When relatives Scrabble: One man’s quest to become a Master of the Tiles
May 1st, 2013 by Chris Humpherys
Competitive Scrabbling is serious business. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you check out one of their traveling tournaments. Read the rest of this entry »
Book review: Trading Bases by Joe Peta
April 4th, 2013 by Chris Humpherys“Nothing about playing table games in a casino is anything other than gambling as entertainment. On the other hand, risking money while possessing an edge, and while exercising prudent risk management, makes someone a trader.” Read the rest of this entry »
Increasing Number of Arab Players in Online Gambling
March 15th, 2013 by Guest AuthorsThe internet is growing faster than ever, and what is fueling the growth is available content. Up until recently, most of the content on the internet was in English. With globalization and localization, more and more people have reasons to go online. Localization and acculturation are also the driving forces behind the growth of online gambling, not just in western countries, but also in Arab countries.
Technically speaking, gambling in all forms is illegal in any Arab country. Not just because of any local law or any religious grounds. Rather, it is the way religion or Islam is treated by Islamic countries. For a Muslim, the Qur’an is not just a religious book. It is treated almost like a constitution or a body of law. One of the tenets of Islam is that gambling is forbidden. As interpreted by Arab countries, it means that gambling is illegal.
In actual practice, due to the openness of the internet, anyone living in an Arab country can still access gambling sites, which are almost all located outside of the Middle East. Arab governments understand this and know that they cannot have these gambling sites closed down. Instead, they block the access of these sites, which makes it hard for their citizens to play in online gambling sites or online casinos.
That does not mean that Arabs do not play on online gambling sites. The truth is that the number of Arab players is growing faster than ever before. Arab players are also technically savvy, and use different ways to access online casinos. Besides, there are sites that offer information about casino games that were developed particularly for Arabs and in their language like online-casino-gambling-strategy.com/.
This is also the case in card games like poker and Blackjack. There are several sites that aim to attract Arab players to play poker and Blackjack. Most major online casinos also have Arabic pages. Online poker has growing following ratings among Arabs. In a recent survey, Lebanon has the most number of online poker visitors with other countries not too far behind.
One of the most popular games amongst Arabic players is Blackjack, or in Arabic “بلاك جاك “. It’s a card game with the aim of having a higher card total as close to or equal to 21. Although, there are other players on the table, the player only compares his cards with the dealer. If his cards are higher than the dealer’s without going over 21, then he wins. The game is fairly simple and it has always been a staple of casinos. The popularity of Blackjack may have waned a bit due to the increased popularity of poker, but it still draws a large following.
There are however, some Arabic sites and places where betting is allowed. Horse racing is a big event in Arab countries and in this, betting is not considered as gambling and it is allowed. The Dubai World Cup has a purse of $10 million and is the world’s richest horse race. The race is managed by the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) and is held annually on the last Saturday of March. Their website, emiratesracing.com provides updates on the country’s races. With a large purse, horses from around the world participate in important races in the Emirates. The inaugural Dubai World Cup was won by Cigar, a Hall of Fame horse from the United States.
It is apparent that gambling is alive and well in Arab countries, and players and enthusiasts can find ways to overcome boundaries and prohibitions and play whenever they want to.a href=”http://emiratesracing.com/” target=”_blank”
The perils of wagering with a small-time bookie
November 5th, 2012 by Chris Humpherys
I read online that some lucky guy just hit a 23-team parlay and turned his $100 wager into 25 grand. Must be nice. Read the rest of this entry »
Carlos Pena blanks Tampa Bay Rays… or something like that
August 17th, 2012 by Chris Humpherys“One thing leads to another”
- The Fixx
Dennis Rodman speaks to the youth of today and other horrific ideas perpetrated by the publishing industry
August 3rd, 2012 by Chris Humpherys
I read somewhere that Dennis Rodman is putting out a children’s book. More power to him. Read the rest of this entry »
Manufacturing hands at the poker table
July 19th, 2012 by Chris Humpherys
On slow nights at the poker table, you sometimes have to create your own luck. Read the rest of this entry »
Tales from the Hard Rock, Vols. 1 and 2
February 4th, 2012 by Chris HumpherysIf you’re a fan of poker and other casino games but are unable to find a local bettimg shop it may be easier to vist an online retailer such as http://www.luckynugget.com. Lucky Nugget has countless card and table games, as well as over 450+ slots to keep you entertained. Whether you’re an amateur just wanting to pick up the basics in peace or a seasoned pro you will always be able to find a game and stake to suit your needs.
