February 17 2009

Play Live BlackJack and the Right Mind Set

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blackjack

When you play live blackjack, or any other online casino game for that matter, it is important that you are in the right mindset to play and enjoy your game. There are so many people out there who think that because money is involved in every game of blackjack, and sometimes the money involved is a lot, it becomes too serious for them to have any fun.

The thing is that blackjack, even if it involves gambling money, it is still a game. And because it is a game, it is important that you have some fun with it even if you are losing money. The ability to win, after all, is a mindset. What you think you can achieve, you certainly can achieve. Therefore, you have to have the proper mindset when you play live blackjack.

There are a number of reasons that could hinder you from doing your best and having fun at the same time when playing blackjack. It could be because you are afraid to lose money. Sometimes, what you fear the most will come true for you because your mind is expecting it to happen, enough to make it actually happen. And when you are beset with fear, your eyes become clouded and your mind paralyzed. You will not be able to see or think clearly.

So if you are playing blackjack with your last money because you believe that you will win and your winnings will help you pay your rent or your credit card debt, you had best leave the game and log off, and then think of other means to earn more money instead. The fear of losing every single cent that you have and ending up with nothing will get you paralyzed and will hinder you from making the right decision in blackjack.

Another mindset that you should avoid when playing blackjack is arrogance. A person who is too arrogant often ends up making a fool of himself and regretting it later. Most of the time, an arrogant person gets too cocky and too reckless. Such recklessness prevents him from thinking out his moves. In blackjack, arrogance that gives rise to recklessness is dangerous. An arrogant person is bound to get his bankroll wiped out.

Lack of self-confidence is something that you should also not bring when playing blackjack. When you do not have any belief in yourself and you doubt the soundness of every decision that you yourself made, you will only end up making the wrong decision and losing money.

So, what is the proper mindset that you should have when you play live blackjack? In a nutshell, you should free your mind of everything that worries you or makes you feel fear. Worries and fears hinder you from making the right decisions in the game. But neither should you be fearless, arrogant and reckless; not only is it stupid, it will also make you prone to making the wrong decisions in your game.

February 17 2009

Tv’s 12 Best Poker Night-owl Gals, Part I: Veteran Babes

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poker

Six nights a week at 2:00 a.m., popular NBC show Poker After Dark features the best professional players of the poker industry. Among them, 12 remarkable women stand out, bringing not only beauty, charm and style, but also talent, experience and confidence to the table.

We invite you to meet them and prepare yourself for facing their sharpness if you are thinking on participating in the show’s free-ticket promotion or if you are seriously saving up for paying the $20,000 buy-in the show requires. Our lady poker pros have been featured according to the number of years under the poker spotlight, from the stars with the most poker years to the more recent ones. In this article, we are honoring the women with most poker spotlight experience in the Poker After Dark cast.

Cindy Violette, 22 years

This poker beauty is the owner of a bracelet and 22 years of poker experience. A fan of card games since her childhood, Cindy worked as a blackjack and poker dealer before deciding to start career in poker. 15 years ago, Cindy took a two-year break from poker but returned because she missed it too much. Known as one of the best mannered players, she is also famous for winning mercilessly at the felt. An assiduous yoga practitioner, Violette says “you have to have balance in life. Poker can be obsessive and then it’s not good for you. You have to stay focused at all times; don’t get emotionally involved, and don’t let it take over your life.”

Dee Luong, 18 years

Born in Vietnam during the war, Dee learned from a very young age that she needed to always find the bright side of circumstances, and make the best out of them to survive. After moving to California at an early age, Dee’s attitude towards life drove her to pursue her dreams in Vegas, getting into the poker scene with the help of poke star Huck Seed, who gave her the tools to make it in the poker world. Since then, she has competed among the best in the game, and still continues to do so.

