Online Gambling and Banking

Before the US Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act, transactions with online casinos were quite convenient and easy. Today most banking institutions are declining their customers' request to do any type of credit or debit card transactions related with online gambling. The size of your bankroll does not have any bearing at all, banks are simply refusing to carry out this type of transactions, even though this law has not been finalized yet.

Although most major credit card companies do not accept online gambling transactions there are some that do, but then these transactions are treated as "cash advancement" which bear a much higher interest rate. For this reason more and more online gamblers and online casinos are shying away from using Credit and Debit Card payments to handle their online gambling transactions, instead many are opting for online processor services, which have become very popular in the online gambling community.

With the introduction of this new Act on Internet Gambling, more and more online based processor websites are popping up on the internet as these entrepreneurs realized the need for such a service. Today there are many different methods for deposit and payment transactions at online casinos. Some of the popular online companies offering these online processor services are; Bank Wire/E-wallet, Pre-Paid ATM, NETteller, Citadel, Fire Pay, Eco Card and Click2Pay and even though these are all web based companies that are accessible to anyone who has internet access, if you happen to live in the USA, depending on which online casino you happen to log into, you may or may not be able to sign up for these services.

Whatever the outcome of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act, and despite the banks refusal to carry out Credit Cards/Debit Cards transactions relating to online gambling, it is in the interest of the online casino websites as well as the online gambling community to find a way to work around these obstacles and ensure that online gambling will be around for a very long time to come.

Texas Hold'Em Online Poker Lingo

• Bad Beat: When you lose a hand despite having strong odds that supposedly should have been in your favor. For example, if you were holding pocket Aces against a player holding pocket 2s, and your opponent ended up beating you by hitting another 2 on the last card, you would have suffered a bad beat.
• Big Slick: Refers to holding an Ace and King as your two pocket cards.
• Blinds: Texas Holdem is based on what is called a blind structure, meaning that two players at dealer's left-most side must place a bet before seeing their cards. Since they are forced to bet without seeing their cards, or are playing blind, those bets are called "blinds".There are two blinds, the big blind and the small blind. The small blind position must post half the minimum bet and sits immediately to the left of the dealer. The big blind must post the full minimum bet, and sits immediately to the left of the small blind, two seats to the left of the dealer. As the deal rotates around the table, each player takes turns posting the small blind and the big blind bets. This blind structure forces the action on the table since there will always be a pot to win. So, for example, if you are seated at a $1-2 limit hold'em table, the small blind must post $.50 and the big blind must post $1 bet. As play rotates around the table, each player may choose to call that $1 bet, raise, or fold. When it's the small blind's turn, that player only needs to call $.50 to play the hand.
• Board: This refers to the community cards dealt face up on the table. In Texas Hold'em, there will ultimately be five community cards on the board, not including the two pocket cards dealt to each player.
• Button: Also called the "Dealer's Button", this is a white puck that indicates the dealer's position on the table. The Dealer Button rotates around the table, so each player takes turns being "on the button".
• Check-raise: The act of checking a hand, in hopes of luring your opponent to bet, so that you may then raise over him and build a bigger pot to win.
• Flop: This is when the first three community cards are dealt on the board. The fourth card is called the turn, and the final, fifth card is known as the river.
• Flush Draw: A hand where you have 4 of the 5 cards needed to make a flush. For example, if you are holding two clubs, and the board flops two more clubs, you would be holding a flush draw. You would need to draw an additional club to complete the flush.
• Gut Shot: A hand where you have 4 of the 5 cards needed to make a straight, but your 4 cards are not in sequence, and you need a single card in the middle of your straight to complete the straight. This type of hand is also known as "inside straight draw".
• Kicker: This is your tie-breaking card. For example, if you hold an Ace and King, and the board shows Ace, 5, 8, 2 and 6, you will have a pair of Aces with a King kicker. Your opponent may also hold an Ace, but with a weaker kicker, in which case you win the showdown.
• Limp: To limp into a Texas Holdem hand refers to calling the minimal bet to play your hand.
• Maniac: This is a player who plays ultra-aggressively, making big bets on poor cards, throwing money around in the hopes of winning by bluffing and intimidation. Important: A maniac may be a big source of profits!
• Muck: The act of folding one's hand without showing the cards
• Nuts/ Nut Hand: This is the best possible hand at that particular moment. In other words, there is no hand that you can lose to at that moment.
• Pocket Rockets: Also known as American Airlines, because it implies that you are holding two Aces as your pocket cards. Double A or AA, get it?
  
