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Big Denny, as usual, was in a foul mood. “Look at dis joint,” he grumbled, waving his hand at a nearly deserted Barstow Card Casino. “It’s as empty as … as …”

“As empty as the pan section on a Jewish holiday,” I said, helpfully completing his thought.

“Yeah, dat’s right,” Big Denny replied, not really understanding the witticism. “Boy, you sure got a way wit’ words, Maxey. Too bad da best ya kin do wit’ all dat talent is ta write fer peanuts fer dat cheapskate poker magazine.”

“Oh, it’s not all that bad,” I said defensively. “Sometimes we get nice bonuses and stuff.”

“Yeah, like what?” Big Denny asked.

“Well, I once got a swell tee shirt for Christmas.”

Oh, yeah, da one dat said, ‘Advertise in Card Sbobet88 Player.’ Dat Barry Shulman is a real philantropolis. Anyway, dat’s your problem. Mine’s gettin’ more customers into da casino. Kin ya figger out anyt’ing dat might stand improvement here?”

What wouldn’t? I thought to myself. The place hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned, much less redecorated, since the War of 1812. It was a snatch joint, with dealers paid a percentage of whatever they grabbed out of the pots. The cards were marked, the staff were all thuggish ex-cons, and any player who miraculously made a big score was lucky to make it alive to his car.

“Well,” I offered hesitantly, “you might try to improve the buffet a bit.”

Big Denny bristled. “Our Four-Star Buffet? What’s wrong wit’ it?”

“Well, for one thing, admissions to the emergency room went up 50 percent after it opened. For another, the only items I’ve ever seen you offer were meatloaf and mashed potatoes.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, it so happens dat our executive chef, Fingers, was da head cook at San Quentin fer five years, until his parole. Took me a while ta break him of da habit of addin’ saltpeter to da food, though,” Denny grinned. “Hey, lemme introduce ya ta him an’ maybe ya could give him some ideas.”

I was not terribly anxious to meet chef Fingers, but Denny grabbed my arm and hustled me into the kitchen. I staggered back as the aroma of rotting meat, rancid cooking oil, and garbage from an overflowing can washed over me. Rat droppings spattered the floor, and a cockroach the size of a small hamster insolently trotted away from us. On the wall, The Barstow Department of Health had posted a list of about 50 sanitation violations, which, it was obvious, nobody had bothered to read.

“Maxey, shake hands with Fingers Finnegan, our executive chef,” Big Denny told me.

Fingers was even more ape-like than Big Denny, if such a thing were possible. His long hairy arms were covered with tattoos, and his apron was covered with stains. Shaking hands with him was no easy task, either, since he had only two digits on each hand, the result of his ineptitude with a carving knife.

“Maxey says dat yer chow stinks,” Denny announced diplomatically.

Fingers’ eyes narrowed, and I saw his hand inching toward a butcher knife. How do I keep getting into these situations? I asked myself in panic.

“My grub stinks, huh?” Fingers growled menacingly. “Would it be askin’ too much to be a little more specific, punk?”

“I never said any such thing, Mr. Finnegan,” I protested. “I only suggested a bit more variety, to perhaps make the buffet a little less, well, a little less boring.”

“BORING!?” Fingers screamed, as my life flashed before my eyes. “You … you … brute! Oh, my heavens, I’ve never been so humiliated in my entire life,” he sobbed, dabbing at his eyes with his two fingers. “And as for you, Mr. Big Denny, you can just go and find yourself another executive chef!”

With that, Fingers tossed his filthy apron into the soup kettle and stormed out the door.

Big Denny glared at me. “Now ya really done it, Maxey. Ya better find me a new chef by the weekend or else I’m gonna sit on yer head till it hatches.”

Frantically thinking, I remembered that my friend Pierre le Tutu, the French fashion designer, was an avid amateur cook. He had some free time until his next line came out, so I decided to phone him to see if he could fill in for a while.

“Barstow?” le Tutu said suspiciously. “Where is zat?”

“Oh, it’s a very cosmopolitan town,” I assured him. “The folks here would just adore your French cuisine.”

Le Tutu drove up in the morning and spent the next few days assembling exotic ingredients and bustling furiously in the kitchen. “Dis better work,” Denny told me threateningly. “In two days, dat guy spent more on food den I spend in two months.”

Posters had been put up all over Barstow to announce the grand re-opening of Big Denny’s Four-Star Buffet, presided over by the world-famous French chef, Pierre le Tutu. At 6 p.m. the buffet opened, and a crowd of curious, overall-clad farmers shuffled in. At the entrance, le Tutu stood beaming alongside the opening menu he had proudly posted:

“Caramelized breast of guinea hen, stuffed with baby Brussels sprouts, pine nuts, and Belgian truffles, served with a light cream of asparagus dressing and garnished with wild arugula.”

The farmers stared blankly at the menu and gaped at the food as if it had just come from Mars.

“Sorta looks like fried chicken they forgot to bread,” one commented, scratching his head.

“Wouldn’t eat that dang stuff if they paid me,” another declared.

“Where the hell’s the meatloaf?” a third farmer demanded.

As the customers shook their heads and streamed out, an angry Pierre le Tutu began walking toward me from one direction while an even angrier Big Denny came at me from another. I bolted out the door and ran into the parking lot, where Fingers Finnegan, who had been staking me out, joined the chase. Dodging curses, meatloaf, and carmelized breast of guinea hen, I barely made it to my car and took off for the freeway at high speed.

And that, dear readers, marked the end of my stint as a restaurant critic.

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Investors in the United States who wish to trade Bitcoin without having to buy the cryptocurrency have been given another route to the top-ranked virtual currency via Bitcoin Exchange Traded Notes (ETN).

Details of the Bitcoin ETN

According to Bloomberg, starting Wednesday American investors will now have access to Bitcoin Tracker One, and BTC ETN and Crypto Gambling. The product which runs under the CXBTF ticker will be quoted in U.S. dollars. However, the clearing and settlement of the trade will be in Krona and Euro since the product is listed and regulated in Sweden.

The ETN is issued by XBT Provider, a subsidiary of CoinShares. The company developed the product in 2015. In July 2018, Amsterdam-based EU speed trading behemoth, Flow Traders became the first company to participate in the BTC ETN market.

For Americans, trading is this particular Bitcoin ETN is like purchasing a U.S. depository receipt in that a foreign-listed asset is denominated in U.S. dollars. Commenting on the ETN, CEO of Coinshares, Ryan Radloff said:

Everyone that’s investing in dollars can now get exposure to these products, whereas before, they were only available in euros or Swedish krona. Given the current climate on the regulatory front in the U.S., this is a big win for Bitcoin.

ETN Might Represent a Soft Opening for Bitcoin ETF

The introduction of BTC ETN trading capability in the United States could be seen as a soft opening for the much sought after Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). The SEC has far remained unmoved in its reticence concerning issuing approval for any BTC ETF.

Recently, the Commission denied the Winklevoss twins’ ETF application while postponing its decision on the VanEck/SolidX, as well as the Direxion filings. According to the SEC, issues relating to liquidity, custodial tools, and price manipulation haven’t been sufficiently addressed.

ETNs and ETFs are similar in some respects as they provide an opportunity to invest in an asset without actually owning the asset. Such a trading avenue seems perfect for cryptocurrencies given their price volatility. However, a few subtle differences exist between the two. Rather than being an asset pool, ETN is more like a debt instrument that is backed by a bank or any other recognized issuing institution.

Do you think the Bitcoin ETN will gain traction in the American market? Keep the conversation going in the comment section below.

Ethereum Price Falls Below $300 as Cryptocurrency Market Tumbles – Crypto ICO Report NEWS13 Total viewsNo comments

The price of Ethereum has fallen below $300 as the cryptocurrency market enters a more intense bearish pullback. Except for Tether, all other top ten coins have experienced significant negative price movements within the last 24-hour trading period.

Ethereum Tumbles 17 Percent

Ethereum, the second-ranked cryptocurrency according to market capitalization sunk to its lowest 2018 valuation on Monday afternoon UTC. ETH has not traded below $300 since the start of November 2017. At press time, ETH has dipped more than 17 percent to take its 2018 decline to 60 percent.

The decline in the price of ETH is being attributed to the disillusionment of ICO investors. The sheer number of ICO exit scams and the amounts being siphoned by these pump and dump schemes has created negative sentiments in the ETH market.

Ethereum, the preferred platform for most ICO projects benefited from this fact reaching above $1,000 in February 2018. At the time, BTC was declining below $6,000. However, the tide seems to have turned as many of the ICO projects that generated interest in ETH, driving up its price have begun to cash out to cover expenses. Thus, the ETH is is starting to slide. Commenting on the issue, BloomWater Capital chief, Biswas Das said:

These startups are raising a lot of funds, but they don’t have treasury management or enough cash management experience, so they’re selling too early and causing a lot of pressure in the market. It was fine last year, but right now, the market is so fragile that it causes a lot of pressure.

