Saturday, May 24, 2008
My New Casino Group
I just saw this cool new thing on Google that allows you to create your own group to chat with friends or meet new people. Check it out here: Online Casino
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The 2008 WSOP
The 2008 WSOP is about one week away and the anticipation is growing at a drastic pace. There will be 55 events this year and the first one will begin on May 30 which will be a $10,000 buy-in (Pot-limit Hold'em). The Circuit events are almost all completed and season pro Allen Cunningham took down the last event at Caesars Palace on May 1st. This was a $5,150 buy-in and the event was No-Limit Hold'em. Now that the Circuit events are almost over it is time for the WSOP to begin, but some changes are taking place this year.
The main change to this years WSOP is the fact that once the Main Event is down to the Final Table they will end play. The play will not continue until November 9th. This is a four month stoppage in play and in my view this is absurd. The players will greatly benefit from this as sponsors will be going "nuts" to get ahold of these players. The media is going to build up this Final Table to the maximum and take full advantage of the situation. Casinos will be getting very large crowds as well.
In some cases this will benefit the player, but it will most certainly disrupt their play and reads they had on certain players. Reads will no longer be good as players will adjust their play over the 4 month break. I imagine that each player will be getting coached during this time to sharpen up their skills. Hopefully the new addition to the WSOP will just be a one year thing, but for all of you heading out to Vegas GOOD LUCK!
For great deals check out Casino Stop Online
The main change to this years WSOP is the fact that once the Main Event is down to the Final Table they will end play. The play will not continue until November 9th. This is a four month stoppage in play and in my view this is absurd. The players will greatly benefit from this as sponsors will be going "nuts" to get ahold of these players. The media is going to build up this Final Table to the maximum and take full advantage of the situation. Casinos will be getting very large crowds as well.
In some cases this will benefit the player, but it will most certainly disrupt their play and reads they had on certain players. Reads will no longer be good as players will adjust their play over the 4 month break. I imagine that each player will be getting coached during this time to sharpen up their skills. Hopefully the new addition to the WSOP will just be a one year thing, but for all of you heading out to Vegas GOOD LUCK!
For great deals check out Casino Stop Online
My session at Irving Casino
Today I went to Irving again and put in a solid session. I got there around 9 a.m. to make it for the 10 a.m. $55 rebuy tournament. Unlike last week, I actually ran really well. Here's a few hands from the rebuy period:
My table was nuts - every hand during the rebuy hour was all-in or fold. About 5 hands in or so I pick up AQ in the big blind, and there were two all-ins in from of me from loose players. I called it down and they both showed KQ. Nobody improved, so I got a quick triple up. Then, about 5 hands later I pick up 88 in the cutoff, and call one players all in. He had AJ, and he didn't improve, so I doubled up again. At this point I was sitting pretty and was the chip leader of my table, so I cooled off and cruised into the add-on period.
I took the add-on, and that put me in about the top 20% of the field. It was pretty uneventful for an hour or two, as I just picked up the blinds and a few small pots to maintain my stack. Once we got near the money though it really heated up. I have all of the hands in my notepad but don't have it now, so I'll have to post them later. P.S. - check out my buddies' new online casino site.
My table was nuts - every hand during the rebuy hour was all-in or fold. About 5 hands in or so I pick up AQ in the big blind, and there were two all-ins in from of me from loose players. I called it down and they both showed KQ. Nobody improved, so I got a quick triple up. Then, about 5 hands later I pick up 88 in the cutoff, and call one players all in. He had AJ, and he didn't improve, so I doubled up again. At this point I was sitting pretty and was the chip leader of my table, so I cooled off and cruised into the add-on period.
I took the add-on, and that put me in about the top 20% of the field. It was pretty uneventful for an hour or two, as I just picked up the blinds and a few small pots to maintain my stack. Once we got near the money though it really heated up. I have all of the hands in my notepad but don't have it now, so I'll have to post them later. P.S. - check out my buddies' new online casino site.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Turning Stone
March Madness is a time that Turning Stone Casino has one of their best tournament segments. They run tournaments all week with a $1,000 Main Event. I was not able to make it to the earlier tournaments so I decided to go and play some cash games while I attempted to build my bankroll in the hopes of playing in their Main Event.