• Rake: This is the commission the house takes from every pot. The rake can be set dollar amounts or a percentage of the pot, depending on the casino.
• Semi-bluff: The act of betting on your hand when your hand is not made yet. So if you have four cards to a straight or flush and you place or raise a bet, you have a chance of bluffing your opponent out of the pot or hitting the card to complete your hand.
• Slow Play: The act of intentionally under-playing a very strong hand in the hopes of tricking your opponent into thinking that he/she has done you in, which leads to him/her betting more in later rounds.
• Smooth Call: The act of just calling a bet or raise with a very strong hand to conceal your strength and keep the attention on the initial raiser.
• Stone Cold Bluff: The act of betting with no real possibility of winning the hand if your bet is called. In other words, you rely on your opponent folding.
• Tilt: This refers to a player who is angry, upset, or emotionally unstable, affecting his/her game in a negative manner.

Source: http://www.flopturnriver.com/

News Clippings: Norway Now Bans Online Gambling

I was actually on my way to bed when I saw this news at OnlineCasinoTopic. It seems that Norway is now on the same page on US' stand against online gambling and casinos. So far the enactment of the law has caused an indignation of the several sectors.

It looks like the country of Norway has decided to take a page from the United States’ book on online casinos and banning them. In 2006 the United States passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The bill was cleverly concealed inside a bill that supported port security against terrorist acts and it was never debated or investigated by the members of Congress before it was passed. The law has since caused havoc with online casinos and poker rooms, causing legitimate businesses in the online casino community to withdraw from the American market and depriving American citizens of the joy of playing. Instead a black market online casino industry has emerged and it is preying on American citizens and growing by leaps and bounds.

Norway has decided to pass a similar law to the UIGEA that makes assisting any online gambling sites a violation of the law, including processing transactions. So far the reaction to the new law has been met with outrage from every sector regarding the way the program has been implemented. The Norwegian financial institutions have stated that the law is ‘unworkable’ and a ‘competitive disadvantage’. Civil libertarians are completely horrified by it.

Additionally, global law experts feel that the law may be violating or conflicting with the national obligations as set by the European Union. Already a complaint about the law has been filed with the European Free Trade Association by the Remote Gambling Alliance. The measure as it currently stands makes any assistance to the online gambling sites illegal and says that the only ‘legal’ online gambling in the country are through sites that are state owned which includes the lottery.

You can view the whole article here.

Backgammon Players Should Avoid These

In backgammon, there are things that players must always make a point of doing. On the other hand, there are also certain things that these online players should avoid and we're going to discuss some those below.

After or ever during the game, online gambling players must not stress the luck of their opponents. This means as an online gambling player, you should possess the value of sportsmanship and be able to respect each other by not reminding your adversary how lucky he just got on a particular dice roll he made.

Doing this can be insulting to any gambling player since you are equating their abilities on pure luck. You see, most gambling players like to think they are good (and not just lucky) and by telling them they won because they got lucky is insulting. Don't presume that just because his game went extremely well, he was just lucky. Maybe he just appeared to be lucky because he was doing the right thing, making the right decisions.

And if you shouldn't emphasize your opponent's good rolls, there is not need to make a big deal about his bad ones. Making a player's morale low just so you can win is an online gambler that's desperate.

In backgammon, you must not also roll the dice if your opponent's turn is not clearly over yet. Your roll may not count because he can argue that he is not yet finished. Aside from that, this is another form of intimidation since you are signaling to the other gambling player to hurry up with his move. What you are actually doing is destroying his concentration and is such a cheap tactic.

