Sunday, May 27, 2007

The New Unlawful Internet Gambling Act Explained

Online gambling law in the US explained.





Over the past few months there has been a lot of hype about the new law passed and many rumors about what it does and does not do.


One of the most important misconceptions is the fact that the new law does not make online gambling any more illegal than it was before.




It's all in the name.





"Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act"., the actual name of the act is the rather cryptic, "Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006".


The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement section itself starts on page 213, (the act itself can be found on the congress website)


As the name suggests its primary objective is the enforcement of the current internet gambling laws.


The law makers, (congress), have made it an offence for financial institutions to receive money from sites that are breaking US laws, (on internet gambling).


The bill only applies to the mechanism of funding any Internet gaming which has already been deemed to be illegal. Let me clarify that last point, all the act does is enforce the current legislation by telling financial institutions that they are responsible if the money they handle comes from a site that broke US laws in the first place.





So what is the Definition of Unlawful Internet Gambling?


Section 5362(6) defines unlawful Internet gambling to mean, placing or receiving a bet "where such bet or wager is unlawful under any applicable Federal or State law.", if it was not illegal before, it still isn't.


The main problem is that internet gambling is illegal, (to a various degree) in 11 states, so now the banks have to make sure that they don't pay sites that accepted this illegal money.


Sports-betting was made illegal way back in 1961 by the Wire Act, but internet gambling is not.





Where on earth.





Another major drawback of the law is the jurisdiction, the US congress doesn't have jurisdiction to make rules for a company that resides offshore.


Nor does the US have subpoena power to command an offshore company to turn over records. So how can they tell where the money comes from?





And more importantly how can the financial institutions know if the money comes from an illegal activity, (in the US), or not.


That last point explains the hysteria by some financial institutions, they assume that if they cannot tell where the money comes from, (for various reason), then they might be charged with some crime at a later stage.




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Friday, May 25, 2007

Backgammon Software Brings Players Into The Twenty-First Century

If historians have given the late 1700's and early 1800's the title of the "Industrial Revolution", we can well imagine that future historians are likely to call the late twentieth century and the early twenty-first century as the "Computer" or maybe the "Software Revolution." The amazingly rapid development of technology has resulted in dramatic changes in the way people work and shop and also in how they enjoy their leisure. Old pastimes that have been known for generations seem as if they are heading for extinction yet one of the oldest recorded games known to man, the backgammon board game, seems to be going from strength to strength. Rather than yielding ground to the deluge of video and other computerized games developed over the last two decades, backgammon has managed to find itself a secure place on the technological bandwagon. At the center of the growing popularity of the game is the role of the many Internet sites offering free backgammon. As backgammon software brings backgammon into the twenty-first century the adaptability of this game to such a radically changes environment stands out in sharp contrast to the fate of many other leisure activities.

For generations backgammon sets have provided people with a welcome means of relaxation, and a way of making some money for those who become well versed in backgammon strategy. Many people have learned how to play backgammon while at school and have went on to become regular players in matches with friends at the local café, or on a more serious level in backgammon clubs. The game has also spawned a rich literature with books tracing the history of the game over five thousands years from its Middle Eastern origins, and other books describing classic games and providing tips on how to win. In this way the game has come to acquire millions of participants around the globe. Now that the game has been successfully adapted to an online format, the scope for growth in the player base and increase in the number of games played by experienced players is far greater than in any previous period.

Internet backgammon has removed the need to go out and look for a game to join. Online backgammon games are available around the clock. Even the time spent on backgammon setup is no longer required since with a click of the computer mouse, a backgammon download brings to your computer a game of backgammon set up and all ready to start. If a player wants to be reminded of any of the backgammon instructions, or maybe want to learn these for the first time, these sites have the required information prominently on display. Learning basic skills and strategy is also greatly facilitated by the chance of taking on a computerized opponent. There is no more need to wait till you can find a suitable game to join. The online backgammon community provides a pool of international players and this makes it easy to find someone to play against at a convenient time.

