Poker Satellite Tournaments – Going Big
February 2, 2012
Poker satellite tournaments are responsible for the success of many of today’s professional poker players. When you watch a WSOP or WPT event on TV you probably don’t think about how these people got there. Are they all rich amateur poker players that have an extra $5,000 to $10,000 laying around? You will be surprised to learn that many of them won their seats via low cost poker satellites at online poker rooms. Chris Moneymaker is the perfect example. He was partially responsible for the big online poker boom that started in 2003-2004. If it wasn’t for a $39 satellite tournament offered by Pokerstars in 2003 you wouldn’t even know who Chris Moneymaker is right now. Here is an overview of how satellite tournaments turned Chris into a poker legend.
Poker Satellite Tournaments – The Chris Moneymaker Story
In 2003 Chris Moneymaker was an accountant and also worked part-time at a restaurant. He enjoyed playing small stakes poker at Pokerstars as a hobby. At this point Pokerstars wasn’t the giant it is today. Pokerstars was focused on tournaments in 2003. Chris played in a $39 WSOP Main Event satellite at Pokerstars. After that he quit his jobs and became the spokesperson for Pokerstars.
Satellite Tournament Guide
Nowadays online poker sites like Pokerstars send thousands of players to major live events around the world. Every poker room I have ever played at has promotions like this. To win a five figure seat package at a live event you can go one of two routes in regards to satellite tournaments:
- Low buy-in, multiple steps – The road to the Main Event can start with as little as $1.10 or you can simply use poker points to buy in to the satellite. This is true for both satellite sitngos and tournaments. If you go this route you will likely need to win several satellites in a row. Winning a $1.10 satellite will mean you win a seat at a $30-$40 satellite. Winning this will give you a seat at a $1,200 buy-in satellite. When you win this you will have your package to a live event. I just made up these numbers right now. Depending on the poker room and the promotion you might only need to win 2 satellites or you could have to win 5 sitngos.
- High buy-in, single step – You can jump straight into a direct satellite to a large live event by risking a little more cash. The actual amount of cash will depend on the satellite. If you want to invest a couple hundred dollars into your new online poker career you can sign up for a direct satellite.
How Satellites Work – A Real Example From Pokerstars
I just checked at Pokerstars and I found a good example of the types of satellites available today. The prize is a seat package at the LAPT (Latin Poker Tour) Grand Final in Brazil. This package includes the seat buy-in, hotel reservations and $1,630 in spending money, for a total of $5,700. To buy directly in to the Grand Final satellite it would cost $215. There are five different satellite buy-in levels to get into the Grand Final if $215 is out of your budget:
- $4.40
- $16.50
- $22
- $44
- $51
This gives everyone a chance regardless of their bankroll. If you want to risk a little more and give yourself much better odds to get a seat at the Grand Final satellite you can play in 6 or 10 player sitngos.
Another option would be using your Pokerstars FPPs to purchase a ticket to a satellite. You can buy satellite tickets through the VIP store. A $215 satellite tournament ticket costs 13,500 FPPs at Pokerstars.
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Online Poker Growing In Asia – PlayPokerOnline.com Report
February 2, 2012
PlayPokerOnline.com has reported that Asia is likely to be the next hot spot in the online poker industry. The online poker boom that swept the USA 7-8 years ago could pale in comparison to what may happen in countries like China and India. More and more people in Asia are expected to play poker online for money in 2012. India alone is home to 1,200,000 people, roughly 4 times as many people as the United States. India is also on the cutting edge of technology so access to computers and high speed internet is actually better there than it is in the US, except maybe in cities where they would be the same. India also has a massive economy which is growing must faster than many European countries. When you combine these factors you come up with the potential for the largest online poker boom in history.
Other Asian countries are also starting to warm up to online poker. South Korea is a good example. They recently hosted an Asian Pacific Poker Tour event in Seoul. The APPT is sponsored by Pokerstars and they have been running it since 2004.
Another hot spot for online poker is in Macau. Many of you likely associate Macau with gambling because of their world famous casinos. The APPT hosted a poker tournament here as well.
According to a PlayPokerOnline.com press release published by MSNBC about the growth of online poker in Asia there are many international gambling companies setting up businesses and partnerships in a host of Asian countries.
