Add in all the made-for-television games like Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker and The Big Game, and man, that’s a lot of poker!

There is one other event that I always try to play, the $10,000 buy-in heads-up tournament at the Los Angeles Poker Classic. What’s fun about this tourney is that it features a unique double-elimination format — lose two matches and you’re toast.

In 2008, with 110 players signed up to play, I got lucky and randomly drew a first round bye. But in the second round, I had to face the always-tough and well-respected pro Erick “E-Dog” Lindgren, that year’s WSOP Player of the Year and an all-around great guy, too.

In the second hand of our match, with the blinds at $100/$200, I limped in on the button with Q-3 offsuit. Erick raised $300 and I called.

The flop came K-7-5. Erick fired out $600. Attempting to bluff E-Dog out of the pot, I made it $2,600 to go. Didn’t work, though, he called.

Another king fell on the turn. Erick checked this time, probably wary of my raise on the flop. Continuing my bluff, I bet $1,800 and Erick called again.

The river was a ten and Erick checked. I studied for a while then decided to check, too.

Wow, good thing I didn’t try to bluff on the river as E-Dog rolled over K-10 for a big full house.

Let’s take a closer look at this hand.

I don’t mind my pre-flop call for $300. My $2,000 raise on the flop was a decent play although it certainly didn’t work out as planned. I’m pretty sure that my bluff would have done the trick if E-Dog was weak, but that just wasn’t the case.

On the turn, I like my $1,800 bluff bet. It was designed to deliver the deceptive message that I had a king and wanted a call. Also, it afforded me the opportunity to continue bluffing on the river.

I love my check on the river. I mean, c’mon, it was the only move that worked to my benefit in this hand!

E-Dog, you played the match like a true champion.

When I was down to my last $5,000, a less experienced player might have eased up, or conversely, might have played recklessly. But Erick never let me back into the match. He played fiercely until he had the victory in hand.

Of course, I didn’t make it easy for him. It’s important to play your best right up until the end because you just never know when a run of good cards will come your way.

One more tip: You’ve got to be willing to change your heads-up tactics depending on how your opponent plays his cards.

My preference is to play patiently and trap a super-aggressive opponent by letting them do the betting. And when I do catch a strong hand, I’ll make a small bet to induce a call. But if my opponent plays tight, I’ll try a few well-timed bluffs. In fact, I might bluff every single pot until he finally calls me down.

Heads-up poker requires flexibility, imagination, and well-timed aggression. Keep that in mind the next time you get to down to the final two.

The International Slots League has long been a fan favourite amongst online slots enthusiasts, and now with the introduction of four new tournaments to take part in, this popularity is set to continue. Each new tournament offers exciting ways to win incredible rewards. These tournament types are Extender, One-Shot, Reloader and Survivor.

The Extender tournament is one in which players build up a score using add-ons to extend their base score. In this tournament, the highest score will win. The One-Shot tournament gives players only one attempt in which to get the best possible score; with no re-buys or add-ons, the ante in this fast-paced game is exceptionally high. The Reloader tournament gives all players equal footing just like a lottery, it is a single-round tournament and there are no add-ons allowed. The final tournament type is the Survivor tournament, which has multi-round elimination tournaments to play in.

New additional guaranteed tournaments also introduced include the Midweek Moolah, Weekend Whopper and The Monthly Monster. With guaranteed prize pools of $25,000 players will have ample opportunity to walk away a winner.

All interested slots fans are encouraged to play in the International Slots League for advanced slots gaming and live tournaments at their fingertips. Players simply need to register a casino account at Platinum Play Online Casino or any of the other Fortune Lounge Casinos and become a part of the fastest-growing slots community online.

Jay Leno & Barney Frank quickly turned their visit into a debate when Frank started pointing out that the government was wasting a huge opportunity to help ease the economic hardship our country is going through by regulating and taxing online gambling. Frank went on to say “We now make it illegal for adults to gamble via the internet”, “If you have someone who wants to play online poker on the internet, the government says its illegal. Why we think it’s the governments business is beyond me, we could make billions a year by legalizing online gambling and taxing it”.

