It would be a grave mistake to assume that a team with an average record is playing for nothing. Many teams play hard throughout the season, because they have a shot at the NCAA tournament even if they are low in the conference. Another fallacy that kills sports bettors is betting NCAA basketball like it’s the NBA. You have to remember that NCAA basketball is comprised of young adults, typically 18-21. Most don’t possess the ability to perform at a high level, to think under pressure and to rise to the occasion against all odds.

While colleges fill their basketball teams with the best talent they have available, that does not mean the team will have even one really good player. Some programs out there are just plain bad. Only a small sample of players at the college level will be drafted by the NBA. Most are just street balers going through their college years. College basketball players are more susceptible to emotional swings than NBA players. For this reason, you must pay attention to any recent news and events swirling around the team.

For those that don’t already know, college basketball works on the spread system. For example, let’s say you have UCLA playing at Duke and Duke is -8. You have two options. You can take Duke and lay the 8 points, which means Duke must win by more than 8 for you to win—8 is a tie and only wins on some parlay cards. Your other option is to take UCLA and the 8 points. As long as UCLA win or does not lose by more than 7, you win. If they lose by 8, you tie.

College basketball betting also features the totals line. Not every game played will have a totals line at every sports book. The totals line is the total number of points scored by both participants at an event. For example, if the totals line was 130, you could bet the over or the under. Take the over and you want both teams to combine for 130 or more points. Take the under and you want both teams to combine for 130 or fewer points. Totals lines in college basketball can be both profitable and tricky at the same time.

College basketball can be extremely profitable. To be a long-term winner, it’s important that you not only understand the game of basketball, but the college scene as well. Spend time looking for news and information about the team and players. Is there a scandal at the school? Did the team just come off of a miracle win? Events can swing college basketball greatly. Players are more apt to be swung by emotions. Good luck on the hardwood.

College Basketball Betting is a post from: Online Casino Blog

Poker chips get handled, tossed and raked by everyone at the table. It’s at this time when poker chips tend to pick up not only body oils from the players hands and fingers, but also tiny bits of food and beverages always present at a poker game. After repeated exposure to these conditions, poker chips can begin to change in appearance. The buildup of oils and food particles which get deposited during play will turn any shiny poker chip turn into a grimy token no one wants to pick up.

If your poker chips are beginning to offend your senses, then it’s most definitely time to clean them. Just how you clean them comes down to personal preference, but there are a few general guidelines you can follow to keep your poker chips in pristine fashion, without damaging the chips. Please note that the following suggestions do not cover the cleaning of vintage poker chips. You are advised to seek out a qualified professional to clean vintage poker chips.

Although the choice in cleaning supplies seems limitless, when it comes to cleaning poker chips your choices are considerably narrowed down for you. In fact, there are three very important properties that your chosen poker chip cleanser must possess before it can be considered for use. To prevent damage to your poker chips, make your choice wisely.

When choosing the cleanser you intend to use, it’s important to remember the cleanser must pass the following three very crucial criteria:

Removes Grime Buildup. The cleanser should be able to remove the aforementioned body oils and food particles adequately.

Leaves Ink Intact. The last thing you want is to remove the ink from your poker chips while cleaning. Be sure the cleanser isn’t harsh enough to dissolve ink.

Leaves Poker Chips Hydrated. It may sound a little strange, but poker chips do need a certain level of moisture left in them, or they will become brittle. Avoid using agents such as rubbing alcohol, as it can remove ink and dry out your poker chips.

Some of the cleansers that veteran poker players use to clean their poker chips are mild hand dishwashing detergent, Sterling Magic and Armor All Multi-Purpose Cleaner. When using the Armor All, be sure you get the multi purpose cleaner and not the Armor All tire cleaner or other Armor All products as they will damage your poker chips. Another popular cleanser to use is called Quick’n'Brite. When used properly, all the above mentioned cleansers will clean your poker chips without any harmful side effects.

When cleaning poker chips, it’s best to use a very soft-bristled baby toothbrush, or a very soft cotton towel. Pay special attention to protecting the center design. Try keeping your thumb over the center of the poker chip while using the toothbrush around the outer edge.

Rinse the poker chips in a bowl of water and wipe them dry with a soft towel or terry cloth. After a good gentle cleaning, you can add extra shine by giving them a dip in baby oil to restore luster. As always, due diligence is required by testing your cleaning method on one poker chip to see if you get the desired results.

