Archive for May, 2010.
May 31, 2010
Although each poker tournament will have its own rules regarding entrance, blind levels and structure, there are four basic kinds tournament. They are Sit and Go, Guaranteed Prize Pool, Satellite and regular Multi Table Tournaments.
The most common form of online poker tournaments is a Multi Table Tournament, where anyone wishing to take part pays their entrance fee (’buy-in’) and is registered. The payout structure of the tournament is then decided based on how many people have signed up by the time the competition starts based on a formula which is dictated in the house rules. The more people that take part, the more cash paying positions there will be.
Tournaments with a guaranteed prize pool are much the same as Multi Table Tournaments, except that the minimum amount which will make up the prize pool is backed by the hosting poker room. If enough players sign up for a tournament with a guaranteed prize pool, the prize pool will grow as new players’ buy-ins are added. Sit and Go tournaments, on the other hand, usually only have a small, set field of one or two tables and begin when enough players register to fill all of the seats.
Satellite tournaments are popular amongst players who want to play in bigger tournaments with large cash prizes available, however cannot afford the buy-in. In Satellite tournaments, which usually take the form of Multi Table or Sit and Go Tournaments, the prizes on offer are not cash but instead entrance to bigger money tournaments.
May 30, 2010
Bingo is one of those games of chance which has evolved over the years into dozens of variations. As technology has advanced, so has the number of venues that bingo can be associated with, and these days online bingo offered at various bingo sites is just as popular as the traditional form of playing the game. The basic principles of the game remain the same: randomly drawn numbers which players try to match against pre-printed numbers printed out on the 5×5 matrices that are commonly associated with the game. And while the traditional form of playing against other people in a public bingo hall relies more upon audience participation to create excitement and thus more participation in the game overall, online bingo has evolved other forms of enticement to help inspire players.
For example, sites such as 888Ladies.com offers a variety of promotional offers to help new players get involved in the game, with a 20 pound welcome bonus offered for new participants who sign up at the website. Other bingo sites offer the same type of promotions, although they do vary depending upon the company. Regardless, the one thing that stays the same between all of the online bingo sites is that they offer a variety of choices that are not offered in physical games. Plus the convenience factor of online bingo is such that players do not need to be at a physical location on a specific date at a specific time, but can instead play whenever the opportunity presents itself.
May 26, 2010
Some people may be surprised to find that the same games available in a ‘real’ casino are also available to be played in an online casino. It is easy to play games such as blackjack and online slots in one of the many online casinos.
Playing is simple; enter the chosen site and download the game playing software, and it’s ready to go. Funding the online account varies from site to site, but as all reputable sites are secure there is peace of mind when giving bank or credit card details.
All the online casino games have options for ‘live play’ where the games are interactive with other online players. Bets are taken using real money and winnings are also real. The other choice is ‘no pay’ games where the player takes part in the games just for fun, with no real money exchanging hands. This is an ideal option for the novice player, as it is risk free.
The ‘no pay’ option helps the new player get used to casino games such as roulette or poker as these can be confusing for a first time player. Once ready to play for real it is simply a matter of funding the online account and playing for real money.
If you win some of these games then withdrawing your winnings from your account is simple. Funding options usually consist of credit cards, bank transfers or funding from an online site such as PayPal or Neteller.
All reputable sites have a responsible gaming policy for peace of mind.
May 25, 2010
Established in 1934 in Wood Green, a North London suburb, William Hill plc is now one of the UK’s largest bookmaking companies. It is currently listed on the London Stock Exchange and is also a member of the FTSE 250 Index. Although it was originally founded by William Hill, the company changed hands a number of times prior to 1971 when it was acquired by Sears Holdings. In 1997 Nomura, a Japanese investment bank, proposed a £700 million leveraged buyout.
Today, William Hill bookmakers operate in both Ireland and the UK offering wagering by telephone and over the internet as well as at their bookmaking shops. Company revenues listed at the end of 2009 were listed as just under £1 billion and like Ladbrokes of London, they now employ some 15,000 people. Additionally, their net profits topped the £81 million mark and their operating income was over £250 million.
