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Halloween Party Food Tips and Ideas for Your Guests

August 21st, 2010

Make Halloween an extra special affair this year. Drop the stress, and enjoy it. We have some luxurious recipes and quick, easy hints to make a easy Halloween party complete with halloween party food thoughts, decorations, cocktails and more for a frightful evening to frighten up your taste buds and indulge in some delicious decadence. Nothing like frightening food and a mysterious menu to treat guests to a creepy celebration.

Halloween Party Food

Halloween celebration finger food, literally. Form flavorful cookie dough into creepy witch fingers and use a blanched almond for the fingernail. It’s sure to frighten your guests into a celebratory mood! Cover your table with a dark linen. Adorn the table with place cards made out of store bought mini sculls or gravestones. You will be surprised what you can find in your local shops a lot of festive and budget-friendly accessories. Scatter fall foliage on your table and dine by candlelight by lighting your area with candles and do-it-yourself jack-o-lanterns in different shapes and sizes. For a more unique look to your pumpkins, you can spray paint the jack-o-lanterns black, gold or red.

Purchase ‘creepy cloth’ in black and gray and use it to drape over furniture, pictures, mantels, chandeliers, etc. to make a feeling of a haunted house! It is just cheesecloth specially colored and shredded, and you could probably create it yourself if you have the time and energy! Visit a Halloween store or online retailer to buy some effects like body parts, creatures, “Goretraits” (pictures that move when you walk past) and other fun Halloween items. Move out everyday knick-knacks and substitute with creepier decor, like a huge rubber insect peeking out from a pile of books, or a jar filled with eyeballs and green goo.

Fundamentals of Berge Go-Karts

June 23rd, 2010

The Berg Basic AF Go Kart is actually a piece of art. Its relaxed and robust shape lets you to peddle forward and backwards, and its reflex freewheel aspect means that you can actually glide as rapidly as you want down hills without getting your feet and pedals in a twist!

This go kart is included with a 5 year warranty on the frame which makes parents feel assured about it and has a look of indestructibility. This go kart is recommended for children aged 5 and upwards, it has an adjustable seat so it will grow with your child and guarantee many hours of outdoors fun.

The pneumatic air tyres ensure a relaxed ride, doesn’t matter what the ground is. The go kart is also obtainable in 2 distinct colour schemes: blue/red or silver/black. Using only the finest quality equipment, these toys are developed to the best standards and are subjected to rigorous manufacturing quality control procedures.

Berg go karts persuade active, imaginative out-of-doors amusement, which can be a factor to the healthy psychological and physical progress of your child. In support of people that stay in the countryside a Berg go kart is an ideal present meant for a toddler, as they have the open space to travel on their go kart, however it’s in addition an incredible gift for those who dwell in the city, where go karts might be great enjoyment in any recreational area or open space.

Taking the Lead away

June 17th, 2010

A lot of the time, the poker player who takes the lead in a hand is the player that will win the pot. As many poker hands do not pan out as draws or become more exposed as more cards come onto the table and do not build them up, the player with the most pressure and aggression at their use to attempt to knock the opponent down will pick up by that pressure and aggression alone.

Taking the lead signifies that you say you have the best hand at the online poker table. By betting out, you represent a range of hands that are strong or potentially strong, and gain value by the fact that your opponent has to include big hands in that range.

When an opponent raises a player who has taken the lead, they are saying something even strong. They are saying, I see that you have said you have a good hand, and I have a better one than that. It takes more to raise than it does to simply bet. By taking the lead away early on in a hand, even if you don’t have the better hand, you can scare your opponent into slowing down (if they are vulnerable) and either giving up the pot, or giving you free cards when they check on the next street after you raise. The reraise then buys you time and gives you a stronger image that can be used profitably, as long as you don’t get caught when you actually don’t have the hand.

How Not to Make Poker Buddies Online

June 3rd, 2010

How Not to Make Poker Buddies Online I do not understand why online poker casinos allow players to create artificial networks of friends through their social networking features. I furthermore do not understand why some people at my casino are so obviously committed to being the worst possible online poker buddies that they can be. For the sanity and education of all the new poker players out there, here are a few key pointers on how not to make poker buddies online. First of all, do not mass email. Please do not email me or contact me in any way unless we have played at least one enjoyable game of poker together. If you contact me before that, you just seem desperate. It makes me think that you are going to be one of the online poker buddies that will require constant attention. I came online to play poker, not to spend the whole time talking to online poker buddies that I will never talk to in real life. Secondly, remember that the role of an online poker buddy is to fulfill the role of a real life poker buddy: to talk about poker. Try to keep your personal life out of the poker chat box. I want to play poker, not learn about the details of your life away from the felt. Keep it light, keep it easy, keep it poker related and you will be able to make poker buddies online.

