How did poker become so popular in the uk

Poker has always been played in homes in the UK, but it hasn’t always enjoyed the immense popularity that it does today. So what has made poker so popular in the UK today?

In my opinion there are three reasons for this increased popularity. The first reason is the introduction of the American form of the game: No Limit Texas Holdem. This popular form of the game is very addictive. The fact that each player only has two cards down each, and five community cards, makes it possible for good players to have a good estimation of what the other players may have. Texas holdem is now the most popular poker game in the UK, and in the world.

The second reason for the high popularity is the rise of small cable television channels, and the wide broadcasting of Texas Holdem games on TV. These games include big stake games, World Series of Poker ( worldseriesofpoker. com ) games, and even celebrity poker games. Celebrity poker games can be great fun to watch; they show famous celebs in a more natural light.

The third and most important reason that the game has become so popular is the advent and growth of online poker rooms. There are dozens of poker rooms nowadays; where you can play with players of all calibre; and play for all different stakes, and in tournaments with many other players. With the growth in the number of online poker rooms also has come the necessary growth of websites that can evaluate these poker rooms. Sites such as Poker Online UK provide a great insight into these many online poker sites, and offer you advice and criticisms about the top poker sites. With all this knowledge onboard it’s a lot easier to tell which sites you should avoid and which poker sites you should try. Poker, in my opinion, will continue to grow, so it’s important that we keep an eye on the sites that evaluate online poker rooms.

Find out more about poker rules ( pokeronlineuk. co. uk/poker-rules. htm ) and how to use these rules to play Texas Holdem ( pokeronlineuk. co. uk/texas-holdem-rules. htm ).

Betting on the tigers this weekend gets tricky

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Wasn’t it me that predicted that Twins manager Ron Gardenhire would be the first baseball manager to be shown the door in 2006? Yes I also think that Barry Bonds is being unfairly accused of using performance enhancing drugs? No Gardenhire is doing just fine these days as he and his troops prepare for a crucial three game set in the Twin Cities tonight.

Minnesota (59-41) has won 34 of 42 since June 8 to cut what was an 11-game deficit in the wild card to a half-game.

"We’re just playing really good baseball," said manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team was 25-33 nearly seven weeks ago. "People keep talking about the streak we’re on, but streaks don’t last two months or a month and a half."

The Twins caught the struggling Chicago White Sox, who have led the wild-card race for most of the season, by completing a three-game sweep with a 7-4 victory Wednesday. Minnesota and Chicago are right behind the New York Yankees, who open a three-game home set against Tampa Bay on Friday night.

The Tigers under veteran skipper Jim Leyland have maintained their composure and now must deal with the newest phenom in the American League and that would be none other then rookie pitcher Francisco Liariano. The Twins look to keep rolling Friday behind Liriano (12-2, 1.93 ERA), who pitched poorly against the Tigers in two relief outings this season, allowing seven runs and 11 hits in 3 2-3 innings for a 17.18 ERA.

Since being moved into the rotation, though, the rookie left-hander has become a leading contender for the CY Young Award, going 11-2 with a 1.59 ERA in 13 starts. Minnesota is 2-7 this season against Detroit and has been outscored 64-25. In a three-game sweep from April 28-30 at Comerica Park, the Twins were outscored 33-1. The Tigers (68-33) have the best record in the major leagues, and their 30-13 mark against divisional opponents is also tops in baseball. Detroit leads the AL Central by 8 1/2 games over Minnesota and Chicago.

The question mark for all contending teams is the starting pitching and the Tigers send a struggling Zach Miner to the hill tonight. Miner has lasted only 6 2-3 combined innings and given up 10 earned runs in losing both of his starts since the break. In his first seven starts after being recalled in early June, the right-hander was 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA and didn’t allow more than three runs in a game.

