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Russian casinos to close in Moscow, other cities

June 30, 2009 on 11:36 am | In General | No Comments

By CATRINA STEWART

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian gamblers are placing their final bets before casinos close down for good in Moscow and other big cities.

A new law that comes into effect Wednesday says gambling must now be confined to four far-flung special zones.

Casinos and slot machines will now be allowed to operate only in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, the Primorsky region on the Pacific coast, the Altai region in Siberia and near the southern cities of Krasnodar and Rostov.

Casinos mushroomed in Russia’s cities after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and slot machines quickly spread beyond gaming halls to shops and malls. The spread of gambling has provoked distaste among many Russians over the flashy cars parked outside glittering casinos in Russia’s capital and the harm that gambling can do to society.

“Let them close,” said Galina Beleznikova, a 65-year old retiree who has seen friends lose their homes and their families because of gambling addictions. “For that matter, get them out of Russia altogether.”

Although the law was signed in 2006 during Vladimir Putin’s presidency, many casino owners did not expect the closures to actually take place. Critics say the move will merely push gaming underground, leaving 400,000 people without legal jobs amid the country’s economic crisis.

Putin is now prime minister.

Several prominent casinos on Moscow’s glitzy Novy Arbat street have shut down ahead of the deadline. Others plan to remain open until the last possible moment before closing their doors for good.

Some casinos may reinvent themselves as private poker halls — a much less lucrative business than roulette and blackjack. The law on poker remains ambiguous, however, and some casino owners say they will not take the risk.

Police have vowed to check establishments across Russia the minute the law comes into force on July 1 to ensure compliance.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

How To Play And Win At Any Online Poker Room

June 17, 2009 on 8:10 pm | In General, Poker | No Comments

The number of people who play poker on the Internet constantly grows from time to time because they know that poker is an exciting game. This article offers tips to both novice players who have never played online poker before, as well as those who have the experience, yet still want to learn how to play better and win bigger.

Online poker games represent the best opportunity ever for new players to learn the game for absolutely free. Eventually, a lot of these beginners will move on to play in real casinos, so this article might be your first guide towards a successful poker career!

The primary thing to understand is that playing poker on the Internet is not the same as playing poker at brick & mortar casino. While the rules are usually the same, the way the games played are quite different. I’m not saying that playing poker in a real casino is better than playing online, or necessarily more profitable. In fact, playing on the Internet can give you many advantages.

At poker, it’s very important to know the deck that’s being played with. A deck of cards has four suits, such as hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. Each suit has 13 cards including a single ace, jack, queen and king and the numbers two through 10, so in one deck there are 52 total cards (4 x 13 = 52). In order to win, you have to combine these cards to make the best possible hand. These include Royal flush, Straight flush, Four of a kind, Full house, and Straight.

An important thing to consider in the basic poker strategy is to find out the percentages of the odds you have to face during the poker game. It is essential to remember these odds so that you can make a good decision fast when your turn comes.

Discipline is another winning strategy in poker. What distinguishes a professional poker player from amateurs is that he will not give up his decisions to sheer dumb luck. A professional always desires to win the game by playing his hands cleverly.

Fortunately, there is one software that can help a novice player to play and win a poker game. It’s called the Online Poker Analyzer (OPA). With the help of this brilliant software, you don’t have to calculate the odds, watching the opponent’s hand or even discipline yourself. All you have to do is to follow the OPA since it will tell you exactly how to play and win poker one step at a time.

So if you want a fun, fast-paced game to play on the Internet, you will find that it’s quite easy to learn how to play poker. Of course, becoming a world champion in poker tournament might take a lot of practice, but the truth is the basics behind poker aren’t that difficult to grasp.

Click here for more information on the Online Poker Analyzer.