William Hill aggresively targets new acquisitions

William Hill is one of the oldest and most-trusted names in online gaming. Having been in action for over 100 years in the UK, they are one of the best-known brands on the high street. However when it came to online gaming William Hill struggled to gain traction against the newer operators.

William Hill targets new acquisitions


In the last 2-3 years that has changed. William Hill have been aggressively targeting new acquisitions in the Casino and poker markets. Many casinos offer generous free bonuses to new joiners, but William Hill have broken the mold by offering bonuses greater than 100%. For example if a new joiner deposits £50, William Hill will match it by 150%,. ie adding an additional £75 to that player's account.

The look and feel of the WH casino inspires confidence. It is definitely in keeping with their heritage and reputation.

Try out the new Casino now.

New Sites I like

http://www.latest-ipad-news.co.uk/ IPad stuff, including stories on the new iPhone 4

http://www.goldstart.co.uk/  Gold and Silver Mining news.  Good investment opportunities

http://www.oilstart.co.uk/  Similar to Goldstart, but for Oil news

http://www.swim-nappy.co.uk/  I dont know why I like this, except that its such a micro-niche.  Will it succeed?

Poker sites add auto-play functionality

Over the last years Poker sites have become massively more sophisticated.  Auto poker calculators are now a common feauture. 

The following reviews outline the new features at Poker rooms, in particular whether they are open to US players, what the joining bonus is, and what the standard of other players is.

Full reviews below:

• Titan Poker
• Cake Poker
• PartyPoker
• PKR
• Victor Chandler
• 888
• LuckyAce

Gold Price Bubble – Will Gold keep rising fast?

You probably think gold is in a gold price bubble. After all, it hit new highs in dollars, pounds and euros this week – and has pretty much quintupled since its lows of 2001.

What's more, everyone from Germany to China is still nuts for it. Earlier in the week, the FT reported that the Germans have been snapping up coins and gold bars faster than they did even in the aftermath of the Lehman Brothers' collapse. In the UAE, you can buy bars direct from a vending machine. At Harrods, you can pick up a variety of gold coins over the counter. And – as the gold bears are keen to point out – you can see ads for the purchase of gold all over TV.

But look at the actual price of gold and it is hard to see real evidence of a gold bubble. Gold may have hit new highs in nominal terms, but it hasn't come close to hitting its old highs in real terms. Adjust the 1980 high of $850 for US inflation and you get a price of around $2,400 – a level only the most bullish are predicting even now.

Then look to the last few years. The bears would have you believe that the gold price has somehow gone "parabolic". But, in fact, the price in US dollars has only risen around 25% in the last two years.   Read more

Gold Price and Silver Price in One place

I’m a big Gold Bug and own gold bullion, coins and some ETF investments. The problem is it was quite hard to find a place to see the gold price in real time, updated 24 hours a day.

This site, Invest in Gold, shows the price of gold and silver. It also has news on gold miners, silver miners and other ways to invest. There is a monthly competition that you can enter by signing up for the newsletter, which in itself is a very good read.

Have a look and tell me what you think here…

WSOP 2010: World Series Of Poker - How To Qualify For a Free Place

The World Series of Poker 2010 (WSOP 2010) begins on 28 May 2010 at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This year marks the 41^st running of the competition, having been held on an annual basis since 1970.
The event contains many different tournaments over almost every imaginable version of poker. The No-Limit Hold’em begins on 5 July 2010. From this date until 17 July 2010, play is whittled down to 9 players who reconvene in November for a chance to become the tournament winner, an accolade commonly regarded to be the poker world champion for that year.

How to qualify for WSOP 2010 for free

Event number 57 is the No-Limit Hold’em Championship, unquestionably the main event and the one for which WSOP 2010 will be renowned. The buy-in for this tournament is usually $10,000 but it is possible to qualify for free.  Read more at WSOP 2010 ...

Poker Bad Beats: What Is A Bad Beat in Poker and How can you make it help you?

Poker Beats

Bad poker beats occur when one player beats another one in unlikely circumstances. Although there is no strict definition of the term, the winning player often takes the pot by hitting an unlikely card on the turn or river. Sometimes the winning player is rewarded despite making mathematically unsound decisions in calling another player’s hand or, alternatively, a really strong hand is beaten by an even stronger one.

Risks associated with poker beats

Suffering a bad beat can be extremely hard to accept. Some players, including poker professionals, will be sufficiently unsettled to enter a state of extreme frustration during which they risk allowing their emotions to rule their head. Typically, this could mean that their usual prime game strategy is neglected and they adopt a more aggressive style of play, remaining in hands which they would normally fold and trying to bluff their opponents. When learning to play poker, its important to understand the best time to bluff.

