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DraftKings hires Sean Hurley to lead sportsbetting effort
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
DraftKings hires Sean Hurley to lead sportsbetting effort
Golden Euro Casino releases Eagle Shadow Fist online slot
Casino City Times
Golden Euro Casino releases Eagle Shadow Fist online slot
The Jackie Chan-themed game from Realtime Gaming features action-packed bonus features.
LVbet becomes official partner of the German Ice Hockey Federation
Casino City Times
LVbet becomes official partner of the German Ice Hockey Federation
The one-year agreement will see LVbet gain exposure via televised sporting events, billboards and video displays within DEB arenas.
MLB Pitcher Wins: Betting on Shohei Ohtani and More
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MLB Pitcher Wins: Betting on Shohei Ohtani and More
Spring training officially got underway last week, and the exhibition games are now in full flow. Now, we only have about a month to wait until the games start to count for real. Spring training is going to get old really quick, so we need to find ways to bide our time.
The next month will be spent trying to predict how the regular season is going to play out. Injuries and underwhelming performances will render plenty of those predictions useless in the end, but we’re still going to do our best to try and identify some solid betting value.
The value of pitcher wins is going the way of the dinosaurs these days, but it’s still a stat to which many will pay attention. Being a winning pitcher has just as much to do with your teammates scoring runs as it does the pitcher holding opponents down, but that’s neither here nor there.
Let’s run through a list of some of the league’s top-tier pitchers and try to predict how many wins they’ll garner in 2018.
Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
Over 13 ½ wins -115
Under 13 ½ wins -115
Aaron Nola isn’t a name that will ring a bell for casual fans at this point, but that could change in 2018. Nola was Philadelphia’s first-round pick out of LSU back in 2014. He quickly cruised his way through the minors before making his big league debut in July of 2015.
Nola’s career 24-22 win-loss record at the big league level doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but he emerged as an excellent, reliable starter for the Phillies during the latter stages of the 2017 campaign. He finished last season 12-11, but his 3.54 ERA as a 24-year-old was mighty impressive.
There hasn’t been a ton of buzz with the Phillies so far this spring, but I think they’re going to quickly emerge as a threat in the National League playoff race. They’ve made a number of changes this offseason, including the hiring of manager Gabe Kapler and the signing of slugger Carlos Santana.
The Phils have a young roster, and sometimes that can lead to unpredictability. The youngsters could all struggle at the same time. If that’s the case, we could be in store for another long summer in Philly.
Talent has a way of winning out in baseball, though, and I think the Phils have enough on the current roster to be relevant this season. Nola will top the rotation, and one would imagine he’ll be able to improve upon what was an impressive ‘17 campaign.
Nola managed to rack up 12 wins last season despite the Phillies going just 66-96 overall. They probably won’t be good enough to flip that record around, but something like 80-85 victories wouldn’t be shocking. If they’re able to improve the way I think they will, I like Nola to get over the 13 ½ win threshold.
Take the over.
Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians
Over 14 ½ wins -115
Under 14 ½ wins -115
The case can be made that Carlos Carrasco is the most under-appreciated starting pitcher in all of baseball. He’s 30 now, and despite having pitched at the big league level for several years, he’s still not a household name. That’s fine with the Indians, who have gotten 4 straight 3.6-WAR (or better) seasons out of him.
Over his last 4 years, Carrasco has won 8, 14, 11 and 18 games. He’s only been a full-time starter for the last 3 seasons, and he enjoyed a healthy ‘17 campaign in which he made 32 starts.
Obviously, picking up wins is easier when you have a quality team at your back. The Indians certainly check that box for Carrasco. The Tribe finished 102-60 last season, which was the best record in the American League. Carrasco came out of a start with a win better than 56 percent of the time.
If we project the Indians to be among the best teams in the league again, then Carrasco should be in line to surpass 14 ½ victories.
Assuming he stays healthy, Carrasco looks like another solid “over” bet.
Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox
Over 15 ½ wins -115
Under 15 ½ wins -115
The Red Sox weren’t as great as many expected last season, but Chris Sale was exactly what Boston was hoping he’d be after acquiring the ace from the White Sox.
Sale went 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA last season, which helped him finish second in the AL Cy Young race behind Corey Kluber. Sale picked up a whopping 308 strikeouts, which was 40 more whiffs than any other player in baseball. To say he was dominant would be an understatement.
Boston was undone last season thanks in part to a weak offense. The team never addressed the loss of David Ortiz, and they struggled to generate much power. Now, though, they’ve added JD Martinez, who is among the best home run hitters in the big leagues. Martinez should more than make up for the loss of Ortiz’s power a year removed from the latter’s retirement.
Boston has a real chance to improve upon their 93 wins from last season. Sale may well be knocking on the door of 20 victories by season’s end.
So, this is another spot for the over.
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Over 17 ½ wins -105
Under 17 ½ wins -125
Kershaw struggled with health last season, as he missed a chunk of time with a back malady. He was still electrifying when healthy, though, as he finished 18-4 with a 2.31 ERA across 27 starts. Kershaw is as dominant as they come when healthy, and he’s entering a contract year.
However, can we trust his back to hold up? Kershaw has missed significant time in 3 of the last 4 years. He’s only logged at least 30 starts once in that span, and that was back in 2015. He was once one of the more dependable horses in the league, but he’s starting to show some wear-and-tear entering his age-30 season.
17 ½ wins may be a lot to ask. This is a guy capable of winning every single start when he’s operating at full capacity, and he still managed to nudge his way to 18 last season despite making just 27 starts. Kershaw is fully capable of winning 18 games in 18 starts. It’s unlikely, but putting it past him altogether would be foolish.
Still, we can’t take the over on everyone, and there are some legitimate red flags around Kershaw at this point.
I’d be cautious here and take the under at -125 on 17 ½ wins.
David Price, Boston Red Sox
Over 14 ½ wins +100
Under 14 ½ wins -130
David Price’s 2017 campaign was largely disastrous, but it did have a happy ending. He missed the majority of the season with a mysterious ailment before emerging late in the season as a dynamic bullpen option for John Farrell. Price was almost unhittable in the 2017 ALDS against the Astros.
Like Kershaw, Price comes with some injury cautions. He landed on the DL twice last season with elbow problems, which ended up costing him a whopping 93 games. He threw just 74 ⅔ innings during the season as a result. Can he stay healthy?
It’s fair to wonder whether he can, but this is a guy that hasn’t had much injury history prior to 2017. In fact, ‘17 was the first season since 2013 in which he failed to crack 200 innings. Now that he’s back to being a full-time starter, Price will have the chance to get back there.
If Price is fully healthy and pitches up to his potential, he’ll breeze past 14 ½ wins for Boston. If you’re an optimist, take the over. If you’re worried that his injury history is too checkered to ignore, then the under is the play.
Neither result would be a surprise in the end, so he’s tough to gauge.
Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians
Over 16 ½ wins -115
Under 16 ½ wins -115
The Klubot cruised to his second career Cy Young Award last season. He finished 18-4 with a 2.25 ERA in 29 starts. He missed some time with injury, but once healthy he was absolutely dominant. He folded like a house of cards in the ALDS against the Yankees, but Kluber should be his dominant self once again heading into the new season.
Kluber has never reached 20 wins in a season, but he has won exactly 18 in 3 of his last 4 years. Like Carrasco, Kluber will have what figures to be a potent offense at his back all year long.