Clay Poker Chips: Free Cleaning Tips is a post from: Online Casino Blog

Loose
The loose player is someone you need to watch out for. They are characterized by their inexperience and usually play a lot of hands. Seemingly, the loose player is always in the thick of the poker game. Even with a poor hand, he will play until the very end of the game hoping to get some luck with his cards. If you play very aggressive with decent cards, exploiting a loose player shouldn’t be that difficult. Most likely, a loose player will likely reward your efforts.

Aggressive loose
An aggressive loose player raises the pot with nothing and bets no matter what card he has. He always calls bluff at every opportunity and is talkative and brimming with over-confidence. Don’t get egoistical around an aggressive-loose player. And don’t fall into the trap of playing his game and calling his bets just to expose the weakness of his game. When you have the cards to do so, attack them.

Tight
Compared to an aggressive player, a tight player folds at every hand and waits for pocket Aces. They can easily be lured by a bluff. However, when they see signs of intimidation, they fold. Be cautious, however, if they don’t fold.

Aggressive Tight
These type of players are extremely cocky. Until the aggressive tight player gets a good hand, he will opt to fold several times. When he plays his cards, he tends to play like a loose player. He has knowledge of how to get more money for his strong cards. Likewise, he knows how to take it easy and let the other players on the table do battle when his cards are not good enough. You might be in a bit of luck if you are successful in bluffing an aggressive-tight player into a hand. Don’t allow yourself to be played by an Aggressive Tight player.

These are just a few examples of the general classifications of the type of poker players you may encounter at an online poker table. Remember. when you are playing poker, you are playing the personality of your opponent more than your card. Master these styles and quickly identify these players during your poker game.

Classifications Of Poker Players is a post from: Online Casino Blog

The Reds presently sit 4 games behind the high flying Cardinals, but have a good shot at snaring the wild card for finishing with the fourth best record in the NL. General Manager, Wayne Krivsky, realized that his inept bullpen needed an overhaul and he has addressed that need.

Cincinnati gets Washington’s Gary Majewski, who has already logged 55 innings in the first half, and Bill Bray, a former first round draft pick of the Montreal Expos. Besides the right-handed Majewski and lefty Bray, the Reds acquired shortstop Royce Clayton, infielder Brendan Harris and pitching prospect Daryl Thompson. The 36-year-old Clayton, who will take over as shortstop for Felipe Lopez, made his first All-Star team last year.

Headed to Washington is the aforementioned Lopez and slugger Austin Kearns. The Reds also gave up reliever Ryan Wagner a first-round draft pick in 2003. National’s general manager Jim Bowden acquired all three players when he ran the Reds. Kearns, one of the team’s building blocks during Bowden’s 11-year run in Cincinnati, was soaking in a whirlpool Thursday when he got called into the manager’s office for a private meeting.

The 26-year-old Majewski was 3-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 46 games. He led the Nationals with 79 appearances last season and had a 2.93 ERA. The 23-year-old Bray was the 13th overall pick in the June 2004 draft and was considered one of the Nationals’ top pitching prospects. He was 1-1 with a 3.91 ERA in 19 relief appearances this season, his first in the majors.

Kearns was hitting .274 with 16 homers and 50 RBIs. He became a fixture in right field after Krivsky traded outfielder Wily Mo Pena to Boston in March for starter Bronson Arroyo who represented the Reds in the All-Star game.

Lopez is hitting .268 with nine homers and 30 RBIs, but has occasionally failed to make the routine play. The Reds are second-to-last in the NL in-fielding.

Making the routine plays all the time and getting quality middle relief should put the Reds in position to challenge the Cards who have struggled all year with injuries.

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Cincinnati Gives Bettors Food For Thought! is a post from: Online Casino Blog

Safety

By safety it is meant as to how safe is it to move money in and out of the poker room. Take this into account first and foremost whenever trying out an online poker room. Since the industry is not heavily regulated by governing bodies and is mostly self-regulated you need to know you can trust the poker room you choose to handle your money.

For this reason it is best to stick with poker rooms that have established themselves in the industry and have built a solid player base. Poker rooms such as Paradise Poker, Absolute Poker, PokerRoom.com and Party Poker have proven to be stable online poker rooms that are going to be around for the long haul. All of these poker rooms not only have proven to be reliable, but have also not rested on their past accomplishments. Each of these poker rooms also has a 3rd party check their poker algorithm to make sure it is working properly and deals fair hands time and time again. This quality check makes sure these poker rooms remain at the industry forefront.