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Should You Ever Fold Pocket Aces Before the Flop?

Pocket aces are the most powerful starting hand in Texas Hold 'Em. They will always start out ahead of any other hand that any of your opponents could possibly have. But is there ever a time when the best play is to fold this monster before the flop? Read on to find out.

The answer to this question, as is the case with just about any question relating to the game of poker, depends on what sort of situation you find yourself in. We first have to consider whether or not we are playing in a cash game or in a tournament.

In a cash game, I can not really think of a situation where it would be prudent to fold pocket aces prior to seeing a flop. Keep in mind, however, that the more opponents you happen to be involved in a pot against, the more your odds of winning are lessened. For example, if you are in a pot heads-up with pocket aces, your hand is a 4:1 favorite against any other pocket pair, a slightly larger favorite over any two live undercards, and a 9:1 favorite against any other ace. If you happen to be in a pot with four opponents, however, your edge could drop as low as 70% or even lower, depending on what your opponents hold. Still a sizeable advantage, yes, but not as much as you would enjoy heads-up.

But let's take a look at a tournament scenario. Allow me to recap a situation I occurred at a local tournament I played in recently.

We arrived at the 9-person final table after starting out with 80 people. I was exactly in the middle, with four stacks larger than me and four stacks smaller. However, of the four smaller stacks, three of them were basically on life support, and would only last a round or two before they got blinded out of the tournament. On the second hand of this final table, I was in the big blind, and I looked down to see two red aces staring back at me. Immediately, my mind was trying to figure out exactly how much I'd raise when the action got around to me. But a funny thing happened on the way to my chips.

The player under the gun, one of the aforementioned smaller stacks, pushed all-in. So did another short stack immediately after. To top it off, the last of the three smallest stacks pushed all-in as well.

I had all of these players covered, and had this been a cash game, I would have shoved all-in as well. But this is a tournament, so I took the payout structure into account. A ninth-place finish would have netted me $224. A nice win (almost three times the tournament buy-in), but if I let these three players kill each other off, I could almost guarantee myself a sixth-place finish, which would give me a prize of $416.

I don't know about you, but I'll take $416 over $224 every single time. So, I threw my aces into the muck and let the other three players have at it. It was a good thing I did, as the biggest of the three stacks made a straight on the turn. He tripled-up in that hand, but had I stayed in, he could have quadrupled up and gotten himself back in the game. As it was, that triple-up still left him significantly behind me and the sixth-place player at the time.

The object of poker is not to dazzle people with your brilliant play. The object is to bring home as much money as possible. Every play you make should be geared towards meeting that goal. If that means throwing away a monster hand before the flop, even pocket aces, it's a move you should definitely consider.

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Monday, May 21, 2007

Texas Holdem Poker Tips - Avoiding Losing "Big" Hands

In texas holdem, certain hands always seem to get players into big trouble if they aren't completely sure about what they are doing. I'm talking about hands that aren't really hands but seem big.

I am mainly talking about unmatched face cards just as queen/jack, king/queen, and especially ace/king. It looks like a big hand but it isn't. Not really. And here's why.

These types of hand, such as ace/king are not made hands. What I mean is, you don't have anything. You'll lose to a pair of deuces. What you have is a potentially powerful drawing hand, that's it. But you have nothing to start with. When you play ace/king properly, you can get other big hands to lay down and you can steal blinds. But you need to play them carefully and avoid chasing pots.

Look, if you're holding ace/king, you're never better than a coin flip. Yes, if you hit a king or ace on the flop, you have a very solid top pair. But what if another player is holding pocket kinds or pocket aces. They've flopped a set and you are going to be in big trouble if you play out the hand.

If you have a lot of chips, stay away from putting many of them into the pot preflop. If you understand your opponents and their tendencies, you'll know whether you can get big pocket pairs, such as jack/jack to lay down their hands if you bet into them the right way.

