How to Play Omaha Poker

Posted by: Professional Gambler  /  Category: Game Rules, Poker

Most poker buffs will tell you that poker was most probably derived to its modern form from a variety of elements aken from a variety of early card games. Omaha Poker is one of the earliest poker derivatives on record and there are no prizes for guessing where this thrilling game originated!
Similar to Hold’Em, Omaha is a community card poker game where players are dealt four cards (called the pocket cards), instead of two as in Hold’Em.

The Dealer then deals five community cards, with betting rounds preceding each newly dealt community card. Players must make the best five card hand using two of their pocket cards and three of the community cards.
Omaha Poker is an extremely popular form of poker because of the potential for outstanding hands to be created, which heightens excitement and enjoyment.

Omaha Poker generally allows for stronger hands to be constructed because players have the opportunity to create their best 5-card hand from a selection of nine cards, four pocket or personal cards, and five community cards. The game play is virtually identical to that of Texas Hold ‘Em, however the cards are dealt differently, which means players are in for an interesting and stimulating time!

Captain Cooks Poker Room offers the popular Four Card Omaha poker game.


Pai Gow poker rules and strategy

Posted by: Professional Gambler  /  Category: Game Rules

The above title is a little bit confusing as we can definitely talk about Pai Gow Poker rules, but Pai Gow poker strategy is a different matter. Pai Gow is not like Texas Holdem, Omaha or Stud. Players get a set hand here and they won’t be able to improve what they have by picking up new cards, discarding some and drawing new ones (draw poker) or by using the community ones. What you’re dealt is pretty much what you’ll take to showdown.

Pai Gow poker is actually based on a Chinese domino game, and up to seven players can play it in the casino. A standard 52-card deck is used for it, plus a joker. The joker is a wild-card which means it can be used to complete hands like straights and flushes and it can be used as an A when it doesn’t complete a hand.

Being a casino game, Pai Gow poker is played between a dealer and one or more players. All players are dealt 7 cards, which they cannot exchange. They have to make two hands out of these cards, a 5-card one and a 2-card one which cannot be improved in any way following the deal. The 5-card hand needs to be higher than the two card one, and since the best two card hand you can make is a pair, you need to make sure your 5-card hand contains a higher pair or a two pair. The hand ranking of the 5-card hand is the same as in Texas Holdem, with one exception. The wheel (A,2,3,4,5) is the second highest straight in Pai Gow, after the 10,J,Q,K,A.

After the players are done arranging their hands, they have to place both of them face down. Players are forbidden to discuss their hands among themselves. The dealer then reveals his 7 cards, and from that point on none of the players can touch their hands anymore.

The dealer arranges his 7 cards the same way the players arranged theirs and then the players’ hands are overturned. Each of the hands is compared to the dealer’s hands, the 5-card one to the dealer’s 5-card hand and the 2-card one to the dealer’s 2-card hand.

Depending on how the corresponding hands match up, there can be several outcomes.

If the player’s hands both outrank the dealer’s, he gets even payout (as much as he wagered). If one of the player’s hands beats the dealer’s but the other one is weaker, it’s a push and the player gets his staked amount back. If both the dealer’s hands are better than the player’s hands, the house wins. If there happens to be a tie, the dealer wins. Suppose your 5-card hand is better than the dealer’s 5-card hand and your 2-card hand ties. In this case, a push is called and you get your wager back. This rule is the source of the house edge in Pai Gow poker. Because of the dealer’s advantage, when played amongst friends, everyone gets their turn at dealing. Also, in such cases a rather elaborate dealing ritual is used, which employs dice to determine the player who gets the first 7-card stack.

When playing Pai-Gow poker, you can’t sign up for rakeback. Regular deals like the full tilt rakeback or a poker prop deal can’t help you there, but you can make sure that the casino/online casino you play in has a generous comp points program that rewards you for the money you spend there.

Poker Rules and Strategies

Posted by: Professional Gambler  /  Category: Game Rules, Poker

Game Poker Rules and Poker Strategies

Since poker is more about gambling than a game poker rules are very important to learn and adhere to when you are playing or when you are just learning to play. Unlike normal card games, gambling card games such as poker requires that every player at the table knows what they are doing, otherwise things can end up being slightly messy.