It was very apparent that the audience was behind Mr. Frank and should show their support but Mr. Leno was quick to disagree by saying that live gambling is acceptable because it’s not readily available. Leno went on to say, “Vegas works because you have to travel across a desert to get there, you lose your money and then go home. You can’t go to the casino again until you have more money. If you are sitting at home and your up late at night and have your little credit card with you, next thing you know… it’s like having a mini bar”.

Barney Frank shot Leno’s argument down quickly by stating that there are casinos all over the country, not just out across the desert. He explained that HR 2267 excludes the use of credit cards to gamble with and only allows deposits through debit cards and prepaid cards, which will make it impossible for gamblers to gamble with cash they don’t have.

The conversation then changed to education and legalization of marijuana but Mr. Frank ended his bit with a recap of his argument and a major point, “As a general rule, our government should not be trying to live the lives of its citizens.

Gambling revenue in Macau, the world’s biggest casino hub, rose 40 percent to 15.8 billion patacas ($2 billion) in August after SJM Holdings Ltd. and its rivals added tables for high-stakes gamblers.

Revenue for the six operators in the only Chinese city where casinos are legal surged 63 percent from a year earlier to 117.9 billion patacas in the eight months through August, according to Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.

The revenue growth in August is the slowest this year and in line with a forecast made by CLSA Ltd. earlier this month. Wynn Macau Ltd., Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. and other casino operators have increased revenue from so-called VIP gamblers after boosting the number of baccarat tables with minimum bets of 10,000 patacas or higher.

“A slight moderation in the growth momentum of Macau’s gross casino revenue would probably be a healthy thing at this point,” independent industry consultant Jonathan Galaviz said late yesterday. “A significant real-estate market downturn is likely in China, and its ultimate effect on Macau would be pronounced.”

SJM, which has the greatest market share of the former Portuguese colony’s casino operators, said revenue from VIP gamblers more than doubled in the first half. Wynn Macau, the Hong Kong-listed unit of Wynn Resorts Inc., said revenue from high rollers rose 80 percent in the same period.

‘Robust’ Revenue Trend

SJM fell 0.1 percent to HK$7.42 at 12:50 p.m. in Hong Kong trading and has gained 73 percent this year. Wynn Macau has climbed 41 percent this year, compared with a 4.5 percent decline for the benchmark Hang Seng Index.

“Macau gaming revenues will continue to be strong throughout 2010 from a year-on-year growth perspective, despite a modest cooling of the Chinese economy,” David Katz, an analyst at Jefferies & Co. in New York, said in a note to investors yesterday. “Revenue trends in Macau should remain robust but coming up against challenging comparisons in the near term.”

Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson in June predicted Macau casino sales will grow more than 30 percent in the second half. Gambling revenue for the city’s casino operators surged 67 percent in the six months through June.

Tourism Surges

Macau surpassed the Las Vegas Strip as the world’s biggest gambling hub in 2006, after the government ended Stanley Ho’s four-decade gambling monopoly and allowed foreign operators including Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Inc. and MGM Resorts International. The three Las Vegas-based casino companies compete in Macau with Ho’s SJM, Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. and Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd., all based in Hong Kong.

Tourist arrivals in Macau increased 18 percent in the first half, with visitor numbers from China surging 27 percent, according to government data.

Galaxy, part-owned by Permira Advisers LLP, plans to invest an additional HK$800 million ($103 million) to accelerate construction of a Macau casino resort to tap the gambling boom, Chairman Lui Che Woo said in Hong Kong Aug. 31.

The company also said Aug. 31 that first-half earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose 91 percent to HK$990 million. SJM’s first-half net income rose more than fourfold to HK$1.57 billion, the company said Aug. 30.

This follows an announcement by the board last week that those involved in promoting, transacting or operating an online platform would feel the full weight of the law.

Regulators are apparently zeroing in on many operators based outside South Africa which are targeting local punters. These include casino and lottery operators in Swaziland and Europe, whose clients move money into offshore accounts without complying with foreign exchange regulations.

Brent Graham, who operates the Good For The Game online sports betting news portal, told Fin24 there had been a great deal of uncertainty in the market following the announcement last week. This included the sports betting industry.

