INDIEGAMECON

MONTE MACARLAU

Known for over one hundred years as ‘The Monte Carlo of the Orient’, the peninsula territory of Macau (not far west of Hong Kong) has incorporated gambling into its economy since the practice was legalised there by the Portuguese in the mid-nineteenth-century. Until the twentieth-century, this involved only Chinese games, but in the last few decades the city has embraced Western style games and casinos, and not least sports betting. Today, betting accounts for over forty per cent of the city’s gross domestic income, a trend that is decidedly dependent on the wealth of neighbouring territories such as Hong Kong. However, the advent of online gaming, which is at present not licensed in the territory, has posed a threat to Macau’s precarious bread basket. By 1999 the overall revenue that gambling had been bringing in had fallen dramatically by almost ten per cent.

Unphased, the Macau Jockey Club introduced an online betting service in 2003. This, combined with two hundred and ten ‘on-course’ betting terminals and over eighty ‘off-course’ sites, as well as the ever growing number of personal betting terminals mean that the administration of Macau is keeping a close eye on the welfare of their gambling industry.  This is probably for the best; the Macau Jockey Club is one of the biggest private employers in the territory, with close to three thousand employees. Though the number of visitors to its 450,000 square metre racecourse has been dropping steadily since the mid nineteen-nineties, the club has still managed to keep the overall betting turnover relatively consistent. With the relentless grasp the internet is taking on the world of betting, however, this ‘Asian Las Vegas’ is going to need to keep its wits about it.

Gambling: The Briefest of Histories

 Though modern day gambling most often comes in the form of online betting, it has not always been so easy to place your bets in Britain. Gambling has not, after all, always been legal in this country. In fact, most forms of gambling have only been made legal in the past few decades.

Bingo was made popular during the Second World War, but it was only in 1960 that The Betting and Gaming Act allowed commercial Bingo halls to be set up. The Sixties were generally a big decade for the legalisation of various forms of gambling – 1960 also saw the legalisation of off-course bookmakers. Likewise, commercial casinos were not legal until 1968, having previously been allowed if they were members only and limited their gaming machines to 10.

The form of gambling in Britain that is probably the most popular is the National Lottery. Surprisingly though, the National Lottery has only been in existence since 1993. Before then, there were only small lotteries that were legalised in 1934 (up until then they were illegal unless authorised by statute). So, even the most widespread form of gambling in the country is still fairly new.

When it comes to the online betting phenomenon, we really are getting into very recent changes. It was only with the 2005 Gambling Act that internet gaming was officially regulated for the first time, explaining the influx in advertising for online gambling sites that has been seen recently.

So what can we expect for the future? Well, the 2005 Gambling Act also paved the way for huge, ‘Vegas’ style casinos to be built up gradually in Britain, and in 2007 Manchester was announced as being the first city to have a ‘super-casino’. All we can do now is watch this space.

Tips for Texas Hold’em Tournament Poker

Texas Hold’Em is currently one of the most popular forms of gambling amongst young people in the United States. Although it is violation of American federal law, many young people underground for-money poker games and poker tournaments. The only legal way to gamble in Texas Holdem in the United States is to play at a casino on a Native American reservation or in a state such as Nevada where gambling has been legalized. Even though there are many laws preventing some gambling online and in the real world, many people still love to do it.

Many young people see a poker tournament such as the World Series of Poker being broadcasted on network television and have aspirations to be on those broadcasts someday. If you’re going to get good at poker, you’re going to have to know how to play tournament poker well. There are different strategies you can use specifically in tournament setting poker that one would not normally use in a “ring” game which will help you do get a better placing in the tournament.

Before you consider a tournament poker career, you should first be very good at winning house games, knowing which cards to keep before the flop, and how to read people. There are many different theories as to which cards you should keep before the flop, and its’ up to each person to come up with a strategy that works for them. Reading people is something that really can’t be taught in a book, it’s only something that can be garnered through experience. If you get these things down, you might be ready to enter your first poker tournament.