This post goes to show that lightning can strike twice… if you’re lucky enough.
Months ago, I was going to write a feel-good story about friendship, gambling and how SportsChump finally got the better end of a woman scorned. (Hey, it only took 43 years, right?)
My birthday fell back in July. I was blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who all came to share the love. The drinks were flowin’, the food was a-plenty and the karaoke was abundant and atonal.
After a long night’s work, my partner in karaoke crime, Pure Prairie Dave, and I hit the local Hard Rock for a deliciously fattening, chicken-fried steak breakfast and a few hands of Let It Ride poker. His inebriated wife-to-be came along for the ride.
We debated whether or not to take her, knowing either choice would ultimately be the wrong one. Gambling is a time-consuming activity. Had she not accompanied us, his phone would have been ringing off the hook with her angrily awaiting his return home. Had she come with, which she did, she would have also complained… which she did.
After a solid hour or so of celebratory morning champagne and the inevitable ebbs and flows of the poker table, our chip stacks were hovering around even, give or take our bar tab. His fiancée lay not-so-pleasantly asleep in the car.
She approached the table minutes later, still tipsy from the karaoke-fest hours earlier and demanded to be taken home. I don’t mean to imply that she caused a scene but let’s just say car keys were flung halfway across the casino floor.
Recognizing the urgency of the matter, Pure Prairie Dave decided it was best to call it a night. I understood, having been there myself on occasion. As the happy couple bid the table a fond farewell and stumbled towards the exit, I stayed at the table to press my luck.
Now, for those of you who have never played Let It Ride, the game is actually quite simple. Each player is dealt three cards face down. The objective is to land a winning hand with the assistance of the communal flop. A pair of tens is the lowest winning hand and pays even money. Better hands obviously pay a higher multiplier on your original bet. There are five bets, two of which you can pull back at your leisure as the hand progresses.
Well, the very next hand, I was dealt pocket tens, so I knew I already had a winner before the dealer’s flop. In the distance, I could see the loving couple stumble out the casino door. As the game suggests, I let it ride.
The next card came. Another ten. Trips and I was good to go, knowing a fourth ten would pay huge with the amount of chips I had bet that hand.
The fourth ten hit and so did I, to the tune of over a grand. Happy be me!
Well, the same thing happened again last Wednesday, with the same loving couple after another night of karaoke bliss. This time, Mrs. Pure Prairie Dave sat at the table, playing alongside us and learning the game as she went.
The night, er… morning was going well, with all of us breaking even until… straight flush (9-10-J of clubs) in the pocket and an off-suited 7 and 8 on the flop, making SportsChump the big winner in the casino once again.
Now, of course, I don’t condone gambling outside of someone’s limits, always know your bankroll, but Let It Ride is a great way to kill time if you have a couple hundred bucks to spare. The payback can be huge. Just know what you’re doing.
It also helps to have a little luck on your side.
SportsChump takes his talents to South Beach
June 30th, 2011 by Chris Humpherys
My sincerest apologies for neglecting my SportsChumpian duties lately, but if I told you that within two days time I shook hands with Reggie Bush, was fondled by an eight-foot python, hit the links with a rabbi, put on a karaoke rendition of “Sex Machine” inspirational enough to warrant a Rastafarian embrace and had a six-year old teach me how to Dougie, which one of those would you believe? Read the rest of this entry »
Impersonating Real Life: Elvis, Lady Gaga, the Beastie Boys and sports
April 22nd, 2011 by Chris Humpherys“If a tribute band were to completely succeed, its members would no longer have personalities. They would have no character whatsoever, beyond the qualities of whomever they tried to emulate. The goal is not to be somebody; the goal is be somebody else.” Read the rest of this entry »