The general bearishness perhaps exacerbates the ETH decline in the market occasioned by stricter regulations and the slow pace of institutional adoption. Experts believe that projects aren’t done cashing out and thus predict even more pain for ETH investors as prices sink even lower.

Bitcoin Dips More than 20 Percent in August as Altcoins Continue to Bleed

Bitcoin briefly slipped below the $6,000 mark in the early morning on Tuesday (August 14, 2018). The top-ranked cryptocurrency is now back above $6,000 at the time of writing this article. BTC has dropped more than 20 percent in August eroding most of the gains accrued in July. Bitcoin’s year-to-date decline now stands at 57 percent.

Positive sentiments leading up to the SEC’s decision on numerous ETFs drove prices up to $8,400 in late July. However, the Commission has either rejected or delayed approving the various filings brought before it. The consensus is that an SEC-approved Bitcoin ETF in 2018 is highly unlikely.

The altcoin market, in general, appears bleak as well with prices depreciating significantly. Cardano leads the decline in the top ten, falling more almost 20 percent within the last 24 hours. Outside the top ten, Ethereum Classic has been unable to maintain its upward price trajectory after a raft of platform adoptions. The 13th-ranked cryptocurrency is currently down by more than 19 percent in the last 24 hours.

How low do you expect the price of Ethereum to reach in this current decline? Keep the conversation going in the comment section below.…

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Ketika bermain judi slot joker123, seorang pemain juga mempunyai peluang untuk mendapatkan banyak sekali PROMO BONUS menarik. Bahkan pemain juga berpeluang untuk memenangkan PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT yang disediakan. Jadi seandainya Anda ingin cepat menjadi jutawan baru, silahkan bergabung dan bermain judi slot Online bersama Joker123.

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Technology plays a massive role in our lives these days. With the help of technology, we can connect to any corner of the world, and all we need to have is the internet. That is how people are looking for the best webhost for web hosting to make their website. There are different types of web hosting, and with that, the aspirant of the website can decide the kind of service and how they are going to make it.

It depends on easy web hosting and the types of it. So go on and check five types of web hosting,

1. Shared web hosting: It is hosting when so many websites are running on a shared server. There are so many companies that provide shared hosting services, and many new sites are fond of this type too. The reason can be because it is cheaper and it can still offer better service than free ones.
2. Dedicated hosting: It is a managed hosting, and it is on the dedicated server. One can get an entire server on rent and use it on the basis they like to. They can have as much traffic they want, and generally, it is for the websites that already have a lot of traffic so that they don’t find it too expensive.
3. VPS hosting: It is known as virtual private servers, but it is also known as virtual dedicated servers. It is an excellent option if someone wants to step up from the shared hosting because one can make the customization that they want that was impossible in the shared one.
4. Cloud: This one has become famous. It can be a very reliable and very affordable one. It has an infinite number of disk spaces, and one can have so many domains on this one too. It is famous for a reason only, because it seems the best of the technology and gives better opportunities.
5. Reseller: In this one, the operator uses their account and can allot their space to host another website. It is beneficial if the space that one has purchased is of no use and the other one can have great use of it, and the original owner will still get income from it.

These are the different types of web hosting, and anyone can use them based on their preference. Have a thorough knowledge about them from a webhost and get to have the advantages.

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As I’ve already talked about a number of of the options or professionals of A2 Internet hosting as in comparison with some other net hosts that can be found. Keep clear of on-line world hosts that working expertise recurrent outages. However over the previous few years, A2 internet hosting has modified its coverage from 30 days to anytime cash-again assure and it’s working greatest for its clients. When you intend to run a number of web sites in your one internet hosting account the StartUp plan must be a no-no. Speaking about points, even when you run into any form of challenge, A2 Internet hosting is all the time there that can assist you out. A2 Internet hosting additionally gives Limitless Bandwidth and disk house to its prospects. And therefore, it gives its prospects an uptime of 99.9%, which is basically good. A2 presents lots of internet hosting options that work collectively to supply its prospects with the better of the market. The A2 Internet hosting servers are protected by HackScan, a safety characteristic that screens the web site 24/7. This makes the A2 Internet hosting webpage some of the safe web sites and the shoppers don’t even have to fret about malware and any viruses affecting the web site.

You shouldn’t have to fret about upgrading the storage area and the bandwidth to any increased one as soon as your web site begins getting visitors. Probably the greatest options of A2 Internet hosting is the free site migration that’s offered. Furthermore to the purpose, one of the best website hosting reviews has no less than one thing distinctive providers to supply to carry on the beat of the competitors. Month-to-month value comparisons listed on this web page are primarily based on 1-12 months time period renewal value divided by 12 months, and are unique of coupon/promo codes or restricted time/introductory provide reductions.

†Cheap net host firm month-to-month value comparisons listed on this web page are primarily based on the 1-12 months time period renewal worth divided by 12 months, and are unique of promo/coupon codes or introductory/restricted time provide reductions. And like InMotion, Arvixe doesn’t supply cloud internet hosting. The free site migration depends upon the kind of internet hosting plan that you’re at present hooked as much as. 1&1 Starter Plan doesn’t help WordPress. Should you run into any kind of difficulty, you may get a refund anytime for the quantity of plan you might be subscribed to and is unused.…

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What is more, Tailwind App also can aid you on Pinterest so they are fantastic if your efforts are all based about Pinterest and Instagram. They may reveal to you the outcome of the involvement they are performing for you you are able to know just where your money is about. They understand we have other significant elements of running an effective Instagram accounts (even though you purchased the accounts ), but in addition they don’t wish to dismiss the value of optimizing your articles at the perfect moment. You may also link it up to anyplace on the internet and publish it, although not only can you design anything you desire with Canva. They’ve organically and an engine which could help you develop your account. Suppose you have a chef and staff, but you’re not active on social networking and you started a restaurant or state Instagram.

Even in the event that you don’t have a fantastic deal of expertise in relation to networking websites, you’re likely to discover that Instagram has a interface which you’re likely to learn to utilize efficiently until you know it. That is Buy instagram impression provides some editing programs and presets that you can optimize those pictures and ensure that your content is as great as it might be. There is A fantastic approach to provide comments to others that upload videos and humbly ask your content to be watched by them. But there is no way to observe all of Instagram opinions. The VSCO program is a program you would like to shoot over your Instagram when you are dead set on getting to be one of the very prosperous creators on the market. Helps develop advertising channels: Therefore it is paramount that you buy Instagram followers in case you want to grow other marketing options.

You are able to opt to obtain followers out of the worldwide market or a crowd, based upon your goods or articles. I was disappointed with Icon’s merchandise and has been decided to give it a chance. It is said they are reliable by over 200,000 brands and agencies and you might also begin for free without having to give them your credit card information. Listed below are the steps to utilize this instrument. They need to understand your market is developing, also, so that they can concentrate on the areas which are lacking a little bit also as well as these areas of growth.…

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Research in Track Maven discovered that articles with 11 hashtags have a tendency to acquire more involvement. In regards to deciding on the hashtags to your articles, it is ideal to do your search and determine that which hashtags individuals in your niche are using and that are very active. So it is important when your content is likely to find the involvement to post at the times. What time if you place to Instagram? To post frequently with Instagram, we now program Instagram reminders from Buffer our Instagram advertising applications. A research by Union Research found that many manufacturers bill into Instagram. According to the information, there are 200 million Instagram users that will stop by a company profile. Are you stressed about your accounts being banned? As you aren’t currently doing something wrong. By way of instance, we have discovered our very best time in Buffer will be 11:00 a.m.

The analysis also discovered – which was very interesting – there wasn’t any correlation between frequency and reduced engagement manufacturers that posted over twice daily did not find any results. They are the trick to driving greater participation, like a fantastic headline in advertisements. When you’ve determined the frequency in which you’d love to post to Instagram and your articles themes, one of the greatest approaches to ensure you stick to your plan is to create a content calendar that tracks if and which articles will probably be shared. Best Tip: In case you’d like to avoid adding hashtags for your caption, then you may include hashtags as opinions. The newest uses captions to communicate a voice which their buyers could relate. The buy insta story views are a terrific illustration of how to utilize Instagram captions. Our advice here would be to target to post at least one time daily on experimentation and Instagram with posts to discover what works better for you personally.

Our hunch here’s the algorithm can determine this post should appear near the top of your follower’s feeds of Instagram. Together with the current modification into an algorithmic timeline of Instagram, timing has become among several components contemplated by the algorithm when it determines what material to reveal. When the algorithm of Instagram will probably soon realize your narrative is gaining involvement it will urge your article to other customers as a recommendation. It may be far better deal with these practices as recommendations and instances to check out as the very ideal time change from profile to profile and to post can depend on a bunch of factors.

