Online poker has been something of an online phenomenon for a few years now. The lure of this exciting game is too much for many people and thanks to many popular films in recent times featuring the game to a high degree, it is something that has crept into the public’s consciousnesses. For a long time poker was not a game that was in vogue. During the eighties and early to mid nineties poker was rarely played but the more often poker was featured in some very cool films, the more it was played. This upturn in interest arrived just in time for the advent of broadband internet connections which allowed people to apply games online with other users in real time. Thanks to this, poker found its home.

Since that point, the interest in poker has exploded, and it is played online by millions of people. In the last few years, improvements in the level of security on poker sites has seen another increase in interest, as people now have more trust when it comes to placing their money online. Of course, none of this would have been possible if Poker wasn’t an easy game to pick up. Most people find that poker rules are easy to understand and learn and once you know how to play you will never forget. This means of course that plenty of first time players online return for more action in the future.

Learn Your Stuff… From Poker Hand Rankings to Nicknames, and More!

The other advantage of playing poker online is that there is plenty of help out there, no matter what level you play the game at. There are many sites online which can help you to improve your play. You can learn all about poker hand rankings and a lot of people choose to have these visible when they first play the game. Online poker is also a lot of fun. Most sites allow you to create your own avatar, and you can have your own username which allows you to almost create a separate identity online, which can be fun! Most people find the game play very exciting online, and with all of the poker hand nicknames constantly used on the decent sites it can really feel like you are in Vegas!

Poker is extremely popular and this looks like a trend which is set to continue. It is fun, exciting, fast paced and something that is in the public eye. All of these ingredients add up to a recipe for success for the game of online poker!

If Mum said she was off upstairs to play 2 hours of roulette or 5 card hold em poker, family eyebrows would be raised. But when she says that she is off to play bingo, or your Sister or your Dad says the same thing, I think most of us would be okay with it and a few may even ask what site you going on and can I come too. Everyone that plays has of course got their favourite sites and once you have taken advantage of the free bingo games when you join it is the social facilities that many enjoy. This is where the insidious side of the world of online gambling rears its head.

The world of poker and casino’s online are by their very nature associated with their hard gambling sisters and brothers in the real world. So when online most of us are going to be aware at some level the financial consequences that come into play when we involve ourselves in these games. But when the game is bingo and the side bets are scratch cards and a quick chat with Debbie from Bognor that you met at the online bingo hall last year, where are the warning bells? This is still a place that one can, and people do, lose a lot of money – money that they cannot afford to lose.

So when you first play with that no deposit bingo bonus they gave you when you joined be aware that you are starting to create a relationship with a company that is about profit. They provide some opportunities for you to interact with other people and the sums of money seem relatively low but bear in mind the long term aim of the bingo company is to make cash.

The news this week that 3 of the bingo sites have teamed up with Breast Cancer Care to raise money is great news for the charity and if these companies continue to improve their social conscience then the industry as a whole will gain a lot more acceptance in the general community.

As with all forms of gambling, only play with what you can afford to lose and when it stops being fun, stop and go and do something else.

Free Poker Money is a Big Temptation

The temptation for many newbies is to see the ‘free’ money as just that – free. But the reality of the situation is that the money bonus is a sum that has been calculated by the companies that offer them to be an amount that each new client is ‘worth’ in terms of long term revenue. So for anyone out there that perceives this rash of free money offers as a cash grabbing free for all, please stop to think and assess what it is they are offering and just exactly what you are giving in return.

There seem to be three main arenas of competition for new client attraction, no deposit casinos and no deposit bingo bonuses followed closely by the ever popular free poker money offers. a quick scan around the search engines this morning shows me that the range of tempting offers is quite large, from £20 free bingo games to £1250 casino money to play with once you have signed up as a real player and been validated. There seems to be a very large amount of potential money around and a savvy player could do their research and try to make the most of this situation. But as with all things to do with gambling, whether online or offline, only play with what you can afford to lose and remember it is all supposed to be fun, make sure that you enjoy yourself.

