The Hidden Benefits of Gambling

This article lists some very simple and informative tips, highlighting the hidden benefits of gambling. This information will help you have a better gambling experience!

Some people do actually cringe at the thought of being called a gambler due to the stigma associate with it. There are many reasons why people gamble. Some gamble to forget their problems, others gamble just for fun, others just want to waste some time, others play seriously, while others gamble because they are addicted to it.

It must be noted that everything isn’t negative when it comes to gambling. There are many untapped benefits derived from gambling, which cannot be seen within the walls of the casino, or the race track, or in the social club.

Employment

In Las Vegas, a whopping 60 percent of the employment is attributed to the presence of casinos. Imagine what would happen to Las Vegas if all the casinos suddenly stopped operating.

Entertainment

It is important to have some self discipline when gambling. Gambling should be undertaken for the entertainment value, as it was intended to be. Some gamblers however cannot handle a loss and always think that the next card will be the one to salvage all losses, however never does. These types of gamblers only comprise one-fourth (25 percent) of the gambling population who cannot gamble responsibly.

Now, imagine the other 75 percent who gamble responsibly. These are the people who find the entertainment value of gambling and are never blinded by the illusion that hitting it big time just once is the key to financial freedom.

Unfortunately this small percentage of the gambling population gets the bad rap of how gambling can be so destructive. Families, friends, properties, jobs, crimes and deception permeate the destruction brought about by gambling but it is still a small portion of the gambling population.

Charity Work

Winnings from gambling are often used to provide the needed financial support of worthy causes and charities. The use of gambling activities such as bingos, slots or lotteries do ensure a percentage of the jackpot winnings remain tied up with charity institutions.

Some celebrities even show their prowess in card games like poker to provide entertainment for the viewers and winnings for the charity institution they represent.

Health benefit

Studies show that retirees aged 65 years old and above who do actually gamble tend to have less health issues such as depression, alcoholism and bankruptcy as they find gambling to be therapeutic as it does exercise their mind while keep them alert.

Although the studies were not conclusive, retiree gamblers tend to be recreational gamblers who find the entertainment value of gambling. They are healthier because they are healthy to begin with and not because they gamble.

In the end, it is not the gambling act itself that makes it beneficial or harmful to the individual. It is the decision of the individual if gambling would rule him or he would rule his gambling habit.

Online Gambling Terminology You Need To Know!

If you every play on an online casino, you would have been faced with gambling terminology that is unknown to you. If while you are playing you ask other players what a particular gambling terminology means, you may come across as ignorant or a newbie (who may be targeted from the more mature players).

Having done some research on these gambling terminologies, I found that there are many websites out there that offer a full listing of all the online gambling terms you may come across while playing at an online casino. These websites are online gamblers dictionary, because the principal is the same, you have the gambling terms on one side and the meaning on the other side, often with a listing of what game the term applies to as each term can pertain to a different game. For example the term “Bluff” is normally used in “Poker” where a person who has a weak hand would try to trick the other players into showing their hands.

Such gambling dictionaries can be very useful especially if you are a new to online gambling. All you would need to do is choose the game you are interested in learning about and then look for the appropriate online gambling dictionary websites. After going through these terminologies and you build up your confidence, you are well on your way to start playing. With all this additional knowledge attained, other players will not recognize that you are new to the online gambling.

Below are some of the most common gambling terms you will definitely come across while gambling online:

Banker – Is the person responsible for handling all bets.

Bankroll – Shows the cash a person has to gamble with.

Bet – Refers to the amount of money wagered in a hand or round.

Big Bet – In limit games in which the size of the maximum bet increases in later rounds, a big bet is the largest bet size.  A small bet is the smallest bet size.  Therefore in a 5-10 Texas Hold’em game, small bets are $5 and big bets are $10.

Blind Bet – A blind bet or also known as a “blind”, is a forced bet that must be placed before you see any cards dealt to you.  Blinds are an alternative to antes for getting money in the pot initially. Blinds are more often used in card flop games such as Texas Hold’em.

Bounty – In some tournaments, small amounts of cash (also known as bounties) are offered to anyone who knocks out another player in the tournament.  This is typically in low buy-in tournaments, and the size of the bounty is usually fairly small.

Bust – It is a losing hand in blackjack.

Buy – To buy a pot is when you make a large enough bet that other players would be extremely unlikely to call.

Buy-In – Is the amount of money you need to enter a game.  In a ring game, this is the amount you get in chips.  Most ring games have a minimum buy-in that’s typically less than you’ll realistically need.  In a tournament, your buy-in is the amount it costs you to get your initial allocation of tourney chips.

Card Shark – Is a person who is a good card player who is pretending to be inexperienced at playing.

Check – If there has been no betting before you in a betting round, you may simply “check”.  This is like calling a bet of $0, or passing your turn.  If all the players on a table check in turn in the same round, it is said to be checked around, resulting in a free card.

Chips – Are the tokens placed on the table to represent cash.

Chips Tray – Is the tray holding all the chips for the game, usually placed in front of the Dealer.

Casino advantage – Is the percentage of advantage the house has in its favour for winning against the player who typically has a lower advantage. This can vary from game to game and casino to casino.

Cashiers Cage – The booth in the casino where players cash in their chips.

Comps – Are complementary gifts offered by the casinos to its members, these can be in the form of dinners, trips, movie tickets etc,

Cold – Is a person who is having a streak of bad luck, or a slot machine that is not paying out.

Hand – A hand consists of everything that happens between shuffles – cards are dealt, betting is done, a winner is declared, and the pot is pushed.  To “play a hand” sometimes means to be dealt in, and sometimes means to at least call the initial bet.
A hand can also refer to the cards you hold – in games where you have more than five cards (e.g., seven card stud or Texas Hold’em), it’s your best five cards.

No Limit – As the name implies, there is no limit on the sizes of bets and raises for the game.  Note: players are still limited to the amount of money they have in front of them.

Odds – A ratio of two probabilities, usually the probability of making a hand to the probability of not making the hand. Thus if you have a 25% chance of making a hand, the odds are 3 to 1 against your making it. In poker, this is especially important in considering pot odds.

Pot – Is all the money found in the middle of the poker table that goes to the winner of the hand.  Any player who has not folded is still “in the pot.”  A player who has called an initial bet is said to have entered the pot.

Re-raise – Is any additional raise after the first raise in a round.  For example if player A bets, then player B raises, then player C (or A) re-raises.

Split Pot – Is a hand in which two players show the same hand, which results in a pot being split between those two players.

Suit – Is the suit of your cards, ie. clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades.

Texas Hold’em – Texas Hold’em is actually a poker game in which every player gets dealt two pocket cards.  Five community cards are then dealt face-up on the table. The strength of a player’s hand is the best hand that can be made with these seven cards. There is a round of betting after the pocket cards are dealt, after the first three community cards (the flop), after the fourth, or turn card, and after the final, or river card.

Wild Card – Can be a Joker or some other special card that can be used to complete a hand

VIP – Is typically a high ranking member who bets big money and is entitled to receive special perks from the casino.

For a more comprehensive listing of online gambling terms, just search on Google.