Debbie Fletcher asked:


Poker Chip Sets – The Poker Chip and Challenge to Counterfeiters

Poker is a popular card game across the world with the excitement of gambling and potential for huge payoffs. Almost integral to the poker game are the poker chips, and indeed poker does not feel like poker without poker chip sets.

The chips are small discs of various colors representing different denominations, meant as substitutes for real money, which is instead stored in a more secure place. The use of money substitutes, or token money, can be traced back through the 13th to 17th centuries in Europe. Today poker chips are often made according to themes and formats that unite a particular set of chips. This is useful in avoiding counterfeiters, even for games at home or in private.

Casino chips use many different anti-counterfeiting measures, with the most basic being chip coloration and embossed or molded patterning. Holographic inlays, distinctive colored markings on the edges and ultraviolet markings on the inlays further deter potential counterfeiters. Lastly, Radio Frequency Identification or RFID tags are used by some establishments. The latter method can be quite costly, but the establishments that use them feel the cost is justified. Given the difficulty in counterfeiting chips, poker chip frauds in casinos are rare.

If you plan to play in private though, you should be careful of frauds, especially if you are using mass-produced chips. Another reason for these security measures is to identify which casinos they came from. This is usually not a problem, since casinos usually honor only their own chips and it is more of a matter of branding. In Nevada however, casinos are permitted to honor chips from other casinos, and these identifiers make returning chips to the casinos they belong to easier.

Poker Chip Sets – Composition and Coloration

Authentic casino poker chips are made of clay, though not pure clay which is too soft. Special composite mixtures have been made, using trade-secret techniques, the confidential nature of which is yet another speed bump on the counterfeiter’s path. Sometimes, special edition poker chip sets may be bought from casinos, though generally poker chips stay in the casinos. Poker chips made for home use on the other hand may or may not be of the same quality as their casino counterparts.

For home use poker chips, ceramic and ABS plastic are the most common materials. When ceramic is used, special compositions allow them to approximate the feel of real clay while maintaining a lower price profile. Ceramic chips are also used in some casinos. ABS plastic chips on the other hand may be molded with a metal disk or slug inside, to give them some heft. For those in Europe, poker chips may come in mother of pearl, which gives them an incomparable sheen and luster. Coloration is standard for different denominations in one set, but may differ across sets. For example, in some places there are standard coloration schemes for chips, while in others there are none. Of note is the US State of Nevada, where casinos are given free rein on their chip designs and colors.

Poker Chip Sets – Sets and Themes

Since poker games often involve large amounts of money, a large number of chips are needed. Standard sets have 300 pieces, while others can have 500 pieces, and yet others reaching a stunning 1000 pieces. Some casinos sell poker chips similar to those used on the floor but with a few differences for identification purposes. This is great for those who want to emulate the feel of their favorite places of gambling at home games. Limited edition sets can be highly collectible, and there is a thriving community of poker chip collectors.

Many of the poker chips are traded via eBay, and the most special ones can go for thousands of US dollars, regardless of face value. Whole sets of these special poker chips can cost even more than the individual pieces. What really ties the members of all poker chip sets together is the design of the chips. Poker chips in one set are often of identical sizes, of consistent coloration, and having similar inlays. Colors and inlays vary according to denomination, but the idea is that chips from one set are identifiably from the very same set.

The edges and rims may also be embossed with characteristic patterns and even have colored sections made via special multi stage molding techniques. The designs may be simple and straight forward, just simple chips with numbers. They could just as well be whimsical, like having humorous or otherwise interesting prints on the inlays. A set of poker chips will often be packaged in a poker chip case or some such container such as an acrylic poker chip carrier or humidor style wooden poker chip case, in the tradition followed in casinos worldwide. One would suppose that if you are going for the authentic feel, then there’s no point skimping on the little details.

