Can You Beat Online Casinos?

Casinos stay in business because in the long run they always win. This is the golden rule of gambling and is due to what is known as the House Edge. 

Put simply, the House Edge is the percentage of bets taken by the casino that it expects to keep. So, for example, in a game like Blackjack, which has a house edge of around 0.6%, the casino expects that for every £1,000,000 it takes in bets it will keep £6000. That may not seem much, but that percentage is always working in the casino's favour - and the longer you play marked cards, the more they win.


Even with short terms fluctuations where individual players will be ahead, overall the casino's profits will be roughly at the level of the house edge. Different games have different edges, but one thing is for certain - none of them are in the player's favour!

Except for the games at one casino.

Betfair casino's Zero Lounge offers four games (Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat and Video Poker) with NO house edge. In other words, they expect to win nothing from those games overall.

It sounds strange, but it's completely true. The Betfair website states that the expected return to player (ie the payout rate) is 100% to 2 decimal places, when the games are played with optimal strategy.

A 100% payout rate means that the odds of winning or losing are the same as betting on the toss of a coin - you can expect to lose and win nothing over the long term, but in the short term you can get ahead.

In fact, since it launched the Zero Lounge, Betfair has made a loss in many of the countries where the games are played. In Greece, for example, they lost almost £30,000 and calculated a payout rate of 100.02%!

So how can Betfair allow this to happen, when every other casino is looking for more and more ways to increase the advantage in their favour?

A look at the Betfair statement gives us a clue as to how the Zero Lounge works. Betfair are generous, but they're not stupid! Optimal player strategy is what you need to take advantage of the 100% payout. How many players play with an optimal strategy? Not many, and Betfair know this marked poker. Most players will go to the Zero Lounge, looking to get one over on the casino, but without a proper understanding of the games. In those cases, the player's strategy will result in the house edge being tipped back in the casino's favour - only a little, but enough to make the difference.

But that phrase 'optimal player strategy' intrigued me. I realised that these strategies must be practical, not purely theoretical, so that playing completely within the rules of the games, you could get the house edge down to 0.

I then studied each of the games in detail. Although Betfair make things slightly difficult by, for example, placing tight limits on the maximum and minimum bets in Roulette, or rounding up the commission (vigorish) in Baccarat, I found that I could nullify the casino's advantage.

One great feature of the Betfair site is that you can play all the Zero Lounge games for free - perfect for when you're trying to perfect a strategy to beat them!

In summary, then, I've devised an optimal player strategy for each of the Zero Lounge games. Some are very simple, others a little more complex, but all of them give you that unique opportunity to beat the casino at its own game!

They're worth taking the time to study but don't forget you can play for free until you feel confident in my strategies and want to take the plunge and play for real.

And to make that decision a little easier, Betfair will give all new customers £5 free as a way to test them out before you commit. You don't have to make a deposit, just sign up and they'll give you the £5 straight away.

Free money and a casino where you can win. All in all, sounds like the perfect casino!

So come to Fortune Palace, study our strategies, practice them for free at Betfair, then sign up and get your free fiver.

Why not? For once, you've really got nothing to lose!

Use Professional Tax Recovery Agencies To Get Casino Refund On The Tax Levied On Your Casino Gambling Winnings

If you are a non-US citizen engaging in casino gambling or some other form of gambling in the USA, you are entitled to casino refund on the tax levied on your winnings. Casinos and other gambling houses are required by law to withhold 30 percent of the winnings of gamblers as tax. While it is very frustrating for the gamblers to see their hard earned money being held back, there is a way out of it. IRS mandates that foreign nationals are entitled to get a refund on the tax levied on their gambling winnings. Casino gambling is one of the most popular risk based entertainment sports in the USA marked cards. Millions of players wager billions of dollars to win big in casinos and other gambling activities. Out of these millions who play, many are non-US citizens. When they win in a casino or in some other form of gambling, they are required to pay 30 percent of their winnings as tax. The gambling house issues a winning slip and Form 1042-S to the individuals that they are supposed to file with the IRS. The IRS thus deduces that the tax has already been paid and the individual cannot be double taxed.