Quality

Quality can mean different things to different people when discussing online poker rooms. In this case it refers to a couple different things. Here it is referring to software quality. Choosing an online poker room which is satisfying visually, in game play, and in reliability is important. Most online poker rooms now offer versions of their software to download and try out playing with play money before commiting to playing for real money.

Gambling Guru recommends choosing a room which is satisfying visually in order to maximize the online poker playing experience. Some rooms take extra steps to make the table seem more life like. For example poker rooms such as Pokerroom.com have added people as avatars to their tables. Other rooms such as Paradise Poker do not have people at their tables, but have added options where a player can order a drink or snack from a menu. This is something that personally keeps players entertained, however so slightly, while waiting in between hands.

Another option to balance into the equation is the quality of the game play. Make sure that the room choosen offers all of the features you need to make game play fun and easy. Decide if it is easy to follow the action going on at the table. Some rooms such as Pokerroom.com highlight the player whose turn it is to act. This seems obvious, but some rooms don’t offer this option. The player must keep track of the action in the chat dialogue box. If however, you are playing multiple tables, then you may want to be able to quickly click back and forth between tables and find out where the action is visually without having to scroll through a chat box to find out.

Finally, take into account software and server reliability. This is listed third here, but may be the most important factor in choosing an online poker room. It is definitely no fun to have to be constantly disconnected from the room during play, especially when a crucial decision must be made. If you find you must battle this problem often with your online poker room it will add additional stress to the online poker experience.

Comfort

Most importantly you need to feel comfortable with the poker room you have chosen. This means you must take every element from above into consideration and decide if the online poker room you have chosen is right for you. If you don’t feel comfortable with the poker room in any of the above categories then I would suggest finding a new place to play online poker. Whether you are logging on to play for poker for fun or to try to make a career out of playing online poker, you need to have confidence in the poker room to deliver your money, deliver answers to your questions quickly and accurately, and deliver an enjoyable playing experience.

If you would like more information regarding online poker rooms that Gambling Guru supports, you can read our Poker Reviews at http://www.gambling-guru.com/poker_reviews.php.

Choosing the Right Online Poker Room is a post from: Online Casino Blog

These recommended sports gambling sites have available management. The general manager or other management people are available for you to talk to. They have enough clerks and supervisors working during the busy periods and the sportsbook online betting capability doesn’t bog down close to game time. The hours of operation are flexible. They are open seven days a week, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

Sports gambling is a game of skill. The challenge is to gather and analyze as much information as you can about a game, weigh the probabilities of each team winning, and subsequently compare your opinion to the odds makers. Make the right judgment and you win.

Take advantage of early season point spread and money line value before the odds makers have had a chance to catch up with which teams are hot and which teams are not. During the early part of a season, look for teams that are playing much better or worse than expected to get your best value. Many novice handicappers concentrate on how a team performed the previous year, but in this era of salary cap constraints and constant roster turnover, teams never perform at the same level in two consecutive years. In addition, teams that performed well the previous year are no longer a good value because you are laying a much higher price with them, especially at the beginning of the next season. Start your handicapping analysis before the season starts so you’ll be ready to take full advantage of the first few weeks of the season.

In sports gambling, you have the advantage of streamlining your research, which is something the sportsbooks are not at liberty to do. They must keep on top of every sport and every game. The best way to win money at sports gambling is to develop a niche and follow it closely. If you become an expert on a smaller conference you have a good chance to beat the house because the sportsbook operators do not have the time or resources to follow this conference the way you can. There is a wealth of information on the Internet; it is just up to you to find it and research it daily.

In conclusion, while luck may be a deciding factor in the outcome of any single game, and will inevitably go against you on occasion, it will balance out in the long run. Being a consistent winner in sports gambling is not about luck but whether you are prepared to invest the time and effort to become knowledgeable about the sports games you bet on, whether you can weigh all the factors in a cool, objective fashion, and whether you adopt a consistent, disciplined, long-term approach to your sports gambling. Do all these and you will come out a winner. Remember, it’s you against the odds maker, not the bookmaker.

