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Some people playing blackjack online do prefer to rely on a betting system to help them “beat the game.” Even if they know the plays, the tables on what to do in every situation, the betting system is often a best friend of many blackjack players. There are a few different ones commonly used throughout the world. Here’s one I’ve tried and know pretty well.

It’s called the Paroli system. It’s positive progression, which means you start with betting a single unit and then increase your next bet. Another very popular betting system actual advocates you do the exact opposite – start with a certain betting amount and decrease. Go figure.

Like I said, I’ve tried this blackjack betting strategy, but to put it bluntly, didn’t have a smart plan the first time I tried, and when it came down to it, didn’t have the balls to keep increasing my best. Eventually, I lost a hand, and completely lost the nerve to follow through and start over again.

What you need to do if you’re going to implement this betting system, is get your game plan straight before you sit down, know how much you’re going to start with, and know when you’re going to cycle back to your original bet…because as we all know, eventually the dealer is going to win a hand. So while you might not be doubling your bet, you don’t want the last hand you play to be the one where you lose the most amount of money.

And don’t waver. It can’t be said enough, don’t gamble online with your heart or your gut, gamble with your brain. Just like following the rules on when to hit, stand, etc…, follow the rules here regardless of the results along the way. If you want to believe in the system, you have to trust the system, and never stray from the rules you set up at the beginning of the game.

That’s not to say you can’t adjust after you go through a cycle. If you want to cut or extend the number of hands you increase your bet, that’s feasible, but again, once you begin that cycle, stick with it – if for no other reason than to follow through the betting “experiment” through to the conclusion. If you don’t have results one way or another, you can’t realistically gauge how successful the blackjack com system was for you or whether you want to use it again in the future.

I’m going to preview a couple more individual MLB teams here, mainly because I’m starting to put my baseball betting money where my mouth…er…typing fingers are, and placed a few bets already. One was a 12-pack of beer vs. a bottle of Absolut that the White Sox would finish with a better regular season record than the Cincinnati Reds.

It would seem, on paper, I’m a lock to win. But is it that simple? Let’s see.

The first MLB team we’ll look at is the Reds, this is a team that’s gone nowhere slowly the last few years, ending last season on a 5-game skid, dumping into fifth place with a 74-88 record. A meager step up from the 72-90 spot they put up the year before. Back in 2006 they were only a pair under .500, so we’re not exactly headed in the right direction here. Are they primed for an upswing this year? A surface scratch of the talent might get your hopes up Reds fans, with Jay Bruce and Joey Votto leading the charge. So how far can youthful energy take a soccer betting team? Further than Griffey and Dunn were taking them, that’s for sure.

I won’t argue that the Reds have reason to be excited. Of course, every team can say the same thing during spring training when we’re all in first place. Here’s where the rain comes, though. Starting pitching. Your current “ace” Harang gave your team a 4.78 ERA/6-17 record effort last year, and he’s not on the happy side of 30, either. Volquez, however, showed he’s a force, with a respectable 1.33 WHIP and good-for-the-NL ERA of 3.21. After that, you’ve got Arroyo and a few more question marks. In the ninth, I see Cordero as a fairly average, maybe slightly above average closer.

Unless this team is in the hunt in June and looking for another arm, they’re at least a couple years away from really competing for a playoff spot.

From the White Sox perspective, they’re an older, slower team than I’m sure even they’d admit they want to be. Konerko and Thome still have impressive basketball betting power, but unless they smack a HR or a long double, your base-running plan is gonna be as day-to-day as Griffey.

What I do like about the Sox, in addition to a ton of experience, is the potential. Baseball experts and fans alike love to throw out the “ifs” early on, but if the Sox stay healthy, their starting rotation will carry them through a lot of dry spells at the plate. Buerhle, Danks, Floyd, Contreras and Colon are all capable of being a No. 1-2 caliber starter when they’re on. And Buerhle and Colon are proven, reliable innings-eaters. Which Colon will the Sox get and how long will Contreras’ body hold out are both wild card questions. And Jenks can close 45 games with his belt undone.