I arrived Friday night around Midnight and immediately went to the 1-2 NL 100max. I know this is not anything big, but I wanted to double up then move up to 200max. This was my goal to sit down, double up, and then move up to the next highest level. In theory I could only lose my initial $100 , but then again that is "In theory." After playing for 8 hours straight with my peak being $190, I was still at that same $100 max. table which was very disappointing (left the table with under $100). It was time for a quick nap which only lasted until about noon.
This session was terrible as I was absolutely exhausted and could not focus or make good decisions so I obviously donked off $100 which put me down about $150ish on the weekend. We went and had a great meal at a Steak House restaurant right in the Casino. I was extremely disappointed in myself that I played while being so tired. I took the night off which meant I would not be making it to the Main Event.
Early Sunday I decided to try some $200 max. and once again left the table with a little under $200. Toward the end of the trip I ended up down about $200 from poker and just could not get anything going.
Turning Stone is always a great time though and I will definitely be back very soon. If you're looking for a Secure Casino check out Casino On Net
I arrived Friday night around Midnight and immediately went to the 1-2 NL 100max. I know this is not anything big, but I wanted to double up then move up to 200max. This was my goal to sit down, double up, and then move up to the next highest level. In theory I could only lose my initial $100 , but then again that is "In theory." After playing for 8 hours straight with my peak being $190, I was still at that same $100 max. table which was very disappointing (left the table with under $100). It was time for a quick nap which only lasted until about noon.
This session was terrible as I was absolutely exhausted and could not focus or make good decisions so I obviously donked off $100 which put me down about $150ish on the weekend. We went and had a great meal at a Steak House restaurant right in the Casino. I was extremely disappointed in myself that I played while being so tired. I took the night off which meant I would not be making it to the Main Event.
Early Sunday I decided to try some $200 max. and once again left the table with a little under $200. Toward the end of the trip I ended up down about $200 from poker and just could not get anything going.
Turning Stone is always a great time though and I will definitely be back very soon. If you're looking for a Secure Casino check out Casino On Net
Friday, May 16, 2008
Last Night at the Casino
Last night me and a few of my buddies went to the casino again. It's only about a 20 minute drive, so after work we all decided we'd take a ride up. Funny story - as soon as I pull into the casino I get out of my car, and walk up to the entrance waiting for a casino valet to come get my keys. I see a guy in a red jacket, so I toss him my keys and stroll by. For some reason he looks perplexed... and after a few moments I realize the man is not a valet after all, but just happened to have on a red jacket! Lol, slightly embarrassing, and definitely a signal of things to come at the casino.
When I walked into the casino we passed by the Roulette tables, Craps games, and Slot machines until we got to the Blackjack tables. I decided to play some $20/hand Blackjack and see if I could get up a little before heading to the poker room. I was running pretty well for about 15 or 20 hands, and I was up about $100 - not bad at all. But then disaster struck. I swear the Blackjack dealer was out to get me, because for about the next 15 hands I don't think I made a single hand over 15. Then, it got even worse.
For about the next 5 Blackjack hands after that, the dealer made all 21's or 20's while I had consistent 19's and 18's. I would get a great hand, stand pat on the dealer's 5 up card, and then he'd peel off the perfect three card combination to make Blackjack. Ridiculous!
After dropping about $200 during that Blackjack session, I decided to try my luck at Roulette. The trend from my Blackjack session would continue. I started off with just doing a few inside bets spread over 2 numbers. My favorite bet is always just placing a $5 chip on number 2, and after about ten of those bets I was down $50. I recovered my losses after hitting on a 7/8 spread bet for about a $70 winning, but I continued to donate it all back by betting red/black for a while.
Now that I was down about $300 I had had enough. We decided to head up to the new steakhouse that the casino just put in - WOW. This place was practically a 5 star restaurant, and their prices weren't even that bad. I'll post more about dinner later. Gotta run though.
When I walked into the casino we passed by the Roulette tables, Craps games, and Slot machines until we got to the Blackjack tables. I decided to play some $20/hand Blackjack and see if I could get up a little before heading to the poker room. I was running pretty well for about 15 or 20 hands, and I was up about $100 - not bad at all. But then disaster struck. I swear the Blackjack dealer was out to get me, because for about the next 15 hands I don't think I made a single hand over 15. Then, it got even worse.