Jennifer Harman, 14 years

The first woman to win 2 bracelets in WSOP Tournaments, Jennifer has been labeled as the best female player and one of the best players in the world. Harman has more than 10 years of experience as a professional poker player, and her journey has taken her from bankruptcy to top success gradually. Therefore, there is not much Jennifer has not experienced and overcome in poker. She keeps her edge playing in live tournaments, where she says she learns and earns the most, and if you are still doubtful about this harmless-looking lady, you should read the chapter she wrote on Limit Hold’em in Doyle Brunson’s classic titled Super System 2 – according to some reviews, anybody who wants to get serious in poker should memorize it.

Annie Duke, 14 years

Owner of a bracelet and the respect of the poker community for over 14 years, Annie Duke is, according to Phil Helmuth, “the best all-round woman poker player in the world today.” After abandoning a career as a cognitive psychologist by dropping out from graduate school just before her PhD. dissertation, Annie got immersed into poker thanks to her brother, Howard Lederer. It paid off almost immediately, making her over $40,000 during her first full-time poker year. Today, Annie is part of the poker hall of fame, and anybody should think twice before sitting on a poker table with her.

Joanne Liu, 12 years

Born and raised in Taiwan, Joanne first moved to the United States to earn a master’s degree in computer science. Soon after landing a job in California as a systems analyst, she learned how to play poker in 1996, the same year she ventured to enter her first WSOP event, in which she finished fourth. From then on, conquering final tournament tables is a common achievement for Liu, who attributes her rapid success to the principles learned in Sun Tzu’s book The Art of War, her poker bible, which says a lot about how fierce this poker talent is at the table.

Kristy Gazes, 10 years

Leaving a career as documentary filmmaker, Kristy has been in the poker spot light for 10 years. Kristy began playing poker since the mid-80s, bluffing at casinos about her age to be able to bluff at the poker tables. She considers Daniel Negreanu and her ex-husband, Bill Gazes, as her most influencing role models. Having a notorious presence at the tables, she sits down not only to win chips, but to also demand class and respect for every player involved in the game. She hopes to retire in 5 years, but not before earning a bracelet, so beware of the bracelet predator for the next 5 years of tournaments.

Check out these beautiful poker veterans and learn from them 6 times a week in NBC at 2:00 a.m.

Next: Meet TV’s 12 Best Poker Night-Owl Gals, Part II: Newborn Poker Babes

February 12 2009

Top Poker Sites Where you Can Pit your Skill Against Others

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Poker is a fascinating game. There are many people all over the world who love to play this game in whatever form they can. While there are people who prefer to play a solitary game of poker on their computer the majority of poker lovers prefer to pit their skill against others. For these people the top poker sites on the various internet search engines are of valuable help.

These top poker sites will have information about a variety of poker items. You will find links for buying your various poker accessories like poker chips. For those of you who are interested in online poker rooms these top poker sites will have this information for you as well. From this vast reservoir of information you will be able to seek out forums that discuss various aspects of poker.

In addition to all of this the top poker sites show you the best places where you can find poker games to play. These poker games may lack the presence of real life players but sometimes you will find online poker rooms where this lack of real competition can be found. These various poker rooms have different sites for the various games of poker.

You may want to see what information you can get about the top poker sites which cater to these types of poker games. As there are many different sites you should have an idea of the information that you are looking for. This information can include looking for tutorials which will show you how to play a better game of poker. There will be online poker games which are founded by experienced poker players.

With the help of these poker players you can learn how to improve the way that you play poker. There are some great top poker sites which will let you see how to judge the ranking of poker hands for different poker cards. This means that if you are interested in playing in the Full Tilt poker rooms you will need to see what their terms and policies are like.

These many items are just a few of the things and facts that you can find when you look through the different top poker sites. The invaluable help of these sites will let you play poker that the way that is meant to be played. The many items in poker will finally be revealed for you to get that perfect poker face that you have always heard of.

February 11 2009

Online Blackjack and Its Origins

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blackjack

The World Of Online Blackjack With the advent of the Internet we have faced numerous changes in the way of doing things. Everything you can think of was probably affected by the world wide web, and its constant development offers numerous new perspectives on things that were common in the past. The same goes for gambling. Just do a fast search online and you will get hundreds of online casinos where you can play virtually any casino game! With so many games to choose from, there are still some favorites that receive the most hits and are enjoyed by thousands of players online. And if taking names, there is nothing like online blackjack.