The IRS also understands that foreign nationals need to pay tax in their individual countries and hence, it offers a way out in the form of casino refund. Any non-US citizen can apply for a refund on the tax paid within three years of winning. It has to be borne in mind infrared contactlenses though that at the time of winning, the individual should have been a non-US citizen. Once the individual submits the casino winning slip and Form 1042-S with the IRS, his or her refund is processed. If the individual has an ITIN number, then the process takes about eight weeks. The time goes up to anywhere between 12 to 18 weeks if the individual does not have an ITIN number.

Individuals have time for casino gambling but they really don't have the time nor the patience to deal with the IRS in the matter of casino refund on the tax paid. The best option for an individual is to outsource this process to professional tax recovery agencies. These agencies have the wherewithal to deal with the government and get the tax refund. They cover all the aspects when it comes to casino refund. They collect the documents from the individuals, fill up the necessary paperwork and then submit all of it with the IRS. If needed, they also do the follow up to ensure that the entire process is completed in a smooth manner.

If you have won a handsome amount in the form of casino gambling but are grumbling because a sizeable amount has been held back as tax, then don't worry. You have plenty of resources for getting the casino refund on the tax amount withheld. Get in touch with one of the many companies that specialize in getting tax refunds on casino winnings and see the money come into your account without any headache.

Do You Have an Online Gambling Addiction?

Sadly, the answer to this question is almost always ‘no’ because gamblers rarely admit to being able to stop gambling. So many gamblers are deeply addicted to online gambling and completely powerless to stop yet insist they are not addicted, claiming to have a healthy hobby which they enjoy and which they are able to control.

This is not the case and many online gamblers are deep in debt and unable to concentrate on work, family commitments or anything of importance outside the online casinos they frequent on a daily basis.
Online gambling addictions are characterized by certain traits: A gambling addict will be unable to stay away from the online casino. Losing is not as important as playing infrared ink. A gambling addict will often lose money that was reserved for other things.
Taking the first step toward recovering from an online gambling addiction is obviously to admit there is a problem in the first place and this is quite difficult for any addict.
The second step is to install an effective web filter to block online gambling sites from your home computer. You might argue that an addict will get access to a gambling casino from another computer and that is certainly true, but at least you will be able to limit the amount of time an addict spends on online gambling sites and thus limit the amount of money lost marked cards.

Additionally, the installation of an internet blocking software will help to discourage other members of the family, including children, from experimenting with gambling in online casinos.
An Internet gambler displays all of the sad and painful characteristics of a conventional gambler with the addition of being able to access his addiction at all hours of the day and night without being absent from his (or her) home. The addiction becomes evident all too soon when family finances begin to plummet. Some gamblers even resort to stealing from other members of the family to sponsor their activities in online casinos, pawning jewelery and frittering away money earmarked for the rent or the mortgage.

Free Magic Tricks - The Four Aces Trick

Here is more Magic from Scotland to add to your growing collection!
Finding the four aces from in a deck of cards is one of the great classic tricks of Magic. Here is an easy version which will enhance your reputation as a Magician.

How The Trick Appears To The Audience
The Magician hands a pack of cards to a member of the audience and asks them to shuffle the deck thoroughly.
He then asks them to cut the deck several times.
The magician takes the pack and puts it in his pocket.
He says he is going to try to find four special cards.
He reaches into his pocket, and after a bit of searching, removes one card and places it face-down on the table or someone's hand.marked cards 
He does not allow anyone to see the card .




The Magician keeps on doing this until he has removed four cards.
He asks the audience if they believe in Magic.
Regardless of the their answer, he turns the four cards face up, one by one.
Each card is an ace!
How The Trick Is Done
Like all good tricks, the secret is simple. However, it is also very bold, so you must carry it off with confidence.

