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Don’t let turistas ruin your vacation

It might not be life threatening in any way, but a turista is equally discomforting. It is one of the most common health problems that affects travelers and ends up ruining their entire holiday. Turista, the Mexican word for traveler’s diarrhea, is one of the most unpleasant problems that a person can have while on a holiday. Turistas has been technically been defined as three or more unformed stools that are passed by a traveler within a period of 24 hours. One of the main reasons behind touristas is gastrointestinal infections that arise from consuming bacteria contaminated food or water. Therefore, understanding the importance of making your body to adjust to the fatigue, time change, disruption of eating habits and travelling is extremely important. Moreover, destinations that offer a warmer climate, i.e., destinations like South America, Asia, Mexico and Africa, are known to be more dangerous than most other places.

Diarrhea

Just imagine yourself on that perfect spot on the beach with your loved one while you take in the atmosphere and sip some cocktails with your loved one. All of a sudden that all too familiar grumbling sound in your stomach might lead to a 100 meter dash to the closest restroom. Well, this is the world of turistas. Therefore, a number of travelers end up spending most of their holidays fearing from this unpleasant problem, lest things go wrong. However, there are a few ways of ensuring that you don’t suffer from turistas on your vacation.

The best way to start your precautions is by taking probiotics 7 days before you plan to leave for your journey and take them all through the trip. This allows you to increase the resistance levels of your digestive system and prevent it from being affected by foreign bacteria. Moreover, using probiotics has proven to help in reducing the persistence as well as the duration of turistas.

Make sure that you drink water and beverages from sealed bottles only. If you do not have access to mineral water, don’t forget to boil the water before drinking it. Using boiled water for brushing your teeth is quite important as well. If you don’t particularly wish to have boiled water, you can also go for tea or coffee instead.

You should also ensure that you don’t put ice cubes in your drinks. Ice cubes are made out of local water and the chances of these ice cubes causing an issue in your digestive system are quite high. You should also ensure that you only eat peeled fruits and vegetables that are hot and have been cooked recently. Stay away from salads and raw vegetables at all costs.

Washing your hands before every meal can also help you to ward away the turista inducing bacteria. Using antiseptic gels is possible as well.

Other things to avoid include non-pasteurized dairy products, undercooked or raw meats or seafood and roadside food items.

Following these simple steps can allow you to enjoy an exciting and tourista free vacation.

Poker Cruises

All You Need to Know About Poker Cruises

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If you’re interested in travelling and you also love playing a game of poker, a poker cruise might be just the thing you’re looking for. And if you’re looking to club your spouse’s idea of a beautiful cruise to some exotic island to your idea of a holiday in Vegas, a poker cruise is an ideal solution. Booking a poker cruise is extremely easy and all you require is your passport as a proof of identification. You are allowed to decide when you wish to cruise, how long you wish to cruise for, what add-ons you want on your cruise, etc. Most cruise lines also include meals in your cabin prices that include “eat all you want” meals.

Popular Poker Cruise Providers in the US

There are two major poker cruise providers in the US – Poker Player Cruises and Card Player Cruises. Poker Player Cruises offers poker cruises on the Royal Caribbean routes with an average 7-night cruise costing about $1189 plus tax per person. Guests are allowed to enjoy poker games while the ship is at sea and the games shut down once the ship comes to port. Card Player Cruises offer a range of cruises on the Royal Caribbean and the Holland America route. Guests can also book cruises to Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Most cruise ships offer a range of amenities apart from poker that offer guests with a variety of things to do.

What to expect

Poker cruises never have a shortage of things to do. In fact, you might end up playing less poker than you plan to because of the number of distractions that you’re likely to encounter. For example, when a ship pulls into a port, you might want to explore the local island and take part in sightseeing and island hopping tours. You can also expect to be served with some great food while on board without having to pay anything extra for your meals. Cruise liners also offer a range of on-board activities such as nightclubs, ice skating, swimming pool, sun decks, rock climbing, sports and games, group activities, fitness centers, mini golf, basketball, etc.