Poker Chip Sets – Elements of Authenticity

Poker chips are essential to playing poker. One can “play” poker without them, but it will not feel like poker without the chips would it? It is the feel of these poker chips that gives a tactile sense of authenticity. The clink of these poker chips as they hit the table and trade hands adds to the ambiance. The nature of these poker chips ensures that no one can weasel out of the bet that they placed, so it ensures a fair game as far as bets are concerned. Speaking of amounts, the printed or inlaid values may vary depending on where you buy your poker chip sets.

It is even possible to find manufacturers that make poker chips that reflect your country’s currency and useful denominations, though generic chips are also available. With the popularity of televised poker and TV series set in casinos, the mystique of poker chip sets has increased, and many people feel that poker chips are the only way with which to play poker. If you are the kind of person who likes taking souvenirs, then chips from the casinos you have visited make fine reminders of good and bad times alike. Poker chips are definitely the elements of authenticity in poker games.

Mansi Aggarwal asked:


The coming age has brought with it numerous new pathological addictions, one of them being addiction to gambling. Pathological gambling was conferred with the status of a disease by the American Psychiatric Association back in 1980s. Robert L. Custer, M.D., is a pioneer in this field of problem gambling.

People who fall prey to this addiction are usually those who secure an income by means of blackjack, poker or other gambling activities. They are professional players who visit casinos not for fun sake, but to employ their skills and earn.

Based on their way of playing and the driving force behind it, gamblers can be categorized. For example, while professional gamblers are skillful and good in their game a casual gamblers plays merely for recreation.

The symptoms of gambling addiction are usually hard to identify. Since this disease is different from other substance related addictions like drug or alcohol abuse, the indications of this sickness are subtle. The nearest possible way in which the symptoms of this addiction can be stated is through the “Custer three Phase Model”. According tot his model, the gambling addiction can be characterized by three phases: the wining phase, the losing phase and the desperation phase.

In the wining stage, the compulsive gambler is ecstatic and overexcited with this earnings and is unwilling to quit gambling. Therefore, the addict usually increases his intensity of gambling . However, losing being the other half of gambling, his wining streak is short-lived. Nonetheless, recurrent losses do not deter him as he wants to win again and get his money back. Addicted gamblers suffer from financial stress, loss of sleep, and mental fatigue in this phase. They face problems at the family front. The patient also tends to borrow huge amounts or avail some money making schemes. As the gambler continues to face loss on every alternate day, he finds it difficult to stay away from gambling. Compulsive gamblers may resort to any means to raise funds for their obsession. They become desperate, with their debts becoming unmanageable. Loss of jobs, fight with friends and family, committing crimes or suicidal tendencies define this phase.

The question as to why does one gamble, can not be answered in definitive terms. One of the dominant reasons is the mental health of the gambler. For some people gambling serves as a n escape route from their lives. A compulsive gambler plays for kicks. He is just unable to stay away from it. Many researchers also blame the easy accessibility to casinos. The government and its lottery fund is also widely condemned.

Treatment programs and centers exist to treat this disease. Regular therapy and counseling is an effective and a widely used technique to cure this disease. Various support groups have also cropped up, where the addicts share their experiences and strengthen each others desire to quit gambling. Some groups that fund such programs include casinos and state lotteries. Some casinos lay stress on responsible gambling and have taken steps to make the people aware about his addiction.

However the first step, before undertaking nay treatment would be to acknowledge this disease. With very slight symptoms and effects this addiction is difficult to catch and acknowledge. Hence it helps to be aware to act wisely.

Adel Awwad asked:


The state of Arkansas is a Southern state with a population of nearly 3 million. Arkansas’ capital city is Little Rock, where one of Arkansas’ casinos is located. The state of Arkansas is the only U.S. state with an official pronunciation (ar-kan-SAW), and the only state where diamonds are found naturally. There are not a large number of Arkansas casinos, but visitors to Arkansas can find gambling action in several places situated around the state.

