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Friday, March 7. 2008
 Actually, the thirteen stone towers standing on Peru's desert domain is nothing new, fact is...the world has known of it since the 19th century, but wait there is more. Research experts have discovered just last year regarding the very purpose of this structure- it was in fact a solar observatory, definitely among the earliest known. Interesting that it is only now that they focused on finding out, huh?
According to two renowned experts, the 13 Towers of Chankillo, corresponds very close to the rising/setting of the sun, this over a full year's period. Come December 15 (that's a solstice), sun would be directly overhead one of the towers.
Besides the tracking of the sun by the builders of the towers, whoever they may had been (it's still up for speculations), these structures were also designed to show their rulers' 'kinship' with this body of the solar system -the sun that is.
According to the same experts, if all they wanted was to measure the seasons, there would have been no need to erect such structures. On that I agree, but wait aren't we imposing our modern day thinking on very early cultures?
Monday, March 3. 2008
 Calgary my dear folks, is somewhere in Canada, there...I am done with the geography lsson for today. Folks from that territory recently have been getting lucky, the winners in their Lifestyles Home Lottery getting not money, but something which is in its own way, a dream come true.
Thelma Burks (not the real name of course) got one call, and she was told she won a car, a 2008 Toyota Tundra, just one prize from 3,426 rewards. According to this woman, she panicked because she could not find the ticket. Well, reports did not mention if she found it or not, I sure hope she did...such a waste if she did not.
Rox Marks (not the real name either) won a -HOLD YOUR BREATH- BMW convertible, while somebody named Les Woloszczuk (surprise, the real name) would be the new owner of a Toyota Prius..reminds me of somebody who was selling his Toyota Prius to me. I told him (after hearing the price), 'do you think I am nuts?".
Their second grand reward was a condo, and a five thousand dollar cash..and these went to Catherine Curtis (not the real name, one is enough) and Mary Burnham (you know already).
Wednesday, February 27. 2008
He is a forty-something guy working as an iron employee, and for the past two decades, he and his wife have been fighting all odds just to make ends meet. This couple, Robert and Tonya, have been living in their trailer.
Not anymore, they can buy a lot of trailers if they wish, for they have just won 275 MILLION dollars Via the Georgia Lottery. They made history, for by far, it is the biggest prize money clinched by a single entry in the history of this place's lottery. It will fall, maybe not this year, but it will fall...I am referring to that record.
This couple is not the buy-everyday kind of lottery buff, but the man said he was "urged" by something to get tickets, to use grandchildren's birthdays, and he did so. It turned out to be the most intelligent thing he did, at least in so many years, but that did not come from him, I am saying that as a logical guess.
Robert said that he would contact his employer at once to inform him of his impending resignation. Hey Mr Robert, give him two weeks, er...just a SUGGESTION.
Wednesday, February 20. 2008
 First is Lynette Chan, she was born in British Columbia, but is now making LA as her residence. Technically, she is a pure Chinese, but it is no wonder that a lot of people think of her as Vietnamese, and if you have seen her in person or in pictures, you will see the reason why. From small games, she has matured to playing at the higher-stakes at as of late, she has been busy at the 100/200, 10,20 NL at the casinos and in her favorite online room.
Then we have Tina Wallman, her face graced an issue of Maxim, and she is recognized as an online player for an online (Australian) poker site.
Next is Lacey Jones, a blonde, gorgeous poker warrior, and it is no wonder, she is after all a model. From 2005, she has been playing at one of the major online rooms (clue, AP is the initials of the room).
Well, if you have noticed, Jennifer Harman and Tilly were not included in this piece, I really did it intentionally. After all, I have written about those two in my past articles, and not just once right?
Monday, February 18. 2008
On the territory of Washington, the authorities apprehended 3 individuals suspected of stealing scratch-tickets, who encash these tickets.
According to reports, the investigation commenced on the first week of February, after the police of Kirkland answered to a robbery of tickets from a gasoline station.
Security cameras aided the police, and these footages came from various stores where robbed tickets were traded for the cash. According to the findings, the suspects would disturb cashier at a store, while an accomplice would sneak to the counter and get the tickets. When the police collected the footages, they pinpointed the culprits as a duo of 20 something men and a 22-year old lady.
