Blackjack Do's and Don'ts with Other Players

Posted on by Bradley Collins

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Blackjack is a very common game played by many people, and is very popular in casinos. A lot of people know how to play it, some know how to “play by the rules” some just play for fun. Most people in casino’s only play by the rules and people who don’t are usually not liked by other players.My first time in a casino I was just there for the fun and thrill of everything so a couple friends and I went to play some blackjack. Some people would make weird faces at me or sigh or something when i made a wrong move, I thought to myself, “its my hand why can’t I do what I want?”. Its not that easy. When people play for money in a casino it is usually by the books, or “by the rules” as we always said.

In blackjack everyone in the game is ONLY playing against the dealer. The dealer deals everyones 2 cards face up, except himself who has 1 card face up. The idea of the game is to get as close to 21 points or 21 points exactly without going over. The dealer, after dealing everyone 2 cards now addresses each person starting on his left and going clockwise asking if they want cards. Aces are worth either 1 or 11, face cards (kings, queens, and jacks) are all worth 10, and each number is worth its number. For example, I have a 2 and a 3, that equals 5, that means I wanna hit up until I think I can beat the dealer. Hitting once lets say I get a 5 now I still cant bust so I might as well hit again. Lets say I get an ace, that makes 11 or 21, 21 is the highest score so we stand on that. After the stand the dealer goes around the table asking for hits or stands, until everyone is done. Then the dealer plays his/her hand. In most cases the dealer is required to stand on 17 because of house rules.

Now lets go over playing by the rules. My theory was the first time, oh hey dealer has to play up till 17+ and stand on that maybe i should do that. That is not the case all the time. Lets say I’m sitting with a 12 and the dealer has a 6 showing. I …

11.5 Gram Poker Chips

Posted on by Bradley Collins

11.5 gram poker chips are the most popular poker chips on the market. These are the chips that most casinos and professional poker players use. If you want to upgrade your current set of chips or if you need some additional chips to accommodate your growing poker group, search for poker ships online or find a gaming store in your area.

When purchasing chips, it's important to have uniformity among your supplies. The last thing you want is a disorganized mixture of different colored poker chips. This is unprofessional and creates confusion. It's also detracts from the professionalism of the clay poker chips, if you have plastic chips sprinkled among nice clay poker chips. In addition, make sure the weight of your chips is consistent; this is a seemingly minor issue, but one that makes a difference.

 

Where to Find 11.5 Gram Poker Chips

If you visit Las Vegas, you can venture into any one of the casinos along the strip and personally handle 11.5 gram poker chips. Again, these are the most popular chips on the market. Over the years, gamblers and poker players have accustomed themselves to this weight of chip, usually clay or some clay composite. 11.5 gram chips stack well and feel right.

When purchasing 11.5 gram chips, you might want to consider customization. A number of avid gamers get a kick out of customizing their poker chips. Some take it very seriously and customize their chips as a means of keeping track of them. Whatever your reasons, look into getting a personalized set of poker chips that reflects your philosophy of poker.…

Florida is 4th Highest Revenue from Gambling

Posted on by Bradley Collins

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Florida has a Division of Business and Professional Regulations which collects a total of $2 Million from the 8 Racetrack Casinos for the expressed purpose of providing Compulsive Gambling Programming.

With an estimated 116,791(1.1%) of adults believed to presently have signs of a gambling problem, which is most likely an under estimate for the 4th ranked revenue state at $7.03 billion reported Florida is an interesting state to look at. This revenue comes from 19,462 electronic machines, 14 Indian Casinos, 8 Racetrack Casinos, Pari-mutual wagering, a state lottery and Charity gambling.

The state ranks 26th in funding at a 3 cents per capita contribution from the state and 9 cents from the Nonprofit FCCG (Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. Florida’s Division of Business and Professional Regulation Collects $2 million total from the 8 Racetrack Casinos ($250,000 x 8) specifically to fund programs for Compulsive Gambling and contracts with FCCG for $600,000 for the operation of a hotline, responsible gambling programming at the racetrack casinos, problem gambling awareness and prevention activities. The majority of the 2013 budget ($2.35 Million) for FCCG came from grants provided by tribal Governments operating 14 casinos in the state ($1.75 Million).