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Mikumi looks like the Serengeti concerning landscape and boasts buffaloes, zebras, elephants, eland, gnu antelope, baboons, giraffes and wildebeest. Aside from those, rhinos and buffaloes can be observed from the start. But a tip from us if you do exactly the Kenya expansion, you visit Lake Nakuru, and it is famous that it’s black and white rhinos which were introduced into the playground to help bring the population back. Revel in the opportunity to experience an abundance of wildlife, and that usually means you are more inclined to spot leopards, lions, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes, compared to. 1 Mount Sinai instructor is demonstrating what a huge difference we could make if we talk about the riches. So you have to view all of the giants from the Earth within one hour. During this period, weather states are for hiking to see mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and game safaris in the parks, good.

Scroll down and find out where you can all go to enjoy the Xmas in South Africa. The Kruger Park is united with Cape Town in the country’s south to offer a whole safari encounter. To learn more, you may go to the Kruger Park site that is official. The python is just one of the snakes in of the planet and with great reason. Who are the Maasai? Most parks in South Africa provide opportunities they enable one to find the experience with Africa’s Big Five. From intoxicating ferocious beasts roaming untamed and free, the game pushes, into the most special landforms to purify the eyes nothing beats the delight of an African safari.

Your African Kenya lion country safari at the greatest safari lodging! Our household safari excursions are fascinating for us as they are for your children luxury safaris in Africa. The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a unique safari experience because the majority of luxury lodges are made close to the northwest and channels of the delta that is sublime. Those cats have been HUGE! The flight period in Cape Town to Kruger is approximately 3 hours. Our Tanzania Day excursion provides a chance to go through the crazy and beguilement discovering in Tanzania at the time period that is specified. This creates a unique Xmas encounter with exceptional offerings such as a mokoro (traditional canoe) blossom across the banks of this delta. So keep and place a number of them. You will notice plenty of animals with this safari. You are going to eat the sport which you take on this Xmas. Since the book is filled to near capacity over this period, you won’t lack action.

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1. It aided ease my own period indicators.

I’ve never possessed really painful periods, normally some mild to reasonable cramping in the start but nothing curbing. Then, a few many months ago, my spouse and I commenced receiving wrenching, fetal-position-inducing cramps upon the first moment involving my cycle. I actually were unsatisfied with the idea of taking a crazy amount of NSAIDs in a day time just to keep the particular pain under control, which is what guided everyone to start taking CBD Hemp Oil about the full week before my period has been due.

Those thirty days my cramps were significantly much less intense (which I’m certain is due to several factors), however my spouse and I decided to consider a new dose of the particular oil instead of two Advil and see what occurred. It took aside my cramping pains within 30 minutes, the same like the typical over-the-counter soreness pill. I would certainly say I became surprised, yet I was genuinely wishing it would work plus was overjoyed when that did.

The idea associated with having an all-natural product I can take to assistance manage pain is definitely big. I’ve tried heating parts, essential oils, plus soothing teas, but this particular is a thing that actually, tangibly helps plus lets everyone go about my personal day time without pain. Whoa.

Minimal payments it helped me deal with anxiousness.

The ideal way my partner and I can explain the obvious difference within this region is always that CBD Hemp Oil diffuses of which knotted tense feeling in my gut. As a relatively stressed person—especially in big teams or unknown social scenarios (I. e., a great deal of the time)—taking CBD oil has allowed me to shed that a bit. It gives I an even more calm, “I’ve got this” kind of sensation that can definitely create a difference.

I’m not usually some sort of tense flier, but on a recent journey My partner and I acquired received some important email messages right before boarding often the plane, which sent my thoughts spiraling. Plus I possessed a middle seat that is stressful for an individual who drinks as much water as I do. So We took the couple involving tinctures’ worth of my own CBD oil after a good little while, I felt more enjoyable and was in a position to relax out with a good book throughout the particular flight.

3. This made it easier for me sleep.

My own sleep is kind of unpredictable, with weeks at some sort of time filled with wonderful rest and others riddled with arbitrary 3 a new. Wakeups as well as some sort of serious case connected with overactive bedtime brain (is now there an acronym because of this still?). I commenced bringing CBD oil together with my evening tea leaf about an hour before bed and five associated with the seven nights I actually did that, I experienced outstanding sleep. It’s hard to declare whether this oil did it, nevertheless I’ve heard other folk’s record that it really helps associated with sleep.

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CBD engine oil is one involving the newest, hottest, yet one of the oldest health treatments around at present. Cannabidiol, or maybe CBD seeing as it has become acknowledged, is estimated to incorporate a plethora of health benefits but does not necessarily include THC. The chemical type THC makes people large and even is contained in weed. Therefore, what is CBD used for ordinarily? A few of the disorders of which can be served by using CBD petrol incorporate:

Plus, this nutritious fat provides relief without inducing the lethargy that solutions containing THC have throughout routine treatment or make use of. Neurological disorders such like PTSD, depression, and epilepsy likewise have been tested by us all federal using CBD like a good therapy option and found the idea to be effective for this kind of diseases. Plus, making use of this olive oil seems to be able to be safe for best men and women even from a relatively high dose. To get these purposes, select great oil that is CBD rich but includes little to no THC.

Cannabidiol Benefits

Cannabidiol benefits are many. That does not necessarily make you great if you are mindful enough to purchase this olive oil with little to be able to no THC. Several of the advantageous properties of this olive oil may include:

CBD Oil and Soreness and Pain

One particular of the best techniques that will CBD Hemp Oil minimizes discomfort is through cutting down irritation. Many related research show of which CBD together with hemp happen to be beneficial to get reducing soreness in lots of regions of the body. Nearly any part of this body that experiences soreness can benefit from the oil’s employ. From brain to the toes, getting CBD’s endocannabinoids have demonstrated an enhancement in inflammation levels around many clinical studies. Reducing inflammation can often lower problems levels, especially individuals in osteo arthritis and men and women living with rheumatoid osteoarthritis.…

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If you are brand-new to CTFO CBD oil, this guide can aid you in knowing extra regarding this item. CBD is brief for cannabidiol, which is a perfect item if you desire something to combat swelling and lots of various other untreatable problems. CBD can aid you to fight stress and anxiety, stress and anxiety, psychological inequalities, and gastrointestinal concerns, simply to name a few. Offered below are a few prominent health and wellness benefits of Cannabidiol. If you have a growth in your body, CBD can assist you in removing it. It ought to be taken with prescription medicines. The item decreases the development of growth cells in several cervical areas.

This oil is an efficient solution for the therapy of growths in the prostate and bust locations. Because this oil has anti-inflammatory residential or commercial properties, it is among the best representatives that can assist you in treating many problems that cause discomfort and swelling. The oil can assist in preventing the harmful impacts of extreme oxygen kinds and natural chemical glutamate in the brain cbd oil for sale ebay. Consequently, it can offer security for the brain cells. The antioxidant task of CBD is more than vitamin E or Vitamin C. Besides, the item can protect your brain cells from unsafe materials, such as toxicity from beta-amyloid. It can be a great treatment for people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s conditions.

Relieves Pain

If you or a person you know has seizures, CBD Hemp Oil can aid stop them. According to a study including a lot of kids with seizures, the regular use of this oil aided them to experience a decrease in the regularity of their seizures. In addition to this, the youngsters experienced a much better mood, raised awareness, and better sleep. Cannabidiol can aid deal with anxiety. According to many types of research, individuals who used this product experienced less discomfort while providing a public speech. Similarly, CBD decreased anxiousness activated by THC. Many researchers suggest that CBD ought to be utilized to treat persistent or persistent pain.

If they really felt relief from discomfort due to the usage of CBD, numerous experiments were conducted on rodents to locate out. And the outcomes declared. The rats revealed a decrease in neuropathic pain and persistent swelling. Apart from this, cannabidiol, if utilized with THC, can aid treat discomfort associated with many problems, such as cancer cells, sclerosis, and joint inflammation, to name a few. According to numerous experiments, CBD can aid give relief to people with nausea or vomiting. The researchers concluded that this oil could help reduce throwing up and queasiness caused by the misuse of drugs. Nevertheless, for these advantages, the dosage needs to in small amounts.…

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In hold’em, when you suspect an opponent might be bluffing, what’s the lowest hand with which you can call? In the big blind against a suspected blind steal, it may not be as much as you think.

In a $20-$40 hold’em game in Las Vegas recently, I was in the big blind. An extremely aggressive player sat two seats to my right. Everyone around the table folded to the aggressive player on the button, who made the expected raise to $40. The small blind folded. The next decision was up to me.

