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Poker, and its most popular variant — Texas Holdem — is a wonderful game and affords the player the chance to make a lot of money. It has been often said that poker is the casino game where skill plays the greatest part when compared to other games. To play skillfully though, you need to use one or more good texas holdem poker strategies.

Strategy is fundamental to poker. Initially, the game can be picked up with little thought for strategy, especially when playing the free tables. As soon as you switch to real money, however, a lack of strategy is very dangerous and you will likely lose very quickly and be labelled as a “fish” by your fellow players who will see easy pickings.

To suceed, you must employ several texas holdem poker strategies. There is no one single best strategy — it is best to follow the basics that you need just to compete, and over time develop your own unique, strong and competitive texas holden poker strategies.

To make consistent profits in the long run, you should consider that you cannot win every hand. Therefore, you want to limit your spend or outlay on the hands that you lose. This means folding when you get dealt very bad hole cards at the beginning. This also means folding when your cards are still bad at the flop and you think that your opponents could do well from the community cards. Folding at an earlier stage and living to fight another day is better than bluffing on a long shot and losing in a final showdown. Poker is as much about limiting your losses as it is maximizing your winnings — don’t forget these simple texas holdem poker strategies. It is surprisingly easy to lose your money very quickly in poker! Don’t become a victim to this.

On the other hand, you also need to maximise your winning hands. This means getting others to throw plenty of chips into the pot. If someone raises by 2 chips and you suddenly call him and raise by 20 chips, many people will fold immediately and deny you your chance to build up the pot. The key to winning big and creating a huge pot is to hide the fact that you are holding a killer hand. This means raising small amounts or simply calling or checking. Be patient and you will get your just rewards.

The above two points describe a simple equation where your profits equal your winnings minus your losses. It’s as simple as that but a point that many beginners do not care to understand and carry on playing in an undisciplined manner. Employ these simple texas holdem poker strategies and avoid the pitfalls!

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Texas HoldEm is the latest Smooth Jazz CD put out by the very talented piano playing Joe Mcbride who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I’m confident Joe Mcbride fans, and Smooth Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one.

Texas HoldEm launches with a great track, Big Slick, that I anticipate will be heard on radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. It really is a very nice track.

Texas HoldEm is a pleasantly varied, mix of 11 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly talented artist. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are his own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, heartbreak, pain, failed relationships and unattainable romance. They’re all here.

I’m of the opinion that Texas HoldEm is certainly Joe Mcbride’s best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it’s a collection that even the casual Smooth Jazz fan can appreciate and enjoy.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 7, No Limit. It’s a great track!

Texas HoldEm Release Notes:

Joe Mcbride originally released Texas HoldEm on Sep 27, 2005 on the Heads Up Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Big Slick
2. In A Garden Of Eden In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
3. Double Down
4. Texas Hold’em
5. Giving It All To You
6. In & Out
7. No Limit
8. I’m Here For You
9. All In
10. The River
11. One Eyed Jack

Personnel: Joe McBride (vocals, piano, keyboards); Martin Walters (guitar, bass guitar); Todd Parsnow (guitar); Wayne DeLano (saxophone); Dave Von Blohn (trumpet, flugelhorn); Larry Spencer (trumpet); John Adams (double bass); Dennis Durick (drums). Recording information: Big Time Audio, Dallas, Texas.

Get the information you want on your favorite smooth jazz songs and artists at ilovesmoothjazz.com iLoveSmoothJazz.com

Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. smoothlee.com SmoothLee is a life long music fanatic, smooth jazz in particular, and does a daily online radio show featuring smooth jazz music that can be heard at seattlesmoothjazzradio.com SeattleSmoothJazzRadio.com

I don’t want to show any regional bias here, because after all we are bound together as Americans. And even if you are not American, chances are you are still a human being. If not, you should really get off the computer right now and either dig up a bone, dive back into the aquarium or relieve yourself on some newspaper while incessantly parroting whatever your owner’s favorite obscene expression might happen to be.

For all of you humans who are still reading this, I reiterate my desire to avoid any bruised feelings by an excessive show of provincial pride. But having said all that, I must confess that, in my humble opinion, there’s no part of this great nation that compares to the Pacific Coast. All you Floridians and Kentuckians and Nebraskans and Marylanders should just relax, because I’m not denigrating your state in the slightest. All I’m saying is that the Pacific rocks, and if you need any proof of this just check out Pacific Poker some time.