Read the rest of the article on Bad Poker beats and see how Bad beats can actually work in your favour and provide you with a killer advantage. This simple trick will let you beat the opponent every time, especially if combined with a killer tool, an automatic poker calculator. Find out more and download your free automatic poker calculator here. Combined with your skills and a Free WSOP entry, this tool could win you a million or more.

Poker Language: Some Common Poker Terms And Language And What They Mean

Poker uses a number of distinct terms and phrases. When playing at a table it is often helpful to understand these. There are almost enough to write a poker language dictionary! Some of the more common terms are listed below:

• Flop – most commonly associated with Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker, this poker language term refers to the first 3 open cards which are dealt.

• Turn – this is the fourth open card which is dealt in Texas Hold’em or Omaha poker.
• River – the final card which is dealt in a game of poker.
• Nuts – at a given point in a poker game, this refers to the strongest possible hand.
• Rake – this is a commission taken out of the pot by the casino. Lower the rake, the more you make. The lowest rake is currently at PKR (Click to join)
• Straight – in poker language, a poker hand containing 5 consecutive cards.
• Kicker – the highest card in a player’s hand which is not in a pair. It is quite often used to determine close hands – for example, a pair of Kings with an Ace kicker beats a pair of Kings with a 2 kicker

 Read the rest of this article at the Poker Language blog.  Many more terms can be found in the online Poker Glossary.

To win at Poker and be able to bluff effectively you need to know the signs. Find out how to bluff in this great article by Alex, Poker Tips For Texas Hold Em. On the other hand if what you are really interested in is just making lots of money from Poker then you need a Magic Holdem Poker Calculator that shows you the perfect hand. Try it and you are 100% guaranteed to start winning online poker if you're oppnents are not using the same system.

Five new sites. Have a look. They’re only placeholders at the moment

but soon I want to build these into authority sites.

In a few weeks I’m going to make these into killer sites, with great content created every week by me and a new team of journalists. Watch this space.


http://open-swimming.co.uk/

http://www.spurslatest.co.uk/

http://www.manutdlatest.co.uk/

http://www.chelsealatest.co.uk/

http://www.arsenallatest.co.uk/

http://www.liverpoollatest.co.uk/

World Series Of Poker (WSOP) – 10 More Things You Can Learn By Watching

The annual WSOP (World Series of Poker), held in the famous Las Vegas, is one of the biggest and brashest poker tournaments in the world. It is broadcast on TV using glass tables and under-the-table video cameras that allow viewers to see hole cards, giving poker viewers an amazing insight into the betting and behaviours of the players. The TV images are backed up by commentary from experts and provide a great way to learn about the game. Anyone can enter, and some sites even offer a free WSOP entry.  In the attached article are 10 things you can learn by watching the World Series of Poker...

1. Watch how the experts try to extract as much money as possible from their rivals when they have good hands. Look at how they judge bets to try to avoid scaring other players into folding.


2. Take particular note of rounds where expert players fold strong hands which they believe will be beaten. Listen to the commentators try to explain the psychology and reasoning.

3. Watch the way the players behave and interact with one another during hands. Bearing in mind their hole cards, try to work out what sort of message they are trying to project into their opponents’ minds.

Read the rest of this full article, see World Series Of Poker – 10 Things You Can Learn By Watching by Alex Mayer.

Learn To Play Poker. Tips When Bluffing at Poker

If you are learning to play poker then, at some stage, you will need to add the art of bluffing into your game. Bluffing, put simply, is the act of representing that you are holding a stronger hand than you actually are. It is a technique which is performed better – and therefore more often used – by some players than others.


■Use the ‘semi-bluff’ first when learning to play poker. A semi-bluff involves falsely representing that you have an excellent hand, in cases when you have quite a good hand. Take the case where 3 hearts, including the 10, have appeared on the flop and you are holding another 10. If you make a large raise, you are representing to the other players that you hold 2 hearts and have a flush. In actual fact, you have a pair of 10s, which is a much weaker hand but not an outrageous bluff. You will be able to draw some confidence from the fact that you have a hand which could win and this might be sensed and misread by other players as the flush. Also, if you are called, it is not entirely clear whether you have made a bluff and your competitors might be left confused by the type of player you are.
 
This articles is continued at First Poker Tips on the poker tips blog at Learning To Play Poker - Bluffing 

Poker Hand Rankings and Strength: A Guide To The Order Of Poker Hands

It is a requirement of playing poker that the player understands poker hand rankings, i.e. the order of priority of different hands. As well as being required to determine who has won a particular pot, it is also necessary to understand the hands which other players might be representing and therefore whether you think you can beat them. Different hands are listed below in order of priority, 1. being the best.


