The coronavirus outbreak led to an abrupt halt of live tournament poker action in March of 2020. While the global poker circuit effectively ceased all operations over the course of just a few days, the return of tournament action is likely to be much more gradual.

The first major poker room in the world to reopen its doors was the Kings Casino Rozvadov, which is one of the largest rooms in Europe. It resumed operations on May 11, nearly two months after it first announced a temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cards were in the air in Rozvadov for two weeks before the venue hosted their first live tournament series, called The Big Week, which ran from May 25 31. The venue has continued to offer a selection of smaller daily tournaments and short series since resuming tournament action in late May.

Stateside, a number of poker rooms also resumed operations with only cash games available at first. Casinos in Florida began reopening in late May, including Derby Lane in St. Petersburg, the Seminole Hard Rock, and bestbet Jacksonville and bestbet Orange Park.

The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa recently announced that they would resume spreading select daily tournaments on June 23, after having first reopened on May 21. Derby Lane resumed spreading tournament events on June 6. Both venues currently include a maximum number of participants for their events.

We are going to start offering tournaments again in July, bestbet Director of Poker Jesse Hollander told Card Player. We will likely have three tournaments a week in Jacksonville and two a week at Orange Park, no-limit holdem tournaments with buy-ins of $60 and $150. We will offer those in July, and hopefully will offer more starting in August.

The Las Vegas strip reopened on June 4, and with it three poker rooms resumed operations: The Venetian Poker Room (pictured above before the outbreak), the Orleans Poker Room and the South Point Poker Room. The Golden Nugget followed suit a couple days later, and three more rooms opened on June 18 at Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and Sahara. The Venetian was the first to announce a return to multi-table tournament action. The room will host two $250 buy-in no-limit holdem shootout events, with one each on June 19 and June 20, with an eighty-player cap for the field and an 11:00 a.m. start time.

The events will have a maximum of five players per table, and will follow the shootout format that sees each table play down to a winner before moving on to the next round. The second round will shift to four-handed action, with the winners from those tables combining onto the final table of four to play down to a champion.

While these rooms and others around the country, and the world, have just begun to host live poker tournaments again, no major poker tours have yet announced the resumption of their publicly released schedules.

I believe to have large scale multi-table tournaments [running again], the most important thing is that some restrictions have to be lifted, said World Poker Tour Executive Tour Director Matt Savage. Travel restrictions so that players can attend, capacity restrictions so that tournaments dont have to be capped, and player per table restrictions so that tournaments can be played more than six-handed so that the properties that are open are fine with giving up cash games to run less profitable tournaments while maximizing attendance.

Savage spoke to Card Player about the Coronavirus impact on the live tournament scene back in late April. In that discussion, he highlighted the most important factor for himself and other tournament organizers: the wellbeing of those involved in putting on and playing in potential events.

The top priorities for us are to make sure that the players are safe and make sure our staff are safe, said Savage.

Read this article:

Live Poker Tournaments Are Slowly Returning Around The Globe - Poker News - CardPlayer.com

When Isaac Haxton flies to live poker tournaments, he returns home with a cold nearly half the time.

The 34-year-old American pro is an authority on the interlocking habits, demands, and stresses that foment sickness in his line of work. Players arrive for marquee events from all over the world, encountering any number of strangers in airports, taxis, and hotel lobbies en route. Jet lag and exacting schedules - the games can run mostly nonstop from noon to 2 a.m. - deprive them of sleep and compel them to eat at the table, where opponents in close confines cough and sneeze, touch their own faces, and handle common sets of cards and chips.

Contemplating this scene in the COVID-19 age is nightmarish, which helps explain why in-person play halted earlier this year. Granted, there's plenty about the tournament atmosphere that Haxton appreciates and misses, as he blogged in May for partypoker, the online card room he endorses: "Sitting around a table, shuffling chips, talking s---. Drinking too much coffee. The steady, mellow pace that can make 12 hours pass before youve noticed." Something is fun, he acknowledges, about managing and playing through the fatigue that builds over a long series.

That said, "it would be more pleasant to dial that intensity back a little," Haxton told theScore in a recent phone interview. "Your family could travel with you to a poker tournament. You could have some time to hang out with them. You could have time to take care of yourself and be relaxed and healthy.

"I do think that the hiatus is going to provide an occasion to reconsider this stuff," he said. "It is going to be more possible than it would be under business-as-usual conditions to consider doing things differently."

No business is operating as usual during the coronavirus pandemic, but when it comes to sports and adjacent forms of competition go, poker encountered distinct challenges when casinos closed across the United States and abroad. World Poker Tour stops from Las Vegas to Vietnam and more than a dozen points in between were canceled or postponed from mid-March onward. The World Series of Poker was due to proceed in Las Vegas from May into July; that extravaganza, too, had to be scrubbed.

Poker's predicament also had a distinct solution. Consider the revised plan for this year's WSOP: shift the 51st edition of the show online, starting July 1 and continuing through the summer.

Pros and amateurs alike have pivoted to online poker in droves, enabling the computerized version of the game to flourish in the absence of live-table action. Google searches on the subject surged in the U.S. and worldwide as people started to shelter inside. Gameplay spiked at major sites that offer home-game options for groups of friends. This emergent interest spurred record revenue for states where online poker is legalized, MarketWatch reports, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

More than 700 of the U.S.' 989 casinos have already reopened, per the American Gaming Association, with capacity restrictions, player temperature checks, and a gamut of other distancing and sanitation protocols in place. Yet as the Vegas-based poker magazine Card Player wrote in May, "Lockdown has taken a toll on people, and fear isnt going to go away for some time." Haxton, for one, is inclined to think that live poker - large international events, in particular - shouldn't resume before an effective COVID-19 vaccine is made available.

In the meantime, Haxton is aware of his professional good fortune. He's making money, feeling productive, and taking advantage of a fruitful recourse that isn't available to athletes in physical sports. As Card Player put it, online providers "offer the land-based experience on the web, just a couple of clicks away."

"The amount of high-stakes poker, especially tournament poker, that you can play online right now really doesn't compare to any previous point in history," Haxton said.

"It's been booming," Canadian pro Kristen Bicknell said.

The week that the NBA's shutdown prompted almost every league to follow, Bicknell was in San Jose for one of the last live showcases played amid the coronavirus. She flew home to Toronto when the conclusion of the event was expedited and has since spent her working hours playing up to 14 virtual tables at a time. Leading companies such as partypoker and GG Poker, her go-to sites, were quick to move high-profile upcoming tournaments online, bolstering the selection of quality games that she and Haxton say can now be found daily.