In recent years, their internet division has witnessed the greatest growth despite the fact that their gambling shops process nearly 890,000 betting slips on a daily basis. In addition to the internet sportsbook operations, William Hill also offers their clientele other casino games and skill games, as well as online bingo and poker.
This past year (2009) saw William Hill move their fixed-odds and online divisions outside of the UK to Gibraltar for the purposes of avoiding taxes on those two operations. In any event, the company is one of the largest bookmaking companies in Europe and the largest in the United Kingdom.
May 23, 2010
Sports betting underwent a big surge in popularity in the 90s with the increase in live televised sports on satellite TV, but as the internet has grown in popularity since the turn of the new millennium, the sudden upsurge in popularity is firmly with online gambling – bingo, casinos, poker and, of course, sports betting.
William Hill, Ladbrokes, and the other main betting sites all have online poker rooms and casinos with a huge variety of games to be played. New players are enticed with very generous-looking deposit-matching bonuses and free bets, sometimes as high as $250 (USD), and existing members are encouraged to keep playing to rack up play-points which can be turned back into cash or used to enter poker tournaments.
Poker tournaments are now big business and are amazing draws for the ordinary man or woman. Freerolls (free entry tournaments) are available daily, and for low buy-ins you can enter qualifiers for major poker tournaments with massive prizes. The prospect of playing alongside celebrities and major sporting personalities is also attracting more and more people to online poker rooms.
The largest gambling country in Europe is the UK where the average expenditure per person on gaming sites is £10-£20 per week. Gambling can take place via mobile phone, computer, or the red button on satellite and digital TV.
One of the major concerns with regard to online gambling is the threat to under-age people, but to counter this there are identity check procedures in place to verify the identity and age of a person prior to them being allowed access.
May 21, 2010
One of the most important aspects of any form of sports betting is to make sure that you choose the most reliable bookmaker in the market. This is regardless of whether you are participating in internet gambling or physically going to a building and placing your bet. The reason for this is that the more prestigious organizations such as William Hill and Ladbrokes have reputations that are literally decades old, and are just as committed to the integrity of sports betting as the governments which regulate corruption issues with match fixing and other cheating problems.
When looking at sports betting you need to know that the bookmaker in question is going to treat your money as if it were his very own. In the case of the larger companies they make more money if you make money, so the overall goal of the bookmaker is to get you winning money and thus placing more bets, and while it is true that they take a commission and they also make money against the odds; this is the nature of sports betting. The key is to find a company that is reliably honest in their dealings. This ensures that your money is taken care of in the long run, and that you are not going into a situation where your money is being taken for a ride while you get left behind. Every bookmaker has their own rules and regulations regarding sports betting, so be sure to read the details of the fine print before you sign anything.
May 20, 2010
Although it only happens very rarely, there are still instances in the modern poker era where players are found to be cheating. If you suspect cheating is occurring, the best way to deal with it is not to confront those suspected directly but instead to covertly ask the poker room manager to monitor the suspicious behaviour. If cheating is suspected in online poker, the easiest way to report it is to take screenshots of the suspicious behaviour and email them to the poker room.
One of the most common forms of cheating in both live and online poker happens when two or more players working in conjunction sit at the same table. They then share hand information with each other, increasing each other’s chances of correctly guessing what hands their opponents hold, and have the ability to inflate the pot. If the cheats decide to inflate the pot, they will put in a series of raises with the hope of forcing any other players out of the pot. The cheats will then fold until just one of them is remaining to win the pot, with the profits split amongst the gang.
Another common form of cheating online is the practice of multi-accounting, where a player will register multiple times on different accounts for tournaments and ring games. This obviously gives the single player a massive advantage over his opponents.
A technical method of cheating in online poker is the use of pre-programmed ‘bots’, which play poker automatically without human input.