There isn’t much analysis needed here.Kluber is a candidate to notch his first 20-win season if he’s afforded his full allotment of starts in 2018.
Johnny Cueto, San Francisco Giants
Over 12 ½ wins -115
Under 12 ½ wins -115
Johnny Cueto is one of the more interesting cases on the board. He inked a lucrative deal to join the Giants 2 seasons ago, but he showed some serious decline last year after looking great in 2016. He finished just 8-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 25 starts last season despite playing in baseball’s most favorable pitching conditions half of the time.
He’s never been an overpowering strikeout pitcher, but Cueto seriously struggled to miss bats. He picked up just 136 strikeouts on the year, which was his lowest full-season total since 2011. At 32, could he be on the verge of a precipitous decline?
The Giants look like they’ll be improved this season. They were one of the worst teams in the NL last year, so there’s really nowhere to go but up. It’s legitimate to wonder whether Cueto can rediscover his old form, though. He’s yet another guy that battled injuries last year. In all, he missed more than a month.
13 wins shouldn’t be a ton to ask, especially considering he won 8 games last season despite largely pitching like trash. If he can see even the slightest uptick in performance, Cueto looks like a fine bounce-back candidate.
Hit the over on 12 ½ wins here, as San Francisco should be improved in general.
Jose Quintana, Chicago Cubs
Over 14 ½ wins -125
Under 14 ½ wins -105
Jose Quintana is another guy that seems to fly under the national radar. The Cubs parted ways with quite the crop of talent to pry him from the White Sox last season. His results were up and down during his first half-season with the Cubs, as he finished 7-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 starts for the North Siders.
While he’s been serviceable over the course of his career, Quintana’s career-high for wins in a season is just 13, which came back in 2016. Of course, it’s also fair to note that he has spent the vast majority of his career playing for the White Sox, who have been one of the worst teams in baseball for a while now. It’s hard to win games when you don’t have any help.
The Cubs won 90 games last year despite struggling for much of the season. Now a year removed from their World Series hangover, expectations are high once again. This is still a dynamic, young lineup that should be able to inflict plenty of damage on opposing pitching staffs all year long.
There’s no telling where Quintana will fit into Joe Maddon’s rotation. With Yu Darvish, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks also in the fold, Quintana may well be the No. 4 guy. If Maddon wants to get more of a lefty influence at the top of the rotation, then Quintana could be the No. 2.
Regardless, siding with history looks like the best play here. Quintana is a serviceable starter, but he has never really pitched like a bona fide ace over the course of his career.
Taking the under on 14 ½ wins looks like the smarter play at this point.
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
Over 15 ½ wins -115
Under 15 ½ wins -115
The Astros’ last-minute acquisition of Justin Verlander was the biggest move any team in baseball made last season. Houston certainly wouldn’t have won the World Series without him. Verlander struggled over the first half of the season, but he was back to his dominant self once he donned an Astros uniform.
Verlander picked up 5 wins in 5 regular season starts as an Astro last season. It’s hard to argue with that kind of winning percentage. He obviously won’t win every start over the course of a full season, but Houston is expected to once again have a deep and powerful offense.
The Astros should win 100 games again this season, and Verlander will start the year atop the rotation. He hasn’t won at least 20 games since 2011, but he did win 16 in 2016 despite playing for a mediocre Tigers team. The over on 15 ½ looks like a very obvious play here.
The Astros will be a juggernaut again, and Verlander looks like he still has plenty left in the tank.
Luis Severino, New York Yankees
Over 14 ½ wins -115
Under 14 ½ wins -115
Speaking of juggernaut offenses, it’s hard to suggest the Yankees won’t lead baseball in homers this season. They managed to accomplish the feat last year, and this winter they added baseball’s home run king, Giancarlo Stanton. Balls will be flying out of Yankee Stadium all summer long.
Luis Severino broke out last season and finished 14-6 with a tidy 2.98 ERA. He’s now the No. 1 pitcher for the Yanks these days, and he figures to enter the season as Aaron Boone’s clear-cut ace. The 24-year-old seemed to get stronger as last season went on. His best month came in the last month of the season, when he went 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA.
Severino has the potential to be among the best pitchers in baseball this year. He showed a knack for pitching deep into games in ‘16, which bodes well for his chance to pick up wins moving forward. There’s no telling how much Boone will tinker with the bullpen considering this is his first year as a manager, but Severino looks like another guy in a good spot.
Take the over here, too.
Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs
Over 13 ½ wins -115
Under 13 ½ wins -115
Kyle Hendricks was hurt in early 2016, and he was limited to just 24 starts on the season as a result. He wasn’t able to recapture his 2016 form, but he was still a reliable right arm for Maddon. Hendricks went 7-5 with a 3.03 ERA in the Cubs’ title defense season.
When he made 30 starts back in ‘16, Hendricks went 16-8 with a league-best 2.13 ERA. Chicago was the best team in baseball by a wide margin that year, and he won a little over half of his starts.
We know the Cubs are expected to be more motivated this season, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see them get off to a blazing start. Even so, there are only so many wins to go around.
Hendricks could easily make this look foolish, but the under on 13 ½ victories was my first lean. I’ll stick with it.
Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants
Over 15 ½ wins -115
Under 15 ½ wins -115
MadBum wasn’t the only thing wrong with the Giants last year, but his early season mountain biking injury certainly set the squad back considerably. Bumgarner isn’t actually the ace many believe him to be. His reputation has been buoyed fairly substantially by his outstanding playoff track record.
That’s not to say MadBum isn’t an ace, he’s just not an ace on the same level as guys like Kershaw, Kluber or Verlander. He’s still among the best left-handed starters in baseball, and he’s about as reliable a workhorse as you’ll find. He went just 4-9 in 17 starts a season ago, but the Giants had arguably the worst offense in the big leagues.
Now that they have upgraded the lineup a bit, the Giants figure to be more competitive. They still likely won’t challenge for the NL West title, but they can inch their way into the NL Wild Card hunt, at least. From 2011 through 2016, Bumgarner won 13, 16, 13, 18, 18 and 15 games.
His implied total of 15 ½ looks a bit high, but it’s probably fair assuming he’s able to put together a healthy 2018.
I think he can top this number, assuming the Giants aren’t a total tire fire again.
Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Over 16 ½ wins -115
Under 16 ½ wins -115
It’s a bit surprising that Scherzer doesn’t come in with the highest total on the board. The 2-time defending NL Cy Young winner has been piling up numbers for the better part of a decade now. He’s also playing for Washington, who figures to be one of the better teams in the league once again in 2018.
Since 2010, Scherzer has won 12, 15, 16, 21, 18, 14, 20 and 16 games. He made 31 starts last season, but struggled with some injuries along the way. He was still strong enough to strike out 268 hitters, which was second in the league behind Sale.
Scherzer will turn 34 in July, but he has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down in recent years. If anything, he seems to be getting even better with age. The 2.51 ERA he posted last season was impressively the best mark of his 10-year career.
His one weakness is surrendering home runs, but what pitchers don’t cough up homers these days? It just comes with the territory. I expect Scherzer to challenge once again for the Cy this season. While wins aren’t as important as they used to be for voters, he should still be able to top 16 ½ if healthy.
Hit the over on Mad Max.
Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
Over 13 ½ wins -115
Under 13 ½ wins -115
Did any pitcher get through last season fully healthy? Noah Syndergaard got off to an amazing start before a bizarre injury situation essentially cost him the last ¾ of the season. Thor refused to show up for an MRI, and then eventually got hurt after not being diagnosed with anything. It was a disaster.