There are drawbacks to exclusively playing online, the pros note. Gone are some manifestations of poker's personal touch: feeling the chips, discerning if a player's manner betrays his or her cards, reveling in that opponent's irritation at those hands they lose. Trash talk routed through WhatsApp doesn't quite land the same, Haxton said.

Still, reasons to value the corresponding upsides abound. Bicknell believes she's improved significantly since March thanks to the particularities of online play: the many simultaneous games she can enter, the hand histories she can save and learn from upon later review. The speedier pace is another boon. Poker players might cycle through 300 hands in a full day on the felt, Haxton said, but can play 5-10 times that many in the same period online.

"You get to the long run faster," Haxton said. "If you have a losing stretch of 10,000 hands, that's a few days online. That's a month live. Professionally, it's a more stable and reliable way to make money in a lot of ways."

That appeal evidently applies to the recreational ranks, too. PokerStars, to cite one online cardroom whose users can play with friends for free, has seen this option's popularity balloon, with more than 300,000 home-game clubs created since March 1. Members in certain locations can set real-money stakes, but most active PokerStars home clubs use play money, a company spokesperson said in an email, seemingly bespeaking players' desire to maintain communal ties.

"With home games especially, there are no expectations. The social interaction and engagement comes first, with poker as the catalyst, and players seem to really appreciate that," PokerStars associate director of public relations Rebecca McAdam Willetts wrote. "People want to connect, and poker gives them the opportunity to do so in a fun and social way."

As online poker has grown in stature, so have novel means to disseminate the product to the masses. Home games are now available on PokerStars' Android app, marking the service's mobile debut. Viewership is up on Twitch, exhibited by the 58,416 people - a poker record - that Dutch pro Lex Veldhuis attracted to the platform during his run at a championship event in May. When Bicknell streamed a live session for partypoker's Twitch page recently, she realized it was a departure from her normal home setup: "I'm used to sitting in my pajamas, playing alone, nobody seeing what I'm doing or how I'm playing."

It's welcome entertainment, as well. "People want that element of it: to see the reactions, the highs and lows of poker," Bicknell said. "That's the fun of the game."

Those sensations won't be conveyed in person at this year's World Series of Poker, but Bicknell still expects a big turnout among players online. Even once casinos are ubiquitously open, she imagines it'll be a while before people feel comfortable traveling for events of that magnitude. For now, some hints of the live game still materialize on the screen, like a trend she's noticed lately: More players are ditching online monikers in favor of using their real name.

Haxton, for his part, has thought up a range of possible changes to the live experience that he'd like to see stick "even in a fully post-coronavirus world." Players shouldn't be discouraged, by rules or by stigma, from wearing a face mask at the table if they feel sick. Nor should poker culture perpetuate the expectation that they ought to compete through illness. If event schedules weren't quite so grueling, everyone involved could devote more time to self-care. That's another draw to playing virtually, Haxton said: His daily sessions hew closer to eight hours than 12 or 14, and at home, he can cook, exercise, and sleep in his own bed.

That Haxton has filled those hours for months now seems to support another thesis of his: There's demand among players of his standing for regular $10,000 and $25,000 buy-in tournaments online. Even when live poker becomes viable again, he figures that feeling won't wane.

"I think it's going to have a little bit of staying power," he said. "I've been really enjoying it, playing online poker, and I get the sense my peers feel the same way."

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.

Read more from the original source:

Online poker 'booming' in lockdown at every level of the game - theScore

Mark Robson, co-founder of Champions Sports, says operators need to be smart if thecurrent online poker boom is to continue once sport returns.

Online poker has enjoyed something of a resurgence following the global sports blackout resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic with some operators reporting a 60 per cent boom in play.

There are several reasons why players are returning to the game, but the big question operators are asking themselves is whether the higher levels of engagement can be maintained.

That will ultimately depend on the operator and its strategy for acquiring and retaining players, as well as the preferences of the players themselves.

Before discussing how operators may be able to prolong this unexpected rise in interest, lets first look at why a lack of sports and sports betting has led to a spike in poker play.

Sports and poker are different but the same

There are many similarities between sports betting and poker, especially the way it appeals to two different types of gambler the emotional player and the intellectual player.

Emotional sports bettors bet on a team or a player because they are fans and it adds even more excitement to watching the game.

Emotional bettors can enjoy the same feeling when playing online poker playing based on gut feeling or because they are holding their lucky hand.

Intellectual bettors, on the other hand, use their skill and knowledge to study form and bet based on the information available to them even if that means going against their favourite team.

Intellectual bettors are drawn to poker because it also requires skill and knowledge to master not only the game, but also their opponents. Instead of beating the odds, they are beating their rivals.

In addition to this, poker is an inherently social game and allows players to chat. At a time whenpeople are craving interaction, poker stands out from other gambling products.

Returning to the game they love

Another reason for the current poker boom is the lack of sports has pushed bettors back to a game they already know and love for some, poker will be the first game they played online.

This is certainly true of those that were introduced to online gambling during the poker boom of the early noughties. Of course, the passing of UIGEA dramatically changed the landscape (and not necessarily in a good way).

With diminishing player pools, many migrated away from online poker to other products such as sports betting and even casino and live dealer.

But with sports off the agenda due to the pandemic, many have gone back to poker and seem for the time being at least to have rekindled their passion for the game.

New players have the time to learn the game

As well as attracting existing players, the current situation is driving new players to the game as well. This is partly because they have the time to understand and learn how to play.

Some will have been curious about poker for some time, but with other entertainment and betting options available they simply wont have got around to giving it a go.

But with no sport to bet on and with fewer entertainment options on which to spend their budget many are turning to online poker for the very first time.

Boom or bust

The big question of course is whether operators will be able to maintain the high levels of interest they are currently enjoying once sports events and betting return.

Undoubtedly some players will stop playing poker and return to their preferred sports betting activity, but savvy operators can keep some of the players engaged in the long term.

This will require a smart approach to marketing and in particular the structure of the tournaments and satellites they are running now and throughout the year.

Operators should look to run satellites into bigger tournaments with decent prizes up for grabs. It doesnt have to be large cash prizes, either.

It could be a car, a home entertainment system anything that is going to excite players and encourage them to enter the satellites and earn their seat at the final.

By hosting the final at the back end of the year, and by running weekly satellites between now and then, there is a huge chance for operators to continue to engage players and drive retention.

Will the online poker boom last? Possibly not, but the current situation will undoubtedly drive growth in online poker and operators just need to figure out how best to take advantage of it.

Original post:

Will the online poker boom last? - Casino Beats

When a novel is titled Poker after the famous card game, the reader would expect a story about the world of gambling which contains rich material that has not been discussed enough in Arabic literature.

