Macau: Best Casinos for Blackjack

Macau, the gaming capital of South Asia has now beaten even Las Vegas with the high level of bets and revenues earned by its casinos on a daily basis. Macau is recognized for both card tables and slot games, which are being offered by numerous top casinos. As per records, the revenue of Macau-based casinos in 2013 was $ 45.2 billion while the once famous Vegas casinos were able to earn only $6.2 billion only. The earnings of Macau are from wealthy players of China who lay down large bets on baccarat and blackjack tables. These high risk players tend to concentrate their energies only on card tables and rarely play low cost slot games bringing better revenues to the casinos.

Macau-CasinoTop Casinos in Macau

Wynn Macau – Owned by Steve Wynn of Las Vegas, it is the most extravagant of all casinos in Macau and also is the likeliest places where blackjack players can make good money. The card tables at Wynn can give you high earnings as the house edge on all tables is the lowest in the world at .09 percent. The only catch in the deal is that a player has to make a minimum bet of $128, which is a pretty stiff amount. Regarded as a place for high rollers who have opportunity to either win high or lose high, the Wynn Macau is ideal for poker and blackjack professionals only.

Venetian Macau – To beat long-time rival Wynn, CEO of Sands China, Sheldon Adelson also set up an opulent casino in Macau and named it Venetian. Based at Cotai Strip in Macau, Venetian’s highest table limit is $128 while house edge is at .16 percent. Players seeking low-end wager can also try their luck here at 800 blackjack and baccarat tables where the bets are at $39 for starting a round.

MGM Grand Macau – Though the atmosphere at MGM is not as grand as Wynn it still has old world charm and large rows of card tables where you have player friendly games of blackjack, roulette, poker and others. The house edge is at a low of 0.09 percent like Wynn bringing players in large groups during weekends. They also have low wager game tables for players who cannot wager large amounts.

Bill Gross: The Bond King and His Love for Blackjack

Bill Gross is often called the bond king. He got that nickname because of his skills in the financial world, but his true passion is blackjack. He started playing the game when he was young, and ventured to Vegas when he had made a bit of money for himself.

Bill GrossHis first Vegas adventure came when he was just out of college. With his Duke University degree completed, he took $2,000 to Vegas in the hopes of doubling that money. Four months later he came out of the gambling capital of the world with $10,000. All of that money was made by counting cards and playing blackjack. He did get kicked out of a few casinos, but that was part of the risk.

He still credits his blackjack background for helping him in the financial world. “I learned about taking risks, about how numbers are always the best way to success, and that enough hard work can beat any system,” he said.

His experiences in Vegas taught him that it was not all about taking gigantic risks. Most of his card counting adventures involved small sums of money. He would play patiently and build up his money over time, instead of playing three or four huge bets. This ideology helped him in the financial world, where he managed bond funds for many years.

Gross spent some time in the military. He was stationed in Vietnam after his exploits in Vegas. Business school at the University of California LA followed, but Gross was already growing tired of school. He believed that life experience was a lot more important than a college education. He is quoted as describing college as “a four year vacation that gets interrupted by occasional periods of serious studying and essay writing.”

He may be famous for his exploits on Wall Street, but Bill Gross will also be remembered for his exceptional ability to win at the blackjack tables.

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Play It Interactive To Partner with Indian Media Firms

Play It Interactive has been in the business for just one year, but that does not stop it from testing the waters, internationally. The mobile-gaming platform developer from Canada is planning to establish its base in countries like South Africa, India, Latin America and Nigeria. To tap on the growing number of gamers in India, it has already raised about $1 million. It is also presently in talks with media firms in India to widen its offerings in the nation.

Mobile Gaming

Widening its platform

As said by President of the start-up, Cory Cleveland, the firm intends to team up with Indian media companies and offer a wide line of mobile games to players. Play it provides mobile platforms that allow its users to enjoy a variety of games like online gambling and video games. It also offers interactive entertainment events on phones with basic features, at cheap prices. Ray Newal, the Head of Development of the firm explained that using its platforms for one hour over a whole month would consume as little as 100 MB of data.

The company has previously tasted success by launching a football app during the FIFA World Cup in July. It attracted more than 6, 45,000 players, out of which 500,000 were from India. The app allows gamers to hold powerful positions in professional football teams. They get to retain or drop players from the team and take it towards glory by making strategic decisions against other teams. The response towards the game by Indian players, prompted the company to focus on the Indian gaming market.

Interactive gameplay

Similar to the football app, the company has also released a cricket app. It also offers an Indian-style poker game named ‘Teen Patti’ in the country. One of the biggest strengths of the company is that it offers highly interactive and light games. Newal mentioned that the firm is currently in talks with several media giants in the country and will soon sign a deal with one of them. However, he did not give out the names of any of the firms with which it might get into a partnership.

