News From Lock Poker – June, 2011

June 4, 2011

There are not many poker room promotions worth blogging about these days. Many online poker sites are laying off staff members or closing all together. Everyone has been affected by the recent processor shutdowns and domain seizures.  Poker rooms, even large ones, are reducing the value of frequent player points and scaling down their guaranteed tournament line-ups. Rooms like Full Tilt Poker are looking for ways to practically steal money from their players. Lock Poker is doing the complete opposite though. Instead of reneging on promotional offers they are upping the ante. I’ve been keeping busy trying to update my Lock Poker review pages with NEW promotions while REMOVING promotions from other poker room review pages.

Lock Poker just wrapped up a huge  rake chase promotion which ended on May 31st. Lock Poker awarded $500,000 in this one promotion, which was not available at any of the other rooms at the Merge Network. It is important to remember that they could have followed suit for other rooms and canceled this promo after Black Friday hit, but they didn’t.

This isn’t their first major rake chase either. They gave away $350,000 in March, 2011. Their first deposit bonus is still one of the best online as well, here are the details.

2011 Lock Poker Bonus Code

When you make your first deposit at Lock Poker you will receive a very big bonus. This bonus is big in two ways; the actual dollar amount & the match amount. You will need to enter the Lock Poker bonus code PNREPORT to qualify for this exclusive bonus:

  • 150% bonus with a $750 cap.

The 150% match is great because you can deposit less and receive more. The standard poker bonus is usually a 100% match. This bonus is great for another reason as well; the clearance requirements and small installments.

After making your deposit you will start earning Lock Poker VIP  Points. Every 375 VIP Points you earn will release a $5 bonus installment. If you are an ex-Pokerstars or ex-FTP player you may think that 375 points is quite a bit. Lock Poker uses a completely unique comp point program so you cannot compare the speed that you earn points at Lock Poker with what you are used to at your old poker rooms.

Lock Poker’s Growth In 2011

Lock Poker has seen grown quite a bit in the last couple months. This means that you will find more active ring tables and tournaments than ever before. Lock Poker used to struggle with off-hours traffic but that is yesterday’s problem. They are suffering from too much traffic these days. They actually just announced that they can no longer accept new U.S. players for the next few weeks. This is not because of anything the U.S. government has done to them. They just need some time to catch up with cashouts and upgrade some of their software to handle all of these new players. Current American players are not affected by this.

If you are from the USA please visit one of the links posted earlier in this article to find out if this upgrade phase has been completed.  The Lock Casino will stay open to U.S. players.

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Online Blackjack For US Citizens In 2011

April 26, 2011

You may have heard that many US poker rooms were shutdown a couple weeks ago.  Why did the U.S. government shutdown US poker sites and now casinos? I do not know the answer to that but as a US citizen and blackjack player I really don’t care. I actually play most of my blackjack at a poker room though so I am glad this poker room did not get shutdown. My blackjack palace is Lock Poker. Blackjack card counters can stop counting cards if they play here. I say this because the odds are so great. The house edge is lower than other casinos. Lock Poker offers blackjack as a perk to poker players so they do not need to squeeze every dime out of their casino.

When Pokerstars shut down I was pretty worried. When Fulltilt Poker shut down I was very worried. When I heard that Bodog closed to US players I was frantic with worry. Luckily that last rumor held no truth. Bodog is the open to US players. I play blackjack there every now and then but I main bet on sports there.

Lock Poker offers 2 casinos, one in the poker software and another web based casino. The poker software based blackjack is the best one to play at. The software is actually better than most casinos. I am offering the following bonus at Lock Poker:

  • 35% cash back / rakeback
  • 200% bonsu up to $1,200 – Easy to clear!
  • Tournament tickets

Lock Poker is the only US poker site to feature the game A-5 triple draw. It is not a very common game but I do love it. The only other US poker rooms worth mentioning are Betsharks Poker and Betcord Poker. If you opt to play blackjack at Bodog poker you will receive a 10% instant bonus and a 100% bonus with a $1,000 cap. Use the links below.

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New Victory Poker Referral Code

March 30, 2011

If you have not been reading the poker news sites you may not be aware of the fact that Victory Poker is no longer on the Cake Poker network. They have dropped that crappy network in favor of the best network: Cereus. Comparing these two networks is a lot like comparing a  new BMW to a 1990 Ford Escort. Victory Poker no longer uses bonus codes because of this network change. I wanted to make this post to provide information of the new victory poker referral code. These new referral codes include larger bonuses and more perks.