Florida’s FCCG is one of the largest state affiliate of the National Council on Compulsive Gambling. It has this distinction in large part due to Budget, Staffing, and scope of services they are responsible for. Florida handled calls to the Problem Gambling Hotline for Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina in addition to 3,957 Florida callers in 2012.

As a recovering Compulsive Gambler it is concerning that part of the trainings are referred to as ‘responsible gambling programming’. Having heard from compulsive gamblers in Florida that they are encouraged to ‘manage’ the gambling, skepticism should be taken in that respect. If someone is calling because of a problem gambling this gives a false impression that it can be done without returning to the addictive state. Just as an alcoholic cannot drink and a drug addict cannot use in that manner, a gambler cannot return even a little to the gambling. Research and personal experiences have shown this to be true.…

Gambling: Genetic Tendencies or Learned Behaviour?

Posted on by Bradley Collins

Many people use gambling as a form of entertainment, and for those the ability to stop is there, for a select few though, gambling becomes a major issue. Problem gambling disrupts your daily life, leading to financial hardships and problems in relationships. Millions of people are affected by this disorder and often it goes untreated even when the person seeks therapy for other problems. One of the most harmful forms of gambling is the Pathological gambler.Pathological gambler traits: A person who gambles longer than they intended, gambled away their last dollar, used the money for bills and daily life to gamble, often they try and stop but with little success. This causes depression to rise and the person to feel an uncontrollable urge to try and win back their losses. Their financial obligations are in turmoil due to the gambling addiction. If you know someone like this before everything in their life is destroyed you have to find a way to perform an intervention, to get their life back on track.

There is a misconception about gamblers, they are not weak minded individuals, and most people perceive them to be very strong in their lives and career. Often times this is true, what causes someone prone to gambling to be unable to stop are; problems at home, job stresses, relationship problems. These things all play a key role in a gambler gambling away their last dollar.

Take for instance, a woman that has become an empty nester, enjoying the peace and serenity of her home and the ability to come home from work and simply relax by herself. Now she is known to gamble however it was just a recreational past time from bingo to playing a few lotto cards and sometimes dropping a few coins into a slot machine. Now, her home is disrupted by a child moving back home and the unsuccessful attempts at maintaining a solid lifestyle. Suddenly the pressure to take care of another person is weighted down on her shoulders. She suddenly has this urge to try to make everything right in the world, so the gambling starts up again. Coin after coin is dropped into the machine hoping for the bells and whistles to sound off that she has won. But, those alerts do not come, so she continues to trudge ahead dropping more money into the machine, until the very last dollar …

Arizona Funding for Compulsive Gambling

Posted on by Bradley Collins

Arizona has a balanced ranking in both revenue and treatment spending. At 20th in revenue brought in for 2012 and 15th in treatment spending for 2013, it shows a definite level of understanding. Sadly it is less reasonable when you compare the revenue ($2.41 Billion) to the spending for treatment ($2,051,300.00).

The estimated 1.6% (74,534) believed compulsive gamblers is most likely an under estimate because most people are not going to admit a problem. It is more likely hidden behind the 'recreational' gamblers reporting they don't spend more than they can afford.

Arizona Gaming in 2012 included 14,530 machines, state lottery, conventional Casino forms, wagering and the 'charitable' gaming. Thankfully, Arizona has involvement it providing a level of services to those in need.…

How to Tell If Someone Has a Gambling Problem

Posted on by Bradley Collins

Are you a hard-core gambler? Do you have a problem?When I'm at the casino, usually I am there a lot out of the week, and I always see the same people gambling their money away. At first it's hard to tell who is there just to have fun, and who has a problem. But if anyone stays at a casino long enough, it is easy to spot the problem gambler. These people seem to have big problem! I am there at the casino a lot myself so I know, because I see it with my own two eyes first hand. I mean, how some of these gamblers are, by that I mean is how they become at the casino, an especially when they loose. They become extreme annoy, and start taking it out on other people around them an a specially the dealer. There are many sign of a problem gambler, they are very easy to detect because it is not normal behave that they show. There are three mean things, If your there gambling all the time, expect to win back all the money you lost, and get mad when you lose, you have a problem.