For about the next 5 Blackjack hands after that, the dealer made all 21's or 20's while I had consistent 19's and 18's. I would get a great hand, stand pat on the dealer's 5 up card, and then he'd peel off the perfect three card combination to make Blackjack. Ridiculous!
After dropping about $200 during that Blackjack session, I decided to try my luck at Roulette. The trend from my Blackjack session would continue. I started off with just doing a few inside bets spread over 2 numbers. My favorite bet is always just placing a $5 chip on number 2, and after about ten of those bets I was down $50. I recovered my losses after hitting on a 7/8 spread bet for about a $70 winning, but I continued to donate it all back by betting red/black for a while.
Now that I was down about $300 I had had enough. We decided to head up to the new steakhouse that the casino just put in - WOW. This place was practically a 5 star restaurant, and their prices weren't even that bad. I'll post more about dinner later. Gotta run though.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
My Slots Session Today
Today I went over to my local casino to play some slots games. I recently turned 18 so I decided to take the 20 minute drive over to the Indian-run casino and try it out. A few of my friends went with me, and although they were pressed for cash, we all had a blast. As soon as we got there we were starving, so we went right to the world class buffet.
At the casino buffet they have literally every food you could imagine, from Prime Rib to Crab Legs to Cheesecake, and I think we ate them all. I started off by grabbing a plate of Chinese food, and after about 6 more plates of various food, we were ready to hit the casino floor.
I only brought $50 with me so I knew I had to be smart with conserving my money. I started off playing some progressives in the hopes that I might hit a big casino score. However, after playing about 20 pulls I still hadn't even won a single reel, so I moved on to the next slot machine.
This one wasn't progressive so I imagine it had better slot odds. It was a quarter slot machine, meaning that I could bet $.25 at a time on each line. After about 10-12 pulls, I finally had my first score. I made three Pie's in a row which was good for a 25x payout, meaning that I won $6.25 which put me about back to even for the day. I continued to play this machine for about an hour, and although I had a few more hits, I eventually left down about $4.
After that I decided to try my luck at another progressive machine, which had a jackpot of $314,000! I ended up burning about $15 there, and once again, never even won on a single line. After that we decided to head home!
At the casino buffet they have literally every food you could imagine, from Prime Rib to Crab Legs to Cheesecake, and I think we ate them all. I started off by grabbing a plate of Chinese food, and after about 6 more plates of various food, we were ready to hit the casino floor.
I only brought $50 with me so I knew I had to be smart with conserving my money. I started off playing some progressives in the hopes that I might hit a big casino score. However, after playing about 20 pulls I still hadn't even won a single reel, so I moved on to the next slot machine.
This one wasn't progressive so I imagine it had better slot odds. It was a quarter slot machine, meaning that I could bet $.25 at a time on each line. After about 10-12 pulls, I finally had my first score. I made three Pie's in a row which was good for a 25x payout, meaning that I won $6.25 which put me about back to even for the day. I continued to play this machine for about an hour, and although I had a few more hits, I eventually left down about $4.
After that I decided to try my luck at another progressive machine, which had a jackpot of $314,000! I ended up burning about $15 there, and once again, never even won on a single line. After that we decided to head home!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Best Roulette Tips
If you're a gambler then you've certainly heard of Roulette - the popular table game with huge payouts when you happen to win on a bet. Many live casinos now offer both American and European Roulette, and we'll get into the differences between these games right now.
American Roulette is the more common form of the game when it comes to brick and mortar casinos. The reason for this is the fact that the American form gives the house a higher edge, meaning that they will make more money from the gamblers. Since there is an additional number on the wheel (double zero) there is less of a chance for a player to hit any of their bets, and over the long run American Roulette has a much higher house edge than European Roulette.
European Roulette has the same rules as American Roulette, with the exception being that there is no double zero on the wheel. It has the exact same payouts as American, so in the long run the house edge is significantly less because of the absence of the double zero spot.
When you make a bet on the inside portion of the table, you can either place your bet on one number, or spread it across multiple numbers. If you bet it only on one single number, and happen to hit, you'll receive a 35:1 payout. So if you happen to make a $5 bet on the number 7, and the roulette ball falls on the number 7, you'll receive a $175 payout! Obviously that's a nice little payout for only one bet.
Also, there are other bets to be made like outside bets or 0 bets. To learn more about the specific bets make sure to check out the links that are listed in the previous paragraphs.