It’s a generally well-known fact among gaming industry professionals that Pacific Poker is one of the favorite poker room for many Texas Hold’em players looking for high-action tables where the betting is fast and furious. As members of the consortium behind the world’s largest casino, the people who run this site really know all the angles. From a massive selection of games to high-tech security to promotions out the wazoo, you’ll find every imaginable enticement to do a little gambling here. Oh, and the bonus opportunities aren’t too shabby, either.

You’ll probably want to joint this site via PokerListings.com, because that way you will get a special signup bonus offer of a 25 percent deposit match, up to $100 (you get the full $100 bonus via $400 deposit or more.) Just bear in mind that you will have to wager 20 times the bonus amount, totaling $2,000 to cash-out the max bonus of $100. On the bright side, you will encounter no requirements on raked hands.

When it comes to loyalty bonuses, they add up quite quickly. Every $10 bet on raked hands earns you one Bonus Point, 100 Bonus Points can be converted to $1, and your comp points accumulate automatically. Each and every bet you place on raked hands adds more points to your Comp Account, which you can convert into cash and add to your Poker Bankroll anytime. That’s a very strong loyalty package from the good folks at Pacific Poker. Told you it was better out here.

Rick “Stone Face” Ellers started playing poker while he was a paratrooper stationed in Fort Bragg, NC. He currently writes part time for PokerListings.com where you can learn how to hone your pokerlistings.com/texas-holdem Texas Holdem skills and find information about pokerlistings.com/poker-tournaments Poker Tournaments around the world.

The extremely talented group 3 Doors Down have released their latest CD on the Universal Records recording label, entitled Away From The Sun.

It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all.

Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Away From The Sun is a nicely varied, mix of 11 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly superb musicians. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, heartbreak, pain, failed relationships and unattainable romance. They’re all here.

Listen to and I think you’ll agree that the song choices are excellent, the production is outstanding and 3 Doors Down is clearly a group that is in top form.

While the entire CD is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 2 - Away From The Sun, track 3 - The Road I’m On, and track 10 - Going Up In Flames.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 5 - Running Out Of Days. Good stuff!

Away From The Sun Release Notes:

3 Doors Down originally released Away From The Sun on Nov 12, 2002 on the Universal Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. When I’m Gone
2. Away From The Sun
3. Road I’m On, The
4. Ticket To Heaven
5. Running Out Of Days
6. Here Without You
7. I Feel You
8. Dangerous Game
9. Changes
10. Going Down In Flames
11. Sarah Yellin’
12. untitled - (hidden track)

3 Doors Down: Brad Arnold (vocals); Matt Roberts, Chris Henderson (guitar); Todd Harrell (bass). Additional personnel includes: Josh Freese (drums). Recorded at London Bridge, Seattle, Washington; Greenhouse, Burnaby, Canada and Ocean Way Studios, Hollywood, California.

Clyde Lee Dennis a life long music enthusiast, writes CD reviews and is also the Sports Editor at San Francisco.eNewsBriefs.com covering topics like sanfranciscosmoothjazz.com/news/category/sports/49ers-nfl-football/ San Francisco 49ers and more. Visit sanfranciscosmoothjazz.com/news/ San Francisco eNewsBriefs for the latest sanfranciscosmoothjazz.com/news/ San Francisco News

“We want what we want, there’s nothin’ much we can do about it”

A fantastic story of love, naivety, illusions, and truths. This movie opens your eyes to see layer after layer of parallels between the “little children” in the world. A man is publicly ridiculed, abused, and feared for his sexual psychological disorder. He lives with his mother after getting out of prison and he lives life with his mother doing everything for him. He is a helpless child with a problem that he desperately wishes to escape from, everyone else sees him as a monster. Two young couples, married with young children are struggling with different issues in their marriages. The lives of one wife and the other husband combine when they meet at the playground and pool with their children. In many ways, Sara and Brad are the most naïve, immature “little children” in the whole movie, and the story can really be thought of as a coming of age story about them actually “growing up”. They give in to their adulterous impulses and naively live as if they can make this last. They are content and happy to have found this false happiness, for a little while. But it is nothing. It is only a fantasy in their minds like that of their kids or any child playing pretend and escaping from the grueling reality that is creeping with husbands who masturbate to naked girls online and wives who can’t see past their own selfishness to see her husband and his unhappiness.