When someone has a problem, you can usually tell through their face expression, the same rules apply to anything in life. There are some easy ways to tell if someone might have a problem in gambling. Number one, If your at the casino so long that you loose track of time, forgot to eat dinner, so you pull out your casino club card and ask for comps, but you don't have enough credit so you gambler some more till you get enough. Number two, if your gambling for so long that you start to off asleep in the middle of a live game, and the dealer has to wake you up every now and than to make the decision that the dealer can't make on your behalf. Number three if you just don't know when to quit, and stay there for a few days wearing the same thing. They are always smelly and mean. They yell, hit the tables, and talk shit to the dealer and other players.

Those are the easiest things to spot, but it is what happens at home that is the real danger lies. Only one person can truly tell if they have a problem or not and that …

The Gambling Three No Trump Convention for Duplicate Bridge Players

Posted on by Bradley Collins

Pre-emptive bidding is a popular method of disrupting opponents auction. It can, however, be a two edged sword. One difficulty arises when one partner opens with a pre-emptive three bid in a minor. Let's look at two sample hands:1. S: xx H: x D: AKOxxxx C: xxx
2. S: xx H: x D: AKxxxxx C: xxx

Each of the above could be opened three diamonds. The problem is that hand 1 will usually produce seven tricks, even opposite a singleton, whether the hand is played in diamonds or no trump. Responder needs just a smattering of stoppers to have a play for game. Hand two, on the other hand, will not produce a plethora of tricks in no trump opposite a singleton.

The problem here is obvious. How is responder to know which type of hand opener has? How can the chances for a game in no trump be evaluated?

The solution is the gambling three no trump. which effectively creates a second form of minor suit pre-empt for opener. The original meaning of three no trump, 25-27 high card points and a balanced hand, is a true rarity and can be handled by other methods. A gambling three no trump opening bid shows the type one hand: the solid suit pre-empt.

Now when opener bids three of a minor responder knows the suit will not run independently. He is now in a position to make an informed guess as to what action to take.

In addition a bidding structure can be used for those times when responder realizes the three no trump has no play or may have a slam oriented hand opposite the gambling three no trump bidder. Here are the responses to a gambling three no trump:
4 clubs: a buyout to opener's minor. opener passes or bids 4 diamonds.
4 diamonds: A slam try, requesting opener to show a singleton.
4 hearts: to play.
4 spades: to play.
4nt: requests opener to bid 5 of his minor.

If responder uses the four diamond slam try opener answers as follows:
4 hearts: a singleton heart
4 spades: a singleton spade
4 nt: a singleton in the other minor
5 of a minor. no singleton, a signoff in opener's suit.…

How to Play the Penny Slots

Posted on by Bradley Collins

Low rollers unite! These days, you can’t buy anything with a single penny, but it is worth a pull on a penny slot machine. Playing the penny slots is an ideal way to make your gambling dollars last longer. Sure, there’s no chance at winning a jackpot big enough to retire and move to Fiji, and serious gamblers scoff at the thought of playing the penny slots, but these machines give casino-goers a lot of entertainment value without dropping some serious cash. But what’s the skinny on these slot machines? How do you play the penny slots?What are penny slots?

Penny slots are the lowest denomination video gaming machines accept. Typically, penny slots are found in their own section on a casino floor, usually noted by an overhead sign. Penny slots work exactly as other video slots of larger denominations-press the button to spin the reels and hope the graphics line up in your favor.

Is it really only a penny?