Football Summer Transfer Betting Markets

With club football taking a sabbatical during the summer months, betting enthusiasts have two places to shift their focus: the World Cup and transfer betting. Players transferring from one team to another is common practice in football, with substantial amounts of money usually involved. The summer transfer window closes on the 2nd of September, meaning all moves have to be completed by then. Here are some intriguing markets for player moves between now and then.

Petr Cech:

Football-BettingWith Chelsea recalling Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from Atletico Madrid, it appears that Petr Cech’s time as Chelsea’s number one is coming to an end. The Czech goalkeeper has a decision to make. Will he fight for his place at Stamford Bridge or seek a move elsewhere? The odds of him staying at Chelsea are 4/9, while a move is priced at 13/8. Among interested clubs, there are odds on him signing for PSG at 5/2 and Monaco at 5/1. With Marc Andre Ter Stegen picking up an injury in training, odds of 20/1 for Cech to join Barcelona may be worth a bet.

Edinson Cavani:

The big Uruguayan has been linked to Manchester United for months. But with Rooney and Robin van Persie on the books at the Old Trafford club, it is unlikely that they will splash the cash on Cavani. A move to Arsenal seems the most likely given the current situation. Odds of 2/1 are available on that move.

Shinji Kagawa:

Most pundits expect Louis van Gaal to give Shinji Kagawa another chance at Manchester United. However, with competition for places fiercer than ever, Kagawa may find himself surplus to requirements at Old Trafford. A move to either Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund seems the most likely. Odds for Atletico are 13/8, with Dortmund priced at 2/1 to land him.
Kagawa may also find himself part of a cash plus player swap deal for Arturo Vidal. Odds of Kagawa moving to Juventus are 12/1.

Transfer markets are typically left open until the move happens or the current transfer window closes.
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God of Games

There has never been an experience in medieval Scandinavia that is quite as exciting as that which is available through playing Drunken Vikings. This new slot game that is being released by Tom Horn promises players adventure and substantial chances at winning big when they set sail. This game features 15 different winning lines and over five reels for gamers to engage.

Gods of Games

Thor

The God of Thunder, Thor, is a major part of game play, representing the wild symbol that players can use to boost their winnings. With Thor’s hammer in hand, players can transform other symbols in order to gain the wild advantage. The more winning combinations acquired with the help of Thor, the better players will do. Longships bring the opportunity to players to access free spins while the scatter symbols have their own multipliers that can at least double the winnings.

This game offers extremely unique bonus symbols during game play as well. These extras give players access to 3-piece puzzles that can be moved to completion using the 2nd and and 4th reels. Solving the puzzles leads to fun and great opportunities to keep the winnings coming. The Vikings move to a local tavern where a beer-drinking bonus game ensues. The rewards during this activity are the highest in the game. Each player picks beers for their viking to consume, and each beer selection reveals bonus prizes.

Let the Adventure Continue

After a healthy amount of drinking, the actions of the viking move you further through the medieval realm. Players even have the chance to engage in a brawl with other drinking vikings in the tavern. The outcome of the fight can easily lead to more winnings. Winning the conflict can allow you to double the bonus prizes that you earn at the bar.

This extremely popular game is just one of many popular slot offerings to come from Tom Horn. His enterprises include four other popular slot games and one new poker game. Book of Spells is one of the most popular slot games to first come from Tom Horn.

Canadian David Baazov Bets on Future of Online Gambling in United States

David Baazov has always fancied himself as a bit of a gambler. He has spent the past few years slowly building up his electronics company to a point where he can have a vital say in the future of the online gambling industry. Recent weeks have revealed that his company has completed an incredible $5 billion takeover of the online betting company PokerStars (which also owns Full Tilt Poker).

David BaazovA quick look at the balance sheet for Baazov’s company shows that they do not have the cash on hand to complete such a deal. It means that a great deal of debt has been bought in recent months, secured against his existing and newly purchased companies, to help this deal go through. Experts believe that this is a wise gamble, with most expecting that online gambling will be legalized throughout the United States, but it is a gamble nonetheless.

Hurdles –

There are still plenty of obstacles that must be passed before PokerStars can become a major player in the United States. Lobbying continues from influential sources to stop the legalization of gambling in the United States, with only a few states having allowed betting companies to set up sites to date.

The two sites he has bought up already have about 85 million users, but Baazov plans to greatly increase these numbers in the coming years. Not only will legalization of gambling be important, but he must incorporate these existing sites with other online powerhouses. Adding online games, smartphone applications, and other strategic partnerships will be the best way to make this happen.

Baazov had this to say on the matter: “We have no doubts that our newly acquired companies will reach out to new customers in the coming months and years. The goal is expansion in any way possible. That may include a broadening of the poker base, along with adding other games and features when the time is right.”

