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.

Stand: You stay with what you have and end your turn.

Hit: You take another card. You can continue to do this until you are satisfied or bust (go over 21).

Split: If you have two cards of the same type (example: two tens), you can split them up and make two separate hands. You can only split your first two cards.

Double Down: When you double down, you double up your bet and take one final card—and end your turn. You can’t double down after you have more than two cards.

Surrender: You kill the hand by taking back half of your money and giving up. Most casinos offer this now. You can only surrender when you have your first two cards.

Once your turn ends, the dealer completes the hand by drawing if needed. Most casinos are setup so that the dealer must hit until the dealer holds a 17. If the casino hits on soft 17, that means any 17 made with an ace (example: ace and a six) is hit. A hard 17 would be something like a ten and a seven.

You are now ready to hit the Blackjack table and have some fun. It would be good to read up on some blackjack strategy before playing—to maximize your potential. You will find out some key times to not hit no matter what you have and times to double down. Blackjack is a fun game and the house has a low advantage over you—if you know how to play right.

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.

For those of you with a nervous disposition it’s probably worth turning away now as the biggest growth area in betting in the US, outside of the monster that is Poker, is College sports! Yep, I’m afraid bookies will take bets on almost anything if the appetite is there – one was taking bets on how would die in the latest Harry Potter book another on the outcome of the Michael Jackson trial. Is nothing sacred, apparently not? And the NCAAF is no different – but before we judge to harshly, let’s not pretend that private underground wagering on the College sports has been massive for years so why not bring it out into the open. For those interested, Florida State and Miami are joint favourites in the ACC Conference Championship.

In the more mainstream fields Indianapolis just head the betting in the NFL over New England for the Superbowl XLI, its hard to split the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators (who, with a name like, that should certainly know better than have a bet) in the Stanley Cup and in the MLB World Series its very tight in the betting between the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

Well, happy betting as our eyes start to turn away from the World Cup (that’s soccer to those who only follow the US stuff) and look forward to a new season of Hockey, Baseball, American Football and Basketball

We hope this helps but visit TheSportsman.com or read the paper, out every day for more tips and hints.

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.

Another very popular bet is who will score the first goal. Now whilst this is an obvious and appealing bet it is very hard to get right. Most bookmakers now offer a slightly different bet that gives you a much better chance of backing an all important winner, namely your chosen play to score at any time during the match. With the first scorer option your bet can be finished in the first minute whereas with the ‘to score during the match’ you can win at any time until the final whistle.

Predicting the correct score is another very popular choice though again not as easy thing to get right and again for an easier option most bookmakers now bet on the number of goals there will be in a match. So if you get the right number of goals but they don’t have to be the actual correct score, i.e., Liverpool 2 Spurs 1.

The other factor that often confuses those new to betting is the odds themselves – what does 6/4 mean? Basically, 3/1 most understand – you place £1 and win £3 – but remember if you win you also get your stake back too so your full return would be £4 (a profit of £3). Odds like 6/4 are less complicated than they appear – essentially if you divide the figure on the left by the one on the right and you get what the odds mean to a £1 stake. So in the case of 6/4, divide 6 by 4 and you get 1.5. The example, 6/4, is therefore 1.5/1. If you bet £1 at 6/4 you receive £1.50 profit and your stake back.

We hope this helps but visit TheSportsman.com or read the paper, out every day for more tips and hints.

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.

Then there is wind direction. Perhaps several teams have had the wind blowing in straight from center a higher percentage while other squads has an overbalanced number blowing out to leftfield.

Why, according the ESPN Ballpark Factor, is Boston the top hitters’ park this year, but was 13th last season?
As of this writing, Rogers Centre in Toronto is the second best pitchers park, yet last year it was a hitters paradise ranking 7th in hitting (24th pitching).

Petco Park is a rare exception. They are currently the top pitcher’s ball orchard after finishing first each of the previous three years and third in 2003.

So how do the elite gamblers use the stats? To measure the reliability of pitchers’ splits is how we employ them. For example, virtually every Padre is going to have statistically better stats at home than on the road. The fact that Chris Young, Greg Maddux, and

David Wells have significantly better stats at home than on the road proves to be the rule, not the exception. Hence the educated eye realizes there is not an angle in their respective splits.

