How to Play Craps and Win!

When I go to Vegas I usually spend most of my time playing poker but if I do want to take a shot at some table games it's going to be Craps. Some of my fondest memories at a casino are playing Craps. When the table is hot there is nothing better. In this article I'll give you a basic strategy that will give you the best chance at leaving the table with more chips than you bought in for.
How to Play
A lot of people are intimidated by the craps table and therefore avoid it. For some reason a lot of people think it's a complicated game. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Craps is a very simple game. Lets start with the basics.
The Come Out Roll
The initial roll is called the come out roll. This is where the point is established. When you roll the dice the number is going to be between 2 and 12. Here the three things that are possible on the come out roll:

1. You roll a 7 or 11 and win
2. You roll a 2, 3, or 12 and lose
3. You roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 and that becomes the point

Once a point is established it's as simple as rolling that number again before you roll a 7. For example if the point is established as a 6 then you will keep rolling the dice until you either roll a 6 and win or roll a 7 and lose. There are a ton of other bets you can make but this is the basic Craps strategy.
The Pass Line
This is where you want to place your initial bet. For easy math let's say it's a $10 minimum table and you put down $10. You or the shooter(the person rolling the dice) rolls a 7 on the come out. Guess what? Everyone cheers and you get paid $10 by the dealer. The great thing about Craps is all the players are on the same team against the casino. There is an exception to this and I'll address that later but for now let's dive further into proper strategy for you to win some money.
Free Odds
Assume for now that on the next roll we still have our $10 on the pass line and the shooter rolls a 10. Now the point becomes 10 and the shooter must roll the 10 again before he rolls a 7. Now we have the option to take odds on our 10. You definitely want to take the odds because they are free. That means that the casino has no edge on this bet. You want to take the maximum odds. For most casinos here are the max odds:

1. 4 and 10 is 3x your pass line bet ($30 on a $10 bet)
2. 5 and 9 is 4x your pass line bet ($40)
3. 6 and 8 is 5x your pass line bet $(50)

So you are going to toss $30 to the dealer and say "odds on my 10 please." You now have $40 in play and here's what you'll win if the shooter rolls a 10:

1. $10 on the pass line bet
2. $60 on your odds bet because 4 and 10 pay 2 to 1

Collect your $70 in winnings and your $30 odds bet and put it in the rack. It's that easy! Unless of course the shooter rolls a 7 and in that case you would lose $40. In a similar scenario if your point was 5 or 9 you would have been paid 3 to 2 on your odds bet of $40 which would also equal $60 and on a 6 or 8 you are being paid 6 to 5 on your $50 odds bet which again would be $60. The casino does this to make it easier for their dealers. The odds payout will be the same amount no matter which number you hit as long as you took max odds.
Always Take Max Odds
On the pass line bet in Craps the casino gets a 1.4% edge. Meaning that over time after hundreds or thousands or rolls the casino is going to win on average $1.40 for every $100 that is bet. It's simple math and it's the reason they can build those beautiful hotels and can afford to comp you a free room if you play long enough. So why take max odds? Because is you do you lower the house edge to about 0.7% and cut in half their edge. That is as good of a bet you are going to find in the casino unless you can count cards in blackjack and I'm guessing you can't or you wouldn't be reading this article. By taking the max free odds you can only expect to lose $.70 over time for every $100 you bet. That's pretty cheap entertainment if you factor in that the cocktail waitress is going to bring you as many free drinks as you want.
So How Do You Make Money?

Always sign up for the casino's players club and take advantage of comps or freebies the casino is willing to reward you with for gambling with them. One thing you can do to help your comps is to buy in for more than you are willing to gamble with. For example, I never buy in for less than $1,000 even though the way I am playing I only need about $300. The secret to being profitable in Craps is to quit while you're ahead. Groundbreaking stuff I know but it's really as easy as that. Craps is a very streaky game. The table will go cold, hot, and choppy. When the table is cold quit playing. Take a break or find another table but when you go to the next table buy in for $1,000 again and if you do that 4 or 5 times in a day the casino may think your bankroll is much bigger that it actually is and be willing to bring you back by sending you a free room in the mail. It may be a minor thing but every little thing helps. As long as the table is hot keep playing and you might even want to bump up your bets a little if it gets real hot but as soon as it cools down take your profits and cash out. Stay away from other bets such as the field or other one roll bets on the table. These are called sucker bets for a reason. Only play the pass line with full odds.