No, not “messy” as in Hollywood style movie messy, but messy as in there could be trouble brewing at the end which can lead to bigger and not-so-better things. Ultimately the best thing that you can do if you are only just learning to play poker is to learn the rules of the game poker rules that is.

So to begin with, you will need to go through and memorize every single rule there is about poker…just kidding! There is simply no way that you could do that without losing your sanity first. Since there are so many variations on the game poker rules become too numerous to count, and it’s not even worth trying.

What can you do then to make your transition into the game of poker easy and not so hazardous as all those old movies, where there is invariably a little bit of “messy” involved? It’s simple really.

All you really need to do is to learn the game poker rules and regulations will come in a close second to this. When you know your game and you know how to play it properly, the rules and regulations governing poker become easier to understand, thereby making it easier for you to remember what to do and what not to do when you are in a serious game.

There is a catch here though, and something that you need to be aware of. Although for the most part of each game poker rules and regulations are the same across the board, there will be some differences. Sometimes it is these differences which will cause you unnecessary trouble when push comes to shove.

If you are unsure of yourself when playing poker, or unsure of the rules of the game, then you should first find out what particular rules govern the game, and the place, where you are playing.

This is only common sense, but something that goes mostly ignored. It is always better to be safe than sorry and this applies to the game of poker as well. When the chips are on the table and money is at stake, people tend to get more ornery about things than they might normally.

It is to avoid these types of problems that you need to learn early on in the game poker rules are not something to be ignored – they need to be followed through and you need to at least be knowledgeable about what they are if you are intent on playing the game.

Roulette Rules – How to Play

Posted by: Professional Gambler  /  Category: Game Rules, Roulette

Learning how to play roulette is a fairly straightforward process based on learning the available bets on the table, and how to place them. The object of the game is to make a wager on the outcome of a ball spun around a wheel, which is separated into compartments. Each compartment has a specific number and color. You can bet on a specific number being landed on by the ball, or some characteristic of that number. We can bet that it will be odd or even, or will fall within the first 12 numbers, or fall within a column of numbers on the roulette table layout. We can bet that the ball will land in a red or black pocket, or that it will skip both and find the elusive green 0 pocket.

There are two types of roulette bets that you can place, and you may do so in whatever combination or arrangement you wish. These two types of bets include the inside bets and the outside bets. Inside bets are the numbers on the internal area of the roulette table layout, where you place bets for each specific number. Around the outside of the board lie a number of other betting options, and these are collectively referred to as outside bets.

On inside bets, your cumulative bet (all of your bets added together) must total the table minimum. This means if you are playing at a $5 minimum table and want to bet on individual numbers, you can bet $1 on each of 5 numbers, or $5 on one number, or any combination in between, but your bet on the inside must total at least the $5 minimum.

On outside bets each and every bet must be at least the table minimum, and you cannot combine the value of any bets. This means if you want to bet on black and odds, you must place $5 on both bets at a $5 minimum table. Outside bets may not be contributed to your inside bet total.

To play roulette in a typical land-based session (to differentiate from playing at an online casino, which is slightly simpler), wait until a previous session ends and the dealer states to ‘place your bets’. At this point everyone will start putting down his or her chips or money. If you’re buying into the game you will cash in and get chips of a particular color, set to a denomination of your choice – each player uses their own color.

Place your bets as you normally would around the outside. To bet on inside bets put your chips out to the center and ask the dealer to place the numbers you want with the amount you want. The dealer will spin the ball, wait a moment or two, and then wave their hands over the table and state ‘no more bets’. When the ball comes to a rest, the dealers will place a marker on top of the winning inside bet, clear the board, and then pay off all the winning bets.

When you play roulette online, some of the extra hassle of the game is removed. You no longer need to pay attention to the dealer to know if you can bet or not (saving some possibly embarrassing situations of betting too late). You also don’t have to worry about accidentally under-betting on the inside bets. Learning to play roulette with online software adds the value of being able to test your strategies without testing your bankroll. Try downloading the GoldenPalace.com software suite to see what we mean. You can play roulette (and all of the included games) for free for as long as you wish, then switch to real mode when you have your strategy mastered

Roulette Rules and Bets

Learning roulette is a process of understanding the bets, and the rules followed in placing them. On this page we will look at each bet and how to place it, taking note of any special features of the bet, and the odds you’re paid back at.

