Oliver Meerkamp Claims Chip Lead at GPT Easter Edition Main Event Day 1b

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Oliver Meerkamp Claims Chip Lead at GPT Easter Edition Main Event Day 1b

Poker action in the King’s Casino is in full swing and the venue located in Rozvadov is currently experiencing the riveting poker game called German Poker Tour Easter Edition Main Event which brings out big cashes to its players. The Easter Edition poker festival has been in progress for the past couple of days and […]

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Ways to Stay Healthy and Avoid the Dreaded WSOP Flu

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Ways to Stay Healthy and Avoid the Dreaded WSOP Flu

Every year, thousands of players flock to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, to take part in a true American tradition – the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Tournaments are held, big pots are dragged, gold bracelets are won, and millions upon millions of dollars change hands. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

The problem is, though, many players don’t take that advice. With limited time on breaks and potentially life-changing money at stake, folks can be forgiven for forgetting to wash their hands after a quick sprint to the bathroom.

Or can they?

When massive crowds containing strangers from all corners of the globe – last year’s WSOP attracted entrants from 111 nations – the Rio becomes a proverbial petri dish of germs and bacteria.

That’s not to say poker players are dirty or less healthy than most; it’s simply a fact of human interaction. Take a few thousand people, pack them into a confined environment, and even a single carrier can get quite a few people sick before the night is up.

Just take a look at this Twitter search page for the terms “Rio flu” – the term players, media, and staff coined when referring to the WSOP’s signature sickness – to see just how prevalent this phenomenon can be.

Seemingly every year, folks who show up to the Rio for WSOP season find their immune system succumbing to this mysterious illness. For most, the ailment is your common cold, the flu, or plain old fatigue combined with malnourishment. For others, the problem can bloom into something more serious like a staph infection.

In either case, however, the root cause is easy to understand. Players who grind the WSOP every summer must contend with grueling 14- and 15-hour days. For the skilled combatants who manage to run deep with regularity, the WSOP can become a gauntlet to endure. Throw in a steady diet of Red Bull and junk food, long walks to and from the tournament area and the main hotel, and dramatic temperature changes between the outdoors and inside – and you’ve got the perfect recipe for feeling under the weather.

I try and do the WSOP every year, mostly as a fan with a few preliminary tournaments thrown in for fun. And while I invariably went down with a bout of the Rio flu during my first few trips there, I seem to have figured things out recently. Knock on wood, of course, but I’ve managed to dodge the contagion in each of my last four visits.

That’s a pretty nice streak, if you ask me, and I don’t think it’s an accident, either. Ever since I learned about the Rio flu and first felt its sickly grip grab ahold, I’ve thought about ways to prevent myself from coming down with common viruses and other threats. I’m not a germaphobe by any means, so this won’t be some sort of Howard Hughes-style approach to warding off illness, but I do believe in basic prevention.

With that in mind, check out my guide to staying healthy and avoiding the Rio flu at the upcoming 2018 WSOP.

Bundle Up

I’ll never forget the 2013 WSOP, which was memorably dubbed the “Coldest Poker Event in History” by industry insider Robbie Strazynski on his Cardplayer Lifestyle blog.

That year, for whatever reason, the WSOP head honchos or Rio’s maintenance staff just couldn’t settle on the proper thermostat setting. With a few thousand people crammed into just three main convention halls – and temperatures outside soaring to 110 and above during the summer months – the head honchos obviously wanted to keep things cool and mild inside.

But somehow the dial gets pushed back to 65 degrees, and even lower on some days, for most of the series. This led to some pretty funny posts in the PokerNews Live Updates about big-name pros forced to wear scarves, mittens, and beanies at the table. Daniel Negreanu even hopped on Twitter to lambaste the WSOP for failing to take care of players, going so far as to post a photo of a handheld thermometer as proof of the frigid conditions.

Things have improved somewhat in the five years since, but the same central issue remains – with blistering triple-digit heat outside, the Rio’s rooms need to be nice and cool to compensate.

Folks often walk in from the streets dripping with sweat, especially if they’re not accustomed to the desert weather. Then, within a matter of seconds, their body is blasted with high-powered air conditioning that drops the internal temperature in the Rio to the mid-60s. Going from hot to cold like that, combined with the moisture added by a sweat slick, puts even the healthiest immune system at risk of catching a cold.

And yes, I’m aware that the cold itself doesn’t cause the viral infection of the same name. But exposure to chilly temperatures while wet is a surefire way to weaken your defenses just enough to allow germs to get through.

On that note, you should always have a nice warm hoodie or sweatshirt at the ready.

Bring one along in your poker backpack, or carry it with you while you walk, but long-sleeves are a must once you enter the tournament area.

You’ll invariably encounter unprepared players who didn’t think to bring warmer clothes. These are almost always first-timers and Europeans who mistakenly believe Sin City stays scorching indoors. The sight of them shivering and blowing into the hands while wearing a tank-top and shorts is admittedly pretty funny – but it’s also a major contributing factor to the Rio Flu epidemic.

Steer Clear of the Smoking Section

At one point in time, and not that long ago, really, poker players were forced to endure secondhand cigarette smoke just to enjoy their hobby or profession.

Even before the WSOP relocated to the Rio over a decade ago, the previous venue was plagued by a similar mystery illness. As it turns out, pros of the era believe exposure to secondhand smoke throughout the old Binion’s Horseshoe casino in Downtown Vegas was the true culprit.

Here’s what Tom McEvoy – World Champion of the WSOP Main Event in 1983 – had to say on the matter in a 2017 interview with PokerNews:

“The WSOP would be so bad with the smoking that players were getting bronchitis and coughing all the time. They used to call it the ‘Horseshoe Crud.’

Even the smokers preferred it to be non-smoking. In the first couple of years, they let supporters smoke on the rail, even here at the Rio. You needed a gas-mask to get outside. Even now, when you go outside, it’s pretty bad.” – Tom McEvoy, winner of the 1983 WSOP Main Event

Fortunately for the modern generation of poker players, a regulatory crackdown on secondhand smoke during the 1990s and beyond has practically eradicated the smoking scourge indoors. Most casinos limit smoking to their table gaming pits and bars only, and that’s the case at the Rio as well.

The WSOP itself bans smoking outright, consigning cigarette fiends to outdoor areas. But if you enter through the front or main entrance of the Rio, however, you’ll have to walk through the main casino area where smoke lingers in the air.

To avoid that route, be sure to park in the Masquerade Garage or the Trucker’s Lot in the back of the Rio. This provides direct access to the WSOP tournament area, so you’ll be smoke-free from start to finish. Just remember to hold your breath for those few seconds you’ll pass through the smoker’s patio, and you’ll be safe and sound when you get inside.

Wash Your Hands and Wash Them Often

I would assume this to be a no-brainer for most people, but assumptions don’t always work out when you’re dealing with such large crowds.

The cleanliness of poker chips, or lack thereof, has been well-documented. In 2007, biology professor Brian Hedlund and his team from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), put poker chips from several Las Vegas casinos under the microscope.

Their goal was to identify pathogens, germs, bacteria, and other nasty stuff stowed away on the surface of an average chip. While some properties performed better than others, owing to different policies regarding cleaning and disinfection, the verdict was clear – poker chips are dirty beyond belief.

You can read all about the study in an ESPN Poker profile of the proceedings, but suffice it to say, Hedlund and his team found thousands of microorganisms clinging to a single chip. Everything from bacillus to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was identified, along with several unknown substances.

As a player who will be handling hundreds of chips (and hopefully more) day in and day out, it’s your responsibility to safeguard your system by regularly washing your hands. You can hit the bathrooms for some soap and hot water action, or carry a bottle of hand sanitizer like Purell with you on the go.

However you get the job done, though, make a habit of washing your hands – up to the elbows, like the old signs in school used to say – after any exposure to poker chips. That means on your short breaks, at dinner, and after bagging and tagging to end the night.

And I shouldn’t have to tell anybody this, but do the same when you use the facilities, too. Spend a minute near the Rio bathroom sinks, and you’ll start to get a sense of where all those germs Hedlund found really came from. Poker players have their priorities, and for some, that means rushing back to the table to avoid missing a hand – while forgetting to wash their own.

Do your part to cut down on the transfer of germs by washing your hands whenever the situation calls.

Don’t Drink the Water

On a final note, while most casino resorts do their very best to ensure guests remain healthy, the Rio has had its ups and downs on that front.

Just last year, the venue made mainstream media headlines when an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was discovered.

