Jackpot Hour In Casino

The sport of poker has taken off in recent years, becoming one of the most popular games being played at parties, gatherings and more. No longer just part of the casino, poker is more popular than ever, and nowhere was this more evident than at the 2004 World Series of Poker. There were a record number of entries in the 2004 World Series of Poker, with what was estimated at around 2,576 players.

The advent of online betting has fueled some of the popularity surrounding poker and the celebrity poker shows making rounds on primetime television are also part of the phenomenon. Many of the people who participated in the 2004 World Series of Poker qualified for the tournament online, after learning how to play in online poker rooms. The number of players who participated in the 2004 World Series of Poker had more than tripled in comparison to the 2003 WSOP, which hosted only 839 players.

Space was somewhat of an issue at the 2004 World Series of Poker, as there was only enough room and material to accommodate 1,200 players at the outset. However, they ended up stretching the 2004 World Series of Poker over two weekend days with half the players playing in the first part of the day, and half playing in the latter part. This added to the excitement and made it feel more than ever like an event instead of just a game.

After whittling down some of the players over the weekend, the 2004 World Series of Poker extended into the following Monday. About half of those players ended up being cut that day. However, the competition was fierce and fans of poker watched with bated breath to see what the next move would be.

The 2004 World Series of Poker also saw higher stakes than ever being wagered on the games. This had to do with the number of people who were able to pay the $10,000 entry fee. In fact, the 2004 World Series of Poker winner, Greg Raymer, won $5 million, which is a World Series of Poker record.

In addition to being broadcast on ESPN into homes worldwide, the 2004 World Series of Poker tournament saw many amateurs enter the professional poker realm. The popularity of the sport has never been higher and each year as the time for the World Series of Poker rolls around again, players (both professional and amateur) gear up for more high stakes and big fun.

Saturday night under the lights, the Car of Tomorrow gets its first shot at a track longer than a half-mile. However, the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway is so shallowly banked -- 11 and nine degrees in the turns -- that it drives like a smaller track than it is. In fact, the heavy-braking, flat track is an awful lot like Martinsville, where the Smokeless Set ran just a few weeks ago in these very same CoTs. How very convenient.

Who's been strongest in the CoT so far? Well, the temptation is to say Hendrick Motorsports. Kyle Busch won at Bristol, and Jimmie Johnson won at Martinsville, with Jeff Gordon hot on his tail. But those results don't tell the whole story. Tony Stewart easily had the best car at Bristol, and only a fluky mechanical problem that had nothing to do with the CoT itself caused him to lose. At Martinsville, Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the most laps and Stewart's teammate, Denny Hamlin, led the second-most. If you ask me, the best CoT team so far has been Joe Gibbs Racing. They clearly invested a lot of dough in these puppies, and it's showing. We'll see if that trend continues Saturday night.

Last Week: It was a frustrating day deep in the heart of Texas, as our two primary picks, Johnson and Stewart, suffered wrecks at the hands of other, less speedy drivers. Jeff Burton won the event and looked great doing it; he's going to be a threat at a whole lot of races this summer. Anyway, it was a lost day, which means 1.5 units down the tubes. Fortunately, we're still up 1.87 units on the season, on 10.5 units wagered, for a 17.8% return. (If you scrap the conservative betting system outlined below and simply bet one unit per wager, you'd be up 16.67 units so far this year on 28 units wagered, for a 59.5% return. Of course, there's a lot more risk on a weekly basis with that system; for instance, you'd have dropped four units last week.)

Take Jeff Gordon (+385), 1/6th unit. Gordon has never won at Phoenix, one of just three current Nextel Cup venues where he hasn't taken the checkers. Also, this race has never been won from the pole, and Gordon won the pole Friday afternoon. Still, he's a tough guy to ignore in this spot. As I mentioned above, Gordon was coming fast after Jimmie Johnson (+625) at Martinsville, and almost certainly would've won the race if Johnson wasn't his teammate; he didn't want to wreck the #48, so he had to console himself with second place. Gordon still leads in points, and has won four poles already this year, but hasn't won a race. I think that changes Saturday night.