American Roulette is the more common form of the game when it comes to brick and mortar casinos. The reason for this is the fact that the American form gives the house a higher edge, meaning that they will make more money from the gamblers. Since there is an additional number on the wheel (double zero) there is less of a chance for a player to hit any of their bets, and over the long run American Roulette has a much higher house edge than European Roulette.
European Roulette has the same rules as American Roulette, with the exception being that there is no double zero on the wheel. It has the exact same payouts as American, so in the long run the house edge is significantly less because of the absence of the double zero spot.
When you make a bet on the inside portion of the table, you can either place your bet on one number, or spread it across multiple numbers. If you bet it only on one single number, and happen to hit, you'll receive a 35:1 payout. So if you happen to make a $5 bet on the number 7, and the roulette ball falls on the number 7, you'll receive a $175 payout! Obviously that's a nice little payout for only one bet.
Also, there are other bets to be made like outside bets or 0 bets. To learn more about the specific bets make sure to check out the links that are listed in the previous paragraphs.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
How to Clear Your Casino Bonus
When you qualify for an online casino bonus it is important that you understand the requirements to clear the bonus, because no matter how big a bonus is if it is hard to clear you may not want to attempt to clear it. Many of the larger bonuses in the online casino industry are extremely hard to clear, so you may be better off starting with a medium sized bonus to get your feet wet.
The first thing to understand is how bonuses are calculated. Often times online casino bonuses are percentages of your first deposit, such as a 200% up to $500 sign up bonus. In this case, the % is based on your deposit amount, so to fully qualify for the $500 bonus you'd need to deposit $250, as $500 is 200% of $250.
Now, once you make your initial deposit, don't think that you're just getting free money. If it worked like that I'd be depositing thousands every day ;). When you make your deposit, the bonus money will go into a pending bonus account where it will stay until you've "cleared" it.
To clear the bonus you have to wager it a certain number of times, usually around 20x. So for the bonus above ($500) you'll have to place $10,000 in wagers before it is cleared. This is total wagers, so if you bet $20/hand blackjack for say, 50 hands, that'd be $1000 in wagers. The 20x may seem like a lot, but if you're playing decent stakes and have a nice little run of luck you'll be able to clear it no problem.
Besides initial deposit bonuses, there are also reload bonuses that work the same way, but are offered at random times throughout the month, and you don't have to be a new depositor. Also, many casinos run game specific bonuses such as slots or blackjack bonuses.
The first thing to understand is how bonuses are calculated. Often times online casino bonuses are percentages of your first deposit, such as a 200% up to $500 sign up bonus. In this case, the % is based on your deposit amount, so to fully qualify for the $500 bonus you'd need to deposit $250, as $500 is 200% of $250.
Now, once you make your initial deposit, don't think that you're just getting free money. If it worked like that I'd be depositing thousands every day ;). When you make your deposit, the bonus money will go into a pending bonus account where it will stay until you've "cleared" it.
To clear the bonus you have to wager it a certain number of times, usually around 20x. So for the bonus above ($500) you'll have to place $10,000 in wagers before it is cleared. This is total wagers, so if you bet $20/hand blackjack for say, 50 hands, that'd be $1000 in wagers. The 20x may seem like a lot, but if you're playing decent stakes and have a nice little run of luck you'll be able to clear it no problem.
Besides initial deposit bonuses, there are also reload bonuses that work the same way, but are offered at random times throughout the month, and you don't have to be a new depositor. Also, many casinos run game specific bonuses such as slots or blackjack bonuses.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Advantages of Playing in a Live Casino
If you are a gambler, odds are that you've played in both live casinos and online casinos. But, for those of you who have never played in a live casino, maybe due to your location, we'll explain why they're so awesome, and why you should try it out.
The first reason I love gambling at a live casino as opposed to one of the best online casinos is the fact that you are getting more than just a gambling experience. When you play online you just get your gambling fix, because most of the time you are just sitting in your house so it isn't a social or visually pleasing environment. When you go to a casino, you can interact with the fellow gamblers, the dealers, perhaps get a meal, or even stay overnight at the casino's luxurious hotel.