I can guarantee that no brick and mortar system has a comp or VIP program that comes close to beating the one at Victory Poker these days. Here is a breakdown of the bonuses you will receive when you use one of our codes:

Victory Poker is giving away more bonus money than the vast majority of online poker rooms. They are also running a boatload of freerolls for depositing players and play money players alike.

US players can play at the real money tables and the new casino section at Victory Poker. There are many cool features that online poker players love:

  • Badbeat jackpot – I’ve seen this jackpot peak at around $1,000,000.
  • Royal Flush jackpot – You can receive a hefty jackpot for catching a Royal Flush at Victory Poker
  • VIP program – Victory Poker has one of the Internet’s most rewarding poker VIP programs.
  • Casino game jackpot bonuses – Many of the casino games at Victory Poker have huge progressive jackpots.
  • Much more…

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Best Baccarat Gaming Sites Online

March 21, 2011

Baccarat is a unique casino game. You will find Baccarat at most of the best  gaming sites.  This includes online casinos and poker rooms that have casinos built in to their software. Baccarat is also very popular at brick and mortar (live) casinos around the world.  There are two major reasons for Baccarat’s popularity amongst recreational and serious casino gamblers around the globe:

* Extremely low house advantage
* Obtaining the best odds requires no skill

Baccarat is a much easier game to win money at when compared to a game like Blackjack. The house edge in Blackjack can be twice as low but to achieve those odds you will need to play perfectly, Baccarat is different. You just place your bets and that is virtually it. You will not have to make any decisions that you could make a mistake on and lower your chances of winning.

The best Baccarat sites use the Punto Banco rules system. This is the most common way Baccarat is played. The house advantage for this game depends on what you bet on. You only have three betting options in Baccarat:

* Banker
* Player
* Tie

When you place a wager on the Banker’s hand the house edge will be 1.17%. Bets on the Player’s hand have a house advantage of 1.36%. The Tie bet is the least popular as it has a house edge of 14.12%. The Tie bet pays 8:1 and the other two bets pay 1:1.

You may be wondering why anyone would ever bet on the Player since the odds are slightly lower. When you bet on the Banker and win the house deducts 5%. This does not happen when you bet on the Player and win. This helps to even things out. The Tie bet is usually only made by amateur and recreational players. With an 8:1 payout it isn’t too bad of a longshot bet though. I usually place a small Tie bet every 10-20 games just to spice things up.

Where To Play Baccarat?

This is a difficult question to answer because I do not know you. Personal preferences and your location are going to be the deciding factors. Some online casinos and gaming sites do not accept real money players from the USA. Europeans can play at both the US casinos and the rest but some players prefer to stick with the big name online gambling companies in their country, especially people from the UK. here is a list of the best Baccarat sites. I will list the best US friendly site and the top international site for Baccarat.

Bodog – The Bodog Casino is popular around the world and is one of the leading Baccarat sites for Americans. Their casino software is more advanced than the average online casino. You can also play poker and bet on sports at Bodog so they are a great “all in one” gaming company.

Bet365 – Bet365 is one of the United Kingdom’s most prominent gambling companies. The table games, including Baccarat, at the Bet365 casino have one of the highest payout percentages (97.04%)  around. This is tested and certified every month so they are a very safe and trustworthy casino.

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Betsharks Rakeback And Bonus Code

March 3, 2011

Betsharks has only been around for a month or two. They are the first new “stand alone” poker room to launch in a very long time. They use the latest 3D poker software and one of their unique features are the new poker games they offer. These new poker games include 32 Card Poker and Telesina. No other online poker site offers them. Betsharks also boasts a huge 3D casino. You can receive anywhere from 30 to 60% in Betsharks Poker rakeback via the VIP program.

The top Betsharks Poker bonus code is BSPBONUS. This bonus code offers a 150% bonus. That is 50% higher than normal. The max bonus is $1000 and once you finish with that one you will receive another deposit bonus of 50% up to $250. That’s $1,250 worth of free money at Betsharks Poker.

You will even get to play in some private freerolls. No deposit is required in these and the playing field is always under 50 players. They run four of these every single day and the GTD prize pools vary from $25 to $50.

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Echecks And Online Gambling

February 12, 2011

Finding reliable deposit and withdrawal options is the online gambling industries most challenging job. Many poker rooms, casinos and gaming sites have found that echecks are the best solution there is. It is a costly business though. The banks that process these high risk transactions charge enormous fees and most online gambling sites just cannot afford to pay them. Some pass the entire fee onto the player, others split the fee and a select few take care of it all.

Finding respectable online gambling sites that accept echecks is not too hard though. In the poker industry for example the big rooms like Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker accept echeck deposits and process cashouts the same way. Only the largest and most popular gambling sites offer this method so you just have to stick to the largest sportsbooks, casinos and poker rooms.