Detroit gave Miner a five-run lead after one inning Saturday against Oakland, but he surrendered five runs in the top of the second and was pulled after a season-low 2 1-3 innings of a 9-5 loss.
Detroit has lost 9 of the past 12 in Minnesota and will be a dog tonight!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Gambling at monte carlo

The unique hub of gambling, a paradise for all the gaming aficionados and an ideal place to rejoice and lift your spirits, Monte Carlo is not unknown to any avid gambler. The place exhibits not just the efficiency of uniformly clad gamblers but also their matchless zeal towards gaming. Monte Carlo is thus worshipped as the best and timeless haven for all gamblers across the globe. The origin of Monte Carlo can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century when Prince Charles III of Monaco built a grand casino in his not so big principality. He named that part of Monaco, on which the casino was built, Monte Carlo, after his name.

Designed in 1878 by the famous architect of that era, Charles Garnier, the Le Casino Monte Carlo casino is a mark in itself. The atrium of this magnificent building is made of marble and covered on its sides by 28 Greek columns made from onyx. While its spacious auditorium is painted in red and gold and embellished with bas-reliefs, frescoes and sculptures.

Besides everything else, the gambling rooms of the Le Casino de Monte Carlo act as a timeless pull. There are many huge gambling rooms that are wonderfully decorated with beautiful art work - sculptures and paintings etc. the mesmerizing beauty o these games add to the enthusiasm to play different games of chance. However, a paradigm example of creativity and elegance are the private rooms of this casino. Parading European styles and culture to its best, these private rooms are incredibly glamorous. It is a lifetime experience to play some of the hottest games like European roulette, English Roulette, trente et quarante, blackjack etc. within these richly-decorated four walls.

Apart from the famous Le Casino Monte Carlo, there are several other good hubs in Monte Carlo to spin the wheel of fortune. Known for its 19th century ambience, the Le Cafй de Paris casino is meant only for players above 21 years of age. American roulette, baccarat, blackjack, chemin de fer, electronic roulette etc. are the largely played games here.

But the young adults between 18-21 years should not get disappointed. Adhering to the dress code they can also successfully try their luck at the well-known Le Sun Casino that is located in the Monte Carlo Grand Hotel. The casino offers a set of 27 tables games, baccarat, and American roulette, blackjack, chemin de fer, craps and punto banco.

The Le Sporting Monte Carlo casino is a summer attraction. The casino that opens from last Friday of June to middle of September is known for its not less than 62 slot machines and 24 table games that include roulette, baccarat, banque a tout va, blackjack, chemin de fer, English roulette, French Roulette and punto banco.

These casinos and many others have largely contributed to their nation i. e. Monaco’s economy though its economy is not just based on gambling and tourism. Yet in today’s world, Monaco is globally acclaimed as the epitome of the gaming world, a place that conjoins gaming and wealth with beauty and international sophistication.

9 ways to win at sports betting

If you are looking to try your luck at sports betting then know that you do have greater odds of winning in this game than you would in roulette or craps. While those are games of chance, sports betting is a game of predicting a foreseeable outcome. Here are some tips on how to win big at the big game.

9.Place Bets on the Right Sports Book

Statistics suggest that placing bets with the correct sports book will make a big difference, and increase the odds of winning by 3%.

8.Bet Against the Public

There are some that claim that “fading the public” can be profitable. This has led many bettors to bet on the other team than is predicted.

7.Do Your Homework Before the Game

The best way to win sports betting is to research all aspects of a game, especially circumstances and data that others would not consider. Not even bookies will have time to research every sport and every game. Therefore, if you can create a niche for yourself, you could become an expert on a smaller conferences and find yourself winning big money.

6.Choose the Underdog at Home

Statistically speaking, it’s a good idea to bet on an underdog at home. A team will put forth their best effort at home stadium and underdogs have a way of triumphing over the odds in general. Using this strategy you may beat the odds too.

5.Bet at Just the Right Time

Bettors who bet on underdogs usually bet early. Therefore, if you are betting on an underdog try and bet late. If you are betting on the favorite then bet early. Going against the grain in sports gambling is often a smart move.

