Online poker players have discovered Omaha as an alternative to Texas Hold ‘em.  As it uses the same basic betting and play rotation, the main differences between the Omaha and Texas Hold ‘Em are purely strategic and require players to learn an entirely different way of thinking.  In Omaha, players receive four hole cards rather than just two as in Texas Holdem.  When playing in the showdown, you must use exactly two cards from your four and three cards from the community cards to create a hand.  This means that even if you had four aces, you could only use two of them as part of your final hand.

Having four hole cards makes a huge difference in your preflop betting because it’s no longer just about having pocket rockets or KA suited; there’s other things to be considered.  We’re going to talk about two hands to review the difference.

HAND ONE: AsAh2d7s

You might be tempted to go “Pocket ROckets!  Yes!”  We wouldn’t blame you, but you have to look at the whole hand to really get an idea of how it can be played.  The 2 and 7 are offsuit and you can’t make a straight, which means you are vulnerable to straights, flushes, and two pair coming from your opponents’ hands.

HAND TWO: 9s10hJsQh

This is a fantastic starting hand in Omaha.  Your cards are all close in rank and they’re double suited (you only have two suits on display.)  You can hit the flop in many ways, making straights or flushes using the cards in your hand and the community cards on the deck.  The way to look at this kind of hand is that you have 6 ‘Holdem’ hands working for you, 9-10, 9-J, 9-Q, 10-J, 10-Q and J-Q. With the aces hand you really only have A-A as the other combinations are unlikely to help you after the flop.

Starting hand selection is important in Omaha poker because of the fact that everyone has multiple ways of hitting each flop. A good way for a beginner to think of this is that each opponent has up to 6 Holdem hands! In a multi-way pot on the flop the chances that at least one opponent has hit the flop hard enough to call a bet is high. Your hands should include cards that work together in different formats. Suited aces (and ace with a second card of the same suit), pairs and cards close in rank can all be played.

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To the uninitiated and the unfamiliar, Blackjack seems like a pretty straightforward and simple game.  Just get as close as you can to 21 points without going over and if you are getting close don’t take any more cards.  It seems so effortless; unfortunately, the reality of Blackjack is significantly more complicated than the scenario above.  If it was that easy and you could be successful more or less by trusting your luck, wouldn’t more people be better at it?  Or is the balance of probability that everyone has their lucky day at some point?

For those of us with a more genuine appraisal of the merits of Blackjack, the truth is somewhat different.  It is a game of skill that cannot just be taught in an afternoon; it takes practice, patience and perseverance.  To be successful at Blackjack you also must have an ability to be flexible, aware enough at a moments notice to alter your strategy according to how your opponents are playing.  This might mean spotting an opportunity to win, or equally as important, understanding when an opponent has you beaten and when the correct time to fold your hand might be, thereby minimizing your losses.  As gambling is essentially about maximizing profits and minimizing losses (whilst obviously having great pleasure doing it), that could be one of the most important lessons that you will ever learn, not just about Blackjack, but across many games.

A lot of people first approach a backgammon board setup with a bit of trepidation because it looks foreign.  Well, the truth is it is foreign so they’re right to have that feeling.  But it shouldn’t last for long.  It’s not hard to understand the backgammon board setup and here’s a few pointers how to.

The two biggest things that intimidate people are the triangles and the board sections.  The triangles are simple.  They are simply the spaces your checkers will move on across the board.  The different colors and length means nothing, you can land on any triangle (called a point) that your opponent is not blocking.  You can also put multiple checkers on one space which is why they are so long.  As far as the sections of a backgammon board setup, just look at the backgammon board as one continuous board.  You and your opponent will set up on the same side of the board on opposite sections.  You both will then use the dice to roll and move your checkers around the board in a horseshoe like direction.  The object is for you to get your checkers to where your opponent started from and then move them off the board; your opponent is doing likewise but moving the opposite direction to your starting point.  Though the backgammon board is broken into four sections with a bar splitting the middle, this means nothing.  Look at it as one continuous board.  The bar means noting, it simply is a resting place hit checkers.

And that’s the backgammon board set up in a wrap.  Backgammon is really that easy.  Now get out there and play!

