my sports center

NEW For more information about online poker and the law, see the Legal section of the Beginners’ Guide to Online Poker.

Is it safe? The jury is also still out on this one. There are a number of risks:

1. The ease of collusion among players. The magnitude of this risk is a matter of ongoing debate, but it is possible for your opponents to communicate secretly or even be the same person.
2. The possibility that the cardroom will not honor a redemption request, that is, will stiff you when you ask for your money. (A few of the early sites folded holding player deposits.)
3. The chance that your personal financial details, such as credit card number or NETeller ID, are stored insecurely, allowing either a dishonest cardroom insider or external hacker to obtain them.
4. The possibility that the game technology is not secure, allowing others to compromise the game’s or site’s integrity. This could take any number of forms, from others knowing your cards, knowing what cards will be dealt next, changing what cards will be dealt next, or even impersonating you and withdrawing your money. (In the early days of online poker, a security consultant cracked the poor shuffling algorithm of one of the poker dealing software packages.)
5. The possibility that the underlying game technology is programmed to deal an unfair game, for example, by failing to shuffle randomly. This is a popular topic among losing players; see the discussion on the cash-out curse.
6. The possibility that an insider at the cardroom will take advantage of existing security flaws or secretly create new ones to favor their accomplices during play.
7. The chance that a cardroom insider will compile records of your play and reveal them to your opponents for strategic or tactical analysis.
8. The chance that you will be found guilty of a crime in some jurisdiction, perhaps not even your own, simply for playing. For example, if your internet traffic is routed through Virginia, as much of it is, are your internet activities subject to Virginia law?
9. The chance that authorities — somewhere — seize your money, either while deposited or in transit, and then place the burden on you of demonstrating why they should return your funds.
10. The chance that opening an offshore account will bring other aspects of your life under the scrutiny of authorities, for example, by increasing the chances of an IRS tax audit.

You might notice that many of these risks exist in real cardrooms. It is likely that some risks will be greater in the online world and that some will be lesser. For example, several of the online cardrooms claim to apply collusion detection algorithms to the database of hand histories. And a popular form of online poker is the heads-up game, where collusion is impossible. It may turn out that the cost of collusion is lower in the online world. In the area of game software integrity, most of the top online cardrooms have engaged auditing firms to provide independent validation of the fairness of their dealing algorithms. That’s reassuring. But still, the legal questions are fuzzy and you have to judge for yourself whether you can accept the risks.

In the game of blackjack, the dealer has an “up” card, which tells you what you should do with your hand. Computer programs have been developed which calculate the most sensible move to make against any possible “up” card, and this is called a “basic strategy”. “Basic strategies” are universally applicable to blackjack and are a great way of playing.
If I follow the basic strategy for blackjack, will I decrease the house advantage?

If you’re a blackjack player and you follow a basic strategy, developed by a computer for the game of blackjack, you will reduce the house edge to approximately a half percent. On some games the house edge will be even lower than a half percent. The house edge could be two-tenths of one percent. In some other games, the house edge might be a little higher than a half percent. But using basic strategy keeps the house edge containable. If you don’t use basic strategy, you’re going to face edges of one, two, three, even upwards of six or seven percent. So it’s always wise to use the basic strategy.
What is a “hard hand”?

In blackjack, there are 2 types of hands: the “hard hand” and the “soft hand”. If you have an 11 or a 12, made of a 9 and a 2, or a 10 and a 2, then that is a “hard hand,” and can’t be changed. However, If you have a hand with an ace in it, which can either be 1 or 11, then that is a “soft hand”.
What is a “soft hand”?

In blackjack, just about every hand where you get an ace is called a soft hand. The reason it’s a soft hand is because the ace can be used either as a one or an eleven, so that the hand is soft. It isn’t a one. It isn’t eleven. You decide what it is.
What is “doubling down”?

In blackjack there are certain hands where you can bet more money once you’ve seen the hand; this is called “doubling down”. For example, if you have an 11 and the dealer is showing a 7, you’d want to take advantage of this situation and increase your bet; his is “doubling down”
What does it mean to “split” a hand?

About 2% of all blackjack hands are pairs: 2 2s, 2 3s and so on. If you have a pair, then you can inform the dealer that you would like to “split” them. “Splitting” allows you to start another hand, based on those each of those two cards, with a bet that matches your original stake.
What are the “dealer rules” in blackjack?