The key to doing well at tournament poker is being patient. You want to sit around and spend as few of your chips as possible until you get a big hand. Sitting at a table and waiting for a hand can be incredibly boring, so bring along an MP3 player if the tournament rules allow it. That will help keep you entertained while you’re waiting and make it so that you don’t make any rash moves just so you can get some action in the game.

Tournament poker is all about surviving. If it’s the first few hands of a poker tournament and you find yourself with pocket-aces and someone ahead of you goes all-in, it might make sense to fold it. The odds are in your favor, but if several people all-in, there’s a pretty good chance that you won’t win it and will be out of the tournament all together. Even if you have great cards, you should never make a big move before the flop early in the tournament, because once the first three cards are shown, you could find yourself in a world of trouble.

Another very important tip is to know your opponents. Look for tells and nervous twitches that they might have that could possibly indicate what they have in their hand. This is something that takes practice, but if you can master it, you have the potential to be a great Texas Hold’Em player.

4 Essential Online Poker Tips

They say, "Poker takes a minute to learn, and a lifetime to master,"
Whilst there are hundreds of instructional books, DVDs and websites loaded with tips and strategies, the ones below are fundamental building blocks upon which to develop your game.

Though aimed at beginner players, these poker tips address areas that even some seasoned pros might benefit from revising once in a while!

1. Patience

Patience = money. Wait for a good hand before committing your money. A good poker player plays about 20-30% of his dealt hands. At least 70% of the time, you'll fold your cards and watch someone else walk away with a pot.

Starting hand selection is the number one reason players either win or lose. Develop a clear set of hands that you will “go in” with. Check tutorials and guides for a consensus on good starting hands

Monitor your “see the flop” percentage. If it’s greater than 30%, then you may have found the source of your problem.

2. Consider your Bankroll

Your bankroll is the determining factor in where you ought to play. Inadequate funds to the table means you will be unable to survive a run of bad cards early on, and may go broke early doors. How do we define sufficient funds? In a high action game such as Texas Hold 'Em, it’s recommended that should ideally have 100x the minimum bet - $100 at a $1/$2 limit table for example. In 7 Card Stud, you should have at least 40x the minimum bet. It’s recommend you keep at least 20x the minimum bet on the table so that in the event a big hand you have enough money to bet it aggressively.

Remember when you’re looking for a table or poker tournament at an online casino such as Riverbelle poker rooms like Full Tilt Poker that the ups & downs at higher limits are much bigger, and one big night's win might not last long at a high-stakes game.


3. Know when to Quit – don’t play when you’re mad, sad or in a bad mood

Poker players have a term for when a player has become emotional and not rational. Its called being on “tilt.” There are many reasons for you to go on tilt. If you feel tired, frustrated or you have taken some big hits and are feeling upset, take a break. It might be wise to call it a night. Take your money out and live to fight another day. Don’t let your opponents sense your unease and take advantage of it. Unless you’re completely sharp and focused at the poker table don’t play.

4. Study the other Players

Do not fail to observe the behaviour of the other players. Assess their starting hand requirements? Are they aggressive betters or do they typically call, even with strong hands? Do they ever fold when bluffed? What card are they betting on? In certain games, these powers of observation can win you big money. In 7 card stud, it is critical that you know how many of “your cards” or “outs“ are held by other player, as well as how many were in already folded hands.

That you fold 70% of your starting cards gives you plenty of opportunity to study your opponents.

Grannies or groovers? Who's playing online bingo today?

There are many types of online bingo players ranging from the player who plays to socialise to the player who believes they have a foolproof strategy. Although it was believed that Internet bingo would mainly appeal to women there is evidence that an increasing number of men are also signing up.


Historically, the associations of bingo players being older women in the main are dying off as massive jackpots encourage new generations to play. Although some people still like to visit the local bingo halls such as Mecca Bingo, many more are turning to online bingo as it's more convenient to play as and when you like. Newer sites are being launched all the time and are beginning to reflect the shift in the games demographic, particularly those from the large newspapers such as Mirror Bingo or The Sun Bingo, which appeal to a broad section of their readership.