Legal Implications –

The truth is that no matter how brilliantly Baazov sets up these companies in the coming years, he is relying on the U.S. government to legalize gambling. If gambling is not legal in the majority of U.S. states within the next five to ten years, his acquisition of these companies will be a bust.

For now, PokerStars is back on the U.S. stock exchange, for the first time since 2011. However, the road to redemption for that company and for Baazov could be a long and ultimately fruitless one.

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Australian Mega-Casinos Likely To Become Reality

Two multi-billion dollar casino resorts are in the works for Queensland. With the the Aquis project at work in Cairns and the Broadwater marine project ongoing on the Gold Coast, Queensland could be seeing a total of over $15 billion dollars worth of resorts and casinos going up in the next few years.

Both projects, although still in the pre-planning phase, are looking promising. With a fair amount of government and political support, there is a lot of positive energy surrounding the projects when it comes to public announcements and updates. It is hoped that the two world-class level casinos and interactive resorts will draw in tourism from all around the world, but particularly brining in revenue from 6sportsbetting Chinese gamblers, known as whales.

mega-casino

Recent announcements have made it clear that if the project proposals are approved, the two casinos will both be almost certain to receive their gambling licenses. With this in mind, those planning the resorts can now turn their attention and concerns to other areas of the proposals, helping to ensure that they’ll be approved. Areas that the two resort planning committees will need to consider are environmental impact, local involvement, funding, zoning laws, and other such logistical concerns.

While the casinos have had a lot of loud public support from certain government officials, there has also been a fair share of negativity and concern raised over their construction. As one concerned patron, Tim Costello of the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce, pointed out the two casinos are both set for construction in the heart of hubs of low financial income. Rising concerns over the potential for these casinos to add to the upward trend of problem gambling in the areas in which they’re constructed is certainly causing some to question whether they’re going to be helpful or hurtful to the areas.

While some may have their concerns over the morality and affects of local residents, there is still quite a bit of hype surrounding the two projects. And with the new knowledge that they no longer need to invest a lot of concern into obtaining gambling licenses, the energies of those planning them are more focused than ever.

How Derren Brown Tried To Beat The Casino

How many men have tried and failed? Could Derren Brown, the self-styled master illusionist, finally prove that the house could be broken?

Apparently not. Let’s set the scene:

Derren BrownBrown has managed some pretty extraordinary and straight-up outlandish feats: hypnotizing men and women out of money, compelling them to sit hard and fast on their chairs unable to move. One of his most outlandish experiments was a nationwide exercise in remote viewing manipulation. Brown asked the curator of the Science Museum to paint a canvas that would subsequently be covered and placed on display in the museum (with the cover). Visitors were invited to drawwhat they thought was on the canvas behind the shroud, an exercise repeated with the show’s viewers at home on the day of Brown’s televised premiere. Both the live museum audience and the at-home viewers drew trains, Stonehenge, horses and concentric circles. The latter image (concentric circles) comprised the majority of drawings and sure enough, this is what was drawn on the canvas upon the great reveal. How did he do it? Brown said that he had arranged for adverts to be placed in all the major newspapers with subliminal directives to draw concentric circles on the day of the great reveal. Although it wouldn’t guarantee a 100% success rate, as many as 35% of people drew concentric circles of some kind.

Mad skills on the roulette table

The next month, Brown decided that he was going to attempt to beat the odds at the roulette table by taking into account the speed and trajectory of the ball and wheel interaction. So he garnered £5000 from on-the-street public money (acquired, supposedly from hypnosis) and vowed to his hypnotized subjects that he would win them £175 000. The result? A failure for Brown – he made an incorrect prediction, alas, wagering the full £5000 on black 8 while the winning number was in red 30. Red 30 was directly adjacent to Brown’s original prediction. It’s hard to call it a “complete failure” as many commentators did, because Brown’s prediction was still uncannily close to the actual number that was selected. Certainly, it was an anti-climax of epic proportions, and even the stage hand with a large cheque for £180 000 had to sheepishly step back into the shadows when it was realized that Brown had been wrong and no amount of illusion could change the selected number.

Men have tried. Men have failed. There exist a handful of stories of men who have been successful at roulette but they are in the huge minority. Charles Wells, the man credited with “breaking the bank” using a lucky streak and a high-risk grand martingale won a million francs in 11 hours in the late nineteenth century. Joseph Jagger found a kink in one of the roulette wheels at Beaux-Arts Casino in Monte Carlo, scamming $300 000 over four days. But these stories are exceptional because they’re so rare, and almost always stand as either an event anomaly or a case of being at the right place at the right time. Let Derren Brown stick to hypnosis. Roulette is still king for another day.