4.Make Arbitrage Bets

You can make money on sure bets regardless of the outcome of a game with arbitrage bets. The advantage of these bets is that it doesn’t matter what the outcome of a game is, since the only bet you made was on a specific happening.

3.Square or Sucker Lines

Many betters try to stay away from square lines (that is, lines that are designed to lure public opinion into betting a certain way) and in the end, can even make money off these phony wagers if they can closely monitor the betting percentages.

2.Never Gamble While Drinking

This may be common knowledge to some, a great shock to others. However, when you drink an alcoholic beverage, your judgment will be significantly clouded. A drink may also give you that extra “courage” to make a rash and expensive decision.

1.Manage your Gambling Money

Another lesson in common sense that is often ignored when it comes time to put down a wager: never bet more than you can afford to lose. In fact, it is recommended that you set aside a portion of your money for betting and to stick with it, regardless of your winnings or losses. Lastly, try to spread your total among a few smaller bets rather than risk it all on one sure thing that may not be as predictable as everyone thinks.

Cardinals superstar albert pujols

Pujols' accomplishments in his first five seasons have dwarfed such big names as Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, and Joe DiMaggio. An argument can be made that no athlete in any sport has ever dominated so quickly. In his first five seasons, he has averaged 40 homeruns, 124 RBI's, 126 runs scored, and a .332 average. It is no wonder that his name was the first called out in Fantasy Drafts across the country this past March.

Early this season, Pujols is making noise once again. He leads all of baseball with 12 homeruns and 28 RBI's. His 12 homeruns in April broke Mark McGuire's franchise record set during his historic 70 homerun season. This past Friday, he tied Todd Helton for the second-fastest active player to reach 1,000 hits. Pujols needed only 3,003 at bats.

Tony LaRussa has marveled at his good fortune at having a player like Pujols. LaRussa has gushed that he is "the complete package with no weaknesses to exploit." For this reason, everyone is impressed at how hard he works to improve his game. In the off-season, Pujols spends his time studying videos to learn opposing pitchers’ techniques. During the season, he uses video not only to study pitchers, but also to do maintenance checkups of his own swing.

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A perfectionist to the max, Pujols still wants to cut down on his strikeouts. LaRussa has commented that he works harder now than he did as a rookie, which is why the Cardinals had no qualms handing out a seven year - $100 million dollar commitment to him so early in his career.

Unlike many superstars, Pujols has embraced his status as a role model. He understands that it is a player's responsibility to deal with fans and the media in a professional manner. Pujols makes it a point to play hard and run everything out because the kids are watching.

The amazing thing about Pujols' accomplishments and maturity is that it is so easy to forget he is still only 24. It is refreshing in these days of spoiled athletes and steroid scandals to have a superstar like Pujols come on the scene so dramatically.

Pujols may have to continue his torrid pace if the Cardinals are to capture their third straight division title. This Cardinal version might be slightly weaker without Reggie Sanders and Larry Walker in the outfield and a question mark surrounding second base. Central is shaping up to be the toughest division in the National League if not in all of baseball. But LaRussa's Cardinals know they are competing with the player who may one day be remembered as the greatest hitter the game has ever seen.

MLB Baseball Betting Odds and Player Props @ WagerWeb. com Sportsbook

Bankroll it s win or lose

I've yet to pick up a good book on gambling that didn't talk about bankroll creation and management. It's that important. Even the lightest of books has a page or two devoted to it-regardless of the book's game topic.

Unfortunately, the topic of creating and managing a bankroll can quickly become a complicated one. I've broken this article about money management down to two main segments-session money management and seasonal money management. I'll go over some light information on each to give you a real head's up. Let's get into money management.

Managing your money by the session

This is the most popular method and best for those not betting on sports-Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Poker, etc. Session management can get so detailed; you'll need a PhD to follow it all. But, we're not going that deep.

Basically, it's like this. Before you go to play in the casino, you set limits. How much are you willing to lose? And you have to stick to it. So, let's say Charlie is about to walk into the Win Here casino to play some Craps. He might set a loss limit of $100. His bankroll is now $100.