That is always a good choice anyway as they typically offer the best gaming experiences. Let’s take a look at what e-checks are and how they work.

A Guide To Echecks

To make an e-check deposit you only need a checking account. They are like direct deposits. Gaming sites typically credit your account with the money right away despite the fact that it won’t be taken out of your checking account until 3-10 days later.

They are basically just digital checks. If you have ever had a Paypal account you will have experience with them. People often confuse echecks with bankwires. The seem very similar but they are handled completely different by banks.

One of the things I love about echecks is the speed. A bankwire cashout can take 1-2 weeks to be credited to your account. Echecks can take as little as 24 hours.

Gambling online is not “illegal” for the most part. It falls in a gray area of the law. The only concrete law concerning online gambling is the UIGEA. This law basically says that it is illegal for US banks to process transactions to and from internet gambling companies. This law was passed years ago and the banking industry has basically just ignored it because there is no way that they can enforce it.

That doesn’t mean that you will never have a problem with an echeck deposit or cashout though. The US government shuts down e-check processors on a monthly basis. During these times it can take over a week for the gambling company to find a new processor and send the money to you again. It’s basically just a token show of enforcement but it can wreak havoc amongst online gamblers that are counting on getting an echeck cashout in the normal timeframe.

Like I said though, it is rare. For every 1,000 echeck transactions only a few are delayed. So all in all the echecks  are the best overall deposit and cashout option in the online gambling industry in 2011.

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Australian Sports Books – Casinos – Poker Rooms

January 29, 2011

If you are an Australian citizen and want to gamble online there is a new resource that will help you decide where to gamble and answer many of the commonly asked questions about Australian online gambling. This site is australiangambling.com.au and you won’t find a better guide on the internet in 2011. This site covers three major topics: sports betting, casinos and poker rooms. I will provide a basic overview of what this site has to offer for each topic. First I want to talk about the legality of online gambling for people that live in Australia. The government does not prosecute Aussies for gambling online.  It’s one of those things that aren’t exactly legal or illegal so use your own judgment. Millions of Australians gambling online in one form or another everyday so I don’t think you have much to worry about.

Online Australian Sports Betting

The site I mentioned above has an entire section dedicated to sports betting. Australian sports betting is one of the most popular ways to gamble online these days. Aussies love their sports and they love betting on them even more. This site features a list of the top Australian online  bookmakers which includes special bonus offers and current reviews.

Australian Online Casinos

There are many casinos online today. Most Australians have a hard time deciding where to play. Out of the three major gambling industries this one is the riskiest for uninformed players. 99% of the casinos on the web today are perfectly legit but that still means 1 out of 100 people will fall victim to a rogue casino. These rogue casinos will not just steal your money. The major issue is delayed payouts. When you hit  jackpot even the shadiest casino will usually pay you but it will take a long time.

That is why the web site mentioned above has provided reviews of the two safest and most respected casinos that accept Australian players. You can receive an exclusive deposit bonus when you follow the instructions found in each review.

Online Australian Poker Rooms

Australia has had it’s own online poker room for a few years now, just like the USA had in 2006. One of the largest poker tournaments is the Aussie Millions which was won by an Aussie named Stewart Scott. This few a lot of attention to online poker. Thousands of players from around the world played in this event but an Australian won it. That enticed many other Australians to signup at online poker rooms and try to win a seat at the Aussie Millions. This site has reviewed seven online poker rooms that accept Australian players. Each of them holds special satellites to the Aussie Millions and the other major live events like the WSOP. When you use the bonus codes listed in each review you will receive an exclusive bonus offer and tickets to freerolls.

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Virtual Horse Racing Betting Online

January 27, 2011

Virtual horse race betting is a relatively new way to gambling online. There are several benefits of choosing a virtual horse race track over a brick and mortar track. This guide will explain how virtual horse race betting works. Virtual horses never get tired and are ready to race 24/7. When I go to the local track I always hate waiting the 15 minutes between races. At virtual horse tracks the post time is whenever you hit the start button.

Another benefit to virtual horse tracks is that there is no “human element”. Everything is control by a computer program that is tested and certified by the respected third party companies. This means that you will never have to worry about  jockey “throwing a race”.

The best virtual horse racing can be found at Bet365, Paddypower and Betfair. Each of these companies have been in the online gambling industry for many years and well know for being fair and trustworthy.

How Does A Virtual Horse Race Work?

Virtual races work in much the same way as live horse races only everything is controlled by a computer program. You can place the same type of wagers that you would at a live race track. I won’t get into how all of the bets works because I’m not really qualified for that. When I wager at a virtual track I usually stick to making trifecta wagers.

