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Poker hands

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:15:22 +0000

A hand in poker can mean any of the following:

A unit of play consisting of a deal, one or more rounds of betting, and possibly a showdown.
A set of five cards with a certain value. For example, the hand A♥ 10♥ 9♥ 5♥ 3♥ is a "flush", a hand that is valuable because each card is of the same suit.
A player's set of non-communal cards.

The second and third definitions are often used interchangeably. For example, in Texas hold 'em, a player holding A♣ K♠, with a board of A♥ K♣ K♦ 7♠ 3♦, might say, "my hand is ace-king". However, his best 5-card hand (the portion of the hand which determines value) is the kings-over-aces full house.

Lottery in Canada

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:37:48 +0000

The first lottery in Canada was Quebec's Inter-Loto in 1970. Other provinces and regions introduced their own lotteries through the 1970s, and the federal government ran Loto Canada (originally the Olympic Lottery) for several years starting in the late 1970s to help recoup the expenses of the 1976 Summer Olympics. Lottery wins are generally not subject to Canadian tax, but may be taxable in other jurisdictions, depending on the residency of the winner.[2]

Backgammon rules

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Paths of movement for red and black, with checkers in the starting position

Backgammon is a simple game with deep strategic elements. It does not take long to learn to play, although obscure situations do arise which require careful interpretation of the rules. The playing time for each individual game is short, so it is often played in matches, for example the first to five points. Game and match are used in Backgammon to refer to these distinct elements, as in, "I won two games in a row, but then she won three in a row and I lost the match, three points to two."

Blackjack basic strategy

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:38:06 +0000

As in all casino games, the house has a statistical advantage over the players that will play itself out in the long run. But because blackjack, unlike other games, has an element of player choice, players can actually reduce the casino advantage to a small percentage by playing what is known as basic strategy. This strategy determines when to hit and when to stand, and also determines when doubling down or splitting is the correct action. Basic strategy is based on the player's point total and the dealer's visible card. There are slight variations in basic strategy depending on the exact house rules and the number of decks used. Under the most favorable conditions (single deck, downtown Las Vegas rules), the house advantage over a basic strategy player can be as low as 0.16%. Indeed, casinos offering special rules like surrender and double-after-split may actually be offering a positive expectation to basic strategy players; they are counting on players making mistakes to make money.

Bingo culture

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:17:02 +0000

A typical bingo dauber or bingo marker, which is commonly used by bingo players at bingo halls across the U.S.

Canadian and American games often have multiple bingos — for example, the players may first play for a single line, then after that is called continue playing for a full card, then for a consolation full card.

Gambling on horse races

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:13:20 +0000

Tokyo Racecourse in Tokyo, Japan.

One of the most widespread forms of gambling involves betting on horse races, most commonly on races between thoroughbreds or between standard breds.

Compulsive gambling

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:53:59 +0000

Compulsive gambling is an urge or addiction to gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. A preferred term among many professionals is problem gambling, as few people described by the term experience true compulsions in the clinical sense of the word. Problem gambling often is defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others rather than by the gambler's behavior. Severe problem gambling may be diagnosed as clinical pathological gambling if the gambler meets certain criteria.

Beginner's luck

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:23:27 +0000

When someone with limited experience achieves better than expected results it is referred to as beginner's luck. The term is most often used in reference to a first attempt in sport or gambling. For example, if Mike beats veteran golf player Joe in his first game, Joe might attribute this to beginner's luck. Beginner's luck is also be applicable to non-sporting activities. For example, if Susan takes first prize in her first ever baking contest, she might have had beginner's luck. The term is also used when no skill whatsoever is involved such as a first-time slot machine player winning the jackpot.

"Laying" an outcome

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:13:29 +0000

Exchanges also offer the opportunity to lay outcomes, which is to bet that a particular participant in an event will lose. This is the position bookmakers take when offering a bet for somebody to back that the participant will win.

For example, if someone thinks Team A will win a competition, he may wish to back that selection. A bookmaker offering the punter that bet would be laying that selection. The two parties will agree the backer's stake and the odds. If the team loses, the layer/bookmaker keeps the backer's stake. If the team wins, the layer will pay the backer winnings based on the odds agreed.

Casino games

nicolae@sfetcu.com (Administrator) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:47:24 +0000

Games available in most casinos are commonly called casino games. In a casino game, the players gamble casino chips on various possible random outcomes or combinations of outcomes. Casino games are available in online casinos, where permitted by law. Casino games can also be played outside of casinos for entertainment purposes, some on machines that simulate gambling.