Immense jackpots and the recent spate of new TV ads are drawing in men who like a flutter online and although most are open about their identity, a few are using female user names so as not to look out of place. More and more male images are being used in the make up of new sites to encourage play from both sexes. Pictures of male winners take pride of place on home and community pages and there are more images of couples taking precedence on newer sites. Newer sites are also using the flirting aspect of chat as a selling point opening private rooms to talk in and openly advocating 'dating' within the site with singles bars.

There are also different types of player types emerging in chat as a result of all the different demographics online. These fall into the following general types:

1. The bubbly, sociable player who is joining the game simply to make news friends or catch up with old mates. This player type sees the game as fun and enjoys the live chat more than the anticipation of winning. These player types are often quite flirty types who enjoy chat while looking for their perfect match too.

2. The more serious player who joins in games to win. Often these players only join in the live chat when there are bonuses up for grabs. In normal chat these players are only recognised by the online players list. They may appear disinterested while in actual chat and can be quite sullen in conversation.

3. There are also players who only ever play in games with less people. Seen as a common strategy for more likely wins, these players choose better odds to play in and again may not appear in chat.

Of course there are many different types of players out there and these are just generalisations to give you a feel of who's out there. You can get an impression of which type of person is on any one site by visiting the community pages of any site.

Most sites have galleries devoted to their members and the larger ones have an extensive list of player and CM profiles. These are a superb way to get a sense of the crowd on each site as a prospective player - after all if you're looking to play within a certain age group why not research around first and see if the community on your prospective site matches your sense of humour?

What’s a “Wild Number”? Find out in our guide to the more obscure bingo lingo

There are so many terms used in online bingo that sometimes you need a translation. Compiled with newbies and players who just need to know in mind, this list is not comprehensive but hopefully will help you stay on top of your game.

Autodaub: a term used in online bingo to describe the computer's automatic function for daubing numbers upon calling.

Blackout: also known as a coverall, this is the only pattern in play where every number on the card is covered.

Chat games: these are designed to get players involved with less popular games by introducing incentives to play and are often part of an ongoing tourney or pattern game. They also serve as a great way to get to know your fellow roomies.

Chat Hosts: also known as Chat Masters (CM's). These are the people in charge of the chat room. They oversee that players stay within the sites rules of chat and introduce new games and bonuses into play.

Early Bird Game: this is exactly what it says it is - an early game. Designed as a warm up game. the Early Bird gets the brain ticking and the pens daubing ready for the main event.

Face: this is a complete bingo sheet. The Face includes 24 numbers and the free space in the middle.

Free Space: this is the centre of your bingo card. It is always blank and is considered to be the 'Joker' of the card. Although you never have to cover the free square it does count toward any relevant pattern.

Jackpot: the big prize that everyone's playing for. Jackpots can vary immensely in size and can progress in size during the course of the game as well as get split by multi players.

Nicknames: names given to the numbers of balls called during play. These are famous terms such as 'two fat ladies' that traditional bingo play is commonly associated with.

On: a player is said to be 'on' when he or she has one square to Full House.

On The Way: this refers to the game preceding the blackout or coverall game. Using the same card as the blackout or coverall this game covers many of the numbers that form part of the blackout.

Pattern: there are many patterns to follow in the game of bingo, particularly in the case of 75-ball bingo. You will see a visual representation of your pattern before play starts, and if the numbers you cover match the shape of the given pattern shout bingo!
Payout: the percentage of total ticket sales paid out by the site.
Wild Number; this is the number dictated at the beginning of a game. The last digit of the Wild Number eg the 5 in 25 qualifies as the wild number and players should daub all numbers ending in 5 to win.

Wherever you play whether it’s a big online bingo site like Mecca Bingo or one of the newer batch of contenders such as Think Bingo, hopefully our guide will come in handy to anyone who is lost in the world of obscure bingo lingo.