Online blackjack has seen a very fast development and is now one of the most popular online gambling games, with its popularity constantly increasing. When playing online blackjack you get exactly the same playing experience and winning possibilities as in a real world casino, only that you can enjoy playing it 24/7 right at your home, regardless of where you live.

Compared to the necessity of getting to a legal gambling site, finding a place to stay, and converting money to playing chips, online blackjack gives much more comfort to the player than land-based casinos. All you have to do is enter an online casino website, register and start gambling. Another advantage of online casinos is that you can find free online blackjack games on the web. This is a great way to learn playing blackjack or practice your skills without spending any money. In some cases online casinos will offer you bonuses in forms of virtual money that you can use when playing online blackjack and actually win! Imagine that in a land-based casino. Some History The original game of blackjack was created in the 17th, in France and was initially called “vingt-et-un” (twenty-one in French).

Other names of blackjack were 21, pontoon, and California aces. The original French version of blackjack required the player to draw a jack of spades followed by an ace of spades in order to win. This is where the term blackjack originates from, describing the essence of the game. The French revolution has imported blackjack to the United States where it quickly became highly popular in casinos and gambling houses. Because blackjack involved both luck and skills to win the game was very popular among professional gamblers and serious players. But with the 1910 ban on gambling, the game was outlawed and forced to go underground. During this period blackjack was associated with mobsters and criminals.

The seemingly simple rules of blackjack have made it very popular and lead to numerous winning strategies and techniques to be developed. There were numerous books written about it over the years and many movies used blackjack as the basis for their plot. Today, blackjack is found in casinos all over the world and with the commercialization of the Internet numerous online blackjack sites offer playing the game right at your computer.

February 09 2009

Blackjack Strategy

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blackjack

Blackjack is a game requiring various decisions and to go with the different decisions you have to make, there are various strategies you can employ to increase your odds of winning. If you play your hand properly, it is estimated that you can reduce the house’s edge to less than a percent. To do this, you must first understand basic blackjack strategy and then employ more complicated strategies as you play the game.

Starter Strategy

A simple starter strategy for a player who is new to blackjack is a good way to start playing the game. Perhaps it is your first time to play in a casino or online, this will help you out to get going and learn the game.

If you receive a hand that equals 12 through 16, you have what is called a “stiff” hand. This means that one hit can cause you to bust because your hand is so high. The dealer has a stiff hand if they have 2 through 6 showing. If you have a 17 or higher, you have a “pat” hand and you will want to stand. If the dealer shows a 7 through an Ace, your hand is considered a pat hand.

Now, if you have a stiff and the dealer also has a stiff hand, then you will want to stay.

If you have a stiff and the dealer has a pat hand, then you will want to hit.

This is a good strategy to get you into the game and begin learning how to play.

Basic Strategy

Basic blackjack strategy is based on math. If you follow this strategy correctly, you are able to reduce the house’s edge significantly, by about a half percent. Minor adjustments can be made to this basic strategy depending on the casino you’re playing in. For instance, some casinos will allow you to double down, even after you have split your hand. However, not all casinos will allow this. Some changes may also need to be made depending n if you are playing single deck blackjack or multiple deck blackjack.

It is necessary to understand the basic strategy in blackjack if you want to be successful. If you’re preparing for a trip to a casino, you can begin playing blackjack at home online with a basic strategy chart. This chart shows you how to play your first two cards depending on what the dealer has showing. This chart will help the new player learning the basic strategy. There are a number of variations in blackjack, so there are various charts available that adjust the basic strategy accordingly. Basic strategy cards may also take into account if your game is multiple deck or single deck. As you play, you will become less reliant on these charts and cards.

Basic strategy can also vary depending on hard hands, soft hands and when you’re playing pairs. As you practice and play, the following will become second nature to you and you won’t need to rely on cards to assist you in learning.

