Nine Player Sit and Go PokerStars Tips

Nine player sit and go poker tournyes are the most popular sit and go tournament played in online poker and most people start out playing these. There good for new poker players because they don’t cost that much too play and you have a 33% chance of winning money which is pretty good when you consider other odds of casino games. In a nine player sit and go tournament the top three players will make money so the goal is obviously to finish in the top three before you worry about trying to obtain first place. We’re going to look at some quick tips to help you survive these lightning quick tournaments and win yourself some money.

* Make sure you keep the PokerStars tournament fee reasonable compared to your bankroll. If you have $50 on your poker account then you shouldn’t enter a $20 sit and go tournament because you will only have two chances at winning. You should be down to about a $2-$5 sit and go tournament when you have a $50 bankroll and only move up if you start increasing your bankroll.

* The goal is to outlast six other players and finish in the top three first before you worry about finishing in first place. Don’t take any unneeded risks when there are only four or five of you left in the tournament because you don’t want a bad beat to ruin your chances of winning some money in that tournament.

* If you’re winning and have a nice chip lead you should use it to push the table and try to make everyone fold there hands to you pre-flop. Most of the time they will and you’ll be able to lower everyone’s stack as the blinds go around the table. This is a good strategy because once you do this a couple times around the PokerStars.com table you’ll have taken chips from every player and therefore everyone will be easier to knock out of the tournament down the road.

* If you’re in last place don’t worry about rushing to push your chips all-in. A lot of people are impatient once they lose a big hand and they just want to throw there chips into the pot on any hand. Don’t do this because you’ll usually be knocked out of the tournament. Try and wait for a good hand where you stand a shot of winning the hand. You could also end up outlasting other opponents if they lose an all-in and therefore you could win money still without doing anything except sitting there and folding your hand.

* When you make a big raise in a sit and go pokerstars tournament make sure that you’re committed to the pot and you’re willing to go all-in. If no one calls you then you win the pot on your big raise, but you’ll often find that people will come over the top all-in on you. Sometimes they have nothing and are just seeing if you’ll call and sometimes you’ll run into a big hand. This is why you should never raise big unless you have a hand that you’re willing to go all-in with.

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino

The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino & poker.net room is one of the hottest spots on the Vegas strip and if you’re going to be in Vegas anytime soon you’ll want to consider staying at the MGM Grand. The MGM Grand is conveniently located right on the strip and there is no way you’ll miss it when driving by.

* 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South – 702-891-7777 – MGMGrand.com

The hotel at the MGM Grand is exceptional and there are plenty of guest rooms and guest suites which you can choose from. Of course the more luxurious you want your room or suite to be the more the cost will be, but you pay for what you get in Las Vegas. You’ll find the following rooms and suites available and you can check out the MGM Grand website for details on each room.

* Grand Tower
* Bungalow Suites
* Hollywood Suites
* Glamour Suites
* Marquee Suites
* West Wing
* Celebrity Spa Suites
* Premiere Suites
* Terrace Suites
* The Signature at MGM Grand
* Skylofts Penthouse Suites

The PokerStars MGM Grand has a great dining experience to enjoy including some of the best restaurant brands in the world. If you’re looking for fine dining then you’ll be able to achieve this by staying at the MGM Grand and in fact you’ll have tons of options too choose from as well. Some of the fine dining establishments you can dine in at the MGM Grand are as followed.

* Joel Robuchon
* Craft Steak
* Fiamma
* Nobhill Tavern
* Shibuya
* Pearl
* Sea Blue
* Diego
* Wolfgang Puck

A trip to Las Vegas usually always will have some gaming time scheduled and what better way to spend this time then at the MGM Grand Casino. The casino is very large and is usually packed with tourists and locals playing the games. You’ll find lots of table games, free poker, slots and a sportsbook. You should also join the MGM Grand Mirage Players Club. You can join online by going to playersclub.com and then you don’t need to worry about joining once you arrive to the hotel and casino.

The MGM Grand also hosts a lot of other great entertainment throughout the month and you should check out what’s available when you’re in the city. There is also an excellent nightlife in the hotel and casino with several great clubs you can check out where you can dance and drink the night away with fellow tourists.