Much has been written about what it takes to call (or raise with) in this spot. When facing a suspected blind steal, it’s sometimes necessary to defend your blind, albeit selectively — or you’ll be identified as an easy target and get run over by aggressive players. Something told me the player raising my big blind didn’t really have much of a hand. In fact, the way that he thrust his chips forcefully into the pot convinced me that I wouldn’t need much of a hand to outplay him after the flop. I called.

The flop came rags, 8c 5h 3d. Although I didn’t have a pair, I considered tokyoslot88 betting-out and going for a steal. But I still wasn’t convinced that my opponent didn’t have a real hand. Before I could rap the table signaling my intent to check, the aggressive player reached quickly for his chips. From the way that he seemed to be so eager to bet, I was becoming increasingly more confident in what my first instinct had told me — that he was bluffing.

Then and there, I made a decision based purely on instinct. Barring unforeseen developments, I was going to play my hand all the way to the river. It appeared my opponent was aggressive enough to blast away at the pot all the way to the end in a desperate attempt to recover what he already had invested. If my assessment was correct, I didn’t want him going anywhere. Indeed, I wanted him to continue bluffing, with me hemming and hawing, playing the role of the hayseed tourist as though I was contemplating seriously whether or not to call his bet.

The turn paired the board. This presented some wonderful options for me. In standard game situations, when the board pairs, a bet or check-raise can be a very powerful play (even without three of a kind). However, I suspected my opponent was simply going to continue shoveling his money into the pot, which I would gratuitously accept — if my presumptions proved to be correct. He bet and I called.

The river was a blank.

I checked again, and sat completely still. I didn’t want to give my opponent any indication that I was fully prepared to call. Again, I wanted him to bet. Many players in this spot who are head-up against an opponent who is smooth-calling all the way to the river simply will check behind and reveal a hand. A bet, especially a forceful one coming from a very aggressive player, just screams, “I’m bluffing!” It’s the final act of desperation. The player bet and I called.

“I missed,” the player sadly announced as he turned up Q-10.

Suddenly, I felt like a proud peacock, swelling with pride. “King high,” I said, revealing K-9, which seemed to be a stunningly weak hand with which to be calling in a muscle game like $20-$40 hold’em. The other players at the table were in disbelief. The modest-sized pot was pushed to me. More important than the money won was the table image that I had established for the remainder of the session. The success of my bizarre play accomplished two things: First, the aggressive player on my right now would be neutralized and no longer would threaten to steal my blinds. Second, I had telegraphed mixed messages to the other players — that I was either a complete baffling idiot or a very solid player who shouldn’t be messed with, which — although contradictory — isn’t a bad image to have at any poker table.

Of course, my instincts just as easily could have been incorrect. Critics may even suggest that I was lucky. My decision to call down a pure bluff with K-9 would have been atrocious had I guessed wrong and the player shown me a real hand. Worse, he could have shown me a weak hand (such as a small pair or ace high), and I would have been forced to concede the pot and face embarrassment.

My blind defense raised interesting questions. Afterwards, I was eager to discover the long-term value (if any) of calling suspected steal attempts with relatively weak hands, based purely on mathematical principles. In other words, with how LOW a hand could I have called with in the previous scenario to ensure positive expectation? Could I have called my opponent down with any king high? What about a hand such as Q-J? Or, Q-2? What about J-10? As you are about to discover, hands that are playable in this spot (under the previous assumption, that the opponent is bluffing) may be surprising.

The following examples assume two things: (1) You are playing against a very aggressive opponent, and (2) The player must be capable of raising initially and running a bluff with any two cards. Otherwise, none of this applies. These conclusions do not apply when facing typical players, so-called “tourists,” or tight players. The recommendations apply only when playing against semi-sophisticated players and maniacs who are aggressive enough to consistently blast away at the pot. Since a fair number of middle-limit hold’em games around the country are comprised of players fitting this description precisely, the following recommendations are hardly inconsequential. In fact, calling down a suspected blind steal may be quite profitable if certain guidelines are examined carefully and selectively applied.

I consulted with J.P. Massar, who made the final table at the 1999 Tournament of Champions and has won and placed high in a number major events. Massar has as solid math credentials as any poker player I know. Massar noted that the calling requirements on the turn are stricter than those on the river (which is no surprise, since you will have to call two big bets to get a showdown). Therefore, Massar had to construct his examples in terms of calling on the turn, assuming a call on the river, instead of just in terms of a call on the river. Given the anecdote above, Massar reached some interesting conclusions:

The effective odds of calling a bet on the turn (assuming that my opponent will bet and I will call on the river 100 percent of the time) are $80 to win what’s in the pot now — which is $170, plus my opponent’s bet on the river of $40, or $210 total. The math says that one needs to win at least 28 percent of the time at the showdown to make a profit.

Suppose that the board on the turn is 8-5-3-5 (rainbow). Computer analysis shows that J-9 is enough of a hand to win at least 28 percent of the time!

Instead, suppose that the board on the turn is Q-8-7-3 (rainbow). Now, analysis shows that K-2 (that is, any king high) is good enough.

Suppose that my opponent is not a total maniac and will raise only initially with the best 70 percent of his hands instead of every single one. How does this affect the quality of hand that you need to make the call? In the 8-5-3-5 example, one needs a Q-7 (as opposed to J-9) to call him down. In the later Q-8-7-3 example, a K-9 (as opposed to any K) is good enough.

Note once again that these results are valid only when using the assumptions listed above. Furthermore, any particular board may present flush possibilities; the examples above use boards with no flushes possible on the river. If flushes are possible and you cannot make a flush, the quality of hand with which you need to call down will go up. Also, there are hands such as low straight draws with which it would be correct to call the turn but not the river if you miss.

Finally, I don’t claim that calling down with hands at least as good as the threshold hands given above is always the most profitable play, only that it is “profitable.” Betting or check-raising the turn or the river with some of the hands might turn out to be a better play than simply check-calling.

When it comes to giving or taking poker advice, every situation is unique. There is certainly no such thing as a situation in which it is 100 percent correct to make a “blind defense.” In most cases, when the bet is raised before the flop, it’s proper to give up the blind and wait for a better opportunity later, since you are placing money at risk and will be out of position throughout the hand.

But as you can see from my K-9 story, and probably from your own playing experience, you should be able to recognize the signs of a blind steal. It’s easy to run a bluff. It takes quite a bit more sophistication to call down a bluff and make the correct decision, based on good instincts combined with sound mathematical principles.

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Many casino games can be traced to antiquity; still others are associated with specific historical moments in time and place. Today’s casino game of Keno is one such, with its roots in Chinese prehistory and history, as well as having a specific historical significance for Americans. In China, a game very similar to Keno has been played for several thousand years—by emperors, warlords, merchants and peasants—even communists have been known to try to make some capital from picking “the numbers” although such activities are frowned upon by the party bosses (known in Chinese as party poopers). The name of the Chinese game was/is Kino.

In the 1800’s, when the American west was being conquered and then connected to civilization, and the railroads were being built, cheap labor was imported from China, and with it was also imported the game of Kino. It was so popular with the Chinese laborers that soon enterprising Americans, seeing the incredible profits that could accrue from winning said laborers hard-earned pay, took over the game, changed its name to Keno, and set up “Keno parlors” throughout the west. Keno was known as the “Chinese Lottery,” and like any lottery it was a boon to its owners and a bane to its players. At one time just about every town in the west had its Keno parlor.

Still, for those of you who enjoy playing lotteries, or local charity chance books, or if numbers are your thing, the casino game of Keno might hold some interest for you. It is indeed the equivalent of a lottery but much faster! You don’t have to wait a few days for the results, just a few minutes. Of course, like the lottery, Keno comes in with very high edges for the house—25 percent, more or less, depending on the casino where the UFA game is being played and the type of wagers being pursued.

The players’ tickets are numbered one through eighty. You can choose to play between one and twenty numbers on a given ticket. The numbers to be played are “X’ed” out in crayon (back to childhood we go!). To win a multi-number bet, you often don’t have to select all the numbers, just some of them. Here are some of the most popular betting options at Keno:

Types of Bets at Keno

• Straight Ticket: A player can mark one, two, or more numbers on a ticket.
• Split Ticket: Player can bet on two or more groups of numbers on a single ticket by circling the groups to be played.
• Way Ticket: Combining several groups of numbers on the same ticket.
• Combination Ticket: The player selects two or more groups of numbers and indicates how the groups are to be combined to form many tickets within one ticket.
• King Ticket: One number is selected to be used with all the other groups that have been indicated.
• Multi Race Ticket: This is a ticket that indicates that it will be played for two or more sessions in a row.

