Tricks and Tips for those Games of Chance and Rare Skill – Poker, Blackjack, etc.

As I write this (there are three playoff games tonight) – the favorites in the 2005 NBA playoffs are 12-4 against the spread. Even though the line is supposed to make a bet a 50/50 prop, you know where to place your money. Sacramento, Miami, Phoenix……looks like safe money to me.

Back in the old days, the days when I was an instructor in philosophy at an engineering university, I built a reputation for making hard things seem simple. And I was also one of th efirst people to use the internet to publish things like FAQs (Frequently asked questions) and those kinds of things. Then [...]

If you’ve never played poker in a casino – or a cardroom, even, it might be a bit daunting. Maybe you’ve got a lot of online experience under yourbelt but are a bit anxious to look like a complete beginner when you walk in. Here’s what to expect: Tables, players at tables, dealers (unless it’s [...]

The first time you show up to the casino to play some poker, you’ll probably be anxious. You’ll probably have a few hours of online poker under your belt, but it’s still a bit unnerving for someone who’s never stared an opponent down over a large pot. Obviously you should have a plan towards your [...]

If you are slightly more experienced with the casino, but definitely not to the level of comfort where you can read your opponents, I’ll expand the play table I introduced. Using the same conventions as in the other post: When you have these hands: Bet this way: AA KK 99 88 AJs ATs Check (Limp) [...]

There is a romanticized notion of poker being a game where it takes little to cull money from any number of other “fish” playing the game. But just like everything else that’s romaticized, real poker ain’t the movies. And it especially isn’t like on TV. If you watch a lot of TV and see those [...]

Once you get the hang of the odds of your hand actually coming through, you need to then work out the pot odds. The pot odds are not strictly statistical odds as much as they are a ration of the amount of money you stand to win versus the odds of your hand winning the [...]

Remember when I said not to play for the inside straight? That’s actually only true if you’ve never played for money before. If you’re a rank beginner. The best way to get past beginner, though, is to be able to calculate your hand odds. (I wouldn’t try bringing a calculator to the casino table, but [...]

I’m sure you already know the rankings of each hand. You know, Royal Flush beats a straight flush beats four of a kind beats a full house, etc. But you should be aware of the odds at hand. Consider this: You’ve got an A8. I have 99. The flop comes up A 8 9. You [...]

I think everyone’s seen what happened at Fenway Park. And It’s a perfect illustration as why I absolutely 100% prefer horseracing to sports gambling. Humans aren’t really as involved in horseracing as they are in any other sport. That’s why. Sure, every once in a while some yay-hoo gets the Oaklawn Park Special and wanders [...]