These are just simple guidelines that you should not do as a sign of respect to other online gambling players and a reason that you should also be respected.

Lessons We Get from Playing Online Poker

There was an interesting article on business week that discussed how playing and winning online poker or a conventional poker for that matter can help you in making your business even successful.

The main point of BusinessWeek is that you improve people skills while playing poker.

"Acting persuasively, reading opponents’ motives, and handling the subtleties of a monetary transaction are skills the poker greats work tirelessly to hone. These same skills are essential for negotiating a business deal."

Come to think of it, I'd have to agree. However other than the suave people skills you learn, online poker is good for you since you gain other values that you can apply to life in general. I have below the summary of David Sklansky's (professional poker player) post on why poker (online poker) is good for you.

Here’s a summary:

• Poker improves your study habits.
• Poker develops your maths skills.
• Poker develops your logical thinking.
• Poker develops your concentration.
• Poker develops your patience.
• Poker develops your discipline.
• Poker teaches you to focus on the long term.
• Poker teaches you that forgoing a profit equals taking a loss (and vice versa).
• Poker develops your realism.
• Poker teaches you how to adjust to changing situations.
• Poker teaches you to adjust to diverse people.
• Poker teaches you to avoid racial, sexual and other prejudices.
• Poker teaches you to handle losses.
• Poker teaches you to depersonalize conflict.
• Poker teaches you how to plan.
• Poker teaches you how to handle deceptive people.
• Poker teaches you how to choose the “best” games.
• Poker teaches you the benefits of acting last.
• Poker teaches you how to concentrate on the important subjects.
• Poker teaches you how to apply probability theory.
• Poker teaches you how to conduct risk-reward analysis.
• Poker teaches you how to put things in context and evaluate all variables.
• Poker teaches you “how to get into people’s heads”.

Who would have thought that you learn a lot of things from playing online poker. If you read the book, "The Art of War", most of these are quite essential not only in actual battle but in life. Many successful online (& offline) poker players have gained these skills and they acquired more out of life because of it. Although not everything in online (offline) poker is dandy, there are some downsides to it too. Always remember to play in moderation.

Learning Blackjack

I found this nifty site that's a great resource for blackjack beginners. The web site I'm talking about is called, Hit or Stand. It is a free online blackjack game and trainer that teaches you blackjack strategy while you play. The goal of the game is to make a high percentage of correct moves and not to earn money, as most online gambling websites are.

The Game Play and Strategy

The Hit or Stand game works just like any other online blackjack game, however your score is determined by your ability to execute the correct moves on each hand. After the cards are dealt, you have the option to Hit, Stand, Double, or Split. Because this game is a trainer, it is up to you to add the cards and know whether you are allowed to split or double. An illegal move will be counted incorrect. If your move is legal, it will be determined to be correct and will be an increase in your points.

This online game has two modes of play: easy and difficult. In both modes you will be dealt 20 hands, and your final score will be the percentage of correct moves you made out of the incorrect ones. In difficult mode, the hands will by more challenging, and there is now a time element since you'd only be given 4 seconds to make a decision.

Basic Online Blackjack Rules

While blackjack does change from casino to casino, it generally has to form of rules - Las Vegas rules or Atlantic City rules. However the fundamental correct moves do not differ that much and in many large scale casinos the rules are similar. Below are some very basic blackjack rules.

• The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand without going over 21.
• Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever makes a better hand.
• Each player starts with two cards, one of the dealer's cards is hidden until the end.
• To 'Hit' is to ask for another card. To 'Stand' is to hold your total and end your turn.
• If you go over 21 you bust, and the dealer wins regardless of the dealer's hand.
• If you are dealt 21 from the start (Ace & 10), you got a blackjack.
• Blackjack usually means you win 1.5 the amount of your bet. Depends on the casino.
• Dealer will hit until his/her cards total 17 or higher.
• Doubling is like a hit, only the bet is doubled and you only get one more card.
• Split can be done when you have two of the same card - the pair is split into two hands.
• Splitting also doubles the bet, because each new hand is worth the original bet.
• You can only double/split on the first move, or first move of a hand created by a split.
• You cannot play on two aces after they are split.
• You can double on a hand resulting from a split, tripling or quadrupling you bet.