Take Denny Hamlin (+950), 1/6th unit. Hamlin could've easily won both of the first two CoT events, and he qualified third for Phoenix. He was quoted telling reporters that racing at this flat one-miler reminds him of the late-model races he grew up on, and that running under the lights on Saturday will cinch the deal, and take him right back to the minor-league series where he made his bones. Phoenix events have been won from the third starting position on three occasions, which probably doesn't mean much to any but the numerologists among you, but still. The Gibbs CoT program is strong, Hamlin finished third here last fall, and he's due for a win.

Take Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+815), 1/6th unit. Lost amid the excitement of Jeff Burton (+1145) winning his late-race duel with Matt Kenseth (+1250) is the fact that Junior got royally screwed in the Texas event last week. He led the most laps, and obviously had the best car, but got wrecked by Tony Stewart (+745) when Smoke probably shouldn't have even been on the racetrack. The racing gods haven't been kind to Little-E of late, but that could change Saturday night. He's won twice at this place, and ran really well for a time at Martinsville. Look for the #8 to excite some red-clad fans.

Macau in the Peoples Republic of China is turning into the Asian equivalent of Las Vegas. Since many of the biggest Las Vegas casino companies set foot in Macau, it has become a leading resort destination in the world offering top Las Vegas style casino hotels.

The history of gambling in Macau begins in the 19th century, when Macau was still a Portuguese colony. Since 1847, when the Portuguese government legalized gambling in the colony, Macau was famous as the Monte Carlo of the Orient. Back then, the most popular game in Macau was the Chinese game Fan Tan.

The boost of the Macau betting industry occurred after the Portuguese government contracted the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau with a casino monopoly franchise in the early 1960s. The STDM opened several casinos that offered all types of gaming including Western casino games as well as greyhound racing and horse racing.

In 1970, the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau, operated by Stanley Ho opened Casino Lisboa. The 3 story complex helped strengthen Macau's reputation as the Monte Carlo of the Orient by offering 24 hours of betting entertainment including a wide variety of Chinese and Western casino games, top performances, 15 restaurants, bars, swimming pool, and deluxe accommodations.

Up until the 2000s, Casino Lisboa had no competition. It was the biggest casino hotel in Macau and was the only spot in Asia where high rollers were able to enjoy a lavish lifestyle. The early 2000 marked the beginning of Western invasion to Macau. Sands Macau was the first casino operated by an American company to be opened in Macau.

Sands Macau was build by the Las Vegas Sands, the Las Vegas based company that owns and operates the Venetian in Las Vegas. The 3 billion dollar hotel has changed the face of Macau by offering Las Vegas style entertainment to the Asian game capital. The 165,000 square foot gambling area offers more than 900 slot machines and over 430 table games including Baccarat, Fan Tan, Caribbean Stud Poker, Blackjack, Sic Bo and Roulette in addition to an exclusive VIP area.

Following the success of Sands Macau, several top American game companies have begun developing casino resorts in Macau. The Cotai Strip in Macau, a 100,000 square meter reclamation located between two islands, is already known as the Las Vegas Strip of the Far East. Here you can read about some of the most notable Macau casinos currently in development.

Wynn Resorts, the tycoon from Las Vegas will be opening the Wynn Macau in the autumn of 2006. Wynn Macau promises to mark the next generation of wagering experience in Macau. The first phase of Wynn Macau will include 100,000 square feet of playing area including a 10,000 square feet VIP casino, while the second phase will feature an additional 136,000 square feet game area, a theatre, restaurants and retails shops. The second phase of the project is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2007.

MGM Grand, the first of Las Vegas casinos to offer all family entertainment, is currently collaborating with Stanley Hos daughter, Pansy Ho Chiu King, on the development of MGM Grand Macau. The 28 story resort will include a 222,000 square foot game area with about 1,000 slot machines and 300 table games. In addition, the property will feature a 1500 seat theater, nightclub, meeting and convention space, spa and nine restaurants. MGM Grand Macau opening is planned to 2007.