May 18, 2010
There are two distinct types of bingo played around the world, and the country where you happen to be participating will determine how the game is going to be played. First and foremost is the North American version of bingo, which uses a 75-ball system in conjunction with a 5×5 card where the centre square is usually marked as Free. In the United Kingdom, as well as throughout Europe, Australia and South America, the cards are 9×3 and the game is played with a 90-ball variant.
The North American version allows for some variation, ranging from simple line games to complicated patterns where themes are prevalent, but the goal is always the same: to mark off the numbers and achieve a desired pattern. 90-ball bingo is far more complex, with each card having three horizontal lines and nine columns, with each line consisting of five different numbers. In short, each card has 15 numbers.
In 75-ball bingo one of the most common types played is Speed Bingo, where the numbers are called off exceptionally fast. 90-ball bingo is generally played in three stages: One Line, Two Lines, and Full House, usually in that order. This is regardless of whether it is played at a land-based free bingo site or an online bingo site, such as one of the many bingo sites operated by sports betting companies like 888Ladies.com. In any case, the games are usually played in order from One Line to Two Line and then to Full House, with the prizes for each consecutively greater for each stage of the game.
May 17, 2010
Horse racing is still the most popular of the sports betting mediums in the UK, and £100 million was estimated to be bet on this year’s Grand National alone. In addition to being the most popular sport to make a bet on, horse racing still provides the likes of Ladbrokes – the world’s biggest bookmaker – with most of their profits.
Is it possible to make a profit on horse racing? Yes it is possible, and there are a number of successful horse racing gamblers in the UK. How do they do it? Each will have their own methods and plans, but here is a list of ways that the ordinary punter can improve their betting on horse racing and move towards that elusive overall profit.
* Be disciplined. Don’t be talked into a bet by a pal, and don’t bet “on a hunch”.
* Record all your bets. This is the only way you’ll ever know if you are winning or losing.
* Avoid trainers whose horses are out of form. Although horses are individuals, stables can, and do, go through winning streaks and losing ones.
* Pay special attention to improving horses. These are mostly the younger brigade who come through and stay ahead of the handicapper by virtue of their improvement, but occasionally an older horse will show improvement.
* Follow trainers’ successful patterns. Many trainers target certain meetings or types of race and train their horse specifically for them.
* Horses for courses: Big, galloping types need bigger galloping tracks like Newbury to show their best form, whereas handier, nippy types perform better at tight tracks like Chester.
* Search for the best odds. Use betting sites like www.oddschecker.com to pinpoint the best odds, and also watch the betting exchanges where it is possible to get better odds than those available at bookmakers.
* Bet early! If you happen to spot a great price, chances are you won’t be the only one. Get on at the price early, before everyone else shortens it up.
* Take care in bad weather. Be aware that bad weather, as well as cancelling racing, can prevent some trainers from keeping their horses fit. Read as much about trainers as you can.
* Don’t take a short price. If the price has shortened up markedly, you have lost the value. Better to wait for the next opportunity!
May 16, 2010
If you like to have a bet, then you are a very important person—probably more important than you realise. Betting sites and bookmakers are falling over themselves to entice new customers and to keep current ones. The advent of internet gambling has made it so easy for the punter to place a bet in many places at once.
Gone are the days when choice was limited to the number of betting shops within walking distance of your home. Go to www.oddschecker.com and instantly the odds from up to fifteen betting sites are at your disposal. Every one of them is clamouring for your cash and offer incentives to get you to bet with them, ranging from best odds guarantees to free bets for fallers. Almost all of them also provide incentives for new customers, ranging from a £10 free bet from Ladbrokes, to a massive £200 maximum matched deposit amount.
It isn’t just limited to horse racing either. On virtually all televised football matches punters are faced with a plethora of attention-grabbing incentives, like “money back if the match finishes 0-0,” or “stake returned as a free bet if there’s a last-minute goal.” Monitoring the specials on offer is just as important to look for as looking for the best price available.
Free bets are another great way for betting sites to keep you interested. Ladbrokes and William Hill always have free bet offers at weekends for certain staking requirements, and Skybet send their customers no-restriction free bets fairly regularly.