After some time of investigation, they put the suspects' house under scrutiny, and they say the trio arriving in a car. They were stopped, and guess what they found in the car? Well, I suppose none of you would have to guess, a big number of lottery scratch tickets and of course, these tickets turned out to be stolen.
Hmm...you'd have to excuse me, I would have to recheck the half dozen tickets I have upstairs. They might be stolen, in which case, I can volunteer to the FBI to be a crucial state witness, ahhurm.
Thursday, January 24. 2008
 I sure hope that the four of them would all lose big, all their saving, and would have to beg their respective wives for a loan. (That is tongue-in-cheek, mind you, but I sincerely hope Mr BookRobber would not win the gigantic prize money, I could just imagine how haughty he would be).
Well, going back to the slots game, the plum for the Gold Rally Progressive game now stands at $2,600,000- YES, You read that right, FIVE zeros. I just sure hope that nobody is winning at right at this moment that I am writing this.
This game is a nine-reel, eight line Net progressive video slots game, and if you have never tried it out before, well, let me tell this.
The game's motif is naturally, that of a gold mine, with symbols that correspond, such as dynamites, axes, lanterns and gold scales. The gold nugget appearing goes without saying, right? To win this giant prize money, one has to get NINE scales in a single round, and if you think it is a simple feat, COME ON. Get real, this is a progressive online game we are speaking of. Speaking loosely, it is not that different from MegaMillions odds, emphasis on "loosely".
With this kind of prize money, isn't it about time you did?
Monday, January 21. 2008
No, I am not going to talk about the interesting figures of the underworld, I mean the Hendon Mob, that famous entity made up of four individuals. Well, one pro poker by the name of Joe Beevers is one of the 4, those four. Beever is a constant presence in major poker competitions all over the face of the globe.
If you are interested in personal things about him, let me satisfy your hunger. He grew up with his father, and both of them competed in the blackjack wars of the London sites. This tandem won so many times, and so consistently, that they got the ire of some casino owners, forcing the latter to impose a ban, a ban on the father and son's presence. Oh well, it is no different if we compare the travails being experienced by this generations' card-counters, and I mean the exceptional card counters.
I've heard people call him self-effacing, and while I do not know him personally, I know of him, I cannot say that that's the term I would use. However, when I hear peole saying that he is very good in setting traps, there, I won't argue on that score.
This person knows his poker, better than some arrogant pros out there who speak as though he were the reincarnation of Ungar.
Thursday, January 17. 2008
The first question that came out of my mouth was, "HOW IN HELL can you come up with a strategy against online slots?" I mean, I am an expert too, but hey, online slots are not chess, not poker, and surely not basketball.
Mr BookRobber answered with a smirk, "you will be surprised if we told you, but we won't and we can't. No offense, but you are not part of the circle".
He said "circle" as though they were the most important advisers of the AMERCAN PRESIDENT when it comes to nuclear disarmament.
I said, "Just give me my book and I'll be on my way".
He produced it in the same way a magician pulls out a rabbit from the black hat, "Thank you for this, and thanks for coming over, I'll buy you a beer sometime."
I thought, 'Yeah sure, hell would freeze over first'. In all the years I've known him, it's always the other person attending to the bill. So, without even being offered refreshments after so long a journey, book in hand, I exited his ugly house, and went to my beautiful car, drove away.
Thursday, January 10. 2008
"Ace on the River: An Advanced Guide", authored by Barry Greenstein is actually many things rolled into one. It's a tour guide, it is a survival kit and a guide of course. This book is divided into 3 main parts, for the 1st section, the author gives an introduction to the  sphere of poker via his tales. The poker life of the author is given without bragging, or too much drama, unlike other poker authors who should be better off writing for soaps than poker books.
He is humble in his writing, he even includes his loss of 1M dollars (plus) to the great Ted Forrest.
For the second part, it goes into the philosophy, elaborating on the psychological matters of the game, if one is to become a true pro. There is also a segment on sexuality vis-a-vis poker, and this is one interesting part. I won't go into it here, it would be best if you read it on your own.