Recap

1. Get a players card
2. Buy in for more $$$ than you plan to play with
3. Place your initial bet on the pass line for the come out roll
4. Take max odds once the point is established
5. Keep playing as long as the table is hot
6. Cash out when the table cools down

Win a Car Sweepstakes

Online sweepstakes have become a huge craze, for people of all ages. Of course you have to understand the rules and regulations of each sweepstakes. Each contest runs by its own terms and because they are solely motivated by their branding, marketing and other promotional related activities, they may advertise the biggest prize without including the fine details of what they prize actually entails. One of the most common prizes available (and the most popular for that matter) is the "win a car" grand prize. Seeing these words with an amazing picture of a brand new car on the contest's page becomes extremely enticing. Before you go forward with entering that particular sweep, make sure you know EXACTLY what is being offered as the grand prize.

As someone actively involved in the online sweepstakes arena, I am aware of the intricacies of grand prizes. These companies that usually offer a brand new car as a prize are often large corporations that have the capital to support such an amazing prize, however they don't always give you a brand new car. It is important to not just use your eyes to review the promotional images and text but to actively seek out any rules and regulations pertaining to that sweepstakes. This will allow you to understand exactly what the sweepstakes has to offer, no more assumptions.

When you first review the rules, always, always, always, look for the eligible ages and locations requirement. Often times, you will have to be at least the age of 21 years old to win a car but sometimes you can be 18. Definitely, never younger than those ages. You must also consider the region you live in. Many of the win a car sweepstakes offered are available only to US Residents and only those residents who actually live in the continental US. So forget about entering this contests from Alaska or Hawaii, not going to happen.

Now that you have reviewed if you are eligible, make sure you understand and accept their privacy policy. Some companies are merely promotional or marketing agencies that collect the data, organize it and select the winners at random. Others are conducted directly by their own company and will use your information for further marketing efforts. They will send you promotions, deals, discounts and other related news to their company. If you are not ready to accept this type of communication with that particular company, then do not enter your details.

And finally, make sure that the grand prize is what you think it is. I have come across a number of "Win a Car" Sweepstakes that are simply an opportunity for you to win a free 2 year lease of a brand new car. But that is not always the case. There are legitimate car sweepstakes and finding them just takes a couple extra minutes. Good luck with entering your next sweepstakes and I hope you win that brand new car!

Betting On Baseball Today

The first pitch in Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 season has been thrown and that's great news for fans and bettors alike. With professional hockey, basketball, and football, more or less on hiatus when the summer rolls around in North America, it's up to baseball and Major League Soccer (MLS) to keep bettors and fans entertained. With each of the 30 MLB teams playing 162 games per season there's definitely plenty of action on a daily basis, including the annual All Star Classic.

Betting on baseball is quite popular with serious bettors as it's viewed by many as being the easiest sport to make a profit on. But oddly enough, the casual fan doesn't wager on baseball games with the regularity they do with other major professional sports. One of the reasons for less betting activity on baseball could be the fact that some fans aren't exactly sure how to go about it, so let's deal with that situation right off the bat.

In baseball you'll find that there's no point spread in use like there is in many other sports and this could be a little confusing to some people. The first thing bettors need to do is get a grasp on how the sport's money line operates. Some baseball bettors like to bet on the underdog quite often as they can still come out with a decent profit even when winning less than 50 per cent of their wagers.

When betting on the sport you'll also come across the run line, which is basically the money line and point spread combined into one. There's a constant 1.5 spread of runs in baseball betting and on the odd occasion you may see this increase to 2 or 2.5 runs. The ball team which is favoured in the money line will be favoured on the run line as well.

For example, on a regular money line, which means you're just going to pick the winning team, the odds could be +170 on the Toronto Blue Jays and -165 for the New York Yankees. This means Blue Jays' bettors can win $170 on a $100 bet while Yankees' bettors will need to lay down a $165 wager to win $165. However, if a bet is made with a run line the odds will change. For instance if the underdog Blue Jays are bet on at +1.5 in the run line the odds could read -125 and if the favoured Yankees run line is -1.5 then the odds could be +105.

This now means Blue Jays' bettors will have to wager more than they can win as it'll take a $125 bet to win $100. However, these bettors are being given 1.5 runs in the run line. This means those who laid a wager on the Blue Jays will win their bet even if Toronto loses the game by one run. A lot of bettors like to go with big favourites in the run line since they can get reduced odds when giving 1.5 runs. Betting on the run line basically makes the favourite the underdog.

You can also bet over/under when betting on baseball, which means to bet on the total number of runs predicted for the game. They're typically called totals in baseball wagering. The totals are the same as in other sports. While in ice hockey and soccer they're presented as goals, and in American football, basketball, and rugby they're points, in baseball they're represented as runs. All you have to do to wager on an over/under is to predict if there will be more or fewer runs scored than what the oddsmakers have selected.