As the story progresses, I found myself sympathizing with old Ronnie, the pedophile, living with his mother day after day in the shadows of hate that were all around him. Especially one shadow in the shape of a man who has nothing more to do with his life than spend his energy showing his anger publicly by destroying and defacing Ronnie’s house. His own history reflects his own flaws which cause him to lose the ability to keep working his job as a police officer. His mistake was an action that came out of his own personal flaws; weakness, cowardice, and a simple human mistake. Things that he essentially had control over, and which haunts him as he struggles to place his shame and self-hatred on the poor old Ronnie living with his aging mother, a man, (who is truly still a little child) who in may ways is the least guilty of all the characters in the story. It was incredible how the story draws out these hidden truths that the world hides so well. In a world where we can outwardly hate others for their human weaknesses, but simultaneously we condone and even “root for” the adulterous couple who find love outside of marriage. We want them to be together; it feels right, it is a beautiful love story, why shouldn’t they be together? These evils taking place behind closed doors, people who never really grew up and still have the ability to entertain fantasies of love in their minds while living a lie with their own husbands/wives and children displays for us, in the movie, what we don’t really want to see or accept. We want them to run away together at the end don’t we? We fall in love with their story and their fantasy and for them to get away would be a fitting “happily ever after”, wouldn’t it?

Coming to the end of the movie, poor Ronnie’s mother dies and leaves him alone. I absolutely love the scene where he breaks down. The living room covered in ceramic statuettes of little children everywhere, the old clocks on the wall and sitting around the room; the chimes go off and he goes crazy crashing the clocks to the floor and breaking everything in the room as the loud chimes are going off all around him. His time is up. He has to wake up now. No more mommie to take care of him. He is still a child in truth, and like a helpless child who looses his mom in the mall or at the park, he has no idea what to do, he just looses his mind (what’s left of it) and breaks down. He cries and runs off down the street, heading for the park… perfect.

Sara is the first to acknowledge to Brad that their love is nothing more than a fantasy, it isn’t real. It can’t be. She at least understands that they have some kind of responsibility to face. But in the end, she gives in once again to her fantasy of running off with her lover to start a new life. Just take the kids and run. No thought to how this would affect their children or their families, just impulsive and reckless, like a child who gets into the car of a stranger offering them candy. But a few things happen that represent the turning point in their lives, the points when they both “wake up” and finally grow up. While she is waiting for Brad at the park to run away with their children, she finds poor Ronnie sitting on a swing, crying, and hunched over his knees. She offers him help and he looks up at her with the most pathetic, tear-stained face I’ve ever seen. He tells her his mom is dead, and she feels sympathy for him. Sympathy for the horrible monster. Meanwhile, Brad decides to jump in with the kids skate-boarding on the stairs and knocks himself out. He may have the mindset of a kid, but his body has continued to grow without him. As he wakes up to find himself flat on the ground, he realizes his limitations, both physically and mentally, and calls his wife at home, as Sara returns to her home with her daughter.

Near the end we meet the raging ex-police officer who confronts Ronnie at the park. As he apologizes for all the things he’s done, Ronnie stands up and turns around to reveal how he has taken matters into his own hands to put a stop to his evil actions and lustful routines directed toward little children, as blood spills from between his pant legs onto the ground. Now his life depends on this man who had once hated him with everything he had. He gets him to the hospital in the end, and at the same time realizes that he and this man are, in many ways the same. But they are just as different in the same sense that his own mistakes and flaws were not only personal weakness, but very poor choices. On the other hand, the man bleeding to death before him was just a victim of a mental disorder which caused him relentless and non-stop pain throughout his life in the public eye. Think how this contrasts with the “victimization” behind closed doors of the poor Brad and Sara who just want to escape and be in love. Isn’t that what we want for them too? After all they are only victims of sad lives without happiness or the love like they see in the fairytales.

We could start to sympathize with how they are “stuck” in their unhappy marriages, and just can’t help the fact that they’ve fallen in love. After all “we want what we want, and there’s nothing much we can do about it” right? So to what extent do we excuse their actions of love and selfish desires? We don’t want to see it, but it’s there; the fact that in life we make choices which have consequences. Sometimes the outcome of a decision turns sour for a while, but just as we have the ability to make the decision in the first place or run away from it when we get scared or find something else, we also have the ability to accept where we are in life and do something to make it better. They both married people that they loved, they never bothered to look at that person and see that what they once had was something they never lost, they just had to find it again, work it out, for themselves and for their children. They were so close to leaving behind their lives and hurting those they loved for the sake of an illusion. The point when we realize and accept the combination of facts that we have control of our lives, but also have responsibilities within that life is a one of the moments that mark a person’s transition from a child to an adult.