Playing Hard Hands

The following is available on basic strategy cards, but this is written as you would interpret the strategy on the card:

• If you have a hand of 8 or less, always take a hit.

• If you have a hand of 9, double down if the dealer has 3 through 6, otherwise take a hit.

• If you have a hand of 10, double down if the dealer shows 2 through 9, otherwise hit.

• If you have a hand of 11, double down if the dealer shows 2 through 10, otherwise hit. This is because if the dealer has an ace, they have to check for blackjack and if they have blackjack then you have already lost the hand if you don’t have blackjack.

• If you have a hand of 12, hit if the dealer is showing 2 or 3. Stand if the dealer shows 4 through 6, otherwise hit.

• If you have 13 through 16, stand if the dealer is showing 2 through 6, otherwise take a hit.

• If you have 17 through 21, always stand.

Playing Soft Hands

A soft hand is when you have an ace in your hand and your hand can change value depending on the decision you make. The following is the basic strategy for playing these hands:

• If you have Ace 2 or Ace 3, then double down if the dealer has 5 or 6, otherwise take a hit.

• If you have Ace 4 or Ace 5, then double down if the dealer has 4 through 6, otherwise hit.

• If you have Ace 6, then double down if the dealer shows 3 through 6, otherwise hit.

• If you have Ace 7, stay if the dealer shows 2, 7 or 8. Double down if the dealer shows 3 through 6, otherwise hit.

• If you have Ace 8 or Ace 9, always stand.

Playing Pairs

• Always split if you have a pair of Aces or 8s.

• Split if the dealer shows 2 through 7 if you have a pair of 2s or 3s, otherwise hit.

• Split if the dealer shows 5 through 6 if you have a pair of 4s, otherwise hit.

• Double down if the dealer shows 2 through 9 and you have a pair of 5s, otherwise hit.

• Split if the dealer shows 2 through 6 if you have a pair of 6s, otherwise hit.

• If you have a pair of sevens, split if the dealer shows 2 through 7, otherwise hit.

• Split if the dealer shows 2 through 6, and 8 or 9, and you have a pair of 9s. Stand if the dealer shows 7, 10 or an Ace.

• Always stand on a pair of 10s.

This is just the basic strategy for blackjack. There are several variances that occur when you’re playing and depending on where you’re playing. Your plays may also be affected by other people at the table as well. If someone is playing recklessly, it is best to not stay at that table as it can have a bad effect on your strategy.

February 07 2009

Blackjack Betting Strategy – Maximize Your Profits Now!

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blackjack

Using the proper blackjack betting strategy will instantly put you down the road to maximizing your profits! Along with the proper blackjack strategy you need to have the traits of a winning blackjack poker player. Below are the traits YOU MUST have to dominate the house:

Trait 1 – Blackjack Rules Knowledge

Winning blackjack players know how to play the game and know all the blackjack rules inside and out. You will know how to place bets, play soft and hard hands, split pairs, and when to double down against the dealer. Once you master all the blackjack rules and blackjack strategies, you can move onto learning more advanced strategies such as a card counting system. All these strategies will give you the edge against the house and turn you into a dominate blackjack player in no time at all.

Trait 2- Believe In Yourself

Blackjack involves strategies, knowledge of the game, and self-awareness. To become a winning blackjack player you must believe in yourself. Using the right blackjack gambling tips and blackjack betting strategies, you should sky rocket your way into success. Please believe in yourself and your decision making. One of the worst things you can do is just give up and quit. Blackjack is a highly profitable game and there is no excuse for quitting.

Trait 3 – Commitment

To become a successful blackjack player you need to show commitment to learning blackjack and all the blackjack rules and strategies that come with it. Before you jump into real money situations you should download blackjack tutorials or play blackjack games online for FREE. Once you spend hours and hours dominating the house, at that point in time you can jump into real money situations.

Trait 4 – Persistence

Be persistent. Do not let casinos or other players scare you away just because you are winning. Successful players that count cards will get looked upon as cheating by casino management. Don’t let friends or relatives prevent you from becoming a successful pro blackjack player. Earning a stable income playing blackjack online is definitely an amazing feeling, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I listened to my parents or friends who said it was NOT possible.