Syndergaard was consistently topping 100 miles-per-hour in his first start of the spring, so it’s safe to say the big man is back to full health. He was limited to just 7 starts a year ago, but posted a 2.97 ERA along with a strikeout rate of over 27%.
He’s one of the most dominant starters in all of baseball when physically right. The Mets have had numerous injury issues in recent years, but if they can keep their pitchers healthy I think they have a great shot at raising some eyebrows this season. There’s no questioning the talent on the roster, especially among the starting pitching staff.
13 ½ is a low number for an arm of Thor’s quality, so I’m once again hitting the over here.
Sonny Gray, New York Yankees
Over 13 ½ wins -115
Under 13 ½ wins -115
Sonny Gray was one of the big names moved before last year’s trade deadline, but it’s fair to wonder whether he’s still the same pitcher that earned that big name in the first place. Over the last 2 seasons, he’s generally looked more pedestrian than ace.
That’s not to say he’s some awful pitcher, of course. Gray did rebound from a disastrous 2016 to post a 3.55 ERA across 27 starts with the A’s and Yankees a season ago. He also went 10-12, with 4 of those wins coming in pinstripes.
I’m not a huge believer in Gray’s talent. He’s a bit undersized for a guy perceived to be an ace, and I’m not convinced his body is capable of enduring the wear and tear that comes with pitching at a super high level over the course of a full season. The Yankees figure to be among the top teams in the AL again, but Gray doesn’t strike me as a pitcher that’s going to really lead the charge.
I’ll take the under on 13 ½ victories for Gray.
Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
Over 15 ½ wins -115
Under 15 ½ wins -115
Stephen Strasburg is a former No. 1 overall pick that has somehow become underrated. Scherzer is the pitcher that garners most of the headlines, but Stephen Strasburg quietly put forth his best season as a pro in 2017. He finished third in Cy Young voting after going 15-4 with a 2.52 ERA. Injuries have always dogged Strasburg, and he did miss some time last season.
Still, if he gets between 28 and 34 starts, he comes with immense upside. He’s still only 29, and he’s been established for a long time as one of baseball’s best strikeout pitchers.
As mentioned in the Scherzer blurb, the Nats should win the NL East again, which means they’ll probably win a minimum of 90 games. The question with Strasburg is whether he can pitch deep enough into games to qualify for a lot of wins. 15 is his career high, and he’s done that 3 times.
Stras hasn’t always been the most economical pitcher. It’s not all that unusual to see him topping the 100-pitch plateau by the time the 5th inning rolls around, which tends to limit his ability to pitch much deeper.
Will Strasburg set a career-high in 2018? It’s possible, but I’m wary of going all-in on the over on 15 ½.
So, the under is the way to go.
Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs
Over 13 ½ wins -115
Under 13 ½ wins -115
Darvish was one of the biggest names available on the free agent market this winter. It took a while, but he finally landed a long-term deal with the Cubs in February. It comes with its fair share of controversy, as Darvish was crushed in the World Series by the Astros as a member of the Dodgers.
By signing Darvish, the Cubs are banking on him being better than Jake Arrieta, who will find a new home eventually. Yu is similar to Strasburg in plenty of ways. There’s no questioning his talent, but he’s a guy that has been known to rack up a pitch count early in games. Yu is another guy that has been yanked after 5 innings plenty over the course of his career.
Darvish is an All-Star caliber pitcher, but he has never won more than the 16 games he won as a rookie with the Rangers back in 2012. His win totals have actually dwindled from there. He won 13 games the following year, and he’s put up 10, 7 and 10 in the subsequent 3 years.
We expect the Cubs to be awesome again this season, and here’s hoping Yu can rediscover his peak form in his new digs. 13 ½ wins looks achievable enough to me. I have plenty of questions regarding his long-term potential, but asking Darvish to win 14 or more games looks plausible.
Take the over.
Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks
Over 14 ½ wins -115
Under 14 ½ wins -115
Greinke was horrid in his first season in the desert in 2016, but he rebounded nicely last year in helping the Diamondbacks to a surprise playoff berth. The former Cy Young winner went 17-7 with a 3.20 ERA despite pitching his home games in one of baseball’s most hitter-friendly environments.
That’s going to change this year, however. The Diamondbacks have installed a humidor, which is designed to keep the ball from flying as well as it has previously. The results are expected to be dramatic. Chase Field will presumably go from being baseball’s second most hitter-friendly yard to a largely neutral park. Obviously, that’s good news for pitchers like Greinke.
He’s 34 now, but we saw last season that he’s still got some juice left. He’s probably not going to rediscover that Cy form at this stage, but he’s still the ace of the Arizona staff. The humidor combined with the loss of JD Martinez should hurt the team’s offense, but they still figure to be in the mix in the NL West.
14 ½ wins is just too low. We saw 2 years ago that things can unravel, but even in that disaster of a year Greinke still mustered 13 wins.
This is the easiest over on the board, in my opinion.
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Over 10 ½ wins -115
Under 10 ½ wins -115
Shohei Ohtani is going to be one of baseball’s most fascinating stories as a rookie. He won’t be the first player to pitch and hit at the same time, but he’s certainly going to be the most high-profile case to date. Ohtani figures to top the Angels’ rotation while serving as a DH in some of his days off.
The Angels are going to take the rather unconventional move of having a 6-man starting rotation, at least to begin the season. The Halos have plenty of starting pitching depth, if healthy. Injuries derailed them last year, but if everyone’s available, the team’s group of Ohtani, Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, JC Ramirez, Parker Bridwell and Matt Shoemaker is fairly formidable.
Obviously, having a 6-man rotation limits the win upside for the pitchers. Rather than making 34 starts, a pitcher may top out at 30 or so if they stick with the 6-man group all season long.
Ohtani is a big league rookie, but most expect him to show up and pitch well from the start. 10 ½ looks like a low number, but the 6-man rotation throws that into chaos a bit. Still, if he’s able to stay healthy, picking up 11 or more wins looks like a fairly safe bet.
Hit the over on 10.5 for Ohtani.
The post MLB Pitcher Wins: Betting on Shohei Ohtani and More appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Slot Machine Supplier Ainsworth Sees Slashed Net Profit for 1H of Fiscal 2018
CasinoGamesPro.com
Slot Machine Supplier Ainsworth Sees Slashed Net Profit for 1H of Fiscal 2018
Ainsworth Game Technology is one of the leading brands which provides the Australian market with sloth machines and many entities seem to rely on its services. Information was issued this Tuesday that the net profit performance of the company has seen a plunge in the first half of its financial year 2018 amounting to some […]
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Curling Championship returns to The Orleans
Casino City Times
Curling Championship returns to The Orleans
The World Men's Curling Championship will bring talented curling teams from around the world to the casino for the first time in a decade from 31 March to 8 April.
Foxium creates new Adelia The Fortune Wielder slot game
World Casino News
Foxium creates new Adelia The Fortune Wielder slot game
Bulls Over Nets and Monday’s NBA Upset Picks
GamblingSites.com
Bulls Over Nets and Monday’s NBA Upset Picks
I’ve been away from the NBA upset picks scene for quite some time, but the fun switch gets turned back on with a crazy 10-game betting slate arriving on Monday.
There are a lot of interesting underdog picks worth taking a look at to start the new week, while there are also certainly a long list of NBA underdogs that feel like a waste of time.
