A Chip Off the Old Block

chipsThe atmosphere inside the walls of a casino is unreal, at times surreal. Very few, especially older casinos, have windows that allow day light in and none have clocks in view. The idea is to block out reality and allow patrons to forget whether it’s night or day, or what time of the night or day it is.

And the tinkering with reality doesn’t stop there. Gambling in a casino means turning in your real currency for a time and using a substitute currency while you are there. What we call chips or checks/cheques or even tokens date back to the early 19th century and there a many reasons why they are still used today. Most of the reasons are for the casino’s benefit, of course.

The primary characteristic of casino chip is its uniformity. While each casino may emblazon their chips with their own distinct decoration (casino name, location, emblem, or logo) they all are of uniform shape (round), size (about the size of an old half-dollar), and weight (lighter than a silver coin but heavier than a modern one). Clearly stamped on each chip is its denomination – $1, $5, $25, and $100 – for the vast majority of chips in play. Other higher denominations are available and the highest values may even be larger or in a completely different shape than the common ones.

Continue Reading

Making the Switch from Online Poker to the Casino

Different people get interested in poker at various stages of their lives. And wherever you started your poker career, it is more than likely the first match you ever played would have been either a live game or on a computer.

These are the most popular ways to play, whether it is a friendly game over the weekend with friends or a slice of competitive play online over the weekend.

And if you really want to become a well-rounded poker player, you are better off trying to master playing on both mediums and not just sticking to your own play.

The problem in, making the transition. Live poker can be very different to playing online, but it is a switch that many people find necessary in order to become a better player.

Continue Reading

Low Stake Hands Are The Trickiest!

More often than not, the low stake Texas Holdem games are viewed as practice hands and hence, are not taken seriously by players. However, very few of the players who are learning the basics of the game are aware of the fact that they will ultimately dictate the profitability of the contestant in this game.
Essentially, winning at poker is not really about landing a lucky hand that brings you thousands of dollars instantly, but rather in playing smart and tight with small stakes, and especially when you are in a big tournament like the World Series of Poker with its $10,000 buy-in, you don’t want to get burst after just a few hands, right? Consequentially, if you discovered your passion for poker and want to make a living from it, the best approach is to develop a taut and aggressive plan as well as stick to it.

Continue Reading