Over the five glorious days of Royal Ascot we can enjoy a number of races with seriously large purses as well as a variety of races with intermediate and relatively modest purses. The two races with the largest purses of £450,000 are the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Golden Jubilee Stakes. These are two very exciting events on the racing calendar and we will look at some aspects of their history and provide some initial guidelines on possible ways to approach betting on them.

The Prince of Wales Stakes is run on the second day of Royal Ascot. The race is scheduled for 3.45 pm and it should not be missed. The race was named after a previous Prince of Wales, Prince Albert and originated in 1862. During the years when there was not a Prince of Wales the event was not held. The year before Prince Charles was appointed as the current Prince of Wales in 1969 the race was restored to the calendar in honour of the forthcoming investiture.

The race is run over one mile and two furlongs by four year and older thoroughbreds. Entries to this race have come from all over the world, including Australia and the race is also a favourite for Arabians which have fared extremely well. It is a top race for the top horses and provides some exciting competition. In terms of betting on this race it should be assumed that with such a high standard of mounts running it would be extraordinary for any long odds entry to prosper well.

The top feature of the final day at Royal Ascot is and the Golden Jubilee Stakes. Again this is a race that should not be missed if you are looking to have a bet. The race has a somewhat unusual history in that it was originally called the Cork and Orrey Stakes which originated in 1868. It is a very short race being only six furlongs in length. The race is open to thoroughbreds of three years and over. This is a race that favours the fast and the furious. It is a race where fitness will triumph over experience as it is flat out from beginning to end. In terms of betting it pays to get a good look at the entries.

If you can spot beauty and athleticism in a horse, then this is the one to go for. If you wish to adopt a less aesthetic approach then follow the odds.

In order to attract new customers and keep the existing ones loyal and playing on their site, online casinos need more than simple high quality gaming. That’s why they introduce bonuses and promotions. Thus, choosing a good online casino that offers you great bonuses, whether you are gambling on sportsbetting or playing various other games like poker, roulette, blackjack, slots etc., is critical.

The most common as well as popular bonus offered by online casinos is the match bonus. It is usually a certain percentage of your deposit and can range from 50% to 100%. Sometimes, it is presented as a cash bonus, where if you deposit $100, you will get an equal amount back in cash. This kind of bonus is typically offered to regular players and sportsbetting gamblers as a monthly promotion or upon using a certain payment method preferred by the online casino.

Refer-a-friend bonus is another type of bonus that helps gathers a larger group of players and the online casino offers you a reward for doing so. The referred friend must actually sign-up to avail of this bonus. The prize may often include travel packages to tourist destinations.

It is important to remember that these bonuses are not just simply given to you. Most online casinos require that you do a certain amount of betting before you can cash out any of the bonus amount. Moreover, the betting may vary with different online casinos and may not also be applicable to all games. There will be conditions mentioned in fine print regarding online casino bonuses, which should be read first to avoid any disappointment. Remember that the idea of offering bonuses is to enhance your gaming experience, not simply an easy way to make money.

In this technological age, the internet provides an accessible and enjoyable medium through which the game of poker can be played. This is especially useful for beginners, who may not otherwise learn through the traditional method of sitting alongside shady characters in dimly lit bars until, quite literally, the chips are down and the pockets are empty.

Indeed, online poker is surprisingly easy to become good at, which is helped in no small part by in-game software that informs players of their current best hand, game statistics and opponent betting history. Online poker also makes the basics of the game easy to learn because of automated blinds, checks, folds, bets, calls and raises. Furthermore, online help tutorials usually get the beginner up to scratch in no time – a luxury that is distinctly lacking in the `real life` game.

On that note, however, it is important to remember that online poker is as much a real game of poker as it is in your local backstreet, behind-the-bar venue. While there ought to be no threat of being mugged upon departing with your winnings, it is incredibly easy to lose money playing online poker. Remember that each trip to the cashier is one that involves a transfer of real money. Therefore, never gamble with more money than you can afford to lose and do not listen to the “I can win it all back” voice in your head…

In a typical game of online Texas Hold`em poker, luck remains key to success. However, there are techniques, strategies and general betting principles that can be developed in order to improve one`s success at the game.