Three that right away feel like a trap are Memphis (+700) over Boston, Dallas (+140) over Indiana and Phoenix (+270) over New Orleans. The Grizz and Suns are both on the road, while Phoenix specifically seems to be in full-blown tank mode with losses in each of their last nine contests (even if they say they’re not tanking).
The Mavs have publicly admitted they’re done trying. Things haven’t been a whole lot better for them, as Dallas has lost four in a row and eight of their last 10.
All odds that are referenced in this article were taken from Bovada at 1:17 pm CT on 2/26/2018. These odds may have changed since the time of this writing.
All of these games do offer up some upside, but they’re situations I’d steer clear from. Instead of taking those dives, consider the following NBA upset picks on Monday’s loaded 10-game schedule:
Atlanta Hawks over Los Angeles Lakers
Hawks
+115
Lakers
-135
The upside is minimal, but here you get a home team as the underdog and they’re facing another bad team. Atlanta is typically very difficult to back, but the Hawks have nabbed 13 of their 18 season wins at home.
That has me looking at the Hawks anytime they’re on their home floor and facing a team they could theoretically take down. Los Angeles has actually been solid lately (won two in a row and six of 10), but they’re still a shaky team to confide in and are quite bad (10-20) on the road.
L.A. did get an easy win in the first meeting this year (132-113), but things can change on the road and useful rotational players like Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson are no longer in town.
The Lakers have proven they’re the better team, but playing at home is a big deal in the NBA and sometimes bad teams need to get wins when they can.
I wish there was a little more value here, but the Hawks at +115 isn’t terrible.
Chicago Bulls vs Brooklyn Nets
Bulls
+170
Nets
-200
This is an even better game to target for elite betting value, as NBA fans get a game between two bad teams who really don’t want to win at this point in the season.
Vegas has it right by favoring the Nets at home (where they’ve locked in 11 of their 19 season wins), but Chicago may very well be the more talented squad.
Neither of these teams is in a good place at the moment (1-9 and 2-8 over their last 10 games, respectively), but the team looking worse off is the Nets (lost eight in a row).
The two sides have surprisingly not faced off yet this year, so this will be the start of their season series and could literally go either way.
The fact that this game is such a toss-up makes the Bulls an interesting play, but their superior offensive talent also allows for a shootout to tip their way.
Orlando Magic over Oklahoma City Thunder
Magic
+450
Thunder
-700
There are other games to look at, but I don’t really trust the Knicks (+700) to take down the Warriors and this game in OKC is probably the one that stands out the most, regardless.
I don’t know what it is about this matchup, but Orlando has routinely been a problem for the Thunder. Perhaps it is a mixture of Orlando’s terrible defense and OKC’s tendency to play down to their level of competition.
Whatever the case, these teams have produced some insane games in recent history, with the two working toward two overtime thrillers in their last five meetings. Orlando also won the contest at the Amway Center earlier this year and has secured wins in two of the last three meetings.
Opportunity is everything – even for a bad team like the Magic – as they’ve fought their way to a win or a loss within three points in four of the last five meetings.
The only real issue is the fact that the Magic tend to be putrid on the road. Not only did Orlando ship off point guard Elfrid Payton in a trade recently, but they also own a pathetic 7-24 road record.
That is certainly disgusting, but Orlando does have a roster that is nearing full strength.
Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon are both back in the lineup and Gordon specifically went absolutely ballistic (40 points and 15 rebounds!) the last time he took on the Thunder.
Adding into Orlando’s allure as my favorite upset pick of the day? The fact that the Thunder are just 4-6 over their last 10 contests and never can seem to get their act together. If Oklahoma City again struggles to put Orlando away early, the Magic could hang around and potentially sweep this season series.
Ultimately, there are only a handful of NBA upset picks I’m really interested in tonight. That’s a bit surprising on such a big slate, but you really need to pay attention to team health and drive at this time of year.
Orlando, Atlanta and Chicago are all bad teams, but they also could be in position to return very nice value tonight. Hopefully at least one of these NBA underdogs picks can deliver and you can exit Monday in the green.
Regardless, good luck with all of your NBA betting tonight!
The post Bulls Over Nets and Monday’s NBA Upset Picks appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Coming Atlantic City casino promising plethora of live music
World Casino News
Coming Atlantic City casino promising plethora of live music
2018 Masters Odds: Breaking Down a Loaded Field
GamblingSites.com
2018 Masters Odds: Breaking Down a Loaded Field
The 2018 Masters tournament field may be small, but the names projected to compete in this year’s event are absolutely huge.
That may come as little surprise, considering the tough criteria that golfers need to meet in order to play in the Masters. Augusta National ensures itself a star-studded field by limiting invitations to past Masters champions, winners of the other majors in the past 5 years, PGA Tour winners over the past year, reigning amateur champs in various countries, top finishers in notable tournaments from the previous years and players inside the top 50 of the World Golf Rankings.
But even Augusta might outdo itself this year when it comes to the caliber of players walking through the azaleas in the first weekend of April.
Of the 82 players to have already qualified for this year’s Masters as of late February, nearly a quarter of them were among the top 20 on Week 7 of the World Golf Rankings. In fact, Pat Perez and Rafael Cabrera Bello were the only players in that top 20 who hadn’t already earned their invitation to Augusta this spring, and they’ll get those invites if they maintain their spots inside the top 50.
If that’s not enough, I haven’t even got to the biggest name of them all, Tiger Woods. At the time of writing, Eldrick wasn’t even inside the top 500 of the World Golf Rankings as he works his way back from years away from the sport. However, oddsmakers are already pricing Woods as a serious contender for his fifth career Green Jacket.
2018 Masters Odds (Early Market)
Speaking of the odds, here’s what BetOnline was offering on the early market for the 2018 Masters at the time of writing.
Dustin Johnson +700 Jordan Spieth +700 Rory McIlroy +800 Jason Day +1200 Justin Thomas +1200 Rickie Fowler +1400 Jon Rahm +1600 Justin Rose +1800 Tiger Woods +1800 Hideki Matsuyama +2000 Phil Mickelson +2500 Bubba Watson +2500 Sergio Garcia +2800 Adam Scott +3300 Paul Casey +3300 Brooks Koepka +3300 Tommy Fleetwood +3300 Henrik Stenson +4000 Thomas Pieters +4000 Matt Kuchar +4000 Charl Schwartzel +6600 Louis Oosthuizen +6600 Marc Leishman +4000 Alex Noren +6600 Tyrrell Hatton +6600
All odds that are referenced in this article were taken from BetOnline.ag at 12 p.m eastern on February 22, 2018. These odds may have changed since the time of this writing.
Are The Top Three Favorites Worth The Short Price?
As revered as the Masters’ tournament is, it isn’t usually won by the biggest names in the sport. At least not recently, with Sergio Garcia, Danny Willett, Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman and Zach Johnson among the players to earn Green Jackets over the past 11 years.
Granted, those are all recognizable players, but they were hardly projected as potential champions the year they won the Masters. Garcia was a +3000 darkhorse last year, Willett paid +6000 going into the 2016 tournament, Schwartzel was +5000 in 2011 and Immelman delivered as an +8000 longshot in 2008.
So is it worth backing Johnson, Spieth or McIlroy to win the Masters at +800 return or less?
