Online Casino blog

The gambling facilities in Nicaragua, Central America

May 10, 2007

If you happen to find yourself in Central America, in Nicaragua to be more precise, you will not miss out on any gambling. There are plenty of casinos, racinos, and poker facilities to choose from. Managua is the capital of Nicaragua, and this is where you will find most of these gambling facilities. You can also find gambling facilities in Bluefields and Masaya. Apart from these gambling facilities, Central America also offers a lively atmosphere, excellent Mexican food and drink, and friendly people.

One of the best known chains of Nicaraguan casinos is Pharaohs, with facilities in Managua, Bluefields, and Masaya. The largest Pharaohs casino is conveniently located in Masaya. This casino has a wide range of games to offer. It offers has 320 slot and video gaming machines and 30 table games of Blackjack, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud poker, and baccarat. Other land based casinos located in Masaya are the Casino Carnival and the Nicarao Casino. The Casino Carnival has 65 gaming machines to offer, while the Nicarao Casino has 40 gambling machines, Blackjack, and roulette.

Most Nicaraguan land based casinos are located in the capital of Managua. The Pharaohs Casino located in Managua has 140 slot machines and six table games of Blackjack, American roulette, Texas Hold’Em, and Caribbean stud poker to offer. The casino is part of Camino Real Hotel. This hotel offers excellent accommodations in its 120 rooms.

Another popular tourist destination is the Barcelo Playa Montilimar. It offers a gambling facilities and accommodation in its hotel. This resort may very well be the best in all of Nicaragua. It offers three a la carte restaurants, three bars on the beach, a poolside snack bar, swimming pools, horseback riding, and many other activities. The Montilimar Casino offers 107 gaming machines, as well as six table games of Blackjack and Caribbean stud poker.

Another casino and hotel located in Managua is Casino Fiesta, which is part of the Hotel Intercontinental Managua. It does not have any gambling machines to offer. Instead it offers table games such as Blackjack, roulette, and baccarat.

Below you will find a list of a few other smaller land based casinos which are located in Managua:

- The Morocco has 50 gambling machines and four table games to offer.
- The Red Palace has 25 slots and 10 table games of Blackjack and baccarat to offer.

In Bluefields you can visit the Pharaohs Casino located there and choose from 69 slots and video poker machines. There are no table games to choose from.

Note that the legislation in Central America is bit different. Remember that you are in a foreign country and make sure to respect and follow the gambling rules in Nicaraguan casinos.

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NBA Playoffs

May 9, 2007

The month of March is all about the NCAA, it is all about college basketball. Now don’t get me wrong, I think the NCAA has wonderful betting opportunities, just make sure not to forget about the big league. I am talking about the NBA and the fact that four Eastern Conference teams and five Western Conference teams have made it two the playoffs.

In the east it seems that the Central division is the strongest. Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago secured themselves a spot in the postseason. The Atlantic division is rather weak and the Raptors are another team from the east to secure themselves a spot in this division.

The Southwest Division has always been the strongest and this year things have not changed at all. All three Texas teams made it to the postseason. Dallas is in first place with a comfortable 9 game lead, San Antonio is in second with a 15 game lead, and Houston is in third place. The Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz also played well in the Southwest Division.

There are plenty of teams to talk about. All of them have a chance of winning, just that some teams have better chances than other. So I will not bother you with other information about these teams that have little chances of making it. Even Miami’s chances do not look that good if Dwayne Wade is not on top of his game.

So let’s get to the point. Phoenix and Dallas were the main contenders in the west the last time you looked at the NBA. The east on the other hand was wide open.  The best record in the Eastern Conference is currently held by Detroit, but it is a slim margin. San Antonio and Houston also played well enough to be themselves viable NBA Finals contenders. The Rockets have proven themselves to be the most dominant team in the NBA. And with Yao Ming’s return from Houston, the Rockets’ odds look pretty good.

Things are not as complicated in the east, it is still up for grabs. All the teams have pretty much the same chances of getting to the NBA Finals. The Pistons and the Heat are the favorites, but only because they have experience on their side. The third best record in the Central Division is held by the Chicago Bulls, but the best record against Central Division teams at 11-4 this season. Detroit is just one spot above the Pacers, with 7-6 against the Central. The Bulls look good at home, but on the road their play is not consistent, which makes me think that they have slim chances of making it to the NBA Finals.