Legionnaires’ disease is a pretty serious form of pneumonia, one caused by the Legionella strain of bacteria. The germs are transmitted largely through water droplets, as a report from the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) made clear at the time:

“Legionnaires’ disease is contracted by inhaling aerosol droplets of water contaminated with the bacteria. Sources of the aerosol can include showers, hot tubs, faucets, cooling towers, misters, and decorative fountains.

Most people exposed to Legionella will not get sick; however, it can cause severe illness and sometimes result in death.”

Given the severity of the illness, the Rio took immediate steps to rid its entire property of legionella bacteria:

“In response to the initial illness report, the property arranged for environmental testing of its water system. Facility testing results did indicate a presence of the Legionella bacteria, and the property initiated the appropriate remediation response of chlorine disinfection.

Following reports of the additional case, the Health District conducted sampling of the water system and identified Legionella bacteria throughout the system.

The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino and the Health District are working together to conduct remediation and follow up sampling to ensure remediation efforts are effective.”

I’m not out to spark a panic or anything, but a post about staying healthy while staying at the Rio just wouldn’t be right without presenting this information.

I haven’t let this issue impact my WSOP visits, and last summer’s edition of the series set a new record for overall attendance, so clearly, players are willing to take the risk.

Risk is all about management though, right? Be sure to bring water bottles with you during tournament time, and avoid long showers that steam up the room. Common sense measures like this may not be a cure-all, but they can surely give you better odds of dodging any bugs that happen to be floating through the water supply.

Conclusion

Rio flu is definitely out there, and players fall prey each and every year at the WSOP. But using the tips and tricks listed above, you can easily protect yourself from germs and viruses during your stay.

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2018 Final Four: Can Loyola Chicago Pull off the Upset?

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2018 Final Four: Can Loyola Chicago Pull off the Upset?

The 2018 NCAA Tournament was expected to be one of the more unpredictable tourneys in recent memory. In most years, it seems as though one of the “blue blood” schools is a heavy favorite and winds up winning it all.

Just looking at this year’s top seeds would tell you that the potential for chaos was there. You could argue that we’ve never seen a March with more madness than the one we just witnessed. For the first time ever, we saw the top-4 seeds in the same region (South) ousted before the Sweet 16. Virginia became the first 1 seed to ever lose to a 16, while Arizona, Cincinnati and Tennessee also faltered.

In the end, 11th-seeded Loyola Chicago was the last team standing. Loyola won the South Region by rolling through the likes of Miami, Tennessee, Nevada and Kansas State on their way to a berth in the Final Four.

The road to a championship certainly won’t be easy, as the Ramblers are the lowest seed left on the board. Loyola will take on Michigan in the Final Four. If they’re able to get past the Wolverines, the Ramblers will face either Villanova or Kansas in the National Championship Game.

Can they win it all? Or will Loyola’s Cinderella story end in tragic fashion? If you’re looking to place a bet on Loyola or any other team in the Final Four, we suggest checking out one of these sites:

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Michigan Looms

As of this writing, the Ramblers are listed as 5.5-point underdogs against Michigan. While the Wolverines are understandably favored, they’ll have their hands full with what has been an incredibly hot-shooting Loyola outfit thus far. The Ramblers have been the best shooting team in the tourney thus far, having nailed 50.9 percent of their shots through the first 4 games.

Three-point shooting isn’t at all consistent in the college game, but Loyola have been an exception. Porter Moser’s squad has connected on an astounding 40 percent of their looks from long range so far in the tournament. 3 different players on the roster have hit a big shot in crunch time already this month, so the spotlight doesn’t appear to be too bright for this team.

We could actually have a low-scoring affair on our hands here, as these are also 2 of the nation’s premier defensive outfits. Per KenPom’s defensive efficiency number, Michigan is 4th in the nation in defense, while Loyola is 19th. Loyola has allowed 68 or fewer points to their opponents in 10 consecutive games, while Michigan surrenders just 63.1 points per game on the season. Wolverines opponents have shot just 42 percent from the field, as well.

Michigan’s Moe Wagner may provide additional matchup problems for Loyola, as the Ramblers haven’t had to deal with a player with his skill set to this point. Wagner is 6’11” and a legitimate threat to bomb from the outside. On the season, the German native has averaged better than 14 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game while connecting on nearly 40 percent of his looks from beyond the arc. Wagner has been one of the breakout stars of the tournament.

Michigan is certainly more battle-tested, especially on the bench. This is John Beilein’s second trip to the Final Four in the last 5 seasons. Moser, meanwhile, is the head coach of a team in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.

If you’re betting on the game, the Ramblers make for a very tempting play both against the spread and on the moneyline (+215). I also think the under on 130 points is fairly safe in a game featuring a pair of defensive-minded squads.

What About Villanova or Kansas?

If Loyola is able to keep the momentum going and get past Michigan, then they’ll square off against one of the best programs in the country regardless of who wins the Villanova-Kansas matchup.

One could make the argument that Villanova has been the best program in the country for the last half-decade. Over the last 5 seasons, Jay Wright’s squad has reached at least the second round of the tourney every year. That includes this year’s Final Four appearance as well as their 2016 national title.

Kansas, meanwhile, hasn’t missed the tournament since way back in 2004, which was Bill Self’s first season in Lawrence. The Jayhawks won the national title in 2008, and this marks the third straight year in which they have reached the Elite Eight. It’s also their first Final Four trip since losing in the National Championship Game in 2012.

Beating Villanova starts with containing Jalen Brunson, who has arguably been the best player in college basketball this season. Brunson is unique in that he’s a guard that isn’t afraid to take his man down and bully him on the block. Most college guards have raw post defending skills, and Brunson has a habit of using that to his advantage in most matchups.

Much like Loyola, Villanova is able to run 5 guys out there capable of killing you from long range. The Wildcats are also versatile enough defensively to switch seamlessly on all ball screens, which makes it tough for opponents to get clean looks in the pick-and-roll. That could prove problematic for a team like Loyola that generates so much offense from outside the arc.

Kansas also has 4 starters capable of hitting threes. The Jayhawks can also kill you with athleticism with the likes of Lagerald Vick, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Udoka Azubuike having looked stellar throughout the tourney thus far. Udoka’s combination of size and athleticism may prove too much for Loyola’s relatively inexperienced bigs to defend.

The best way to attack Kansas offensively is to get Udoka out into space. He’s not particularly comfortable defending outside the paint, and Kansas isn’t as quick to switch in PnR situations as Villanova is. If you can get Udoka switched onto a guard in the open floor, that effectively removes any and all rim protection from the Jayhawks defensively.

Can Loyola Pull it Off?

Considering Loyola has lost a grand total of 1 game since January 3, it’s safe to say they’re on a bit of a roll. They did get a bit of fortune when teams like Virginia and Arizona bowed out early, but there’s no denying the fact that the Ramblers absolutely deserve to be in San Antonio. Loyola has been quick to adopt the positionless type of basketball that has swept the NBA in recent years, which has been a difficult adjustment for college opponents playing a more traditional style.

This team can space the floor like crazy, and all 5 starters grade out as above-average passers. They’re never in a rush to jack a shot up there. They’ll work the shot clock to find the open guy, and that typically results in an open look for a dangerous shooter. The Ramblers also don’t crash the glass looking to get offensive rebounds. As a result, they’re typically able to set their 5-man defense before the opponent is able to capitalize in transition. Limiting fast break opportunities is hugely important, especially for a team that may not have as much on-paper talent as a powerhouse like Nova or Kansas.

Those teams are physically gifted enough to give Loyola some problems, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of defensive adjustments Moser will make, if necessary. The Ramblers play a little small at every position, which makes it easier to switch on ball screens.

Despite the run, Loyola is still a massive underdog to win the title. The Ramblers are way down at +1000 to be the last team standing, which obviously makes them an elite value. They’ve defied the odds in every matchup to this point, so who’s to say they can’t keep it going for 2 more games? If you’re a risk-tolerant bettor, you have very little to lose and a ton to gain by hopping on the bandwagon here at +1000.

Unlike other Cinderellas before them, this Loyola team is a legitimate threat to the established powers they’ll be going up against. I think this squad is entirely capable of shocking the world twice more. As mentioned previously, this tournament has been as wide open as any in recent memory. Ride the wave with the Ramblers.

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Konami announces two senior appointments

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Konami announces two senior appointments

Global gaming company, Konami Gaming, inc

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Previewing the Dubai World Cup

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Previewing the Dubai World Cup

Spring has officially sprung, which means horse racing season is upon us. We’ve got 2 major events set to go down this weekend. The 2018 edition of the Florida Derby is set to go down in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Saturday, but it will be preceded by the Dubai World Cup.

