Of course, there is proof in a Caribbean poker strategy in the basic math itself. I’ve read sites that explain it and keep an eye on  http://dir.yahoo.com/recreation/gambling/ for anyone who might have come up with a new or better method. I’ve also read the debates pro and con for making the Progressive bet. I usually make the progressive bet because the most convincing argument for me was – you’re going to be pissed if you hit a royal flush and didn’t take the progressive bet.  So, sometimes what is right for an individual player may go beyond the math itself.

But the basic Caribbean Poker strategy is sound. And if you’ve haven’t tested it out yourself, you can play as many hands as you want or need to play in an online casino’s free play mode. No, you won’t win money that way. And, yeah, I’d be pissed if I hit a Royal Flush and wasn’t actually betting. Fortunately or unfortunately, that hasn’t happened yet. Which just proves the math that says getting a royal flush is unlikely.

Now let’s look at online Caribbean Poker. It’s just you and the computer program. No other players to wait to make a move before you do. And, yes, that computer can play as fast as you want. Probably faster than you can go. This changes the rhythm and while it doesn’t change the odds, it does change you. Yep, you’re going to play differently. One difference I’ve noticed is that we play faster when we play online. Well, we almost have to, after all there’s no one to wait on. But keep in mind that there’s also no one waiting on you. There’s no need to rush.

True, if you’re an experience Caribbean Poker player you shouldn’t need that long to make a decision on a hand. After all, the strategy isn’t that complex. But the problem is that we tend to play faster when we become frustrated. And we tend to make bad decisions when we play frustrated. So, learn when it’s time to take a break from the table and walk it off. Come back when you’re ready to play steady. And if you have trouble with this, there are always the folks at GA (Gamblers Anonymous) to turn to.

But to really consider the effect of the jackpot on players, let’s look at Caribbean Poker.  There is some debate as to how Caribbean poker was invented, though I like to go with the idea that it was created to give players on cruise ships something to do between hitting the beaches and the pool. It’s the right type of game for that environment. But if we look at the casino history of Caribbean poker, we’ll see a different story.

When it was first introduced to casinos, Caribbean poker wasn’t at all popular. It also was missing one element familiar to those who play the game today – the progressive jackpot.  Yes, the early version of Caribbean Poker was played without that jackpot that players often debate.  From a  player perspective, the question is always – is it worth taking the bet on the progressive jackpot? Opinions are split on this and I’m going to leave them that way for right now. Because from the casino perspective, the game didn’t take off until after they introduced a jackpot.  When it comes to casino games, players are drawn to jackpots.

Should you bet the progressive?  Oh, why not. Look, it’s part of the fun of game. Slots are popular and they’re really little more than a way to chase the jackpot because if you win, it is the best rush in the casino.

Well, New Jersey wants to give me my wish. If they do, does it mean I have to forgive them for Snookie? Because, New Jersey, I don’t think we’re at that stage in our relationship yet.  But back to the news. New Jersey has been working to pass a bill that would allow online gambling to be run out of Atlantic City casinos by the end of this year.  They want to be out the gate with online gambling before the other states even catch their breath (though Nevada is ahead of them with online poker).

But it turns out there is a method to their rush to be first. They don’t just want to offer gambling to those in New Jersey, which is what we all thought they were after. No, with the change in the interpretation of the Wire Act of 1961, they want to be able to offer gambling anywhere in the US that will allow them in. Which means they could offer solutions to states like Iowa, who haven’t been able to get their own online gambling bills off the ground.  Now the question is – would other states allow this without some financial benefits to the state?  And if so, what is New Jersey willing to give up?

Have you ever played craps?  A lot of players haven’t. Look, Caribbean Poker has an advantage on the casino floor because it’s played with traditional poker hands. So, if you know what a good poker hand is, it takes minutes to learn how to play at bet at Caribbean poker, and most gamblers know their poker hands.  But if you’ve never played craps and walk up to the craps table, it’s like speaking a foreign language. Come? Pass? 6/8? Huh?  Novice players tend to bypass the tables despite the fact that they can be a lot of fun because craps really is one of the most social casino games around. In craps, player bet for (or against) the player with the dice. This means that everyone is cheering the shooter on when he throws. It’s fun.

Scossa Dice aims to keep the fun and social aspects of craps going while replacing the craps table with a much simpler to understand layout.  Instead of the Pass/Don’t Pass line and other mysterious craps terms, players at Scossa bet simply on the outcome of the roll of the dice. They can bet for a specific number or groups of number just by putting their chips down on the table. They can also bet for those very specific dice rolls everyone knows from craps like boxcars – where they bet what numbers show on each die. And while I haven’t seen a progressive jackpot, there is a big payout bet available. Players can bet that the shooter will roll 3 sevens in a row and win big.