PlayPokerOnline.com reports that one of these companies is 2UP. This online gaming company recently issued a report that concurred that there is big potential for growth in several countries in Asia. This is also true for other forms of online gambling like casinos.
PlayPokerOnline.com also reported on another company that has done some research into online poker in Asia. Media Entertainment Consulting Network recently published a study the potential for an online poker market in India. They estimate that online poker could generate $50 billion per year in India.
India has an excellent economy and an educated work force. They also have a large population so the government would certainly love to tap in to this kind of revenue. After reading PlayPokerOnline.com’s press release about this I think that the most impressive emerging market is in India. Other the next few years we will certainly see many companies setting up in India. Rooms like Pokerstars and Party Poker probably have already started this process. This is great timing for Pokerstars especially. They had to ban US players last year so India could recover the lost traffic and revenue easily, and then some.
For more information on this topic or anything else poker related check out PlayPokerOnline.com. They offer guides and articles on a host of topics including the legality of online poker in certain parts of the world. They also cover poker room reviews, poker bonus codes, poker rules articles, poker strategy articles, deposit option articles and general online poker guides. They are one of the Internet’s top resources for the latest poker news and they can help you get better than normal bonuses at the best poker sites.
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Online Betting Sites For Beginners
January 30, 2012
Online betting sites come in a variety of different niches. My first lesson to beginners looking to sign up at a betting site is that you can bet on virtually anything these days. Most betting sites specialize in one type of betting but some try to cover as many industries as possible. If you want to bet on sports you should look for sports betting sites. If you want to bet on currencies or stocks you should choose a for-ex or spread betting site. In 2012 you can bet on who will win the next presidential election or who will win the best musical artist of the year award. So the first thing you should do is consider what you want to bet at. I’ve found that some of the big name sports books can cover a lot of different industries so they are a good place to start for beginners.
Sometimes it is better to sign up at a specialized betting site though. Horse race betting is a solid example. Many online sports books also offer horse race betting but it can be better to place all of your horse wagers at one of the mainstream horse betting sites. Since these sites only deal with horse racing they tend to offer a better overall service.
Types Of Betting Sites
As I mentioned there are many different types of betting sites. Beginners may not even know some of them are even available. The online betting industry is expanding all of the time so this list will continue to grow. Here is a basic list of the major types of betting sites available in 2012.
- Sports betting
- Horse race betting
- Currency betting sites
- Spread betting
Sports betting sites are pretty self explanatory. I would shop around and look at the number of sports any given sports book offers action on before signing up. Some cover every major sport, many obscure sports and some things that are more games than actual sports. Having a large number of betting options is always good.
I’ve found that horse race betting sites offer a better overall service than sports books that dabble in horse racing on the side. You will have access to more races and be able to take advantage of the specialized loyalty programs.
Currency betting sites and spread betting are very similar. I would have grouped them together but there are some benefits to choosing one over the other, just like with sports books and horse race betting sites. Spread betting sites allow you to wager on the future of a particular stock, index, market or currency. Currency betting sites specialize in just this field.
Spread betting allows you to win money by betting on a stock going up or down. How much you win is determined by the changes in stock value. You can pull out of a bet after a week for a quick win, or to minimize losses, or you can stay with the bet for months. It is important to note that you are not betting s fixed amount. If you bet $1/point you can essentially win or lose hundreds or thousands of dollars. These types of betting sites do allow you to specify a minimum and maximum for gains and losses.
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Bovada Poker And Bodog Poker In 2012
January 13, 2012
Many of you have likely never heard of Bovada Poker before. Most will be familiar with Bovada’s parent company: Bodog. Sports bettors, casino gamblers and poker players from the US have been gambling at Bodog for over a decade. This company recently changed the way that they deal with American citizens due to increasing pressure from the US government. Many suspect that online poker will be regulated in 2012 but until then Bodog Poker has decided to setup a special brand exclusively for Americans: Bovada. This move has not affected traffic at the poker tables because the two rooms share players.