The poker rooms in a poker cruise

Remember, you need to book your cruise through poker providers in order to play in the poker rooms on-board the ship. If you don’t book your itinerary through a poker provider, you’re not allowed to play. If you’re new to poker, you can always take advantage of the low limit tables and the beginner classes that are offered to help newbie poker players. If you’re already a pro, you can move on to one of the higher limit pro tables and enjoy a game of serious poker. Some cruises also offer exciting poker tournaments that include entry fees of $100 – $300. Most tournaments revolve around No-limit Texas Hold’em.

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Smoking problems

Smoking is strictly forbidden in poker rooms. These rooms are also known to be extremely professional and have an extremely low tolerance for players who harass other players or the staff. The idea is to allow all players to have a good time. Therefore, players creating a problem can be removed from the room.

Money-On-Board

All cruise lines offer their guests with access to safe deposit boxes that allows one to store valuables such as cash and jewelry while on board. Most cruise lines also offer cash advances on credit cards. Many cruises are also known to use Sail and Sign formats that allow players to register their credit cards or make cash deposits on the day of sailing which can then be redeemed for shore excursions, beverages, photos, etc.

How to play Badugi Poker?

Badugi poker, also known as Padooki poker, is said to have been originated in Asia. Even though it can be played as a no limit or a pot limit game, the most common variant of Badugi poker uses a limit game. If you’re wondering how to play Badugi poker, be rest assured that it is really easy to master. The strategies and rules are quite similar to a normal game of poker. All you need to do is understand the subtleties and variations in the gameplay and the rules. Badugi poker is considered to be a four card game where players need to have the lowest Badugi, i.e., a hand where no cards have the same suit or the same value. If you get two or more cards from the same suit or the same value, the one with the lowest value is kept and the others are discarded. As a result, your hand might transform into a 1 card hand as well.

Understanding the Game Structure

Badugi is a game of poker that is quite similar to the triple draw in its structure. The major difference is that each player receives four cards instead of five and that the hand values are different. There are a total of three drawing rounds wherein players are allowed to discard anything between zero to four cards from their hand and draw the same number of cards from the deck. A round of betting follows each draw and another round of betting is conducted after the final draw. The main object of Badugi poker is to create a win by making the lowest Badugi hand or by getting all others to fold.

The Gameplay

All players are dealt with four cards. The game begins with a round of betting. Once the betting is complete, players can discard anything between zero to four cards and draw the same amount of cards from the deck. This is then followed by another round of betting. The discarding, drawing and betting process is continued for two more rounds. Once the third draw has been played, there is a final round of betting before players (those who are still in the game) reveal their hands to determine the winner.

Badugi Hand Values

The main idea of Badugi poker is not to have cards of the same rank or the same suit in your hand. This means that if you have two aces or two hearts in your hand, you need to change. Having a hand where each card is from a different suit and has a different denomination is the best hand that a player can have. This is followed by the three cards, two cards and one card hands. If players have the same number of cards in their Badugi hand, the card values are compared in order to determine the winner. The player with the lowest highest card wins. If the highest card is the same, the second highest card is checked and so on.

Badugi Strategies

Here are a few strategies to help you out with Badugi poker.

– Your starting hand selection is extremely important. Chasing the game is extremely difficult and expensive in Badugi poker.
– A completed Badugi is always known to be more valuable than a one card draw.
– Try to complete your entire hand as early as possible, even if your lower ranking hands need to suffer.
– If you complete your Badugi before everyone else, consider escalating the bet size to increase the pot value.
– Be extremely careful while changing the high value cards in your Badugi as the card that you receive in the draw might just ruin your entire game.

What percentage of hands should you play in poker?

Did you know that there are 169 possible hands that poker players could be dealt to start with? Out of all these hands, only 5 hands are considered to be “excellent” hands – AK (Same suit) JJ, QQ, KK and AA. Irrespective of your chip position and bankroll, you should always ensure that you play these hands as long as the bet amount is not very high. However, if you have players who have been betting and increasing the bets, you should try to refrain from playing unless you have kings or aces.

By now you must have begun to realize that the main secret of winning in poker is to understand which hand to play. Remember, playing every hand and basing your decisions on the first set of three cards that open up can make you lose a huge sum of money. You need to realize that most sensible players end up folding approximately 80% of their hands. However, if the pot has not been opened before your turn, i.e., no one has called the game before you, you should try your hand in that particular round. Once someone ahead of you raises, your hand selection should be narrowed down considerably before you play further. What this essentially means is that it is OK to bluff, but the best bluff is always the one where you control the outcome of the game, i.e., you have cards that are worth playing with. For example, you should never play in a game where you have a JQ and another player has raised the bet. In this case, KK, AA, QK and KA have a better chance of winning the game.

