There are two things a casino gambler can’t stand, according to The Economist: losing a game, and less-than-spectacular décor. Not everyone can win, but Galaxy Macau, in what is widely known as Asia’s gambling capital, is more than taking care of the latter. Developer Galaxy Entertainment, owned by a lucrative cement company in Hong Kong, says the casino boasts enough gold leaf to carpet 87 football pitches. The total investment was just under $2 billion, the Economist reported. Macau is a popular destination for poker and casino games enthusiasts, largely because it’s the only place in China (it was given back to the People’s Republic by Portugal in 1999) that legally permits ...

Women are gaining respect in many previously male-dominated fields, from business to politics to sports. In the world of poker, a similar revolution is in full force—and the newly established Maven Awards aims to celebrate it. The awards were created by Maryann Morrison, editor at WomanPokerPlayer.com. Her goal was to get the poker industry to recognize female players more, and to support their potential and advancement in the game. Maven Awards nominees are selected by public vote, a move designed to avoid issues on sponsorship and allow poker fans to set their own criteria. There are over a dozen awards up for grabs, including the Inspirational Award, Most Female-Friendly Poker Site and ...

This spring, Party Poker is living up to its reputation—as the premier site for online poker and real money tournaments—by hosting a $1-million tournament, one of many big events the site has lined up for the year. Spring Millions, dubbed a “monster tournament” by Tight Poker, will follow a championship blind structure starting at 25/50. The structure will be similar to that of the Party Poker Monthly Million. Antes are expected to come in at 250/500, or level six. All players enter the game with a 20,000 chip stack, with breaks scheduled at every three of the blind levels. Blinds go up every 20 minutes. Qualifications began on March 7th and will ...

Due to the Australian informant Daniel Tzvetkoff the FBI has shut down PokerStars.com, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. Trying to avoid a 75 year jail sentence, Tzvetkoff has given information on 3 founders of some of the biggest online poker sites on the net. Charges against the founders include fraud and money laundering. Billions of dollars have apparently been laundered through fake bank accounts and offshore companies. Going to the sites now you get a message from the FBI saying that the site has been seized. Mr Tzvetkoff allegedly created shell companies, including ourbillpaid.com, inetcollect.com and featurepay.com, to process gambling transactions. Those arrested on Friday include Isai Scheinberg and Paul Tate of PokerStars, Raymond Bitar and Nelson Burtnick of Full Tilt Poker, and ...

YouTube has given birth to a fair number of overnight successes, but few would have expected a story about poker geeks to be one of them. Yet The Micros, a miniseries that debuted last December, opened to over 93,000 views and a horde of positive comments. Now with its fourth episode under way, it’s set to reach new heights in the worlds of poker and animation. The Micros was created by John Wray, an instructor on CardRunners.com, and Jay Rosenkrantz, founder of DeucesCracked.com. Both have previously worked in film production, so it was a small step to create the seven-minute pilot episode. What caught them and the rest of us by surprise is finding that there is an overlap between people ...

For casual poker players, choosing a limit is a matter of how much you can afford to lose. But for serious players, several other factors come into play: how much risk they want to take on, how good they are, and how good the opponent is. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not rock-paper-scissors either. Starting low Most experts say it’s always best to start with a lower limit in online poker, no matter how much money you have. This is because the competition at lower-limit games is much easier—not many “pros” or “experts” will sit for a two-dollar game. These games are the go-to place for those just starting out, ...

How many westerns can you name where the hero exacts sweet revenge on the bad guys by bluffing his way to the jackpot? Bluffing is to poker what music is to a movie: you can do without it, but it won’t be half as fun. And anyone who’s played more than a few games of poker can attest to, it’s the kind of skill that’s easy to learn but takes forever to master. In online poker, where there are no bodily cues to give you away, bluffing takes even more work. Here’s how you can improve your bluffing online and get closer to mastering the game. Spotting bluffs People bluff ...

There’s no question about it: if you want to enjoy any level of success at poker, you have to be at your peak every time you come to the table. But luck is a lousy buddy, and you’ll need a lot of it if you want to play at your best for more than five minutes. History tells us that winning and losing streaks seldom last. The key to making money is knowing when it’s time to quit—when you’ve won too much or lost too much. The bad news is that there’s no winning formula—it’s one of those things you just have to feel your way around. The good news? ...

When you’ve crossed over from beginner to intermediate play, you gain some well-deserved confidence—sometimes a bit too much. Here are some common mistakes to watch out for. 1) Playing too many multi-table tournaments Luck plays a bigger role in multi-table play than in traditional rings. Skill will always come in handy, but statistics tell us that the biggest winners in these games are lucky more than they are skilled. In most cases, we’re talking a few hundred players in the span of about half a day, and that means the prize pool is in the hands of a few hands with a fifty-fifty chance of winning. Bottom line: you’d have to be ...

The game of Texas holdem is considered to be the most popular form of poker in casinos and card rooms across the world.  Holdem is well loved in North America, Europe and of course, online. The popularity of Texas holdem has increased throughout the 20th century but this poker game ultimately became a sensation in the 2000s because of its widespread TV, online and literature exposure.  You can play poker online as there are websites which offer free Texas holdem games for everyone to enjoy. Before Texas Holdem Poker, 7 Card Stud was the most played poker in U.S. casinos. Unlike other poker variants such as draw or stud in which every competitor possesses a separate hand, Texas holdem has each player ...