If you plan on seriously learning blackjack and maybe later on learn the art of card counting, visit hit or stand to learn the basics.

Website: www.hitorstand.net

Online Gambling Etiquette

It is a fact that online gambling or online casinos lack much of the protocol and etiquette of its offline counterpart however this certainly doesn't mean that anything goes. There are still certain rules to follow and respecting other online gambling players in terms of maintaining game speed and communicating appropriately to others ensures a more pleasurable experience for everyone.

Below are some very basic online gambling etiquette that both new and old players can adhere to.

1. Be considerate with other online players. Adhering to this rather simple online gambling etiquette is making it easier for yourself to adhere to the rest of the online casino etiquette presented below.
   
2. Always, always know the rules of the online game before playing. Do a research online such as how to play online poker or what is backgammon before playing with a money at stake. There are a lot of online casinos that offer newbies to try their online poker games, and such, using fake money. Availing of the free trial let's you understand the online gambling platform even more.
3. Always make sure, that you as a player is 18 and years old and above as required by most online gambling sites. This rule is taken very seriously. Violations of this rule shows disrespect toward the online gambling operator and the other players.
4. Maintain the speed of the game: Online gambling games are often much faster than the real casinos and thus more appealing to many players. You should do your best to keep the speed of the game although "moments" are normal. Nonetheless, you should constantly avoid lagging behind to show courtesy and consideration towards other online poker players.
   
5. Unless if you are playing specifically for a certain language, communicate only using English so that you can keep other online gambling players on the same page.
6. Don't abuse the chat feature: Refrain from using it for profanity, criticizing other players, or making poor jokes. A lot of online poker players and other online gamers value having their identity unknown and if these people would just like to focus on the game without socializing, then reconsider and respect their choice. Also refrain from using the chat feature to advertise your business, criticizing the hosting site and/ or talking about the hand-in progress. Forbear using ALL CAPS and exclamation points since not only is it impolite and inappropriate, this can also imply that you are shouting to the other online poker players.
7. There is never any pressure to gamble for money on most online gambling sites. However if a person just wants to bet for fun with points, let them. Pressuring people to gamble is, actually, not fun for anyone.
   
8. Should you feel that an online gambling player is downright improper and is not practicing good online gambling etiquette, it is in the best interest of the game, and every other online gambling players, to report the player to the operator as soon as possible.

Online Poker Games 101

Poker is a card game that share betting rules and usually (but not always) hand rankings. Poker games differ in how cards are dealt out, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown (for some games, the pot is split between both the high and low hands), bet limits, and how many rounds of betting are allowable.

When we speak of online poker, this is a poker game played over the internet. Online poker gambling has been particularly responsible for the growth of worldwide poker players. The increase of many avid online poker players has also caused poker revenues to increased from $82.7million in 2001 to a whopping $ 2.4 billion last 2005. Imagine how many people got incredulously hooked to online gambling especially with online poker games. For this post, we will briefly discuss online poker games that got millions hooked. Below are some popular online poker games among online poker players.

Texas hold 'em

Among all poker games this one is the most popular both online and offline. This is a community card poker game where each player can use any combination of the five community cards and the player's own two hole cards to make a poker hand.

Omaha

This online poker game is similar to the Texas hold'em, a community card game. Each player is given four cards and he must use his best hand in picking the two cards of choice, plus exactly three of the five community cards.

Seven-Card Stud

Seven-card stud used to be the most popular online poker game before the Texas hold'em grabbed the attention of the majority in online gambling. Two to eight players can play this particular poker game. The players are dealt seven cards throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five-card poker hand possible for each player is used to determine the winner.