Sometimes I receive mailings from individuals who are selling systems to beat Keno. They claim that they have found patterns to the numbers that can be exploited by their “super-seven Keno buster” or their “Keno pyramid” method or their “ping-pong power play.” The costs of these systems are—to say the least—exorbitant. The claims of the systems are—to be frank—bogus. Is there a magical system for beating Keno? Sorry, no. The system sellers are scamming us. The Keno numbers are selected randomly, either by air-driven ping-pong balls (just like many state lotteries) or by computer. The fact that some numbers may have hit several times and other numbers may not have shown their faces for quite awhile is no indication that a number will continue to hit or is due to hit. Picking numbers is sheer guesswork.

So why play Keno? First, it offers a relaxing atmosphere. Keno lounges are usually pleasantly appointed places, with comfortable chairs. You can drink a cup of coffee, pick your numbers in a leisurely fashion, and not worry about other players telling you what to do or what not to do. Played properly for small stakes, Keno, even with its abominably high house edges, will not drain your gambling bankroll any time soon as it is the snail of casino games.

And like anything in life, there is a better or a worse way to approach a Keno game. Walter Thomason, in his excellent book 109 Ways to Beat the Casinos (Bonus Books, $13.95), gives some great advice when it comes to Keno. “Don’t select more than eight numbers on a straight ticket. The odds of hitting all eight are 230,000 to 1—but the odds of hitting all nine out of nine numbers are 1.3 million to 1! Bet way tickets rather than straight tickets. The odds are the same, but you’ll hit more payoffs.”

The 5-Step Keno Strategy

1. Play the minimum amount allowed, which is usually a dollar or two, as the house edge is very big at Keno—25 percent more or less. Luckily the game is slow, maybe one game per 6–10 minutes.
2. If you are betting on several numbers, always have them in some kind of small or large sequence as you’ll note how often numbers run in sequence (but the game is still random!). This can be done on “way” tickets as well.
3. Use Keno as a break from more adrenaline producing games when you want to stay in the action but you need a little rest from betting serious money.
4. Video Keno, while much faster than regular Keno, has much better paybacks—more like your typical slot machine. However, you can play video Keno so fast that the speed makes up for the decrease in the house edge. My advice is to stick with the slow game and relax, have a cup of coffee or read a paper between games.
5. Avoid betting the multi-race ticket. Don’t get caught up in Keno mania, the desire to hit your “lucky” numbers. Some people obsess that if they play the same numbers over and over, sooner or later these numbers will hit. They then fear not to play lest their numbers hit when they aren’t on them. To forestall Keno mania, don’t play the same combination of numbers all the time. Mix them up and try, do try, not to remember which numbers you played in previous games. Bet one game at a time only!

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The last two decades have witnessed an explosion in the number of poker books available to the aspiring player. This has significantly impacted the way poker is played in today’s casinos and card rooms. However, just because poker has grown like wild over the last several years doesn’t mean that the first poker book was written in 1979. One of these earlier books was A. D. Livingston’s Poker Strategy and Winning Play, written in 1971. This book was reprinted in 1991 as Poker Strategy. So, how does it compare to more recent works?

Overall, most of Livingston’s strategic advice is sound, including the admonition to play tight. Many of the concepts he writes about have been echoed by more contemporary authors, including his belief that bluffs should pay for themselves. That is, that Livingston believes that bluffing just for advertizing is a mistake. On the other hand, it will come as no surprise that some of his notions are very much dated. For example, the high-low split games discussed in this book never require a qualifier for low. Also, it’s amusing to hear Livingston talk about an exciting new form of poker called “Hold Me” played with two cards dealt down and five community cards dealt face up on the table. His advice on strategy for this game isn’t any good by contemporary standards, but even without a great deal of experience in the game, the author realized the importance of kickers, which shows some general understanding of the game in question.

The second section of the book covers mathematics. His introduction to determining event probabilities using combinations is reasonably well explained, but much of Livingston’s calculations aren’t very important in the ป๊อกเด้ง ไฮโล games that are commonly played today. The general focus of the book is not on the games that are typically found in the modern card room, but rather on home games. Therefore, determining the probabilities of events in Cincinnati or Deuces Wild Draw is on topic for the book, even if it won’t seem terribly relevant to most poker players.

The third section of the book is a description of many kinds of poker played in home games, including some brief strategic information about each game. Much of this would be pretty obvious to the veteran poker player, for example, that one should play awfully tight without the ace of spades in the hole if the game is Chicago. At the same time, some of it is insightful. Occasionally, the terminology used in the book may be a little confusing to people used to the vocabulary of contemporary poker literature. When speaking of games with community cards, Livingston refers to every round of betting in which a new card is exposed as a “turn”. As long as the reader is aware of this, it probably won’t be too distracting.

By today’s standards, nothing in Poker Strategy would be considered ground breaking. There are some strategic errors in the text, but at the time it was originally written it probably contained some of the better poker advice available in print. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, no updates have been made to the original printing. Poker Strategy might be useful to those players who either want some pointers on how to improve their chances when someone calls for Baseball in a home game, or if they want to learn about some different and unusual games they might want to play next Friday night. Poker book junkies might find this book an amusing read, but I believe that $15 is a little steep for a book that hasn’t been updated in over 30 years.

Capsule:

Poker Strategy is a reprint of A. D. Livingston’s 1971 book Poker Strategy and Winning Play. While the book shows its age, it does contain some insight, especially when it comes to the wilder varieties of poker often played in home games. There’s nothing fundamental in this book that isn’t repeated more carefully in the contemporary poker literature, but for those who just like to read poker books it can provide some entertainment.…

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Aspinalls.com – Kick back and enjoy Aspinalls.com wherever you are. Aspinalls.com is offering all new players who register and play at one of its two acclaimed online casinos between now and 5th November 2001 the chance to win a Dell Latitude L400 notebook and one of five PDAs.

With the lightweight, 1″ thick Dell Latitude L400 featuring Intel Pentium processor, the lucky winner can experience the excitement of a real world casino wherever they are. Alternatively, you could leave the desktop behind, and take the Internet with you with one of five Compaq iPAQT PDAs – a state-of-the-art package that allows you to read your e-mail, play digital audio and manage your affairs wherever you might be.

With over 26 classic games to choose from, Aspinalls.com offers players the choice of two casinos – London Casino and Caribbean Casino. The emphasis at the London Casino is on high-rolling table games, the maximum bet being $2000 – one of the largest online. The emphasis at the Caribbean Casino is on big jackpot slot machines, the maximum bet being $200.

Russell Foreman, CEO of Aspinalls Online plc – the first online-only casino business to be publicly traded – commented, “It’s all about choice, service and professionalism. As one of the most respected names in the casino industry, we wanted to give our members a choice of online casinos so that each person could choose the playing environment that best suited them.

“It’s also why we operate one of the best loyalty and rewards programmes around. The laptop and PDA free prize draw is just one of the many promotions we are running to add to the fun and excitement of playing at Aspinalls.com. These free prizes will also allow our international members to stay in contact with us no matter where they are.”

Aspinalls.com members currently come from over 200 countries. At present, players are able to play in 10 different currencies and collect their winnings in either US dollars, Sterling or Euros.

To join Aspinalls.com, visitors simply need to log on to www.aspinalls.com and install the software for the casino of their choice. The software can be downloaded directly from the site or installed from a free CD-ROM. The registration process then takes just a few minutes. To qualify for the Dell Latitude l400 notebook Compaq and iPAQT PDA promotion, newly registered members must deposit and play their first $50 before 5th November 2001.

Microgaming Comments on Departing Licensees

Microgaming – Microgaming advises that two of its operator groups have ceased using the company’s online casino software.

It is well known that Microgaming imposes very strict regulation on its operators. Microgaming’s service provides continuous upgrades and improvements, PricewaterhouseCoopers reports, and programs allowing the players maximum information, control, and protection of their play. New features incorporated in software about to be launched will enhance these advantages.

Microgaming software also provides some of the highest player jackpots in the online gaming industry.

Microgaming’s Roger Raatgever stated that since Microgaming is the largest supplier of Judi Online Terpercaya software, it is inevitable that the company will lose operators from time to time.

Microgaming is confident that its operators will continue to prosper and grow from the use of its unique software. Microgaming pledges to continue to play its part in providing its operators and players with software and services to ensure entertainment of utmost integrity, security, and pleasure.

Microgaming considers the key to its success to be the continuous development of innovative value added products, and the associated intellectual property. As a matter of general policy therefore, Microgaming also announces a standing reward of up to US$ 500,000 for information leading to the successful prosecution, civil or criminal, of any person or corporate entity that has pirated or unlawfully profited from its intellectual property.…

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Harold Mayne-Nicholls, whose technical report warned FIFA of the health risks associated with playing the 2022 World Cup in the heat of Qatar, has suggested evening kick-off times could be the solution.

Under the Chilean’s proposals, the tournament would begin a month earlier in May 2022 and games would kick-off at 7pm, 10pm and 1am local time to avoid the worst of the heat, or at least the sun.