1. Royal flush – top of the poker hand rankings is the royal flush, being Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 suited.

2. Straight flush – this is 5 consecutive suited cards, e.g. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of spades. This particular example is a straight to the 7, which would be beaten by a straight to the 8.

3. Four of a kind – this is simply 4 cards of the same value, e.g. 4 Jacks. Note that 4 Queens would beat 4 Jacks.

4. Full house – a triplet (3 cards of the same value) and a pair (2 cards of the same value), e.g. 3 Queens and a pair of 7s.

The remainder of this guide, and all the other poker hands are provided in the full article on Poker Hand Rankings at FirstPokerTips

Magic Holdem Poker Calculator – How Advanced Odds Give Players Advantages and Help Win More

The Magic Holdem Poker Calculator is a Texas holdem online poker tool that automatically runs when players use their online poker software to play live poker online.  Installation is quick and easy.  The application is small and does not take up a lot of space or resources.

To learn poker, players must acquaint themselves with hand ranks, winning odds, pot odds, and out odds.  Magic Holdem Poker Calculator displays all of this information automatically as soon as the player starts his or her online poker software.

Magic Holdem’s display makes sense to the new poker player.  Odds are broken out into various windows.  If the player does not want to see a certain piece of advice, he or she can close that window.  The player can move the windows for what works best.  Use of color and graphical representation of out cards and the best hand available helps players understand everything they see during fast game play.  The odds windows convey important information without taking over the display.  

Magic Holdem Poker Calculator only works with online poker software.  Unlike other free poker odds calculators that work when the user enters the values in for cards dealt, Magic Holdem Poker Calculator only receives inputs via what is communicated in the browser window.  Magic Holdem could not be used for study purposes without a game online. 

Magic Holdem Poker Calculator works with most online poker rooms.  It will not work if the default window size for some rooms is changed.  Directions for resizing these browser windows and configuring Windows settings are available at the Magic Holdem website. 

Check to see if your primary site condones the use of odds calculators.  Many poker rooms set lists of applications that they find acceptable or not acceptable during live game play.  Most sites accept odds calculators as within the realm of fair play.  They set limits on programs that support player collusion (two or more players sharing card information during a game).  Collecting player betting information is also off limits.  Magic Holdem Poker Calculator does not collect and store data about other players.  It also does not support player collusion.   

Poker rooms also set limits on how much the odds calculator program does for the player.  Providing advice is one thing.  Playing the game for the user is another.  What poker rooms do not want to have happening is poker bots gaming them.  Most poker sites do not have a problem with Magic Holdem. 

Try a trial version of Magic Holdem Poker Calculator and compare it to a free poker odds calculator yourself.  Enjoy a year’s license free by signing up and making small deposits with partner poker sites.  These poker rooms include Titan Poker, Party Poker, Pacific Poker, Full Tilt Poker, Expekt, Mansion Poker, and Everest Poker now.  New sites that will be added soon include Red Kings Poker. 

Author

Alex Mayer is a Poker professional who shares her knowledge and Poker Room Reviews at http://www.firstpokertips.co.uk/.  Read more about the Magic Holdem Poker Calculator and find plenty more tips and strategy at the Poker blog.

Roulette Scams - Avoid Common Roulette Scams and Choose a Winning Roulette System Instead

The internet is riddled with roulette scams. These vary from genuine but misguided advice, to the downright scandalous scams that encourage you to place money using a system that is little more than pot luck, often making the roulette system's owner large amounts of money through bogus casinos.

To avoid being scammed in roulette, or any other casino game for that matter, ensure you follow a few basic checks.

• If you stumble across a new system, don't rely on the sales blurb on the website. It is very easy for false claims to be fabricated, testimonials to be created from thin air, and even for photos of winnings to be easily created using photo editing software. Check any system by doing a straightforward Google search. Read a few different opinions of it from other people on unaffiliated sites.
• Check the claims made by the system promoter. Are they substantiated?
• Contact the owner. A great test is to look for an email address on the page selling the system and send an email with a simple question. If the email isn't answered doesn't that tell you something about the reputability of the system?
• Ensure the system has a guarantee. Verify that the guarantee will be paid if you are not happy. Again the best way to do this is to write an email and check that you get a response that you are satisfied with. The reliable operators are above board and will guard their reputation strongly by offering exceptional customer service.

If you follow the advice above you will avoid roulette scams and have the opportunity to make a lot of money.