Full Tilt Facing Grand Jury Possibly

May 25th, 2010

Aside from being the second largest poker room in the world (second only to Pokerstars) and being known for it’s high stakes nosebleed games of Omaha and Hold ‘Em, FTP may not be getting the limelight, but instead be getting the spotlight of the legal arm of the United States in the coming months.

However, the NY Financial Times, has shown that FTP is being investigated for charges of money laundering, and illegal operation of a poker room in lieu of US Gambling and Gaming laws.

The majority of the report so far is based on speculation and an actual audit and true investigation would have to take place before any charges could be pressed. Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer, the controllers of the FTP firm, could be held criminally liable if the investigation turns out fruitful for the US.

The pair is represented by attorney Eric Jackson, a consumer lawyer out of California. Jackson was not prepared to make a statement on the issue, as he stated he was “not aware of any such probe [by financial investigators].”

Considering that 2.5 million+ poker online players enjoy in the US annually, it really is an odd move by the government. Because of the arcane, vague, and archaic wording of the US Wire Act, and because of poker’s anomalistic status as being a “game of skill” or a “game of luck” many entities are hesitant to take on the industry for fear of making bad case law. According to many insiders in the business, this is just another scare tactic by the US Department of Justice that they believe will lead nowhere but to possibly intimidate players who catch wind of the allegations and deter them from playing.

UB Over-Rakes SNG’s

May 3rd, 2010

UB over-rakes SNG’s Online poker sites make money by raking pots and raking tournaments. In a online poker tournament the rake is the added amount of money you owe the site for the ability to play in the game. In a $5 Sit and Go, your buy-in is usually $5.50. 50 cents goes directly to the house. This is a standard rake for online poker, generally 10%. At some of the higher buy-ins the rake is much smaller. It would be silly for the site to ask for $50 from everyone entering a $500 tournament. It’s overkill and the site knows this. So they trim the rake percentage back; the players at the higher stakes are paying more rake, but as a lower percentage of their buy-in. On UB I noticed that they have started working this method in the opposite direction. Players at the lowest limits are getting over-raked. The $1 SNG’s have a 20 cent rake, or 20%. The $2 games have a 40 cent rake, again equally 20%. Once we get up to $5, the rake settles back down to 10%. Why are the lower limits rakes so much heavier? The volume of players playing at the small stakes must surely add up to a ton of money. These players who are playing at the small stakes also must have a pretty small bankroll. They can’t afford to be paying 20% of their entry fees to the house and stay alive. For newcomers, they are in a lose/lose situation. They have a skill deficit which should lead to them losing more often. They also are using more of their bankroll toward rake than players who are given identical tournament structures at higher levels. Even the grinders will never survive if they are paying double the percentage of rake than those at higher limits. The site is being unfair because they want to rake a higher money value, but it’s not consistent with standards or practice.

How Tilting Affects Play

April 21st, 2010

It’s apparent that being on tilt is not a favorable position in online poker. Tilting players act much more reckless and loose with their poker online chips than they do under normal circumstances, trying to make gold out of hands that they would normally fold immediately. While players have a tendency to vary their play from time to time, there are few variations among the way tilting players play their hands. Here are a few common practices of a tilting online poker player. Tilting players play many more hands. Tired of losing, a tilting player will pay to see more flops with lesser hands, hoping that their pocket cards will luck out on the flop and turn into a winning hand. Tilting players tend to become calling stations. Stubbornness is a common symptom of tilting, since they’ve usually seen a folded hand draw into what would have been a winner, many players refuse to be bought off of their hands once go on tilt. Tilting players overvalue mediocre hands. After a night of being outdrawn by lesser hands, many poker players who go on tilt, will start to overvalue hands like low to middle pair and start firing away with their chips.

More than the Fundamentals

February 22nd, 2010

There will be situations in a game of poker where you find yourself in a tight spot. When all your hand knowledge, all your betting strategies, and all your mathematical logic fails you. Let’s say you’re faced with a tough opponent who is not giving you pot odds to draw to a straight. You have AKh. The board reads Jh-Qs-9h-2d. And you’re on the turn and it’s your move. The opponent in front of you has just moved all in.

You think back, and you realize that this is the first time he’s ever moved all-in in the two hours you’ve been playing this guy. He just limped preflop and only called a bet from someone in late position.