Before you do the trick, you remove the four aces and place them in your pocket with the faces towards your body. This is important because you will want to bring them out face down when you are performing the trick.
When you are ready to do the trick, hand someone the pack of cards and ask them to shuffle and cut the deck as much as they want to.
Do not mention anything about the aces.
Then take the pack and place it in your pocket in front of the four aces. The pack is next to your body and the four aces are on top of the pack infrared contactlenses.

Say you are going to perform a very difficult trick and your are going to try and find some special cards in the deck .




The audience will be left wondering what you intend to do and it all adds to the suspense.
Reach into your pocket and after a bit of pretend searching, remove the top card of the pack and place it face down on the table.
Repeat the same procedure with the other three aces.
You are now ready for the big finale.
Tell the audience that one of the most difficult tricks in the world is finding the four aces in a pack of cards.
Turn the cards over one by one and watch the expressions on all their faces!
They will be absolutely amazed and shocked.
If you perform this trick well, you will get the reputation of being a great Magician.

How to Find Magic Trick Equipment and Which Ones To Get

A magician can only perform magic tricks by bringing along some equipment. These come in all shapes and sizes so you can build a routine using deck of cards, balloons, small creatures and anything else that will likely entertain the audience. But before you do that, you have to know where you can buy it. Some of the items can be purchased in the grocery. A few examples of these include a box of matches, glasses, money, paper, cutlery and sugar cubes. But if you are really serious, you have to get these from the magic shop. Inside, you can get ideas of new tricks you can try so there is always something different to offer each time you have a performance marked cards . You can also check online for such props because they could be much cheaper through the web. You can also try to make some after all some tricks like being able to levitate in the air is done by sawing a small piece of plywood and then standing on it for a few seconds. You just have to be careful so no one will notice that you are using something to help you perform this trick. Another example is creating your own magician's table. Since you will be the one using this, you will be able to customize it so there can be hidden compartments to make things appear and disappear. What the magician wears is also part of the act. If you don't know how to sew, bring this over to a tailor who can sew a pocket. Most magicians use cards in their acts. If you will be using play cards, there are two main types namely the Bridge size and the Poker size that are not that different in terms of size. But there are also double faced infrared ink, double backed and marked cards. When you buy them, you will notice that there are two main colors namely red and blue. You might even be able to find some in other colors or get the retailer to make a customized version. If you are performing in front of kids, naturally you will need some animals which you can get from the pet store. The two most common are white rabbits or white doves because can easily be trained for a performance. They also do not bite, cry or scream which make them ideal for a show. The use of cups and balls are also popular because these are available in different shapes, colors, sizes and material. You just have to see which one are you most comfortable with using. The best are perhaps sponge balls because they are easy on the hands and can easily be hidden. For magicians who want to cover something as they are performing a trick, use silk and not an ordinary 100% cotton handkerchief because they are much bigger and available in different colors. You can't perform a magic trick without a few tools to help you along. So, go shopping or make your own. Just remember that you make it happen and not what you use. Be sure to practice your tricks until you get it perfectly so there won't be any problems when you finally perform before a large audience.

Phil Hellmuth WSOPE Entrance FAIL

Phil Hellmuth made another one of his Roman-themed entrances today at the World Series of Poker Europe main event but things didn't exactly go as planned.

PokerListings was front and center outside the Casino at the Empire waiting for Hellmuth to show up cheat poker, but mostly just to check out the girls he had for the show.

After a bit of a wait Hellmuth showed up in the full Centurion gear with the guards and everything. I guess the plan was to roll up, join the group of girls and then walk into the casino. This is when the problems started.

Hellmuth and the girls got to the front door and the bouncers stepped in their way and asked for ID! As you can see by the photos the girls didn't exactly have a convenient place to keep their marked cards lenses wallets and obviously had no ID.

Bear in mind that ESPN has cameras rolling and about 20 media people are taping and shooting photos. You think the coordinators for this stunt might have cleared it with the casino beforehand? Apparently not.

So the girls aren't allowed in and Hellmuth is just stunned. The ESPN people are less than enthused and the bouncers aren't budging on letting the girls in without ID. A lot of standing around and hand gesturing followed and we pretty much gave up on the whole thing.