Of that trio, it’s easiest to make the case for Spieth. He actually won the tournament as the favorite in 2015 (though at much shorter odds that year, paying +225) and has a sparkling track record at Augusta, tying for second in both 2014 and 2016. However, a big concern you may have about Spieth is whether he can put his recent Sunday struggles at Augusta behind him. Two years ago, he blew a 5-shot lead with 9 holes to go, and last year he was 2 shots off the pace on the final day before carding a 75.
The Masters’ history of DJ and Rory is much less impressive. Although Johnson tied for fourth in 2016, he didn’t score below 71 in any of his 4 rounds and finished 4 shots behind Willett, and he had to withdraw from last year’s event after falling down the stairs. And McIlroy has finished outside of the top 10 in 7 of his 9 Masters appearances, with his best finish coming in 2015 when he finished fourth, 6 shots behind Spieth.
Could Tiger Woods Seriously Contend At Augusta?
It takes more than talent and skill to win a major. You also need to be strong between the ears, and that’s probably the only reason to believe Tiger can be a legitimate contender at the Masters this year.
At the height of his greatness, no golfer in history had ever seemed as unflappable and invincible as Woods. In the 45 times in his career that he’s held the outright lead through 3 rounds of PGA Tour event, he’s gone on to win 43 of them. According to The Golf Channel, that 95.6% winning percentage in that situation is more than double the winning percentage by all other golfers combined from 2014-16.
We’ve also seen Tiger’s mental strength in the way he has handled the various public shames he’s suffered, whether it was his infidelity issues being exposed in 2009, his subsequent divorce from Elin Nordegren or, more recently, his addiction to prescription drugs. I’m not commending Woods for any of these issues, but you have to admit the way he’s managed to put them behind him and not allow them to affect his professional career is impressive.
Unfortunately for Woods, mental strength hasn’t been enough to overcome the litany of injuries he’s suffered over the years and the toll that an extended absence from the sport has taken on him. Though we have seen a familiar finesse in Woods’ short game during his current comeback attempt, he still misses far too many fairways off the tee and also admits his iron play is nowhere near what it used to be or needs to be.
People are going to bet on Tiger, regardless of the price. I think oddsmakers are aware of this and are A) taking advantage by offering lower odds than he merits; and B) protecting themselves in the off-chance that Woods actually does contend at Augusta. You truly can never say never with Tiger, but a wager on him to win the Masters feels more like cheering for the fairy tale ending than a wise bet based on probability.
Darkhorses To Consider
As I mentioned earlier, many of the recent Masters’ tournaments have been won by names who weren’t near the top of the futures odds at the start of the tournament.
Instead of shaking our heads in bewilderment at the end of the Masters and wondering how we didn’t see the 2018 winner coming, let’s try to project darkhorses who may end up getting measured for a Green Jacket this spring.
1. Hideki Matsuyama (+2000)Following Sergio’s win at the Masters last year, Matsuyama may have inherited the unfortunate title of “best golfer not to win a major.” He also bears the weight of trying to become the first-ever Japanese golfer to win a major championship.
But he’s remarkably consistent, posted a pair of Top 10 finishes in his first 5 PGA Tour events this season, putts the ball well enough and has finished 5th, 7th and 11th in his last 3 trips to Augusta. At some point, Matsuyama is going to break through.
2. Paul Casey (+3300)Driving and putting are always important, but hitting greens in regulation might be the most critical component of being successful at Augusta.
That bodes well for a player like Casey, who finished third in GIR on the PGA Tour last year and is one of the top players in that category once again through 20 rounds this season. He’s been in the running each of the past 3 years (6th, 4th, 6th) and is very familiar with the course, making his 12th Masters appearance.
3. Louis Oosthuizen (+6600)If longshot odds are more your fancy, consider sprinkling a bit on Oosthuizen this year.
We haven’t seen much from him so far this season after he suffered one of the weirder injuries in golf history, jamming his fingers in an airport trolley, a few months ago. But he returned back to action for the Honda Classic and a couple of months should be enough time for him to shake any rust off his game.
Oosthuizen has struggled at the Masters in the past, missing the cut in 4 of 9 appearances, but he also finished second in 2012. Although I wouldn’t bet him on lower odds props like making the cut or finishing in the Top 25, his upside makes him worth a shot at the outright win at +6600.
Conclusion
We’ve seen many surprise champions at Augusta in recent years, and considering how many talented players are in the field, I’m expecting that we’ll see another one in 2018.
As tempting as Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and even Jason Day or Justin Thomas might be, taking one player against this loaded Masters field at +1200 odds or less doesn’t look like a great value. And while Tiger winning his first major title in a decade would be one heck of a story, his current form and struggles don’t make him a worthwhile wager at the current odds, either.
Instead, I recommend digging through some of the names towards the bottom of the 2018 Masters odds to see what value you can find. Matsuyama, Casey and Oosthuizen are all perfect examples of players who are completely capable of winning at Augusta, yet offer generous enough prices that you can enjoy a huge payday.
The post 2018 Masters Odds: Breaking Down a Loaded Field appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
Jeju Shinhwa World Launches Casino Venue in Marriott Resort
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Jeju Shinhwa World Launches Casino Venue in Marriott Resort
The long-awaited official launch of the casino located in Jeju Shinhwa World took place this Sunday and brought new revenue opportunity to South Korea, as well as potential tourists flow to the gambling facility. Following the local government permission for gaming which was issued on 21st February, Landing International Development Ltd. was able to give […]
The post Jeju Shinhwa World Launches Casino Venue in Marriott Resort appeared first on CasinoGamesPro.com.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
NetEnt launches newest video slot; Asgardian Stones™
World Casino News
NetEnt launches newest video slot; Asgardian Stones™
Can a College Degree Improve Your Gambling Outcomes? (Heck, Yeah)
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Can a College Degree Improve Your Gambling Outcomes? (Heck, Yeah)
Over the last 15 years, the mainstream media has fixated on a certain story angle when covering the gambling industry: college dropouts.
This phenomenon is mostly limited to the world of professional poker, as a legion of young 20 something’s went straight from the classroom to the cashier’s cage.
Successful pros like World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Cada, online superstar Charlie Carrell, and European Poker Tour fixture Jake Cody are among the many to be profiled under the “dropout turned gambler” headline.
But ditching class for the casino isn’t limited to poker by any stretch, and indeed, a quick Google search will turn up stories about former students striking it rich or going broke – through daily fantasy sports (DFS), traditional sports betting, table games, and even the slots.
On the other side of the coin, you’ll find many of the gambling world’s most successful players hail from the world of higher education. Professors, doctors, and lawyers are all well represented within the world of professional gambling, as are graduate students and folks pursuing their Ph.D.
In fact, many of the optimal strategies that have been developed over the years to “solve” skill games like blackjack, poker, and video poker were developed by trained mathematicians and game theorists.
All things considered, this diversity is what makes the world of casino gambling so great. Unlike other pursuits and professions, anybody can walk onto the casino floor and take their shot. You don’t need a degree to get in the game but having three or four of them doesn’t hurt either.
Dropouts can beat their former teachers at the table, and vice versa. At the casino, the playing field is levelled and the only barrier to entry is cold, hard cash.
As a onetime professional advantage player who spent a few decades grinding skill games to make ends meet, I find this link between education and gambling to be utterly fascinating. Personally speaking, I attended a state university and obtained the easiest bachelor’s degree out there: creative writing.
However, during my travels throughout this country’s casino landscape, I played alongside successful gamblers who never stepped foot in a high school classroom, as well as a few folks who could legitimately be called rocket scientists.
