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Live Dealers a Huge Hit for Many Online Casinos

July 13th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in News

The ability to play many or even all of the traditional casino games over the web has been available for quite some time, but there has always been one element that players love which has been missing: the fun of a real dealer that brings his or her personality to the table. This is no longer an issue thanks to the number of sites that are increasingly offering real dealers live on camera to deal the cards out for players online. Blackjack is one game where the live dealers are especially popular, but baccarat and roulette are coming to weigh in as a close second. In order to draw in a whole new audience, many online casinos have found that offering human dealers helps to create a more social and connected atmosphere that gamblers love. While many times the choice dealers are beautiful women, this is not always the case and players have proven accepting of these new dealers despite their gender, looking for a more interactive experience and enjoying the increased viability of the casino staff who work to make the games more fun by adding a touch of their own personality.

Experts predict that this trend will grow over time as more online casinos see the value in giving real people the power to deal on camera. Many customers have already begun to spend more time in such games and some sites even let the dealers see the players, too. Microgaming, along with some other similar sites, have set up their own studios specifically for such games to help create an authentic casino atmosphere for those at home. Many gamblers have stated that the convenience of online gaming is that they can play their favorite games without needing to travel, but they miss the atmosphere. With live dealers on site, the problem is solved and everyone gets what they wanted.

Disastrous Haiti Quake Pulls Poker Players Together to Rally for Aid

April 13th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in News

The tragic earthquake that rolled through the Caribbean nation of Haiti sent rippled around the globe, triggering many to want to do something to help out the victims whose homeland was almost totally laid to waste. However, it was not only governments and charities that leapt up to send aid as fast as possible, it was also poker players from around the globe who united over digital mediums such as Twitter in order to prod public support for the victims. The island country became a focal point for many pro level players who leveraged their star power to raise awareness of the Haitian people and to ask their fans and competitors to donate to the cause, even donating themselves and taking part in ‘dummy tournaments’ to help raise money via massively popular online poker sites that they regularly patronize. Poker luminaries Howard Lederer and JC Alvarado were two such examples, each of them using their favorite sites to help pitch in. Many big online casinos also promised to match donations, creating a big cash pool to give to charities that could directly assist the Haitian victims.

In an already impoverished nation, the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised so quickly are going to go a long way towards bringing the country back to a level that allows it to take care of its citizenry. Aid groups have praised the players, crossing religious and social boundaries to congratulate the poker community on standing up for people in need and contributing valuable monetary contributions to the international relief efforts.

Key to Beginner’s Luck in Online Poker is Playing Fewer Hands Research Proves

April 13th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in News

Many who are new to the world of online poker are making some very critical errors, according to recent research conducted by academics at Cornell University. According to the newly released studies, those who play fewer hands are much more likely to get better rates of actual wins than those who play large numbers of hands. The researchers have explained that this phenomenon is due largely to the fact that over time, beginners forget to tally their losses the same way that they do with their wins, thus giving them a false level of confidence in how well they are playing the game. By playing fewer hands, those who are just starting out are able to get a much better and more math based understanding of the online poker world and how the games flow so that they can keep track of their odds more easily. Since the study was conducted by experienced poker players with extensive academic experience, it has gained real traction in the poker world where outsiders are often seen as being purely critical of the culture and its favorite past time. These researchers had no such issue convincing the players they knew what they were talking about.

One other fact that many were mildly surprised by had to do with the way that hands are played. Researchers discovered that for those just starting their poker careers, the best choices for them were often smaller numbered pairs as opposed to pairs of 10’s, 9’s or 8’s. The reason for this is that players knew right away that the lower numbered pairs were not worth trying to win with, but the higher numbered pairs would lure them to keep them and then end up losing. This effect on new player’s wagering decisions proved detrimental to the surprise of researchers.

One More US State Legalizes Blackjack and Poker in Sanctioned Establishments

February 27th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in News

Nevada is rapidly becoming less and less the star of gaming in the United States as Pennsylvania steps up to the plate and scores a new victory for fans of casino gambling. In a nation with an on again, off again love affair with casinos, this is a surprise to some, but not to gaming industry experts who have been predicting further shifts in legal code as state budgets grow tighter and tighter. More states than ever before have begun to loosen their restrictions as the political landscape begins to change thanks to the economic woes being faced by not only the US, but the rest of the globe. Traditionally, casinos in Pennsylvania have only offered slot machines, for the most part, but this new change in the law opens the door for blackjack, poker and many other table games that are promising to do big business in the northeastern state. By taxing not only casinos, but gamblers who pocket big wins and the licensing needed to run a gaming establishment, the state stands to put quite a lot of cash into its empty coffers thanks largely to a newly open mind about casinos.

Other states that have made similar moves in the last few months include Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky and even New Jersey. Each of these have made at least small local changes and now that Pennsylvania has joined in, it will be able to compete more easily with its neighbors when it comes to luring in gamblers who might otherwise have headed to Atlantic City, Las Vegas or a variety of Native American casino locations on reservation land that is not affected the same way by state regulations.

Online Casino Games Coming from Sega

January 27th, 2010 | Comments Off | Posted in News

Consumers have long been fans of games that allow them to reenact the wagering experiences they would enjoy in a casino and video game making giant SEGA Corporation plans to enter this market to provide top notch game design for virtual gamblers everywhere. By teaming with software developer Playtech, an experienced maker of similar games, SEGA hopes to set itself up for success in a market that industry analysts agree will soon be teeming with even more top tier game developers as gaming fans look for a more entertainment based experience. Among the expected offerings will be online poker, a surefire hit in a market that caters to poker players who are going pro at a faster and faster rate these days. SEGA also plans to leverage a cast of its world famous characters from such titles as Virtua Fighter, House of the Dead, Sonic the Hedgehog and Phantasy Star. These intellectual properties are part of the enormous gaming industry’s move to place more well known characters on slots and other machines aimed at the gambling public.

By leveraging its branded properties in this way, games can use the CTXM technology that is used to power such hit games as blackjack, roulette, slots and plenty of other favorites from the casino world. The games will be offered at various gaming centers where players will have a chance to wager real money in such titles as SEGAPoker and SEGACasino. These gaming websites and machines will all work together to deliver a gaming experience that SEGA is betting its competition doesn’t stand a chance of competing with.

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