In conservative Middle Eastern societies, gambling is an activity that no one speaks of; we see it sometimes in movies but not in literature. Saudi writer Helana Al-Sheikh in her novel unfortunately did not touch on that subject, which was a disappointment.

The title is irrelevant to the novel.

The main character is a writer, a political rebel and a difficult personality to deal with; imprisoned for printing and distributing political leaflets against the Jordanian government. He discovered his womanising skills after years of being deprived of seeing women. He is victim of the circumstances he was born into. As a Palestinian refugee he managed to study in spite of the dire conditions he lived in. He took up a writing career after his prison time.

The female character is an older woman, who realised her womanhood late in life. Her story is that of a young Jordanian girl who married an older Saudi man to get him a son instead of the many girls that he got from his previous wives in exchange for a financially secure life. Eventually, she failed in her mission and got another girl to complete the drama.

Returning back to Jordan after living the first four decades in conservative Saudi Arabia where no culture could reach women in her living conditions (as a young girl, a married woman then a divorced one) was an eye-opener. She participated in the cultural circles and lived a decadent life with her newly discovered love.

The writer was able to describe life in Saudi Arabia with precision that takes the novel to the last century: a real desert for women, no social life outside the house limits, her friends are the other divorcees of the same man who kept them in the house to take care of them financially (something that rarely happens), and the discrimination that she suffered from in the family because she was a light skinned blonde.

The writer was able to describe the intimate scenes and emotions in details. The rebelling writer and the insatiable older woman: from passionate love and desire, to despising themselves for having a relationship built on carnal impulses; from finding a mother and a caring person with the extra benefit of having a stable squeeze for the writer, to the feelings of jealousy and inadequacy that the older woman felt.

With characters who have such a complicated background the reader remains curious, albeit neutral, about the outcome of the relationship between a young man and an older woman. The writer kept both characters nameless, insinuating that this kind of relationship has happened and will continue happening no matter what traditions and societies think of them.

Women sold to older men through marriage and men spending a good portion of their youth in prison for whatever reason is a story that has been repeated in various shapes and forms all over the world.

The interesting female character came in the second half of the novel, Zeina the girl that the male character fell in love with. We find a traditional girl, a bit rough on the edges, a courageous character that speaks her mind, straighten our man out and would not allow him to touch her before getting married. With her humble background of a drunkard father who had intended to sell her through marriage to whoever will pay a higher price, she managed to marry the man she loved, and even tamed his rebellious personality to lead the life of a family man. This was an unfortunate turn of events since the rebellious character is always more interesting to the reader, while the family man is more of a normal everyday character.

The writer boldly condemns fake, shallow writers in cultural circles, especially when they are women. The older lady who suddenly discovered her life and body became a writer as well. The author made a point of mentioning the embarrassment that she caused her man when she spoke about any subject when they went out together. She basically spoke about what she does not know and the men in these circles accepted her mediocre level of culture for benefits related to gender rather than refinement or sophistication. In brief, she set herself to be an easy lay, the price was name recognition and sometimes even prize winning; this is a daring notion that many writers and critics bring up when prizes are announced, novels are published and articles are written by women.

When introducing her characters, the author started at a middle point in their relationship, when they were about to break up, then she went back in time to bring these characters to life. She gives their background with a hint of a not-deep-enough psychoanalysis. This kept the reader interested in the novel; she used accurate literary language which made the novel a challenging read, yet with an unfortunate lack of substance.

Short link:

Link:

Book Review - Poker... What does gambling have to do with it? - Books - Ahram Online

High stakes crusher Ike Haxton has been blogging about the health concerns live poker players face in the future. The American partypoker ambassador talks about how much he misses the game but also can not stop thinking about the real challenges we face once the lights turn back on.

By: Mark Patrickson

I dont know about you folks, but Im really starting to miss playing live poker. Sitting around a table, shuffling chips, talking s**t. Drinking too much coffee. The steady, mellow pace that can make 12 hours pass before youve noticed. I love it, I miss it

The COVID-19 lockdown has left much of the worlds population nervous about returning to normal. With the number of coronavirus deaths being visibly published every day it is unlikely that much will be normal for a long time, with many choosing to stay under their own lockdown.

Haxton points out the obvious situation that live poker will struggle with when the games start, that it is the perfect environment to spread an infection.

The constant touching of the surfaces around you, including the cards and chips, makes it so easy to transmit any kind of bug to your playing partners.

The breathing in each others direction in such a small space guarantees an increased possibility of catching something.

In general, poker players are also not known for the healthiest lifestyle. With their compromised immune system we can again guarantee that per player there will be more bugs going around, even ignoring the coronavirus for a second.

Weve traveled from all over the world, on planes, through airports, and in taxis, coming into contact with countless people along the way. Were stressed out, jet-lagged, not eating well, and not sleeping enough, all of which surely compromise our immune systems.

A lot will depend on how quick a reliable vaccine program can be installed around the world. Will normal service resume before this happens? Haxton is of the opinion that it shouldnt in the case of poker.

There is bound to be quite a lot of arguing in the near future on exactly what is the best way forward. Haxton just says that his main interest is in getting the conversation going beforehand.

For the most part, I dont have very strong convictions on what should change, but Id like to get a conversation started about our options.

.

Read the original here:

Ike Haxton Raises Concerns About the Health of Live Poker Players - HighstakesDB

June 16, 2020Matthew Pitt

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed a major victim in the British poker world as Genting is ceasing all live poker activity in the United Kingdom.

PokerNews was aware of rumours circulating regarding Genting not reopening its live poker operations before an employee reached out to us. The Genting employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, informed PokerNews they work in the Birmingham cardroom and have been told Genting will cease all live poker in their casinos.

Our source claims the Genting Resorts World Casino in Birmingham is losing 98 employees with between 20 and 50 jobs lost at every Genting casino around the United Kingdom.

A Cardroom Manager at one of Genting's casinos, posted an update on his Facebook page.

Please note: It was not this manager who told PokerNews of the upcoming redundancies

7,000 staff furloughed by Grosvenor Casinos

Well, its been emotional. Thank you to all our poker players, hope you have a great experience. Thoughts to all my colleagues (family) that didnt deserve this (although in current climate it was kind of expected) you are all superstars and proud to have had you in our team. Onwards and Upwards. PS anyone hiring?

PokerNews reached out to several Genting sources, including the President and Chief Operating Officer of their UK operations, but none had replied at the time of writing.

The cessation of live poker operations comes less than a week after Genting announced it is considering the closing of three of its UK casino.

GMB, the union for leisure and hospitality workers, revealed Genting casinos in Bristol, Margate, and Torquay are set to permanently close, resulting in significant job losses. GMB also warned of possible job losses across the companys remaining 29 sites.

