How to Choose a Live Dealer Casino By Milton Shaw

If you're looking for a live dealer casino it pays to have plan of attack and a discerning eye for detail cast over any operator you are planning on trusting with your hard earned cash. This strategy shouldn't be too dissimilar to the one you would employ picking a regular online casino, with a few additional considerations.

First you want to provide yourself with a level of comfort that a given online casino is the real deal and not a dodgy operator. This of course will be relevant when selecting either an RNG (random number generator) or a live dealer casino. At the risk of stating the obvious, if you have any doubts at all that the casino you are playing at may not honor winnings, then any enjoyment you get out of your gambling experience is going to be severely diminished.

The easiest way to satisfy yourself that a given casino is run by a legitimate, trustworthy operator is to go with a name you trust. Most large terrestrial based gambling organizations with long and respected operating histories have made the transition online. This is particularly true for the larger European based gambling organizations not having to grapple with consideration of the implications of UIGEA on their online aspirations. William Hill, Ladbrokes, Bet365, Victor Chandler, Gala Coral, Intertops and Blue Square to name just a few now all offer online casinos.

If you prefer not to go with a big name operator, or are unfamiliar with the industry altogether and wouldn't recognize any names then read the 'About Us', section of the casino's website to assess their chops. Who are they owned by? Is it a large (exchange listed) company? How long have they been operating online? Where are they licensed? Is it one of the better known online gambling licensing jurisdictions like the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Kahnawake or Antigua Barbuda?

And all these details can then be independently verified. If they claim they are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, visit the Commission's website and check its list of licensed operators. If a casino doesn't have an 'About Us' page with all of these details, take it as a sign that they have something to hide and move on.

It is also worthwhile understanding which software provider powers the casino. This is relevant for both RNG play and live dealer play as typically casinos in both cases will license their software platform (including live dealer video feed) from a third party provider. Is it a big name provider like Microgaming or Playtech, in which case the casinos historical return to player rates will be subject to mandatory third party audit?

Finally, check whether the casino is a member of eCOGRA. eCOGRA are a not for profit organization set up to provide a best practice operating framework which online casinos should adhere to. The framework takes into consideration payout speed, spam policy, data security, and advertising practices among a host of other criteria.

While the above are certainly considerations you need to make with respect to selecting a live dealer casino, one comforting reality relevant to the live dealer format is that it seems to be an offering provided predominantly by big name operators who should have no trouble satisfying the above criteria. Presumably this is because it is a significant investment that the larger operators are more willing to make at this point.

Ok, so you're satisfied that the casino is a reputable operator. Now you want to make sure the casino has the all attributes you are looking for in terms of game offering. Does it have live dealer blackjack, baccarat, roulette or sicbo? What are the game bet limits? Do you need to download the casino software before you can access the live dealers, or do they offer browser based play? What does their live deal interface look like? Are they one of the few live dealer casinos offering free play?

One thing you might find with a lot of large online casinos offering live dealers, is that they offer very little information on their live dealer games. It seems to be an offering that is buried behind the dozens of pages of information provided on their RNG games. Of course 'pure play' live dealer casinos are different in this regard, and game details are typically well presented and easy to find.

I guess the key message here is do your research thoroughly so that when you do eventually sign up at a live deal casino, you can do so with confidence in the operator and their offering and concentrate on your game without any peripheral concerns.

Milton Shaw has written numerous online gambling related articles for casino portals like Live Dealer casinos and Internet Casinos Guide

Texas Hold'Em Vocabulary - All You Ever Wanted to Know By Ankur Kumar Srivastava

Everyone who plays or is learning to play Texas Hold'em poker or no limit Texas Hold'em or pot limit Texas Hold'em needs to be aware and know the terms and definitions used in playing these. It does not matter if your playing online poker games with strangers or around the table with friend as recognizing and understanding words associated with this will be a great advantage.

Down below are some words and meanings that will come in handy while playing online poker games

1. Action- This is the betting within a hand. If you are starting out the game you are the person who is starting the action.
2.) Back Door- This is a draw that requires that two cards are needed to complete a straight, flush or a full house.
3.) All-in- This is when you put all of your chips that you currently have on the table into the pot.
4.) Bank roll- Whatever money you have that you is able to play with over a certain period of time.
5.) Bad beat- A losing hand.
6.) Best of it- This is to be a favorite to win.
7.) Board- These are the community cards.
8.) Blind- This is the forced bet that was made before the cards were dealt.
9.) Button- This is a token that is used to mark where the dealer is positioned.
10.) Call- This is to place a particular amount of money equal to the pervious player's bet.
11.) Loose- To play more hands than you should.
12.) Kicker- This is a card that is used to break ties.
13.) Limp-in- In order to enter a hand with a call before the flap.
14.) Gutshot- A draw that requires a card to be placed in the middle to hit to complete a straight. This is also known as a "belly buster" or "inside straight".
15.) Check- This is when a player refuses to bet or decides to pass when it is their turn to.
16.) Hole cards- These are the first cards to be dealt that the other players cannot see.
17.) Flop- The first three cards in Texas Hold'em poker
18.) Bottom pair- This is a pair that you have that contains the lowest card board.
19.) Middle pair- You have a pair that has the second highest called on the board.
20.) Muck- To get rid of a card.
21.) Position- This is your place in the order in betting (if you act first then you are in first position)
22.) Outs- These are cards that will improve your hand.

These are not all the words associated with Texas Hold'em poker, but this will give you the basics you need to know to get yourself in the game. To try out want you know go to online poker games site and see what you can remember.

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