One popular Arkansas casino is Cherokee Casino in Siloam Springs. This 50,000 square foot casino is open 24 hours a day and features a restaurant and a bar with live music. This Arkansas casino boasts 813 electronic gaming machines and over 40 tables for card games, roulette, craps and more—including 19 poker tables. One interesting feature of Cherokee Casino is that they offer poker games that are played against other players rather than the house. Cherokee Casino is an Arkansas casino worth checking out.

Another Arkansas casino, located in Holiday Island, is Spinzz Casino. This Arkansas casino was closed down because of gambling law disputes but has recently reopened for business. Guests visiting Spinzz Casino can stay at the nearby Spinzz Casino Hotel to be close to the action.

Though there are not many Arkansas casinos, there is a town with a rich casino history, which also happens to be former President Clinton’s boyhood hometown. Hot Springs, Arkansas, in addition to being celebrated for its naturally 140-degree mineral springs, was one of America’s original “sin cities.” The town was a meeting place for gangsters, but instead of shoot-outs and showdowns, crime families such as the Nittis and the Capones would come to Hot Springs to sit down and talk. Historic Arkansas casinos were rampant in Hot Springs, and despite their “illegal” designation, residents of the town insisted that the casinos were good for business. At its peak, Hot Springs served as a Mecca for gambling and tourists flocked to the colorful Arkansas casinos lining its streets.

Today there are fewer choices for Arkansas casinos. However, gamblers looking for great casino action can visit the exciting Cherokee Casino or the centrally located Spinzz Casino. Of course, online Arkansas casinos are always a great option for anyone! Despite limited availability, Arkansas casinos have a long and rich history and should not be overlooked by casino aficionados and casual gamblers. Visit an Arkansas casino today!

Asante Riviera asked:


Arts and crafts have always been popular activities with kids and when you take into consideration how popular Halloween is with kids. (well, the cool kids anyway!) As such, it is no surprise that activities that combine arts and crafts with the season of Halloween are greatly enjoyed and appreciated by kids of all ages. This is why making printable Halloween bingo cards is a lot of fun for children and it also has the ancillary effect of providing a unique learning experience as well.

While may of these printable Halloween bingo cards come already made some of the bingo card sets on the market work is that kids create their own bingo cards either affixing ready made pictures to cards that are made up of either construction paper or even regular paper. Of course, kids can also draw or design their own pictures as well and this can greatly help them explore their own creativity.

One of the problems with a number of games and activities designed for kids is the fact that they are seemingly lacking in creativity and that does not provide much for the kids in terms of helping them to think analytically and creatively. Whoa! That statement seems like a huge stretch in terms of describing the value of printable Halloween bingo cards. Well, if you look at the cards as mere paper cut outs then, yes, it is somewhat understandable how you could arrive at such a conclusion. However, if you look at the underlying creativity beneath the design of the cards then the value of the cards becomes obvious. By exploring creativity in the arts and crafts realm, youngsters get a break from “button pushing” electronic games and instead explore talents that they may not knew they had. Of course, this can be the start of something much more expansive down the road.

Frank Fori asked:


Bodog casino is a very slick looking down-loadable Real Time Gaming casino. However, there is also a lot going on at their web site as well. There are poker instructional videos  every night by world champion poker players and many videos explaining how to play poker, video poker, how to play at Bodog and many more.  Bogdog RTG Casino claims to offer millions in guaranteed tournaments and the promotions and bonuses are quite extensive. Bogdog casino bonuses range from 110% signup bonuses to referral bonuses.

Bodog casino even has a couple of its own exclusive games, Dry Martini and Mystic shuffle. Of the two, I only played Mystic Shuffle but it was a ton of fun. No wonder this is the most popular casino on line.  You can play games on line as well as the downloaded game and mobile games.  The online games are fast and load right up. In addition to the casino games, the web site also offers sports and horse betting.  Because of the time zones, you can bet on Aussie races, making your racing day almost 24 hours long.  The sports betting site allows bets on everything from basketball to darts. This is  a very comprehensive site for all your betting desires.