I’ve always believed that additional learning can never hurt anybody (the more you know and all that jazz), but I often wonder how formal education links to gambling results. To try and find an answer, I’ve studied eight figures who have become well known in casino gambling circles.
First, I’ll introduce you to four pioneers within the realm of gambling strategy and game theory, each of whom has education to spare. These people didn’t try to personally beat the house, but they did devise the optimal method of play used by successful players to this day.
Next up, you’ll meet four professional gamblers who applied their educational background to beat the game.
In the end, you can decide for yourself whether or not higher education can lead to better gambling results.
Gambling Strategists Often Possess an Educational Pedigree
The entries below are devoted to the mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, and professors who translated their knowledge into new discoveries about casino game strategy.
The Four Horsemen of Aberdeen
“It was an honor, in so many ways, to be able to use mathematics to figure out the game of blackjack.” – Wilbert Cantey
Ask any of the old school blackjack grinders about Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, or James McDermott, and you’ll probably see a few puzzled faces and blank stares. Bring up the famed “Four Horsemen of Aberdeen,” and you’ll see those same faces light up with excitement and appreciation.
The year was 1953 and Baldwin, fresh from earning his Master’s degree in mathematics from the prestigious Columbia University, found himself stationed at the U.S. Army proving grounds in Aberdeen, Maryland.
The private played in tabletop blackjack games with his fellow servicemen, including fellow Master’s in math holders Cantey and McDermott, and professor to be Maisel.
The foursome was well educated in the field of probability, along with blackjack, so when Baldwin heard that dealers in Las Vegas card rooms must stand on soft 17, the proverbial light bulb went off.
Baldwin realized that the dealer’s exposed card, combined with their forced actions (hit to 16, stand on soft 17 and above), essentially created an equation waiting to be solved.
The friends dove headlong into their blackjack project, breaking out bulky adding machines (which preceded computers as calculation tools) to sort through the numbers.
It took the scholars almost two years, but in the end their computations had created an optimal strategy for every conceivable blackjack hand scenario.
Take any two starting cards and the dealer’s up card, and the Four Horsemen could instantly tell you the most mathematically advantageous play to use.
Their findings were first published in a 1956 paper entitled “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack,” which appeared in the Journal of the American Statistical Association.
The following year, they published their data in book form as “Playing Blackjack to Win: A New Strategy for the Game of 21.”
In the years ahead, computer driven analysis would show that the Four Horsemen were nearly perfect with their strategy guidelines. Almost immediately, sharp players took notice of their work and began applying basic blackjack strategy to beat the game.
In 2008, the Blackjack Hall of Fame recognized the contributions of the Four Horsemen by inducting Baldwin, Cantey, Maisel, and McDermott as members.
Edward O. Thorp
“I wondered how my research into the mathematical theory of a game might change my life. In the abstract, life is a mixture of chance and choice. Chance can be thought of as the cards you are dealt in life. Choice is how you play them.
I chose to investigate blackjack. As a result, chance offered me a new set of unexpected opportunities.” – Thorp
While many blackjack aficionados aren’t all that familiar with the Four Horseman, you’ll rarely meet a sharp who doesn’t know about Edward O. Thorp.
After earning a Ph.D. in mathematics from UCLA in 1958, Thorp went on to work at the elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1959 to 1961. He then served as a professor of math for various universities.
Thorp became interested in blackjack theory after reading the Four Horsemen’s findings, along with an aspect of game theory known as the Kelly Criterion which was developed in 1956. From there, he used an IBM 704 to perform the first computer assisted calculations of blackjack probability.
Thorp also expanded on previous blackjack theory by exploring the impact of card removal. His method of tracking and memorizing exposed cards to gain insight into the deck’s current construction formed the foundation of card counting advantage play.
Having spent the next decade applying his perfect strategy and card counting techniques in actual casinos, Thorp published his legendary book “Beat the Dealer” in 1966.
Simply put, “Beat the Dealer” was the Bible of blackjack advantage play, teaching countless players how to dissect the skill-based card game. More than 700,000 copies were sold, making “Beat the Dealer” the first gambling strategy book to reach the New York Times Bestsellers list.
Card counting proved to be so effective that casinos introduced multiple deck shoes as a direct countermeasure to Thorp’s theories.
Like the Four Horsemen, Thorp quickly moved on from blackjack, leaving the casino industry for gambling of another sort: the stock market. His hedge fund has proven to be wildly successful, and in 2017 he published, “A Man for All Markets: Beating the Odds, from Las Vegas to Wall Street” (2017).
Edwin Silberstang
“People didn’t want to study the game, what they wanted from me was a magic formula for winning. They thought that, with one hour of my time, I’d transform them into big winners.
But it’s not that simple. Anything involving skill must be studied and mastered.” – Silberstang
As a young man in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Edwin Silberstang graduated from the University of Michigan, and attended Columbia Law School until the Korean War called. From there, he completed his law degree at the Brooklyn School of Law.
But writing was his true calling, and while he worked on a gambling themed work of fiction called “Snake Eyes,” he visited Las Vegas for a year of firsthand research.
Of course, the gambling bug bit Silberstang as it has for so many visitors to Sin City, and he immersed himself in that age-old battle between player and house.
Rather than rely on lady luck, Silberstang applied his educational background to sort through the skills and strategies used by successful gamblers. He began compiling his research into strategy guides written to help recreational players improve their game.
While he has dozens of books to his credit, Silberstang is best known for his “Winner’s Guide to Casino Gambling,” which hit bookshelves in 1980. In it, the author succeeds where so many other gambling instruction writers fail; he presents probabilities, statistics, and advanced strategies in a way laymen could easily understand.
His conversational writing style and willingness to truly teach, rather than just recite facts and figures, set Silberstang apart from his fellow gambling writers.
David Sklansky
“To this day, no one has tried to duplicate The Theory of Poker. It is the general underlying theory about many, many different situations in poker.
No one has tried to dispute it or improve upon it to this day. I was the first one to look at poker and realize that situations could be analyzed in a very cogent, academic style.”
If “Beat the Dealer” is the blackjack Bible, “The Theory of Poker” (1999) holds the same stature for fans of Texas Hold’em and Seven Card Stud.
David Sklansky studied accounting at the Wharton School of Business, passing exams required by the Society of Actuaries in the process. While working as an actuary, he devised an improved method of calculation, but found himself feeling disillusioned when his boss ignored the news.
Sklansky soon devoted his analytical abilities to another hobby, taking Texas Hold’em apart at the seams to study the game’s fundamental strategy.
As the title suggests, “The Theory of Poker” presents poker in terms of pure probability, breaking down all possible situations to identify the most profitable play available. The book has been studied by poker pros from Doyle Brunson to Daniel Negreanu.
And for what it’s worth, Sklansky could easily be including in the next section, as he used his skills to win three WSOP gold bracelets between 1982 and 1983.
Successful Gamblers Who Added Letters to Their Name
The following four entries are devoted to geniuses who translated higher education into successful professional gambling careers.
Stanford Wong
“I worked out strategies on the computer that Thorp didn’t have in his book. Thorp didn’t cover surrender, for example, so I worked out my own surrender indexes. I also worked out strategies for games where the dealer stood on soft 17.
Eventually, I looked at all of that material and thought if I put it all together, along with an explanation of how to play the game, it could be a book.” – Wong
As the quote above suggests, the figure known as “Stanford Wong” followed up on Thorp’s study of blackjack basic strategy. Wong is a pen name adopted in the 1960s by John Ferguson, who played blackjack on the side while teaching and pursuing his Ph.D. at Stanford University.
