The word Baccarat simply means ‘zero’ in Italian and online baccarat can be one of the most fun and profitable gambling games you can play online. After all if it’s good enough for James Bond it’s good enough for me, mind you I’m not certain he ever used to play in his pajamas at home with a couple of beers like I do.

I used to find the game a little intimidating but it’s actually one of the easier games to play in a casino when you understand it. If you like games of chance like roulette then online Baccarat could be for you especially as it offers some of the best odds of any casino game anywhere.

There are several versions of baccarat but the one most commonly played in casinos around the world is the version of baccarat called Punto Banco. This is purely a game of chance and luck as there is no real strategy involved apart from the betting, it’s great fun though and very simple to play.

First of all the values of the cards must be understood.

• All cards from 2-9 are worth their face value
• All Picture cards and 10s are worth 0
• All Aces are worth 0

A winning hand is to get as close a score to 9 as possible. There are three possible options to bid on, Player, Banker or Tie. That’s the players choice to bid on who is going to win out of the three possibilities, you decide your stake and then put your money down on one of the options.

Initially two cards are dealt to the ‘player’ and the ‘bank’ all the possibilities that happen after this are controlled automatically. If either the player or the bank scores and 8 or 9 on the initial draw this is called a ‘natural’ and the round ends - if you picked the right winner you win - normally your stake plus 95%. If there is a tie then your money goes on to the next round (unless you backed a tie).

All the rules are pretty much automatic, in that sense you don’t have to worry much about the game. Here’s a brief summary - with the players role first.

• Players initial total of 0-5 then the Player draws a single card.
• If the Player has an initial total of 6 or 7, then he must stand.

What the banker does depends on the bankers initial hand, and what happened to the player.

• Player doesn’t draw a card, then the Banker draws if he has 0-5, and stays if he has 6-7.
• Player draws a 2 or 3, the Banker must draw if he has 0-4, and stay if he has 5-7.
• Player draws a 4 or 5, the Banker must draw if he has 0-5, and stays if he has 6-7.
• Player draws a 6 or 7, the Banker must draw if he has 0-6, and stays if he has 7.
• Player draws an 8, the Banker draws if he has 0-2, and must stay if he has 3-7.
• Player draws an ace, 9, 10, or face-card, the Banker draws if he has 0-3, and stands if he has 4-7.

If it sounds confusing, believe me it isn’t - the best way to learn is to either go and watch a game or log on to a casino online and watch a free game of online baccarat and the rules will become clear very quickly. Remember the only decision you have to make is to back a tie, the player or the bank - after that it happens automatically, in fact you could actually win at online baccarat without understanding the rules!

The most fun place to play online baccarat is in a real online casino with a real dealer and live games. The best I’ve found is linked to a real casino in Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin. You play a real baccarat game in a real casino alongside all the other punters. There’s a free game which is wonderful fun as you can see all the other players and their bets - to try it click here -

Live Baccarat.

For those who want to test the supposed bias in certain online roulette algorithms -

Casino Killer

Have fun,

John

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Greenhoff
http://EzineArticles.com/?Online-Baccarat-For-Beginners—Punto-Banco&id=1982504

Post from: Online Casinos & Gambling

Online Texas Hold 'em

By Tyler James Ellison

From what have you probably seen in television, you might have noticed some great bluffs that made many doubt if their hands are strong enough (when it truly is), then throw it away out of fear. It is a skill that serious poker players have to incorporate into their game to be successful in poker and stack up the chip count in the long run.

There are basic bluffs that one really has to do especially in short-tables and ones that you only do sparingly that pave the way to the pot.

A Basic Bluff

Technically, this technique is a semi-bluff, but it is deceptive nonetheless. It makes your opponents believe that you have the top pair but in reality, you merely have a drawing hand. Let’s look an example:

You have J-6, both hearts, with four people in the table. The flop shows A-5-8 with the last two having hearts as suits. It’s an ugly flop for those holding face cards except ace and this is an opportunity to make a good-sized flop of around 2/3 of the pot. You seem to represent that you have a pair of eights or aces but you only have the flush draw. In the case that a suit other than a heart shows up on the turn card, don’t fold immediately to a bet. See first if you get sufficient pot odds for calling it. A good size is 3/5 or below as compared to the size of the pot. This way, not only do you have an opportunity to hit a flush, you make sure that it won’t eat up your stack substantially that it renders you soft and defenseless.

Advanced Bluffs

These kinds of bluffs usually appear in the latter stages of the betting round, done when the turn and/or the river card shows up. It may be a panicked all-in when you have the nuts or a soft-looking bet in the river that scares advanced players out their wits (I’ll explain why later).

First is the jumpy all-in bet. There is a specific sequence of circumstances that makes this bluff work. First is that you must raise pre-flop with medium to low suited connectors like 3-4 diamonds or 6-7 hearts. The raise, of course, represents something else like Queens or Jacks.

When you hold 6-7 hearts and the flop shows 4-5-9, with the first two having hearts for a suit, put down the automatic continuation bet of around half the pot, showing that you have high face cards and you seem to believe that the flop didn’t hit your opponents either. Of course, they will call that bet.

When 8-of-hearts is shown on the turn, then you have the nut straight flush, beating anyone who holds a straight. When this happens, don’t just shove your chips right there. Think for a long while and then go all-in. This gives off the impression that you have a set. If anyone has a straight, which is likely because he/she called a good-sized bet, he/she will call it given the seeming desperation of your bet.

The second bluff I’ll teach you is the Post-Oak Bluff. It is very simple; both are bold enough to bet until the river card shows up, when you make a smallish bet of around 1/3 of the pot. It seems as if you are begging him to call you, in an attempt to maximize your gain. But in truth you only have a weak hand, trying to outplay your opponent. This bluff only works for top players, who know the science behind poker betting.

There is an old adage that says large bets scare the beginner while small ones frighten the strong ones. Keep that in mind and you’ll have a good base for your bluffs, and you’ll win more pots in the long run.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tyler_James_Ellison
http://EzineArticles.com/?Texas-Hold-Em-Bluffing-101-For-Beginners&id=1966627

Post from: Online Casinos & Gambling