Yet Jake Peavy is actually a better pitcher on the road than at home. This is an advantage for the gambler. A pitcher’s splits are most effective when measured against the ballpark stats.

Is there an edge for the over/under better? Often short-term, but rarely is the edge long-term as the sportsbooks adjust. As of June 19, the Padres last eight road games and 11-of-12 has seen a posted total of 8.0 or higher.
Yet 15 of their last 18 home games have seen a total of 7.5 or lower. Thinking somehow the sportsbooks are oblivious to such angles is one way for a gambler to subsidize bookmakers.

The Park Factor statistic is a valuable handicapping weapon, but more for statistical validation. Those who think they’ve found the Holy Grail with stadium comparisons are not in the same ballpark as the sharpies.
Brand new features: live odds, matchups from StatFox and Sports DataBases, injuries, free picks and more. Click here. Approved sportsbooks are at www.linetrackers.com

Introduction

Too many gamblers are still living in the ‘dark ages’ and will only ever place a bet with a traditional bookmaker. They either can’t be bothered to learn how the exchanges work or simply don’t realise the features and value that can be had when betting within an exchange environment.

Believe me, using a betting exchange is very easy, and if you are not already using at least one exchange you should join one immediately after reading this article…

I’m not saying that a betting exchange should be used for all your betting. There will still be occasions when a traditional bookmaker will offer more desirable odds than those that are available on the exchanges. However, in the majority of cases you will find better value on the exchanges and additionally there are other VERY IMPORTANT features that only the betting exchanges offer. More on this later…

So What Is A Betting Exchange?

Put very simply, betting exchanges are a secure place where members of the betting public can exchange bets with each other anonymously, at odds that they specify themselves. The exchange companies simply act as the ‘middleman’ and match peoples bets.

As there are no bookie margins to factor in, prices are very often more desirable. The betting exchange companies make their money by taking a commission payment on your winning bets. This is usually in the region of 3 – 5%, but even taking this into account, it’s very common to find better prices on the exchange.

The cumulative effect of better prices when combined with a good staking plan, can make the difference between you generating a healthy profit or a bad loss. Using an exchange does not mean you will automatically win more frequently! You still have to find good value winning bets yourself or via a professional tipster but it’s the effect of getting a better return on your winning bets that will boost your betting bank and protect you during losing streaks.

Most people use the betting exchanges on the internet, but you can also place bets on the telephone.

Betting Exchange Advantages

As well as regularly finding better prices when backing a selection, exchanges also give the gambler some other very important advantages over traditional bookmakers.

Some of the key advantages are:

1) The ability to LAY a selection if you think it will not win.
2) The ability to BACK or LAY a selection to be PLACED. (This is very different to the well know Each Way bet offered by bookies and can be very powerful).
3) Betting IN RUNNING on many events INCLUDING HORSE RACING. This can give you many advantages and opens the door to new methods that may secure you more profits.
4) If you are very successful, you will not have the exchange company threatening to shut your account down. A very important point !
5) The ability to TRADE on price movements in betting events to guarantee yourself a profit regardless of the result.
6) Arbitrage Opportunities. Bookie and exchange price discrepancies often allow you to take a NO RISK bet.

Those are some of the key benefits of using a betting exchange and I will dig deeper into these and explain how you can use them to your advantage in future betting articles.

For the remainder of this article, lets concentrate on point 1 above, LAYING a selection to Lose.

LAYING A Selection to Lose – A Major Advantage Of The Betting Exchanges

Probably the most important feature of a betting exchange is the ability to LAY a selection. But what does laying a selection mean?

Laying a selection is often referred to as ‘Playing the role of a bookmaker’. Like a bookie, you offer a price against a selection / event happening (eg. a certain horse to win a race or a football match ending as a draw). You only do this if in your opinion there is a great chance that the horse won’t win or the football match will not end as a draw. The betting exchanges simply match your lay bets with other customers who think the opposite of you (eg they think the horse will win or the match will end as a draw).