That means you'll need to play them aggressively. But this is a risk you don't want to take when you have a lot of hands. However, when you are short stacked, ace/king becomes a much better drawing hand and something you'll want to play aggressively to make other players lay down.

If you have a big stack, you probably don't want to do more than call to see the flop. From time to time you may want to hit a standard raise but if another player comes back over the top of you, you'll probably want to get out while you can and conserve your big stack.

Remember, hands like ace/king have potential but they aren't anything by themselves. And the size of your stack and the blinds, as well as the players around you, will determine how you should play these cards. Circumstance will dictate how you play these cards.

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Saturday, May 19, 2007

Peru Casinos

The country of Peru in South America has a wealth of historical and archaeological sites of interest, as well as the attraction of legalized gambling that includes horse racing, pari-mutuel betting, and casinos. With 48 casino facilities, Peru is a popular destination in Central and South America for tourists and gamblers alike. Peru casinos have the familiar table games of blackjack, roulette, craps, and poker, as well as at least 100 slot and gaming machines in each gambling facility. While smoking is still permitted on the main casino floor, recent additions of non-smoking rooms for poker players have further enhanced the appeal of several Peru casinos.

Lima, the capital of Peru, has two casinos, the Majestic at the J. W. Marriott Hotel, and the larger of the two, the Sheraton Lima Hotel & Casino, with 221 slots and 40 table games. Eight of the 24 cities in Peru with casinos can be found in Miraflores, an upscale suburban area of Lima. The largest of the Peru casinos, the Atlantic City Casino in Miraflores, has 500 slot and video gaming machines, with no table games. Other Peru casinos in and around Miraflores include the Admiral Benavides, the Bellagio, La Hacienda Casino, Mardi Gras, and Tropicana. The Admiral Benavides is open 24 hours, with 65 slots and one roulette table game. La Hacienda has 236 slots and four table games, while the Mardi Gras and Tropicana only offer slot machines.

In addition, there are several casinos with slot machines in the San Isidro suburb of Lima, including the Midas Palace and the Mandalay. The Casino Delphines, also in San Isidro, has 214 slots and 18 table games, while the much larger Casino Golden Palace has 1,000 slots and 31 table games including blackjack, pai gow, poker, craps, Let It Ride, roulette, and Punto Banco.

There are a number of other Peru casinos, as well, including the Palacio Royal Casino in Arequipa, the Casino Premie in Barranco, with 75 slots and seven table games, and five smaller casinos in San Borja that offer only slot and gaming machines. The majority of the Peru casinos in various smaller cities and other suburbs of Lima including Huancayo, Huaral, Ica, Trujillo, Surquillo, and Comas only have slot machines.

Casinos, on an average, pay $28 million in annual gambling taxes to the state. Currently, Peru casino and slot machine owners are in contention with the government over unpaid gambling taxes in the amount of approximately $80 million.

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Monday, May 14, 2007

Free Mahjong Games

Are you interested in discovering how and where to play mahjong for free?

As you've probably found, if you try typing 'free mahjong games' into your search engine you'll get all sorts of weird and wonderful mahjong variations - plus the usual load of useless spammy sites. If you can be bothered to plough through it all you'll hopefully stumble upon a free game of the type you had in mind. But we all know what a hit and miss process that can be. So let's quickly summarise what there is out there.

If you're looking for free mahjong games, you have in fact got 3 basic options.

Firstly, you could go to a multi-player site and take advantage of their 'freeplay' games. This means you can play a game of 'proper' mahjong, against other people. These sites are getting increasingly popular, especially since US online gamgbling legislation reduced the gaming options for a lot of players. Once you've played free for a while, you've always got the choice of opting into to the pay-to-play games, where you can start winning prizes!