Eventually, after noticing that dealers in Northern Nevada were forced to hit on soft 17s instead of stand, Wong became engrossed in the minutiae of regional rules and their impact on perfect strategy.
His accumulated data was published in book form as “Professional Blackjack” (1975), continuing the lineage started by the Four Horsemen and Thorp.
Wong wasn’t limited to theoretical examinations either, and he immersed himself in the casino industry during the height of advantage play. As a proficient card counter, he invented a new move designed to protect players from unnecessary risk.
By standing nearby the table, and maintaining a running count as if he was playing, Wong could spot favorable situations before they happened. Then, with the count leaning towards high cards, he’d hop in the game and bet big to score quick winnings.
This style of play became known as “Wonging,” and it proved to be so effective that casinos rolled out the “no mid shoe entry” signs you see today.
Ken Uston
“I have never gambled and I was not happy that he was in blackjack.
You don’t spend a fortune at Yale and Harvard to become a blackjack player.” – Uston’s mother, Elsie Lubitz
Born as Kenneth Senzo Usui, the son of a Japanese father and Austrian mother decided to Americanize his name as “Ken Uston.”
But you can always call him the “King of Blackjack” to make things easier, as Uston left the world of elite Ivy League schools to tackle twenty-one. Uston was accepted to Yale University at the tender age of 16, and he didn’t let up there, earning his MBA from Harvard a short time later.
For a while, Uston was content with a job in the corporate world, but that all changed when he read Thorp’s “Beat the Dealer.”
After teaching himself the art of card counting and advantage play, Uston was noticed by legendary gambler Al Francesco, who had begun assembling his own card counting team.
Uston and the team wound up beating the biggest casinos out of massive sums during the 1970s, leading to a spate of bans and exclusions. He wound up suing the state of New Jersey in 1979, claiming that regulators there held no official power to ban suspected card counters.
The judge agreed with Uston, and to this day casinos are not permitted to bar players simply for counting cards.
The legal victory notwithstanding, however, in the eyes of his fellow advantage play specialists, the damage wrought by Uston’s crusade was already done.
By publicizing the tricks of the trade employed by card counting teams, Uston compelled casinos worldwide to tighten up their own security measures. Multiple deck shoes and mid shoe shuffles were among the responses designed to counter card counters.
In response, Uston developed many of the methods advantage players use to avoid “heat” by casino staff. He regularly donned disguises, altered his betting patterns to give the house a little back, and concocted cover stories to conceal his true identity.
Uston’s approach to “card counting camouflage” helped countless advantage players to avoid detection by the eye in the sky.
Uston passed away in 1987, but his success as a blackjack sharp remains unparalleled.
Chris Ferguson
“If you don’t know the optimal strategy, you don’t know your weaknesses or his; you don’t know when he’s taking advantage of you, and you can take advantage of him.
As people deviate from optimal strategy—as they bluff or fold or call too often or not enough—it’s actually pretty clear.
If you’re able to see how they deviate, you can see how to take advantage of them.” – Ferguson
Better known as “Jesus” to his fans, and “Judas” to folks who lost money on Full Tilt Poker, Chris Ferguson is a unique figure in poker history.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science at UCLA, Ferguson spent 13 years completing his doctorate in computer science.
In the interim, he moonlighted as a professional poker player, applying his analytical powers to pioneer a game theory optimal (GTO) approach to solving the game.
Between 2000 and 2003 he bagged an impressive five WSOP gold bracelets, cementing his status as a poker superstar just as the “Moneymaker Boom” arrived. Ferguson also created the software behind Full Tilt Poker, one of the first fully functional online poker rooms.
Of course, the site wound up collapsing in 2011 due to a multimillion dollar scandal over operators spending player funds. Ferguson has since been shunned by the poker community, but he returned from self-imposed exile in 2017 to win his sixth bracelet and WSOP Player of the Year honors.
Vanessa Selbst
“We were the first generation of online players, the first really good poker players. Most of the poker pros in the past were these rough-and-tumble guys that didn’t have a great opportunity in their lives who were like, ‘I don’t see myself having a traditional career, so I’m going to go out and try my luck in Vegas.’
They’re not these nerdy math guys and girls who were sitting at home or at college with plenty of options but who then started making a lot of money by doing statistical analyses.
That’s a different generation and that’s what we were.” – Selbst
During her teenage years, Vanessa Selbst stood out at school as a bona fide math prodigy. She earned Star Ledger Scholar honors and was crowned the Essex County Calculus Champion.
Selbst went on to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before ultimately transferring to Yale University and graduating with a degree in political science. As a Fulbright Scholar, she then completed her law degree at Yale.
Sufficed to say, brainpower has never been a bother for Selbst, but like that trio of poker playing dropouts mentioned in the introduction, she soon became obsessed with poker.
Selbst immediately staked herself to a reputation in the high stakes games on PokerStars, employing a hyper aggressive style defined by the boldest of bluffs.
After transitioning from online to live play in 2006, Selbst became the top tournament player in the world for a time, earning more than $11 million from live tourneys alone.
She added three WSOP gold bracelets to the trophy case over that span, while representing her home site as a member of PokerStars Team Pro.
Selbst recently announced her retirement from professional poker, as she’s moved onto hedge funds and social justice causes, but her impact on the game is indelible.
Conclusion
You don’t have to be a genius to leave the tables a winner, but as these eight entries demonstrate, higher education certainly goes a long way towards gambling success.
These masterminds are outliers though, so be sure to read up on the list of successful gamblers who didn’t need any schooling to survive and thrive.
The post Can a College Degree Improve Your Gambling Outcomes? (Heck, Yeah) appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
AGS gets green light to offer its gaming products in Ohio
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AGS gets green light to offer its gaming products in Ohio
The 5 Secrets About Bitcoin That All Gamblers Should Know
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The 5 Secrets About Bitcoin That All Gamblers Should Know
Online gamblers have been using Bitcoin since 2013, but this cryptocurrency only recently gained widespread fame thanks to its skyrocketing value.
Now, more gamblers are interested in using Bitcoin (BTC) than ever before. Additionally, many online casinos are adding BTC as a deposit and withdrawal option.
Before you jump into the Bitcoin gambling world, I recommend that you read the following five secrets on this cryptocoin.
Some of these points are favorable, while others will make you think twice about using the world’s most popular cryptocurrency.
1 – Bitcoin Isn’t a Scam & It’s Not Worthless
If you listen to the mainstream news, you’ll come off thinking that Bitcoin is the worst idea in history. Furthermore, some prominent financial professionals claim that this coin is crashing and will take everybody’s money along with it.
This is what the cryptocurrency community refers to as FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt), and it’s a popular way to bring BTC down. A perfect example of mainstream Bitcoin FUD is when JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon criticized the digital currency in September 2017.
“[Bitcoin] is a fraud,” Dimon told CNBC.
“It won’t end well,” he continued. “Someone is going to get killed [financially]. Currencies have legal support. It will blow up.”
Obviously, this kind of FUD will scare some gamblers away from using cryptocurrencies, and they may permanently stick with regular deposit options, including credit cards, e-wallets, and prepaid cards.
It’s important to understand that Dimon and others have an agenda when they bash Bitcoin. Dimon works in the banking industry, which stands to lose big if the mainstream adopts cryptocurrencies.