The downloaded games are so attractive it is hard to stop playing, which, I assume is the whole point. The craps table is the same as other games but for some reason it just looked a whole lot better to me. The blackjack is lightening fast. You could play at record speed if you wanted. The Keno game is nice and bright just like all the screens are. The Bonus Bingo game is clear, easy to understand with payouts  for winning card designs clearly displayed. And Bodog Casino  gives $50,000 in play money which is  more play money than any casino I have ever seen. You have enough to get very proficient at every game before you start playing for real money.

Terry Ross asked:


Gambling is one of those increasingly common marriage problems that are often over looked despite over 50% of compulsive gamblers having been divorced. As with many bad habits, gambling has a real negative impact on family life with the habit often leading to serious financial problems as well as neglect of partners and children and sometimes proving to be a catalyst for abuse.

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission reported that more than 15 million Americans have a serious gambling problem often generated from boredom, a need for change, the adrenalin rush or as a result of marital or family conflicts. Gambling is becoming an ever increasing marriage problem and it’s a bad habit that has serious consequences with regard to family and personal life.

Very few people have any kind of understanding of the devastating impact that the gambling habit can have. Gambling is one bad habit that if it grabs a hold it takes over your entire life, wrecks you marriage, alienates your family, leaves you in financial ruin and destroys your life. Like alcohol abuse, gambling is often a root cause for domestic violence and child abuse. Gambling starts as just a bad habit, something that you do when you’ve got some spare time but it quickly worms its way into your routine and becomes and all encompassing and hard to break addiction that rules your life.

The escalating habit has been made worse with gambling becoming even more common as a result of the onset of internet gambling. There are now around 1,700 gambling websites all vying for business and just waiting to encourage more and more people into the regular gambling routine. Online gambling is a really bad habit to get into with the 24/7 access from the comfort of your own home, the loss of the sense of reality when gambling away money and the ease at which the gamblers can add more funds.

Research has shown that online gamblers are more likely have the most serious gambling habits / addictions and the families of those addicted suffering a greater intrusion into their everyday lives.

Thomas Morva asked:


There are many kinds of ways bingo games are played. One of them is the multi-part bingo game. In this game, each bingo jackpot features three parts. This means that players are in for a three-winner game. Each of these winners gets a guaranteed cash prize each. Multi-part bingo often begins with a simple pattern. The winner gets a corresponding prize. As the game moves on to the next two levels, the difficulty of the pattern increases, but so do the prizes. A person lucky enough to win in the three parts gets the total jackpot money.

Bingo games are organized most of the time by gaming facilities or by communities to raise funds for charitable institutions. The players donate by buying the bingo cards. Thus, the more games you have played, the more you have donated to charity. These games also feature cash prizes for the winners to attract more donors.

But communities such as neighborhoods, associations, and other civic groups and affiliations, organize free bingo games too. They do this to foster community spirit and to facilitate interaction among their members. A bingo social is also a great venue to get everyone to have some good, clean fun.

Free bingo games are also played online. With slight adjustments to the ones played in bingo halls, online bingo games are exciting and thrilling too. Although the prizes are virtual jackpots, the thought of just hitting it can be exciting. What’s better is that you are in the comfort of your home while playing the game. You do not have to venture out just to play your favorite game. And even while traveling, you can still play the game and not miss out playing for the jackpot. From your laptop or notebook, you can join the game while waiting for next flight or while having your coffee.

Armen Wilson asked:

As you learn to play poker, one of the most important things you will need to learn are the Poker Hands Rankings.

Most rankings list the hands from highest to lowest, but here they are shown from lowest to highest, as this is how you will encounter them most often. It is often noted that Las Vegas poker is played by slightly different rules than casinos in Europe, but all online games have agreed to use the Las Vegas Rules, as do the Texas Hold’Em poker tournaments shown on TV including the World Poker Tour and others. These rules for card games were first written down for live card games by Robert Ciaffone in 1984, and have become the standard for online poker and other games of chance played with cards.

In order to win at poker, you need to know how different hands rank: that is, which ones are assigned a higher value than others, and some idea of the odds of creating any particular hand out of your cards and those on the table.