For example, the betting line may read like this: Toronto Blue Jays OV 7.5 -120 and the New York Yankees UN 7.5 +130. If you want to bet on Toronto with more than 7.5 runs being scored you'll need to wager $120 to win $100. To bet on New York with fewer than 7.5 runs coming across the plate you can win $730 on a $100 bet. Just remember, that in baseball, when you're betting the extra innings count for run line bets and the over/under.

The pitchers are the key in most baseball games and the money line is decided based on who's going to be pitching for each team. Sometimes the money line is adjusted if a scheduled starting pitcher is substituted. However, you can wager on the contest as 'action' which means you want to make the bet no matter if there's a pitching change. The wager will still be active, but the payout could be different as the odds may have changed because of a pitching change.

If you bet on a baseball game based on the starting pitchers who have been listed by the sportsbook then the bet will be returned if either of the pitchers doesn't start. In addition, a bet can be made based on just one team's pitcher. If you bet on a specific starter for one team and don't care who the other pitcher is then the bet is active as long as the team you wagered on starts the scheduled pitcher.

You can also wager on correct scores, at-bats, hits, balls, strikes, home run leaders, and innings played etc. Of course, bets can be made on division winners and World Series champions. There are a lot of options when it comes to baseball betting and it's typically quite easy to get the hang of it.

Online Gambling in Atlantic City

For better or for worse, online gambling is coming to New Jersey.

In late February, Chris Christie officially signed into law a bill that legalized internet gambling in Atlantic City.

Initially the bill was vetoed by the Governor because of issues surrounding transparency and taxes. Lawmakers adjusted the text and the amended bill passed by an overwhelming majority in the legislature and earned Christie's seal of approval.

Here are the basics of the bill:

- Casinos located in Atlantic City will be able to apply for a license to offer online gambling. Only the twelve official Atlantic City casinos will be eligible for the license. No other organizations can offer internet gambling, and face stiff fines if they do. All facilities used for the operation of internet gambling must be located within city limits; only bets that are received by a server in Atlantic City will be legal.

- Players must be "physically present" in New Jersey to place wagers. In the future, New Jersey may develop agreements with other states where internet gambling is legal to permit out-of-state gambling. The casino's equipment must verify players' locations before accepting wagers.

- Any games available to play in the casinos can be played online. (For comparison, Nevada only allows poker.) As of now, sports betting will not be protected by this bill, although the state of New Jersey is trying to fight the federal statute barring the legalization of sports betting.

- The bill has all kinds of provisions to keep gambling addiction at bay, such as requiring the prominent display of the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline number, a way to set maximum bets and losses over a certain period of time, and tracking player losses to identify and limit users who may demonstrate addictive gambling behavior.

- Revenue from online gambling will carry a 15% tax. The Christie administration states that about $180 million in revenue for the state will be generated from this tax, but some analysts think this number is seriously overestimated.

The official regulations, which the bill required the Division of Gaming Enforcement to produce, were released on June 3, and are subject to a "public comment period" until August 2 before being finalized. These rules include details such as how a casino acquires the appropriate licenses and procedures for maintaining network security on gambling sites.

So, will online gambling actually benefit the state?

The Good

Revenues from Atlantic City casinos have been on the decline for the past seven years, and online gambling could be what saves the failing casinos. Since 2006, casino revenue has dropped from $5.2 billion to around $3 billion. Online gambling could be a $500 million to $1 billion industry in New Jersey, which may be enough to keep struggling casinos afloat and save jobs in Atlantic City. Further, even though estimates of tax revenue are all over the map, there is potential for online gambling to be a considerably valuable source of money for the state. The casinos will also have to pay a tax to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, which will provide further assistance to struggling casinos in Atlantic City.

For the player, low overhead costs mean better prizes and more opportunities to play. Casinos can incent players with free "chips" that have minimal costs for them but give players more opportunities to play and win. The convenience of gambling online allows players to play more with less travel.

BAD:

One of the goals of the bill is supposedly to attract more people to visit the brick-and-mortar casinos, but it is hard to say if online gambling will actually lead to this outcome. One could speculate it could even cause people to go to the casinos less (However, this seems unlikely; the social element and the free drinks are lost in online gambling. Also, research indicates that, at least with poker, internet gaming does not reduce casino gaming.) Advertising for the host casino will be allowed on the online gambling sites, which could possibly encourage people to visit the casino but could also be annoying for players.

Online gambling could be seriously devastating for people who have gambling addictions, or even cause people to develop them, raising financial and moral concerns. Even with all the preventative steps the bill requires, it will definitely be much harder to cut off compulsive gamblers if they can place bets anywhere with an internet connection.