Whether or not poker is a game of luck or skill has been debated since the game began, but most people agree it’s certainly a mix of both, and the best luck in the world won’t help you if you don’t learn a few good poker tricks and get in some practice at the game. According to one popular Greek gambling news site though, one player from Greece titled Maria A. won 20,000 Euros on a 25 Euro bet by producing a royal flush at odds of 1 to 40,000. Maria has since returned to the same casino and has continued to make money playing online poker.

The exact same day another Greek woman, Anna O., played the exact same casino and managed to win 1,500 Euro on a straight flush betting another tiny amount. Previously, Greece hasn’t really been very involved in online gambling compared to other European countries, but the growing popularity of online gaming and especially technology advances that have allowed live casino streams have meant that despite the countries problems, online gaming has a seem a growth in the last year.

Could gambling be the way for Greece to solve it’s current fiscal issues? Not likely, but it’s certainly a way for many people to take their mind off the big problems. One casino manager commented: “Obviously it’s a bit odd that we kept losing to Greek players during July, but that is the thrill of casino play. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. The Greeks had an amazing hot streak in our games, so we just have to pay. We do not intend to cover all of the Greek national debt this way, but paying out to a few lucky players is only fair and fun.”

The star, who has recently been filming “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” but has also recently starred in other big movies such as “The Social Network” hasn’t just been dabbling in the game for fun, but has been playing for real money with co-stars, and according to recent reports, he’s been coming out on top.The actors had received a longer than usual amount of spare time on set while long fight and action sequences had to be directed, and so poker became the game of choice, with Cera taking the top spot in many rounds.

Cera commented: “I wouldn’t say I’m great, but [my co-stars] didn’t know what they were getting into. I play in a really good game in L.A. with really good players, people who are a few levels above me. I just try to walk away with my money from that game, and that’s made me a better player.”

Despite playing many games, Cera insists that he’s still a star of the silver screen and not of the gambling world, commenting that all the money he won at poker was lost again during trips to the casino.

Cera first shot to fame playing Geroge Michael Bluth in cancelled and critically acclaimed sitcom Arrested Development and has since starred in a large number of teen and comedy movies including Superbad and Juno.

He’s set to return to his original role later this year in an Arrested Development film, where his co-stars will include poker ace David Cross, so we’re thinking Cera might be a little less eager to put his chips on table during that one!

More has been added to the program, both in terms of entertainment and poker. The 100 Euro + 10 Euro Blind Mans Bluff World Championship event has been added this year. There are returning events such as the €150 + €15 NLH Reuby Event and the €300 + €30 round of each Freezeout side event.

P.Power the Communications manager for paddypowerpoker said that “The Irish Winter Festival is Back in Dublin City centre and it’s bigger than ever before….. so it’s the ideal chance to come down to the festival, play some poker, have the craic and leave a winner.”

Although this is very exciting news for those that follow poker avidly, many newcomers to the game will want to take part and wonder how on earth they can get involved with such an event. The top echelons of the sport will need no reminding of the basics before playing and they are repeated here because sometimes in the excitement we all get carried away and forget the basics.

Learn how to play Poker by watching a Poker DVD or Video Lessons

Firstly – learn how to play poker, now I am not trying to be funny, this is sound advice and one that many players have neglected in their early years. The professionals know the game and its rules backwards and this knowledge forms a solid basis upon which to strategise and hopefully win. Not completing this most basic piece of advice can lead to losses and early retirement from the game. For those that are big enough to own up to needing more information on this subject why not track down a poker DVD or watch some Poker video lessons. Sometimes the most basic things can give you an edge.

Whichever level you find yourself at, this festival of all things great in Poker in the wonderful city of Dublin will be a great time. Enjoy all those of you that attend.

Many analysts believe that the struggling economy around the world will lead many governments that had previously banned gambling to rethink their decisions, and some even believe that America will lift the ban on online gaming before the end of the year. Many economies are starting to look to the gambling industry as a potential source of revenue after years of hardship and difficult times. With many countries facing large cuts in public spending, money generated from gambling could be of far more use than the money spent policing a law that opposes it.