The three fundamental rules of poker (5 or 7-card Poker, High and High-Low Split) are these:
* The deck is counted from 2 to Ace, so Ace is the highest single card.
* Each player can only use 5 of the cards (yours plus those on the table or those you draw) to make your best hand. Don’ t try to use six or all seven.
* The player with the highest-ranked hand wins.

How can you tell who has the highest-ranked hand: Is it you? Memorize these poker hands rankings and practice, practice, practice!

Here are the most-recognized poker hands rankings around the world for any five-card or seven-card poker game:
from Lowest to Highest Rank:

* High Card- you have five cards of all different values and suits, with one card a higher value than all the others.
Example: 3 of Hearts, 5 of Diamonds, 7 of Spades, 10 of Hearts and Jack of Clubs.
ODDS: 1 in 2 that you will get this hand.

* One Pair- you have two cards of equal value in your hand.
Example: 3 of Hearts, 3 of Diamonds, 7 of Spades, 10 of Hearts and Jack of Clubs. Jack of Clubs, your highest card, is called the kicker. It will help you hold and win the hand. The value of the other cards
is also considered should another player also have the other pair of 3s (Spades and Clubs).
ODDS: 1 in 2.4 that you will get this hand.

Two Pair- you have two sets of 2 cards of equal value in your hand.
Example 3 of Hearts, 3 of Diamonds, 7 of Spades, 10 of Hearts and 10 of Clubs. The kicker here is
the 7 of Spades. It will help decide if you win the hand, if someone else has two pairs of the same value.
ODDS: 1 in 21 that you will get this hand.

* Three Of A Kind – you have three cards of equal value in your hand.
Example: 3 of Hearts, 10 of Spades, 10 of Hearts and 10 of Clubs, Jack of Clubs. The kicker here is
the Jack of Clubs. It will help you win the hand.
ODDS: 1 in 47 that you will get this hand.

Straight- you have five cards in sequence by value, in more than one suit, in your hand. Ace can be a high or low
card in a Straight. No kicker in this hand
Example: 7 of Hearts, 8 of Diamonds, 9 of Clubs, 10 of Clubs, Jack of Hearts.
ODDS: 1 in 255 that you will get this hand.

Flush- you have five cards of any value that are all in the same suit. No kicker in this hand.
Example: 3, 4, 7, Queen and King of Diamonds
ODDS: 1 in 509 that you will get this hand.

Full House- you have a pair plus three of a kind in your hand. No kicker in this hand.
Example 3 of Hearts, 3 of Diamonds, 10 of Spades, 10 of Hearts and 10 of Clubs.
ODDS: 1 in 694 that you will get this hand.

* Four Of A Kind- you have all four of the cards of a given value in your hand. Fifth card is the kicker.
Example: 8 of Diamonds, 8 of Hearts, 8 of Spades and 8 of Clubs, and 3 of Diamonds.
ODDS: 1 in 4,164 that you will get this hand.

* Straight Flush – you have five cards in sequence by value, all in the same suit. No kicker in this hand.
Example: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 of Spades.
ODDS: 1 in 72,193 that you will get this hand.

* Royal Flush- you have the top five cards in value, all in the same suit. No kicker needed for this hand!
Example: 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of any of the four suits.
ODDS: 1 in 649,740

Remember, the more thoroughly you study the poker hands rankings, and the more you practice at internet and live play, the better you will learn to play poker — and the more you will win!

Sunil Tanna asked:


Most people have played bingo at some point in their lives, but even those of us who have never played the game, generally do know how to play the game.

Traditionally bingo is played using cards containing a grid of squares (usually but not always a grid of 5 X 5 squares), with each square containing a different number. Each player is given one of these bingo cards, and the objective of the game is to mark off a row, column or diagonal of squares (in some versions, the objective is to obtain multiple lines, another square, or even get all squares marked off). Squares on the cards are marked off by the players when the bingo caller (who also acts as referee) calls out the corresponding number.