In May the average temperatures for Qatar range from 27C to 39C (81F-102F) as opposed to between 29C and 42C (84F-108F) in June.

With Doha only one hour ahead of continental Europe, Judi Online advertisers and marketers could still cash in on television broadcasts at reasonable times, while the big US market would benefit from the switch from afternoon kick-offs in the Middle East.

On the east coast of America, games would start at noon, 3pm and 6pm, although the California market would have to make do with 9am, 12pm and 3pm.

The Far East would have a harder time, with kick-offs in Beijing at midnight, 3am and 6am, and in Japan one hour later.

While the FIFA Executive Committee is still expected to back a switch to the 2021 winter and potential clashes with the Winter Olympics, Superbowl and European soccer leagues, Mayne-Nicholls is angling for a challenge to President Sepp Blatter in next May’s FIFA elections.

To that end he has issued this proposal in the hope of attracting support in the run-up to the application deadline at the end of January 2015.

The controversy surrounding the decision to award the 2022 tournament to a country with little football heritage and extreme temperatures continues to rumble on, with FIFA reluctant to release Michael Garcia’s corruption report.

With no action on 2022 expected before the Spring of next year at the earliest, it appears as if FIFA is trying to delay as much as possible so that Qatar can start building infrastructure, which would reduce the likelihood of a switch of hosts.

But the inescapable issue of the searing heat of summer there, which Mayne-Nicholls rightly flagged up in his famously ignored report, remains an almighty headache for world football.

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Layne Flack’s reputation precedes him. The World Poker Tour describes Layne as “poker’s party boy” and “a dynamo in action.” The Travel Channel says he “plays an ultra-aggressive brand of poker.” Phil Hellmuth describes Layne as a “no-limit poker genius.”

One only need observe Layne for a moment to instantly witness an effervescent, chatty, intelligent, and refreshingly honest young man. Nearly everyone is aware of Layne’s nickname, “Back-to-Back Flack,” for his amazing feat of winning two coveted World Series of Poker bracelets back-to-back in no-limit hold’em events in 2002. He won the tournament’s first two no-limit hold’em events that year, topping fields of 449 and 528 players. The guy is relentless.

Growing Up

Layne was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, on May 18, 1969, and grew up mostly in Montana. He moved back to South Dakota to graduate from high school in 1987, and began working in a casino.

In 1991, he went back to college in South Dakota, and during the summers, he went to Deadwood, South Dakota, to deal cards. (Deadwood was made famous by the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane in the late 1870s.) Word has it that Layne was one of the best poker dealers ever.

A Taste of Poker

“In 1993, I met a girl and we moved to Reno. I played poker and won about $10,000 in a month. Then, I started playing bigger. I played in a no-limit tournament at the Reno Hilton and won it. I started winning, and it came easy to me.

“My daughter Hailey was born in 1995. I moved back to Montana with my girlfriend and my daughter. We moved to Bozeman, Montana, to open up a cardroom in the casino. I did that for a while, but the mistake I made was caring more about work than my family.”

Vegas Bound

“I came alone to Vegas in 1997. In August, I entered the Hall of Fame $1,500 no-limit hold’em tournament at the Horseshoe, and with little experience, I won the tournament and $67,800. I still haven’t spent that money! I helped out some friends who haven’t yet paid me back.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I moved back to Montana for a while. Then in 1998, I finally moved back to Vegas for good.”

An Ego Boost From Johnny Chan

“When I first came back to Vegas, I seemed to win everything I touched. I won in limit and in no-limit, and started playing in an Omaha split $300-$600 game. I was beating up everyone.

“One day, I won a Situs pkv games tournament but practically lost it all in a side game. It was late and I was losing. Johnny Chan said, ‘Hey, kid, get some sleep and I will stake you tomorrow.’ That was quite an ego boost. I played the Rio $500 no-limit tournament; Johnny staked me and I won it. Our deal was 50 percent with make-up.”

Johnny Chan is one of poker’s most respected players for his skill, his poker finesse, and the nine WSOP bracelets he has won. The fact that he would stake Layne was not only a great compliment to Layne, but also a great read by Johnny, judging by Layne’s incredible tournament success.

Some Stats

Layne cannot remember all of his high finishes, but here are some of them:

December 2004, $2,000 no-limit hold’em; Five-Diamond World Poker Classic, 13th, $6,690

November 2004, consolation tournament; Monte Carlo Millions, second, $40,000

October 2004, $3,000 no-limit hold’em; Festa al Lago III, second, $96,168

October 2004, $6,000 no-limit hold’em; Ultimatebet.com Poker Classic, second, $500,000

September 2004, $2,500 no-limit hold’em; Borgata Poker Open — WPT, fifth, $36,788

June 2004, $10,000 no-limit hold’em; Championship Poker at the Plaza, sixth, $20,000

March 2004, $1,000 no-limit hold’em; World Poker Challenge, 18th, $1,922

December 2003, $2,500 Omaha eight-or-better; Bellagio Five-Diamond World Poker Classic, first, $92,150

November 2003, $300 half seven-card stud & half limit hold’em; World Poker Finals, 15th, $1,362

September 2003, $100 no-limit hold’em — twilight; Four Queens Poker Classic, first, $9,811

September 2003, $500 Omaha eight-or-better; Four Queens Poker Classic, first, $15,715

May 2003, $1,500 limit hold’em shootout; World Series of Poker, first, $120,000

May 2003, $2,500 Omaha eight-or-better; World Series of Poker, first, $119,260

April 2003, $5,000 no-limit hold’em; World Series of Poker, ninth, $11,800

April 2003, $25,000 no-limit hold’em; Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic WPT Championship, 10th, $31,997

April 2003 $2,500 no-limit hold’em; Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic, 16th, $4,888

February 2003, WPT Invitational Tournament; first, $125,000

November 2002, $10,000 no-limit hold’em — WPT; World Poker Finals, second, $186,900

May 2002, $1,500 no-limit hold’em; World Series of Poker, first, $268,020

April 2002, $2,000 no-limit hold’em; World Series of Poker, first, $303,880

May 2001, $5,000 seven-card stud; World Series of Poker, 11th, $7,565

April 2001, $2,000 no-limit hold’em; World Series of Poker, third, $81,270

August 2000, $5,000 no-limit hold’em; Legends of Poker championship event, first, $114,000

May 2000, $5,000 Omaha eight-or-better; World Series of Poker, third, $59,400

May 1999, $3,000 pot-limit hold’em; World Series of Poker, first, $224,400

April 1999, $1,500 limit hold’em; World Series of Poker, eighth, $18,270

April 1998, $2,000 no-limit hold’em; World Series of Poker, second, $133,000

August 1997, $1,500 no-limit hold’em; Hall of Fame, first, $67,800

Back-to-Back Flack

Layne’s first WSOP bracelet was won in 1999. Although he was in the money the next two years, he didn’t dazzle the poker community until 2002.

In April 2002, he won his second WSOP bracelet in the $2,000 no-limit hold’em event, taking home $303,880. Two weeks later, he entered the $1,500 no-limit hold’em tournament and decimated his competitors again, taking home an additional $268,020.

Layne waded through nearly a thousand competitors total to capture these two first-place wins. And he won more than $570,000 in two weeks. Yep, that Johnny Chan sure had a good read on Layne!

By the way, the next year, Layne did it again, winning two more bracelets back-to-back. But it just wasn’t as exciting in 2003, since we all knew he could pull off that sort of thing. It wasn’t as shocking, but it was still awesome.

Game Analysis

“When I first started playing poker, I didn’t even know I could play no-limit. When I first started playing, I was winning. I don’t know how I did it. When some people asked me questions, I gave answers that flabbergasted them.

“As it turns out, in no-limit, everything you think you should do, do the opposite. In no-limit, you shouldn’t raise on the button, because everyone steals on the button.

“I was always a great people reader. In no-limit, a person might have to go all in. Everyone thinks you should go after the short stack, but I believe you should go after the big stacks. Not only that, the big stacks play scared against you because they have something to lose.

“I have many weaknesses in my game. Boredom is one and discipline is another. Getting ahead of myself is a big one. Then again, sometimes it benefits me. You never know. You can’t complain about what you’ve done wrong, as long as you learn from it.”

When I asked Layne to rate his play, he said: “A lot of people put me in the top category. Chip Jett told me that, undoubtedly, I’m in the top. But I would never say that about myself. I swore to my girlfriend a long time ago that I would always stay humble.”

Jerry Buss

“At one point in 1999, I stayed home and ran thousands of poker hands in my head. Then, I started playing in Larry Flynt’s $2,000-$4,000 stud game. I moved up to the $6,000-$12,000 game at Harrah’s, where I met Jerry Buss. When you meet someone, you can tell who they are and what they’re made of. We formed a friendship bond. I love his entourage. I go to all the Laker games and I feel so privileged.”