The first general tip is plainly good advice – do not lose your head! Even the strongest of players can find themselves `on tilt`, which refers to the employment of sub-optimal strategies brought about by a weakened mental and emotional state that usually follows a heavy loss, string of bad hands and unlucky rivers (which are a common occurrence in online poker). Nevertheless, overtly aggressive play will make you stand out like a sore thumb and sooner rather than later you will be leaving the table wishing you had retained focus.

In relation to this, it is important that you understand the betting tactics of other players on your table. It is especially easy to sniff out weak players who call every hand but usually fold after the flop – when they do not, you can guess they have a hand at last. Also, do not rush all-in with your first good hand – mix up aggressive and slow play in order to keep your opponents guessing. Furthermore, gain an understanding of implied pot odds and have sensible expectations of your own hand and chances of winning – bluffing online is not what it is offline.

Finally, various bingo sites will also offer poker games, so search around for the site that suits you best. Remember to bet responsibly.

As in all other forms of poker it is very important to have a good starting hand. Sure you could bluff your way through, but good players will catch you out most of the time, it’s not worth it. You can wait for the flop or live on the edge, right up until the “turn” or the “river”, but if you watch the pros, most of the time they will only continue playing if they’ve got something to work with. It’s better to start with a good hand.

Good starting hands in seven card stud poker are just as important as in other versions of poker. Three of a kind, sometimes known as “Rolled-up trips”, starting with aces would be a very good starting hand. High pairs are also good and are even stronger when one of the pair is hidden. A high “kicker” is also important i.e. (queen-queen)- jack is better than (queen-queen)- two.

Next is big suited “connectors” like (aces-kings)- queens or (kings-queens)- jacks. Lower down would come the medium pairs and medium suited “connectors” like (jacks-tens)- nines. And then, the big suited “semi-connectors” like (kings-jacks)- tens, would also be a starting hand that would make it worth putting money in.

Lastly, don’t forget to look at what cards are out there already, it influences the strength of your starting hand.

Recognizing a strong poker game and pay table is half the battle in video poker. You will do better in the long run on a 9-6 Jacks or better game, paying 9-for-1 on full houses and 6-for-1 on flushes, than you will on an 8-5 game, with reduced full house and flush payoffs. But once you’ve chosen your game, whether online or in a brick and mortar casino, you still have to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.

Let’s try five sample hands for this 9-6 Jacks or better Q&A.
For each hand below, choose the best play in 9-6 Jacks or Better:

1) You’re dealt Queen of spades, 8 of hearts, 6 of diamonds, 3 of spades and 3 of clubs:
         A. Hold the pair of  3s.
         B. Hold the  Queen.

Answer 1) A. Most inexperienced video poker players undervalue low pairs. Match one card on the draw, and you have three of a kind. A low pair is a good start toward two pair, even full houses and four of a kind. The expected value, or EV, of the low pair here is 4.1, meaning that in the long run; making this play will bring us an average of 4.1 coins in return for every five coins we wager. That’s far better than the 2.4 EV on holding the Queen. Holding the Queen by itself gives you four shots at a high pair for a 1-for-1 payback, but most of your winners will be those single pairs. You’ll get more multiple-coin winners by holding the low pair instead. (more…)

Many viewers decide to try live casino poker rooms after watching it played on TV. Only to find out what they think they learned from TV is not really what they need to know to win poker in a live game or in an online casino poker room.
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TV Educated Poker Players (TVEPPs) who have gained all their poker knowledge by watching broadcasts of the World Poker Tour or other televised tournaments are not going to be very successful if they do not get some additional education from other sources.  These can include reading books, magazines, and articles on the Internet about poker strategy.

Watching a one or two hour television broadcast of a poker tournament is akin two watching the highlight films of a championship boxing event. You get to see the knockout but you fail to see the grueling sparing that led up to the final blow. The TV tournaments have been edited down to the most entertaining and exciting hands. You will see the hands where a player bluffs another player out of a big pot or one where an all in player catches a miracle card on the river to knock out his opponent after shoving all their chips into the pot. (more…)

I am sure that many video poker players believe, as I do, that the straight flush hand does not receive the respect and certainly not the higher payout it deserves. During our expeditions online and off to search for full-pay video poker strategies, we scan many pay schedules. You can always count on one common denominator and that’s the straight flush payout of 250 credits.

