It's hard to miss the fact that the last two winners of the World Series of Poker were not professional poker players and the fact that Chris Moneymaker (2003) and Greg Raymer (2004) are online players. It's no wonder that online poker is exploding. With so many new players out there giving online poker a shot it's feeding frenzy for the skilled player, or even the player with a modest amount of skills. Most of these newbies start out at the lowest limit tables until they either bust out or improve their skills and bankroll enough to move onto the higher limit tables. Even if you're a veteran of the Friday night home dealer's choice poker games, you most likely will have to change your playing style to win consistently online. But fear not, there are more unskilled players at the micro limit tables than there are skilled players. more online poker strategy...

Well, Pot Odds is the ratio of what is already in the pot to the amount you would have to bet to stay in the hand. So, if there are $36 in the pot, and you would need to bet $6 to stay in the hand, the pot odds are 36 to 6, or 6 to 1.

Why would you need to know this?

One example of using pot odds is when your hand is not yet the best hand at the table, but it could be if the right card comes up next. For instance, with four cards on the board you hold four clubs. The odds of completing the flush on the river are roughly 5 to 1 against you. That means for you to bet there should be at least five times the bet amount in the pot. If the bet to you is $2, then there should be at least $10 in the pot to make it worth calling. more about pot odds...

As you may have realized, all of my prior articles discuss Hold Em, both No Limit and Limit. I’ve gotten quite a few inquiries from people looking to improve their Stud games and Omaha games. SO today, I will discuss some Omaha strategies.

In Omaha. poker players receive four cards each face down and must use two of these along with any three of five common cards dealt in the middle of the table.

Like Hold em, there are four betting rounds. In many areas, pot limit is the preferred version. This means that players can bet or raise whatever amount there is in the pot. Much of the time this results in all the chips going in when the flop is dealt - the second round of betting. Today, I will discuss things to consider when choosing which starting hands you should be looking to play. more about Omaha poker...

There are so many aspects in becoming a winning poker player. You must have the ability to make reads, play your cards and recognize patterns in opponents. We all know this. But sometimes we tend to overlook the math involved in poker. I know, I know, nobody likes math. But it is essential in understanding what correct calls to make. So from time to time, I will devote a column on probabilities of making certain hands.

Today’s topic is going to be calculating the odds of completing a flush draw in Holdem. Let’s say you look at your cards and you have 2 suited cards in your hand, for this example, say diamonds. more about poker probabilities...

It’s a lot like that in the sportsbook world, except bookmakers never truly have a buyer and seller in place at the same time, so they hold positions in order to provide liquidity for their players. Lines are moved to attract bettors to the side where the house needs more money, and away from the side where the house already has lots of action. more about line moves...

So you have decided to start betting online - or maybe you just want to find a new trustworthy sportsbook - what do you need to look out for?

Well I am in a position to speak from some experience - I did at one time hold accounts with about sixty bookmakers in Europe, UK, Australia and offshore - the latter catering mainly to the US market. I have had at least three online sportsbooks go broke on me - luckily my losses were kept to a few thousand dollars - that may sound a lot but it could have been a lot worse. more about choosing a sportsbook...

Who really likes math? When it comes to betting on football, most North American bettors favor pointspreads over moneylines simply because they get pointspreads. There’s no math involved. Once you face your fear of math, however, you’ll find that betting on moneylines is easier than you think.

With pointspreads, it’s easy to spot the difference between –3 and –4, right? But how much value is there between moneylines of –170 and –210? Most people don’t get that; it’s just not something that’s intuitive to football bettors. more about sportsbook moneylines...

Props: Sometimes serious but always good fun, props are unusual betting opportunities that can add a new level of excitement to whatever it is that you’re watching, be it a major celebrity, sports or television event.

Futures: Odds posted in advance on the winners of various major sporting events, including the World Series, NBA Championship, Stanley Cup, and Super Bowl, and can also be a valuable source of entertainment. more about sportsbook futures and props...

There’s no disputing the tremendous appeal of football, but with a new NBA season stretched out in front of you, your entire week just got that much more interesting.

From a betting perspective, football and basketball are very similar. Both are bet primarily using pointspreads. But with more games played over the course of a season, basketball gives you more betting opportunities.

Let’s say you’re primarily a trend bettor, someone who likes to bet home dogs. Well, you’re going to get five times the number of home dogs to bet on in the NBA. Whatever your style of betting, you’re going to get more of those sorts of opportunities betting on basketball. more about betting on football and basketball...