Posts Tagged ‘betting’
Blackjack : Quickstart Guide
Having been a blackjack dealer and gambling instructor, I have taught countless people how to playing the game of Blackjack. The game of Blackjack is a very simple one to learn and you can be on the table playing in just minutes from now. On my main website (WiseBettor.com), I go more in detail about gambling, but this quick start guide will give you everything you need to play a game of Blackjack. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on playing Blackjack online.
Before you can play a hand of Blackjack, you must place a bet on the table. The minimum bet amount required to play depends on the table you are at. All winning bets at the Blackjack table are paid even money, with the exception of a dealt Blackjack, which is paid three to two. If, for example, you have a $5 bet on the table and receive a Blackjack, you would be paid $7.50.
The game starts with you receiving two cards and the dealer receiving two cards. One card of the dealer is placed face up for you to see. This card is called the “up card” and gives you a little help in guessing what the dealer holds. Each card has a count that’s equivalent to it’s number. So, for example, a two is worth two. The Jack, Queen and King cards are worth ten. The Ace is worth one or eleven—you decide. At the conclusion of each hand the player closest to twenty-one wins. However, the object is not really to get as close to twenty-one as possible, rather to beat the dealer.
As the player, you go first. You can hit, stand, split, double down or surrender. Here’s a description of each action.
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Betting on US Sports
With the explosion of internet betting gone are the days when betting on the like of the NFL, NHL or the NBA are confined to just the outright winner or match handicaps (where the outsider is given a lead in order to make the best more even). As competition within the world of internet betting has mushroomed so has the range of bets offered as they compete to become ‘the leading exponent of US sports’. On any match now you can bet on ‘over & under’ which is betting on whether you reckon the total amount of points scored will be over or under a given number. Wider afield you can go for what the first scoring play will be or even who the Man of the Match award will be given or MVP (Most Valuable Player).
As a result the popularity of US Sports betting has also risen simply due to the fact that there is more for the ‘leisure’ bettor to get involved with and more enticing odds that those in the two horse race that is one side or the other to win. Whilst there is a huge lobby to restrict internet betting in the US the feeling that the bird has flown the nest is very strong as off-shore operators are queuing up for the business and many have now even listed themselves on the UK stock exchange giving them an immediate credibility.
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Betting On Football – A Simple Guide from The Sportsman
Football betting has seen an incredible rise over the last 10 years as the bookmakers have opened up the sport by offering a myriad of markets to bet on from the obvious to the ridiculous. With the World Cup round the corner and the Premiership, SPL and National Leagues following on soon after you might like to be armed with a bit of the basic knowledge so that you can get involved too!
The Sportsman is the UK’s newest daily newspaper and website devoted entirely to sports betting and racing so who better to guide you through the basics?
Betting has an awful lot of jargon but it’s not nearly as complicated as you might think. The most popular bet in football outside of the straight forward who will win the World Cup or Premiership itself is the match betting.
The first thing to remember when betting on a football match is that it’s not a two horse race! A lot of people think that you are betting on, say, England or Sweden to win the match – which, of course you can but forget the draw at your peril. Bookmakers pay out on matches on the score after the first 90 minutes so extra time is not included and anybody who knows football knows that there are plenty of draws so don’t be afraid to back the draw.
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Betting MLB: Ballpark Figures Keeps Betting Totals in Perspective
A few years back we wrote an article on the importance of evaluating how teams hit left-handed and right-handed pitchers. In summary, we surmised it was important, yet keeping in perspective, we demonstrated how the numbers can be greatly affected by random chance. Hence we warned about becoming too dependant on deceptive statistics that are so often fools gold.
We have very similar thoughts about comparing ballpark statistics. There are some stadiums that could be classified as “pitchers’ ballparks” while others could reasonably be labeled more friendly to hitters.
Yet again, we have to give props to the four-letter evil empire ESPN. In their fantasy baseball section, they have a straight-forward “Park Factor” that compares that rate of stats at home versus the rate of stats on the road. A rate that is higher than 1.000 favors the hitter, with lower than 1.000 favoring the pitcher.
Still, statistical reliability would assume the quality of the opponent has been equal at home and on the road. Random chance indicates some teams will face or use a disproportionate number of aces and No. 2 starters in one location. This deviation is just one example.
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