The Dubai World Cup will be accessible to over a billion potential viewers worldwide, with coverage of the event beginning bright and early for those in the United States. Coverage of the event in America will get underway at 7:30am Eastern Time on TVG, with coverage of the main races set to begin at 12:30pm ET on NBC Sports Network.

Here’s a breakdown of what we can expect to see from the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.

The Favorite

Last year, Arrogate started the Dubai World Cup from the ninth gate and went on to win. This year, the betting favorite, West Coast, will also begin from that same ninth gate. Both horses were trained by the renowned Bob Baffert, who is on the verge of becoming the second trainer in history to win the race in back-to-back years.

West Coast is currently the No. 3-ranked thoroughbred in the world. The 4-year-old came out victorious in the Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs in 2017, but he has been beaten in 2 consecutive starts by Gun Runner. Gun Runner, meanwhile, was ranked No. 1 in the world last year before being beaten by Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup. Gun Runner won’t be participating this year, however.

Baffert is confident in West Coast’s chances at glory. The trainer said, “West Coast likes a soft, sandy track. He looks really good and strong, and it’s pleasing that he hasn’t lost a pound since he arrived here.”

As of this writing, West Coast is a massive favorite to emerge victorious at -110. The thoroughbred has a nearly flawless track record, having never finished outside the top-3 in 10 career starts. West Coast will be ridden by jockey Javier Castellano, who will be making his Dubai World Cup debut.

Baffert thinks both of his horses have a good mindset entering the race. He added, “Actually both horses are pretty happy. You can tell if they’re on point when you take them out in the morning. You can tell by the look on their faces and in their eyes if they’re happy.”

The Field

West Coast isn’t Baffert’s only hope at repeating as champion. Mubtaahij, who finished second at the 2016 Dubai World Cup behind California Chrome, is also in the field. Mubtaahij drew the 5th post of the 10-post race, though he’s something of a longshot to win at +1600. While West Coast’s wide post isn’t exactly ideal, Baffert doesn’t seem to think the starting post is particularly important considering the lengthy mile-and-a-quarter track.

Baffert said, “I don’t think there’s a really bad post when you’re going a mile-and-a-quarter. The only thing I worry about is the break. The horse is more important than the post, so I’m fine with it.”

American horses have won 11 of the 22 Dubai World Cups to this point, with Baffert accounting for 3 of those triumphs. He also trained Silver Charm, who won in 1998, and Captain Steve, who took home the top prize in 2001.

Baffert’s success in the event has been bested only by Saeed Bin Suroor, who has won the event 7 times. Bin Suroor, who legitimately dresses like an evil movie villain. Bin Suroor is also currently the only trainer to have won the event in successive years, is in charge of Thunder Snow (+1200) this year.

Andre Fabre’s Talismanic (+700) is shaping up to be West Coast’s primary competition in Dubai. This will be Talismanic’s first race on a dirt track after enjoying a good bit of success on turf.

British-born North America, who is, interestingly enough, trained by Vladimir Putin ally Ramzan Akhmadovic Kadyrov, checks in with the next-best odds to win at +800. Gunnevera, who finished 7th in last year’s Kentucky Derby and 5th in the Preakness, is also listed at +800. Gunnevera rebounded from those disappointing efforts to win the Tangelo Stakes last August and finished second in the Travers Stakes after that.

Here’s how the odds are shaking up for all 10 horses in the field:

West Coast -110 Talismanic +700 North America +800 Gunnevera +800 Forever Unbridled +800 Thunder Snow +1200 Pavel +1400 Mubtaahij +1600 Awardee +3300 Furia Cruzada +6600

The Pick

Unlike last year’s Kentucky Derby, which was fairly wide open, the 2018 edition of the Dubai World Cup is pretty clearly West Coast’s race to lose. Classic Empire was listed as the favorite to win the Derby last year at just +400. To the surprise if just about nobody, Classic Empire didn’t even place. Always Dreaming (+500) emerged victorious, followed by Lookin at Lee (+2000) and Battle of Midway (+3000).

Mubtaahij, who finished fourth, and Furia Cruzada, who finished 13th (there were 14 entrants last year), are the only horses in this year’s field that also participated in last year’s Dubai World Cup. Arrogate checked in as the massive pre-race favorite at -250. Some London-based books were so confident Arrogate would win that some of them even offered prop bets on by how many lengths he would win the race. That’s a pretty strong show of confidence, and the horse came through in the end. The aforementioned Gun Runner entered the race with the second-best odds at +700. He finished second.

Bookmakers haven’t gone quite that far this year with West Coast, but he’s pretty clearly expected to triumph here. Rather than making some sort of brash upset pick, I’m happy to eat the chalk. West Coast will win, and Baffert will become the second trainer ever to win the $10 million event in back-to-back years.

West Coast (-110) North America (+800) Talismanic (+700)

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Casino Developer Genting Hong Kong Reports Annual Loss Surge in 2017

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Casino Developer Genting Hong Kong Reports Annual Loss Surge in 2017

Genting Hong Kong Ltd is a widely-known casino operator which is also famous for its cruise ships operation dedicating special efforts to the entertainment factor. As it was recently announced by the company in its revenue report, the annual loss of Genting has seen a significant decrease, which is always good news for a gambling […]

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Betting on Who Bit Beyonce

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Betting on Who Bit Beyonce

I’m not one to pay much attention to gossip and rumors, especially when it originates from people in Hollywood. Perhaps that’s why I initially didn’t care about Tiffany Haddish and others discussing “the bite never seen”.

The reference is Beyonce Knowles supposedly being bitten on the face by an actress. Haddish almost broke the internet when she claimed an actress did just that at a December 2017 party.

Adding more intrigue to an already insane accusation is the fact that in Haddish and Beyonce’s conversation on the matter, the alleged actress may have been “on drugs”.

Haddish wouldn’t dish on who the actress was and Beyonce’s camp hasn’t spilled the beans, either.

Suffice to say, the world has a real Clue mystery brewing here.

All odds that are referenced in this article were taken from Bovada at 1:32 pm CT on 3/29/2018. These odds may have changed since the time of this writing.

Beyonce Prop Bet

Whether you care or not, entertainment betting sites are joining in on the fun and making the hunt for the truth a whole lot more fun – and rewarding.

That’s right, if you can correctly predict who bit Beyonce’s face before news officially leaks (if it ever does), you could win some big money thanks to Bovada. Here are the odds:

Sanaa Lathan (-150) Sara Foster (+300) Lena Dunham (+600) Rihanna (+750) Queen Latifah (+3000) Taraji P. Henson (+3000) Gwyneth Paltrow (+3000) Chrissy Teigen (+3300)

These are the stars in question, largely due to a lot of media investigating and people rumored to be in attendance at the party where this bit allegedly went down.

Again, unless Beyonce herself admits the bite happened, there is photo proof of it happening and/or the guilty party comes forward, it’s impossible to know.

That being said, Bovada felt strongly enough to push these odds out.

Personally, I would have loved more options and when you get these types of entertainment prop bets, I always appreciate a “field” wager.

The media seems to think they have this one figured it out. Lathan is the top favorite for biting Beyonce, as reports suggest she was the mystery woman who was inappropriately touching Jay-Z.

Reports also suggest while Lathan bit Beyonce, the bite wasn’t vicious and it simply caught Knowles “off guard”.

That all is believable enough, but Lathan denies being the biter. Unless she or Knowles confirm the denial to be a lie, it’s tough to peg her as the biting villain.

Per the Lathan link above, actress Chrissy Teigen also spoke out, saying she can confirm the bite happened and that she knows who did it. That seems to rule out Teigen, while she also admitted she was surprised over who it was.

I don’t know if Teigen and Lathan are both off the hook, but it does tell us that there could be more to this story than what we know and that no matter what the odds are, this prop is actually pretty wide open.

Who Bit Beyonce?

Media outlets have tried to cover all the bases, while some of the suspects have helped them out with the process.

Actress Sara Foster has the second-best odds, yet she’s come forward and denied it being possible. Foster even laughed it off, suggesting it was funny people eve though she could get remotely close to the singing icon.

Tiffany Haddish has helped eliminate some of the other options. Haddish hasn’t yet leaked who the biter was, but if she’s being honest, you can rule out Henson (+3000), who carries fun odds, but apparently wouldn’t convert your bet.

From what is out there, this is what seems real; Haddish, Beyonce and Teigen all know who bit Beyonce, but they’re unwilling to make it official and Teigen was surprised to learn who it was.