In 2003, Layne and Jerry were heads up at the WPT Celebrity Invitational Tournament that many of us watched on TV. It was interesting to see how the two smiled and joked with one another, almost as if they were related. Jerry made a respectable showing for a nonprofessional, but Layne was in complete control and won the title, the honor, and $125,000.

Addiction

Layne is a gutsy guy who deserves respect for his frankness. He openly spoke about his use of alcohol and drugs, a topic gossiped about and widely discussed.

“I used to have a beer on each side of me. I could walk in and hardly drink, but because I have an outgoing personality, I got a bad rap. I could have a beer in front of me and people would think I was drunk, so a lot of people thought I was drunk all the time.

“Before 2000, I drank but never did drugs. Then, in Tunica, Mississippi, someone gave me an ecstasy pill. From there, I started trying everything. I don’t regret any of it. I wanted to learn about drugs. I was bored. I wanted to try stuff. I had plenty of money. I never had to be anywhere. I enjoyed it. But a person can do that for only so long.

“I remember playing in the Legends of Poker in August of 2000. I was being staked by Ted Forrest. At the end, I was heads up against Jeff (Shulman). The night before, Ted and I stayed up and partied all night long. I was so out of it, I couldn’t even drive myself to the casino. I had to take a cab to get there. Even though I was wasted, I still won.

“I am one of the most cognitive drunks around. I could be passed out on my chips, but when the floorman came over, I could tell him exactly what just happened.

“I knew I had to stop.”

The Intervention

“I discipline myself in certain ways. I lost a few hundred thousand betting sports. So now, I don’t watch sports so that I won’t bet and lose. I know if I watch, I will bet, and I don’t want to fall back into that. I discipline myself on things where I know I need to stay away.

“In my mind, I thought I could stop drinking and doing drugs. I guess the people who love me had a different idea. My brother called from South Dakota to ask my friend Daniel Negreanu (who was staking me) if there was anything he could do to help. My girlfriend, Paulette, searched for a program, which I agreed to do. It cost $60,000.

“Daniel paid the 60K for my rehab. I went into the program from July 22 through August 22, 2004. When I came out, the doctor gave me Ritalin, because I am hyperactive. I do well with no sleep. I have pretty close to a photographic memory. The doctor gave me 10 cards. Although I can’t remember a name, I could say the 10 cards frontward and backward.

“I don’t drink or do anything now, because I think that many people are in my corner, and I don’t want to let them down. Everything is boring to me except winning. No one is staking me. I have goals that are more near to me.

“I also have a 24-year-old girlfriend who keeps my mind full. And what keeps me going is helping other people. Paulette thinks it’s one of the greatest things about me.”

Intuition

“I seem to have an intuition in poker that is amazing. I …

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Neil Lennon has dismissed any suggestion that Celtic will be preparing to make a marquee signing in the looming January transfer window – and the Hoops boss isn’t of a mind to bring in a box office name on the back of a short-term loan deal.

In recent seasons the Parkhead side have introduced the likes of Roy Keane, Robbie Keane and Freddie Ljunberg at this stage of a campaign, with varying degrees of impact. With Celtic well on their way to a third successive title there would be little need for any further reinforcements other than to encourage more entertainment value for season ticket holders between now and the end of the season.

Lennon, though, is more inclined to look to the bigger picture as he attempts to mould a team for the long-term.

“I don’t want to bring in any players like that because it won’t serve any purpose going forward,” said Lennon. “Any player we do bring in I would like to be permanent.” A goalscorer, though, is the priority with the Hoops boss keen to bring in a Domino99 Pkv player who could use the remaining months of the current campaign to bed into the team and therefore be up and running when the critical but early UEFA UEFA Champions League qualifiers begin.

“We are looking but we’ve not pushed the button on anyone yet,” Lennon said. “You know what January is like. Every day a new name will come forward. But we have plenty of options and we would hope to come out of January with a stronger squad than the one we went into it with.”

Lennon has been linked with a move for Dundee United’s Stuart Armstrong but would not be drawn on the player. “You’re always wary that they play well at a certain club and they come here to a different environment with different pressure they’re not used to,” Lennon said. “You don’t just look at their ability but their mental strength as well.”

The Parkhead manager has been linked with a number of players, the latest being South Korean midfielder Han Kook-Young of Japanese club Shonan Bellmare, who claims he has already been approached by Celtic.

Egyptian teenager Mahmoud Hassan, Japanese midfielder Hiroki Yamada – who had a trial period at Lennoxtown last week – Icelandic striker Alfred Finnbogason from Heerenveen and USA international forward Aron Johannsson are also believed to be on Celtic’s radar.

“We have made strides in trying to get one player in,” said Lennon. “We are in talks, but nothing is confirmed yet. People think we have a relatively strong squad. But we don’t. A few injuries, and we are looking pretty thin at times. The likes of Scott Brown, Virgil van Dijk, Efe Ambrose, Kris Commons and Fraser Forster have played a huge volume of games – basically a season in half a season for a lot of players.

“A lot of these matches have been high-intensity, pressure games, but I don’t want the players to tail off now. Hopefully we can get into the break we are taking to Turkey next month unbeaten, and come back even fresher for the second part of the season.”

Lennon, meanwhile, has continued to play down any chance of his side going through the SPL season unbeaten.

The Celtic boss has taken great satisfaction from the consistency that his side have shown domestically this season, but he is wary of predicting a whitewash.

“To go through a league season is virtually impossible but where we are at the minute is very pleasing,” said Lennon. “The attitude of the players has been fantastic. People will look at the Scottish game and talk about the level of competition. But I’ve got to make this season better and the only way to do that is to instil a certain mentality, a will to win and a determination to not get beat. We’ve just had a Champions League campaign which wasn’t as good this year compared to last season. But we have set the bar very, very high.” While Lennon will look to bolster his squad in January, he will not recall Tony Watt from his loan spell at Belgian club Lierse.

20-year-old Watt scored twice as a substitute for Lierse in their 3-0 Boxing Day derby victory over Mechelen. It was a perfect response to recent criticism of the player’s attitude from Lierse coach Stanley Menzo who had raised doubts over whether Watt would remain with his club for the rest of the season.

Lennon agrees that Watt has issues to address but intends to leave the Scotland Under-21 international striker where he is for the moment. “I’m not of a mind to bring him back just yet,” he said. “We’ve loaned him for the year and I’d like him to see that one out. We couldn’t put him out on loan anywhere else if he does come back, so that’s not crossed my mind.

“I wasn’t aware the Lierse coach has had a pop at him publicly. I’ll speak to Tony over the next week or so, see how he is feeling and what the situation is. There’s an immaturity about Tony and the reason for putting him on loan was to see life at a different place. If it’s not going well, then he needs to knuckle down and make it work. The onus is on him. “He can be a difficult boy at times but there’s no malice in him or anything like that. When he’s finished at Lierse, he will still be part of our plans for the future. There’s no question that Tony has ability. He’s raw and just needs to polish it off a bit – and polish himself off as a fully rounded figure. He’s not a man yet.”

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As debuts go, Fabio Capello’s as England manager was reassuring but ultimately meaningless.

After the misery of the Croatia defeat at the same venue in November, Wembley’s sell-out crowd was happy to witness a victory instead, but the contest will pass quickly into memory.

As if it needs repeating, Steve McClaren and Qiu Qiu Online Graham Taylor both won their first games in charge but ended their reigns in humiliation, while Alf Ramsey lost his but ended up winning the World Cup.

England’s 2-1 win on Wednesday was unremarkable. Capello’s men dominated the first half hour territorially, although Switzerland looked the more incisive in the final third.

Jermaine Jenas finished off a smart passing move five minutes before half time to give his Italian boss the first goal of his reign, and when Capello replaced the goalscorer and Joe Cole on 57 minutes, it seemed the game would wind down for the remainder into the slumber England friendlies often serve up.

Plaudits, therefore, to Switzerland’s Eren Derdiyok for making a match of the occasion when he lashed a snapshot past David James a minute later – the goal of the evening.

England responded confidently and were ahead again in the 62nd when Steven Gerrard, the Man of the Match, powered through the Swiss backline before laying the ball off to Shaun Wright-Phillips for an easy tap-in.

Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole underlined why they should be next on the teamsheet after Gerrard; Rooney with some deft flicks and impromptu shooting and Cole with some dogged foraging down the left wing, including the incursion which lead to Jenas’ goal.

If David Bentley is David Beckham’s natural replacement on the right, he must improve his crossing to finally dislodge Goldenballs from the running. After one especially overhit centre, the fans in the adjacent corner serenaded the Blackburn midfielder with ‘there’s only one David Beckham’.