“As I understand it, this won’t affect bookmakers with local licences taking online sports bets,” he said.

Graham pointed out that bookmakers offering online sports betting had to comply with strict regulations from their local gambling boards, including what software they use. This was conditional to licences being issued. Licences are still being granted.

The National Gambling Board stated: “South African gamblers shall be held liable for their gambling activities in cyberspace even if the web server is located offshore.

“Banking institutions’ credit and debit cards should not be used for the payment of any gambling transactions that are illegal, and the banks reserve the right to decline processing or paying any card transactions which are suspected to be illegal gambling transactions (to the exclusion of sports betting/online bookmaking).”

However, online casino Piggs Peak is not bowing to pressure. The company says that issue is being taken on appeal in the Pretoria High Court. When Fin24 approached a service consultant on the site to open an account, they indicated that they were still open for business and taking new accounts.

In a message to clients on Tuesday Lew Saul Koor, operations director at Piggs Peak, said: “On consultation with our senior legal council, they agree that we should appeal this finding which we believe is totally incorrect. Until the appeal has been heard and the outcome determined, our business will continue as usual as agreed with the gambling boards.”

Active policing, says the board

Fin24 approached a support consultant at African Palace casino – which is owned by First Grand Gaming and based in Curacao – to find out if it was still opening accounts. The consultant requested Fin24 to send an email to its support centre. The query remained unanswered.

It is not just the operators who could find themselves in hot water.

The National Gambling Board warned publishers who promote online gambling products that “much of the advertisements of internet gambling in South Africa are subject to prosecution, and the National Gambling Board will be prosecuting any advertising media and other transgressors who continue to act contrary to the laws of the Republic.

“All advertising media that continue to facilitate the offering of internet gambling activities in South Africa are deemed to be aiding and abetting unlawful, illegal gambling activities and shall be prosecuted and fined for up to R10m or 10 years’ imprisonment.”

Banks also appear not to be taking any chances on other forms of online gaming, including lottery tickets and sports betting. Fin24 users have reported that banks, including Standard and Investec, have warned them in correspondence not to use credit or debit cards to buy these tickets.

According to the Gauteng Gambling Board the industry is actively policed, with high levels of convictions of illegal operators.

In Gauteng there have been 462 convictions for illegal gambling activity since 2001, including 33 this year. There are 438 cases pending. There have also been 34 raids on illegal operations in South Africa in 2010.

Industry watchers predict that average jackpots for online casinos are set to break the $1,000,000 barrier by 2018. Exponential growth in jackpots is set to continue due to three key factors; growth in the industry itself, the success of individual casino groups and the networked approach to generating jackpots which is uniquely scalable in the online industry. For example, Gaming Club the world’s first online casino, has been live since 1994. Its first major jackpots averaged $5,000, this year its jackpots will average $50,000, and is expected to continue rapidly growing in the coming years.

The driving force behind this is the ‘networked progressive jackpot’. Progressive jackpots are jackpots which are generated by taking a small percentage of each every single wager to add to a central pot. Because the casinos are all online, you can very quickly network thousands of them together across the world to have a huge central pot for a lucky winner to win.

The World’s Biggest Online Casino Progressive Jackpot Winner

Georgios M’s passion for slot machines ensured that 2009 was a year to remember when the 36 year old business owner, husband and father hit the big one – EUR6.3 million ($8,6 million) – while playing the Mega Moolah Progressive Slot Machine For Georgios, his date with destiny made him the recipient of the largest ever Microgaming casino jackpot payout.

Terry Maverick Spokesperson for Gaming Club and Riverbelle says:

“We’re very proud of our progressive jackpots, it’s amazing to think that only 12 years ago it was less than $5,000 and, you never know, within a few years we’re confident that jackpots will regularly make our winning players overnight millionaires.”

GamingClub Casino are owned and operated by The Carmen Media Group, a global gaming and entertainment group which was incorporated in Gibraltar and formed in 2002 out of the Demmy Group of companies. It is wholly owned subsidiary Tower Rock Ltd is licensed from Gibraltar to operate casinos and multiplayer poker in the online domain, and all flagship casino brands have been awarded the eCOGRA seal of approval.

