Hottest women of Poker: Deanna Dozier

Making it hard to keep a straight poker face, Deanna Dozier makes it look easy on Day 2 of the World Series of Poker Texas Hold’em no limit poker.

The World Series of Poker is regarded as the pinnacle of the game – players would literally sell their own mothers to attend the WSOP.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 to Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Rio Hotel & Casino
3700 West Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV US
800-752-9746

VISIT THE WSOP SITE

During the month of the World Series, Las Vegas becomes a poker-fueled town. The table play at the Rio was only the epicenter of a quake. Parties, clinics, side games and a spectacular lifestyle show just outside the main card room at the Rio welcomed visitors to share their love of the game.
The Harrah’s sponsored 2005 Poker Lifestyle Show showcased poker’s best, with tons of giveaways from online card rooms, autograph sessions with poker idols and raffles for high-end vehicles and poker accessories.

The beauty of the World Series of Poker’s format is that any average Jill or Joe can play in any event. For the price of a buy-in, which ranges from $1,000 for some of the smaller events to $10,000 for the championship, poker aficionados find themselves sitting in Dan Negreanu’s big blind, going all-in against Raymer and bluffing Doyle Brunson – though the latter would be a quick way to find yourself on the sidewalk wondering what went wrong.

Online gambler reaches Base Camp of Everest

It’s not everyone who can say they’ve been to Base Camp. Nestled at the foot of the mightiest of mountains, Everest, this is not a place for mere mortals. Only heroes, like Kevin J (pictured above), would dream of visiting such a place. Base Camp is located at a dizzying 17,600 feet above sea level. High above it towers mighty Everest, its peak scraping the sky at an oxygen-depriving height of 29,035 feet. To stand in the presence of such a wonder was always Kevin’s dream, and recently, this dream became reality. Playing at Vegas Palms, Kevin’s luck was about to hit in a really big way.

“I always had a sense of adventure”, says Kevin. “I’d watch firemen racing down the road, sirens blaring, and wish that I was with them. I loved going on hikes with my Dad in the Rockies or at the Grand Canyon while growing up.” Kevin’s taste for adventure was nurtured by his father, who let him join the Boy Scouts of America and so he learnt to love the great outdoors.

Kevin’s career as a freelance graphic designer kept him busy for many years, but he still felt the urge to go skydiving on his 30th birthday, and go scuba-diving on his honeymoon. He took a trip with his wife to the Great Barrier Reef where together they explored the treasures that lay beneath the surface. He found the tooth of a shark, brought it back to the States with him, and has since worn it on a necklace, for good luck.

Kevin hit it big on Thunderstruck, playing at Vegas Palms. He knew immediately what he’d be doing with his winnings – adventure led him and a good friend to visit Nepal and climb up to Base Camp.

Mount Everest is the mountain whose summit reaches the greatest distance above sea level. In Nepal the mountain is called Sagarmatha, which is Sanskrit for “Forehead of the Sky”. Tibetans call it Chomolangma – Mother of the Universe.

“I was ecstatic to reach Base Camp, and during the climb I asked my friend take this picture of me holding the Vegas Palms flag (I received this flag in the mail some time ago along with some goodies from the online casino). I just wanted my fellow gamblers to see me enjoy one of the greatest moments of my life!”

What types of slots can you find online?

There are two main types of slots:

• Video slots
• Reel slots

The difference is that video slots have more than three reels – with your typical 9-line slot falling into this category.

3-reel slots look like the old-style slots with the ‘bar and cherries’ for the purist player, whereas video slots have more imaginative themes, more animation and graphical entertainment.

As with a land-based video slot machine, an online slot machine has several spinning wheels marked with symbols. Each time you click the spin button, these wheels spin around and come to rest with a random selection of symbols. The time and place where the reels will stop is governed by a random number generator, which guarantees that the stopping of the reels is unpredictable and random. The object is to earn money by hitting a winning combination on a pay line. Depending on the machine type, there can be various numbers of pay lines. You will be paid out according to the Payout Schedule of the particular slot machine you are playing.

Progressive Slots

Progressive slots have a jackpot that grows by a percentage of each coin played. Often a number of progressive machines feed into one jackpot where any machine in the group can win, and the jackpot grows into an astronomical amount. Progressive machines can be identified by flashing electronic payoff signs displayed either on top of the machine or above a grouping. Look out for the Progressive Slots which pay out the biggest cumulative jackpots! They include: Major Millions, Cash Splash, Fruit Fiesta, Lotsaloot, Treasure Nile and Wowpot. Only Real players (those playing for real money) can play Progressives.

How do you win?

The Payout Schedule is a table showing what combinations of reel symbols are valid winning combinations and what they pay out. When you get a winning payout the number next to the winning combination will be highlighted on your screen. Winnings are paid out on the highest combination on each enabled payline only. If a winning combination appears on a payline that you have not chosen, you will not receive any payout for that combination. So it’s often advisable to choose the maximum amount of paylines for your favorite slot. The more coins you wager, the more paylines are enabled:

• Coin 1 enables the first (horizontal, center) payline
• Coin 2 enables the second (horizontal, upper) payline
• Coin 3 enables the third (horizontal, lower) payline

Some machines have ‘wild’ symbols that substitute for every other symbol, while others have ’scatter’ symbols that multiply the payout when combined with winning symbols.

How to manage your gambling bankroll in a recession

There is nothing more thrilling than experiencing a big pay out. You may find yourself sitting at home in your underpants with a massive “JACKPOT” sign flashing on your computer screen at 3am, or your cat might jump up on your keyboard and knock the spacebar, setting the reels spinning to give you a huge progressive jackpot. However Lady Luck might find you, the feeling of adrenaline is the same. Everyone loves to win.

This bankroll boost will come in very handy in a recession, but remember that smart money stays around a lot longer. If you are smart with your money management you will enjoy playing for longer with greater gains. Here are some simple tricks that some gamblers use.

STRATEGIES FOR WINNERS

Before you even start playing have an idea in your mind as to how much money you’re going to want to spend this evening. This is your gambling money. Keep to your budget. A great old trick is to only play with your winnings – this makes sure that you end up on top or at least you break even. Your luck will hit at some point early on, so use these winnings to play with and put the rest aside. Good luck, since this is often easier said than done.

HOW TO BEAT THE HOUSE

If money management was easy then the world would have millionaires on every corner. Money management is not some clever betting system designed to beat the house, nor is it only a way to manage your bankroll.

The house always wins, in the end, on average and for the majority of players, which is why casinos are in business. However, the opportunity for a win is what keeps the majority of players in the game. If you have a definite money number in mind for when to call it quits you won’t go broke and you will be able to keep some of your winnings. Winning more than expected doesn’t mean you should stop your winning streak, but know when to quit.

GET OUT OF THE RUT

If the big win is consistently not happening for you, cool off for a bit and get out of the rut. Take time to regroup, tomorrow is another day.

Use your common sense and walk away while you are ahead!