If you love to play poker and party then you need to make sure you visit Las Vegas before you’re too old because it’s simply an unbeatable experience that you don’t want too miss. The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino isn’t the cheapest place to stay in Vegas, but if you’re only coming once then you might as well spend the bit of extra coin and make sure that you have one of the best possible experiences in Vegas. You might get lucky and be able to pay for your trip with your casino winnings anyways which should be your goal.

Angels Baseball Betting

How ‘bout them Angels?

Thinking about betting on baseball this year? Interested in the AL West? Why you’d even give another team beside the Angels the time of day is beyond me.

They won’t win 100 games this year, and they won’t sneak up on anybody like the did last year, but they’ll take home at least 92, 93 games and run away with the division again. Where they go from there is up to how much they learned from the massive disappointment that was their 2008 postseason.

Why the confidence in the Halos? They have everything they need…again. Santana, Lackey and Weaver anchor a strong, confident starting crew. Proven, experienced leaders in Torii Hunter, Vlad Guerrerro and Chone Figgins return. We lose Texeira but pick up Abreu…wouldn’t have made that trade but at least they filled the power gap. And don’t forget Gary Matthews Jr., the always entertaining wild card.

But most of all, I strongly believe the Angels have something to prove. Check out the latest mlb baseball odds if you don’t believe me. They barreled through the season and went out with a huge whimper. Vlad’s been dismissed in the playoffs, and I get the feeling he’s tired of coming up short when it counts.

In any event, what else do we have to be excited about here in the AL West? The A’s? Nomar’s on board, that would’ve been helpful about seven or eight years ago. Although I don’t completely discount Beane’s ability to work wonders here, he’s been doing it for years (Billy Koch for Keith Foulke anyone?), but let’s be real, even low budget teams with big hearts and smart GM’s go through rebuilding. 75-86 in 2008, and unfortunately for them, it ain’t gonna get much better. Look for a repeat in the record in 2009.

The Rangers? The closest they’ll get to the spotlight this season, they already experienced before training camp when A-Rod admitted to using the juice when he was playing for them. That doesn’t bode well for your prospects in 2009. Seriously, though, let’s be honest, the Rangers are paper thin. Like any expreinced soccer betting player will tell you, their best player is Michael Young and their best pitcher is Kevin Millwood. That won’t raise any eyebrows. Oh, I forgot, Omar Vizquel is here…he can join Millwood in the group of players that were relevant 10 years ago, too.

And, of course, how about the Mariners? Welcome back, Griffey. Welcome all the way to last place.

You want a safe bet this year? Put your money on the Angels making it back to the playoffs as a division champ.

Blackjack Basics

Most, if not all, of this blackjack online strategy will be common knowledge, but it never hurts to review the basics. Sometimes those of us that know the most intricate details and scenarios get tripped up and forget the simplest rules of the game. So here they are:

- If your card value (regardless of how many cards you currently have) is between 17 and 20, you’re done. Stand. The only exception is during a soft 17 or 18 scenario (meaning one of your cards is an Ace).

- Always take another blackjack.com card if the value of what you’ve got is at 11 or less. No exceptions on this one. Do yourself and everyone else at the table a favor and listen to this advice.

- This one has one exception, but on the whole, if your dealer’s up card is between 2 and 6, you’re job is to stand. However, if you have 12 and the dealer shows a 2 or 3, consider taking one more hit…but just one.

- Situational blackjack strategy play here: The murky area where your cards total 12 to 16 requires you to know the chart a little bit. In this scenario, if the dealer has an up-card between 7 and Ace, your job is to hit until your total goes over 16. Or, of course, until you bust.

- The smartest thing you can do for yourself is assume the dealer’s hidden card is worth 10.

- If you get a soft 17 or 18, you’re usually going to stand. However, if you’re staring at a dealer card of 9 to Ace, it makes sense to hit.

- Insurance is more or less a sucker’s bet. Odds are the dealer won’t get 21…just like the odds are neither will you. Sorry.

- And finally, there is no five-card Charlie rule, no matter how much your stupid cousin thinks it exists.

A few interesting statistics just to throw in there.

- There are actually 43 different scenarios, if you’re studying the widely accepted blackjack strategy card, which call for you to double down. If you thought it was just for 10 and 11 hands, you’re dead wrong.

- Even more surprisingly, even to me sometimes, is there are 94 recommended scenarios where you should split your hand. New players to golden casino watching a game will see it happen far too irregularly compared to how often it’s supposed to happen. The casinos are banking on the fact that you don’t know this, or won’t remember it.