Bingo has undergone something of a renaissance in popularity in the last few years. While the traditional game remains popular, new variants of bingo are reaching new audiences. In each case, these variants of the game are played using bingo cards containing custom items related to a particular topic, rather than the standard numbered bingo cards.

Some examples include:

- Holiday bingo, using bingo cards with words and phrases themed around a particular holiday be it New Year, Valentine’s Day, July 4th, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas.

- Wedding and baby shower bingo is a popular activity on these social events. Bingo cards containing items related to brides, weddings, or babies, are used as applicable.

- Educational bingo is getting more and more popular with teachers. Versions of the game can be produced for almost any type of class including English (including K12 and ESL), math, science, history, geography or even religious studies. Game play may also be varied by the teacher, so for example in math bingo, cards containing math problems may be used and students must write in the answers to these problems rather than simply tick off the squares.

In order to play any of these variants of the game, you will of course need bingo cards printed with the appropriate themed items. These are not always easy to obtain for every possible topic, and even when available can be expensive. Therefore the best option for most people is to simply print them using a computer and appropriate bingo card generator software.

Howard Keith asked:


Over the past five years addictions to gambling have grown at an accelerated rate. Not only adults, but teenagers are gambling with out realizing the consequences. Most States including Connecticut have created agreements with Indian reservations for self gain. The states are now realizing the negative impact the Indian casino reservations are having on their taxpayers.

Gambling is a silent addiction. Most people can go years with out anyone ever discovering that they gambled. Besides the local Casino’s people can now even gamble online.

With today’s modern technology, if you want to gamble you can so long as you have the resources. Once your resources are depleted and you’re in debt, you will begin to seek help. This is where many states are taking notice due to people claiming bankruptcy, not paying their state taxes, getting caught committing petty crimes and even suicide.

The I Stopped Gambling So Can You website continues to receive alarming emails from friends family and the compulsive gambler. The site was developed to help people associated with compulsive gambling addiction.

The alarming rate in the rise of addicted individuals has caused the states to rethink what they are doing and how to help this segment of the population. The individuals who sought help through various programs now know they are not alone. The unfortunate part is in most cases they are starting all over. If the States would reach out and help these people then the outcomes may be different.

If a person goes into a bar and is apparently drunk, the bartenders are not going to serve this person any alcoholic drinks and may even recommend a cab. At a casino, people use the cash machines until they are unable to take out any more money. People cash checks and even take cash advances from their credit cards, but no one at the casinos is willing to step up to the plate and help these people out.

I have talked with hundreds of people who excessively gambled. These people knew they were addicted and always planned to spend a specific amount of money. After being at the casinos with all the lights, bells and whistles they fell into a trance and no longer had any control.

Once the gambler leaves the casino reality sets in. They now realize they’ve lost a lot of money. They ask themselves: How did this happen? They themselvesthey will never due this again only to repeat the same behavior patterns over and over until they hit bottom and lose everything. These people were spending anywhere from $100.00 to $5,000.00 per week on their addiction. In a majority of these situations they realized they lost everything. Even after filing bankruptcy they still owed a significant amount in back taxes.

The State of Connecticut receives revenues from their two Indian Run Casinos. If a taxpayer wins a Jackpot equal to or greater than $1,200.00 and resides in Connecticut they will be subject to Connecticut State Tax. The Internal Revenue Service lets you deduct your winnings against your losses but not in Connecticut.

The various states are now realizing they created a major problem, but are not willing to discuss it openly. Various news stations have been reporting the negative impact, but due to the revenues generated, no one is willing to step up to the plate and help these people out.

Until the local authorities take action, many lives will continue to be destroyed.

Future articles will address the compulsive gambler, gambling addiction and a search to find a solution to this growing problem.

You may find the following websites helpful:

I Stopped Gambling So Can You
http://www.istoppedgambling.com/

Compulsive Gambling Addiction

http://www.compulsive-gambling-addiction.org/