Lay Liabilities

The odds that you offer determine how much money you will need to ‘pay out’ if the selection actually wins (just like the bookie does when you have a winning bet with them). So if you were to place a lay bet of £10 at 5.0 (4/1) against a selection, you would be liable to pay out £40 from your account if that selection won (The other punter gets their £10 back plus £40 profit). If however, the selection does lose you get to keep the £10 staked by the other punter (just like the bookies have done with all your losing bets all these years!). It’s as simple as that.

Now, you might be thinking ‘great, I’ll simply lay all the rank outsiders and clean up’. STOP! Don’t even go down this route. If you keep placing lay bets on selections trading with very high odds (eg 50/1), you will win regularly but when 1 of them comes first you will probably wipe out all your winnings and more! A single £10 lay bet at 50/1 would see you liable for paying out £500 should the selection win!

Therefore, I strongly recommend that you decide upon a sensible upper limit for lay odds and stick to it no matter what. Just think about how many favourites get turned over in horse races every day of the year that are perhaps available to lay at very short odds like 1.5 (1/2). Your liability on a £10 lay bet at these odds is only £5, or £50 on a £100 lay bet. I like to keep my lay bets at odds below 4.0 (3/1) but that’s just my own personal choice but it gives you something to go on.

Flexible Odds / Placing an Order

The odds you offer obviously need to be realistic in order to be matched, but if you are not happy with the current price being requested by other punters you can simply place an ‘order’ in the exchange at your odds and hope that somebody eventually accepts your offer. (eg you may feel that the current price of 3.0 (2/1) is too high a price to lay a certain selection, so offer a lay bet at 2.75 (7/4) instead). If your lucky the price may well be matched. If the event starts without your lay bet being matched, your bet is simply cancelled so you gain/lose nothing.

Summary

Lay Betting might sound very confusing to the exchange newbie, but believe me it soon becomes very straightforward and you will find yourself laying selections much more frequently than you think. Let’s be honest, it must be easier to pick a horse you feel will definitely lose in a average 12 runner race, than find the single winner!

Well that’s it for part 1 of my betting exchange articles. In part 2, I will be explaining the Betting Exchange Place markets and how you can benefit from them.

In article one, I introduced you to the Betting Exchange concept and explained the basics of LAY Betting (Lay to Lose). Now in this article, I’m going to introduce you to another unique and powerful feature of the betting exchanges, the Place Markets.

What Are Betting Exchange Place Markets?

Place markets are as the name suggests, markets which allow you to bet on a selection to be ‘placed’. Eg. a horse to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a 8 runner or larger field.

Now, the first and most important thing to highlight here is that these place markets are completely different to the well known Each Way (EW) betting markets offered by traditional bookmakers. The Each Way bet is in fact 2 bets of equal stakes.

The 1st stake is on the selection to win and the 2nd is on it to be placed. So a £10 EW bet will cost you £20 in total.

A £10 place bet on a Betting Exchange is a single bet and therefore will only cost you £10. If your selection finishes in a place, you collect your winnings and smile.

Think about it for a minute. How many times have you been certain that a horse will be placed, but you have not been confident that it will win…

Traditional Each Way Betting

Take the following example. A horse named ‘Im gonna be placed’ that is available to back with traditional bookmakers at 4/1 (5.0). Your very confident that it will finish in the top 3 in a 10 runner field.

With a traditional bookmaker, your options are:

1) Take a chance on it winning and place a win single on it. E.g. £10 at 4/1

2) Place an EW bet on it. E.g. £10 EW at 4/1 (5.0). Total stakes £20. The bookies will pay you 1/5 odds on the place element of this E/W bet based on their standard EW rules. On our horse which is available to back at 5.0 this equates to 1.8

Now, the only time the above race will be profitable for you is if the horse actually wins. In both cases you would make a very nice profit if it did. For option 1 you would win £40 profit and for option 2, £48 profit.

BUT, if as you suspected the horse only finishes placed in 2nd or 3rd, you actually lose money in both cases. With option 1 you obviously lose all your stake money so are down £10. With option 2, you win £8 on the Place side of the EW bet but still lose £2 overall as the win part of the bet was a losing one.