One night I stayed at TurningStone casino in their prestigious Lodge. It's a four star hotel, and I can easily say that it was the most luxurious experience I've ever had. The employees are so nice to you, and the room was enormous, and had two huge, soft beds. Needless to say, I took heavy advantage of the room service system ;)
Another nice thing about live casinos is the fact that when you get comped, it feels very personal and satisfying. Often times online comps are just a cashback % or a special deposit bonus, but it is never a free meal, a free room, or a private table like you can often times get at a live casino.
The final thing I'm going to mention is that if you decide to travel to a live casino, make sure to bring a few friends. Gambling in a casino with a few buddies is an experience that is hard to beat, and you'll definitely have a blast. The long nights and countless drinks will be a time that you will never forget.
The first reason I love gambling at a live casino as opposed to one of the best online casinos is the fact that you are getting more than just a gambling experience. When you play online you just get your gambling fix, because most of the time you are just sitting in your house so it isn't a social or visually pleasing environment. When you go to a casino, you can interact with the fellow gamblers, the dealers, perhaps get a meal, or even stay overnight at the casino's luxurious hotel.
One night I stayed at TurningStone casino in their prestigious Lodge. It's a four star hotel, and I can easily say that it was the most luxurious experience I've ever had. The employees are so nice to you, and the room was enormous, and had two huge, soft beds. Needless to say, I took heavy advantage of the room service system ;)
Another nice thing about live casinos is the fact that when you get comped, it feels very personal and satisfying. Often times online comps are just a cashback % or a special deposit bonus, but it is never a free meal, a free room, or a private table like you can often times get at a live casino.
The final thing I'm going to mention is that if you decide to travel to a live casino, make sure to bring a few friends. Gambling in a casino with a few buddies is an experience that is hard to beat, and you'll definitely have a blast. The long nights and countless drinks will be a time that you will never forget.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Depositing at Online Casinos
If you decide to play for real money at an online casino, the first task you have to undertake is actually getting your funds onto the site. There are a bunch of options to do this, and this article is going to look at the easiest ways, and most affordable ways to get money from your wallet to your online casino account.
The first thing you'll want to do is pick the best Internet casino, because you'll find that the top notch casinos accept more deposit options, and have more withdrawal options. It is always important to analyze the withdrawal options before you deposit, or you may find yourself hitting a big score, then having no way to get your money out of the account. The site should offer at least a check withdrawal, and preferably a bank wire transfer too if you have a large amount of money in the account.
Ok, so now you've chosen your casino. The first deposit method we'll look at is credit cards. These are definitely my favorite, because there is no fee on them (at least for you, the casino has to eat the fee) and they often times are instant transactions. Plus, a credit card is something almost everyone has nowadays, as opposed to an e-wallet. The problem with credit card depositing is that many casinos don't accept it. If you want to play at a site that accepts credit cards, check out Club USA Casino.
Another great method for seasoned players is through an e-wallet. If you plan on playing at multiple online casinos then an e-wallet is definitely the way to go. With this option you can deposit and cash out at multiple sites instantly, so instead of waiting for your withdrawal check to arrive before depositing at a new casino, you can do it right away. However, the drawback with e-wallets is that you have to link them to your bank account, which can take a little more effort than just punching in a credit card number.
The first thing you'll want to do is pick the best Internet casino, because you'll find that the top notch casinos accept more deposit options, and have more withdrawal options. It is always important to analyze the withdrawal options before you deposit, or you may find yourself hitting a big score, then having no way to get your money out of the account. The site should offer at least a check withdrawal, and preferably a bank wire transfer too if you have a large amount of money in the account.
Ok, so now you've chosen your casino. The first deposit method we'll look at is credit cards. These are definitely my favorite, because there is no fee on them (at least for you, the casino has to eat the fee) and they often times are instant transactions. Plus, a credit card is something almost everyone has nowadays, as opposed to an e-wallet. The problem with credit card depositing is that many casinos don't accept it. If you want to play at a site that accepts credit cards, check out Club USA Casino.
Another great method for seasoned players is through an e-wallet. If you plan on playing at multiple online casinos then an e-wallet is definitely the way to go. With this option you can deposit and cash out at multiple sites instantly, so instead of waiting for your withdrawal check to arrive before depositing at a new casino, you can do it right away. However, the drawback with e-wallets is that you have to link them to your bank account, which can take a little more effort than just punching in a credit card number.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)