Paul Willcock, the President and COO of Genting UK, sent a statement to his employees, which read in part, The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges. It has had a huge financial impact on our business and caused significant uncertainty for the foreseeable future. I am therefore forced to contemplate some very difficult options to ensure survival.

British casinos ready to reopen on July 4

It looks certain the long-running Genting Poker Series (GPS) has ran its last event. Launched in 2012, the GPS proved extremely popular in its infancy thanks to its solid blind structures, affordable 440 buy-in and substantial guarantees.

Genting inexplicably closed its online poker arm, which ran on the iPoker Network, a couple of years ago, which had a profound effect on the number of entrants because players could no longer qualify online or play Day 1 online.

Lower attendances and a restructuring of the GPS results in smaller buy-in stops being scheduled. The last GPS event was an 80 buy-in held at Genting Club Stoke on Trent that attracted 397 entrants and awarded 26,966.

Its only a year since Genting spent 750,000 refurbishing its casino in Luton. Part of that refurbishment was the creation of a more intimate poker room which will now likely be converted to more gaming floor space.

Eighteen months ago, Genting Casino Westcliff underwent a multi-million pound makeover.

Five years ago, Genting Resorts World Birmingham opened its doors to the public. It cost 150 million and is part of an entertainment and shopping complex at the site of the Genting Arena, formely the NEC. It features 50 shopping outlets, cinema, hotel, and a vast casino.

See more here:

Genting Ceases All Live Poker Activity in the United Kingdom - PokerNews.com

Poker scenes have been cropping up in movies and on TV since the industries began. The game is incredibly versatile, depicting everything from a fun evening with friends, the glamour of casinos, and heightened tension over games where the price of losing isnt worth thinking about.

Its the secretive nature of the game, as well as the way it builds to a big reveal, that makes it work well on the screen. And it doesnt require an in-depth knowledge of the game in order to appreciate a winning hand especially as its nearly always a full house.

With poker scenes ranging from comedic to dramatic to ultra-realistic, there are plenty of actors who have held a hand of cards over the years. Here is a rundown of some of the best, along with the scenes where the cards might just have stolen the show.

Matt DamonA poker fan himself, Damon was called upon to bring his skills to the silver screen in the 1998 movie Rounders, playing Mike McDermott a talented poker player who retired after losing it all to a Russian gangster. Pulled back into the scene in order to help a friend raise the capital needed to repay some dodgy debts, he finds himself once again up against his poker nemesis Teddy KGB (played with relish by John Malkovich).

The film culminates in a head-to-head battle between Mike and Teddy, and both actors use the game to great effect to ramp up the tension between the characters. Mikes explanation of how he worked out Teddys tell is delivered perfectly by Damon. Rounders is a must-see for all poker enthusiasts.

Brad PittThe glamorous side of gambling is shown in technicolour in 2001s remake of Oceans Eleven, but where poker makes its memorable appearance is not on the floor of the casino but in the dimly-lit back room of a strip club. Pitts character Rusty Ryan, having retired from the heist game and now trying to turn legit, is shown trying to teach celebrities how to play poker. When Danny Ocean (George Clooney) crashes the game, Ryan takes the opportunity to deliver a lesson in drawing out the bluff.

The comedy in the scene comes from the actors playing nave versions of themselves, along with the knowing glances to the camera from Pitt and Clooney as they invite the audience into their little secret. It is well known that Hollywood contains many celeb poker players and its very easy to imagine similar scenes taking place in real life. Poker itself doesnt feature much in the scene. Instead, it is used as a vehicle to set the scene for the brilliant performances from the leading men.

Daniel CraigMr. Smooth himself, Craig took over the role of Bond for the 2006 film Casino Royale. Ian Flemings first Bond novel finally got an onscreen outing as part of the official canon of movies, and it brought us a younger Bond and a much more modern feel. And part of that feel came from the glitz and glamour of the casino sets. Set in the fictional Hotel Splendid, the movie sees Bond face off against arch-villain Le Chiffre during a Texas Holdem poker tournament.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers didnt pay as much attention to how the game was actually played, as they did to the atmosphere at the tables. So while the scenes where Bond and Le Chiffre clash charismatically over the cards, poker aficionados have been known to flinch at the inaccuracies in the rules and the etiquette. But when a game produces this much tension, I think we can forgive them using a little artistic licence.

Mel Gibson1994s Maverick may not have gone down in history as one of Gibsons finest, which is a shame, because his comedic turn as the poker playing Brett Maverick is a real delight to watch. Trying to raise funds to enter a poker tournament, Maverick battles his way through comedic mishaps until he finally gets a seat at the table.

The second half of the film is all poker, with a colourful cast of characters making up his opponents. Gibson switches between nave novice and slick con-artist with playful ease as he makes his way to the final table and a showdown between the best players. The slow reveal of everyones hands is incredibly unrealistic and screams Hollywood, but the tension that builds as Gibson places down one card after another, until finally revealing the tournament-winning ace of spades, can be cut with a knife and will have everyone watching from the edge of their seats.

These are just a few of many films and tv shows to use poker scenes over the years. If youre a fan of the game then its worth checking out the movies and seeing the great performances from many well-known actors as they try to convey the thrill and excitement of a winning hand.

Visit link:

The best actors to have appeared around a poker table - CineVue

June 09 2020Will Shillibier

Do you hate grinding hard in order to satellite into a major online poker tournament, only to get busted by sharks with big bankrolls who can buy-in direct? Well Unibet Poker have just the tournament for you.

Starting June 9th, players can earn their way into a 25 buy-in Final on July 5th exclusively through satellites. The Final offers no direct buy-in which means every player must satellite in.

The lowest tier is a freeroll satellite, with passwords being given out on Unibet Poker Ambassador Ian Simpson's Twitch stream all this month. Simpson is one of many popular poker Twitch streamers out there and he'll be looking to get involved in this exciting tournament.

Did You Know You Can Play on Unibet Poker Direct From Your Browser?

However, no one is exempt from the "no direct buy-in" policy, especially not Simpson who must win his way into the Final as well! Here are details of the three different tiers of satellites leading up to the 25 Final.

The streams start on June 9th and take place every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The tournaments take place at 6pm or 8pm (BST) with freeroll passwords given out on the Twitch stream.

Mastering satellites is not an easy subject, but thankfully fellow Unibet Poker Ambassador Dara O'Kearney is on hand with his top tips on how to plug leaks from your satellite game.

In the article he explains how to avoid high variance plays and put yourself in a position to lock up a seat more often.

Battle Against the King of Flips And Win Cash, Tickets and More!