Let's cut right to the chase. You can forget about playing the Rockies on the road. In 2006, the Colorado Rockies were 32-49 on the road. In fact, over the past eight seasons, the Rockies are just 239-409 away from Coors Field. Because the Rockies are so poor away from Coors Field, public perception is that the Rockies are a bad team period. However, Colorado has been solid at home and often times the Rockies show great value as a home underdog. At 44-37 at Coors in 2006, the Rockies held the second-best home record in the National League West. As the Rockies' young, talented offense continues to gain experience, we'll expect them improve at Coors Field again in 2007.

The Colorado Rockies improved nine wins from the 2005 to 2006 seasons knotting them with San Francisco and Arizona with 76 wins a piece. The Rockies still have to have to make some strides to avoid having their seventh losing season in a row. A turnaround is taking far longer than Rockies fans would like. Colorado's build-from-within approach may be noble in today's big money game, but it is not the best recipe for success in the short term. How many more losing seasons can the Rockies possible take before GM Dan O'Dowd and Manger Clint Hurdle are out of jobs. The new contracts these guys signed prior to this season were more than a bit of a surprise to me. I feel that buying some talent could be the Rocks only way out.

With Jason Jennings off to Houston, the Rockies' pitching staff is even more thin. Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis will become even more vital parts of this Colorado rotation. Francis has won 27 games in his first two major league seasons and I think he evolves into Colorado's ace. Cook is listed as the Rockies number one man, but his 9-15 record last season doesn't have be convinced. Rodrigo Lopez is a guy with 15-win potential. He has recorded 14 wins or more in three seasons since 2002 in the tough American League East. The National League West could help Lopez to a break out season.

At the plate, Garret Atkins and Matt Holliday will put up lofty power numbers. Todd Helton isn't the old Todd Helton, but he is still a solid stick and will hit behind them in the fifth spot giving Colorado a very respectable middle of the order. Willy Taveras comes over from Houston and brings his .329 career on-base percentage with him. The rest of the order will have to make a name for itself. Kaz Matsui is a guy who could emerge as another contributing force on the offense. He hit safely in 20 of his 24 starts for the Rockies last season.

The Rockies are still young and missing some pieces, but I think they improve again in 2007. Look for the Rockies at home to be a nice play this season.

Texas Hold'em Poker

The number of youth gamblers is on the rise. Why is this?

Poker is a game that is really more of just a GAME.

It is an extremely competitive ground for players to prove themselves DAILY, hourly.

Online Texas Hold'em Poker is one of the most easiest games to access.

There is millions of players waiting online to play every minute of the day.
There are many real money players, and many play money players.

Most players start out checking everything out under the websites play money site. This is how it is legal for these poker rooms to advertise online.

They say it is FREE to play. It is free, but if you want to play for real money then you have to put up the stake.

This is where an addicted community comes into play.

This community has created Poker Professionals, myself included that are making a living off this online poker craze.

The professionals feed off of the "fish" that see TV commercials online and come to give it a try. Most go to bed with no money left from their deposit and a bad attitude.

Poker professionals come with large bankrolls and are there to handle the swings.

My advice to newcomers to the game is to learn all the ropes of the game. Learn about the hand rankings, probability, and how to correctly read players.

This is the only way that in the long run you will win playing Texas Hold'em Online.

The game became very popular in Paris and in 1842, wishing to obtain a better house advantage, Francois and Louis Blanc invented the roulette wheel with a single '0'.

In that period of time France declared gambling illegal, so the game was introduced in Germany, where from the start attracted people. The game was brought back to France for Charles III, the Prince of Monaco and so appeared the resort Monte Carlo, a sumptuous and famous place, known all over the world.

During the California Gold Rush, roulette became famous in the US where it was played in the double '00' version.

Roulette can be played in a few versions and the most popular are European and American Roulette. The game is actually an easy casino game, and its odds reside only on luck. A croupier throws a ball in the wheel in the opposite direction to which the wheel is spinning. Players bet that the ball will land on the wheels pockets colored and numbered from 1 to 37 in European Roulette and from 1 to 38 in American Roulette.