I look at a number of factors when considering playing at an online casino for real money and I want to pass these along to you. First is casino reputation. I need to know that it is a fair and safe casino and there are elements that go into helping me make that decision. Where is the casino registered and licensed and is that location known for hosting other top casinos. Which organizations have certified it to be fair and safe? If a casino is certified by eCOGRA or TST, then I can give it a vote of confidence.  And a factor that may surprise some people. What software platform does the casino run? See, there are a handful of software developers who are known for being top of the line and those developers really want to protect their reputation by only working with the best casinos.

So, who do I look for as far as software providers?  Well, Microgaming casino software is considered one of the top picks, but not always available to US players. RealTime Gaming is probably the top supplier for US casinos.  But Rival and NetEnt are both strong players, and actually very tempting for slots players. But these casinos will get you on the right track. Then if you want, you can look at the bonus offers and the regular promotions and see if any particular casino stands out.  But with just a bit of effort before you play, you should soon be playing Caribbean poker in the comfort of home.

See, online casino bonus offers are seldom a good thing for a Caribbean Poker player.  Okay, often it’s debatable if they’re really a good thing for any player, but bonus offers are often geared mostly toward online slot games.  The problem with these offers is that they come with restrictions. Sometimes far too many restrictions.  First there’s a play through requirement before you can withdraw any money. Now, that may not always seem bad because most of us enjoy playing online anyway and a play through requirement is an excuse to play more. But read carefully, often the play through is based on the player playing slots. Play any other game, and the play through goes up. Caribbean Poker may count as 20 cents on the dollar. Or it may not count at all, because these offers often exclude games.

But the big downer when it comes to offers and the reason I’ll have a casino exclude me from an offer – a limit on how much I can win. Read the terms of the offer carefully. Sometimes you can only win twice or three times the bonus amount. So, if I accept a free $20 offer, I can only win $40. Now, look at that progressive jackpot on Caribbean Poker. Do you want to win that only to have the casino point to a bonus offer you accepted and tell you that you can only have $40 of the thousands you just won? I don’t.

See, here’s an interesting thing about the Department of Justice. Give them a law to enforce, and they’ll actually take time to study it. Take the UIGEA and the Wire Act of 1961. Now the Wire Act of 1961 is what everyone thought made online gambling illegal. But the way the act was worded, it applied to sporting events and contests. The Department of Justice had to decide did that mean making distance bets on sporting events and distance bets on contests. Or did it mean bets on sporting events and sporting contests. See the difference? This is where the legal system could just use a good English teacher. The act is vaguely worded. So is the UIGEA. Which leaves room for interpretation.

And the DOJ has decided that the Wire Act of 1961 applies only to sporting events and sporting contests. Which means the state of online gambling in the US is in a bit of limbo and some states are rushing to make their own laws since we seem to have lost the federal law against online gambling. Nevada is in the process of establishing online poker. California has said it will pursue putting the state lottery online. And 2012 will be an interesting year.

See the UK Gambling Commission is a bit concerned about the US gambling laws. Even more concerned after the April 15^th Black Friday Poker Shutdown where the US feds seized the domain names and bank accounts of four top online poker rooms. Since three of those poker rooms haven’t recovered from the seizures, the UK rather suggested that Bodog might be better off out of the US and since their contract was ending at the end of the year, they agreed not to renew it.

Now, this isn’t the same level of crisis for US players as something like the Full Tilt Poker shutdown was. After all, this is a planned withdraw and Bodog can’t keep its reputation up if it can’t honor its commitment to players. So US players can withdraw their winnings from their accounts. Or they can take up Mohawk Gaming’s offer of keeping their accounts and letting them move over to a new Mohawk brand casino.

While the US will be sad to see Bodog leave the country, the company plans to expand in the EU, UK and Asian markets. And if the US ever does get more reliable gambling laws, I’m sure Bodog will be glad to come back in.

Full Tilt Poker is at its heart an example of poor company management.  The company really should have been doing well. PartyPoker was and PokerStars seems to have rebounded from the April 15^th Black Friday Poker Shutdown where 4 poker companies were kicked out of the US market and their bank accounts seized. But that action by the US Feds pulled the rug out from Full Tilt and the lid off the whole money management mess.

The problem actually seems to come down to one poor decision. The company decided to mix the funds in players’ accounts with operating funds. Well, there were a few more problems. They gave big players loans to play on and even when they had trouble processing US deposits, they put money in the players’ accounts so they could play.  These last two items made Full Tilt popular with players. The first they didn’t know about. But as long as nothing upset the Full Tilt apple cart, everything seemed to run just fine. But once the DOJ gave a shove, the whole thing toppled over.

Since then Full Tilt has had its license pulled by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission and can’t offer online poker right now. The licenses won’t be considered for reinstatement until the pay back about $300 million they own to players in the US and internationally.  And they keep coming up with promises that business deals are taking place that will make all this happen. Players think they’re bluffing. Poker players are good at calling bluffs.