Carmen Media owns many of the world’s oldest and most respected online gaming sites including Gaming Club Online Casino (founded 1995), Jackpot City Online Casino, River Belle Online Casino (founded 1997) and Lucky Nugget Online Casino, as well as Cool Hand Poker.

Carmen Media products and online gaming brands are promoted through the industry leading gaming affiliate program ReferBack, thereby affording its partners opportunities to market English, French, Italian, German and Spanish products.

The poker-related card game called Chicago is one of the most popular card games in Sweden today. Relying on the keeping of score instead of the placing of bets, it is suitable even for environments such as schools, where gambling is often prohibited. The game exists in countless versions, so here a (somewhat arbitrarily chosen) basic game will be followed by a number of possible variations.

Hand scores

The backbone of the game is that each poker hand has its own point value, as given in this table:

Basic rules

Chicago is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each player is dealt five cards. The objective is to reach 52 points.

Exchanges and hand scoring

The players are allowed to exchange any number of their cards. If a player chooses to exchange one card only, he may choose “one up”, meaning that he is dealt one card faced up, which he can either accept, or instead take the next card unseen. After the exchanges, the player with the best hand (and only one player) gets points for his hand. Then follows another round of exchanges, but no hand scoring.

The game

Now, the first player begins by playing one card. Ordinary whist rules apply, but the players keep their cards collected by themselves. The player who wins the last trick gets 5 points. Also, the player with the best hand (whether it is the same player or not) gets points for his hand.

Chicago

After the second exchange, any player can choose to play Chicago. In this case, he pledges himself to win all the tricks of the game. If he does, he is awarded 15 points, but if he fails, the penalty is just as harsh: -15 points.

Blind Chicago

In addition to the conventional Chicago mentioned above, a player may also elect to pull a Blind Chicago. As with the standard Chicago, during a Blind Chicago a player also pledges to win all the tricks – however he announces his intention to do so before having ever seen his cards. In other words, a Blind Chicago can only be announced immediately after the last card leaves the dealer’s hand. If he succeeds, a player is rewarded 30 points, with 30 deducted in the event of failure. If a Blind Chicago is announced, no players are awarded points for their poker hands in any of the phases. The player attempting the Blind Chicago may trade as he normally would. Also note that if a player succeeds in completing the Blind Chicago on a deuce, he is awarded 60 points – an automatic game win.

 There are three general categories of casino games: table games, electronic gaming machines, and random number ticket games such as Keno and simulated racing. Gaming machines, such as slot machines and pachinko, are usually played by one player at a time and do not require the involvement of casino employees to play. Random number games are based upon the selection of random numbers, either from a computerized random number generator or from other gaming equipment. Random number games may be played at a table, such as Roulette, or through the purchase of paper tickets or cards, such as Keno or Bingo.

Fraudulent behavior on the part of online casinos has been documented. The most commonly reported behaviors are refusal to pay withdrawals or cheating software with rigged payouts. An online casino with multiple confirmed cases of fraudulent behavior is often called a rogue casino by the online casino player community.

One commonly reported behavior related to refusal to pay withdrawals is the refusal to pay withdrawals promptly. A rogue casino may intentionally delay a withdrawal in hopes that the player will continue gambling with the money in the account and lose it all back. Other rogue online casinos attempt to not pay their customers by retroactively applying unfair terms to their house rules.

Cheating software appears to be less common than payout problems.

Some Casino software has been mathematically proven to cheat, such as Elka System/Oyster Gaming and Casino Bar. Screen shots from the back office of an older brand of software indicated the odds could be adjusted by the operator.

Some Casinos were proven to give higher winning probability when players play in fun mode comparing to playing for real money, In order to attract players to register and play for real money.

Some Casinos use spamming techniques excessively in order to promote themselves.

Many casino gambling portals and player forums maintain blacklists of rogue casinos. While some carry more authority than others, most blacklists constitute individual webmaster and player opinions rather than anything official from any type of regulating body.