Ah, but wait. Charlie also needs to see a win cap. Yep, you've got to cap your wins and leave before it all goes bye-bye. Keep this realistic. For instance, if you set the win cap at $200, you'd leave when your bankroll equals $200, which would be a $100 gain-or a 100% increase. Anything more than 200% is highly unrealistic.

Most people fail at both ends of session management, but the win cap kills almost everyone. They are winning, so why love? Yes, why leave? Why not stay until you've lost it all back?

Managing your money by the season

No, I'm not referring to spring, summer, fall and winter. I'm talking about sports seasons-or anything else that lasts more than one session. Actually, a gambling marathon would apply too.

It works the same as session management, except that you're setting a loss and win cap for the entire season-and thus, the amount is larger. In fact, you might not even have the money in your possession.

Let's try an example. Charlie is a hard-working guy. He lives paycheck to paycheck, but loves betting football. He decides that he can afford to lose about $100 a week for the entire season. Figuring in playoffs and the Super Bowl, he sets a seasonal bankroll of $2,300.

He doesn't have $2,300 right now, but he has the initial $100 to get going. So each week he now knows that he has $100 to spend. Additionally, he set a win cap at $3,500. If his bankroll ever hits $3,500, he's out. Be smart with your money. You'll have more fun and you could take more home in the process.

The new badugi poker

Badugi is a poker variant that has grown increasingly popular during the last few years. It originates from Asia, but has not spread to the rest of the world until recently. It is today played online as well as offline by poker enthusiasts all over the world. Learning Badugi is very easy if you already master other poker games, such as Hold’em Poker.

Badugi is a four card game with three draws. The players with the lowest hand will win the pot. Unlike other poke variants, getting one pair, two pairs, three of a kind or four of a kind is undesirable in Badugi. Getting two or more cards from the same suit is also bad. The best hand is therefore containing cards from four different suits, and no cards should have the same rank. Such a hand where all the cards are of different suit and rank is called a Badugi!

When playing Badugi, you will be dealt four cards. The first card will be dealt to the player on the small blind, and the dealing will then proceed clockwise. Only one card is dealt to each player at a time. The betting will depend on which type of Badugi you are playing. There exist three different variants: Limit Badugi, Pot Limit Badugi and Half Pot Limit Badugi.

In Limit Badugi, all the bets are made in incremental units. During the first and second round, each player is allowed to bet the lower level bet. If you for instance play $4 / $8 Badugi, you will be allowed to bet $4 during the first and second round. During the third and fourth round, you can be the higher level, i. e. $8. Just as in the other Limit Poker variants, betting will be capped at four bets per round in Limit Badugi.

In Pot Limit Badugi, bets are not made in incremental units. You can instead raise your bet any amount as long as you bet no lower than the minimum bet and no higher than the amount of money currently found in the pot. The minimum bet is determined by the big blind. Let’s say that the small blind is $4 and the big blind $8. One caller has already bet $8. The next player can then choose to bet as low as $8. The total value of the current pot is $4 +$8 + $8. The player can therefore also choose to bet $4 +$8 + $8 + $8, since the maximum bet is based on the current pot on top of the initial call. The maximum bet in this situation is therefore $28.

Half Pot Limit Badugi is very similar to Pot Limit Badugi, but a player is only allowed to raise the value of half the current pot. Let’s say the pot contains $2 + $4 + $4. Half of $2 + $4 + $4+ $4 is $7. The next player can therefore raise $7+ $4 = $11. The lowest allowed bet is determined by the big blind, just as in Pot Limit Badugi.

War

War, what is it good for? Absolute fun and profit, that's what it's good for! If your childhood was anything like mine, you played the card game War often. One day the casino execs woke up and decided to bring this popular card game to the casino.

In Las Vegas, War was a side game. If a casino had it, the game was given one table spot in the pit. Thankfully, online casinos aren't limited to floor space and that's why most online casinos have War.

Okay, I'm not going to assume you know how to play, so I'll start at the beginning.