Detroit is placed below Cleveland within the division. Cleveland’s record of 9-5 surpasses Detroit’s. Last season Cleveland did pretty well, they actually won a playoff series. But from what I can recall, this year they won against one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. Not to mention that James has knee tendonitis. The Pistons have a good defense, are experienced, and overall they do not play too shabby. Miami has a secret weapon in Shaq, the player with unmatched experience and the Eastern Conference’s most dominant player. Washington will have a hard time against Miami if Shaq does not suffer serious injuries. The Pistons will surely have to face Miami in the Conference Finals if there are no serious injuries.

So this is it. It seems that things are just the way we predicted in the beginning of the season. In the west the main contenders are Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix. In the east the main contenders are Miami and Detroit. These are the main teams in the NBA. All the focus is on them and all other teams simply do not have good enough chances of winning. People may try to draw your attention to these other teams, but personally I don’t think it is worth it.

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How to play Sit and Go poker like a winner

May 8, 2007

There are two ways of learning to play Sit and Go poker: there’s the loser way and the winner way. Below I will present a few incorrect beliefs about playing poker. If you want to play poker like a pro and win you are better of not taking heed to such advice. The first step though is realizing what the wrong steps are and correcting them.

- Practice makes better. Just keep playing and eventually you will improve.

Well, they do have something there. It is true that you can improve your skill by playing, but not if you do so randomly. Most people just start playing and hope that by doing so they are becoming better and better at poker. You can learn a lot of bad habits this way. You must learn to play proficiently from the start or those bad habits will become a permanent part of your poker play. The first step is to learn the correct techniques and principles. This way when you play you will improve and you will improve the good way. Think of it this way. If someone is bad driver, his students will inevitably become bad drivers. But if he is a good driver, then his students will be good drivers themselves.

- Reading your opponent’s body language

Having a keen sense of observation and knowing how to read your opponent will give you an extra edge, but only if you are playing in land based casino. This tip is absolutely worthless outside the land based casino or poker room. Most people nowadays play online. The only way to “read” them is not by looking at them, since that would be practically impossible, but by analyzing their betting pattern. Learning this vital skill will allow you to counter act pretty much any play they make with a better or stronger one. You will know exactly what they are planning and you will act accordingly.

- Set up a game plan before starting to play and stick to it

This is the lousiest advice ever. What happens if your game plan is completely incompatible with your opponents’ playing style? By sticking to it you will lose, and lose big. The key is to adapt, to modify your playing style accordion to your opponent’s style. At the same time you must not let him pick up on your style of playing. This way you will be unbeatable. And there are loads of such players online. They play poorly and you will be able to take them for all they’re worth.

You cannot go to a poker table with a predetermined game plan and expect to win every time. Poker is not about that, it is about psychology and mental awareness. The same strategy that worked against one opponent may prove to be worthless against another opponent. Analyze and adapt, that is the key. If you can do that, you will have profitable poker session every time.

- It is all about the luck of the draw, it is all about luck

Well, I do admit that sometimes the luck of the draw can be a nasty thing. You may think you have the round won and your opponent will hit it big on the river and completely turn things around. But the part about poker being all about luck is complete nonsense. Poker is a game of skill. Ok, you may win a hand or two if you get really lucky. But if you want to win consistently, and if you want to have a lucrative poker session, then it is all about skill. Luck may play a part in poker, but it is a small part. A skillful player will always win, and a skillful player with luck on his side is an unbeatable combination.

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A Helpful Resource of Craps Books for Beginners and Pros alike

May 7, 2007

Personally I am an experienced gambler and I do know pretty much all there is to know about this fascinating game. I do remember a time when craps was a mystery. I was just starting to learn the game and things like the terms or betting options seemed terribly confusing. Luckily there are books that deal with craps and teach you all there is to know about it. There are books for beginner players, books about craps strategy, and even books regarding what is known as dice control.

Below you fill wind a list of the most recommended craps books available today:

- John Patrick’s “Craps for the Clueless: A Beginners Guide to Playing and Winning”

In this book you will find basic information on playing craps, just as the name suggests. Even if you have never played craps before, you will have no problem understanding what the author is saying. This is because the language is simple and the information is presented in a comprehensive manner. After you learn about the basics of the game you can also read about the winning secrets of professional gamblers.