Lathan makes sense here, but considering Teigen was surprised to learn who it was, perhaps it couldn’t be the leading favorite everyone else thought it was.

With Foster also ruled out, Lena Dunham suddenly looks like an interesting bet at +600. Unfortunately, she’s also come out and publicly denied involvement.

Honestly, these odds offer upside, but it feels like this is a long list of dead ends.

There was actually a pretty detailed breakdown of the top biting suspects and they all seem to pass the eye test. In other words, regardless of how Bovada or any other betting sites want to grade this, it doesn’t look like the culprit is obvious.

If anything, Lathan does seem like the favorite for a reason. She is connected to the situation and she he did deliver a mixed response on Twitter:

Y’all are funny. Under no circumstances did I bite Beyonce and if I did it would’ve been a love bite 💋

— Sanaa Lathan (@justsanaa) March 26, 2018

How very O.J. Simpson of her.

Okay, so biting someone’s face, whether violently or in a friendly manner, shouldn’t be compared to cold-blooded murder.

Still, this list is either full of bets you need to ignore, or you should bet hard on Lathan. Despite seemingly being the obvious call at this point, she’s offering almost EVEN odds.

I’m not sure anyone will ever know the truth. The only people who actually know what happened aren’t speaking out on it and it’s possible this will be a wasted bet.

I probably would just leave it alone, but given all of the evidence and the betting options at hand, Lathan does look like your best option right now. Now she or someone close to the situation just needs to confirm it.

Pick: Sanaa Lathan (-150)

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Juegos Miami registration up by over 40%

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Juegos Miami registration up by over 40%

Juegos Miami, the bespoke event created to meet the business needs of the Pan Latin American and Caribbean gaming sectors, has captured the attention of the industry with registration of Director and C-Level delegates up by an impressive 42 percent, year-on-year. 

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Cambodia’s Siem Reap Enters Foreign Trade Partnership with Gambling Hub Macau

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Cambodia’s Siem Reap Enters Foreign Trade Partnership with Gambling Hub Macau

Cambodia is a country which is taking its gambling field seriously and putting a lot of effort into developing it. With the help of attracting new players and visitors to its gambling facilities, the country is striving to boost the local economy. In a recent statement, it was confirmed that the ancient province of Siem […]

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Vegas Casinos Could Start Accepting Cyrpotcurrency Soon

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Vegas Casinos Could Start Accepting Cyrpotcurrency Soon

Nevada casinos have been on the forefront of the gaming industry for some time, but they have been slow to adopt the usage of Bitcoin, which is currently the most valuable cryptocurrency in the world. Bitcoin has been on the…

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German Poker Tour Easter Edition Commences at King’s Casino in Rozvadov

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German Poker Tour Easter Edition Commences at King’s Casino in Rozvadov

King’s Casino located in Rozvadov, near the border of the Czech Republic, is once again one of the hot spots for live poker as this is where the GPT German Poker Tour is currently taking place. The poker festival which is in progress at the moment has its Easter Edition starting this Thursday and the […]

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What is Causing Bitcoin to Plummet?

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What is Causing Bitcoin to Plummet?

Bitcoin keeps hitting new lows, and everyone is in a panic. The de facto leader of the cryptocurrency market has dropped to an astonishing new low of nearly $7000 – down from the all-time high of $19,000 we witnessed only a month ago. That’s a massive dip in an incredibly short amount of time, which once again highlights the volatility of cryptocurrencies in general.

While nobody knows for sure what exactly is causing Bitcoin to plummet in price, including esteemed industry experts, we can certainly speculate as to what triggered this new drastic downturn.

Misleading Info that India may Altogether Ban Cryptocurrency Trading

Back in January, a report out of India initially struck fear into the cryptocurrency market. In his annual speech to parliament, India’s finance minister, Arun Jaitley, stated the following:

“The government does not recognize cryptocurrency as legal tender or coin and will take all measures to eliminate the use of these crypto-assets in financing illegitimate activities or as part of the payments system.”

This vague statement led to media establishments across the globe reporting of a potential ban on cryptocurrency trading in India. Reports included fears that India may deem Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as illegal—which may have been the starting point for the chaos we are in now.

Of course, it was only later understood that Mr. Jaitley was merely suggesting to regulate cryptocurrencies in order to prevent illegal trading rather than looking to ban cryptocurrencies altogether.

Moreover, Mr. Jaitley stated that India would look to use blockchain technology as part of their government. This helped in calming the storm a bit, but it is still unknown what types of regulations India may put in place.

Yes, there are much bigger driving forces in the cryptocurrency market than India. However, there is talk of new widespread regulations that may arrive following March’s G20 meeting. This is where the world’s most powerful countries’ heads of finance will meet and discuss potential changes, as well as the cryptocurrency market in general.

South Korea Sweeping Regulations

As many crypto-enthusiasts will know, South Korea is one of the biggest driving forces of the market. It is also a country where cryptocurrency is not recognized as a currency or a financial product and has little to no regulation – until now, that is. The fear that the South Korean government is to make sweeping regulations of the cryptocurrency market did not bode well with the community.

Since September of 2017, the South Korean government has been closely monitoring the cryptocurrency market and had planned to enforce several regulations in order

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South Korea’s MegaLuck Casino Marks Gambling Operation Deficit amid Chinese Tourists Ban

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South Korea’s MegaLuck Casino Marks Gambling Operation Deficit amid Chinese Tourists Ban

The gambling field in South Korea is one of the more developing in the region as almost all of its casino properties with the exception of one gambling facility focus on foreign tourists only. Jeju Island is the home of MegaLuck Casino which recently issued its revenue report for the year 2017 and as it […]

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Paddy Power Betfair confirm new CFO

Gambling Insider

Paddy Power Betfair confirm new CFO

Paddy Power Betfair have announced the appointment of Jonathan Hill as the company's new Chief Financial Officer, replacing the previous CFO  Alex Gersh who has stepped down from the role

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Play Fair Code strengthen ties with sportradar

Gambling Insider

Play Fair Code strengthen ties with sportradar

The Austrian Play Fair Code (PFC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sportradar, the sports integrity solutions company

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5 Poker Bluffing Mistakes That Are Costing You Money

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5 Poker Bluffing Mistakes That Are Costing You Money

There are not a lot of better feelings in the game of poker than the feeling you get when you see your opponent’s cards fly into the muck as you’re attempting to pull off a massive bluff. There’s just this feeling of excitement, success, and a total ego boost that is indescribable. Because of this, it’s no secret that Texas hold’em players love to bluff.

The problem, though, is that the majority of recreational and semi-serious players make some massive mistakes when it comes to bluffing. As a successful professional poker player for the past 12 years, I’ve seen a lot. The biggest thing that I see people screw up is bluffing.

What I’d like to do today is go over the top five bluffing mistakes that I see from people time and time again at the tables. You would think that after some time these mistakes would slowly go away, but that’s just not the case. I see the same players make the same mistakes over and over again. What’s nuts is that a lot of these players are serious players with strong aspirations of playing for a living. Some of them even label themselves professionals. Whether I agree with their label or not is another discussion for another day.

If you’re new to the game of poker or you feel like you might be getting in trouble when it comes to bluffing, pay attention to this article. Here are the top five bluffing mistakes that I see and advice on how to prevent yourself from making them.

#1 You’re Bluffing WAY Too Much

We can probably blame ESPN and televised poker for this one. You see, when poker was first being televised, they didn’t show you every single hand. Instead, they would show you the most exciting hands of the day. From thousands and thousands of hands, they would pick five or six that they would choose to showcase.

As you might have already guessed, they weren’t showing you the boring hands. They were showing you the wild, over the top hands where people were typically running major bluffs. Every hand they showed was a monster pot. This led new poker fans to think that was how the game worked. You were required to run monster bluffs every hand and try and win the tournament in one hand.

This is simply not an optimal strategy. Realistically, you should be flat-out bluffing very little. You will be semi-bluffing occasionally, but flat out bluffs are rare. How much should you be bluffing? Well, a lot of that is going to be dependent on the table conditions and the flow of the game. The rest of the mistakes and tips in this article should start to give you a better idea of how often you should be bluffing.

The point here is that you should not be bluffing every single hand. Poker is not a sprint; it’s a marathon.