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Finally, we arrive at All American Video Poker where the generous 1000 credit payout for a straight flush gets our attention.
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Another attention-grabber of All American is that ALL straights, flushes and full houses pay 40 credits, unlike any other VP slot.  The overall average payout for American Poker is 100.72% further highlighting the value of this game.

All American pay schedules may also be offered under the names of Gator Bonus Poker and Draw Deluxe.

I have provided an All American pay-schedule illustration below.

Overall Average Payback = 100.72%.

Strategy: To begin–do not and I repeat, do not play this game with the same Jacks+ strategy that you have wisely memorized, because you will reduce the overall average payback to 97%.

Optimum strategy is involved and I have simplified this learning curve by suggesting a few simple questions you should ask before determining hold and discard decisions based on this particular pay schedule. All pat hands dealt are, of course, held.

Is there four parts of a Royal?

Is there four parts of a straight flush?

Is there a four-card flush?

Is there a four-card outside straight?

Is there a four-card inside straight?

Is there a 3-card straight flush with only one gap? (E.g., 5, 6, 7, 9)

Is there a three card Royal?

Are there three cards of the same suit?

Are there three unsuited high cards (Jacks+) of a straight?

Is there a two card Royal?

Is there two pairs? (Hold both for possible full house)

Is there one pair?

You will discover that you seldom throw away all five dealt cards.

Lastly, accuracy counts more than speed here, especially for a beginner.

Gayle Mitchell

This article is a selection of Slots Questions and Comments received.

3 Readers share their slot-playing advice:
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Gayle:  I have been an avid slot player for over ten years now and have had my share of ups and downs as any player would.

I came across some video-slots that range from five times pay to red white and blue to double double Diamond and so forth. I decided to try the 10 X pay after watching people hit 1000 -2000 coin hits all over the place.

I put 20 dollars in then turned my attention to the large TV screens where you may sometimes find more entertainment than losing your money when to my surprise I turned around to see 10x/10x/ triple bar–9000 coins and a $2,250 jackpot.

I was very excited about my 20-dollar investment. Since then I have gone back twice and seen tons of jackpots hit from $800-$25,000.

Maybe the Indian casinos have heard about the complaints of unfair play and adjusted the machines a little for a higher payout. What do you think? Scott.

Scott: Congrats on your win! I, too would like to think that Indian casinos are becoming generous, but I have my reservations. Oops, bad pun.  Gayle.

Gayle: Below is a basic explanation of that busy little drone, RNG.

RNG Random Number Generator: No matter what type of machine you play, video poker, games within games, 3-reel slots or multi-line multi-coin with bonus play, they all have outcomes selected by the RNG the instant the reels are engaged.

Even at the bonus round the outcome is pre-determined, the selections you make in the bonus rounds are also pre-determined. The RNG is loaded with number selections, millions of number selections, which in turn are coupled with outcomes. Each number selection has a specific outcome, for example if the RNG stops on 2765598 it might represent three cherries or it might represent the progressive jackpot. 

Whatever it represents is what you will see on the win line.  RNG programmers can program 30% of the numbers to represent a no win combination.  If there are six million numbers to choose from, 1,800,000 will be no win outcomes or on average three out of ten spins will be non-winners.

Of the 70% remaining, the distribution of outcomes would be greatest for the least prize, probably 1 cherry, and progressively less as the prizes became larger. As you can see from this schedule, jackpots would indeed be rare.

The fact that only 30 percent of the numbers are programmed as non winners does not mean that you will win 7 times out of ten, you could go 40 or 50 times without a win. 

On average, if you play long enough, the outcomes will be 3 no wins out of ten spins.

No matter how much you may know about the inner workings of the slot machine, outcomes are randomly chosen in microseconds. You get what the RNG selects and that is made randomly, so it’s a non-winning spin or a jackpot or anything in between.

Spin the reels and hope for the best.  Jeff

Jeff: Thanks for your explanation. I would add that the RNG continues to make selections even when the machine is idle. Gayle.

Gayle: I like reading about slot observations, but …they are just observations and may or may not hold up as they come from their own personal perspectives.

Most people violate the reality of slots.  RNG (random number generator), placing a predetermined stop on your losses on a machine and betting cycle, carefully reading the payoff schedule before playing, getting third party objective advice as in your books regarding best slot strategies and machines, knowing when to quit when you’re ahead and seeking other diversions while at the casino.