Trait 5- Familiarity of the Game

The only way of gaining familiarity of the game of blackjack is to practice. Experienced players make fewer mistakes and quickly learn how to make the correct decisions that give them the best chance of beating the house each and every time. I highly recommend playing at any free casino that offers blackjack for free. Gain as much experience as you can by playing constantly, no matter if its for free or real money. The best thing you can do is play each blackjack hand like there is $1000 or more riding on it. Don’t get yourself into the habit of it’s fake money so I don’t care I am going to hit on 19! Play every hand you SEE your BEST. I wish you the best of luck!

February 05 2009

How to Play Basic Strategy Blackjack

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blackjack

A common belief among tepid gamblers is that in a game of blackjack, be it the one played in land-based casinos, in traditional online casinos or with live dealers, it is very hard to beat the dealer because the house edge is in his/her favor. Naturally they would think this way, but if anyone would do the math involved, they would know that it is not impossible to beat the dealer. All that is needed is a solid knowledge of how blackjack is played.

The goal of blackjack is to get a hand of cards whose total value is 21 or less, but never going over. If your hand is a natural blackjack or at least having a total value of 21, you will at the very least get back the money you have wagered. If you bust (that is, have a hand value that is over 21) or if the dealer’s hand is closer to 21 than yours, you lose.

There are a number of playing options in blackjack which, if you follow them astutely, can make you last long in the game. These playing options are the following:

1. Doubling down. Doubling down is an option available to a player to double the original bet he/she has made prior to the first deal of the cards. The payoff for a successful doubling down bet is 2:1. The player, however, is required to draw one card from the dealer if he makes a double down bet.

2. Splitting. You can split the two cards you receive and play them as two separate hands. Splitting is usually done if the original hand has a value of ten or eleven. When you make a split, you need to place a wager that is equal to your original bet. Take note, however, that if you do get a 21 from one of your split hands, it is just a 21 hand; it can no longer be considered as a natural blackjack.

3. Double after splitting. This move allows you to double down on your bet after you have split your original two cards to create two separate hands. However, before you do this, you need to check with the casino if they allow this move.

4. Surrender. Some live dealer casinos and traditional online casinos allow players to surrender their cards if it turns out that it is not a natural blackjack. If this is the case and you opt to surrender your hand, you can get back half of the bet you have made for that particular round.

5. Insurance. Remember that in blackjack, the dealer has one card open. If this card is an ace, the probability that it is a natural blackjack is high. In this situation, you can make an insurance bet and wager that the dealer has a natural blackjack. If this turns out to be true, then you lose your original bet but get twice what you paid for your insurance bet. If the dealer’s hand is not a blackjack, you lose the insurance bet.

6. Five-Card Charlie. There are times when a player was already hit for five times and yet has not managed to get busted out. This is called a five-card Charlie. Most casinos reward a five-card Charlie.

February 05 2009

Blackjack Tips – How to Become a Successful Blackjack Player

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blackjack

Blackjack is a game where you play against the dealer with other people around you sitting at the same table playing against the dealer also. You are NOT playing against the other people sitting around you. The object of blackjack is to try and get as close as you can to 21 or 21 without going over. Blackjack rules will be critical to your success so you will need to learn as many as you can. There are different variations to blackjack such as strip blackjack, samsung blackjack ii, samsung blackjack, etc… The only profitable blackjack game you can play is the standard blackjack games that are in every single casino and online.