Razz

Razz is a stud poker game that is normally played for ace-to-five low. The objective of this particular poker game is to make the lowest five-card possible hand from the seven cards given to you during the deal. Straights and flushes do not count against you for low while the ace always plays low. The best possible Razz hand is 5-4-3-2-A, or 5 high, also known as "the wheel" or "the bicycle".

Online Poker Gambling Basics

Before we start off with rants and raves about online poker gambling, we should embank on theoretical knowledge that encompasses poker; otherwise, it’s tantamount to discovering the trends of developing poker software and not knowing how to play the game. Due to this, even online poker software development companies like CyberArts need to know the basics of poker, or better be poker players themselves, to know their trade well.
Online poker gambling demands time and patience for undergoing a learning curve, the game being a skill-based. Definitely, like any other online gambling, online poker gambling has a set of terms and jargons that every online poker player needs to know.
For the benefit of the first-timers and newbies of the game, we made a list of terms that should be part of every online poker player’s survival kit.
Play- This stands for a single game, from one card shuffle to the next.
Hand tie- When there are two online poker players and both of them have the same winning hand, they will divide the amount between them; if the amount is not divisible by two, the online poker player with the highest bid gets the major amount, leaving the leftovers to the second.
Rake- In online poker gambling, it’s a commission taken by the poker rooms at the total amount won after several hands, their sole revenue.
Pot- It’s the total amount accumulated after online poker players bet; this builds up in the entire course of the game: the ultimate goal of every online poker player, in whichever online poker gambling site they play.
Ante- Simply called “blind bets,” they are the money online poker players place on the pot without seeing their cards.
Hand- This pertains to every online poker player’s combination of cards.
Showdown- Just like any other thing that’s spectacular, even when you go watching dancers in dear Las Vegas, a showdown in any online poker gambling site would mean to every online poker player the most-awaited part: the finale of determining the final winner of the pot when all the betting is done.

Online Poker vs. the Real McCoy

They say nothing beats the real thing; netizens need to get more fresh air and time away from their laptops. This extends to online poker players. Recently, Sorel Mizzi, a professional poker player who has been dominating the tournament scene was banned from Pokerstars for letting somebody else play on his account, rationalizing that he forgot about the play and was on board to London then. Apparently, that's not the way we want to grab some fresh air. Still yet, it's a good indication of how popular online poker has become.

There are a few good points why online poker can be better than the real game. First is accessibility, it's right on your face; you just have to log on to a poker room. Second is variety, you are bound to discover different kinds of poker online than off. Third, you learn a lot due to one thing: focus. You have lots of it when you've nothing but the poker room and perhaps a bottle of beer beside you.

Furthermore, convenience is the greatest factor that'll make any poker player turn around 360 degrees to online poker.

Imagine yourself hosting a poker game night. You have to clean the house, prepare a couple of beers, and set up the whole plethora of chips, cards, table, and what have you. In a poker room, you just grab your swivel chair and play on.

You don't have to wait up for your friends to play with you. Most of the time, they don't come. Online, you can gain a lot of friends; and you'll never run out of opponents cause games are available any time you choose to play and no matter how long. And when you want out of the game, you can easily do so; unlike real life poker, you would have to wait for the game to finish, especially if you're hosting it.

Oh, there's one addendum to that; isn't it cost efficient to just stay home and play online poker than drive miles away to play the real McCoy? So rock on, pros!

A Warm Welcome to Poker Pros, Trying to be Pros, and Enthusiasts

As you may see, blogs have cluttered around the Internet, they be on the most absurd topics to blog about. I'm starting out this blog as some sort of "freedom wall" for poker players, pro or less pro, and even those who stay on the sidelines, content by being mere enthusiasts. I'm leaving the comments open for any of your ideas or violent reactions to articles and whatnots that I'll be posting soon.

It seems that there are still a million and one things about online poker that people need to know, not only because it's an intimate part of American culture; but more so because it skyrocketed as a high-paying, skill-based online game that no amount of legal sanctions and prohibitions can contend with.

So here it goes, I'm glad to welcome you to my blog. Happy reading!