Enter The Betting Exchange Place Markets

Using the above example and depending upon the prices of the other horses in the race, you would probably see the Betting Exchanges offering odds of around 1.60 – 2.00 (evens) on this horse being placed. You can therefore put your £10 PLACE bet on at say 1.8 and collect £8 profit (minus commission) as long as the horse finishes 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Only if the horse finishes outside of the top 3 do you lose your £10 stake.

I’m sure this has got you thinking and you can probably see the power in this straight away!

When combined with a good staking plan and a sensible selection process, it can be common to have very long winning streaks when backing horses to be placed on the betting exchanges. These longer winning streaks more than make up for the relatively short prices that are offered on selections to be placed.

Place Market Important Notes

A few important things to note about place markets:

1) Unlike the betting exchange win markets, Place markets DO NOT go “In-Running” when the race starts but this is true of the traditional E/W bets offered by bookies as well.

2) If a race is planned as a 8 runner or more event but a number of horses become non-runners leaving less than 8 runners, the betting exchanges still offer odds on 3 places. This is different to bookmakers who in such cases adjust their odds on the place payment from 1/5 to 1/4 of the win odds BUT they only pay out on 2 places. If a 5,6 or 7 runner field is shortened to less than 5 runners, the betting exchanges will still offer place markets and payout if the horse finishes 1st or 2nd.

3) You can make up the equivalent of an E/W bet on the betting exchanges by placing a bet on the win market and a separate bet on the place market. Depending upon the type of race and the form of the market, you will often find that this offers more value in terms of odds than an E/W bet with a bookmaker.

Backing Or Laying On The Place Markets

As explained in article 1, the ability to Lay a selection is perhaps the most important feature of the betting exchanges. You now have the ability to Lay selections to be placed. In other words, if you have a valid reason to believe that a selection will not even finish in a place, Lay it to Lose on a betting exchange. The real beauty of laying on the place markets, is that the odds are always much lower than the outright win odds so your lay liabilities are much lower.

Trading On The Place Markets

As the place market prices are much lower than the outright win market prices, they also offer a great place to learn the skill of TRADING without much risk to your balance! Betting Exchange trading is simply the process of betting on price movements for guaranteed profits. E.g. Back a horse at 4.0 and then Lay it later at 3.0 for a no risk bet or guaranteed profit regardless of the outcome!

Betting exchange trading will be covered in detail in a future betting article.

Summary

Place markets should be used as part of your betting armory. They offer you the chance to make money frequently with long winning streaks being very common. This helps to build your confidence as well as your betting bank!

Bookie Each Way bets are not always poor bets but in the vast majority of races, the odds are stacked firmly in the favour of the bookmakers. They simply love punters taking EW bets on these races as they know its their bread and butter. A small proportion of races where the market is formed in a certain way do offer the punter very good E/W value but that’s for a different day…

Well that’s it for part 2 of my betting exchange articles. In part 3, I will be explaining the Betting Exchange In-Running markets.

Do remember that Sic Bo is a fun game of chance that depends upon the roll of three dice. Some people love reading up all about different strategies for a particular game. When a game is basically based on luck, I find it difficult to even think about strategies. For me, this is the case with Sic Bo. Strategies then become based on betting issues. However, especially when playing for money, I do believe that it important to know what is involved in the game and what one’s betting options are.

Bet to Your Heart’s Content

Below you will find the main bets that are available at this game.

First of all, there is a high bet in the game of Sic Bo. For this eventuality the total of the three dice will be a number between 11 and 17.

For a low bet, the total of the three dice will be between the numbers 4 and 10.

There is an odd bet and an even bet, which are rather self explanatory.

It should be noted that all the above bets do not include triples.

An additional possible bet consists of a specific triple for which the particular number is determined in advance. A bet may also be placed on any triple.
Further, there are also bets on specific doubles for which the number is predicted in advance.

One may also place bets on specific dice combinations. This bet involves predicting two out of the three dice.