I am a second year English major at Wright State University. I am an honors student, studying creative writing. I have never previously published. I keep a portfolio of essays submitted to various classes that have earned a grade of “A”.

Pixelization is defined as noticeable square pixels that can be seen in photos that are displayed on a computer screen or printed on paper. Without pixelization when you look at a photo you see continuous areas of different colors and intensities. Here is why it happens.

To understand pixelization you first need to understand how digital photos are created. Digital cameras use a special sensor (also known as CCD) in order to capture photos. This sensor is built from a large number of tiny light sensitive sensors each representing a pixel. The number of pixels in a sensor is also known as “mega pixel” – in other words a camera that has 2 mega pixels uses a sensor that is built of 2 million tiny sensors. When you take a photo the shutter opens and light hits the sensor. At that time light hits each tiny sensor and each such sensor captures that light intensity and color. Put together all those sensors create pixels that comprise a photo.

When you look at a photo if the pixels are small enough your eye “blends” them together to create an illusion of continuous areas of colors and intensity. When this happens photos look crisp and in “high resolution”. If the pixels are not small enough your eye sees individual discrete pixels. When that happen the photo is referred to as “pixelized” – meaning that each pixel is too big and the eye can see it individually as opposed to blending all the pixels together into one continuous photo.

So what determines pixels’ size? the size of the pixels is determined by the size of the photo you are looking at (for example measured in inches: width X height) and the number of pixels in the photo. In other words the size of the pixels is determined by how many pixels are spread over what size of a photo.

Another measure that is commonly used to describe the size of pixels is PPI – Pixels per Inch. PPI describes the number of pixels per inch in a photo. PPI is a function of the number of pixels the camera’s sensor supports and the size of the photo. To calculate a photo’s PPI simply multiply the page length by its width in inches. The result is the number of square inches on the page. Now divide the number of pixels the sensor supports by the number of square inches. The result is the number of pixels per square inch. All that is left to do is to find the square root of this number. PPI is easier number to use than the actual size of a pixel (which can be a very small number). PPI is a combination of the camera resolution (how many mega pixels it supports) and the size of the photo you are looking at (either printed or on a computer screen). Following is a table of PPI calculated for a 5 mega pixels camera and some common photo print paper sizes:

page size 4X6 - 456 PPI

page size 5X7 - 377 PPI

page size 8X10 - 250 PPI

page size 11X14 - 180 PPI

page size 16X20 - 125 PPI

page size 20X30 - 91 PPI

So how small is small enough? This depends on a few factors and sometimes creating some pixelization is wanted as an artistic effect. The pixel size that creates pixelization also depends on the distance that you are looking at the photo from. Your eye might be able to notice pixels in a photo from close by but blend all the pixels together when looking at the exact same photo from farther away. This is very easy to notice when looking at very large advertisement billboards – the printed photos look very good from tens of feet away but if you stand close to the billboard you can see that it is built from many quite big pixels. A general rule of thumb though is to always make sure your photos are at 150PPI or higher.

Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information about photo album printing and photography in general on printrates.com www.printrates.com - a site dedicated to printrates.com photo printing.

The plethora of modern digital cameras has made the taking of photographs so much easier, but the making of a photograph is still as time consuming and as difficult an exercise as it has always been albeit a very rewarding one. At that point in time when you press the shutter a snap shot is taken what happens before and especially after that action is what makes for the breath taking photograph. The camera takes the snap shot the photographer makes the photograph.

A photograph like a work of art has 2 essential characteristics, it has to have something to say and it should demand attention. The more it has to say and the more profound the statements it has to make are what will push it into the realms of great art. It will engage its viewer in a conversation. How the abstract elements of line, space, form and colour are arranged will give it its wow factor, will make it stand out from the crowd. When these characteristics are both present working together with equal weight then a master piece is born.

So much of the advice on photography is concerned with the nuts and bolts of the craft. It centers around the operation of the camera, the taking of the photograph. Although handy this advice is often film centric with a manual mode of operation in mind and a pleasing snapshot as the desired end result. Today with the digital darkroom at our finger tips, the camera is just the recording device. A large number of inaccuracies recorded in the camera can be corrected with any half way decent editing software. Consequently, the mechanical operations of the camera are often best left to the machine. A photograph can be made with a fully automatic point and shoot with the judicious use of an editing program as long as the photographer’s aesthetic sensibilities turned on.