I wouldn’t recommend a World Series ring-type snooker betting on either team. But I’d put some money down on the Sox making the playoffs, and the Reds not. In fact, I already have. I predict the Reds will approach .500 again but finish 76-86, and the Sox will fight to win 90 games again, give or take a couple.

Five card draw is a very easy pocker game to learn and probably the simplest to play out of all of the poker games you can play. Five card draw is played with a full deck of cards and every player is dealt five cards face down. There is one round of betting after everyone is dealt there cards and then players left in the pot can discard anywhere from 1-5 cards. Players go in clockwise starting with the player to the left of the dealer button when discarding. After the discard is done there is a final round of betting and then players show there hands to see who wins. I want to share some strategy with you know so you can own the five card draw poker tables in no time.

* Position is really important when you play five card draw on PokerStars.com because you get to see not only how everyone bets, but also how many cards each opponent discards. The value of seeing how many cards your opponents are discarding is invaluable in the hand and should help you out to have an idea what your opponent holds. If they only discard one card then they most likely have two pairs or a straight or flush draw. If they discard three cards they might have a pair and trying to improve upon there hand. Make sure you watch how many cards each player takes so that you have an idea what you’re up against.

* When you’re in an early position you want to make sure you play a pretty tight selection of cards because you don’t want o get raised and have to fold. When you’re in a late position it allows you to limp into pots with weaker hands in hopes of drawing to a good hand, but don’t get to loose with the hands you play too often or else you might see your chip stack start going down.

* Bluffing is also important when you play poker online and you need to make sure that you bluff the odd time when you play five card draw. The best time to bluff a pot is when you’re in a late position and you get to see how many cards the other players are drawing. When the opponents in the pot are drawing a lot of cards you should assume they don’t have made hands which means you can get away with bluffing.

* If you have a pair you can mask your hand to make it look better then it actually is. Instead of drawing three cards you should keep one extra and draw two cards. Your opponents might think that you have trips or something or this nature instead of just a pair and it should allow you to steal the pot pending your opponents don’t have monster hands.

Five card draw is a pretty easy game to play after you get the Poker Stars Download due to only two betting rounds and one discard round. Each hand is played through quickly so you need to make sure you know the rules of the game and the betting structure of the table before sitting down to play.

You know what’s better than the World Series of Poker on television? The High Stakes Poker show, which has run multiple seasons. Nothing gets me in the mood to check raise and bluff my ass off like some crappy country western music.

Of course, names like Chan, Negreanu of Poker Stars and Hellmuth don’t hurt, either.

There’s just no way to really capture the mood of these games, you have to watch them for yourself. But they’re great fun to watch, and I’d imagine even more fun to play in. You see professionals and amateurs mix in together, with the stakes ranging from at least $100,000 up to a nice, round one million bucks.

There’s incredible drama and humor fused together in a boiling pot of gambling, with every wager you place and lose equal to a wager that comes right out of your checkbook. This isn’t tournament time, where there’s a limit to your losses through the buy-in amount. It’s much more ruthless than that.

What I love about this show is that through the amateurs (mostly) you see so many incorrect moves, bets and wrong reads, that not only does money fly across the table like a vulture darting toward a dead deer, but the insults, verbal jabs and quips get lobbed back and forth just as much. Since I never shy away from a friendly trash-talking session, I’m studying these lines as much as I’m studying the game going on at the same time.

In fact, there’s so much chatter that you can see the likes of poker legend Doyle Brunson of Doyles Room begin to simmer with annoyance as he casually goes all-in for a half million dollars on an Ace, King off suit hand.

And, nobody even flinches, with the words, at least. The chatter doesn’t even quiet down. You have to strain yourself to hear the commentary over the actual players. Now that’s how you know you’ve got a lively poker game going.

Eventually when the other players realize Brunson ain’t kidding, they quickly fold their hand, and turn over the paltry $63K that was already in there to the king of kings.

Find a way to watch these internet poker episodes, not only for the entertainment value, but to see a different game and technique than the World Series of Poker. Beneath the chatter and sunglasses is a lot to be learned for the watchful eye.