Italy has recently begun to generate money from online gaming and now other countries like France have announced they will be following a similar route, so America may well be wanting to follow suit. It’s not just about bringing money in for the government though. In the UK where online gaming is legal, a site has to maintain strict rules and be seen of as reputable before it is allowed to trade, which keeps the prevalence of illegal gaming sites to a minimum.

Analysts predict that the move to legalise onling gambling will happen slowly in the states, with a single state – likely New Jersey – legalising online gaming and acting as a trial run for the rest of America. If things go well somewhere like New Jersey, other states are very likely to follow.

The problems that some face with this type of exposure to gambling, is that they can access it anytime and anyplace. The old way of having to go somewhere to gamble has been removed with the event of online gambling and herein lays the problem. Although there are many aspects to the problem the most immediate seems to be the fact that if one had to go to a casino to play Craps one would have to learn the rules, there would be others there to watch and study. This may not seem much but at least there was human interaction and a little education by association. Now, anyone can play regardless of their skill level.

So when sitting down to play online Craps, take a little time first to learn how to play Craps properly. There are so many betting combinations that it can be, and often is, very confusing. The need to take time to study the table and the betting structure is paramount. In doing this you force yourself to separate from the excitement and emotion of the game. The following of a good Craps strategy is an on-going focus to keep your wild side in check. Any pastime should be fun or why do it? Disorganised gambling can be one of the quickest ways to serious losses and also the way to addiction.

So maintain an edge with yourself and give your brain something to do other than focus on the potential ‘big win’, these happen so rarely that they cannot be relied upon to keep you in the game. Rather understand and study the great gamblers, see that for the most part they use strategies to limit their losses and to know when to leave when they are winning. It is always more important to eat and pay the rent than to have another bet. No exceptions. If you have significant other that you love make sure that you spend more time with them than at the virtual table. In this way you can enjoy the occasional wins and deal with the losses whilst maintaining a sense of humour and enjoying the rest of your life.

As always never gamble with more than you can afford to lose and set your limits before you start and stick to them.

Lee Turner, from Bolton, placed a bet of £50 that his three year old son will be on the England line-up for the World Cup in 2030. Turner posted his bet with betting firm Ladbrokes, who decided to give him odds of 1000/1 – not bad when you consider the amount of factors involved in the assumption that a 3 year old child will be one day playing international football.

Of course, winning £50,000 on a bet you made 20 years ago will be great, but if the prediction comes true Logan’s son could surely spot him that much from half a week of his salary, so perhaps it might not be so important then? Still, we guess there’s nothing wrong in having confidence in your child’s abilities.

The more cynical might suggest that Turner is trying to push his kid into something he doesn’t want to do, but all reports suggest that Logan is more than happy with the suggestion he might become a world class footballer.

Turner said that Logan has been playing football for as long as he can remember: ““I’m sure he used to kick his dummy about…It’s all day and all night. He wakes up with a football and he goes to bed with a football.”

We’ll have to wait another 20 years to see the result of this particular bet, though!

This week it has broken from that tradition and began to allow online casinos and gambling companies to advertise on the site, both through video adverts, text links on videos and banners on the website. Ladbrokes will be the first company to be allowed to post such adverts but it’s very likely many smaller companies will follow.

Any licensed gambling business from Italy, Spain France or the UK will be allowed to advertise to UK consumers on YouTube under the new rules. YouTube is owned by search giant Google who were forced to stop advertising casinos in the US a few years ago, but no such rule exists in the UK, allowing YouTube to offer its advertising space to gamblers.

YouTube has stated it is well equipped to prevent adverts being sent to its vast under 18 user base by using the same software that it uses to prevent videos it deems mature from being viewed. YouTube claims this systems successfully blocks anyone under 18 from viewing mature content and will do the same for gambling adverts, although the reality might be quite different.

You should be able to find Ladbrokes adverts on YouTube from this week, but we imagine any number of online casinos and bookies will be advertising on YouTube within the month.