Many people think of online poker as a distinctively American institution. In some peoples’ minds it is right up there with apple pie and the Fourth of July as symbols of the American identity. While it is definitely true that most of the high stakes poker now a day’s takes place on American soil, this was not always the case. Historians debate the exact origins as poker as we know it, but the one thing that they can agree on is the fact that it started somewhere that was not America. Poker was brought first to New Orleans in the 19th century by Frenchmen who had learned the game in their home country.

online poker quickly caught on in the United States, especially among the crowds on the river boats that traveled the Mississippi. The French game became an American institution when it came off the river boats into the gaming rooms in the cities. Land casinos put their own distinctive twist on the game by using a full 52 card deck. Once it reached the casinos in the major cities there was no turning back. Soon everyone was playing this classic game, not just former French servicemen. By the end of the 19th century, poker had become an American institution.

There’s a lot of debate about AK suited being a stronger poker hand than QQ or JJ. Let’s tackle this problem in the context of showdown value. Running through some common scenarios, we see that statistically AKs is only a 45-55 underdog to a made pocket pair. With 8 outs, the ability to connect to the highest straight or flush, and possibly catch two overpairs on the board against small poker pocket pairs, AK has some serious showdown value. Now why would you be worried about showdown value? Well, in situations where the betting doesn’t get a person off his or her online poker hand, and you feel that you’re losing, you need a hand that has a good amount of value if it does come to showing the cards down. Which is why a hand like AKs, AA, KK, QQ, or JJ has such good showdown value. In the event of an all in, there are very few better hands preflop, and post flop, the value depends on the flop texture. JJ is almost always golden when the flop is a lot of under cards and not very coordinated. This concept is especially necessary in tournaments when the blinds start eating your stack. Hands like AKo even are hands you may consider stacking off with in a tournament where you’re short stacked and need a strong hand to showdown when the big stack calls you to take you out.

The first meat that I ever wanted to cook on a barbecue was a chicken using the rotisserie and I’ve never really stopped to think about why. I guess it’s down to “the boy with a new toy” mentality in that the BBQ spit came in the pack with the grill and a rotisserie cooking process adds dynamism. Looking back not only is it visually appealing but also the spit does the work for you leaving plenty of time for beer or two! Maybe I did one too many beers on that first cookout because the results weren’t quite up to standard. I tried to light my grill with paper and wood which sent ash all over the chicken. I didn’t balance the chicken very well on the spit so one side cooked before the other. I made every mistake in the book. Having said that, getting that first taste of BBQ smoke was still a defining moment and even after my first disastrous attempt with the rotisserie I was (and still am) hooked on outdoor cooking . I eventually progressed to cooking large animals on larger barbeques; I found that whole lambs or whole hogs are my favorite. Roasting a hog shouldn’t seem scary; if you don’t want to do it yourself there are a number of companies who can do it for you. After tasting pork cooked on a spit roast I don’t think I can ever return to cooking it in a normal oven.

There are tons new gadgets coming out every year, you might question the need for a mp5 player. Is it just a rehash of the mp4? It hasn’t been that long since the introduction of the mp3. If you’re like me then you might be wondering if the technology can move that fast. It does.

The difference is with technology, you could have just gone out and bought your first mp3 player. When you get home and start to download some tunes onto your new tech toy, you see the commercial for the brand-new mp5 player from Sony. Ideally, we’d all like to keep up with the times, but our wallets don’t always cooperate.

When digital audio players first fell into our lap, that’s really all they were. A turbo-charged walkman that plugged into a computer. They only played audio. Although they stored music, a fantastic feature, the memory wasn’t blowing anyone away. As newer models were released, it became possible to expand the mp’s memory. The expansions weren’t cheap, but they didn’t break the bank either.

Technology took us to the mp4 without us knowing. There was little to no fan fair. Consumers walked into stores to buy mp3s one day and there were mp4s sitting there right next to them. Obviously there were upgrades, but nothing earth shattering. In truth, the mp4 label only signified the player as a predecessor of the mp3.

Every online poker player is aware that seating position can make a huge difference at the casino. There are tons of articles and books at there that point at different strategies to use in different Texas Holdem positions, for example. But what about Caribbean Stud Poker, the oft ignored casino poker online variety of classic draw poker?

The answer is yes and no. No, because seating position actually has no effect on the game at all. You do not have a bigger knowledge base, or even a small advantage, based on whether you are sitting closer to the dealer. Everyone gets their five cards, they are all facedown, and no one has an advantage.

Before you sit down just anywhere at a Caribbean Stud Poker table, it is important to think a moment about the progressive jackpot. Some casinos have an unusual rule that if two players happen to win the progressive jackpot at the same table, the player to the left of the dealer takes the jackpot. The next player would just get the reset value of the jackpot. If you are player who likes to play for the jackpot, it is in your best interest to sit directly to the left of the dealer. That way you will be eligible for the jackpot, even if the unusual rules of a casino have specific seating position qualifiers.

In the old days of internet poker, everyone seemed to be giving away money. You never had to deposit any money to play for real money on a site because there were so many promotions available. Time has changed things a bit, and these free money giveaways are not so common anymore.

But just like some websites are making money through rakeback programs by promoting certain gaming sites, there are still some free money promotions to be found as well.

PokerSourceOnline.com (PSO) is a site that offers promotions and rakeback and all kinds of incentives for new poker players. I recently came across an offer for both Ultimate Bet (UB) and Absolute Poker. PSO is offering new players to these sites a free $50 starting deposit with the gaming sites doing a 100% match. The only catch is that you must reach a certain number of raked hands or earn enough “points” to be able to cash out any of the money.

Now, both of these sites have been shrouded with scandals. UB issued paybacks to many players for their having been cheated over a number of years. It was deduced that a certain player, whose account information linked to one of the owners, Russ Hamilton, had been granted access to see everyone’s hole cards. So, when he played, he played with all of the information about his opponent’s hands. Needless to say, he did very well and many good poker players lost lots of money.

Now, I would not deposit any of my own money on these sites, but I can’t argue with free money. If I lose the money, I’m done with the site. If I turn it into a lot, I’ll have to rethink my stance on the site, and decide if it’s worth keeping any amount of money on there. For now, it’s worth a shot.

If I had to hire a house cleaning service, a cook, a party or event organizer, a gardener, or even a personal shopper (nowadays quite popular), it would be very simple. A phone call to a few dear friends of mine, and voila’ my whole network would be activated in a matter of seconds.

If I also had to hire a nanny for my kids or a tutor for helping them with their math, language or piano lessons, it would be quite easy. Whether through the classified section of the Sunday paper or again relying on word of mouth, I could select the right candidate in a few days.

Tango lessons? Not a problem. Pottery? Not a problem. But how about hiring a poker coach? Yes, you heard me. After getting totally hooked up on Texas Hold’em, I’ve decided to go ahead and improve my skills, or I should better say, learn how to play poker. At the news that I was looking for a poker trainer, my husband, who plays with his friends every Monday night, first exploded in a huge laugh, and then (of course) refused to take part in any teaching of any kind.

So here I am, looking for a poker trainer and not knowing where to start. What criteria shall I consider to determine if someone is a good poker trainer? Where should the lessons take place? Are there any group classes or it’s going to be one-on-one? Too many questions, too little time… uhmm on second thoughts, tango lessons sound perfect!