Youre going to need a Unibet Poker account to play in any of these satellites. Those of you who have one, go right ahead! If you dont have an account, download Unibet Poker via PokerNews for a welcome bonus worth 200.

Unibet rewards you with cold, hard cash each time you hit specific rake milestones. For example, you receive 1 when you rake 2 and an additional 4 once youve generated 10 in rake.

The bonus expires 60-days after you create your account so get your grind on and see how much cash you can earn.

Read more from the original source:

Avoid the Sharks by Playing Stream Satellites on Unibet Poker - PokerNews.com

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has a plan for safelyreopening Detroit casinos, and that means banning smoking and poker, andgreatly restricting the number of people on the floor as COVID-19 precautions. Casinos are now waiting for the green light from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Bans on smoking, eliminating poker and restricting numbers of people on the floor are part of the plans to reopen Detroit's casinos, which have been closed since mid-March due to the pandemic.(Photo: David Guralnick / The Detroit News)

The plan approved Monday includes:

In compiling these minimum guidelines, we considered CDC recommendations, Nevada Gaming Board guidelines and information from the National Indian Gaming Commission, Richard S. Kalm, the board's executive director, said in a statement. "We required the casinos to propose reopening plans, and we consulted with the casino unions on the guidelines. We believe the guidelines will protect the public when it is safe to reopen the casinos.

The MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Greektown Casinohave been closed since March 16to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The three casinos year-to-date combined revenue of $299.2 million was down by 51.6 % through May compared with $617.9 million in combined revenue reported for the same period in 2019, Michigan Gaming Control Board said Monday.

The revenue losses from the closures have impacted the casinos as well as the city and state, which collect hundreds of millions of dollars intax revenue annually from the casinos' more than $1 billion in revenue.

"MotorCity Casino Hotel looks forward to reopening our casino complex as soon as authorized by Governor Whitmer,"Bruce Dall, president ofMotorCity Casino Hotel said in an email Monday."Since closing, we've consulted with health experts, and worked with City of Detroit leadership, state leadership, the MichiganEconomic Recovery Council,as well asthe Michigan Gaming Control Board in its efforts to develop reopening guidelines designed to protect the health and safety of our guests and employees."

Dall said that MotorCity Casino Hotel'sguidelines include screening employees and customers including temperature checks, property-wide social-distancing signage and spacing in slots and tables, access to masks and gloves, and 200 hand-sanitizing stations.

Last month,MGM Resorts Internationalreleased a Seven-Point Safety Planoutlining the health and safety protocols it would implement in its properties, including MGM Grand Detroit.

MGM Resort's plan includesscreening, temperature checks and employee training,mandatory masks and personal protective equipment and physical distancing. The company's planalso addresses air quality and the operation of itsheating ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Read or Share this story: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2020/06/08/bans-smoking-and-poker-part-plan-reopen-detroit-casinos/5320757002/

Excerpt from:

Bans on smoking and poker are part of plan to reopen Detroit casinos - The Detroit News

Card Player Magazine, available in print and online, covers poker strategy, poker news, online and casino poker, and poker legislation. Sign up today for a digital subscription to access more than 800 magazine issues and get 26 new issues per year!

While I have a fairly solid grasp on how to play fundamentally sound poker, I often find myself calling a bit too often with good, but second best, hands when my opponents are willing to put all of their money in the pot. I have been working hard to plug this leak, and this hand demonstrates my progress.

In a recent $5,000 buy-in live partypoker event in Montreal, I started the hand with 280,000, which was a ton of chips at the 1,000-2,000 level. I raised with A Q from first position to 4,500. A tight, passive player who had 120,000 chips called from middle position. An excellent tight, aggressive player with 200,000 chips also called from the small blind.

The flop came Q 9 6, giving me top pair, top kicker. The small blind checked. I certainly want to make a bet to get value from numerous worse made hands, like K-Q, Q-J, and A-9, while also protecting my hand against various draws, such as 5 4 and K-J. Of course, I do not expect anyone to ever fold a premium draw to any reasonable bet. The idea of betting a large amount to try to force the premium draws to fold will almost never work. I bet 12,000 into the 17,500 pot. This bet easily allows worse made hands that I crush to call while giving the draws poor pot odds.

The middle position player thought for a while then called. The small blind then started thinking, and thinking and thinking, for about three minutes total. While he was thinking, I realized that the small blind would probably only raise with a set, Q-9, 9-6, or a premium draw. Against the sets and two pairs, I am crushed. Against the premium draws, I will win roughly 60 percent of the time. Against exactly that range, A-Q is in terrible shape, winning only 25 percent of the time.

While the small blind may occasionally run a big bluff, since our table was decently soft, I did not think he would want to make an overly risky play. He may also check-raise with a marginal made hand such as K-Q or Q-J to try to price out the draws, but I thought that was unlikely because it is a generally bad play, given I could easily have a premium hand. If he check-raises with Q-J, he will usually only get action when he is against a strong draw or when he is crushed, which is a terrible result for him. He eventually check-raised to 38,000.

As soon as his chips hit the felt, I folded my hand. The middle position player thought for a while and then called. The turn was the 3. The small blind went all-in for the middle position players remaining stack. The middle position player instantly called with 6-6, which he was quite happy with, but he lost to the small blinds 9-9.

I dodged a bullet! Maybe I am the next Phil Hellmuth.

In the past, I would have lost a few more chips in this situation, usually by calling the flop raise and then folding to the turn bet. Many players would simply go all-in on the flop, putting the small blind on a draw or a marginal made hand that A-Q beats.

Most players dont even consider that the middle position caller could have a strong hand. Even though this was actually a fairly easy fold once the small blind check-raised due to my poor chances of winning at the showdown, it is important to make sure you are folding reasonably strong hands when you are almost certainly crushed by your opponents range.

Jonathan Little is a professional poker player and best-selling poker author with over $7,000,000 in live tournament earnings. If you want to learn how to play fundamentally sound poker and increase your win rate, check out PokerCoaching.com. Click here to try PokerCoaching.com for free.

Read more from the original source:

Poker Strategy With Jonathan Little: Folding Top Pair, Top Kicker On The Flop - Poker News - CardPlayer.com

09:5309 Jun

Former world heavyweight boxing champion David Haye has set his sights on being a poker world champion. The Londoner has switched disciplines following his retirement from prize fighting and looks to be as motivated as ever.

Its no secret that boxing champions have a work ethic unrivaled in most other sports. Haye now wants to bring what he has into the poker scene and establish himself as a world beater once more.

Many boxing champions have told how they lose a little of that fire in the belly once its time to retire. Not having that next fight to focus on negatively affects many of the sports former professionals.