Choosing the Best Sports Gambling Sites is a post from: Online Casino Blog

But since there are so many poker rooms available in the cyberspace, one might find himself a bit confused when he has to choose on which poker room he’ll spend his precious pastime. This is why I wrote this article- to help you to organize your thoughts, needs and preferences and to help you with choosing the best poker room for you.

Before you open an account in one of the poker rooms that you can find on the net, you should ask yourself few questions. Some of those questions should deal with your money limits and the types of poker that you’re interested in, your budget, your gaming quality and who are your preferred opponents (amateur or experienced players) and of course the reliability and integrity of the poker room.

After you established a list of guidelines and things that are important to you, you should start looking for good poker rooms. First, ask for recommendations from friends or colleagues who have experience with online casinos and poker rooms. Ask them about their favorite websites, about their experience and if they can advise you on which poker rooms you should avoid and which rooms you should check out.

Another important place that you should investigate in is the Internet search engines. Try to run a search on several keywords like poker online or poker rooms and then take some time to read reviews about specific rooms that you found in your search. Most of the reviews websites provide detailed information about the major poker rooms. Take some time to browse through those sites and read about the rooms that you found interesting. Pay attention to what other players wrote about the chosen websites.

After you minimized your list and kept only those poker rooms that you life, start with the final phase of the process: go to the actual websites and check them out. Browse through the sites and read what they offer to the players. Check out the games and variations that they offer, the money deposit options and their customer service. Only then try to play in the flash or java version (if there is such an option) or in the other free options, and if you are satisfied with that, open an account and start playing for real money.

Playing in online poker rooms can be an exciting experience, but in order to prevent disappointments, try to run a serious check before you start deposing money, because your time and money are precious.

Choosing the Best Poker Room is a post from: Online Casino Blog

Some online casino players ignore casino bonuses. They believe that casino bonuses are not real. They believe that offering casino bonuses is just a method of online casinos to strip more money from the players. And they already had an experience with casino bonuses which left a bad taste in their mouth. The reason for their negative opinion is that there are numerous so-called online casinos that offer deceptive bonuses.

Yet, there are casino players who love the bonuses offered by online casinos. These players come back again and again to a certain online casino because of the bonuses offered by this particular online casino. These players have become loyal to the online casinos. Obviously, these players have chosen the credible online casinos that offer real bonuses.

Players, therefore, must carefully choose the online casinos that they sign up with. The players should not be just lured in by the bonuses. If the casino bonuses are real, then the player is lucky. But if the casino bonuses are deceptive, there is practically nothing that the player can do to recover his money from the disreputable online casino.

How does a player choose bonuses that are real? There are two major things that a player must check out before he decides to avail of the casino bonuses.

The first thing to check out is the license of the online casinos. The online casino that offers bonuses should be fully-licensed in the country or state where it operates. Some states have banned online casinos and if an online casino reports to have their main location in that such a State, then the online casino is fraudulent. To determine if an online casino has the right credentials, a player may check the “About Us” page or contact the online casino itself and ask for the information. If the online casino is hesitant about giving such information, it may be fake.

The second thing to check out is the customer support service of the online casino. This customer support should be always available to the player, twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. Reputable online casinos have a customer support service such as this. These online casinos believe in keeping their clientele, the online casino players, happy and satisfied.

To find out about the quality of customer support, a player must find and test the contact numbers of the online casino. The customer support service is supposed to help players to cash out their bonuses. If the support lines are not available, then the online casino may be either fake or incapable of giving casino bonuses.

Choosing Casino Bonuses is a post from: Online Casino Blog

Let’s assume that online casino is a product and you want to buy it. So, what do you do? You will go out there and do some researching (maybe it is one of the reasons you are reading this article here, mate?), you compare the prizes, you may even try some of them out and register play money account.

Some casinos offer free casino cash (or no deposit bonuses, as some say) for new players, so they could try the casino out. I recommend you to watch out with that kind of bonuses. Those offers exist only because there are plenty of players who come back for more after they have spent their bonus money.

After you have selected best prizes – I assume that your choice was affected by the number of sign-up bonus percentage and by the payout rate – you have the most difficult task waiting for you. You have to find out which one of these online casinos is the most reputable one. I mean, 99% of online casinos is operated by offshore companies which means that if one of them rips you off, there’s almost nothing you can do about it. Except crying in watchdog forums and hoping for a miracle.