Alternatively, you could go to one of the multitude of 'Free Games' sites and choose a mahjong solitaire tiles game. These places have a wide menu of games, and most of them these days include a few mahjong tile-matching games. You can generally choose to download or play online. Usually you'll need to put up with loads of pop-ups and advertising because that's how they make their money. Some prefer to avoid the advertising by offering the option of cash tournament games, where you compete against other players to get the best score. Again, it's up to you to decide if you're ready for that.

Your third option is to go to a site that supplies software for free download. These types of sites are like software supermarkets with all sorts of software packages available for download. Usually you can choose between a free version or one with extra features, such as free upgrades, 'expert' game levels, or better graphics. Of course you'd have to pay for the higher spec version.

So now you know what your options are. It's up to choose you which type suits your preferences. The next step of course is to choose between the sites that fall into each category...but that's another topic!

Fortunately you'll be glad to know that there are places out there that can save you the time and effort of all that research. For an extensive and objective review of the best mahjong games out there (and a whole load of other mahjong resources), check out

http://www.the-mahjong-guide.com/

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Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Betting the Horses

Using the information from the form or other sources is the basis for most betters to choose which horse merits a bet. It could be a hunch because you like the jockey and the horse's name. A substantially better reason is does the race set up for the horse or not. This means if the race is loaded with speed, maybe a horse that likes to come from off the pace will do well when the front-runners tire.

Another consideration is the postposition of your selection. A horse posted way out side in the starting gate may be affected and it could influence how the horse will finish. Jockeys can be a factor in how the race is run and a better jockey seem to get more out of horse than another.

This myriad of nuances makes handicapping a difficult study and it takes a while to get good at it. There are several good books on handicapping available. If you happen to know a good handicapper ask them if they have any recommendations. If not read the reviews of readers on any book purchase site.

Here is a suggestion for playing trifectas at the races. If you can get a ten horse race down to five horses that you feel will have a chance to be in the money, this idea has merit. This idea is especially good if the horses you like are price horses. There are several ways to play this trifecta bet. You can play a $60 ticket with all five horses in the win, place and show slots. Each horse you eliminate from the win hole reduces the total price substantially. A three five five would only cost $36. A single in the win hole with all five in the second and third
Holes would cost $12

Another wager strategy is what is called Dutch betting. This is the play of two or more horses to win at the same time. The odds have to be favorable for this idea to have legs. It is very good if you hand two 4 to one shots with an 8 to one shot. If any one of them wins you will book a profit. You could do the same thing with a 5 to two shot and a 3 to one shot. Pure favorites are hard to play in a Dutch betting strategy

There are numerous betting strategies and a player is wise to find one they like.

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Friday, May 04, 2007

Can a Poker Odds Calculator Really Help You Win?

During your online poker playing career there will be times during a game of hold em that you will look at your hole cards and will not be sure what to do. You will ask yourself, should I bet? Should I call? Should I raise? Can a poker odds calculator really help you make these decisions?

Difficult decisions like this occur on both sides of flop. Great hole cards can be absolutely neutralized by a poor flop. On the other hand, cards that did not look very powerful can turn into an unbeatable hand if the flop comes up your way.

Then there are always those in-between hands. These are the hands that can go in any direction at any point in the game. With so many options and so many different possibilities, you again find that you keep asking yourself "do you hold, or do you fold?"

Texas Holdem is all about taking risks, but the smart player only takes a risk when it makes the most sense.

A good odds calculator can help you make smart decisions and provide objective, real time odds based on the cards that are showing on the table and the hole cards in your hand.
A good odds calculator will quickly assess what is going on during the hand of Holdem and deliver advice on what to do next based on mathematical calculations of your chances of victory. This advice is supported with a ton of data that will help a player decide for themselves what to do next.

If you decide to use an odds calculator when playing online Texas Holdem, look for an odds calculator that gives you the number of outs available to help your hand, the rank of your hand, the percent chances of a win/split as opposed to the chances of your opponents, and the percent chances of hitting a specific hand.