These are the main bets available at the Sic Bo game. Some experts recommend keeping to the high and low bets – especially for beginners. High and low bets usually offer the odds of 1:1.

Do bear in mind that the various odds and the table layout vary at different casinos. It is recommended to read detailed information regarding the game and its odds in addition to the relevant terms and conditions, before playing.

As with other casino games, it is advisable to try out free games of Sic Bo in order to learn the game before placing your money on the table. This is an excellent way to adjust to the game and practice different bets before playing for real money.

A basic overview of the game can be taught in a mere fifteen minutes, however, the bulk of mastering it like a seasoned casino pro does come from devoting a strenuous effort to the discipline and strategy of this classic French card game standby. For beginning players though, it takes little more than controlling simple math principals like basic addition, combined with a cunning observation of human behavior and a touch of strategy to learn the card game of blackjack.

Because of the varying levels of chance and yet still the opportunity to employ strategic tactics, blackjack is the only casino game at which one stands a chance to truly outsmart and beat the house. Gaining a sharp rise in American player popularity in the 1960’s, blackjack, once called “21” based on the maximum card count total before a hand busts, is now one of the most sought-after card games in casinos worldwide. Another reason this game has sustained and increased in its number of players, is because of the increasing accessibility of online blackjack games. This card game is an “every man’s” game and due to its quick learning time and the advent of Internet gambling sites, there has been a modern revitalization of the game in both real-time and virtual environments.

There is a level of independence in blackjack, and perhaps that solitary sense that a player is facing off individually against the dealer might be part of the appeal. As each player tries to beat the dealer one-on-one, other players are simultaneously doing the same. There is both a social and non-social element to the game play.

Simply learning the ropes of the game is enough to get one started, however, devoting a few hours to attaining the basic strategies of card prediction and card counting is the key to having a higher payout and a better grasp of the more advanced techniques. A short time of practicing these strategic maneuvers will propel a basic player from a run-of-the-mill neighborhood poker night player to a player who would have a great edge in a public casino. If a player knows the more popular and assured strategies like card counting, which is mentally tracking the high and low cards of the deck, blackjack is much simpler to sweep than other card games. Although the house will always have a statistical edge, the component of player choice makes the game sway positively toward the player in a way that no other card game can.

As with most games, experience is another essential component in mastering blackjack play. The casino circuit is the best way to collect the practice needed to excel, because the environment is tense and the play is quick, which can teach a player to acclimate to the speedy wit necessary to win big. However, the online blackjack options and home play are also beneficial and probably more practical for most new players.

The benefits of mastering blackjack are more rewarding than most people imagine. The time invested in learning the game and blackjack strategy produces a feeling of exercising the mind while at the same time enabling a player to take home a little quick pay dirt – a great monetary reward for a few hands of fun card playing.

9.Place Bets on the Right Sports Book
Statistics suggest that placing bets with the correct sports book will make a big difference, and increase the odds of winning by 3%.

8.Bet Against the Public
There are some that claim that “fading the public” can be profitable. This has led many bettors to bet on the other team than is predicted.

7.Do Your Homework Before the Game
The best way to win sports betting is to research all aspects of a game, especially circumstances and data that others would not consider. Not even bookies will have time to research every sport and every game. Therefore, if you can create a niche for yourself, you could become an expert on a smaller conferences and find yourself winning big money.

6.Choose the Underdog at Home
Statistically speaking, it’s a good idea to bet on an underdog at home. A team will put forth their best effort at home stadium and underdogs have a way of triumphing over the odds in general. Using this strategy you may beat the odds too.

5.Bet at Just the Right Time
Bettors who bet on underdogs usually bet early. Therefore, if you are betting on an underdog try and bet late. If you are betting on the favorite then bet early. Going against the grain in sports gambling is often a smart move.

4.Make Arbitrage Bets
You can make money on sure bets regardless of the outcome of a game with arbitrage bets. The advantage of these bets is that it doesn’t matter what the outcome of a game is, since the only bet you made was on a specific happening.

3.Square or Sucker Lines
Many betters try to stay away from square lines (that is, lines that are designed to lure public opinion into betting a certain way) and in the end, can even make money off these phony wagers if they can closely monitor the betting percentages.