Roulette holds a variety of bets available for players. These bets are split in two types, 'inside bets' and 'outside bets'. Inside bets refer to the pocket number in which the player bets that the ball will land on. These are the Straight Bet, Split Bet, Street Bet, Square Bet and the Line Bet.

Outside bets refer to various positional groupings of pockets, pocket colors, or whether it is odd or even in which the ball will land on. Based on each of the bets probability, these bets have different payout odds that are usually posted for each roulette game. The outside bets are the Column Bet, The Dozen Bet and the Even Money Bet.

Inside bets have higher odds and outside bets have lower odds. The bet with the higher odds (35 to 1) Straight Bet - a player bets that the ball will land on a particular bet. Even Money is the bet with the lowest odds (1 to 1) - a player makes a bet that the ball will land in any of the 18 numbers.

European Roulette

The wheel in European Roulette is numbered from 1 to 36 plus one '0', so you have 37 numbered pockets. This is the roulette version that offers to its players better odds, having a house advantage of only 2.7%.

American Roulette

This version of the game has the same 1 trough 36 numbers plus the single '0' and double '00' pockets. The house advantage for this version is 5.26%. As roulette is just a simple game of chance, you won't be able to find a real strategy or system that can help you win. The most rampant and also relevant advice you will find about best roulette playing style is to always avoid the American Roulette. You will be advised to always look for European Roulette games, because they offer the best rules and odds for the player against the house.

French Roulette

The french wheel consists of numbered slots ranging from 0 to 36 and has three types of bets. Inside bets, outside bets and call bets. Inside bets include Single Number Bets, Split or Double Bets, Three on a Row or Street Bets, Box of Four or Square Bets and Box of Six or Line Bets. Outside bets are formed of Column Bets, Dozen Bets and Even Money Bets. Call bets include Les Voisins du Zero Bets, Tiers du Cylindre Bets, Les Orphelins Bets and the series of Finales Bets. A special aspect of this roulette variation is the La Partage rule, which is a rule that offers you the option of losing only half your Even Money Bet amount if the ball lands on the '0' in an Even Money Bet.

The 2006 Rockies became the classic example of how cutting payroll and focusing on building from within can result in developing some of baseball's best young talent. The Rockies were in contention at the All-Star break with a 44-40 record, but an 8-game losing streak in mid-season made the Rockies play catch up the rest of the season. They finished tied at the bottom of the National League West with the Arizona Diamondbacks by seasons end with a 76-86 record. It was still an improvement by 9 games from the 2005 season which gives the Rockies high hopes for the 2007 season.

Stellar pitching, typically not possible at Coors Field, defined the 2006 season, but it was offset by almost non-existent run production. The Rockies lost 42 games in which the starter left with three or fewer earned runs allowed. Only a small number of those losses were due to errors or bullpen failures. The starting pitching posted a club-record 4.72 ERA, and the .280 batting average against was second-lowest in team history. They were hurt by inconsistency with runners in scoring position (.267 overall but as low as .200 in May), and had the lowest batting average in baseball from the seventh inning on (.225). These numbers will have to improve tremendously if the Rockies are to compete in 2007.

The Rockies finally got production out of their starting pitching in 2006. Jason Jennings led the charge, posting a 3.75 ERA in 212 innings. Colorado stunned its fans by trading frontline starter Jennings to the Astros for three players, righthanded pitchers Jason Hirsh and Taylor Buchholz and centerfielder Willy Taveras. The 2007 rotation will feature lanky lefthander Jeff Francis and sinkerballing righthander Aaron Cook. Both appear on the verge of big things. Newcomer Hirsch, highly regarded in scouting circles, and Korean submariner Byung-Hyun Kim are solid bets to fill other spots in the rotation. Jeff Fuentes is set to be the closer and he has done a solid job indeed. He finished his second straight season with at least 30 saves and lowered his career BAA to just .229. Latroy Hawkins and Jeremy Affeldt could make or break this team in middle relief. Hawkons was stellar at home with a 2.81 ERA in 30 games but yielded a 6.35 ERA in 30 road games as well. Affeldt pitched well in June, July and, August with under a 3.38 ERA each month, but he allowed 16 earned runs in just 14 inning pitched in September.