Did I mention online casino watchdogs? Yes, there are plenty of them out there and all of them have online casino blacklists. If you go through some of them, you pretty soon notice some kind of a pattern there…

If you are looking for extra safety and guarantees, you should keep reading. Some online casino webmasters (I am one of them) offer their visitors extra guarantee – if player decides to choose online casino through their site, gambles there, wins some, but online casinos refuses to pay them – these webmasters guarantee to pay back player’s last deposit from their own pocket. Of course, there is an exception, if webmaster finds out if the player has cheated. Believe me, it is a huge extra work for a webmaster to offer this bonus, but is rewarding for all sides of the business.

If you consider yourself high roller, you like to bet big and you play long hours, do not hesitate to contact online casino webmasters, who invited you to play or casino itself, because there is a possibility that you can get extra bonuses and comp points for playing there. If they are not willing to spoil you… well, to hell with them, there are plenty of places who care about you! Good luck!

Choosing Best Online Casino Is Difficult But Rewarding is a post from: Online Casino Blog

Which casino should you play at? There are so many out there, that you really do not know which one is the right one for you. The prospect of becoming an online gambler excites you along with winning some serious money, but you are cautious and want to choose carefully.

Detailed below are 10 critical questions that you should ask (and get answers to) before signing up with a particular casino.

1. What type of casino games interest me?

You will need to decide what type of game you want to play. There are literally dozens of casino games on offer from favourites such as blackjack, roulette, video poker, craps and slots to games that are not immediately associated with casino gambling such as bingo, lotteries, sports betting or skill gaming. Then of course there are specialist sites dedicated to just poker, where you can choose from a multitude of different game variations from Texas Hold’em to 7-Card Stud.

2. What kind of licences does the casino have?

There are two of particularly importance – a software licence and a jurisdiction licence. All online casinos use third-party gaming software, such as CryptoLogic, Boss Media and Microgaming – 3 of the best in the industry. In order to use this software, the casinos are required to sign long-term contracts that can cost many thousands of pounds, so you can be sure that these casino operators have long-term stable businesses. The most reputable online casinos also have a jurisdiction licence from where they operate, the most well known being Kahnawake in Canada. This means that the country of jurisdiction will be able to independently audit the payouts and ensure that the casino adheres to their strict rules.

3. What kind of security measures does the casino utilise?

This is of critical importance. You will be providing the casino with personal and sensitive banking data, so you need to make sure that it is able to handle this information over a secure connection. 128-bit SSL encryption achieves this is and is impenetrable to a potential hacker.

4. How long has the casino been in operation?

If the casino has been operating for 5 years or more, you can be reasonably sure that it is reputable.

5. What type of payment and withdrawal methods does the casino employ?

Some of the most common payment methods are NeTeller, FirePay, credit card and bank transfer. Make sure that the casino offers a payment method that satisfies you. Also of critical importance are the withdrawal methods available. What are they and how quickly can you receive your winnings? Are there any withdrawal charges? These are all critical questions.

6. What is the casino’s privacy policy?

Carefully read the privacy policy before handing over any personal or banking information including your e-mail address. You will want to make sure that the casino will not distribute any sensitive information to third parties. You most certainly do not want to get bombarded with spam.

7. What customer support options does the casino offer?

Customer support should be available 24:7:365 and be contactable by phone, fax, e-mail and live chat. This is a very good sign and it indicates honesty and a readiness to resolve any issues that may arise.

8. What type of starting or welcome bonus is on offer?

Look for a casino that offers a good welcome bonus and does not have a high wagering requirement (the amount that you must gamble before being able to cash-out). There are three basic types of welcome bonus offered by the casinos: a fixed bonus – triggered by a predefined minimum deposited by you; a matching bonus – usually a percentage of the amount that you deposit up to a pre-defined maximum; and occasionally a no-deposit bonus – requiring no initial deposit by you.

9. What type of loyalty programme does the casino operate?

If you intend to gamble on a regular basis, then finding a casino that rewards regular play is important. Often termed VIP or Comp programmes, they can come in different guises. Read the details carefully and compare it to other casino loyalty programmes.

10. What type of playing guides does the casino have?

The best online casinos not only provide a systematic guide to help you get started playing at the casino but also provide comprehensive individual game guides that teach you the basics of the most common games. Read these guides carefully and make sure that they are helpful and understandable to you.

Choosing An Online Casino – 10 Key Questions Beginners Must Ask is a post from: Online Casino Blog