War is played against the dealer. If you're playing it online, it will just be you at the table. In real life, there could be other players, but everyone is playing against the dealer.

War is played with one deck of cards and the deck is shuffled after every hand. Your goal is to beat the dealer. It's a simple game. You get one card and the dealer gets one card. You want your card to be higher than the dealer's card.

In War, the cards rank like this: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace.

Okay, it's called War and war is what we want. If your card matches (in rank) the card the dealer gets, you've got a potential war. I say potential, because you can fold if you feel nervous.

I don't recommend folding. Why? Well, if you're not going to war, why play the game. Honestly, the fold option makes no sense. It's just there to take advantage of the suckers. I mean think about it. The deck is fresh. Two cards are out. You and the dealer have the same cards. Why on earth would you fold?

Instead, your move is to double your wager (required to stay in the hand) and see what happens. It's just like the classic game. Three cards are placed face down on each hand and a fourth card is placed face up. If your fourth card is higher than the dealer's fourth card, you win. If not, you lose. It's as simple as that.

There's no thinking in this game. It's a fun game to kick back to. You place your wager, get a card and win, lose or go to war. The payout is always even money no matter how you win.

Actually, war can be a blessing. It's the only way you can increase your original wager.

Example Hand:

You place a $5 bet. The dealer gets a 7 and you get a 7. You decide to stay in and go to war, so you place an additional $5 wager-$10 total now. You and the dealer get three down cards and a fourth up card. The dealer shows a 6 and you show a 10. You win and are promptly paid $10.

Atlantic city casino resort

If you want great casino experiences without going to Las Vegas, considering Atlantic City Casino Resort might be the place for you. Here you'll get high class gambling entertainment as you elevate your game with the best table action around. This casino resort offers some of the highest limits in town, and very few - if any - can match their personalized service.

This casino entertainment hotel has a brand new poker room, where you can play your favorites - Texas Hold 'Em and 7-Card stud. You can also play baccarat, a really elegant game that's easy to play. If you want it really simple, nothing is more fun to play than the Big Six Wheel. Your only task is bet on the number or symbol of your choice, then the dealer will spin the wheel and the number it stops on is the number that wins. Can it get any easier?

Blackjack-fans can entertain themselves with "21", one of America's most popular casino games. Spanish 21 is the ultimate blackjack variation, where the blackjack game is combined with the multiple payoffs of a slot machine. This casino resort even has five spot tables exclusive to Resorts! And of course you can play poker in many variants like 5 card poker (Caribbean Stud Poker, Let It Ride), Three Card Poker, Pai Gow Poker and Texas Hold 'Em. It goes without saying that Craps and Roulette are amongst these exhilirating gambling games, not only of chance but which take knowledge of reasoning included in this, as within every great casino.

Another interesting and entertaining game this Casino hotel has included is Pai Gow. This dominoe game originated in ancient China and is played with 32 dominoes, 11 of which are identical pairs. The purpose is to make two ranking hands using 4 dominoes, a high hand and a low hand. If your rankings for both hands are higher than the dealer's, you win!

This casino resort gave me a comfortable, classy and entertaining experience and I highly recommend that you try it for a weekend. Always remember though, this excellent advice from the resort's staff: "Bet with your head, not over it."

Play live roulette

Roulette is a very entertaining casino game that has always been very popular ever since its introduction in to the casinos. The game is popular because it is very easy to play and understand. Bets are made by putting your chips on the betting table to cover one or more number, depending how you bet. When you play live roulette in a casino each player is given different colour chips so the dealer does not get confused over who has made which bet. The different colour chips also help the dealer when it comes to paying out as they can organise things quicker by colour coding. Once the chips have been placed on the table the dealer or croupier asks the players to stop betting just before the wheel is spun.

When making a bet while you play live roulette there are two basic types of bets you can make, these are called the inside and outside bets. If you choose to play on a European wheel there are also a selection of French bets you can make. The dealer will know how to make these bets and if you are unsure simply ask about them.