The most appealing aspects of an odds calculator will be how user friendly it is. You should be able to use it seamlessly while playing at your favorite online poker room. The odds calculator should do the rest once it has attached. It should read the hands, adjust its advice as each card is shown, and all you need to do at this point is take the advice that is offered to you. A good odds calculator is simply that easy.

If you are serious about playing poker online, a poker odds calculator is an essential tool in your poker playing arsenal. While nothing can remove the threat of random luck, or help if an opponent holds on to get a fortunate draw on the river, a good poker odds calculator will consistently put a player in a better position to win more often.

This will, of course, result in more pots and bigger online paydays for the internet player. When playing online poker a poker odds calculator is less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Aaron's 499 - Return of the Random

Talladega isn't the greatest place to get off a losing streak.

Not that we're technically on a losing streak; we had Jeff Gordon winning last Saturday night's Phoenix event, which he did, as a +385 favorite. But in an excruciating turn of events, Dale Earnhardt Jr. got caught on in the pits during a late caution, went a lap down, and wound up losing his head-to-head match-up against Greg Biffle, who didn't have nearly the car Junior did, and who trailed the #8 all night. Drat.

So we lost a little money, and now we head to the 'Dega, probably the sport's most random site. It's random, of course, because the Big One is never more than a few laps away: the giant wreck that takes out half the field, since the cars all ride so impossibly close together at 190 mph with restrictor plates on their carburetors. The favorites can lead all day, as did Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch in this year's Daytona 500, only to get slam-drafted late and see the afternoon go up in a puff of tire smoke. It's nerve-rattling for us; imagine how crazy it is for the drivers themselves.

Anyway, we can but try. Here are the best bets for the Aaron's 499 from Talladega.

Last Week: Gordon's win couldn't overcome Junior's terrible luck (which he's now experienced two weeks running), meaning we dropped 0.38 units on 1.5 units wagered. For the season, then, we stand a positive net 1.49 units on 12 units wagered, a return of 12.4%. Note also that if you eschew the conservative betting scheme I outline below, and simply place one unit on every wager I recommend, for the year you'd be up 17.52 units on 32 units wagered, for a 54.8% return. As always, though, be aware that that betting scheme is far riskier on a week-to-week basis.

Take Tony Stewart (+403), 1/6th unit. Smoke is the favorite Sunday for a reason. He had close to the best car at Daytona, but wrecked from the lead and wound up 43rd. Leading up to last fall's Talladega event, he'd finished second in three consecutive races here, though he'd never won. Stewart made all kinds of noise this week about how NASCAR is essentially fixing races by creating phantom cautions in advance of green-flag pit stops, thereby bringing the field together again for late restarts. NASCAR isn't pleased about that, and they won't be pleased by the firestorm Stewart creates winning this race, either. Talk about a post-race interview you want to watch.

Take Kurt Busch (+1123), 1/6th unit. And if it's not Stewart, I think it'll be the older Busch. My opinion is that Busch had the best car in the field in Daytona this February, and that he very well could've won the race had he and Stewart not smacked into one another while jostling for the lead late. Hopefully he learned a little something, which is: don't fight for the lead until the final five laps. Busch has five consecutive Talladega finishes in the top eight, and while he hasn't won a plate race in his career, he's come close on several occasions.

Take Matt Kenseth (+1436), 1/6th unit. This is a value bet, pure and simple. The Hendrick cars (Jeff Gordon (+608) and Jimmie Johnson (+649)) have better chances to win, having already proven they can take plate-track events. But getting Kenseth at this price is too good to pass up, because he's no slouch when it comes to Talladega. His last three finishes here? Fourth, sixth and third. And remember, Kenseth actually had a great chance for the win in the last couple laps at the Daytona 500 (after Stewart and Busch had wrecked), but got taken out by Kyle Busch (+1352) and his over-aggressive racing. Kenseth will win a plate-track race someday, and getting him at better than 14-1 means you can take a chance on him this weekend.

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