For the last part, the author brings the reader to the advanced techniques, meaning, chaos theory and math. There is also a segment elucidating on hand examples, which would prove to be a boon to intermediate players hoping to get elevated to the ranks of the elite.
Monday, January 7. 2008
If you pride yourself as a world-class casino jackpot hunter, or something very close to it, then you  should know that in any country (that includes YOUR COUNTRY OF BIRTH), THERE ARE SCALAWAGS and their dirty tricks. You should know that if you are not a high roller with his own Lear jet, taking the cab would be an inescapable fact of life. Also, you should know that while most drivers are good souls, there would always be cheaters.
I got all this from a casino friend who got victimized in Moscow by a taxi driver who was actually a demon in disguise. He (the friend, not the demon) got victimized via just one of the 3 I would be mentioning, but since he stayed there for close to six months, he learned them all from friends there. (Let me put this straight, I have nothing against Russians, fact is, I am in constant awe from the genius of their grandmasters).
Here goes: first, the driver would pretend that the cab broke down. While the passenger remained seated, he would then rummage through the luggage at the compartment.
Thursday, January 3. 2008
 A year or two years ago, fifteen archeological finds have been discovered in diggings at Giza, yes, that's in the territories of the Great Pyramids, and among these finds were entombments of Egyptian court persons.
A couple of burials were unearthed, while a couple more were noted down in old diaries of explorers, according to the leader of a renowned expedition group.
Do not assume though that they are always Americans, Russian expeditions have spent a decade in this part of the world already, and going back to the burials, how were they found? Via a device called Loza V, made by scientists from the (hold your breath)- "Russian Institute of Earth Magnetism and Radiowave Propagation"- if the title does not impress you, I don't know what will.
Even up to now, experts/archeologists still anticipate more findings at the north area of this site, but that of course, is a studied projection at best, a wishful speculation at the very least.
(You may not believe this, but when I was a teenager, to become part of an expedition was a serious dream. I changed my mind when ALL of my family members told me I would probably fall into the first giant hole we come across. Laugh if you want, but they were not laughing when they said that).
Friday, December 28. 2007
 The King Kong Millions: this is a contest with a top prize of fifty million dollars, runner up rewards of one million and one hundred thousand. This is akin to the usual raffle system, where the tickets would be chosen randomly from a vast pool. The set to be victorious is made up of a 9-number entry.
Holiday Grab bag: this instant game gives 3 ways to get rich, or if not rich, at least richer than where one is now. If he/she matches three number or like sums, these on any diagonal, column or row. It reminds me of tic-tac-toe, maybe the inventor of this game used to be the US Champion of tournament tic-tac-toe.
The ticket is just priced at five dollars, with a possible return of 250,000 dollars.
Extreme Frosty: I don't know about you, but I think this name is better suited to an ice cream offering, but what the hell, I am probably just hungry. In this ice cream, er...contest, one wins by scratching off 3 similar figures. The entries are very affordable indeed, one dollar, with a top reward of 2,500 dollars. You may laugh at the jackpot, but I will take that sum anytime, any place...a prize is a prize.
Wednesday, December 26. 2007
 Sometime last month, I had to get back a book I lent to a friend, let me just call him "Mr BookRobber". No, he would not mind, he has robbed people of far more precious things, haha HA.
Anyway, since he was not inclined to return my book, I was forced to go to his house, two states away, yes, it was an important book. God only knows why I even lent it out in the first place. When I was there, I found him "in conference" with 3 other guys, all strangers to me. Well, he may be a "robber" but he still had his manners, he introduced me all around. (One was a stage actor, somebody I recognized, I saw him act 15 years ago. No kidding, my memory recall when it comes to faces is worthy of MENSA).
I asked them what in heaven's name they were doing, and they said they were studying the game plans for their "attack" on the Gold Rally Progressive jackpot.
Now, that game is not one of my favorites, but I sure know what it is.
Thursday, December 20. 2007
 Cultivate the habit of observing the opponents, and while it is technically "observation", I am not referring to gazing/staring at the incredible-looking-drop-dead-gorgeous-Megs-Ryan-lookalike girl across you. What you should be observing are the tells, the face expressions, the mannerisms. In the same breath, avoid revealing your own expressions and tells. Poker and chess actually have some serious similarities, if you would care to think about it.