I go to Las Vegas every other month and love it but I’m realistic regarding winning and losing.  There is much to see and do and having fun without mortgaging the house.

One evening my sister and I were playing at New York/New York. There was a gentleman who carefully eyed the payoffs on a multi-play video slot machine.  He put $100 into a 5-cent machine.  He played the max 90 coins and within minutes, he hit a good bonus that more than doubled his winnings. Next, he simply cashed out and left. My kind of guy and I hope to try that interesting strategy on my next trip. Good luck to all…we need it! Bill

Bill: Thanks for the simple basics of slots strategy; however, I would add choosing the ‘right’ types of slots to your list. Gayle

Gayle Mitchell’s website is: www.GamblingTeachers.com

This article describes the growing list of Video Poker -  VP versions available at land based casinos and best online casinos. There is no shortage of innovative schedules and options in VP land.

How to Play Video Poker

Ten VP versions available in online casinos with a short description follow: 

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1) Draw 6 Poker: The unusual twist here is that your get three extra cards, not two when you are dealt 3 of a kind.

2) Going for Fours: With a dealt 3 of a kind, you decide whether to pay additional coins to draw more cards. The amount of your bet is determined by the value of the possible 4 of a kind.

3) Back It Up Poker. When you have four of a kind or a straight flush in one hand, the next hand will payout fives times the normal credits if you repeat. (more…)

Elimination blackjack is a new and exciting format for blackjack tournaments.

Why a new format for blackjack tournaments? Even though traditional blackjack tournaments have been popular for quite some time, the few that were televised was simply too boring for viewers. The reason is that the best strategy in traditional blackjack tournaments is to bet conservatively for the majority of the hands in a round and then make your move over the course of the final five hands. This is a good playing strategy but boring for viewers.

There are a few ways to help you win at blackjack.

The New Face of Gambling?

Online Casinos & Televised Poker Tournaments

Russ Hamilton, the creator is one of the world’s best poker players. He won the World Series of Poker in 1994. and also played in many televised poker tournaments. Televised poker tournaments are a hot commodity with viewers because players can bluff, they can see the player’s hidden cards, players can go all-in and get eliminated if they lose, and many players have become celebrities and house-hold names with the general public. Hamilton wanted to inject these same elements into blackjack tournaments to make them more exciting for viewers. He succeeded with his trademarked elimination blackjack format, which was launched with the Ultimate Blackjack Tour.

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In elimination tournaments, players are staked with a $25,000 playing bankroll. Each table has 6-7 players and the minimum bet is $1,000 and the maximum bet is $25,000.

A maximum of 30 hands are played and the top one or two players with the most chips at the end of the round advance to the next round to play other table winners. The big change is the elimination hands, which are hands number 8, 16, and 25. The player with the lowest chip count on each of these designated elimination hands is eliminated from the game. It doesn’t matter how many chips you’ve won; if you are low man, you are out.

To add the element of bluffing, each player is given one secret-bet and action card that can be used at any time during the round. When a player wants to conceal how much he wants to bet on his hand, the player can write the amount of his bet on a card which is placed in the betting spot and not revealed to other players until after all the players and the dealer complete their hands.

Players are only given one opportunity to make a secret bet in a round so they have to pick the best time to use it (late in the round is best). If a player decides to make a secret bet, he can also conceal whether he intends to surrender, stand or the amount of his double down wager. These twists allow players to often bluff their opponents into thinking they are going to bet big when they bet small, or vice versa.

The third major change that was made to the televised UBT matches is to reveal the dealer’s hole card to viewers. Viewers know what the dealer has, but  players do not.

One other twist introduced to elimination blackjack tournaments is all the double down cards are dealt faced down and not revealed until after all the players have completed playing their hands. If a player who acts before you decides to double down on a 12, you don’t know whether or not he busted because the double down card is not revealed.

This makes for some very interesting play.

The rest of the playing rules are standard: 6-decks of cards are used, dealer must hit soft 17, players can double on any two cards, doubling-down is allowed after pair splitting, and you can split pairs up to three times (except aces – you can’t resplit them). Also the rules allow players to surrender their hands, which is another element which makes for some exciting play. And like traditional tournaments, the betting order rotates from one hand to the next.

Continued in Part 2.

Henry Tamburin is the publisher of Blackjack Insider at www.bjinsider.com