If you do not know who John Patrick is, then you should know that he Patrick is a professional gambler, an author of many gaming guidebooks and the former host of the TV show “So You Wanna be a Gambler”. His show was broadcast for a period of over 10 years.

John Patrick advocates the use of the so called “Big Four” if you want to be a successful gambler:

- Using your bankroll appropriately;
- Proper knowledge of the game;
- Smart betting.

- Frank Scoblete’s “Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos: How to Play Craps and Win”

In this book you will find useful information regardless if you are a beginner or a passionate craps player. Among the useful information that you will find in this book:

- Various methods to beat the game;
- Which bets will lower the house edge;
- Bad bets that you should keep away from.

If you do not know who Frank Scoblete is, then you should know that he is one of the top selling gambling authors in the US and the director of Golden Touch. Golden Touch is a top provider of craps and Blackjack seminars.

Frank Scoblete is a well known author, among his other books we mention:

- “The Captains Craps Revolution”
- “Forever Craps”
- “Get the Edge at Craps”

- Dr.Henry J. Tamburin’s “Craps: Take the Money and Run”

In this book you will find useful information on how to make fast profits by playing craps in land based casinos. In this book you will find information on a variety of subjects, such as:

- The mechanics of playing craps;
- The best bets to place at the craps table;
- The Increased odds craps betting system;
- The Take the Money and Run discipline.
- A special chapter is dedicated to teaching you how to use the pass line bet to increase your profits.
- There are also special chapters on craps tournaments and new variations.

If you do not know who Dr. Henry J. Tamburin is, then you should know that he has been playing craps for over 25 years. All the information presented in this book is based in his personal experience.

- Yuri Kononenko’s “Dice Control for Casino”

In this book you will find useful information on the concept of dice control. This concept is analyzed from a mathematical and mechanical point of view and the information is presented in an easy to understand manner.

The concept of dice control is also explained in other books, as follows:

- Frank Scoblete’s “Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution”
- Frank Scoblete’s “Craps Underground: The Inside Story of How Dice Controllers are Winning Millions from the Casinos”

Craps has never been as popular as other casino games such as Blackjack or poker. But this is not a bad think. Think about it this way: the casino will focus on the most popular games and will try to make money of them. This means that the less popular games offer great betting opportunities and excellent chances for the player to make a profit.

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Gambling on the 2007 World Series

May 4, 2007

If you want to gamble on the 2007 World Series you must be informed on both the teams that will compete. An internet sports book can help you with that information, but if you want to, you can search for it in other sources.

A sports book is more advantageous because some of the best baseball handicappers share their opinions and analysis in it. They can predict how the teams will perform in the World Series because they have watched every game of the regular season and of the playoffs.

A sports book will also provide information related to the best betting odds and betting lines, and they will notify you when the odds and lines suffer some modifications. It will also provide information related to the injuries and this is very important. A team’s performance can suffer very much if a key player is injured and this will influence the way one should bet.

You can place the bets on your favorite sports book once you have gathered all the necessary information.

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A beginner’s guide to playing bingo

May 3, 2007

When someone says the word “bingo”, what do you think about? Personally I think of two things. The first one is the song “bingo”. You know the one I am talking about, the one with the dog, “and bingo was his name-o”. The second thing I think about is my grandma and her bingo sessions. To be brutally honest I never really cared much about bingo halls and nor did I care for all those old people playing bingo. But when I stumbled across online bingo, I became hooked. Online bingo offers all the pleasures of the game with none of the drawbacks:

- Exciting game play;
- The possibility to chat with the other players;
- Luck of the draw;
- Good chances of winning fabulous prizes.

Bingo’s Beginnings

The origins of bingo can be traced to the 1500s, in Italy. The Italian National Lottery is believed to be the game that spawned bingo as we know it today.

In 1929 the game found its way to the United States. The game was called “beano” and it was regularly played at carnivals. The game was played by placing beans on the numbers, hence the name beano.

Edwin Lowe played an important part in bingo’s history. He became fascinated with the game. He created a home made version and started holding bingo nights at his house. The name bingo came about as an accident. One night a beano player at Lowe’s home won, but instead of saying beano the player said bingo. Lowe then marketed the game under the name bingo.

The Ins and Outs of the Game

In order to play bingo you must first purchase a bingo card. If you want you can play more than one card, it is all up to you. Each bingo card is nothing more than a 5×5 grid. There are 5 columns and each column is marked by one of the letters that make up the word bingo. Under each letter there are 5 numbers. You must mark the numbers as they are called out and the goal is to mark all the numbers. Simply call out bingo after you have marked all the numbers.