Haye sounds like he is determined to make sure he doesnt follow that path.

His entry into the poker tournament scene has started off well. Last summer he finished in 40th place in the 100 + 25 No Limit Hold'em - Goliath Main Event at the Grosvenor Casino, Coventry.

Okay, he only went home with 2,000 but out of a whopping 9,300 entrants he showed plenty of staying power.

Flying out to Las Vegas for the bout between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder Haye showed how keen he is.

Only time will tell if he can continue to put in the insane hours that successful poker requires. If he does we can be sure that he will be a regular feature at the World Series of Poker in the future.

Did you like this article?

See more here:

David Haye Dreaming of Being a Poker World Champion - PokerTube

Getting a royal flush is the hardest hand to obtain when playing poker online or in a casino. If youre wondering what your odds are of being dealt a royal flush and other hands, youve come to the right place. Weve developed this page to equip you with all the information you need to know about your poker hand odds.

In this detailed guide about your odds of being dealt a royal flush and other hands while playing poker, well provide you with tons of information. You can check out the preview below to get an idea of everything well cover. Feel free to click on one of these section titles if you want to jump ahead.

Before we dive into royal flush odds and other hands, we wanted to first ensure youve got a good understanding of the different hands possible when playing poker. Check out the sections below to look over all the different poker hands. Weve listed them in the order of their rank when playing the game.

This one should be pretty obvious. In casino poker and online poker, if you dont have a single pair or higher in your hand, you have whats considered a no pair hand. In this case, your hands value will depend on the highest card youve got.

If you end up getting a one pair hand, it means youve got two card values that match in your hand. For example, if you have two 4s, you have a single pair of 4s. While this isnt a powerful poker hand, it does outrank anyone who has a no pair hand.

Kicking things up a slight notch from a single pair would be a two pair hand. In this scenario, you have two sets of matching card values. As an example, if you have two Ks and two 10s in your hand, it would be a two pair hand. In turn, it would outrank any players with just a single pair or no pair.

As the name implies, a poker hand that counts as three of a kind has three cards of the same value. For example, if you have three jacks in your hand, this would create a three of a kind poker hand. If you end up with the three of a kind hand, youll have a better hand than no pair, single pair, and two pair hands.

Up next on the poker hand rank scale is a straight. Here, were only focused on standard straights, which means were not counting straights that are either flush or royal in nature (more on those in a moment). To make a straight, youll need all five cards in your hand to be in sequential order. As an example, if you had A, 2, 3, 4, and 5, youd have a straight poker hand.

Topping out straights and the other hands below it, a flush is another form of a poker hand. With a flush, youll have all five cards of your poker hand of the same suit. As an example, if all five cards in your hand are spades, you have a flush. For this particular hand, your cards do not count as a straight flush or a royal flush. Well touch on each of those below.

The next hand up the poker hand ranking scale is a full house. To make a full house with your hand, youll need to have a three of a kind paired with a two of a kind. If you have three 10s and two 5s, youd have a full house.

One of the toughest hands to get when playing poker is a four of a kind. Here, youll need to have four cards of the same value in your hand. As an example, if you had four queens in your hand, youll have made a four of a kind poker hand. With four of a kind, there are only two other poker hands that can beat you.

Second from the top of the best poker hands possible is the straight flush. The flush portion of this name implies youll need all your cards to be of the same suit. However, to make a straight flush, they also must be in sequential order. For example, having 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the same suit would provide you with a straight flush poker hand.

The king of all poker hands is the royal flush. With a royal flush, its essentially a very specific straight flush. For starters, all your five cards must be the same suit. On top of that, it must be the 10, J, Q, K, and A of a particular suit to complete the royal flush.

Up first, we wanted to start by presenting you with your odds of being dealt a royal flush and other hands when playing five-card games of poker. Most notably, this will include Five-Card Stud Poker. Weve included a chart below which showcases your odds of being dealt each hand in conjunction with the potential combinations and associated probability.

One thing worth noting is that the chart below showcases your odds of having one of the hands in a five-card poker game. This data does not account for any possibilities of wild cards or draws, which may be present in select games like Five-Card Draw.

As you can see from the chart above, youve got the highest chance of being dealt a no pair or single pair hand when playing a five-card variant of poker online or in a casino. Interestingly, theres roughly a 50% chance you wont have a pair or better.

However, you can see just how tough it can be to get some of the other higher-ranking poker hands. Even two pair hands only happen about 5% of the time. And if youre hoping for a royal flush, the odds of it happening are minuscule.

Since the royal flush is the hardest poker hand to achieve, we wanted to provide you with some visualizations to help you grasp just how rare it is. Check out the list of things below, which are more likely to happen to you than being dealt a royal flush when playing a five-card variant of poker.

Getting in a Car Accident 1 in 103

Getting Audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)1 in 175

Winning an Academy Award 1 in 11,500

Losing an Appendage in a Chainsaw-Related Accident 1 in 4,464

Going to the ER With a Pogo Stick-Related Injury 1 in 103

Up next, we wanted to provide you with royal flush odds and other poker hands when playing seven-card versions of poker. If youre into games like Seven-Card Stud and No Limit Texas Holdem, this is the section for you.

While the addition of two extra cards to work with doesnt sound like much to some, it creates a dramatic difference. Instead of just 2,598,960 potential hand combinations, playing poker with seven cards brings the possibility of 133,784,560 hands. That means there are more than 50 times as many possible hand combinations thanks to those extra two cards in play!

This chart focuses on your odds of being dealt one of these hands in a game of seven-card poker. As with the previous five-card section, the poker probability and odds below do not take into account wild cards and draws from specific versions of poker.

Immediately, youll probably notice how much better your odds of getting most hands are. In the next section, well provide you with even more information about how much better your chances are for each of these hands if you play a seven-card variant instead of a five-card one.

Thanks to the additional two cards, offering you the chance to make your best five-card hand, there are more potential combinations which can help you improve your starting hand.

Now that weve broken down the difference in royal flush odds and other poker hands between five- and seven-card poker games, we wanted to help you visualize just how much better your odds are when playing a seven-card game. Check out the chart below to see why you might opt to choose a seven-card game if youre hoping to land a significant hand like a royal or straight flush.

As you can see from the chart above, theres a 2000% greater chance youll get a royal flush when playing a seven-card poker game instead of a five-card game. Other hands which have an increased chance of happening when youre playing a seven-card variant of poker include the straight flush, full house, flush, and straight.

Interestingly, theres one hand where you have a lower chance of getting it when playing a seven-card game of poker instead of a five-card game. That hand is the no pair hand. Intuitively, this makes sense since there are increased chances youll make at least a pair thanks to the expanded cards youre playing with. In this case, your chance of getting a no pair hand is 65% less when playing a seven-card game as opposed to a five-card one.