Bovada Poker and Bodog Poker also use the same software. This platform was recently upgraded so I should go over some of the new features and improvements. Before I get in to that I want to take a look at Bovada Poker’s bonuses and promotions. Here is an overview of what is going on at Bovada Poker in January, 2012:
- Welcome bonus – A 100% match up to $1,000. This bonus is issued in six increments ranging from $10 to $400. Five poker points at Bovada Poker are equal to $1 in bonus money.
- Poker Points tournaments & sitngos – Bovada Poker is running $15,000 worth of Poker Points tournaments each month. Buy-ins range from 25 points to 1,000 points. The smaller ones are satellites to the bi-weekly $7,500 freeroll. You can also buy directly in to this event with 1,000 points. One out of 5 players will receive money and the top finisher will receive $1,000.
- Royal Flush bonus – Catch the hottest hand in poker and receive50X the table’s big blind, for a max of $200.
- Badbeat Jackpot – Bovada Poker is home to the easiest to win Badbeat Jackpot in the world of online poker. Other poker sites require you to lose with a minimum of four 7′s. At Bovada losing with AAAKK or better will set off the jackpot. You can win up to 100X the table’s big blinds when this happens.
New Bovada & Bodog Poker Software
The most recent software update at Bodog and Bovada Poker is really much more than a few minor upgrades. They basically reinvented their software and changed the way people play poker online. It is certainly the most controversial software upgrade the online poker industry has seen in a long time. Here is an overview of the changes and new features:
- Blackjack – You can now play Blackjack from within the poker client at both Bovada and Bodog Poker. In the past you had to go through the casino to do this but now it is built in to the poker platform.
- Multi-table feature – In the past it was difficult to play at more than a few tables at this poker room. With the recent update multi-tablers can easily play at twenty tables simultaneously.
- Anonymous tables – This is the feature that has caused so much controversy. Most savvy online poker players know that they can type in another player’s screen name at one of several data-mining sites to learn about a wide range of statistics like tournament wins, history and playing style. In an unprecedented move Bovada and Bodog has blocked these sites from collecting data by only displaying your seat number at a table, instead of your username. Some argue that this is a great feature for recreational players but others claim that it limits transparency.
- Other upgrades – Lower rake, more types of poker tournaments, Rabbit Cam and better software performance.
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Luck Based Online Casino Games
October 27, 2011
Online casino games can be classified into two categories: luck and skill based. The best online casino games are not always the games with the best odds. In skill based games the odds that most people list are the best possible odds based on playing perfectly. Blackjack is a good example. Most casino gamblers will say that Blackjack has a house edge of .28% and this might be true for them. If you had never played Blackjack before and were just thought the basic rules and objectives what you do think the house edge would be? It could easily increase to 30-40%, which would make it the worst game at the casino.
Luck based games like scratch cards and Roulette are different. When you play scratch cards you cannot possibly make a mistake. Nothing you can do will decrease your odds of winning. Some of you may be wondering why I am using scratchcards as an example. The common belief regarding scratch cards is that they are sucker bets. If you are referring to the cards sold by your local government lottery agency you would be correct. You may as well throw your money away. The scratch cards that I am talking about are the ones available online.
Online scratch cards can also be classified into two categories; generic and interactive. Generic scratch cards are usually available on a very limited basis at online casinos and you will simply use your mouse to scratch off the card. These are typically boring and not very popular. The new interactive scratch cards involve much more and have excellent odds.
At 888games.com less than half of the scratch cards are even remotely comparable to what most people are familiar with. They are more like new casino games than updated versions of an old casino game.
As a 100% luck based game scratch cards are ideal for recreational and inexperienced casino gamblers. They remind me of the cool games that people play for fun online to pass the time. The house edge will vary from game to game but luckily 888 Games allows visitors to play their scratch card games without downloading or signing up for an account. These games are fun to play when they are played for free so it will not take you long to get a feel for which games have great odds.
Once you have found a few scratch card games at 888games.com that you like to play you can opt to signup, deposit and play for money. This game site is offering some cool promotions including a free $5 to new players. When you make your first deposit 888 Games will give you even more money. There are some minor clearance requirements so you cannot simply receive a bonus and cash it out. They would have gone out of business a long time ago if they let people do that.