Alex Mayer is a gambling and casino industry professional from London, England. With a masters in Mathematics she offers private consultancy and advice to casino operators. Alex runs Playhard and offers a free roulette system (http://www.playhard.co.uk/best-roulette-system.php) that regularly outperforms the best paid systems.

 

How to Win at Roulette Every Time - Helpful Tips

To win at Roulette every time is a pipedream. But to win at roulette consistently over time, and to turn a regular profit is certainly possible. It takes a little common sense, a sensible strategy and the willingness to observe with a keen eye.

Roulette is, at its core, essentially a game of chance. To overcome the house odds you must follow a roulette strategy that allows you to see how to win at roulette every time you play. That means not every spin will win, but every session you play will end in profit. Systems such as the Mayer Roulette Strategy are designed exactly with this aim in mind.

To win at roulette every time there are some core guidelines and helpful tips to follow:

• Select your bets carefully: To win at roulette you need to avoid the temptation to plaster the table. House edge is around 2.7% in European roulette, so if you cover every number with chips you will lose 2.7% on each bet. Just think of each £100 bet costing you £2.70 and you will see the futility of this method if you want to learn how to win at roulette every time
• Choose a system: There are many available, but most are expensive and ineffective. Try a free roulette system instead and you have little to lose. A popular one is published by playhard.co.uk. To know how to win at roulette every time requires knowledge, a good roulette system, and the self-discipline to follow a strategy. Remember this is gaming, not gambling. You are here to win.
• Avoid roulette scams: There are thousands of systems available claiming to beat the system. Most of these are ineffective. Others are just outright roulette scams and should be avoided at all cost. Follow a reputable system with a proven track record, such as Mayer, and ask around if you are unsure.
• Use casino joining bonuses: Generally the more you deposit the first time, the higher the joining bonus, up to a limit of around 600. Getting the bonus won't necessarily help you win, but it means you can play with someone else's money. Used properly a joining bonus acts as leverage and can increase winnings substantially.

Follow the helpful tips above and you will enjoy roulette more, and you will learn how to win every time at roulette. Every session is a new one, and you must use each game to turn a profit.

Alex Mayer is a gambling and casino industry professional from London, England. With a masters in Mathematics she offers private consultancy and advice to casino operators.

Alex runs Playhard and offers a free roulette system, (http://www.playhard.co.uk/best-roulette-system.php)  that regularly outperforms the best paid systems.

Poker Tips For Texas Hold Em – Top 10 Tips And Tricks For Beginners

Texas Hold em is one of the most popular versions of poker. This article provides 10 poker tips for Texas Hold Em designed to improve the amateur poker player’s game.

1) The first poker tip for Texas Hold em is to ensure you assess the table position correctly at the start of a hand. What is your position in the round of betting? If you are near the beginning don’t bet too aggressively – you have not had the opportunity to assess other player’s hands.
2) Be aware of the number of people at the table and judge your hand accordingly. A Queen, 10 is quite a good hand if there are 2 or 3 players; less so if there are 10 of you, when other players will probably be holding Kings or Aces.
3) Make the most of strong hands. If you hold a pair of Aces you are favorite (though not guaranteed) to win the hand. So get as much money as you can in the pot early on – raise before the flop. The same principle applies in different degrees with other strong hands.
4) When you see the flop, turn or river, re-assess your hand carefully. Make decisions based on what has actually happened. You will always be hoping for certain cards – have any of these come out? If not, you need to consider whether you should stay in the hand.
5) When a new card is introduced, think about the hands your opponents might have. If you hold a pair of Kings and the flop shows an Ace you need to consider the possibility that another player has just made a better pair. Look for possible flushes and straights.
6) Don’t make current bets based on the amount of money you have in the pot. The cards on the table change probabilities. You should not desperately throw good money after bad. Part of being a great poker player is being able to throw away strong hands that will lose.
7) Conversely, when you are confident you have the best hand, you need to get as much money as possible into the pot. Choose your bets carefully – raising too much will induce folding but if you don’t raise enough you won’t maximize your winnings. This is an art and you must assess the player and their likely hand.
8) Observe betting patterns at each round to assess other player’s likely hands. If there is an Ace on the flop a raise might indicate the player is holding an Ace (but beware of bluffers).
9) Don’t bluff too much as a beginner. People will regularly challenge you and you will get found out very quickly.
10) The final poker tip for Texas Hold em is to ensure you assess each player on the table. Are they passive or aggressive? Observe play even when you have folded - when a player shows his cards think about his actions.

Alex Mayer is a poker professional from London, England. Whe shares her deep Poker expertise via the First Poker Tips website and is currently offering a 100% FREE WSOP entry on her FirstPokerTips site.