Let’s bring statistics into the equation. It has been observed that most of the players who end up on the winning side play about 18 – 22% of the hands. If you’re new into the world of poker, you simply need to understand that you should be playing a maximum of 15 – 20 rounds in the entire session. Look at it this way. If your opponents play about 45% of their hands and you play anything between 20 – 25%, you should normally have a major advantage in each of those hands. However, the importance of blinds should not be diminished either.

Another factor that vastly influences the percentage of hands you should play is whether the game is played in a passive or an aggressive manner. There are a number of hands that can hardly be termed as playable the moment someone raises the pot. A raise normally indicates that your opponents have anything between above average – excellent hands. This considerably reduces your own odds of winning.

Remember, the more sessions you play, the more experience you gain. And the more experience you gain, the more rounds you should be able to play. And as most pros like to put it, the number of hands you play should actually depend on your own skill levels. The more advanced you are, the more hands you can play and succeed in.

What is the House Edge?

Casinos are known to be so many things. Some consider them to be a place to have fun, some consider them to be a place where they can get rid of their anxieties and worries and some consider them to be a place where they can hone their gambling skills and make some money in the process. Irrespective of what you believe the casino to be, you should understand that it is the duty of the casino to try and extract as much money as they can from their customers and still send them home with a smile on their faces.

The process of extracting money is not even close to what you would call cheating. In fact, most games offered by the casino have an inbuilt profit system that allows the casino to profit a certain percentage of each bet. The process that allows the casino to pocket a part of the bet money is known as the house edge.

A house edge, also known as the casino advantage, refers to the difference between the true odds and the odds that the players are offered on each win. For example, you bet a total of $100 in a game that offered $100 upon winning. The probability of winning or losing in case of true odds would be 50-50. Therefore, the players could expect a total of $100. However, while playing in casinos, players might only be offered with a return of $95. The $5 retained by the casino represents the house edge, which would be 2.5% in this case.

The entity that controls the play of the game and sets the rules of gambling is called the house. The house makes its money by enjoying a winning advantage which is built into each and every game that it offers. Some games might have a lower house edge while others might have a higher house edge. The higher the house edge, the lower the chances of winning. For all purposes, the house edge for a set of games can be determined as the ratio of the money lost by players with respect to the total money wagered.

Different games have different payouts and different calculations for determining the house edge. A few games that are actually based on the skill of the player include video poker and blackjack. If a player manages to play these games with proper strategies, they can actually expect a positive return. Therefore, the casino enjoys a very small house edge in this case. On the other hand, if a player spent time playing the slots, they would have to deal with a clear house edge that would force them to forfeit a certain percentage of each bet to the casino.

The lowest house edge is always offered by online casinos as they can operate on the lowest possible margins due to their lack of infrastructure costs, lower staffs, cost benefits, lesser overheads and lesser utilities. This allows them to retain a greater percentage of their revenues and thereby offer their players with a lower house edge so that more players win at their games. And simply put, the more the number of winners, the more the number of players who get attracted to the casino. And, the more the number of players, the more the revenue earned by the online casino.

Food items that can help you with online gambling

Whether you believe it or not, online gambling ultimately boils down to luck and probability. Now you might not believe in luck in the cosmic sense, but you do admit that there are days when you feel like you have won a lot more while gambling online compared to most other days. Let’s just take these days to be lucky for you for argument’s sake. Now, you might not believe in luck and might just tone down these acts to random acts of nature, but there are a few individuals who go out of their way to ensure that their luck never dwindles. In fact, a few people are also known to believe that there are certain food items which can help you increase your luck while gambling online.

Eating your lucky meal
As they state, fortunes favours the brave and the prepared. You need to figure out the food items that bring you the most happiness and define them as a part of your lucky meal. Remember, being happy allows you to create your own luck and if you don’t believe in these sort of things, simply believe in the fact that it always helps to be happy and satisfied before you gamble online.