# Look at the board, do not get fixateed and stare at your holdings all the time. Studying the board would help, as it would help you come up with intelligent decisions when the betting comes in.
# If you are tired, do not play- just go home. If you just had a fight with your wife, well, you cannot go home, let her cool off. Still, do not play, go and watch a movie at the nearest cinema. If you are very hungry, and the casino is not one of the strictest kinds, then it's no problem. Go and play poker with a cheeseburger in hand.
# The poker face is essential, and this needs no elaboration. After all, you have been reading my blog for years now, am I right?
Tuesday, December 18. 2007
 Call him a jackpot hunter or not, that could be a matter of opinion. Call him (or her) too cautious, that could be a matter of opinion. What is not a matter of opinion is that he/she is still missing. Out of two tickets, one winning ticket for the MegaMillions came from Streamwood, at a gasoline station. Why is it that when I buy a lottery ticket from a gasoline station, all my numbers miss out? Ehr...maybe I should have a serious talk with Lady Luck, if ever she has the time for me.
Jackpot my dear friends: to the tune of 163M dollars, not exactly peanuts huh? Winning digits were 3/23/46/48/49 and 2 as the Megaball number. An employee for that Shell station said that he personally got the call to inform the establishment that they had been responsible for a winning entry.
The two winners came from Illinois and New Jersey, and neither of the two had materialized yet to claim the win. Hmm...let me guess, one of the two is busy conferring with 3 or 4 lawyers...while the other one is busy buying (in advance) luxury cruise tickets.
Thursday, December 13. 2007
 Except me, I mean, I'm also a jackpot hunter, but these past weeks, I
have been too busy attending to a family issue (a big one). So much so
that I could not even find the time or energy to buy my tickets. Just
the other day, I asked my very RELIABLE neighbor to buy one for me,
because of his RELIABILITY, he forgot all about it.
Anyway, those hunters who are still capable of buying, they are in a
mad rush to get the MegaMillions tickets. Its jackpot reached the $115
million, so high that my RELIABLE neighbor asked, "what would you do if
you win that kind of money, and you are the sole winner?"
Without skipping a beat, I answered, "I'll buy all my enemies, buy
their allegiance or give them a lot of money but they'd have to sign a
contract promising never to return to this country while I am still alive".
My neighbor did not answer, he is not only RELIABLE, he lost his sense
of humor.
There was no Grand winner for the last draw, but six clinched the 2nd
prize, winning 250,000 dollars.
There, I am gone, excuse me, I need to go to my neighbor, he has not
returned my money yet, the money for the ticket. I sure hope it's an
honest oversight, otherwise, I'll say he lost his HONESTY as well.
Tuesday, December 11. 2007
 First winner: a Zebulon lady got 600,000$ via the Powerball lottery, name of (of course, not the real name) Alma Margarets, said she would buy a new car, settle the mortgage and use some of it for her daughter.
Margarets allowed the computer to choose the numbers for her, at Zebulon QuikMart.
The second winner: somebody from Tobago would be getting more than 3 million dollars, he (or she) matched all numbers on a Saturday drawing. The exact sum he/she would be getting is 3,039,900 and eleven cents. I wonder if the IRS will tax those 11 cents? Hey Mr IRS, educate me please.
What this means is one bad news for the jackpot hunters who are salivating for the astronomical sums, the lotto Plus jackpot would go back to square one, that is- a minimum of one million dollars. Oh well, that is life, at least it would prevent a few cardiac arrests out there.
Going back to this winner, he/she had the following numbers, numbers that changed his life completely: 1/4/7/12/21, 5 as the Powerball. (I remember this drawing, I only hit two, but what else is new?)
Thursday, December 6. 2007
 Just a few years ago, more than 20,000 bamboo slips of ancient origin were discovered. They carried records of - hold your breath- the Qin dynasty (that would be 221 to 226 BC), and they were found somewhere in the Hunan province of China.