Regardless, it is going to be a while before the casinos can actually kick off their online gambling offerings. The regulations need to be finalized and casinos need to apply for licensure and develop their gambling websites. This means the casinos will not be enjoying this new source of revenue during the 2013 summer season, which could be Atlantic City's toughest season ever following recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

New Jersey has placed its bets, but only time will tell if online gambling will be a jackpot or a bust.

Best Casino in India

Gambling is a fun activity and many people have a penchant for it. It's actually a great activity to indulge in every now and then, especially when you have taken some time off work. If you are looking to gamble over the holidays or after your work hours then there are many spots that you can hit with your family and friends. Here is a list of some well known casinos. Go through the facilities available at each and then pick the best casino in India for your weekly entertainment haunts.

Goa has loads of casinos for visitors. Some of the well-known names are casino Royale at Mandovi, Casino Pride in Panjim, Casino Carnival at the Mariott in Goa, Dunes at the Zuri White Sands Resort and the Chances Casino and Resort in Dona Paula.

About 40 gaming tables and a weather deck are laid all across Casino Pride that has three floors. Keep children busy at the Kid's Zone over here that has loads of computer games. The Pride Group is a well know brand in this niche as it manages operations at Casino Palms at Baga, Casino Paradise in Porvorim and even Casino Pearl in Bogmolla. Its casino is open for all 24 hours and on all seven days of the week. Unlimited drinks and buffet come with the tickets and there is also live entertainment during dinnertime.

Casino Carnival which has two locations absolutely rocks! One branch of the casino is at the Goa Mariott in Miramar while the other one is on a boat that takes off for a cruise on the Mandovi river. The casino has everything from buffet, snacks and booze to live entertainment. There is also VIP room for high rollers.

The 154 room hotel in Varca beach at Zuri White Sands Resort attracts male gamblers by throngs during the night. The layout has slot machines, derby games and American roulette. Chances Casino is tucked away in a 53 room boutique hotel located at Dona Paula beach. It has the view of the breathtaking Vainguinim Valley. A free buffet table is laid out for gamblers to dine away while they are playing. Dress code here is smart casuals and there is even live entertainment on many days. Games available over here are slot machines, Blackjack, American Roulette and Mini Baccarat.

Most of the casinos in India are located in Goa. Actually, India has hardly any locations where legal gambling is allowed. It is carried out in just 5 cities in the country. If you want to gamble away in India then Goa is the place to be. Most of the top notch hotels over here have casinos where you can let your hair down and bet away. In fact, casinos are a great place to enjoy with friends and spend time, especially if you have a wad of cash you want to squander. You can hook up with friends also when you are gambling or take a pile of cash home if you win. Either ways, gambling at casinos is a smashing way to spend time and party with your pals.

It's Not Easy To Win Money Betting On Sports

It's not easy to win money betting on sports. If it were, everybody would be doing it and the books would close up shop. But that doesn't mean that you can not make a profit when you bet. You never hear anybody say that 100% of all sports bettors lose money betting. The most commonly used number is 98% are losers.

Let's be generous and say that only 95% lose money. That means that 5% of those placing bets do win money. Most people would take that 95% and use it as an excuse for their own losing. The winners take that 5% and say "Hey, if they can do it, so can I".

Where do you fit into that? Are you in the 95%, or the five? Do you think you are stuck there just because so many others are? Have those odds convinced you to accept losing?

I say again it is not easy to win money betting on sports. But it can be done. There are no other games a casino can offer that actually allows you to gain a legitimate advantage on every bet, but sports betting certainly does.

The key to winning is to gain the advantage the game allows for you. The problem is that most people have no idea how to go about doing that. They play the wrong games, with bad lines, and leave themselves no chance of winning. The 95% may as well be playing the slots, while the 5% is making all the money.

How can you gain the advantage over the books?

The first thing you do is make sure you get paid more for a win than you lose for loss on every bet you place. Most people play point spreads, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Why would you risk a hundred dollars to win 91, on a bet designed to be a 50-50 proposition? It amounts to paying the book to take your money in a coin flip game. You put yourself at a monetary disadvantage right from the beginning. And you pay the book for helping you do it to yourself.

The next thing is to quit worrying about your winning percentage and pay attention to the money. Would you rather break even winning 55% of your bets or sport an ROI of 15% winning 40% of the time? The 95% choose the first option, the five percent take the second. The bottom line is that it is not about how many games you win, it's how much money you make.

Sports betting allows you to make your own rules. You only have to take the bets you want to take. To profit, you only have to win more bets than the break even point on the lines you play. You don't have to win more bets than you lose to profit. You have to win more money than you lose.

Once you understand those fine points, and apply them to your own betting strategy, it is far easier to profit from sports betting. The books give money away every day. With the right knowledge you can set rules for yourself that will draw some of that money your way.