You think long and hard and you decide to make the call. With just your ace high, and the possible straight on the board, you get one more card to make your straight or flush or even top pair. And you decide to call.

“I think I have you,” you say, “with ace high.” And you shove your chips in the pot. The river comes another 2, this one spades. Another blank card and your opponent turns over 78 suited.

This is a different kind of poker strategy. This is what we call instinct. Going with that gut feeling. Some people call it intuition. Others call it subliminal perception, but whatever you call it, it exists in the game of poker online. And when you get in situations where all the standard strategy leaves you dumbfounded, sometimes you have to go with that intuition.

But remember, if you go with that gut feeling five times and it’s wrong, you will have to put some thought into it, figure out why you had that gut feeling to begin with, quantify it, and then adjust. Just because it feels like instinct doesn’t mean it can’t be calibrated.

Question Yourself

February 9th, 2010

online poker players have to consider many factors when deciding what to do with a online poker hand. Sometimes situations are tough to decide or a player gets caught up in excitement or goes on tilt, making it hard to reason things through. One good practice to pursue when making decisions is to ask yourself a few simple questions. First of all, how is your opponent(s) playing - tight, aggressively, tentatively? Which hands are your opponents likely to be playing and which will they fold? This will help you get a read on what you are up against. Then ask yourself, “what does my poker opponent think I have?” Once you gain a feel for what you think your opponent has and what you appear to be holding, then ask yourself, “Do I bet or raise in this situation?” If you believe you have the best hand, then you should bet or raise. If you can’t answer yes to bet or raise, then you need to ask yourself if checking or folding is the best option. Perhaps you have deduced that your hand is not necessarily the best. When you know your opponent is a strong player and is probably holding a strong hand, then checking or folding is the right choice. Once you have asked yourself these questions, and analyzed the situation, but still feel uncertain that a raise or a fold could be the wrong decision, then calling a bet or checking is the best option. Always consider “Should I raise?” first before checking or folding. This will let you help you take a selective but aggressive approach to the hand. +++++++++++++++++++++

Pokerstars Game Choices

January 25th, 2010


Pokerstars is easily the biggest online poker site on earth, with more than a quarter million online players during the most active hours of the day. There are so many players that the tables are always busy.

Pokerstars Tournament Choices

Poker Stars has by far the largest selection of poker tournaments in the online poker industry. In fact, tournaments are starting every second of the day. That’s a lot of tournaments. Tournament players will also love the new Pokerstars bonus, which gets players $600 extra when they play for real money.

Pokerstars has more sit and go tournaments, the largest weekly guaranteed tournaments (up to $1.5 million), and satellite tournaments for all of the biggest live poker tournaments on the pro circuit. All serious online tournament players need an account at Pokerstars.com.

Anyone that would like to turn $1 into a seat in the EPT, WSOP, WPT, WSOP, LAPT, EPT, WPT, APPT, or any other major event, Pokerstars can help you get it. Pokerstars has satellite tournaments for the WSOP, WPT, EPT, and other huge events. There are more satellite tourneys for big, live events at Pokerstars than any other poker room online. Win a seat into any of the WSOP, WPT, EPT, or other huge tournaments by playing in qualifier tournaments at Pokerstars. They also have satellites & qualifiers for small, local tournament events like the Heartland Poker Tour.

Poker Stars has the best Sunday guaranteed tournament schedule of any online poker room, with the $1.5 million dollar Sunday Million at the top. No other poker site has a Sunday tournament schedule that can touch Pokerstars. The Pokerstars Sunday tournament schedule features more huge prize pools than any other poker site. Guaranteed tournaments at Pokerstars.net offers online poker players millions of dollars in prizes.

Poker Stars also runs a $750,000 tournament named the Sunday Warmup, and a $500K guaranteed tournament named the Sunday 500. Beyond all this, Poker Stars also offers various other Sunday tournament events with prize pools in the range of $100K to $300K.

For just $.50 or thirty Frequent Player Points, Pokerstars players can win seats into almost any of these Sunday tourneys by entering satellite & qualifier tournaments.

For ring games players, choose between thousands of tables that run all day and night. Whether you prefer Texas Holdem, Omaha, Stud, HORSE, or a variety of other games, you can find whatever you like. They have so many game choices for ring game players that nobody could be disappointed. Stakes start the micro levels, and go up to some very high stakes tables. If you’re looking to become a pro, this is a good site to find the action you’ll need.

For loyal players, you’ll earn Frequent Player Points which can be traded in for all sorts of cool stuff in the poker store. If you’d like a new computer or big screen tv set, you can get it in the store.