Keeping cinnamon also helps
A common superstition is to keep a stick of cinnamon in one’s wallet or purse to ensure that there is a steady income and prevent sudden financial setbacks. Well, how far it actually helps can be debated, but it surely allows you to make your money and your credit cards smell nice.

Common food items that people eat to bring luck
According to many, there are a number of food items that can actually help gamblers to increase their luck. Some of these items include dairy products, soy protein, egg whites, fish and game meat. As funny or weird as this sounds, you can find numerous instances of people vouching for the fact that they fared much better at online gambling after eating one or more of these items. Luckily for the logic freaks, studies have come up with a logical explanation for this superstition. It is believed that all such items contain an amino acid known as Tryptophan. Tryptophan is particularly useful in increasing the level of serotonin in a person’s brain that helps to get rid of anxiety and depression. Simply put, having food items which are rich in Tryptophan help you to feel lighter and happier, which ultimately brings forward the notion of feeling lucky.

Lucky food

Lentils are also known to bring in luck
Many people also believe that having Lentils right before you sit down to gamble is also considered to bring immense luck. No doubt that this superstition comes from the fact that Lentils are considered to be good luck charms for improving finances and many people in Brazil eat lentils as their first meal of the New Years to ensure a year of prosperity and happiness.

Double your luck
If you’re looking to try out one or more of these foods, you should look at trying to double your luck. Basically, you need to ingest your tryptophan rich food items along with carbohydrates in order to substantially increase the benefits of Tryptophan. Therefore, instead of dairy products, you could try out a grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of having fish, why not order for a pizza with extra anchovy toppings. Not only does this help you to try out these funny ways of increasing your luck, it also helps you to double it and prevent yourself from looking like a fool.

Online versus offline poker

Play poker like a man!

In the past few years, we witnessed an impressive increase in the number of websites offering their users the chance to compete one another at online poker tables and in online poker championships. Such websites are trying their best to imitate the environment you would find in an actual casino, from the way in which tables are displayed by their software to the sheer diversity of game types and bank rolls available.

The main advantage online poker offers players is the fact that you can play from the comfort of your home. You do not have to sit on the same chair for hours on end, and you can always get up and make yourself a sandwich or get yourself a beer. It is something which appeals to many players who would otherwise need to waste hours preparing and traveling to a nearby casino.

Another advantage is the fact that unlike a regular casino, online casinos have unlimited game tables. Gone are the days when you would travel to a casino just to notice that all the tables are full. Furthermore, online casinos are always open and you can play as much or as little as you want. The tables run a wider range of games, and this allows you to change the game if you get bored of playing just one variety of poker, as well as expand your knowledge and learn new, fun games.

Online poker is also more beginner-friendly. Most online casinos allow players to gamble using play money, a website virtual currency devoid of any financial value. This gives gamblers a chance to learn more about the game and test their skill and luck against others without actually losing money. Once a player has decided he wants to try his luck at live tables, he can choose one of the many low bank roll tables and play there until he feels prepared to go to higher blind tables, a process which helps everyone to learn at their own pace and also save money.

Unlike regular casinos, where anybody can recognize you, in an online casino you are identifiable through an username and an avatar. This element of anonymity gives many a boost in confidence, and makes communication, socializing and, implicitly, learning, much easier for everyone. Furthermore, it makes things easier because there are no tells in online poker. Only bet patterns differentiate between the amateurs and the pros at the tables.

Online poker games are very fast paced by comparison to regular poker games. The number of hands played has been maximized by not needing to shuffle, deal, move chips, and other actions who add up to a few extra minutes in every offline poker hand.

We hope that you agree with us when we say that online poker is a great choice for many players. We encourage you to give it a shot, particularly if you’re just learning the game or if patience is not one of your qualities.

How to enjoy Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em is a very competitive game. At times, it can become quite frustrating as well. It’s a game of chance after all, and the outcome of a hand is often unclear even after the river has been dealt.
No matter why you play it, poker should be first of all about fun. And this is why we have prepared a ‘To do list’ to help you enjoy poker the way you should!

1. Master the rules
You need to know the rules of the game you are playing. If you are a beginner, it might be a good idea to look for strategies and tips; the Internet has all the information you are looking for. Help things go smoothly by paying attention to what is going on at the table and by doing all the thinking before it’s your turn to act.