Virtual Horse Betting Vs Live Horse betting

Apart from being able to wager on virtual horse races any time you want there are a couple other benefits. I can only speak for myself but when I go to a live track I get somewhat nervous when I go to make my wagers. There have been several times when I mistakenly placed the wrong wager because I felt rushed. Nothing is worse than having 15 people in line behind you with 1 minute til post time and not knowing exactly how to place your bet.

With virtual horse betting you an take your time. The race starts when you want it to. The companies that offer this popular service provide you with detailed instructions on betting so you can take your time and make solid wagers.

After your first month at a virtual track you will learn a lot about horse race gambling. The next time you go to the track with your buddies you can impress them with your new-found knowledge. It will also help you become a better gambler. You’ll learn more about how the odds work and hopefully win money in the process. Virtual horse betting allows you to wager small amounts so you can take it slow.

Payouts at virtual horse races can exceed £200,000 so even novices have a change to win big. All in all, virtual horse race betting is perfect for novices and professionals alike. They are very fun and the virtual track is never closed so you can gamble whenever you have the itch.

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The Ultimate Gambling Guide – MyPokerBasics.com

January 26, 2011

There are countless poker and casino guides on the web in 2011. Most offer little in the way of unique, useful information. MyPokerBasics.com is one of the few that focuses less on trying to make a quick buck and more on providing the very best poker and casino information on the internet. This web site covers everything from poker games rules to Live Dealer casinos. This review of My Poker Basics will give you a general idea of what this site has to offer.

The most notable aspect of this site is their huge selection of poker game rules, poker strategy, poker room reviews and poker news. Before you play poker at an online poker room you should definitely browse through this site. You will be surprised to find out that you can receive better than normal bonuses and other incentives just by using their exclusive bonus codes.

If you are from the United States of America you have probably had trouble in the past finding a room that will accept you. Even if you know of a couple there is a good chance that you will have trouble funding your account. MyPokerBasics.com solves this problem by featuring a list of poker rooms that US players can play at and will have no trouble making deposits.

If you have never played at a Live Dealer Online Casino you should check out their section devoted to these increasingly popular casinos. You can sit back in your computer chair and watch/talk to the dealer. It’s a lot like having a brick and mortar casino in your home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Their top two Live Dealer casinos are well respected in the industry. One accepts U.S. players and the other one does not so it doesn’t matter where you live.

Another thing I love about MyPokerBasics.com is that they let you know which poker rooms and casinos are available for players using Mac and Ubuntu operating systems. This will save you hours of research when you feel the need to gamble online.

The news section at MyPokerBasics is updated everyday. This section of the site is perfect if you want to stay informed on topics like online gambling regulation in the U.S., big offline tournaments and general poker and casino news.

All in all, MyPokerBasics.com is the perfect general guide to online gambling. They cover everything so they can be your main source for everything related to gambling online.

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US Poker Players – Poker 4 Ever

December 19, 2010

Are you a US poker player and looking for a new poker room for US citizens? I came across this one poker room and just had to create a site about it. It is a very small site though. I like to play small stakes poker so the traffic doesn’t bother me much. The room is Poker 4 Ever and there are a few features that you won’t find at the big rooms. I’m sure you have heard of a rake race before but the rake races at Poker 4 Ever are very different from what you’ll find elsewhere.

At larger rooms you’d be competing against xx,xxx-xxx,xxx+ players is the standard rake race. At Poker 4 Ever you’ll be competing against hundreds, not hundreds of thousands. There are 3 main rake races here:

  • $2,000 Main Rake Race- The main rake race has a $2,000 jackpot. Even considering the size of the room it would take 20+ hours/week of play to make it in the top 25 but you can do this playing small stakes poker. At the larger rooms you’ll be up against medium-high stakes players who play 12+ hours a day and they usually play at 4+ tables at once.
  • $250 Omaha Rake Race – Even if you only played Omaha poker at Poker 4 Ever for an hour a day, 5 days a week at the small stakes tables you would be guaranteed a top 5 finish and win some money. It’s very rare to even see more than 1 Omaha table going at any given time so this is an easy one to win.
  • $250 NL Texas Hold’em Rake Race – This one is kind of confusing. They might as well just add $250 to the main race because NL Holdem is obviously the most commonly played game anyway. But I’m not going to turn my nose down at $250.

Our first deposit bonus offer is a 100% ,match up to $150. If you use this link to visit their site and download the software our bonus code will already be filled in. If not, you will need to enter the Poker 4 Ever bonus code P4E2011. For more info read this Poker 4 Ever review.

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