casino games

EPT Vilamoura

EPT Vilamoura is a 5-day event taking place between 28 August and 2 September in Vilamoura, a magnificent sea-side resort in Algarve, Portugal. This 1100€ contest is an excellent opportunity for players to enjoy sea baths and golf fairways.

This tournament has a special format: players have to buy-in or win a golf/poker package of €1100 which they will use in a 2-day golf contest and, in the remaining of time, at the poker tables.

Some of the best poker players are waited at this event. Daniel Negreanu, a keen golfer and an expert poker player, is the right man at the right place since this event seems tailored to his skills.

Other famous poker players to be expected at Vilamoura are: James Dempsey (WSOP bracelet winner), David Williams, John Duthie (EPT founder), Arnaud Mattern, Pieter de Korver, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, JP Kelly, Dario Minieri, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Lex Veldhuis, Marcin Horecki, Matthias De Meulder, Luca Pagano, Ruben Visser, Vicky Coren, Teddy Sherigan (friend of PokerStars and football legend).

More than 130 players have already qualified via PokerStars to play in this tournament.

Poker or prison - the McMaster case

There are moments in life or life situations that just seem inspired from movie scenarios. Something of this sort has occurred in the life of Samuel McMaster, a 59 year old stockbroker and professional poker player.

In his position as a stockbroker, he has stolen the beautiful sum of over $400,000 from more than 20 clients. Nothing that others have not done already, you may say. The interesting part however, the one that seems taken out of a movie, is the court’s decision. In order to repay the due sum, McMaster has to play poker!

The judges have come up with this conclusion because poker is McMaster’s last resort to pay back his debts. He has the court’s permission to leave New Mexico, his home state, and go to tournaments and cash games. According to the court’s ruling, he has to raise $7,500 per month as a restitution sum and if he fails to do this for the first 2 payments, he will be immediately sentenced to almost 12 years.

Prosecutor Phylis H. Bowman declared: “There’s nothing to indicate that he’s a violent threat to society. So based upon those factors, that’s what determines conditions of release. It has nothing to do with profession.”

It remains to be seen now if he will come back victorious from his tournaments or if he will come back at all. Anyhow, this is one of the most unusual court rulings ever heard. To be continued!

Special 4th of July Celebration

The online casino Jackpot Capital will organize a special promotion on this 4^th of July called the Teddy Bear Promotion. Why this name? Because the story goes that in 1902 president Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear in a hunting trip. This fact struck a sensitive chord with the Americans and so “the Teddy Bear” was born. This is why the Teddy Bear has become related to the Independence Day and is celebrated as a national symbol. In fact the Teddy Bear has become Americans’ favourite toy since then.

The casino is offering 50% deposit bonuses, each up to $100. This promotion will last from the 4^th until the 8^th of July and players that want to benefit from the bonus must enter Teddy Bear as a coupon code when making a new deposit.

If you now make your first account on Jackpot Capital you will receive a 100% Welcome Bonus up to $100. You can read more about how to claim this bonus on their website.

Be aware that a special contest will run this weekend before the start of the Teddy Bear promotion. If you deposit a minimum of $50 and play between Friday and Sunday you can participate in a contest with $50 prizes. All you have to do is to check your email to see if you are one of the lucky winners. Good luck!

Mangas chief executive: record winnings on the regulated market

The opening of the French online gaming market has created  a positive growth environment for the online sport betting operators, considers Nicolas Béraud the boss of Betclic.

“The taxation levels are too high for a newly opened market” he said. “However, the French market has registered a boom of new clients who have refrained from playing online until now because this activity has been considered illegal according to previous legislation. Now, that this activity was ‘legalised’, record profits have been made in the last few days according to Béraud. Of course, he gives credit to the World Cup for bringing new clients to join Betclic and start betting at this major sport event.

There are still a few problems with how the French market  is regulated. First, according to Béraud, is the high level of taxation on the French market that  determines clients to search illegal operators which offer cheaper services. “It is still difficult to trace these operators and stop them from activating on the online betting market” he said and gave the example of the Italian market where the measure of blocking the websites lead to unsatisfactory results.

Besides confronting illegal operators and high taxation rates, another issue is that “the new legislation leaves out the online casino games which are very important because they create margin and without them it is difficult to be profitable.” The equilibrium between the taxation and the array of authorised  games is a common theme in Béraud’s speech. He predicted that a wave of regulation will continue in other European countries such as Denmark, Germany and Spain and this will ensure Betclic a more stable business environment attracting more and more clients.

Regarding the French market, Béraud hopes that online operators will be allowed to extend their games offer  in the next 18 months. He also stated that the French market will remain less profitable during this period due to high taxation rates on e-gaming revenues.

Suggestions for playing the roulette

The roulette is a game of hasard. There is no guarantee that you will have a series of successful strikes in a row but don’t despair as there are a few suggestions that might help you improve your game at this classic and fascinating machine. Read about them below!

Avoid the 00

The wheel of the American roulette has notches for 0 and 00 while the European wheels have only the notch for 0. Taking into account that the bets at the roulette are calculated as if there was no 0, the less 0s the roulette counts the better the odds of winning for the player. There may be European-type wheels in some American casinos but instead of looking for them at brick-and-mortar casinos you can always easily find them on the Internet.

Avoid the five number line

When playing at the American roulette, the player can choose the “five number line” bet which covers five numbers: 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. The tricky thing about covering an odd number of notches is that it diminishes the chances for winning as this wager offers the worst betting odds for the player with a house advantage of almost 8%.

Avoid the betting systems

It is advisable to avoid betting systems such as Martingale or Paroli which require you to double your bets every time you lose because there is a low probability that they will work for you. In fact, it may prove to be devastating for your bankroll in the end.

Insights into poker etiquette

Have you ever wondered what is and what is not allowed at the poker table in terms of rules of conduct? All players must know how to play poker, that is clear. In addition to that, however, players should also behave in a certain way so that they do not disturb the others at the table.

For example, the poker etiquette forbids any player to make useless, repetitive and excessive negative remarks about the playing style of an opponent. In case this happens, the player will be sanctioned. A sanction will also be applied if someone from the public or a player outside of the hand makes a remark that can influence the course of the current game. The conclusion is: keep comments to a minimum!

Another element of the poker etiquette is the language of the tournament. The only two languages authorised to be used are the one of the country where the tournament takes place and English.

Looking at the cards of a player who wins a pot without a showdown, also called “rabbit hunt”, is forbidden. The practice of “rabbit hunt” means to ask the dealer to show what cards would have come if the hand had been played. Usually, these players are curious to see if they would have hit their straight, flush,etc. This practice is banned from most tournaments as it is frowned upon by players in general.

All discomforting bahaviours such as gestures, noises, words, postures, objects and expression that may disturb the other participants at the game can trigger sanctions.

A player cannot use the mobile phone or any other communication device at the table. He/she must go away from the table to speak.

Poker is an individual game. Underperforming in order to support another player will be penalised and in some cases the bets will be withdrawn.