The Rockies finalized a deal with veteran 36-year-old catcher Javy Lopez. If the former Braves backstop has anything left he could spell promising young Chris Landetta. The corners of the infield are rock-solid with veteran first baseman Todd Helton and third sacker Garrett Atkins. A constant in the Rockies lineup, Helton continues to churn out .300 seasons. Atkins exploded last season, hitting .329 with 29 home runs and 120 RBIs. Kaz Matsui was a great addition for the Rockies in June of last season. Matsui batted .330 (34-103) in 23 starts as a leadoff hitter for the Rockies. Troy Tulowitzki will be starting at shortstop as a rookie. This guy has come up through the system and should have a very promising future.

The outfield sees new centerfielder Willy Taveras bring his speed at the top of the order to the line-up. The spacious Coors field was much in need of a speedy centerfielder to cover a lot of ground. Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe are established in left and right respectively. Holliday, who had a breakout '06 campaign, is a classic middle-of-the-order run producer. He batted .326 with 34 homers and 114 RBIs in 2006. Hawpe feasted on RHP with a .302 AVG and a .528 SLG but did not perform as well against LHP with a .232 AVG and a .435 SLG. He needs to work on left handers this offseason and he could have the potential to be nearly as dangerous as Holliday. This team is once again promising and it's hard to predict how they will do this season. We will know a lot after the first month, but if the pitching holds up like it did last season, you may see the Rockies in the postseason for the first time in years.

There is nothing more annoying than a parent who talks endlessly about how 'clever' or 'sporty' their child is, before whipping out a picture of some spotty two foot hooligan tucking in to the contents of his nostril.

My Goliath though, is genuinely bright for his age. The wee lad can speak about 10 words now; that's three more than Paul Merson.

The little fellow will definitely be a footballer when he grows up. The last time we had a kick around in the garden he nutmegged me twice; nobody's regretted opening their legs on two separate occasions since Mrs Neville. You won't regret a bet on Manchester United at 3/10 to waltz past Wigan in a one-sided FA Cup semi.

If the media are to be believed, and you'll never find a more honest bunch of lads, Jose Mourinho is considering managing England when his tenure expires at Stamford Bridge.

This would be the greatest result for the average Englishman since Gareth Gates wore down Jordan with a pizza and some of the longest chat-up lines in history.

Chelsea have already beaten Blackburn on three occasions this season, a fourth win at 4/7 will set up the most eagerly awaited showdown since Peter Andre narrowly defeated Gareth Gates in a bare-knuckled 15 round extravaganza.

A few people are beginning to question Arsene Wenger, but Aristotle was once mocked when he suggested the Earth was round. Rumours of Arsenal's demise have been leaked prematurely, they can return to winning ways against Bolton at a huge 8/11.

Liverpool are finishing the season with aplomb; Bellamy I think his name is. The Pool have won their last three against Manchester City by a single goal; another Liverpool victory is advised at 10/11.

Charlton's recovery in recent weeks has been nothing short of sensational. The Addicks are on a real high, they can snatch an invaluable point from Goodison Park at 5/2.

Aston Villa return to the Riverside for the first time since a 4-0 cakewalk led to a visionary Middlesbrough fan hurling his season ticket at Steve McClaren. A punt on the Villa at 12/5 will lead to a healthy prophet.

It's the Blades versus the Hammers at Bramall Lane; that's more tools than you'd find in a Peter Andre fan club. It's a must-win game for both teams; I'm siding with the rejuvenated West Ham at 2/1.

When I suggested that Wigan were a good bet for relegation in my pre-season write-up, I received more stick than a Manchester United fan in Rome. Another Tottenham win at 7/5 will place the cat well and truly amongst the pigeons.