2.Never Gamble While Drinking
This may be common knowledge to some, a great shock to others. However, when you drink an alcoholic beverage, your judgment will be significantly clouded. A drink may also give you that extra “courage” to make a rash and expensive decision.

1.Manage your Gambling Money
Another lesson in common sense that is often ignored when it comes time to put down a wager: never bet more than you can afford to lose. In fact, it is recommended that you set aside a portion of your money for betting and to stick with it, regardless of your winnings or losses. Lastly, try to spread your total among a few smaller bets rather than risk it all on one sure thing that may not be as predictable as everyone thinks.

If you’ve read my previous uplifting article about bad beat jackpots, you might be excited about the possibility of experiencing a large bad beat in a brick-and-mortar casino, but most players hope they can defy the laws of the universe and never have to experience bad beat poker.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing online poker or brick-and-mortar poker, players are constantly getting frustrated and complaining about bad beats. If I had a dollar for every bad beat story I’ve heard in my life, I wouldn’t be sitting here playing a $20 online multi-table tournament; I’d be vacationing at the beach.

Generally it’s the better and more experienced players who are amazed at losing to large underdog hands. Newer players often don’t realize the odds of a bad beat poker hand like pushing all in with AdJc and miraculously beating AsKs by spiking a Jack on the river.

Experienced and educated poker players need to take a step back and realize that bad beats will always happen when playing poker. Most decent poker players always talk about how amazed they are when they experience a bad beat, and they try to claim that it always happens to them. One thing that experienced players don’t realize is that if they are constantly playing with weaker opponents and experiencing bad beats, it’s because they always have the dominating hand.

You hardly ever see an advanced poker player lay down a bad beat on a much weaker player, especially in a no-limit game. The reasoning behind this is because as the better player, he generally has the better hand going into an all-in situation, so it seems like weaker players never experience bad beats. Players have to learn to take pride in generally making the correct play with the better hand and simply brush it off when they finally experience a horrifying bad beat.

Another common topic arises when talking about bad beats: how bad beats seem to happen far more often while playing online poker than when playing in a casino. For years players have spread myths and rumors that online poker is rigged. These players accuse the online card rooms of creating large action hands for the players involved in a game to drive up the size of the pot, which spikes up the casino rake. These myths and rumors are exactly that: all fake. All online poker rooms experience rigorous pattern testing and verification to provide completely random hands for all games at all times.

The truth of the matter is, when playing online poker, you see far more hands than when you are playing in an actual casino. Playing brick-and-mortar poker, you might be dealt around 30 hands an hour, depending on the game, the dealer, and the other players at the table. However, while playing online poker, you are probably seeing 50+ hands an hour. You might be experiencing double the number of hands as compared to casino poker, which might make it seem like bad beats are dealt more often, when actually their occurrence is generally about the same. If you are playing two tables at once in an online poker room, you are easily seeing 40-50 more hands per hour than if you were playing one table in a brick-and-mortar casino.

One last fact about online poker and bad beats is that the majority of players are more hesitant about calling large all-in situations when playing in actual casinos with actual money chips in front of them. Often online players, especially newer players, don’t have a problem pressing the “Call” button on their monitor, even in situations where they shouldn’t be calling. After all, it only takes one click of a mouse. If the same player were forced to push out $85 in chips in a $1/$2 brick-and-mortar casino no-limit game, he might think twice about his hand strength before throwing his money away.

So, all in all, no player can truly avoid receiving or giving bad beats in poker. Taking a hard bad beat sticks out in your head much longer than laying a bad beat down on another player. To keep your game sharp, you must learn to simply blow off bad beats, remain focused, don’t get frustrated, and understand that other players making bad calls is exactly what you really want. These are the players who keep you in the money and make you a winning poker player.

As I finish this article, I am dropped from my multi-table tournament, 6 spots before the money, when my pre-flop all-in with AK gets called by KQ, and my opponent turns a Queen. It happens, that’s poker, next tournament please.

Internet Poker Betting and Casino at http://www.WagerWeb.com/Sporstbook