Thanks for stopping in to check out this page about poker probability and the odds of being dealt a royal flush when playing online poker and casino poker. If youre planning to play poker soon, dont miss our complete guide to real money poker. In it, youll find all sorts of helpful information, including terminology, strategies, and so much more.

If you enjoyed this page about the odds of getting a royal flush, you might also enjoy other pages weve developed in this series. Check out the choices below to explore some of our other What Are the Odds? pages.

Here is the original post:

Odds of Being Dealt a Royal Flush - Royal Flush Odds and More - BestUSCasinos.org

PUBLISHED: 06:00 07 June 2020

Katy Sandalls

Poker Alice may have grown up in Sudbury but it was her life away from the town that hit the headlines Picture: GREGG BROWN

Archant

Sudbury may seem an unlikely place for the birth of a legendary character of Americas Wild West but its not impossible says Suffolk history buff Peter Driver.

Email this article to a friend

To send a link to this page you must be logged in.

Alice Ivers, later to become Poker Alice was born February 17, 1851, she was the daughter of a schoolteacher.

Alice is quoted as saying that her birth place was Sudbury though some historians believe that she may have actually been born in Devon or even America.

The story goes that when Alice was 12 years old her family decided to emigrate to America.

The family settled in Richmond, Virginia, where Alices father secured a teaching role.

They remained there until the end of the American Civil War when they moved to Denver, Colorado.

In those days Denver was made up of mainly log cabins built around the silver mines and it was there that Alice met her first husband a mining engineer who was killed just a year later when a mine collapsed.

Alice was forced to look for a way to support herself, and, having watched her husband playing cards in a local saloon, she persuaded the owner to teach her to become a dealer.

This earned her the nickname of Poker Alice and she travelled many of the frontier towns following her new profession,

She took to carrying a gun and smoking cigars giving her the appearance of a formidable woman who made a lot of money and spent most of it on spending sprees in the city.

In 1892, she took a job in the Number Ten saloon owned by Bob Ford, the man who shot and killed the famous outlaw Jesse James.

She was dealing on the evening when he in turn was gunned down by a man who wanted to be known as the man who killed the man who shot Jesse James.

After this Alice moved to Deadwood, South Dakota where one evening, a drunken miner attacked a fellow dealer named Tubbs, with a knife.

Without hesitation, Alice is said to have pulled out her revolver and shot him in the arm.

Soon after Alice married Tubbs, retired from gambling and bought a farm where they adopted seven orphans.

Tubbs died of pneumonia in 1910 during a blizzard that was said to be so bad that fire had to be lit on the ground for four hours before a grave could be dug.

Alice did marry again but her third husband soon died and instead Alice opened her own saloon.

One night, after she had closed up, a group of drunken soldiers tried to force their way in and a frightened Alice.

After shouting a warning, fired through the door killing one of the men.

At her trial, she was found guilty but a kind hearted judge released her saying that they were unable to send a white-haired old lady to prison.

Poker Alice died aged 79 on the operating table after taking her final gamble in 1930.

Since her death Alice has been fictionalised on film in a number of different tv shows and films.

The most notable of these portrayals was by legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor in a made for tv film in 1987.

These days you can visit Alices home in Sturgis, South Dakota where it forms part of a local motel.

If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the East Anglian Daily Times. Click the link in the yellow box below for details.

Read the original post:

Who was Poker Alice? The gunslinging gambler of the Wild West who may have come from Sudbury - East Anglian Daily Times

Quebecs provincial gambling monopoly has been hit with a class action suit by a poker player who claims the monopolys online poker software had an Apple-sized glitch.

On June 1, a class action lawsuit was filed in Quebec Superior Court by Elisabetta Bertucci, who alleges that until the evening of May 18, 2020, Loto-Quebecs Texas Holdem poker platform had a serious defect unknown to the vast majority of players.

The suit claims that players using iPads and presumably any iOS device could see other players hole cards after a hand was complete, regardless of whether or not a player chose to expose those hole cards. As such, the suit alleges that players using non-iOS devices were at a disadvantage because they lacked the ability to see these hole cards.

Bertucci, who has been playing on the site since 2010,claims to have discovered the glitch on May 13 when she played a tournament using an iPad for the first time. Bertucci then checked out the cash games and discovered the same flaw was present.

Bertucci called Espacejeux support and claims that a technician confirmed to her that the glitch existed. But five days later, the glitch hadnt been patched, so Bertucci called back and spoke to a supervisor named Carlos, after which the glitch was patched.

On May 21, Bertucci got an email from a Loto-Quebec rep who confirmed that the incident affecting the poker hand history on OK Poker is now resolved. The agent apologized for any inconvenience Bertucci may have suffered and offered her C$15 in compensation.Bertucci refused this offer, deeming it inadequate, given that she claims to have lost nearly C$18k (US$13,300) on the site since July 2010.

The suit claims that Loto-Quebec deceived its poker players by failing to provide a secure platform that respects the integrity and rules of the game. The suit further alleges that Loto-Quebec failed to inform players of this iOS glitch and also failed to change all players user names to prevent their hand histories from being analyzed in this fashion.

Bertuccis suit notes that GVC Holdings PartyPoker site recently suffered an integrity breach and the site responded by changing the usernames of all players in order to level the playing field.

Bertuccis lawyers at LPC Avocat are inviting all individuals who until May 18 paid any sum of money to play Texas Holdem on Espace-jeux or OK Pokerto add their names to the suit. The suit seeks reimbursement of all moneys paid to play on the poker site, plus punitive damages of C$300 per player and an order forcing the platforms to allow users to change their screen-names.

A Loto-Quebec spokesperson told Le Journal de Quebec that the monopoly was aware of the allegations but declined further comment. Loto-Quebec is scheduled to release its fiscal Q4/FY2019-20 earnings report sometime in August.

Continued here:

Loto-Quebec hit with class action suit over exposed online poker hole cards - CalvinAyre.com

The live poker scene remains dark in most U.S states, despite some casinos beginning to reopen after being closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While online poker has provided an alternative avenue for players to keep doing what they love and continue chasing for tournament glory, the exciting, warm and vibrant atmosphere offered by land-based poker rooms is something players are looking forward to return to.

However, present circumstances indicate that players might have to wait much longer before they can fully compete at the live felts, as stringent restrictions are still in effect especially when it comes to mass gatherings in public venues and establishments.

In Texas though, poker rooms have started accepting customers since May, but in several other jurisdictions, live poker operators have opted to remain closed indefinitely. According to Ante Up Magazine, of the 130 poker rooms outside Texas, 111 are currently non-operational. This number does not include the states of Pennsylvania and Indiana, which still prohibit the reopening of poker rooms.