Visit the 888games.com web site and play a few of their scratch card and other online casino games through your browser. If you enjoyed the games and want to play for real money there is a section on their web site that explains how you can receive the free $5 just for creating an account.
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Pokerfest Begins At Party Poker
October 24, 2011
Pokerfest started at Party Poker yesterday. Pokerfest is a new tournament series exclusively available at the Internet’s second largest poker site. This tournament series is nothing like the SCOOP and WCOOP events at Pokerstars. It is far smaller, but in my opinion it is much better for the average player. I want to share a special Party Poker bonus offer with you before I get into Pokerfest. New players that enter the Party bonus code SKYHIGH will receive a 100% match bonus up to $/£/€ 500. To find out about the clearance requirements for this bonus please read this PartyPoker review. Unlike most poker room reviews this one is actually up to date and includes informative information, not a bunch of generic statements designed to get you to signup.
What Is Pokerfest At Party Poker?
Pokerfest is a series of 47 separate poker tournaments. This is the first year that Party Poker is hosting Poker Fest, but they ran several events yesterday and it has been very successful. Pokerfest officially started October 23rd, 2011, so I’m a day late with this blog post. Party Poker will be running Pokerfest events daily until November 6th so you have only missed a few tournaments. Anyone can play in these tournaments. You do not even need money to play in about a third of these tournaments. Party Poker has setup quite a few Pokerfest tournaments that have buy-ins ranging from 5 to 30 Party Points.
Every single Pokerfest event has a guaranteed prize pool. Party Poker is putting up a total of $3,000,000 in guaranteed prize pools. The largest tournament will be the Main Event, a $640 buy-in tournament with a $1,000,000 GTD prize pool.
Every day Party Poker will be hosting 3-4 Pokerfest events. Here is an overview of the Pokerfest events scheduled for tomorrow:
- $500 GTD (14:00) – PL Omaha tournament with a 10 Party Point entry fee.
- $2,500 GTD (14:30) – $11 buy-in PL Omaha tournament.
- $25,000 (15:00) – $109 buy-in PL Omaha tournament.
Pokerfest Side Events
Party Poker has definitely done everything they can to make Pokerfest one of the best poker tournament series online. They will be running some cool promotions and contests to compliment Pokerfest:
- Cash in 10 Pokerfest events – $5,000
- Make the final table for 10 Pokerfest events – $10,000
- Winning three Pokerfest events – $20,000
There are other cool promotions taking place at Party Poker right now. You will receive an entry into a prize draw for each Pokerfest tournament that you play in. They are giving away a total of 500 prizes.
The thing I love about Pokerfest is the fact that you do not have to have a dime in your account. You can use Party Points to buy in to 15 out of 47 Pokerfest events. If you have 185 Party Points in your account you can play in all 15 events and potentially win any of the side event jackpots or prize drawings. Even if you just win one Pokerfest event you will receive a prize of some sort, in addition to the money.
Party Poker is even running a Pokerfest leaderboard promotion. They are giving away $100,000 to the leaderboard winners. There are three separate leaderboard categories:
- Party Point tournaments – $5,000, pays top 250.
- Small buy-in tournaments (up to $33) – $30,000, pays top 500.
- Large buy-in tournaments ($55+) – $65,000, pays top 500.
WCOOP events at Pokerstars are far too large for 99% of online poker players. Party Poker’s Pokerfest is designed to give micro stakes players the same opportunities as high stakes players. Even people that haven’t had any cash in their account for months can win tens of thousands of dollars just as easily as a Palladium Elite status player.
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Betting On Basketball 101
September 2, 2011
Have you ever bet on a basketball game before? When I first starting betting on sports like basketball it was with my friends and family. When I first signed up at an online sportsbook I was totally lost. I didn’t know what any of the different types of bets meant. It really looked like it was in a different language. Betting on basketball is really simple after a couple weeks.
I’ve since learned all there is to know about basketball betting. This post is dedicated to new sports bettors with a focus on those who want to bet on basketball. Online basketball sports books give you many options when it comes to making a bet. The hardest part is understand how these bets work.