He’s also a hypocrite, because he filed a “Bitcoin alternative” patent 175 times. The patent was rejected every time.
People have been using Bitcoin for nearly a decade, and while cryptocurrencies don’t yet have government support, talks are already underway on regulating the industry in many countries.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t perform due diligence before buying Bitcoin or any other cryptocoin. After all, there have been a few scams and major breaches in cryptocurrency.
But don’t let a prominent person with an agenda fool you into thinking that your money will suddenly vanish when making gambling deposits with BTC.
2 – Your Bitcoin Gambling Bankroll Probably Won’t Skyrocket
Bitcoin gamblers got a delightful surprise in December 2017 when their bankrolls increased by incredible proportions.
BTC came into the month trading at under $11,000. By the middle of December, it peaked at an all time high (ATH) of nearly $20,000.
Here’s an example of how much a $200 bankroll would’ve increased during this time:
$20,000 – $11,000 $9,000 / $11,000 = 81.82 percent increase in BTC value $200 x 0.8182 = $163.64 bankroll increase $200 + $163.64 = $363.64 total bankrollYou don’t see these kinds of spikes when gambling with fiat currencies like the US dollar or euro. Any gambler would be thrilled to see an 82% increase in their bankroll without even winning.
But you shouldn’t expect an occurrence like this to happen again any time soon.
As covered before, Bitcoin isn’t some scam coin, but it is a volatile asset that can experience 10-20% swings in a single day.
After reaching the ATH in mid-December, BTC has fallen back down to $11,000 at the time of this writing. Therefore, I don’t expect to see any major spikes from Bitcoin in the near future.
Another thing worth mentioning here is that other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Dogecoin, Litecoin, and Monero have become popular among gamblers and investors.
With Bitcoin having more competition than ever before, it’s unlikely to experience another 82% increase within a few days’ time. This means that you shouldn’t gamble with Bitcoin under the assumption that you’ll see crazy increases like the one in late 2017.
3 – Bitcoin Is Easy to Use & Allows You to Play at Offshore Casinos
Two of the best reasons to deposit Bitcoin at internet gambling sites include ease of use and widespread acceptance.
Some gamblers are hesitant to try Bitcoin because it’s different from using credit cards, e-wallets, and bank wires. Many have grown used to the latter three options.
While BTC may be different, it’s not hard to use. Here are the simple steps to getting Bitcoin and using it at an online gambling site:
Visit Coinbase.com and purchase Bitcoin with USD or another fiat currency Get the wallet address of the online gambling site you wish to deposit on Visit the “Accounts” section of Coinbase Choose to “Send” Bitcoin Enter the gambling site’s wallet address and how much BTC you want to send Confirm the transaction, and the funds will be sent to the internet gambling siteOnce your Bitcoin arrives, you can gamble at online casino games, poker rooms, or sportsbooks just like you would with fiat currency.
Note that your deposit will be expressed in terms of milliBitcoin (mBTC). This is a one thousandth of a Bitcoin, and mBTCs break your bankroll down into more manageable units.
The other thing worth mentioning is that Bitcoin lets people play at a wide variety of offshore casinos. This is nice for players who live in the US and Canada, where online gaming options are limited.
Offshore casinos accept BTC because it allows them to serve a wider customer base. Take the US, for example, which has the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in place.
The UIGEA makes it illegal for banks to process gambling-related transactions. This creates problems for offshore gaming sites to accept traditional payment methods.
But Bitcoin isn’t regulated by a central government or bank. Therefore, offshore gambling companies can legally avoid banking laws and serve more customers.
4 – Bitcoin Isn’t Completely Anonymous
One of the main myths surrounding Bitcoin is that it’s anonymous. Any online gambler who’s had to answer questions from credit card companies about the nature of their transactions will appreciate this benefit.
But the reality is that BTC isn’t completely anonymous. Blockchain activity can be traced back to computers, especially if there’s a sizable number of transactions to and/or from the same wallet address.
The US government used this to their advantage when going after the website Silk Road. They traced millions of transactions to Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht’s computer.
Odds are that you’re not overly passionate about keeping your online gambling transactions anonymous, but if you really want to boost your anonymity, here are some tips for doing so:
Use a Bitcoin ATM Use a different wallet address for each deposit Buy Bitcoin with a prepaid card Buy BTC person to person on the street, using a phone that’s not registered to you (e.g. burner device) Visit a Bitcoin mixing site, which will mix your BTC with other people’s coins and send it back to youIf these tips sound like too much hassle, you can also use Monero at casinos that accept this cryptocurrency.
Monero has been dubbed “10 times more anonymous” than Bitcoin. This crypto uses an i2P network that further increases anonymity.
The only downside to Monero is that you can’t use it at many online casinos. Bitcoin, on the other hand, is widely available in the online gambling industry.
5 – Some Cryptocurrencies Are Faster & Cheaper Than Bitcoin
Bitcoin still has the biggest brand name with regard to cryptocurrencies in the internet gambling world. The problem is that BTC has also become slower and more expensive to use.
Bitcoin’s popularity means that more gamblers, investors, and others are using this coin than ever before. The end result is that its network is slower.
The fact that BTC is more expensive nowadays hurts one of its perceived advantages. In past years, Bitcoin was touted as having little to no transaction fees.
This is why many gamblers choose BTC over e-wallets, credit cards, and other payment solutions. Now, you’ll sometimes pay even higher fees with Bitcoin due to its current price and miner fees.
Other coins like Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dogecoin have arisen as popular alternatives to Bitcoin (a.k.a. “altcoins”.)
Ethereum is especially popular, as it’s becoming the world’s second most valuable cryptocurrency behind Bitcoin. What makes Ethereum special is its combination of speedy and inexpensive transactions.
Litecoin is also relatively inexpensive in comparison to Bitcoin, but Litecoin’s biggest advantage is that it outranks other major altcoins in terms of transaction speed.
Dogecoin is an interesting story, because it was created as a joke about Bitcoin. However, Dogecoin is no joke among online gamblers, due to its speedy deposit times and low fees.
This isn’t to say that Bitcoin has become completely worthless in online gambling circles, but you’ll enjoy greater advantages by using altcoins at internet casinos these days.
Conclusion
Despite its growing fame, Bitcoin still remains a mystery to some gamblers. Hopefully I’ve uncovered a few aspects that you didn’t know about BTC beforehand.
The biggest thing mainstream gamblers need to understand is that Bitcoin isn’t a scam or a rapidly crashing commodity.
Instead, it’s a popular cryptocurrency that has been used by online gamblers for half a decade. Don’t let bankers or anybody else who stands to lose against BTC convince you that cryptocurrencies are complete trash.
I personally use Bitcoin, because it allows me to play at more offshore gambling sites. It’s just as easy to use as credit cards or e-wallets once you get the hang of it.
However, there are also downsides to consider when gambling with Bitcoin. This is a volatile currency that can be worth $10,000 one day, and anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 the next.
If you don’t like playing the lottery with your bankroll on a daily basis, you should opt for a safer fiat deposit.
An even bigger drawback is that certain cryptocurrencies have surpassed Bitcoin in terms of transaction fees and speed. You’ll pay and wait less when using coins like Dogecoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin.
Although major Bitcoin holders and miners have been working on Segwit2x — an attempt to improve the Bitcoin protocol — for the time being, you’re better off gambling with altcoins wherever they’re accepted.
The post The 5 Secrets About Bitcoin That All Gamblers Should Know appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
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