In casinos, dealers are subject to rules that players are not. In blackjack, for example, the dealer has to “hit” until they reach 17. There are even some physical regulations that govern the dealers activities. In a “shoe game”, the dealer must always have one hand on the “shoe”, one hand in the center of the table and they should always stand flush to the tables edge; but these physical rules change from place to place.
What is “insurance” on my blackjack hand?

In the game of blackjack, if the dealer shows an Ace, they’ll say, “does anyone want insurance?” That means that you’re putting up a bet that’s half the size of your regular bet, on the basis that, under that Ace is a Ten and that indeed the dealer has “blackjack”. If the dealer does have “blackjack”, the dealer will pay you off on your “insurance” bet, but take your other bet. Blackjack “insurance” is not a good thing as the house has around a 5-7% edge.
What are some basic strategies for playing blackjack?

If you’ve never played Blackjack, there are certain rules of thumb that you can follow. For example, never hit your 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 when the dealer is showing a 3, 4, 5, or 6; always split your aces; always split your 8’s and always double down on an 11, if the dealer has 10 or less. These basic tips are helpful, but I advise everybody to get a copy of the “basic strategy” card.
What is a “basic strategy card”?

Casino gift-shops will sell something called a “basic strategy” card; a little card that will have details of every move you should make against every possible “up” card. These “basic strategy” cards are perfect for people who are new to blackjack, but don’t want to learn the hard way.
What factors should I consider in my blackjack strategy?

Blackjack players have a lot of choices to make. It’s always important to consider the dealer’s card and how that affects the game; if you have 12 and the dealer has a 5, then it’s wise to “stay” and take advantage of the dealer’s awkward position. Taking your cue from the dealer’s position is vital to winning at blackjack.
When should I double down?

In blackjack, there are times when you want to put up another bet, called “doubling down.” You’ve seen your cards, you’ve seen the dealers cards “Doubling down” either wins you more money, in the short-term, or loses you less money in the long-term. If we take a look at an 11, for example, you want to double down if the dealer is showing a 2 through 10; If you have a 10, you want to “double down” if the dealer is showing a 2 through 9; and if you have a 9, and you want to double down if the dealer is showing a 3 through 6. “Those are the basic rules for doubling down”.
Should I always split 8’s?

A lot of people think, “I don’t want to ’split my 8s’ if the dealer is showing a 10 or a 9. I’m in a weak position?” However, “Splitting your 8s” is always a good idea, it reduces your losses against the dealers high cards and increases them against his lower cards. In this way, “splitting your 8s” reduces your overall loss to the casino.
Are there any other cards I should split?

When you get various combinations of pairs, many of them should be split. Should always split pairs of aces, twos, threes and eights; you should consider splitting fours, sevens and nines; and you should never split tens or fives. These are the basic guidelines for “splitting”, in blackjack.

NEW The basics. There are about a dozen well-established online poker rooms that offer live games against real people for real money. Thanks to TV shows such as the World Poker Tour, online poker is no longer just for brave pioneers and has gone mainstream. It has become the main topic of conversation on rec.gambling.poker. Over a hundred thousand people from around the world play online every week!

Real money? Yep. You can choose betting stakes of play-money, microscopic real-money (for example, $0.01 - $0.02 limit), or all the way up to $100 - $200 or more. NETeller is the most popular way of transferring money to and from the sites.

Which site is best? It’s mostly a matter of taste. The largest sites have the best selection of games and have earned the trust of many players. For more details, see this comparison of online poker sites. If you are thinking about opening an online poker account, be sure to learn about sign-up bonus codes first or you may miss out on some lucrative cash bonuses.

Is it legal? As of this writing, the issue is ambiguous in most U.S. states and at the U.S. federal level. Most of the cardroom sites are operated from the Caribbean, Central America or the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in Canada. Existing laws tend to target illegal gambling operators rather than the players, but since the online operators are out of reach there is political pressure to modify this approach. In the U.S., several federal bills have been proposed that regulate or forbid online wagers. The latest tactic is an attempt to outlaw financial transactions that are related to online gambling. On the other hand, in the U.K. the government has been moving in the direction of legalization and regulation. You’re on your own until legal systems catch up with this new technology.