#2 You’re Bluffing Just for the Sake of Bluffing

Here’s a phrase that I love to hear from my opponents and hate to hear from any student I’m coaching. “So, I realized I hadn’t played a hand in a while, so I decided to run a bluff.” Ahhhh! My ears are bleeding right now just thinking about it. If you are ever bluffing just for the sake of bluffing, you are destroying your chances of being successful. If you’re ever just randomly picking a hand and saying “Yup, I’m going to bluff this hand,” then you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Bluffs should not be things that you randomly toss into your game for no reason whatsoever. There needs to be a rhyme and a reason for everything you do in poker including bluffing. If you are just bluffing because you’re bored or you think it’s randomly the right time, you’re setting yourself up for failure, and you need to stop. Well, you need to stop if you like winning. If you prefer losing at poker, then bombs away!

#3 Your Bluffs Don’t Tell a Logical Story

What is the purpose of a bluff? If you say the purpose of a bluff is to get your opponent to fold, you are only half right, and therefore in my class, you are wrong. The purpose of a bluff is to tell your opponent a convincing story about what you are holding and get them to fold because they think they are beaten. You see, a lot of people think that bluffing comes down to shoving a ton of chips in the middle as quickly and recklessly as possible in hopes that their opponent will get scared and fold.

This is not what you want to be doing. Read this quote from a student (paraphrased) and let me know if this sounds like you.

“So this guy was raising every single time it folded to him, so I decided to try and bluff him out of the pot. He opened before the flop to 500 (the blinds were 100/200), and I decided to make it 2500 to put a lot of pressure on him and make him think I had aces or kings. He ended up calling, and the flop came out 2-8-9. He checked to me, and I bet the entire size of the pot! I bet 11,000 chips, and he called again. The turn was another 2, and he checked to me again. I shoved my remaining 50,000 chips in the middle, and he started thinking. He finally called me with 10-9! How can he call there? I was showing so much strength! I flipped over my pair of 3s and lost the pot.”

The stream of questions I always ask people here go like this. First, I ask them what they were trying to represent. If they say strength and don’t give me a real hand, I usually reach over and smack them in the face. I’m kidding, but I am tempted to. Most people, thankfully, will tell me what hand or range of hands they were attempting to represent. In this situation, the student told me they were trying to represent pocket aces or pocket kings.

I usually say okay and start breaking the hand down. In this situation, I asked them if they would have raised pre-flop to five times their opponents bet with pocket aces or kings? They responded, “Well, no. I probably would have only raised to about three times with pocket aces or kings, maybe more like 1500. I just wanted to show them a lot of strength to get them to fold.”

This is where I usually hope the wheels start to turn in their mind. If you are not doing what you would normally do with the hand you are trying to represent, then you’re doing a terrible job of representing that hand. In this situation, all they were showing was a big bet which is different from showing strength. Their opponent probably saw this bet as a fearful bet that was just trying to get a fold. Would aces or kings try their hardest to get a fold pre-flop? Probably not.

As you can imagine, I continued through the hand with them, and all of the questions went the same. Basically, they tried to do what they thought looked scariest and not what they would have done had they been holding the hand they were representing. By the time we get done with the analysis, they realized that their opponent actually made a pretty good call given the fact that their bets made no sense.

You need to play your bluffs exactly as you would if you were really holding the hand you are representing. The best way to do this is to pretend you are really holding that hand. Imagine that you’re holding two red aces or two black kings. Make your moves accordingly. Your goal should not initially be to get your opponent to fold. Your goal should be to convince them that they are beaten, and then they will fold on their own…as long as you aren’t making the next mistake.

#4 You’re Trying to Bluff the Wrong Person

The absolute worst thing that you can do when it comes to bluffing is trying to bluff the wrong person. You can run the most masterful of bluffs that tells the most believable story and can still fall flat on your face if you try it on the wrong opponent.

First, you should never be bluffing opponents who don’t like to fold. If someone has a problem with calling too often, then there is no logical reason to try and get them to fold. Instead, why don’t you just wait until you have a real hand and they will continue their pattern of never folding and pay you off? The same approach will never work on two different types of opponents.

Second, you should never be bluffing opponents who are not good enough to read hands properly. Remember, our goal with bluffing is to make our opponent fold by telling a believable story. If our opponent is incapable of understanding our story, they’re never going to be able to make the fold. It’s a bit of a weird situation because you basically don’t want to bluff opponents that are really bad, but you also then don’t want to be bluffing the best players in the world because they are masters at sniffing out deception.

The ideal candidate for a bluff is a player that is good enough to read hands but is not so good at it that you’re going to get caught. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try and bluff the best in the world. I’m just saying that they’re not going to be the easiest to fool or the most ideal of targets.

#5 You’re Never Getting Caught Bluffing

Wait, what? Isn’t the whole point of bluffing not to get caught?

Yes, it is. However, you should be trying to steal pots as actively as you can. This means that you should be pushing things to the edge of getting caught. The idea is that if you’re never getting caught, then you aren’t pushing hard enough.

Think of it like this. Let’s say that you’re running a race that requires you to run as fast as you can with a glass of water that is full to the brim. The object of the race is to get to the finish line as fast as you can with as much water still in the glass as possible. The speed at which you finish the race is slightly more important than the amount of water you still have in your glass.

If you get to the end of the race and you still have all of your water in your glass, and you haven’t spilled a drop, you probably weren’t running fast enough. If you get to the end of the race and your glass is empty, then you were probably trying to run too quickly. But, if you get to the end of the race and you’ve lost a little bit of water but not a lot, you probably were pushing yourself to the fastest “safe” speed that you could run.

This is what you’re trying to achieve with bluffing. You want to be stealing as many pots as you possibly can. This means that if you’re never getting caught, you’re probably not pushing the envelope enough and you’re missing opportunities. If you’re getting caught all the time, you probably need to read back through all of these tips because you’re either bluffing too often or doing it poorly.

Additionally, if you never show down a bluff, it’s going to be hard to get paid when you have a real hand. If the other players never see you bluff, they’ll start to assume that you always have a hand when you’re betting. If they see you taking shots with nothing, though, they’re going to be guessing more often and will end up mistakenly calling you down when you have the goods. Bluffing is not just about winning the current hand. It’s about setting up an image that can get you paid down the road.

The Conclusion

Hopefully, if you’re making any or all of these mistakes right now, you’re at least aware of them. Now that you’re aware of them, it’s time to put the changes in place that will help you correct them. Bluffing should be a part of your game, but it should never be the centerpiece. Here is a quick recap of the changes you need to make to your poker game today.

Don’t bluff too often. Don’t bluff just because you’re bored or haven’t played a hand in a while. Tell a believable story with your bluffs. Don’t bluff players who don’t fold or aren’t good enough to know when to fold. Make sure you’re stealing every pot that you can. You should be getting caught occasionally.

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2018 NFL Division Odds: 6 Value Bets You Need to Consider

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2018 NFL Division Odds: 6 Value Bets You Need to Consider

The NFL Draft hasn’t arrived and the 2018 NFL schedule isn’t even out. Somehow, it still isn’t too early to think ahead to how the next NFL season could unfold.

The dead period of sports is upon us and then there will still be a few months before real, meaningful pro football games are played. I mean, I’m seriously keeping tabs on whether or not Johnny Manziel’s comeback is a thing these days.

Either way, I need my NFL fix somehow and fortunately Sportsbetting.ag pushed out NFL division odds recently.

There have been Super Bowl 53 and even Super Bowl 54 odds out for a while now, but there’s something about actual odds for each NFL division that makes the new season a little more real.

It’s still early in the process, as the final waves of free agency, the draft and scheduling can and will alter your betting approach. Still, it can be profitable to jump on sleepers in the early going, as some of the best priced teams will only lose their value as the months go by.

A year ago the Philadelphia Eagles were not pegged as legit Super Bowl contenders. The Minnesota Vikings may have been on the cusp of a run, but few really believed they’d win the NFC North and trump the Green Bay Packers.

The AFC South was so wide open with the young Jacksonville Jaguars seemingly not quite ready for the next step, either.

Those are just three examples of teams who stepped up last year, won their respective division crown and made it to their conference title game. Philly, of course, went on to win their franchise’s first ever Super Bowl.

I’m not in the business of predicting every division winner just yet, but the early NFL division odds do give way to some staggering value. Here are my six favorite bets across the board:

All odds that are referenced in this article were taken from Sportsbetting.ag at 1:41 pm CT on 3/26/2018. These odds may have changed since the time of this writing.

Carolina Panthers (+300)

Cam Newton and company look like one of the better NFL division value targets for bettors, seeing as they won the division three years ago and nearly did so again in 2017.

Carolina is sleeker than they were last year, as they’ve already shed an aging Jonathan Stewart from their roster and also brought in some deep speed via Torrey Smith and Jarius Wright.