I'm not too sure about Fulham's decision to sack Chris Coleman a mere three days before a massive match away to Reading. I guess Mohammed Al Fayed wants to guarantee at least one decent result against the Royals. The arrival of Lawrie 'Dirty' Sanchez can inspire the Cottagers to a hard-fought point at 12/5.

David James is the Pauline Fowler of the football world; you wouldn't want to get involved in a conversation with him, but he's the man to see if you need a clean sheet. The fashion icon needs one more shutout to break the all-time Premiership record; a home fixture against Newcastle can land a Portsmouth win at 11/10 and a new record for Calamity at 6/4.

Arsenal, Portsmouth, Man Utd, Tottenham and Chelsea form a 16/1 weekend accer that is so candid, Peter Andre has decided to share his life story via the medium of a new single. 'What was I thinking' is released in all good record shops on Monday morning.

The Reds finished under .500 for the sixth consecutive season, but just 3.5 games behind the NL Central and World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. There is a reason for optimism in Cincinnati under new manager Jerry Narron, who joined new owner Robert Castellini and general manager Wayne Krivsky for their first season in Cincinnati. The Reds stayed in the race for most of the season and were on top of the Wild Card standings in august, but a 2-8 West Coast rip knocked them out of the lead for good. Injuries were a problem yet again as Ken Griffey was limited to 109 games and finished with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs. Krivsky made some big moves in July to bolster the roster. He signed Eddie Guardado from Seattle and made him the team's closer. He sent Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner to the Washington Nationals for Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, Gary Majewski and two minor leaguers.

Cincinnati was moderately active in the offseason, with the addition of Gold Glove shortstop Alex Gonzalez, first baseman/outfielder Jeff Conine and lefthanded reliever Mike Statnton. All three are experienced veterans who know how to win and should accept their roles. The top offseason priority for Krivsky was avoiding arbitration with starting pitcher Aaron Harang, who was 16-11 with a .376 ERA and an NL-leading 216 strikeouts last season and appears to be headed for a big payday. Bronson Arroyo is back and better than ever as a pitcher after his 14-11 record and .329 ERA in 2006. Eric Milton, Kyle Lohse, Matt Belisle and Homer Bailey will compete to fill out the rest of the starting five, with Milton and Lohse most likely earning the Nos. 3 and 4 slots, respectively. Veteran David Weathers will lead a closer-by-committee.

David Ross returns at the catcher position after hitting 21 homers, second among NL catchers, despite his platoon role and an abdominal strain that limited him to 247 AB. Switch-hitter Javier Valentin also should get his share of at-bats after hitting .269 with eight home runs in 186 at-bats. With the signing of shortstop Alex Gonzalez, the Reds have one of the more athletic double play tandems in the NL with Gonzalez and second baseman Brandon Phillips. Phillips had a breakout season last year, hitting .276 with 17 home runs and 25 stolen bases, and he turned in some dazzling plays defensively. Veteran Scott Hatteberg and free agent acquisition Jeff Conine will get the majority of playing time at first base. Young Edwin Encarnacion will occupy third base. Encarnacion reached base in 98 of 117 games and led the Reds in doubles with 33. Alex Gonzalez led all AL shortstops last year with a .985 fielding percentage with seven errors in 475 chances. The infield will be the strong point for Cincinnati without a doubt.

There is no questioning the talent of the outfield either. They just have to stay healthy this season and pray that Ken Griffey can carry the team out in center. He is a question mark during spring training after sustaining a broken hand in an offseason accident at home. Speedy outfielder/infielder Ryan Freel is the motor behind the Cincinnati engine offensively and covers a lot of ground defensively. Leftfielder Adam Dunn has been the talk of many trade rumors but he is staying put this season. He can hit it out of the park with the best the MLB has to offer. We feel that offensively this team can compete with any National League team. Their pitching will make the difference whether or not the Reds have a chance to compete for postseason play. If they have the same ERA they did last season as a staff, there's not a chance in hell.