Capello’s England has only just begun the metamorphosis from also-rans to contenders, but there were still some interesting hints of things to come. England might have kicked off with some misplaced passes and nervy indecision in defence, but did not resort to aimless long balls like they did against the Croats and showed some rare understanding of the phases of the game as it went on.

Instead of just attacking stubbornly for 90 minutes, for a spell in the first half the Three Lions played keep-ball Latin-style, although their failure to advance out of their own half soon had the crowd jeering, perhaps provoking them to respond with a goal.

For much of the opening 45, Capello’s men showed the importance of playing in the opponents’ half and when leading in the second, they did well by taking the game to the Swiss instead of sitting on their advantage and counting down the clock.

While England never looked like losing to Switzerland – the Euro 2008 joint-hosts lost at home to the USA in October and are ranked 44th in the world (England are 12th), they also did nothing to dazzle the spectators or stake a claim to be up there with Europe’s best.

Still, I think we would settle for humdrum 2-1 wins all the way to the World Cup final in 2010.

If there was anything revolutionary in the air, it was the disciplined regime initiated by the much-travelled Italian, which may have had a knock-on effect on the fans, too.

No one can reasonably complain if he opts to call his captain ‘Gerrard’ instead of ‘Stevie G’, orders the players to keep to rigid meal times like friars in a monastery, and, at long last, has sent the WAGs, agents and assorted hangers-on packing from the team hotel.

The much-trumpeted minute’s silence to commemorate the 1958 Munich air disaster was barely 30 seconds, and was interrupted by two or three morons, but only two or three, which amid 86,857 at Wembley is not a bad ratio.

For the first time in my Wembley memory, I heard nobody in my section boo the visitors’ national anthem. I also failed to spot any flags emblazoned with the names of banned Ulster terror groups, and heard no bone-headed renditions of ‘No Surrender to the IRA’.

Looking around the gleaming new arena with its magnificent architecture, I wondered if at long last the boorishness that has dogged England’s fanbase for years was finally withering away in the face of a new era.

What surprised me most, though, was glancing to my left and finding my eyes fixed upon the familiar form of one of the world’s greatest coaches, looking unfamiliar in an England tracksuit, but brooding over his troops with his reknowned intensity.

Sterner tests will come, beginning with the trip to Zagreb to face Croatia on the 10th of September for a World Cup qualifier.

So far, so good: Capello has a 100% record. And for a non-English speaker picking up a team strangled by player egoes, and a nation demoralized by their failure to perform, he has showed an encouraging desire to do things his own way.

Assessments will change when the meaningful games arrive in the autumn, but for now, Fabio’s road looks the right one for England.

Scoring –

ENG – Jenas 40′

SWI – Derdiyok – 58′

ENG – Wright-Phillips 62′

Line-ups –

England: James, Brown, Ferdinand, Upson, Ashley Cole (Bridge 73′), Bentley, Jenas (Wright-Phillips 57′), Gerrard, Barry (Hargreaves 73′), Joe Cole (Crouch 57′), Rooney (Young 87′).

Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner (Behrami 46′), Senderos (Grichting 55′), Eggiman, Spycher, Inler, Gelson (Huggel 84′), Barnetta, Yakin (Margairaz 63′), Gygax (Vonlanthen 46′), Nkufo (Derdiyok 46′).

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For nations like Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Korea and now Australia, the Asian Cup is second only to the World Cup in importance and not only that, it is the one major competition that is, at present, winnable for such teams.

The Taeguk Warriors haven’t done so for 47 years – and, ten months after taking his place in the hotseat in Seoul, South Korean coach Pim Verbeek is determined to end that drought. However, the Dutchman feels that the people involved in Korean football are not all pulling in the same direction.

With less than four weeks until the agen slot Asian Cup begins, the K-League is still going at full pelt. Korea’s 14 clubs will play their last games before the summer break on June 23 and the midweek Hauzen Cup will come to an end four days later – just nine days before the national team leaves for Indonesia and Group D matches with the co-hosts, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Verbeek believes the late finish as well as the hectic domestic schedule with games every weekend and Wednesday since the season began in March will harm Korea’s chances in Indonesia.

“As far as I can see, in less than three months time there have been 22 games – which is impossible. Players are tired, the coaches can’t train and have no time to improve the team and because of that. I have no preparation,” Verbeek told Soccerphile.

A congested fixture list is not unique to Korea. England is well-known for the amount of games played – the English season has already accounted for Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo and Seol Ki-hyeon, all three of which are likely to miss the Asian Cup through injury but according to Verbeek, the situation is not the same.

“In England most of the players are a very high standard and in Korea we have so many young players. To improve young players you have to train. You have to do tactical training, you have to let them rest and let them develop. I see here 20 year-old players play 20 games in less than three months. What can we expect? You have to learn from your mistakes but if there’s no training…”

Occasionally there can be too much training. When asked if it would be possible to contact the K-league coaches to request that one or two players be rested occasionally, Verbeek smiled, shook his head and gave an example regarding Jeolla Province club Chunnam Dragons.

“When we went to Yemen recently for the Olympic game, we flew from Korea on Sunday evening. Most of the players played at the weekend for their K-League clubs. One of the teams lost on Saturday and the coach thought it was a good idea to give the players extra training at 6.30 on Sunday morning.

“I think that’s disrespectful for the players. Whether the Olympic team players play well or not, at least they need some rest before they go on a 20-hour trip.

“So, after those players played a game on Saturday, they had to train at 6.30 on Sunday morning, then travel to Incheon and then fly on Sunday evening to Yemen and then they are expected to perform on Wednesday.

“I have never heard of a coach who is training at 6.30 on Sunday morning after losing a game. I think if you do that in Europe then nobody will believe it. Physically and football-wise that is not the way we treat our players in Europe even if they lost a game.

“But it’s a different culture. It’s his (Chunnam coach and ex-PSV player Huh Jung-moo) idea to punish his players like this but the point is I needed those players for a qualification game for the Olympic team. At least I would have expected that those players be given a rest because the next evening they have to sleep on the airplane which is not the best preparation.”

Preparation. That is what Verbeek is at pains to emphasize as he looks to the team’s first game in the Asian Cup.

“Preparation for the Asian Cup is only two weeks; less than four weeks for the last World Cup and five months for 2002 but it is a challenge. The good part is that the players know what to do because we always play the same system. They know exactly what position they have to play.”

That will come in useful on July 11 when South Korea kicks off its campaign against Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi Arabia is one of the favourites,” said Verbeek, “so it’s good that we have them in the first round and as long as we progress then we can’t meet again before the final.”

According to the coach, there are a number of other rivals that Korea must watch out for in south-east Asia.

“Iran is always a difficult opponent, China I have no idea how far they are but they probably have good preparation. Japan always has a good selection of players to choose from.

“Australia? Most of their players play in England and I am very curious to know how they will handle that. The English season has finished so they also have to find a solution for players not playing from May 13 to July 8 or 9 – that’s a big challenge.

Korea are in the opposite situation.

“The good part of our preparations is that our players are match-fit,” says Verbeek and then laughs, “too much so!”

A sense of humour could come in handy over the next few weeks.

BLACKJACK GLOSSARY. Part 1.

Anchor – Last taken seat to the dealer’s right

Black Chip – A $100 blackjack chip

Blackjack – Total of 21 on your opening two-card hand

Break (Bust) – Exceeding a hand total of 21 pointsand lose the hand

Burn Cards – Take away cards from the top of the deck and place them in the discard tray after shuffling and cutting

Double Down (Doubling Down) – The option of doubling your initial bet after the initial two-card deal, but you can hit only one card, turn over your first two cards

Double Exposure – Blackjack game in which both dealer cards are shown to the player before they play their hand, some house rules may be changed

Early Surrender – Surrender allowed before the dealer checks for blackjack, a player may give up after their first two cards but before the dealer checks for an Ace in the hole

Face Cards – Jacks, Queens and Kings, all with a value of 10

Face Down Game – Your first card is placed face up while the second one is placed face down

Face Up Game – Both your cards are placed face up

First Base – First taken seat to dealer’s left, where the first card is dealt, the first blackjack player to receive cards when the dealer deals the cards

Hard Hand (Hard Total)  – A hand without an Ace, or with an Ace valued at 1, it can only be given one value

Heads Up or Heads On – A head to head play with the blackjack dealer only, with no other blackjack players

Hi-Lo Count – One-level blackjack card counting system where cards 2 – 6 cards get a value of plus one and the 10s and face cards get a value of minus one

Hi-Opt – One-level blackjack card counting system, it assigns the value of plus one to 3’s, 4’s, 5’s and 6’s; minus one to 10s cards

Hole Card – This is the facedown card that the blackjack dealer gets

Hot Deck – To take another card from the blackjack deck.

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