The Panthers will still only go as far as Newton will take them, but this remains a run-dominant team that can kill defenses over the top. Defensively, this unit remains as good as anyone.

After narrowly missing out on the NFC South title last year (Panthers and Saints both finished with 11-5 records), Carolina has the third worst odds to make a run at it again. The Saints and Falcons are the better options per Sportsbetting.ag, but Carolina offers more value.

Seattle Seahawks (+350)

If you want a little more value but seek a relatively safe bet, consider doubling down on Seattle just as everyone leaves them for dead.

I know this team regressed last year and had a ton of roster turnover, but they’re still hard to bet against. After all, most of the guys they parted with (namely Richard Sherman) were aging and/or coming off of injuries.

In reality, the Seahawks probably made quality long-term moves that will help them get better. This is a team in mild transition, but they still have sound coaching, a very talented defense and a gamer of a quarterback in Russell Wilson leading the charge.

Los Angeles took this division last year, but teams often struggle to repeat as division champs. Arizona isn’t regarded as much of a threat, so the only other obstacle in Seattle’s way is the 49ers.

San Francisco is undoubtedly on the rise, but they’re the only other roadblock in Seattle’s way. Maybe the Seahawks really are trending in the wrong direction, but at +350 they feel like a really fun value bet going into 2018.

Indianapolis Colts (+400)

You’re getting a little more value with the Colts, who could be an extremely sneaky team with star quarterback Andrew Luck (hopefully) set to return in 2018.

Luck missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, but if he’s back in the saddle, how do bettors turn away from Indy tying for the worst odds in this division?

Jacksonville may have proven last year that they’re the class of the AFC South and the Titans could also continue their rise, but Indy still has the best pure passer in this division.

With Luck healthy and the Colts making solid moves throughout their roster (letting aging running back Frank Gore go, for one), a quick turnaround wouldn’t be all that shocking.

Kansas City Chiefs (+450)

Another interesting NFL division bet could be the Chiefs, who literally just secured an AFC West title last season.

Trading away steady veteran passer Alex Smith has dropped the Chiefs down in this division, however, as Sportsbetting.ag now has them tied for the worst odds to take first place.

The switch from Smith to Patrick Mahomes III was a bold one, but arguably something KC had to do. The move could have the offense going through some growing pains initially, but in the end, it may give the Chiefs the shot in the arm they desperately needed.

Kansas City still has loads of offensive talent with Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and now Sammy Watkins in tow. Add in solid coaching and a talented defense, and this very well may remain the best team in the AFC West.

Oakland underwent a coaching change, Denver still may not have a quarterback and the Chargers can’t seem to get out of their own way. Mahomes may take some time to develop, but the Chiefs could still be the cream of the crop here and bettors are getting pretty killer value.

Cincinnati Bengals (+1000)

If you want elite value, consider betting on the Cincinnati Bengals. They didn’t perform up to expectations last year and Marvin Lewis has never won a playoff game, but this is still a team loaded with talent on both sides of the ball.

Pittsburgh is still the best team in the AFC North, but Cincinnati literally won this division three years ago and if it hadn’t been for injuries, they may have been better over the last two years.

This has been a disappointing team lately, but Andy Dalton still heads a talented offense and running back Joe Mixon could be ready to soar in 2018. If the defense can get back to operating at an elite level, the Bengals just might pack enough punch to be taken seriously as an elite value pick.

Washington Redskins (+1000)

The Redskins boast the same exact odds as the Bengals and I might even like them more. The trade for Alex Smith was a brilliant move, as it gave the offense an arguable upgrade over Kirk Cousins and saved the team some money in the process.

Smith isn’t an elite quarterback, but he proved in 2017 he’s still a bit better than anyone gives him credit for. With viable offensive weapons in Jordan Reed, Chris Thompson and freshly signed Paul Richardson at his disposal, it’s not crazy to think he picks up where he left off last year in Kansas City.

The beauty with the Redskins is they also have a talented and improving defense. Smith doesn’t need to do it all on his own here, while Washington is realistically just contending with the world champion Eagles and the Cowboys for first place.

Philly could easily regress after winning their first Lombardi Trophy last year, while Dallas proved last year they still have some wrinkles to iron out.

Washington is far from a safe pick, but the NFC East is rarely easy to project. With a bold move under center and a solid team around their prized new quarterback, the Redskins could be one of the best NFL division value bets of 2018.

Summary

Overall, the point here is to take an early look at 2018 NFL division odds and think a little outside the box in some spots and note teams that are being shortchanged in others.

Washington and Cincinnati give bettors two interesting longshot bets that really are fundamentally strong in terms of talent. The other options give you some solid betting value, too, but may be safer plays in the grand scheme of things.

In terms of division strength, history, value and overall talent, the Seahawks play out as my favorite value bet right now. Just keep in mind the next month or so will give way to more change and in turn, odds will shift for a lot of these divisions.

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Stop Predatory Gambling Organization Publishes “Hypocrite Hall of Fame” List

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Stop Predatory Gambling Organization Publishes “Hypocrite Hall of Fame” List

On Monday, the anti-gambling group Stop Predatory Gambling released a “Hypocrite Hall of Fame” list to scold the hypocrite tags on former and current public officials and industry insiders who have promoted gambling. The Washington D.C. non-profit organization which is headed by Les Bernal rolled out the list, which includes some popular public figures, such […]

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Inside Asian Gaming And Reed Exhibitions Announce Ballroom At Mgm Cotai As Host Venue Of Inaugural Official G2E ASIA Awards As Official Website Is Launched

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Inside Asian Gaming And Reed Exhibitions Announce Ballroom At Mgm Cotai As Host Venue Of Inaugural Official G2E ASIA Awards As Official Website Is Launched

Public nominations are currently open for all of the 12 awards categories.

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Macau’s Gambling Regulator Considers Galaxy’s Wynn Resorts Shares Purchase Legal

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Macau’s Gambling Regulator Considers Galaxy’s Wynn Resorts Shares Purchase Legal

The recent exit of former Chief Executive Officer Steve Wynn from his own company Wynn Resorts caused a rapid wave of reactions and consequent moves of other gambling operators in the field. It has been officially confirmed that the Galaxy Entertainment’s decision to purchase 5.3 million primary shares in the company does not go against […]

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UFC 223 – 5 Big Upsets Worth Targeting

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UFC 223 – 5 Big Upsets Worth Targeting

There were many Ronda Rousey fans who smugly awaited Rowdy’s return to the winner’s circle in the fall and winter of 2016. Bantamweight belt-holder Amanda Nunes was sure to lose to the expert grappler – or that was at least the prevailing wisdom.

Rousey entered the ring with minus-odds on December 30th, and by the New Year she would no longer be considered a top challenger for the title. But Nunes had opened at as much as 2-to-1 underdog odds at some casinos, and casual fans probably felt that was too generous. The Brazilian had lost 4 matches in her career.

Meanwhile, smart handicappers saw warning signs in Rousey’s schedule and behavior. The challenger had lost to Holly Holm in an unsuccessful title defense, then sat out over a year while her flirtation with World Wrestling Entertainment began. Leading up to the evening of the fight, a skittish Rousey responded to trash-talk by blocking Nunes on Instagram.

Amanda Nunes destroyed Ronda Rousey in less than 50 seconds. As bettors who had picked the underdog cleaned up, in hindsight it seemed so obvious why it happened. Nunes was powerful, quick, fearsome and improving rapidly. Rousey was a distracted celebrity. But not enough gamblers (or bookies) had considered those factors ahead of time to turn the odds around.

That’s not a rare occurrence. Experts can parse through every UFC result after the fact and think, “of course.” Predictions always seem like they should have been easy, once the result is in the books…but none of us have time machines.

Or do we? Remember that the future depends on the present, and in some fighters’ cases, the recent past. By gauging the mental state of each competitor, smart wagers can be made based on the overall picture and not just the relative size, speed and experience of the athletes.

Bookies already have the tale of the tape – that’s what makes the odds. What makes a winning bet when the gambler successfully looks past the hard numbers.

The betting lines for UFC 223 in New York City are tight. A few underdogs are swimming in the mix, but the undercard’s betting value is a mystery. No odds have yet been released for the 4 pay-per-view matches that will take place before mid-tier prelims begin on Fox Sports 1.

Yet the biggest mystery of all may surround the main event, waged for the UFC Lightweight Championship belt between Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Tony Ferguson. The bout has been scheduled, canceled, rescheduled and delayed for literally 3 years. Which fighter has the proper focus and long-term consistency to win a match that took 36 months to materialize?