Roulette rules:

Outside bets
The outside bets on a roulette table are the bets that reside ‘outside’ of the main playing area of 37 numbers. There are no winning outside bets for 0 results. Let’s have a look at the different types of outside bets:

Red or Black – you can choose to bet on the outcome either being a red number, or a black number. Place this bet right in the diamond shaped areas on the front of the board, filled in with a red or black color. This is a very common roulette bet, as it is easy to understand that you have almost half a chance of winning. People often place the bet making the incorrect assumption that if 5 blacks were spun, there is a better than 50% chance the sixth spin will be red. This is not logical, as the roulette wheel cannot ‘remember’ what it spun last, and each spin is independent of all previous spins. This bet is paid even money.

Odd or Even - similar to the red black bet, this even money bet is based on whether the number will be odd or even. Since 0 does not count as either, there are 36 numbers, an even count between odd and even. Place this bet by putting your chips in the middle of the square marked ‘even’ or the square marked ‘odd’, which reside on either side of the black / red betting area.

Low or high – Roulette rules allow ranges of numbers to be bet on. The low/high bet lets you predict whether you think the next number to come up will be part of the range from 1 to 18, or part of the range from 19 to 36. This is an even money bet. To place this bet put your chips in the boxes with the associated number range printed in them.

Columns – at one end of the set of 37 numbers are boxes with the words ’2 to 1′ written in them. Each box is part of a column of numbers if you extend a line up the body of the inside of the betting area. If a number from within the column you are betting on comes up you win, and are paid 2 to 1. Although not grouped with the others, this is still considered an outside bet.

Dozens – a bet very similar to the columns bet, dozens lets you place a bet on either the first dozen numbers (1-12), the second dozen (13-24), or the third dozen (25-36). To place this bet find the rectangular areas located in between the outside bets and the inside board spread. These will usually be labeled with the words 1st 12, 2nd 12, and 3rd 12. The bet pays 2 to 1.

More roulette rules:

The inside bets
The inside bets are made up of specific numbers or combinations of numbers within the number layout, or along the border of it. Remember, the total of all of your bets must add up to at least the table minimum.

Straight-up bet – this is the simple roulette bet. Choosing any one of the 37 numbers and putting your chips down on that number will give you a chance to win back at 35 to 1.

Split bet – Roulette rules allow you to place a single bet on two different numbers if those numbers are beside each other on the table layout. To do so put your chips down on the line between them. This bet pays 17 to 1 if either number comes up.

Street bet – This is a bet not unlike the split. It allows you to bet on three different numbers with the same bet. You can do this by placing chips on the outside of the row of numbers you want to bet on. So if you want to bet on the numbers 1, 2, and 3 all at once, put your chips down on the line that is the outside edge of the 3. This bet pays 11 to 1.

Corner bet – Roulette rules also allow for other combinations. Another combination wager, the corner bet, lets you bet on four adjoining numbers. Placing your chips at the point where four numbers meet will indicate you want a corner bet. This is sometimes referred to as a square bet. If any of the four numbers come up, you’re paid 8 to 1.

Square bet - To make this bet place your chips at the intersection of 0 and 3 on the corner. You can win if any of 0, 1, 2, or 3 are hit. You are paid 8 to 1.

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How to Play One on One Poker

Posted by: Professional Gambler  /  Category: Game Rules, Poker

One on One poker, as the name suggests, is played by two people who are directly competing and are both chasing a superior hand to their opponent.

There is no limit to the number of betting rounds and the buy in limit is set by the card room. The object of this game is to finish with a stronger poker hand than your opponent, and win the pot.

Tactics are notably different than in other poker games because of the fact that only one other person is playing, so the skills of bluffing and betting come into play.

Click here to play  One on One now

The origins of One on One poker are unclear, however it has enjoyed support amongst non-professional players and is undergoing a revival through an increasing Internet poker room presence. Players who enjoy mystery and an element of surprise will enjoy this game, because so many cards are left unturned and unknown.