To be a successful blackjack player you need to develop a winning blackjack strategy and stick to that strategy forever. Some people use card counting as a blackjack strategy such as the card counting mit group. I am not a big card counting fan, I think that should be for roulette systems. In blackjack before they implanted using multiple card decks, card counting definitely worked. The only time card counting will work is single deck blackjack games. These are usually played in the comfort of your own home amongst friends. You can’t really find one of these games in a casino. Most casinos only allow 4 decks or more blackjack games with automatic shufflers making card counting pretty much impossible. So if you bought some kind of card counting strategies, I am sorry but you definitely wasted your time and your money. The only proven blackjack strategies are ones using the blackjack strategy chart along mixed in with a winning system. How to play blackjack is a burning question many advent blackjack players want to know. More especially they want to know how to play blackjack and make a CONSISTENT WINNING playing. Again, the best blackjack tips I could ever give you is to stay clear of card counting strategies and pick up a copy of a free blackjack strategy guaranteed to dominate the house. You will be bringing down the house in no time. Eventually you will be winning so much casinos will think you are cheating! Sounds a little farfetched but it happened to me back in 1992. The casino was keeping a close eye on me at the blackjack table and even took me into a small room and questioned me. They told me they have never seen anyone win as much as I was doing. At one point I won 24 hands in a row, setting a record at that time which is still held today by me in that same casino. It is an amazing feeling constantly beating the house. The house is designed to have a 5% better chance than you winning EVERY SINGLE TIME. I don’t know about you, but that’s not fair. Using proven strategies you will eliminate the houses edge and you will actually have a 95% to 5% chance of crushing the HOUSE consistently! I wish you the best in your blackjack career!

February 03 2009

Poker Loser in 5 Steps

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poker

How many of you play games of poker? How many of you lose more often than you win, are you just making up the numbers but in the process giving away your hard earned cash? Maybe you want to start playing poker, either way this will help. Don’t forget to follow up what you read here with the free videos on www.bethepokershark.com

1. So just knowing the rules and nothing else won’t get you far. But not knowing the rules will have you in a hot caldron of trouble surrounded by hungry cannibals. So learn the rules of the game. Check out this video

2. The most common sign of a Poker Loser is a player who plays weak hands. Wasting your chips on hands which have no chance of winning is about as good a use for your cash as burning it to toast marshmallows. Wait for the right hands, then play, you will be rewarded!

3. Almost all poker players play with some sort of strategy whether they know it or not. If you want to be a Poker Loser then ignore the other players at the table, don’t watch how they are playing. If on the other hand you want to be a winner, do the opposite. Watch the rest of the table when you are in hands and when you’re out.

4. A sure fire way to be a Loser is to forget about simple probability. Remember your chance of winning is important to consider, so is that fact that it changes during a hand as the game develops. To simplify this as much as possible, think about how much you will need to bet in comparison to the pot, keeping this in mind should keep you on the right track. Check out this video

5. Ok so in step 3 we said watch other players if you want to avoid pinning the loser badge to your shirt. Once you have watched some poker you will see and recognise the different styles and strategies that players are using. For example you might notice the aggressive players on a table betting big on a small pot to make you think back to those odds we talked about in step 4. Once you understand how these styles work you will be able to start using them yourself and understand how other players are using them to give yourself the edge against them, turn the tables and set them up as the loser.

February 03 2009

Online Poker Sites

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There are hundreds of online poker sites across the globe. LTD Poker lists all of the UK’s major online poker companies and provides detailed reviews of each. We also provide listings of the best US poker sites for the benefit of those in the US wanting to find a UK based site that accepts US players. Many of the sites that accept US players also accept players from other parts of the world as well, so that everyone can play, regardless of international boundaries.

Online poker sites that accept US and other overseas players are a great place to play a few hands and make some new friends. Many of the poker companies provide chat facilities so that you can chat to other players whilst playing along. Many of the sites also attract regular players so you will come across the same old hands again and again. Healthy rivalries develop and the stakes can get high!

Some of the best US poker sites are some of the best poker sites full stop. Here you find some of the biggest online poker sites in the world. There is PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, as well as a whole host of other top international sites that welcome players from all over the world. All of these sites are excellent for newcomers and seasoned players alike. Many of these sites offer people who sign up through LTD Poker exclusive, no-deposit bonuses to start off you poker bankroll, help you to get into the game, and hopefully help you start winning! Some of these sites give away millions of dollars in prizes each month, so winning some cash is easier than you’d think.