The most difficult to understand is the moneyline bet. A money line basketball bet will list two teams and two numbers. One number will be positive and the other negative:
- Boston Celtics +275, Chicago Bulls -250
What example does this mean? The trick to understanding this bet and many other basket ball bets is that they are all based on either betting $100 or winning $100. In the moneyline odds listed above there are two outcomes:
- Bet $100 on the Celtics to win $275
- Bet $250 on the Bulls to win $100
A common mistake people make is thinking that they must bet $100, or $250. You can scale this down by any amount that you want. Calculating 10% is the easiest. You can bet $10 on the Cfeltics to win $27.50 or $25 on the Bulls to win $10.
Most basketball bookmakers will allow you to wager small amounts. I suggest making small bets during your first few weeks of betting online so that you can get the hang of it without making a costly error.
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Online Casinos For Americans In 2011
July 30, 2011
American casino gamblers are welcome at many online casinos but there are also many that do not accept them. Casino portals do not help matters much since some of them contain outdated information. Online casinos that accept real money wagers from U.S. citizens are the minority so it can take a decent amount of effort to find a good one. You also have to consider the casino’s reputation, fairness, banking options & speeds and the overall quality of their service.
Online casino gamblers from the USA are more at risk to scams than Europeans. If an online casino refuses to pay an American jackpot winner he or she will not have many options because online gambling is still in a grey area of the law. In this post I will list the most popular Internet casinos that accept U.S. gamblers. These casinos pay good money for web sites like this one to send them players so you shouldn’t take my word for it. I will list the best U.S. online casinos and offer some tips on how you can independently research these casinos yourself. This way you will have the necessary knowledge to determine if a casino is safe or not.
The Top U.S. Friendly Casinos Online In 2011
Cherry Red Casino – The Cherry Red Casino has only been around for several years but during that short time they have become one of the top destinations for American casino gamblers. I believe their popularity is in large part due to their bonuses and promotions. Their VIP rewards program is much more than the generic comp point system. The benefits include special bonuses, cashback offers that will grow as your VIP level increases and the ability to get more cash for your comp points.
Slots Jungle – Don’t let the name fool you, Slots Jungle offers much more than slot machines. Granted, their slot games and slot based promotions are without rival but they offer just as many table and video poker games as any other online casino. They provide specially formatted bonuses to Blackjack, video poker and slot machine enthusiasts. Their slots tournaments are available every day from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm ET. Other online casinos run slot tournaments but Slots Jungle holds the title for the most and the best.
Casino Titan – This casino dabbles in everything. They might not be able to match the bonuses at Cherry Red or the slots tournaments at Slots Jungle but their special events and promotions are very well rounded and all types of players will find them appealing. Their banking service is one of their major strengths. Super-fast cashouts and simple deposit methods are more important to the average U.S. casino gambler than a deposit bonus and Casino Titan scores high marks in that department.
Casino Fairness & Safety -Find Out For Yourself
Online casino portals, also known as affiliate web sites, usually feature the casinos that offer them the most money. It has little to do with the actual quality of the casino. It wouldn’t be in their best interests to promote a shady casino but that doesn’t mean that they do any research on the ones they list on their web sites. I will teach you some of the tricks I use to find out if a casino is safe to play at.
The first thing you want to look for is a certification seal located towards the bottom of the casino’s homepage. There are several different fairness agencies out there. Technical Systems Testing and eCogra are the most common. Sometimes the casinos will just display the seal and other times they will link the seal image to their certification page which lists the payout percentages for their games.
There are several major watchdog communities out there that monitor casinos and ban them if they have any serious issues. By doing a Google search like “XXX Casino scam” or “XXX Casino ripoff” you will find any negative feedback from other players, if there is any.
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Online Blackjack Vs Slots
July 22, 2011
Blackjack and slots are the two most popular games at both brick and mortar and online casinos. The Blackjack vs slots debate may seem one-sided at a glance but there is more to this than meets the eye. Online Blackjack sites will claim that Blackjack has a much lower house edge than slot games. This is certainly true but there are other factors that need to be looked at. In this post I will compare these two popular casino games. After reading this article you should have a better idea of which game offers you the best chance to win money.