Nevada, a top destination for live poker players and fans, and home to some of the biggest, most popular and iconic poker rooms in the country, saw some of its poker rooms reopen this week, including Orleans, South Point and the Venetian, but with major changes.

In accordance with guidelines from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the poker rooms in the state should limit the number of players at each poker table to just four (pictured). It remains unclear how this would work, but the first poker rooms to reopen said they will reduce the rake for these four-handed games.

Meanwhile, other poker venues located at Wynn and Bellagio have yet to announce any reopening plans.

There have been questions whether social distancing could actually work during poker games, and obviously, poker room owners will need to make major changes to their operations to comply with strict health and safety requirements and protocols. Players and staff should wear protective face masks while inside the premises, regular disinfection of tables and equipment must be carried out, and social distancing must be strictly observed.

In mid-May, photos of poker rooms in Florida with plexiglass dividers installed at tables made the rounds on Twitter, but many have doubted the efficacy of such barriers in preventing players from contracting the virus, knowing that they will have to eventually share cards and chips anyway, and breathe the same shared air.

However it appears some poker rooms are headed towards a similar direction, with Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, Sarasota Kennel Club and Talking Stick also operating with plexiglass dividers. Despite these restrictions, the live poker community can find comfort in knowing that the initial reopening of poker rooms have been welcomed warmly, with long queues spotted in certain locations.

Original post:

US Live Poker Rooms Begin To Reopen With Major Changes - Legal Gambling News

Funny stories. Theyre as much a part of golf as birdies and bogeys. Through the years, Golf Digest has been lucky enough to share time with some of the legendary storytellers and characters in the game. Senior Writer Guy Yocom deserves special recognition for his My Shot series of interviews, prominent here with excerpts from other amazing features and columns through the decades.

Something youll notice: One of the most appealing qualities of good jokesters is the ability to laugh at themselves as well as with others. And the best part? Our team of writers and photographers keep adding to the comedic moments, month by month. Heres one such example below, but we have excerpted dozens of our favorite stories in the digital edition of Issue 6 of our magazine, which is available now for free. Click here for more.

Tim Mickelson: A bad bet with brother Phil, January 2016

Phil is seven years older than me, so when we played football indoors, hed level the playing fielda little. He had to play on his knees, and I got to run. He had to tackle me, and I just had to two-hand touch him. Hed hike the ball to himself, and just when Id go to touch him, hed toss the ball in the air and claim the touch didnt count because the ball was airborne. He did a lot of stuff like that. He always won.

One afternoon it was so hot outside we stayed in the houseboat. Phil had taught me how to play pokerfor moneyand all I had was a small bucket full of pennies. I left to use the bathroom, and when I came back, Phil dealt me a straight flush, king-high. I ran to my room, got the bucket and dumped the whole thing into the pot. Phil calls the bet and reveals hes got a royal flush. Imagine that. He took every penny.

Much later, he admitted hed stacked the deck when I left the room. He bought me a lot of dinners to make up for it. But he never did give me my pennies back.

See more here:

The hilarious story of how Phil Mickelson rigged a hand of poker against his brother - Golf Digest

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The world of casinos is filled with several bonuses offered for varied reasons, most of which are aimed at making sales. A bonus in itself has been proven to be one of the most significant factors for widespread patronage of casinos. In this regard, online casinos offer more bonuses than land-based casinos, primarily due to the recent surge in online casinos. Now, thousands of offshore casino sites are waiting to service the casino needs of players at every given opportunity.

While some of the bonuses offered to players are directly targeted at some classes of players, others are open to all customers of a casino site. This means that with the very nature of casino bonuses, almost every player at a casino will qualify for one or more bonuses. This leads us to the No Deposit variant of bonuses, which can be found in some casinos, but with a little effort, though.

What are No Deposit Bonuses?

No deposit bonuses are bonuses offered to players for registering an account with a casino, with which they play on real money games. Players are offered these bonuses to test their strengths and weaknesses on some games, and possibly make some cool cash while at it. No deposit bonuses are usually open to new players and are typically a reward for setting an account with a casino site. In some cases, these bonuses are up for existing players with dormant accounts, in which case, the bonuses are used to draw back their attention to the casino.

When a casino offers no deposit bonuses, they usually have some wagering requirements attached, which qualified players have to meet. As a new player, it would be in your best interest to understand the wagering requirements before taking up your no deposit bonuses.

Types of No Deposit Bonuses

Not every casino offers no deposit bonuses, but the ones that provide them typically have the following types:

No Deposit Cash Bonus

This is the most widespread and popular no deposit bonus you see at most online casinos. It is common and popular because it deals with free cash that you can use to wager for real money and eventually win. Cash bonuses awarded on registration heavily come with some wagering requirements in most online casinos.

Aside from the wagering requirements, it usually the practice for players to play on a certain number of designated games only. This means that the fee cash will not be used on some other games outside the ones so listed for the bonus.

No Deposit Free Spins

Free spins bonuses offered to players upon registering their accounts with a casino site. In most cases, the free spins are to be played on selected games by the casino site. The perk of these free spins is that you can win real money while playing them. They are either awarded via a promo code that is peculiar to you or via an open platform on the casino site.

Many online casinos offer some free spins on registration at their sites, mostly to be played on slot games. One remarkable win for players is that no deposit free spins usually have no wagering requirements for players to meet. So, you have a suitable bonus that you can win from, without any wagering requirements accompanying it!

No Deposit Time-specific Free Spins

These are free spins offered to players on the condition that they must be played or exhausted on a particular date or time. Where these are provided to players, they have to keep to the time window stipulated in the offer. Where players fail to do so, the offer will lapse, and the casino would be justified to withdraw the remaining offer, as the case may be. This offer usually has no wagering requirements attached to them.

Why You Have to Claim Your No Deposit Bonuses

The quest of every casino is to maximize profits and keep low or no rates of losses, so bonuses are a strategy to have players flooding online casinos. Suffice this to mean that when casinos offer you bonuses, that is the most direct way of giving back to you, the player. The no deposit bonus is one of the few ways that players almost put in nothing and gaining something in return. Now, that sounds like something every player should be doing anytime theres an opportunity for it.

No deposit bonuses are some of the toughest things an online casino does, because there is a 50/50 possibility that they may not win you over. So, what happens when you win and decide to leave? You guessed it right! So, you have to claim your no deposit bonuses whenever they are offered because they dont come by easily.

Related

Read the rest here:

JUST LAUNCHED Interactive Texas Hold'em Poker Quiz: Which hand wins? - European Gaming Industry News