet, into the pot. Games are played with colored poker chips that correspond to different denominations of money.

Strict rules govern the betting order, which also varies with the type of poker game played. The betting order is important because the player who bets first has the disadvantage of providing other players with information about their hand before receiving any information about any other player’s hand. The poker player who bets last has the advantage of seeing how everyone else bets before deciding whether or not to play their hand. In most games the dealer deals clockwise, starting with the player to the dealer’s left.

There are different numbers of betting rounds in different poker games. During each round, betting moves clockwise around the table and poker players can either check, call, raise, or fold. When you check that means you want to stay in the game, but don’t want to bet. When you check, you forfeit the right to raise in the current round unless “check and raise” is allowed in your game. After someone makes the first bet, all other players can only call, raise or fold.

When you call, you match the most recent bet and place the appropriate stack of chips in front of you for the dealer to place in the pot. Another option is to raise the amount of the bet by matching the previous bet and raising the amount by an additional amount. After the bet has been raised, all other players remaining in the pot must call with the higher amount of chips, or fold. In many poker games, the bet can be raised only three times in the same betting round. When you don’t think that your hand is good enough to win and don’t feel like bluffing, you can fold or drop out of the hand. Depending upon the poker game, there might be several rounds of betting, with a card or cards dealt between the rounds.

When two or more players remain in the game at the end of the last round of betting, each of the players shows their cards in a showdown. The hand with the highest poker value wins the pot. The house makes a profit by taking the rake, a percentage of each pot. The rake percentage varies from two to 10 percent, but in some cases there is a maximum dollar amount or a flat fee.

In this article I will give you the basic to playing Omaha Poker, If you are already established with Texas Hold’em you should already understand the basics of Omaha. However beware if you are a Hold’em player as there are some pitfalls which are pointed out towards the end of the article.

How to Play Omaha.
Omaha is played in pretty much they same way as hold’em but with several differences, the main and most obvious difference being that the player is dealt 4 hole cards with which to make the best hand rather than 2 in poker. You can use any of your 2 hole cards and any 3 of the boards 5 cards to make the best hand. Hands are ranked in the same way as Hold’em (Royal Flush being best down to High Card being worse). Play Omaha game.

Omaha is not Hold’em
This is the most important thing to remember when converting from Hold’em. Being dealt 4 cards doesn’t give you an 2 extra hands it gives you 6. Omaha is much more variant and bad beats can be a very common occurrence, Just because you are ahead on the flop and you know it, there will still be many outs for your opponents. Also being Dealt AAKK doesn’t necessarily mean you are powering ahead of your opponents preflop. Imagine you have Ac Ad Ks Kd and you hit the flop of 3c 4d 7c you may think you have the nuts, but really there are so many potential hands out their such as flush and straight draws, 3oak and 2 pair even hitting an A on the river will only give you 30ak against so many more powerful hands. Also an important thing to remember is if a pair appear on the board their is a very high chance of someone hitting a fullhouse or 4oak. Straight flushes are also a very high possibility in Omaha games.

Also you must use at least 2 of your hole cards, for example the board see’s 4 clubs come up and you have the Ac and the rest of your cards hold no value. You do not hit a flush at all. This can lead to many curious hands, another example being Q K Q K 10 are showing on the board and you have A J, you hit a straight, if another player has A K they’ don’t hit a full house just three of a kind (KKK) with Ace Kicker. This can be a strange rule to get used to especially if you come from a Hold’em background where you don’t need to play any of your cards.

Other Versions of Omaha
Hi/Lo - Two separate pots are available to win . The lo pot is where you have the five lowest cards made from 2 of your cards and 3 on the board (the best hand being A2345) flushes, straights, pairs etc don’t count for the lo pot. Assuming the other player can beat the lo pot winner with his 5 best cards he will win the high pot.

Start out at the small tables when playing omaha $0.02/$0.05 are best if your just starting out. Play around with Pot limit and fixed Limit (quite rare to fine players here) tables, as well as Hi/Lo tables. New players may not be as comfortable playing Hi/Lo tables straight away (so this might be a good way to exploit them!).

Getting the visuals just right for your new poker site will require the services of a skilled web designer. You do have the option of purchasing a standard template, but given the competitive nature of online gaming it wouldn’t be the most financially sound decision. Online gaming, especially poker is experiencing unprecedented popularity across the globe and to compete in this market will require a truly unique design that is captivating to the eye as well as easy to use. Choosing the right design doesn’t just include picking the right colors; it’s about finding additional ways to reach out to your customer base and appeal to them.

It’s Vegas Baby!
When you click on an online casino, you don’t want lights flashing everywhere, flashing lights and ultra bright colors aren’t easy on the eyes. Although you will want your online casino to have a ‘Vegas feel’, you should avoid adorning your logo with bright, flashing lights. The perfect site design should include graphics that are reminiscent of Vegas but does not interfere with the main interface of the site. Don’t make your site so busy that players are unable to clearly find the appropriate tables.

Navigation
The most important attribute of any online business venture is usability! Your site should be set up so that it is easy to use, and all the buttons are easy to find. Entering the site should be clear cut and simple; enter your username and password and hit the log in button. Most importantly your poker rooms should be easy to find. Divide the sections into real money and play money and list the limits accordingly. The easiest navigation format seems to be one that lists each card game with the corresponding limits below. Drop down lists are most effective as you can go to each section to see seat availability.

Games
When you sit down to design the details for the games, keep it realistic. Use the perfect shade of green for the felt on your poker tables, roulette, and craps tables and your players will feel as if their poker game is in a real casino. As much as possible, use your brand on the poker tables and any other place in which you can place your brand logo. Stick with the site color scheme when it comes to poker rooms and tables.

When it comes to an online poker room, variety is the spice of life. You must provide at least two different types of poker to remain competitive and allure customers. The most popular forms of poker seem to be various types of Omaha and Texas Hold’em. If you offer a variety of limits with two types of poker, then you can compete in the world of online poker rooms. However, the key is to offer everything from micro limits to high stakes games. Just as important as multiple levels is tournaments as they have become increasingly popular in the past few years.

Players
Many poker sites offer the same sea of faces at the poker table, but if you truly want to make your site stand out, provide variety and detail to your card players. Don’t offer the same five faces for all players; allow a certain level of individuality. Make your site like an online community and your customers will remain loyal. Even if you can’t allow customers to design their player avatars, offer a variety so your player doesn’t end up playing his or her exact avatar.

Additional Features
What sets a good poker site apart from a mediocre online poker site is the additional features offered. A helpful feature for sites seeking to attract players seeking a professional poker career is the option to leave player notes. Most players find this helpful to classify players and make notes on their style of play. Additional features like this allows players to get to know their opponents and perfect different strategies; a feature that is likely to bring players back time and again.

Online three card poker combines the dynamics and speed of the Internet with the classics of old-world poker. Online 3-card poker is a fast-moving, easy-to-learn, fun and entertaining game. Get yourself over to the 3-card-poker table and see what it’s all about.