The most important thing that a photographer or an aspiring photographer can do is become visually literate. Look at the great works of art, if you’re lucky enough in the flesh if not in books or on the net and discover what makes them so great. Why is Picasso’s Weeping Woman, Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, or Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles considered such a great work of art. Look at the work of Irving Penn, William Eggleston or Helmut Newton and see how they communicated their ideas, how they use abstract elements in that communication.

Watch TV with the sound off, how well do the pictures tell the story? Listen to radio drama, what images can you imagine to fit with the dialogue? Look at pictures in magazines, is the explanatory text needed? As you become an active viewer of the visual stimuli that surrounds you so your visual literacy will grow. It will reach a point that your subconscious will throw up the visually interesting aspects of the scenes that surround you. If you can capture them with your camera, you are well on the way to making photographs.

In the second essay on Making Photos I will offer some tips and tricks that hopefully will enhance your ability to make photographs.

Henry Bateman is an artist/photographer, his work can be seen at

Their Ace has been on the DL since before the All-Star break and their winningest pitcher hasn’t won since June 23. They have used 10 different starting pitchers this season, including four rookies and Jose Lima. They are the Mets and they are your World Series favorites.

Most books have made the Mets the No. 1 choice to win the Series in this, the 20th anniversary year of their last championship. This is due almost entirely to the fact that the Mets appear very likely headed to the World Series in spite of their starting pitching woes.

Because they appear headed to the Fall Classic they are obviously a better bet in July or August than any of the American League teams that are far from guaranteed even a wild card berth in the highly competitive AL. Should the Mets advance, as the odds suggest, it is hard to imagine a scenario in which any of the primary AL contenders, the Red Sox, Yankees, White Sox, Tigers or Twins, wouldn’t be the favorite in a seven game series, especially with the AL once again enjoying the benefit of home-field advantage.

With a 12-game lead over the second-place Braves in the NL East, the Mets are a virtual lock to win their first division title since 1988 and with little to beat in the weak National League, the Mets are prohibitive favorites to win the NL flag at books that are still taking such action. (Bodog has the Mets at 5/4 to win the NL Pennant).

Pinnacle Sportsbook has the Mets at 4.6/1 to win the World Series, slightly better than the 4/1 you can get at Nine Sportsbook or Bodog, but is not taking action on the league championship. Bodog has the Mets as a 4/1 second choice behind the 2/1 Tigers.

Pinnacle has the Tigers at nearly 5.5/ 1 and they can be had at 5/1 at Nine.

We mentioned just weeks after the White Sox won the 2005 series that the Mets were worth a futures play at 33/1 for 2006 because significant moves were likely. Of course those odds dropped dramatically with the signing of Billy Wagner and the trade for Carlos Delgado. While the 33/1 sure does look great now, the Mets appear to have their work cut out for them if they plan to add a third World Championship to their portfolio.

One advantage the Mets do hold over other teams is that they have the luxury of resting Pedro and Glavine to make sure they have something left in the tank come playoff time. With a 12-game lead in the last week of July, manager Willie Randolph is already taking advantage of this, moving to a six-man rotation for the time being. A 12-game lead at the close of July allows you this luxury even if four of the six are untested or haven’t been particularly good.

Ace Pedro was an All-Star game selection with a 7-4 record and 3.45 ERA, but found his way to the DL first. He is due back against the Braves on Tuesday. Tom Glavine, one of the most profitable moneyline pitchers in baseball this season at plus $1,131, is 11-4 on the season but hasn’t won in more than a month. Trachsel too has been profitable thanks to generous run support but he has been an even better bet on the total line as the total has gone over in 15 of his 20 starts, no surprise when you consider his 5.14 ERA. This might get you through the regular season but not game three of the World Series.

Another factor working in the Mets favor is GM Omar Minaya, who has relished in stealing the headlines from the Yankees. It is likely he will make a deadline move to either fortify the starting pitching or bolster the beleaguered bullpen. Barry Zito and Dontrelle Willis have been mentioned in New York as possibilities and, even though there is little chance either moves, don’t count the Mets out.

Minaya knows you don’t get too many chances to win a World Series, and given the opportunity, he will be willing to part with young talent like Lastings Milledge to get one. With either Willis or Zito at the top of the rotation, the Mets become legit series favorites.

Although starting pitching is their achilles heel of late, they still boast the second lowest ERA in all of baseball, thanks to a major league best bullpen that very well could be sucking wind come October due to overuse.