Before long someone gets the bright idea to just go and get the IDs from wherever they were and eventually the entrance went on as planned.

9 Essential Health Tips for the Online Poker Grinder

Before we get started, let's be honest for a second. Poker players, as a whole, are not the most physically fit group of people.
Our brains are processing information on a regular basis but our bodies get little more than the occasional chair wiggle or lethargic stretch.
Articles like these need to be realistic. The point isn't to turn grinders into Olympic athletes; the aim is to offer practical advice that can keep the mind sharp and the body healthy.
Whether you play live or online, poker guarantees one thing; you spend plenty of time sitting in a chair. In order to be profitable in the long run it's crucial to revitalize the body and mind with exercise and healthy food.
Eating well and exercising have a real effect on your ability to make good decisions, the same decisions that translate into wins and losses at the poker table marked cards.

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Best Brain Foods for the Poker Player

A healthy diet is something you should be interested in for more reasons than just winning at poker.
Make sure to have complete meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner with scheduled light snacks in the times between to refuel your batteries. Have one small snack 2.5 hours before lunch and another light snack 2 hours before dinner.
Include an assortment of vegetables and fruits in your menu. Fiber in your breakfast meal with juice will give you the kickstart you need. Avoid carb-heavy meals at night.
If you're like most people, however, you're going to be looking for something to snack and sip on while you're on the grind.
These five items are not only ideal fuels for your brain, they're also tasty and easy to add to your snack menu.

1. Acai berries and Blueberries

Purple berries, in general, are known to contain high levels of antioxidants and vitamins.
Acai berries, which are a unique fruit from South America, also possess essential Omega-3 Fatty Acids and protein.
Blueberries are one of the healthiest things to eat in the world. They contain more antioxidants than any other fruit and are linked to improved vision, coordination and cognitive function.
Brain benefits for the poker player: Improved vision and coordination will cut down on costly multi-tabling mistakes.

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2. Coffee beans

Coffee's gotten a bit of a bad rap when it comes to health but the truth of the matter is that coffee is a great source of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

It has also been shown recently that caffeine is actually good for the brain - in moderation of course.
The ideal form of coffee, when speaking in terms of mental health and benefits, is pure Espresso. Drink without milk and sugar for best brain results infrared ink.
Brain benfits for the poker player: Rocket fuel for the brain. Stay alert and on point with a steady stream of caffeine.

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3. Matcha - aka Gyokuru green tea powder

This is some of the rarest, purest, and most revered tea there is. What's unique about having Matcha tea is that you actually consume the whole thing. It's like a drink and a meal, and it's great for you.

It is grown in the shade and very rich in nutrients and chlorophyll.
Its high concentrations of amino acid L-Theanine which have relaxing and calming effects.
It has roughly 10 times the quantitative benefit of regular tea including greater amounts of antioxidants, catechins, vitamins such as C and A, even Fluoride and L-Theanine.
Brain benefits for the poker player: Take the edge off a bad beat with the calming effects of this revered tea.

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4. Cacao Beans

Even though cacao beans are a big part of chocolate you're not going to get the good stuff they have to offer by eating an average chocolate bar.

You need to get the bean naturally. You can find it either in high percentage (over 75%) dark chocolate or 100% organic non-alkalized cacao powder.
Cacao is rich in brain-enhancing goodies like antioxidants, flavanoids, catechins and theobromine.
It's inked to improved cognitive function, bliss and mood enhancement.
Brain benefits for the poker player: Eating chocolate releases brain chemicals that will help you stay positive and optimistic, two very important traits at the poker table.

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5. Wild Salmon

An amazing source of Essential Fatty Acids (like Omega-3), low in saturated fats, among the lowest contaminant (mercury) levels of all seafood.
It's linked to improved brain function, mood, synaptic connections, and even reduces your risk of stroke, Dementia and Alzheimers.
Brain benefits for the poker player: Wild salmon will keep your brain firing on all cylinders, giving you the faculties you need to outsmart your opponents at the table.