According to some world experts, it was the very first time a big amount of this kind of slip-records has been discovered on China's turf. These slips, engraved with calligraphy, were official records of cultural, economic and political happenings in that distant era. As per the reports, there were a total of 200 thousand words in it.
According to experts, the calligraphy on them were still legible. Data like ethnic relations, multiplication and grain intake were found on the bamboo slips. If you know nothing about that bygone era, let me just say this. The first emperor of the Qin dynasty mandated that books and papers be put on fire, and even a lot of scholars were buried alive (makes my skin crawl). Owing to this fact, so little of the accessible and available materials on this era could be labeled as first-hand data.
Tuesday, December 4. 2007
 Odds of clinching the jackpot in Euromillions are, hold your breath, 76,275,360: 1. Due to these figures, so many individuals purchase multiple tickets to further enhance the odds on their side. Don't take my word for it, I strongly suggest you look at the figures of other lottery entities, you might be surprised.
Assuming there is no victor for the Great Plum, the winnings would be rolled over, and there was one time it went to the level of 70M Euros, OK...I'll convert it. That would be in the neighborhood of 80M dollars.
There is one facet of this lottery that has become an issue: the rollback. It applies if and when the jackpot rolled over for eleven straight weeks without anybody winning. What this boils down to: at the final week, if there is no victor, the Grand Prize would be given/shared to the next level down, like those gamblers who have matched four numbers and 2 lucky star digits.
Fundamental reason: to bar the jackpots from climbing up to the moon, so to speak. Oh well, I remember this line from that movie starred in by Catherine Zeta-Jones, "What can you do with five million dollars that you cannot do with one million?"
Euromillions lottery has asserted itself to be a great mainstay in the sphere of lottery gambling, and there are no signs of slowing down.
Thursday, November 29. 2007
First, some hints: when you want to last hours and hours yet your bankroll is not that big, keep to the Pass-DP and the Come/DC wagers. When hit and run is what you have in mind, go to the big-odds wagers. If on a winning streak, keep on raising bets, if it's a losing run, cut down.
 Now, we go to the topic of money, bankroll in particular. So many folks have illogical expectations. Like, when you tell yourself, "I am not leaving here until I've doubled my cash", sometimes you'll get it, but some of the time, you will fail, no matter if you pray to all the gods that you believe in. A lot of experts concur that you have done OK IF YOU QUIT and you are twenty percent up, but of course, you may disagree if you wish.
Let me share some intelligent bits: stop gambling if you have already lost fifty percent of your funds. Thus, if you began with 100 dollars, terminate your play when you lose fifty dollars. One last word, to those who are still neophytes and cannot call themselves jackpot hunters yet, you have to be able to enjoy the games. Losing is more bearable if your mindset is a positive one, believe me.
Tuesday, November 27. 2007
Needless to say, some useful tips:
# When he ("he" means opponent here, all throughout the article) gets an advanced anchor, make sure you build one too. When you are lagging significantly in the race, it may be a good thing to fall  even further. If you are lagging, it could actually enhance the timing to get hit, it would present you with an advantageous backgame. Of course, do not expect that this would happen all the time, because it won't.
# If you are the one ahead, then race with gusto, abandon and zeal. Get away from the contact and rely on the race's edge.
# If you are lagging, it is ordinarily wrong to let go of the anchor.
# If in doubt, hit, it holds cruciality over many scenarios, particularly on the opponent's side.
# Slot to broaden the primes, particularly the 6point primes. Exception here: when you are in danger of being "primed" yourself in the game.
# If you are at a prime against prime scenario, do maneuvers that would not force you to play big numbers.
# Just like chess, fight for equality even in the early phase of the contest. Fight it out with 5pt and the 4points on both territories.
Wednesday, November 14. 2007
A lot of blackjack legends are exceptional card warriors, Johnny Chang just to mention one. Then, there are those like Uston and Thorp, acknowledged globally for their books, references of substance. Then, there is somebody like Julian Braun, a behind the scene maestro who came up with systems which (if reports are to be believed)- they did not even apply at the tables for practice.