In theory, yes. You can insert a penny in the machine to get one spin of the reels. It won’t win you the jackpot and you probably won’t hit on anything because you only are allowed to win on one line (usually the middle line). However, like most video slot machines, to increase your chances of winning and to increase the amount you could win, you’ll need to play more than one line AND use a multiplier (this means playing more than one coin at a time-most slots allow players to use three to five coins). For example, if you hit three cherries on a line, one coin could pay back 10 pennies, two coins could pay back 20 pennies, and three coins could pay back 30 pennies. All of these extras costs more pennies-by the time you’ve added in all the extras, one pull could cost you several dollars.

Penny Slot Machine Risks

Because it’s only a “penny,” penny slot machines are the easiest on which to blow your budget. Insert a $10 bill into the machine and the screen notes that you have 1,000 “credits” with which to play. Initially, it seems like you could play forever -and in theory, you could, if you play one coin on one line, which is 1,000 pulls. Most gamblers don’t do that-the coin multipliers and the multiple lines drain that 1,000 quickly. You keep hitting the max bet …

How to Win in Blackjack Everytime

Posted on by Bradley Collins

IntroductionBlackjack is a game; that most people think is based on pure luck; that is where you are wrong. With the tips listed below; blackjack is a game that all odds are for you!

I suppose that you all know how to play Blackjack so I will jump into the strategy!

Always remember that the house always wins the pot if the player and the dealer goes bust!

Strategies

Remember which area of the game you want to exploit. If you get a natural the dealer is usually pays 1.5:1. Luckily, if the dealer gets a natural, you only lose your bet at 1:1, however if you had insurance you can get out for free. Correctly exploited; you could use these to your advantage!

Learn the game thoroughly; learn which cards that are useful to you and what cards are useful to the house or dealer. The smaller numbered cards benefits the dealer. However the house is most likely to win with smaller cards; always remember that if you don't get blackjack; this is normal as; as a player this is extremely rare.

Larger cards; definitely benefit you because if the dealer receives large cards and hits fifteen then the dealer will have to hit; which most likely will end up in the dealer going bust.

Another critical method is to learn the high and low method of counting cards. In short, every low card (2 and 6) is assigned a value of +1, every high card (10 and A) is assigned a value of -1. Other cards are neutral. If you have a high point value, then the odds are for you and against the dealer; the dealer still has to hit until he/her reaches 17; this means that the dealer will easily bust.

Online Blackjack

Online blackjack is one the rise; and where there is people there is money. This meaning that there are an endless supply of applications and software that does all of this for you. Meaning that you will be literally impossible to stop! However on some gambling sites; this may be forbidden so you may want to read the terms and conditions on some websites; or you may be kicked out!

Summary

If you are serious about winning; practise counting cards to death! Remember, that if you practise your time spent will not go to waste; as practice makes perfect. Bring all of these …

Winning at Fairy's Fortune Slots

Posted on by Bradley Collins

There are two kinds of players at the casinos; those that want to win real money and play for big bucks, and those like me, which play for fun and are happy winning anything. The high rollers go in with a big roll to start. That's not me. I play for fun. I figure I spend twenty dollars for dinner or a movie, so if I spend it on the slot machine its okay. Butif I leave the Casino with my twenty and a few dollars more that is what I call playing smart.

When I visit the casino I see players clutching good luck pieces, rubbing the screen, making the sign of the cross, and other superstitious rituals that may or may not bring them luck. I've talked with players some of whom seem to always win more than they lose. I began studying the machines and the casinos and the players to develop a strategy that works, at least for me.

So how does one play smart at the slots? First always sign up and use a player's card. Yes, that means the casino can track and see what you are playing, but it also means they know who to give free stuff to. It might be free parking, a free meal or entry into a drawing for a chance to win a car or a million dollars.