Ironically, the Mets bullpen strength can be seen in their abysmal run line record where they show a record of 44-57 and are minus $1,354 for the season. This can be attributed to their MLB best 22-10 mark in games decided by a single run, games in which a good bullpen is often the difference.

The Mets have rewarded backers on the moneyline this year, as they are currently fourth in MLB at plus $1,028. They are just plus $74 at home but a solid plus $954 on the road.

Doc Moseman of Doc’s Sports is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at

I am among those who know that one never recovers from the loss of one deeply loved. We come to accept the death and adjust our lives - rather begrudingly, but we do not recover, we survive. Somewhere in the grief process, we make the decision to survive and then we are emotionally enabled to build a different kind of relationship with our deceased loved one.

Mother, I Don’t Mind The Pain

When you died my dearest, blessed mother,
I had no sights or thoughts for tomorrow.
My soul experienced a wrenching eruption
Of pain and grief and excruciating sorrow.

The anguish of spirit: so unbearable;
The agony of mind: so intense,
The suffering in body: so unceasing,
Against all: I had no defense.

Nevertheless, beloved, I need you to know,
And I pray you can hear what I say.
I don’t mind the pain I’m going through.
It’s a small price, for our love, to pay.

We knew that one day we would have to part;
That death would come by in due time.
We knew how hard it would be for the other,
Who had to courageously linger behind.

But we knew our bond was worth the cost,
And valued each moment together we shared.
Now that I must without you go on,
The pain of my loss I will not be spared.

I wouldn’t, if I could, give my pain away.
It’s special and mine all alone.
It affirms all the love that I felt for you,
And in me, it can only be known.

So mother, though the pain of grief I endure
Will gradually and slowly subside.
The strength of the love that you and I share,
In the core of my heart will forever abide.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. clergyservices4u.org clergyservices4u.org She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: A Grief Healing Workbook, will be available soon.

Video Poker is a game that requires some skill to play and bridges the gap between slot machines and table games and are easy and simple to play.

This article will show you how to play video poker slot machines and give you some tips to help you maximize your winnings.

In most casinos video poker machines, (when played with strategy), give a lower house edge than other online slot machines, an added bonus is they are fun and the graphics are suburb giving a very visual playing experience.

How to Play

Video Poker is based on draw poker and has the same rules; the only difference is that you are not playing against other players, just the machine.

The machine deals five cards on the screen.

The player can, take up to five new cards if they wish. The player keeps the cards they want to keep by pressing the “hold” button that corresponds to individual cards shown.

When the player has decided what to do he hits the “deal” button, and the cards discarded are replaced by new cards.

The result of the game is determined by the outcome after the final hand is completed.

How much a player wins (if at all) is shown on the pay table that is on the machine.

The Pay Table & Return

The major advantage that video poker has over other slot machines is that the return of the game can be calculated by reading the pay table on the front of the machine.

Most video poker games use the combinations of hands that can be made from a 52-card deck. There are some Joker Poker Games that use one / two Jokers added to the deck and a game such as Deuces Wild uses a 52-card deck but the deuces are wild cards.

The number of combinations that can be made from the cards used in the game means the payout can be worked out by what the machine pays for each winning combination.

There are 2,598,960 possible hands from a 52-card deck.

The chip in a video poker machine is set to simulate the probabilities of drawing any of these combinations.

Because this is a set probability, the casino simply adjusts the pay table of the online machines to produce the house edge.

Tips to win

The basics are easy to master here are some tips to win which you can research more on the internet or in our other articles

1. Look for favorable payouts

Only play machines with the most favorable payouts. The payouts for all video poker machines are the same, except for the payout on the flush, full house, or royal flush.

A 9 / 6 will generally hit the royal flush once for each 40,000 hands. The 8 / 5 odds are once for each 45,000 hands etc – So try and play 9 / 6 machines only.

2. Learn the basic strategy for the game

You are playing there free and available on the net so use them until they are committee to memory.

3. Play maximum coins

If you bet five coins, all winning hands are paid out by a factor of five, except for the royal flush. This is a bonus amount given as an incentive to play five coins.

Any player who plays less than maximum coins will contribute to a royal flush that will be won by another player so play maximum coins to increase your winnings.

4. Play slowly

Take your time, the machine is in no hurry and you don’t get more money or a bonus for playing quicker.

The best slot games to play

Video poker slot machines has all the fun and excitement of other online slot machines, but there is also the possibility to put the odds in the players favor by introducing an element of skill, so you can have fun and make more money!

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