Bookies like Nurmagomedov, along with Ray Borg and at least one other semi-heavy favorite to triumph at Barclays Center. But is there value in the sleepers? Let’s take a closer look at 5 UFC 223 matches that could potentially surprise – and win a bundle for those who venture an underdog pick.

Ray Borg (-275 at My Bookie) vs Brandon Moreno (+225)

There is a term called “confirmation bias” that refers to people taking everything they see as evidence that they were right all along. It usually comes up in politics, or science. But in case of the Borg vs Moreno Flyweight bout at UFC 223, it has much to do with the betting action.

Brandon Moreno is unorthodox, a fighter from Mexico who ran up an 11-match winning streak after appearing on The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions. When he lost by decision to Sergio Pettis last August, it confirmed his status as a 2nd-rate contender in many analysts’ minds. Yet who is to say the loss to Pettis was the real deal and the winning streak was a fluke? Maybe it’s the other way around.

In 2 of his 3 previous fights, the underdog Moreno won Performance of the Night with submission choke-hold finishes.

Meanwhile, favorite Ray Borg lost his most recent bout as well. Due to injuries and delays, each combatant has had a long time to think things over. There’s a possibility that Moreno will out-fox Borg and prove that he’s no flash in the pan.

The 24-year-old up-and-comer is a solid sleeper pick to defeat Borg on April 7th.

If you can find a prop bet asking if Borg will lose by submission, consider it strongly.

Khabib Nurmagomedov (-250) vs Tony Ferguson (+200)

The Borg-Moreno match will be followed by a much-anticipated main event featuring an unbeaten challenger for the Lightweight title. Khabib Nurmagomedov is a perfect 15-0, is considered one of the best grapplers in MMA, and has been machine-like in his consistency from round to round and bout to bout. Joe Rogan has been calling the Russian “the most terrifying Lightweight in the world.”

But underdog Tony Ferguson has a few things going for him in this one.

Khabib has never fought more than 3 rounds, while the title bout in New York is scheduled for 5 rounds. The Eagle has not flown into the Octagon very often lately – Khabib has fought only once since 2016, and the title tilt with Ferguson has been rescheduled 4 times. Finally, the American holds the interim strap and has great momentum having won 10 bouts in a row.

Khabib is intimidating, but he’s not Floyd Mayweather.

Everyone’s first loss must come at some point, and conditions are rarely riper for an upset than they will be at Barclays.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz (-190) vs Felice Herrig (+160)

“This is the match I asked for,” 33-year-old Felice Herrig recently wrote on Instagram after being scheduled against Karolina “Polish Princess” Kowalkiewicz at UFC 223. “I’ve been the underdog most of my career and I thrive on it.”

That sounds like a typical confident-fighter quote, doesn’t it? Yet the scenario going into this Women’s Strawweight bout is anything but typical for a favorite vs underdog match.

Kowalkiewicz is ranked higher than Herrig but owns more losses in UFC fights and has lost 2 of her last 3 matches. Like Khabib, the favorite has not fought often enough over the past 2 years to have a valid claim to any kind of consistency. Consistency occurs when prizefighters fight and win often.

Lastly, Herrig is experienced enough to channel her talent into 3 rounds of focus and smart choices in the Octagon. She fought 3 times in 2017 and won all 3 fights handily. This could be the final chance for the aging upstart to get into a title picture.

I’m betting she won’t go down without a supreme effort…and possibly not at all.

Renato Moicano vs Calvin Kattar (Over/Under Sleeper Pick)

Does a surprise winner on an O/U bet slip count as an “upset” pick? Why not? After all, the casino will be upset if it owes a bundle after the match.

Odds-makers are not giving the Featherweight bout between Renato Moicano and Calvin Kattar much of a chance to end in an early knockout or submission. Odds of the fight lasting beyond 2 ½ total rounds are (-210) at My Bookie.

But it’s not as if Moicano fights are slow, scientific jab-fests. The Brazilian has shown the consistent ability to tap-out rivals with submission holds, winning 5 out of 13 UFC fights with a patented version of the rear-naked choke. Yet the Muay Thai black belt was vulnerable against strong wrestling in his most recent fight last summer, getting caught in a guillotine choke hold courtesy of Brian Ortega.

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UEFA and ESSA team up to stop match-fixing in football

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UEFA and ESSA team up to stop match-fixing in football

European football’s governing body UEFA has announced the signing of an information-sharing agreement with international betting integrity body ESSA (Sports Betting Integrity), a move which it hopes will strengthen UEFA’s campaign to rid football of match-fixing

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Century Casinos Holding Its Own at Upcoming Conference

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Century Casinos Holding Its Own at Upcoming Conference

The Upcoming Sidoti Conference and a Few Things One in Attendance Can Come to Expect from It – As Well as U.S. Slots Players At Large! March 29th’s New York City Sidoti Conference is already set to be all the rage for…

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Prague Gaming Summit Second Edition to Commence on 29th March

CasinoGamesPro.com

Prague Gaming Summit Second Edition to Commence on 29th March

The last days of March are going to give the official start of Prague Gaming Summit 2018 which is one of the pivotal events in the gaming industry and on the radar of more and more businesses in the field. For the second consecutive year, this summit will take place in Prague, the Czech Republic […]

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3 Mistakes Bitcoin Investors Make and How to Avoid Them

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3 Mistakes Bitcoin Investors Make and How to Avoid Them

Bitcoin has gone from leading a small, niche market to gaining mainstream fame. It’s this fame that has drawn many new investors to the cryptocurrency market.

Of course, it also doesn’t hurt matters that Bitcoin (BTC) hit an all-time high last December, reaching almost $20,000 per coin. Some investors have been dreaming about quick riches and lambos ever since.

But the problem is that many of these same people have no prior investing experience, and they make a number of rookie mistakes.

In this post, I’m going to discuss the three biggest mistakes that I see investors making with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. I’ll also cover good investing techniques along with pitfalls like pump and dump groups.

1 – Investing More Money Than You Can Afford to Lose

The absolute biggest problem that I see in the cryptocurrency world is people putting more money into the market than they can afford.

This is far from a new thing, because many people make the same mistake when buying stocks. But it’s especially prevalent with BTC, because of all the success stories that have surfaced.

Here just a few of the headline grabbing stories that encourage people to invest more money in Bitcoin than they can afford:

Erik Finman took a $1,000 gift from his grandmother in 2014, then invested it into BTC. At age 19, he’s now worth $1.5 million. 50 Cent accepted $400k worth of Bitcoin for his album “Animal Ambition” in 2014. The rapper actually forgot about his BTC, only to later discover that it was worth $9 million in January 2018. Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (of Facebook fame) invested $11 million into Bitcoin in 2011. Their investment peaked at over $1 billion in late 2017. An anonymous man who goes by the name “Mr. Smith” bought into BTC in 2010, when it cost just $0.15 per coin. He invested $3,000 into Bitcoin and is now worth $25 million today.

These are just a few of the big stores that have come out ever since Bitcoin’s explosion.

Unfortunately, this has also convinced wannabe millionaires that they too can experience quick riches. And they often overinvest to the point where they can’t even cover their current bills.

This is a huge problem when considering Bitcoin’s volatility. In fact, BTC had seen a number of high and lows before gaining nearly 100% in value last December.

I’ve seen multiple people on Reddit discussing how they’re in trouble every time the market takes a big dip.

Given that BTC is highly volatile, you never want to invest so much that you’re worried about making next month’s rent.

And if you think that a $2,000 or $3,000 investment will soon make you a millionaire, just remember that the Bitcoin headline makers got into a crypto currency much earlier.

This isn’t to say that you won’t be successful with cryptocurrencies, but take a reasonable approach to putting money into the market.

Dollar Cost Averaging

A major reason why people invest too much into cryptocurrencies is because they have a fear of missing out (a.k.a. FOMO). This leads to continually pouring money into Bitcoin, until they finally have no more to invest.

Those who have this problem should seriously consider a concept called dollar cost averaging (DCA).

This is a common investing method where one buys a fixed amount of stocks/cryptocurrencies on a set schedule. DCA calls on you to purchase more when prices are low and less when prices are high.

Here’s an example of how DCA works:

You have $2,000 to invest into Bitcoin. You spread this out into equal $400 investments over four months. BTC is at $15,000 when you buy in Month 1. BTC is at $10,000 when you buy in Month 2. BTC is at $8,000 when you buy in Month 3. BTC is at $12,000 when you buy in Month 4. BTC is at $15,000 when you buy in Month 5.