Next, if it is a machine that is new to you, read how it works. I know you are anxious to get to business, but you are there to win, not lose money, so make sure you understand the rules of the game. Also some machines are programmed to spin when you put in the number of lines you wish to play. If the person who played the game before you played 25 cents or a $1.00 and you sit down and push the 5 line button, the machine will spin before you get to push the amount of your bet. You may have only wanted to play 5 cents, but the machine just deducted a $1.00, so push the money amount first, then the number of lines.

Next check the requirement to win the jackpot. If you are sitting at a machine that boasts a large dollar jackpot or one of the progressive jack pot machines, understand how much you have to play to win. If you aren't willing …

Texas Holdem Poker Online

Posted on by Bradley Collins

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Texas Holdem poker has gone from being a relatively unknown game just two years ago to practically dominating all media coverage about casinos and gambling. Multiple television shows are devoted to watching professionals and celebrities go “all in” against each other in order to win huge pots of money–for themselves and for their charities. Movie star Ben Affleck won the California Texas Holdem championship, shining even more light on this game that was once the province of only a knowledgeable few.

The technology that allowed players’ poker hands to be photographed live with tiny cameras transformed Texas Holdem into a spectator sport. The ability to know what each player is holding turned a game that was once boring and frustrating to watch into a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat event. This single innovation essentially introduced the world into an entire new sport that has grown exponentially in a very short time.

 

Don’t Mess with Texas

Many websites have cropped up that offer novices the ability to dip their toes in the poker world, but only online gambling casinos let players partake in the actual game for real money. Poker is a game about betting, and while playing with simulated chips may be diverting, it does very little to make a player better at the game. Only when there is something to lose does the true player emerge.

Texas Holdem is not as easy as the players on television make it look. Hours of practice and hand after hand of trial and error are required in order for a new player to be competitive against live opponents. It is always a good idea to play against people of a similar skill level when first starting out at this game, and never bet more than you are willing to lose.

 …

Gambling in a Renovated Barn: Diamond Jo's

Posted on by Bradley Collins

Located directly off of I-35 in Northwood, Iowa is a casino that will catch your eye. A large silo and barn that is lit up with neon signs and lights that will make all casino lovers have to pull over to check it out. It is very conveniently located right as you exit off of the Interstate.

Location

Diamond Jo's is located at 777 Diamond Lane in Northwood, Iowa. With an address like 777 it makes you want to gamble here… Lucky 7's all the way!

Casino

The casino has a nice mixture of slot machines, table games like Blackjack, Mississippi Stud, Roulette, Craps, Super Fun 21, Rabbit Hunter, Pai Gow Poker and Pitch Blackjack and they also have a small poker room.

Dining

The casino a few different places to eat at, either for a quick meal or for a nice sit down meal.

The Woodfire Grille- A cozy atmosphere with fireplaces that offers its' guests a romantic setting with earth toned colors, leather booths and large paintings hanging on the wall.

Examples from the menu-Jumbo Crab Cakes, Coconut Shrimp, Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad, Lobster Bisque, Macadamia Walleye, Cedar Plank Salmon, Applewood Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Berkshire Tenderloin.

My Favorite: The Slash and Burn which is Jamaican Jerk rubbed Barramundi topped with pineapple chutney and served with roasted red bell pepper mashed. It is full of flavor and my top favorite entrée here.

Prices: $12-$40

The Kitchen Buffet- A smoke free café seating area that has about 5 different serving stations filled with food. This is one of the top 10 buffets I have eaten at; I was really surprised on what they all offered.

Examples of food on the buffet: BBQ pork, Surf and Turf Kabobs, chicken wings,

Price: For Lunch Adults are $9.99

For Dinner Adults are $14-18 (depending on what day you go) Kids 6-10 are $3.99 and under 5 eat free

Bakery To Go- This is the perfect place for a quick pick me up snack for energy to go back and gamble or just for those who have a sweet tooth.

Examples from the menu:

Price: $3-$10

Casino Dining- Inside the casino for those looking for a more quick meal, they offer its' guests a choice between Subway and Burger King.

Overall

This was a unique place being inside of a large barn that has been added to. It was unique from other casinos that …