Then we go to Keith Taft, this is another non-playing master, he may not be so popular like the rest of the ones I just mentioned, but he got inducted to the Blackjack Hall of Fame 3 years ago. Why so: he came out with equipment to defeat the system, he was after all, a computer and electronics whiz, who had a passion for the game (at least as much passion one could get if he is not playing), and also had a passion in inventing cameras and other electronic gizmos.
Actually, some of the computers he invented were against the law, but the fact that so many people still respect his name means one thing. His genius far outweighed any illegality linked to his inventions.
Monday, November 12. 2007
 Sometime last year, one of 2 2nd-place tickets expired, only God knows what happened to the holders/winners or the tickets per se. The tickets were valued at a combined 1.7M dollars. One hundred eighty days had elapsed and nobody came forward with the winning ticket. (Maybe the buyer was already a millionaire?)
The other ticket was from Littleton in Colo, and this particular one was claimed. You may be shocked, but unclaimed jackpots are no longer a rarity, in the same year that this happened, $9,330,287 in lottery winnings in Colorado were unclaimed, and more or less 8M$ unclaimed in Kentucky...makes you wonder?
According to a lottery organization insider, so often, people would buy the ticket just because it's a habit, then these multitudes of entries would accumulate at the bottom drawer, then all would be forgotten. Especially if the person is holding a high-pressure job with too many deadlines to meet. (You should meet Rob, a former neighbor, he was always jobless yet he constantly forgot where he hid his tickets. Moot, for he never won anything, maybe Lady luck hates bums?)
Actually, the unclaimed ones do not really turn to "dust" entirely, the winnings that go unclaimed go back to those states selling Powerball entries.
Tuesday, November 6. 2007
 Let me make this absolutely clear, this is for the poker games where there are just six or less participants, and second, we are going on the assumption that your competitors are mostly strong gamblers.
Playing so consistently that you are like a busted record is not a good habit, you may get away with it against the fish, but against the true veterans, you will find that your bankroll is dwindling like water under the sun.
One way to avoid this, change your pacing in the games. If they know and anticipate that you would bluff, then don't.
Changing pace is more suited to the NL, but it could be utilized at Limit too, if you wish. If the stakes are big enough, you could get away with bluffing in the flop or turn phases of the game, but you'd have to be tight in the beginning.
Now we go to the other side of the fence, it is also crucial for you to realize if and when an opponent is changing pace. This could be linked to tells, and you can only memorize tells if you find the time to observe, and observation is best done when you are out of the hand.
Thursday, November 1. 2007
I am speaking of Harrah's poker site in Indiana, the first reason why it's a good one: a lot of ground for parking. Aren't you sick and tired of spending an hour just cruising and cruising, waiting for a car to move out?
 Another: good business hours, I mean, I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of casinos that close at 1am when I am just hitting my stride in gambling. The casino hours are from 8am up to 5 the following morning, and there is a lot of poker action.
Another: even if you are a non-gambler and you just want to sleep, their hotel has close to 300 rooms and if you do not want their hotel, a lot of motels are nearby.
Still another: even if they are not the only poker venue in this part of the country, they can be considered as one of those few with the most number of limits. From the 1-5 dollar games all the way to high-rollers' level, one would surely find a comfortable game to join in, take it from me.
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Casino Comments
Mon, 16.04.2007 06:50
Hahaha, I remember one time many years ago when I accompanied my sister to this casino hotel, she did that. She [...]
Mon, 16.04.2007 06:44
This is going to be a welcomed addition to the laudable collection of the Museum of Natural History. -
Mon, 16.04.2007 06:44
I read it from the papers, interesting find. However, I am sure this is not something history-changing, if you get my [...]
Tue, 20.02.2007 03:37
Freerolls are different from ring games, not totally, but the battleplans called for have crucial differences which an [...]
Tue, 20.02.2007 03:37
Such helpful tips, thank you so, so much. Here's wishing your blog more fruitful days to come!
Mon, 12.02.2007 21:17
Very fascinating, good for her and her family. Just like in love...age DOES NOT matter.
Mon, 12.02.2007 21:17
That is life, the mathematical odds do not discriminate on age, sex or religion.
Tue, 16.01.2007 02:40
The upside is, it is assured that even if the gambler's bankroll gets depleted totally, it would not hurt that much.