$400 gets you different amounts of Bitcoin each time, because the price jumps up and down every month. But Bitcoin’s average cost over the five months is $12,000 (60,000/5).

Based on the $2,000 you’ve invested, you now have 0.167 deci Bitcoin.

One benefit to DCA is that you don’t have to watch charts or stress over when to buy into a particular cryptocurrency. Instead, you simply buy in at the same point every week/month.

Another advantage is that you prevent yourself from FOMO and instead spread out your investment.

The downside is that you could miss chances to buy low since you’re not watching charts. But I still recommend that new Bitcoin investors try DCA to better manage their money.

2 – Buying at the Top

Another byproduct of FOMO involves buying near or at the top of a cryptocurrency’s ascension. Let me describe how this scenario often happens:

Bitcoin starts a big surge one day. Investors see that the coin is experiencing a 50% increase. They worry that BTC will continue increasing and get FOMO. They quickly invest. The coin continues rising to a 55% increase. But at this point, BTC starts on its way back down. Many investors don’t sell until the coin is worth less than they originally bought in for.

One of the best rules for Bitcoin investing is to never buy deep into a successful run. After all, cryptocurrencies almost always see a “correction” after a big run.

The reason why is because cryptocurrencies receive an artificial spike when they’re hot. With many people investing due to FOMO, the big increase doesn’t usually represent a coin’s actual value.

This isn’t to say that cryptocurrencies don’t ever spike and stay high afterward. But you’re almost always in the right when you avoid buying later during a big increase.

Don’t Overreact to News

An old investment saying is to buy the rumor and sell the news. The idea here is that you get in early based on a rumor, then sell when the masses react to a favorable story.

But too many people do the opposite by ignoring the rumor and buying the news. Here’s an example:

I read a story that the Dallas Mavericks will accept Bitcoin next season. Obviously this is good news because the Mavericks are helping further mainstream adoption. The news story came out one hour ago. I rush to an exchange site and see that Bitcoin has increased 10% in value. I quickly buy BTC on Coinbase. Almost as soon as I buy, the price begins to drop. Other people knew about this rumor in advance and were ready to sell immediately.

Sometimes the price doesn’t even wait for the news before it starts dropping. This is common when a coin’s founders state that a big announcement is coming, then savvy holders begin selling 2 to 3 days before the announcement.

These same people then wait until after the news is released and the price drops before buying back in. The end result is that they end up gaining a larger position through swing trading (i.e. lasting multiple days or weeks).

Don’t Day Trade

One more thing I’d like to touch upon in this section includes day trading Bitcoin.

Many beginners feel like this is a good idea, because they can take advantage of short term price fluctuations and end up with more coins.

But this is another area where I’ve seen countless Redittors complain about losing hundreds of coins through day trading. In fact, for every one person who’s bragging about their day trading success story, I see five more saying they’ll never try this again.

What people must realize is that day trading requires extensive skill and a lack of emotions. This differs from swing training, where you’re planning a single move for days or even weeks.

If you lose when swing trading, you’ve only lost a single trade. But bad day trading losses accumulate much quicker.

Another issue to worry about here is that you need a large amount of money to get started and be successful long term. The reason why is because even professional traders have daily losses and need to cover them.

I’m not saying that you can’t take a small percentage of your funds and day trade for entertainment. But don’t make 3-10 trades per day and expect to accumulate lots of Bitcoin.

3 – Failing to Spot Value in Cryptocurrencies Before Investing

Bitcoin has brought many people to cryptocurrency trading. But once people get into the crypto industry, they often diversify into other coins too.

This is a good strategy, especially if you’re investing in projects that you think have long term value. But there’s another side that involves people pouring money into risky altcoins.

An altcoin is anything outside of the main cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin.

Investing in altcoins is a good decision if you’ve done your research and think that your holdings will have long term success. But the problem comes in when people invest without considering the value.

Some crypto projects have very little utility (a.k.a. shitcoins) and are doomed to fail. And these coins typically only get action from traders who think they can swing profits.

In these cases, you’re gambling that there’s somebody who’ll buy the coins for more than you paid. If you can’t find these people, then you’re left holding the bags as the coin decreases in value.

You can use a number of ways to find good cryptocurrencies outside of Bitcoin, but here are my personal steps for spotting good investments:

Look at news sites (e.g. CoinDesk.com, CoinTelegraph.com) and Reddit’s crypto section for recommendations. Do your own research on each recommendation. Look at the project’s white paper and see what the group is trying to accomplish. Look at the team behind the coin. Check the coin market cap to see if there’s room for growth. Check to see if the foundation has legitimate partnerships in place. Scour the coin’s sub Reddit to gauge its popularity.

Avoid Pump & Dump Groups

Pump and dump groups are investors who meet online and agree to “pump” a certain coin. In almost every case, the targets are little known altcoins that have low trading volume.

Their goal is to quickly cause a spike in a coin and attract other investors, who fall victim to FOMO. The pump and dump group sets a target price to sell their coin at, which leaves non group members holding the bags when the price starts plummeting.

Forming an organized group to pump and dump coins is illegal in regulated stock markets. But since governments are only in the beginning stages of cryptocurrency regulation, people are getting away with this.

From a legal perspective, you’re fine to pump and dump in the crypto market right now. But even with this being the case, you should avoid doing so.

The reason why is because most pump and dump groups are led by scammers who want to take advantage of the group itself. Here’s how this happens:

You join a pump and dump Facebook group. The group founders announce that they’re going to pump a specific coin at 12:00pm ET. The coin name isn’t released until noon, so that no group member has an early head start. The sell target for this unnamed coin is set at $5. You don’t have time to research the coin’s price history when it’s released, because the pump starts so quickly. You buy in at $10. Little do you know, the group founders and their closest circle started buying the coin at $1 before the pump. The price tops out at $17, before quickly crashing down. You’re left either selling your coin at a huge discount, or leaving your sell order up in hopes that the price surges in the future.

As you can see, many pump and dump groups have a close inner circle with another agenda. Essentially, the idea is to scam outsiders who join the group.

This is yet another reason why you should avoid quick fixes to getting rich and focus on cryptos that you deem to be the most viable projects.

Consider Value Investing

The crypto currency market is still attached to what Bitcoin does. This is because Bitcoin still has the biggest brand name in the industry.

But it’s very possible that another rising coin, such as Ethereum, could overtake BTC at some point the future. In this case, the market will become untethered to Bitcoin’s every movement.

This is when you’ll want to be holding the most valuable long-term investments. And this is where value investing comes into play.

Value investing involves seeking cryptocurrencies that you think are undervalued when compared to the market. It’s actually rather easy to do this now, given what I mentioned about the market following Bitcoin’s movements.

Market cap (price x circulating supply) can be a great tool in determining if a coin is under or overvalued. Here’s an example of a crypto market cap:

Bitcoin is trading at $9,000 Circulating supply is 16,840,937 9,000 x 16,840,937 = $151,568,843,300,000 market cap

Of course, most coins don’t even come close to meeting Bitcoin’s market cap. Therefore, you’ll often be trying to evaluate many market caps at between $300 million and $3 billion.

If you see the potential for growth based on what the foundation is doing and believe in their team, then you can measure this against the current market cap and decide if the coin will increase.

Another aspect to value investing is looking for cryptocurrencies that offer a big enough discount. The reason why is because you want to allow for margin of error, given that you’re only estimating value.

If I see a cryptocurrency that has the potential to double its market cap versus one that may only grow 10%, then I’m going with the first one as it gives me far more room for error.

Finding value in cryptocurrencies is highly speculative, because few foundations actually have a working product right now. But there are definitely some investments that have great potential out there.

Here are a few of my non-Bitcoin favorites at the time of this post:

Ethereum (ETH) ICON (ICX) Lisk (LSK) Monero (XMR) NEO (NEO) OmiseGO (OMG) Stellar (XLM) Walton Chain (WTC) VeChain (VEN/VET)

Conclusion

Investing in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is certainly risky due to the high volatility, but this is also what’s bringing many people to the market.

Another thing that Bitcoin investors like is the fact that they’re early adopters.

Sure, BTC has been around since 2009. But many of the altcoins are new and offer people the chance to get in on the ground floor.

What will be the next Bitcoin? This is what numerous investors are trying to figure out by putting money into projects early.

But you definitely want to avoid the three common mistakes that I discussed here when doing so. To recap:

Avoid investing more than you can reasonably afford. Don’t fall victim to FOMO. Look for long term value.

Above all, don’t be convinced that you must buy right away or you’ll miss out. We’re still very early in the cryptocurrency game, meaning you have plenty of time to research projects and make the right investments.

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