2. Be prepared to lose
Like everyone else, you most likely enter a game hoping to win. Still, you should also be prepared to lose. A good idea is to simply consider the money you are playing as the cost for a fun night out. That way, if you are going to lose you’re not going to feel too sad about it, and if you are going to win it’s going to be an even more pleasant surprise.

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3. Positive attitude!
It doesn’t matter if you are winning or not. Maintain an open posture and a smiling face. Don’t sit on your chair looking angry, and don’t get upset over other players’ style of playing. You are there, first and foremost, to have an enjoyable time. If you win, act friendly toward the other players; perhaps invite them for a drink. Next time it could be you in their place. If you lose, congratulate the winner. Whether it was luck or skill, he did better than you this time.

4. Learn new games
If you play for fun, then why not take a look at other varieties of poker? Maybe you will find another one, beside Texas, which you like just as much. There are many fun poker variations which you can learn and then perhaps play them at home with your friends.

5. Be nice to the casino staff
Casino staff is often overworked and underappreciated. Remember that it’s not their fault if you lose, but that it doesn’t hurt to show generosity if you win. Don’t hesitate to spark up a conversation with the dealer at your game table. You might just realize he’s got some interesting things to say.

These good advices can help you have a fun time at the casino even if you don’t win. Gambling is all about the adrenaline rush and having fun, and the sooner we remember it, the more we’ll enjoy our time at the table.

WSOPC 2014 To Set Up A New Record Of Participation And Prizes.

World Series of Poker is an international circuit of poker tournaments, open to any player over 21 years of age. The yearly circuit offers a total sum of prizes of $200m, so as you can see, it’s one of the most important poker events in the world, and one of the events that gathers more attention and media coverage.

This year 2104 it will be the 45th edition, and the organizers have just announced the calendar. So pay attention, maybe you should start checking for flight tickets. The WSOP main event, taking place in May 2014 will see a winner of over $10m plus the classic diamond ring.

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One of the classic tournaments id the Annual Poker Extravaganza, organized since 1970. It takes place since the last 10 years at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, and due to this jubilee, the winner will walk away with $10m prize, plus way more other prizes.

During the year circuit, a total of 65 winners will get one of the famous diamond rings. Last year it was 62, so the amount keeps increasing, and so does the circuit.

According to WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart, the organization expects 2014 to beat all the records in participation and prizes, setting a new bar in Poker tournaments. Mr Stewart also declared that the event is not just about poker, but there are many side events, so even if Poker is not your main hobby, you can always find interesting activities to keep yourself entertained.

ESPN and ESPN2 will cover the main events, so even if you can not attend, but are interested in checking one of the events marked in red in the poker calendars, you will still have the chance to follow it through TV and internet.

The event has also a social side, and for the last years they have partnered with One Drop, a charity trying to make water accessible for all citizens in the world. All winners will have the chance to donate 1% of their prizes to this charity. During the last 2 editions, in 2012 and 2013, $12m were donated to this cause by the tournament winners.

Bulgaria To Open Borders To Online Poker

Bulgaria has been the last European country to legalize online gambling, and is starting to grant licenses to the first operators. As today, some of them already got the license, for instance PokerStars.

For the online gambling operators, Bulgaria is a very interesting market, since it is very passionate to gambling and specially poker. And one of the best poker players, Dimitar Danchev, is actually from Bulgaria. He won the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure last year in 2013.

So far, the Bulgarian State Gambling Commission (SGC) has declared that this is just a testing period, and they want to check how the situation will evolve. The gambling industries have been pushing for quite some time in order to get licenses, and now that the first ones have been given, they want to start operating as soon as possible. However, it will take some time until Bulgarian society realize that the market has started to open. During some time, they will probably think they are playing illegally, until the situation is clarified.

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Actually, most of the online gambling operators are still blacklisted, although the authorities have promised they will solve this situation soon.

Bulgarian government aims with this new legislation changes to end with all forms of clandestine and criminal gambling, which has been increasing in the past years considerably, to become a security issue for police and armed forces. Fighting against these mafias was a priority, and this will hit them badly, government expects.

So, if you are from Bulgaria, it’s just a matter of time that you will be able to play poker freely in your favorite online poker rooms. And if you are from some other country that still hasn’t open the market, we expect this gives you hopes and soon one day you will be able to play as well.