Thanks to the internet you don't have to go to a land based casino anymore to play live roulette as there are more and more sites appearing each day offering live casino games. These games are played live in the casino and a video stream is relayed through the internet to you home computer enabling you to see everything that happens. These live casino sites are very entertaining and you can often join up and play for free to see how it works. To play the live games you will normally need to download and install a special piece of software to your computer so that you can see the live video streams. Before you download and install any software to your computer it is a good idea to make sure the site looks respectable and that they offer full technical and customer support. In Europe players over the age of 18 are allowed to gamble online however the law is slightly different in America so most sites will not allow US players to gamble, they can still however play live roulette just for fun.

When you play live roulette you should remember that it is meant to be fun and if you are gambling to make money you are playing for the wrong reasons. Another point to remember is roulette is not a game of skill; the results of the spin are completely random, so if your not having a lucky day then its probably best to walk away.

Online poker betting structure

The game’s limit is a definition that is dependent on the financial aspect of the game you are involved in. There are two types of online poker games if we look at poker from the money point of view: there are the low-limit games and the high-limit games. The high-limit games are the games where lots of money are being played and bet. Low-limit games are at the other side, they are games with little money involved.

Betting structures are based on limits imposed to each bet that is done in the game. Looking at this aspect we can distinguish four types of games:

1. The fixed-limit games

These games are sometimes named the structured limit games. Wherever there is such a game it means the players will only bet the amount that was set previously. Of course a bet is equal to the small blind and the big blind is double. For more information, when naming such a game, people use terms like $2/$4, $15/$30 games. This way the player that wants to enter the poker room knows from the start what he or she will be betting. Let’s say you are playing in a $2/$4 game. This means you will bet $2 at a time, this being the amount that will be placed as a bet on the flop and pre-flop, with the exception of the big blind of course. On the turn and on the river however the bets will double and every bet’s value will be $4. There is also a limit of bets per round. Every player is only allowed 4 bets per round. That means something like betting once, calling a re-rising, and be raised again.

Sometimes there are structured games that have three amounts in their name, like $2/$4/$8. The bets will be placed the same as described before, with the exception that when getting on the river, the bet gets doubled again, so from the initial $2 on the pre-flop and flop, it doubles on the turn to $4, and then it doubles again on the river to $8. But the players are not obliged to place that re-doubled bet on the river. They have an option here, they can either bet $4 or $8, whatever suites them the most.

2. The spread limit games

These are games that include the betting amount within an interval of values given by the name of the game. These games’ names will contain the numbers that limit the bets. For example in a $4-$8 game, players can place any bet as long as it is at least $4 and at the most $8. You can bet anything between $4 and $8 during any round.

We can find games that have four amounts in the name, like : $4-$8-$10-$12, this means that on the first two betting round, pre-flop and flop the player can bet between $4 and $8, on the third betting round, the turn, the player can bet anything between $4 and $10, and finally on the river the upper limit of the bets is increased to $12, so the bets can be anywhere from $4 to $12.

Although less encountered, there are games that have three amount in their name, like: $4-$8-$10. This only mean that until the river the bets are between $4 and $8, but once reaching the river the upper limit will increase and the bets can be placed using amounts from $4 to $10.

3. The pot limit games

In these types of games the bets are flexible, the only things that are settled are the amounts for the small and big blind. The bet can be anywhere from the big blind up to the size of the pot in that particular moment. Sometimes two money amount are used to express such a game, like $5-$10. This only means that the small blind is $5 and the big blind is $10, and the fact that the minimum bet is equal to the big blind, meaning $10 in our case. There can occur rules like the one that allows the pre-flop bets to be 3 or 4 times the size of the big blind, but this depends from game to game.

4. The no limit games

Basically in these games you can bet almost anything. Anything between the size of the big blind and the money you still have on the table, of course. This games can be referred sometimes as , for example, $5-$10 games, and this means as in the latter situation that the values of the blinds are given and the bets will have to be bigger than the last value, the value of the big blind.