Cheating at bingo is practically impossible. This is because there are around 6,000 to 9,000 card combinations. These card combinations were set up by a mathematician, who went insane after completing this challenging job.

Note that bingo is a fast paced game and you must always be focused. You should pay attention to the caller and make sure not to miss any number that is called out. After all, surely you do not want to miss your chance if winning the jackpot.

Online Bingo

Traditional bingo was a big hit the first time it was played. It enjoyed a wide spread popularity all over the world. People flocked to the bingo halls for a chance of playing the game.

Nowadays we can play bingo from the comfort of our own homes. Simply go online and start playing. Online bingo halls are active, busy places. The game is exciting and entertaining at the same time. Not to mention that you can chat with other players while the game takes place thanks to the chat feature. You could never do that in a land based bingo hall. Everyone around you would be shushing an looking at you funny.

There was a time when bingo was the game of choice for small scale charity events, school fund raisers, or old people. Online bingo is played by millions of people all over the world, young and old alike.

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Tips for a lucrative poker session

May 2, 2007

Nowadays you can enjoy a nice game of poker without even leaving the house. All you need is a PC and an internet connection. Playing online poker is very convenient and the sessions can prove to be very lucrative. That’s if you keep a few tips in mind.

The tips presented below are meant to help you improve your poker game and come out a winner. Note that these tips will not guarantee that you will win, but they will increase your chances of winning.

- Play tight in the beginning;

This means that you should play the hands that are strong and have an actual chance of winning. Fold the weak hands.

- There is a time and place for everything;

What I mean by that is that you should know when to fold your hand and when to stay in the game. Poker is a game of skill and you must always be aware of your odds and what you should do. Folding at the right time will prevent you from losing a lot of money, while staying in the game when the odds are in your favor will win you that huge pot. Luck has little to do with the outcome of the hand. It is all about skill.

- Take a little time and consider why you are playing the game;

If all you want is to have a little fun, then play away. But if you wan to win, and win consistently, then make sure to pick the right opponent. Playing poker online is great when it comes to picking your opponents. Since people from all over the world can join in and play, it is relatively easy to find easy opponents to bet.

- Know when to walk away;

If you just can’t seem to win, then you should postpone your session for another time. Save your money for another session.

- Keep a close eye on your opponents;

Reading your opponents when playing in a traditional land based casino is easy. All you have to do is look at them and pick up on their telltale signs. When playing poker online you should keep an eye on your opponents’ betting pattern. Thus you should know in advance what they are planning to do.

- There is an art of betting;

You are well advised to play tight and defensive. Always be on top of your game and always be aware what the best decision to make is. If you know when it is the proper time to make a bet, you will also pick up on what your opponent is holding.

- Think like your opponent;

Put yourself in your opponent’s shoes. What will he do next? How will he bet? Is he holding a strong hand, or is he bluffing? If you can accurately predict his next moves you will have a lucrative poker session.

- The art of bluffing;

You cannot say that you are a pro if you do not know how to bluff. Bluffing at the right time can make the difference between winning and losing a hand. Most beginner players will fall for this technique, while experienced players will be confused and will not know what to make of your game.

- There are various poker hands and you should learn to play them all;

The key to winning at poker is knowing how to play all the different types of hands. The worst thing that you could do is to give away your hand by playing it poorly. An experienced poker player will pick up on what you are holding just by analyzing you game play. Put in the time and practice using different types of hands.

- You position at the poker table matters;

You might think that where you are seated does not matter. In fact it does matter, and it matters a lot. A player sitting in early position is disadvantaged from the start. The player sitting in last position on the other hand has the upper hand. He gets to observe all the players at the table and modify his game play according to how the other players acted.

- Put in the time and gather as much information on poker as possible;

You are already playing poker online, so why not take the time to read online books and online articles regarding poker playing, poker strategies and poker tips. The information you gather will help you be on top of your game and will prevent you from making foolish mistakes.

By taking these tips into consideration you may have already gained an edge. After all, they are meant to help you win and have a lucrative poker session. Just remember that your personal input is always welcomed. Adapt these tips to your personal style of poker playing. And always remember to enjoy yourself while playing the game.

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