I’m often times quite overwhelmed when I walk into a casino.  It’s not just the lights and the music and the fast-paced gamers all who seem to know so much more about gambling than I do.  It’s the sheer variety of casino games!!
What does one person do with 800 different slot machines to choose from? 

Personally, I find the whole online casino experience to be a bit easier to digest. 
It’s easy. You log in, you choose from different categories of casino games. Some websites actually remember your favorite games and you get a separate menu of the games you like best and play most often.  That’s how I like things.  Simple and easy.

Every once in a while I’ll try out a new video slot machine or some new game that the online casino sends an email about.  I mean, you have to try things out at least once – right?  Casino games are mainly pretty straightforward on these online gambling sites.  They have everything that a regular casino offers, just much easier to access and you don’t have to deal with all the rush and noise of a regular casino. 

I like to play my favorite casino games (penny slots and video poker!) in the comfort of my own home at any time of the day I please.  Sometimes I can’t sleep at night, so I try my luck on the online casino!  After winning a buck or two, my dreams are always a little sweeter.

For those of you, whether experienced online gamblers or new recruits to this exciting world – did you ever imagine that an online casino bonus could be quite so exciting. 

Understandably, many people’s first reaction to their decision to start playing at an online casino is to be a little anxious.  There are free online casinos, where you need to neither pay any money, nor download any software.  Get your feet wet by playing some friendly blackjack (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms) – you’ll probably be surprised at how many people take this route and how you will almost certainly find that you have much in common with them too.  It can almost become like a blackjack workshop, where you can learn; tips, tricks and techniques from your new-found friends.

You might find in time that playing the odds in a free online casino just isn’t that exciting any more – and that the challenge of winning (and inevitably losing) money is just impossible to ignore.  This is where an online casino bonus comes into its own.  You will have noticed on the free sites that you are eligible for a casino bonus, but the scope and variety of those will increase when beginning to play for money.  Shop around; with so many sites wanting your business, you’re in the ideal position to find the casino bonus that suits you best.

For those who are new to playing real money Blackjack games, managing first-time online casino gambling can be a challenge. Since fun money Blackjack games do not require a player to invest his or her real money into the game, there are no real consequences to playing “high stakes” games. In real money games, however, the consequences are very relevant. Adjusting to this difference in online casino gambling strategies can take time for a player just starting their betting career.

One of the most popular online casino gambling strategies for Blackjack players just happens to be a great way for new players to limit their first-time gambling sessions. Called the Paroli Betting Strategy, this method is used by many professional and experienced players to help them manage their Blackjack bets. It’s a great way for new players to begin learning about how online casino gambling works and how not to exceed one’s betting budget.

The Paroli Strategy suits a wide range of Blackjack players because it doesn’t require players to begin with a large bankroll. The idea behind the strategy is the theme of “steady progression.” That is, each successful bet is followed by an increased bet amount during Blackjack play. These bets increase as long as a player continues to win.

True to prudent online casino gambling form, the bets don’t increase without end. Set a betting limit, like $10, and, if you reach it, start over again from square one, the $1 bet.

One of the best reasons to choose to play online backgammon is because of the bonuses that backgammon sites offer players. While online casinos cannot offer the ‘comps’ traditionally given out at land-based casinos, they can certainly be very generous in their offers when handing out bonuses. Some players may feel that these bonuses are too generous and therefore ‘too good to be true’ but sites are keen to get new players to try their software and are thus very openhanded with their bonus amounts.

The most common form of bonus available for new backgammon players is undoubtedly the welcome backgammon bonus offer. As its name implies, this bonus is offered as a welcome gift to new players who open an account at the backgammon site. The site promises to match a certain percentage of the player’s initial deposit in the form of free cash into their account. Welcome (or first) bonuses are a great way to get to know the software and are probably the best deal that players will get from a particular site – sometimes reaching 100 or 200%.

Other forms of bonuses include monthly bonuses that encourage existing players to reload their accounts and thus take advantage of monthly promotions, usually in the form of a percentage of the amount that is reloaded.  High roller bonuses are also popular amongst players for whom money is not an issue. These players regularly spend thousands at backgammon sites and are justly rewarded with special deals, VIP promotions and extra bonuses.