Archive for August, 2009

The Basics of Bank Roll Management

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Most players who gamble online that money management is a crucial part of the game.  After all, once you run out of money, the game is over.  This article will give you a few tips managing your bankroll when playing certain types of casino games.

What’s Your Game?

If you are into positive expectation games such as online poker, there is a great chance that you will have a positive winning rate.  This essentially means that you will win a certain amount per hour over the long term.  In this case, your goal should be to have a bankroll that is large enough to cover swings of bad luck.  This way, you will not have to worry about replenishing your funds.  If you are playing a negative expectation online casino game, such as roulette, you may not have a positive winning rate.  This is because such games are designed so that their is substantial tendency to lose overtime.  Therefore, your goal in this game is to have a bankroll large enough where you can play until it is time to replenish your funds.

The Lowdown on Positive and Negative Expectation Games

Many players believe that the best way to manage your bankroll with online poker is to have at least 100 times the big blind available to you.  This means that in a $3/$6 limit game, you need $600 to prevent from going broke.  While this may seem like a sufficient amount to have on the table, because No Limit poker games have more variance, you should probably consider having even more to stay in the action.  Keep in mind that the larger your bankroll in relation to the limits, the less likely you will go broke as a winning player.  When playing this type of game, proper bankroll management is about anticipating the swings.  You need enough funds in your virtual pocket to survive when a cold streak hits.  Signing up with an online casino that offers good bonuses is a great way to boost your bankroll.  It also dramatically improves your chances of withstanding that inevitable cold streak.

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When playing negative expectation games, the best way to approach your bankroll is to calculate your losing rating by factoring in the house edge.  You can do this by determining how much you wager per hour and multiplying that by whatever edge that house has.  If you play a sound strategy, this will give you your losing rate.  With these type of games, you want to play within limits that allow your bankroll to sustain your losing rate until it is time to refresh your pockets.

Winners and Losers

Remember that positive expectation casino games can only be considered as such if you are a winning player.  If you are a player who loses a lot, then it would be best for you to treat all online games the same.  While you definitely want to win all you can, rest assured that there is no shame in being a losing player.  In fact, online gambling statistics show that nearly 90% of players are long-term losers.  The good thing is that by effectively managing your bankroll, you can stay in the game longer and greatly increase your chances of becoming a winner.

Who Should Regulate Internet Gambling in the U.S.?

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

As most of the world has come to embrace the regulation of online gambling, the United Sates remains firm in its disapproval of the industry and support of the UIGEA, which went into effect in 2006.  The fact that this legislation is hard to make sense of and defend has many observers believing that it will only be matter of time before online gambling is legalized and regulated in the U.S. in some form or another.  If this were to happen, it would immediately present the question of just who would be in charge of regulating internet gambling: individuals states or the federal government?  Until now, it has been accepted that regulation remains the responsibility of the states under the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which covers States’ Rights.  While the federal government’s regulation of gambling has been limited to Indian land-based casinos, it has played a role in prosecuting internet gambling offenders of various federal criminal codes.

Can it Be Done?

All the comparisons may be futile because internet gambling is an entirely different animal than its land-based counterpart.  Until recently, anyone who wanted to gamble was forced to physically travel to a casino facility.  Thanks to the rapid development of technology and the fast growing popularity of the internet, gambling has essentially become an activity with no borders or physical constraints.  These days, all the player needs is a computer with an internet connection and they can try their luck with poker and many other types of casino games.  Being that the internet is viewed as a medium with little to no rules, it is fair to ask: can the local government really keep wraps on the online gambling industry?

A Probable Resolution

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Perhaps the best approach is that instead of having online gambling being regulated entirely by the state or federal government, it is better to resolve the matter by permitting each body to simply continue to do what they do best.  Already experienced in regulating gambling activities to some degree, individual states could be allowed to regulate the internet version to the extent they decide to incorporate into to the legalization and regulatory processes.  Because big money is involved, the federal government could be responsible for regulating payment processors and financial institutions.  Sure, it may sound like a long shot now, but if alcohol got through the prohibition and marijuana is now being embraced as a medical solution, can’t the online gambling industry get a fair trial?  After all, it is pretty much a known fact that the United States stands to reap billions in tax revenues from the booming online gambling industry.

We could be living on a dream, but if everyone with something to say about the United State’s online gambling structure, federal and state officials, land-based casinos and leading software developers included, would just sit down and rationally discuss these issues, there is a great chance that a beneficial resolution could be reached.  Unfortunately, as long as the issue continues to be viewed as a misunderstood threat to American society in which only one side can win, it is very likely that a viable resolution will not be found any time soon.

Getting the Best Online Casino Odds

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

If you truly want to be successful at online gambling , then you need to make it a habit to learn more about the odds out in cyberspace.  While it seems like everyone would naturally seek out the more favorable options, research has shown that the average player consistently chooses casino games in which the odds lean more in favor of the house.  This indicates that players are either strictly in it for the fun, or simply don’t know the importance of, or to effectively calculate the odds.  The best way to get to the bottom of this issue is to take a look at a few games that have different levels of odds that work in your favor.

The Friendly Dice

Most gamblers have a clear understanding that craps is one of the best games you can play when it comes to favorable odds.  Being that it is essentially a skill game, craps is one that has proven to reward the player who has taken the time to make themselves familiar with all the intricacies involved.  In addition to blackjack, pai gow, poker and other casino games that typically rely more on smarts than blind chance, craps enables you to lower the house edge in a manner where it does not turn out to be an overwhelming hindrance against your success.

While craps is one of the better games to play, there are an alarming number of unfavorable odds to be found, mainly when proposition bets are involved.  If at all possible, prop bets are something you want to stay away from.  These type of bets are appealing to the proverbial risk taker who loves the thrill of knowing that a huge sum of money can either be won or loss on a single roll of the dice.  However, the more knowledgeable players should never be confused with the adrenaline junkies who come out broke more often not.  Any craps player who really understands the game will leave the tempting prompt bets to those who don’t know any better and simply can’t help themselves.

Picking the Right Wheel

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If you are looking to play roulette online but still want to maintain reasonable odds, the type of variant you decide on will have a substantial impact on where you stand in this regard.   Anyone familiar with the game knows the European style of roulette comes with much better odds than the American version.  This is because there is only one “double zero” slot to worry about.  The result of this factor is that there are far less European roulette games to be found at the internet casinos.  On a good note, these versions do exist and can be found if you do a little research.

Once you have all of this information at your disposal, there may be a chance that you still prefer games that do not offer very good odds.  When this is the case, at least you will know and be able to make an informed decision instead of just going with the flow like so many other players.


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