Knowing other poker games rules will not help you too much with Badugi

September 17th, 2009

Badugi is a four card, lowball triple draw game, where the number of valid cards in your hand matters. Badugi is commonly played fixed-limit, half pot limit or pot limit.

However, having knowledge of other poker games will not help you too much in Badugi, except maybe the blind structure which follows the same like in other online casino games. Each online poker player receives four cards. Once all players have called, folded or raised the big blind or have called, folded or raised the big blind, or have called, folded or re-raised if someone has already raised, there is a draw. There is then a betting round starting with the left player of the dealer.

This continues until three draws have been completed, after that there is a final round and finally the showdown.

Casino Video Poker and Online Video Poker

February 26th, 2009

There are a couple of big question that most video poker players have when considering taking their game online. Since video poker players are usually detail oriented, paying attention to every obstacle standing between them and a good session, playing online is certainly approached with caution.

So what variables change between the real and virtual worlds? Casino video poker is an experience much like playing free slots at an online casino, with lots of distractions thrown at you. Many feel they are quite immune to the mind tricks of the casino, but there are some subtleties that are often overlooked.

The air in a casino is replenished with pure oxygen, which has the subtle effect of keeping us awake all night, and inducing a slight sense of euphoria, which in turn leads us to play longer, and take more risks. Your casino video poker game is affected by this variable the same way many other subtle manipulations affect it. If the casino can keep each player at the machine longer, and awake longer, the player is less likely to walk away when up. If the player were to lose track of time entirely, it would be even more beneficial to the casino.

The next time you’re playing casino video poker, pop your head up for a minute and take a look around. Can you see any windows, or any natural light at all? The reason you can’t is so that you can’t see how much time has passed, and if night has turned to day or day has turned to night. Can you see a clear path to the exit or the cashier box? Chances are what you see around you is very similar in every direction, aided by the help of large well placed mirrors. If you were able to glance up and see outside, or see the cashier, you might decide it’s a good time to walk away, or change your chips to cash.

All of these things aside, the one thing you’ll find in land-based casinos and not in online casinos, are video poker games that offer a return percentage of over 100%. Some would jump to say that this is cause to label online video poker as inferior, but there’s more to it. You can play positive expectation casino video poker because the casino knows you cannot automate your play, and you can’t sit at the same machine for as long as you wish. With online video poker you could program a computer to play for you with perfect strategy, and slowly break the casino bank by playing positive expectation video poker machines. Obviously no online casino could afford that, so they don’t offer anything over 100%. This doesn’t mean they don’t offer a decent game or two. It’s easy to find great full pay Jacks or Better machines, or other popular full-pay machines at online casinos, and taking into account the disadvantages of real casinos outlined above, you may find that the lack of distraction in your home allows you to play a much more focused, and technically correct game. You could even play some online keno at the same time.

Winning video poker, casino or online, is more about taking advantage of short term fluctuations. So technically, your chances of winning online are no worse than at a land based casino video poker machine, but it’s still only a chance, otherwise, it wouldn’t be a casino game.

Casino Gambling Book Reviews

November 18th, 2008

Thousands of people start casino gambling on the internet everyday.  This industry is booming and it’s one of the fastest growing trends in online entertainment.

Most people like to know what they’re getting into and how best to prepare themselves and a popular way to do this is to read up on strategies and reviews.  While there are many available online, there are also some really excellent books that should be on every online gamblers bookshelf.  Here are a few of my favorites:

The Unofficial Guide to Casino Gambling by Basil Nestor is an excellent resource.  It’s well written and easy to follow and he’s got great tips that can be used for both online and offline gaming.  He talks about common mistakes that people make and general game probabilities and strategies.  This is more a “meat and potatoes” kind of book and gets straight to the heart of the matter quickly.  My game has gotten much better after using some of his strategies.

Another book that I highly recommend is 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets written by Bill Burton.  This book is basically geared for “brick and mortar” casino play but it’s still full of really helpful tips for the online gambler.  Things like how to make your money last and what kind of games to play can relate to both online and offline play.

I first read these books before a trip to Vegas and I was so glad I had but I find myself using tips and strategies I learned from this book when I’m playing an casino gambling sites online.

Tournaments at the end of the online casino rainbow

September 10th, 2008

There have been competitions in sports, for as long, as well, there have been sports.  So just because we are competing more virtually in an online casino, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be able to find the tournament we’re looking for, does it?  Of course not!  There are times when we might feel that we want a change from our normal online gambling routine, perhaps adding a little more spice to the challenge and with that the possibility of greater rewards when we are successful.  If tournaments are your thing, there is a whole load of online casinos that will happily cater to your needs.

If you are a demon poker-player (no, really), you can find an online casino (though you might have to search a little bit), where you can play all different types; sit-and-go, single table, satellite etc.  Choose your skill level (and your how much you want to risk – i.e. if you are newer to poker, you might want to select a game, where the stakes are lower), as opposed to more experienced players who will usually be able to win bigger.

Whether you are new to online gambling or just looking for that something else, then give tournament play in your online casino a go.  You will be surprised how friendly the atmosphere is, so perhaps winning new friends won’t be the only thing that you do.

Enjoy the social aspect of the play!

September 1st, 2008

There are a lot of different reasons that people enjoy playing at a casino. For me, it is the social aspect. I had just moved to a new town last month and didn’t know anyone at all. My evenings were not the most exciting time in my life, so I was looking for a new pastime to keep myself busy.

Playing at casino online was much more fun that I thought it would be. When I signed into my first online poker tournament, people were eager to introduce themselves. I was new and though I had played poker often, I didn’t know what to expect. Between my new friends online and the customer service people who were there for me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I figured out how to play quite quickly. I could even save my games and come back to look at them at a later date. If I had questions, I simply used the live chat to check things out.

Of course, like any sane poker player, the money is what keeps me coming back. Yet many people aren’t aware that they can choose whatever deposit style works best for you. They are not forced to continually keep paying on their MasterCard card. Instead, they should check out pay techniques like uKash, Neteller, Visa, money order and much more! With the internet world becoming more developed, the online casino is becoming ever more competitive. Take the time and make the choices that suit your playing style best

Mac online poker includes all players

August 11th, 2008

For those Poker fans that own a Mac, the frustration of not being able to play online Poker at the Brand of their choice is a common place. Thousands of online Poker brands have decided to neglect the Mac user population in favor of a much bigger PC users’ market. However, it does not have to be like that anymore for today Mac online Poker is possible at any site! Does it sound a little tricky to you? Keep reading and you will realize is not.

To tackle the incompatibility issue with those Mac unfriendly Poker rooms in cyberspace, all you need to do is to install a PC Emulator on your computer. What is a PC emulator? A PC emulator is a program that performs as a Microsoft Windows operating system and that once installed on your Mac allows you to run any program developed for Windows. The magic of these emulators is that by just clicking on a few keys on your keyboard, the entire interface and operating system of your Mac will turn into a standard PC one, permitting you to enjoy the magic of online Poker without limitations.

There are a few PC emulator programs on the market that range from excellent and somewhat pricey to not so good and cheap. However, if the only thing you need an emulator for is to play Poker online, any of them will do the trick.

For the meantime, Mac online Poker is possible even without an emulator at selected brands, and although this does not give you a full range of options to chose from, you could take consolation in the fact that those very few brands are the strongest, most reliable ones in the industry.