Online Blackjack Vs Slot Machines – Making A Profit
The house edge for a casino game is an important statistic to know but a lower house edge does not always mean that you will have better odds of winning money. The house edge for online Blackjack will change from casino to casino. There are many Blackjack variants out there and each one offers different odds. The house edge for Blackjack should be around .5%. Some slots gambling sites feature games with low house advantages but nothing close to .5%. A good slots game will have a house edge of 5% or less but some can easily be in the double digits. Based on the statistics listed above you would lose $.50 for every $100 you wager in Blackjack and $5 on a slot machine. Clearly Blackjack is the more profitable game, if you only considered the house edge but that can be very misleading.
If you only have a basic understanding of Blackjack strategies you will not receive these excellent odds. Slot games do not typically require any decision making that can alter the odds. A slot machine that will typically earn the casino $5 for every $100 wagered can easily be more profitable than Blackjack if you deviate from the accepted Blackjack strategy, even if you only do so 5% of the time.
Everyone is different so it would be impossible for me to tell you which game is better for you. I do know a way you can find out without having to risk any money though. All online casino sites allow you to play for fun money. Play Blackjack and the slot machines to see which one yields better results. It may take many sessions to get an accurate picture but in the end you should have a clear picture which game is best for you.
The slot games at an online casino have one additional advantage over Blackjack. When you make a deposit at an online casino you will receive a bonus. Some casino sites will give you a bonus on every deposit you make. These bonuses can make all of the difference in the world to your bottom line. In order to cash these bonuses out you will have to wager a certain amount of money. A good example would be 60 times the amount of the bonus.
If you wager $500 at a slot machine that will usually count as $5600 wagered. The same cannot be said for $500 in Blackjack wagers. Blackjack’s low house edge will come back to haunt you when it comes to clearing your bonuses. Some casinos will count that $500 as only $25 wagered (5%) due to the low edge. Other casinos may not Blackjack wagers at all. I personally like to play a healthy mix of both Blackjack and slots.
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PokerView Review & Bonus Offer
June 15, 2011
PokerView has recently been put in the spotlight because they are one of the only rooms that American poker players can play at for real money. Poker View is part of the Everleaf Network. A year ago this network was a ghost town despite having decent software and excellent promotions. Nowadays the tables are pretty active, especially the Texas Holdem tables. This PokerView review will explain what this poker room has to offer.
Poker View Deposit Bonus
If you have never had an account at PokerView you can receive a bonus for making a deposit and playing at their tables. The top PokerView bonus is a 100% match up to $600. This PokerView bonus can be claimed by entering the bonus code PNREPORT.
This bonus is definitely superior to most others because you will have six months to clear it. Many poker rooms only give you 30-60 days which is not nearly enough for recreational and small time players.
PokerView’s Special Features – Webcam Tables
There are several unique features at the Poker View poker room that even the large rooms cannot boast. The most popular feature is the webcam poker tables. Only a handful of the poker rooms online today offer this. The only other poker room that offers webcam tables with the same amount of quality does not accept US players so PokerView is the only option for webcam poker players from the USA.
Playing with a webcam is cool for several reasons. I personally love being able to chat and see the competition. It puts the recreational aspect back into online poker. Staring at avatars is a thing of the past. When you can see the other players you will be able to watch for their tells.
A tell in poker can be just about anything. If you learn the competition’s tells you will find that winning money is easier. You will need to dust off your own poker face though since tells work both ways.
I like to broadcast my own tells, fake tells that is, and hope that the other players notice them. This type of reverse psychology can be very profitable and is very common at live poker tables.
When you use the PokerView.com bonus code listed above you will also receive a free webcam.
Not all of the tables are for webcam players. PokerView offers many regular tables so when you get bored with one you can play at the other.
PokerView Software & Traffic
Being part of a network has allowed PokerView to bypass the slow process of building up traffic. I won’t list their current traffic numbers because they are growing so fast. Are they as big as Pokerstars or Full Tilt Poker? Not even close but micro-medium stakes Texas Hold’em players will have plenty of competition to choose from. The software at PokerView is somewhat basic but not in a bad way. They wanted easy to use software that doesn’t have any bugs and that is what they offer.
They do have some high-tech features like the webcam tables but the general feel of the software is simple and efficient.
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