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Poker Man vs. Poker Machine

July 22, 2007

Consider this, you are face to face with your toughest competitor, playing Texas Hold’em Poker. You know you have a strong hand, but it can be beat. Your opponent raises, you think about your cards again. Not able to look your opponent in the eye, you fold. There are no tells when you are playing a computer.

A $50,000 face-off between a poker-playing computer and 2 of the world’s impressive poker professionals will take place on Monday in Vancouver, Canada. There is no way to determine or even guess who will bring home the prize.

The machine, nicknamed Polaris by its University of Alberta originators, is designed to play to its opponent’s weaknesses, effortlessly switching from guarded under-betting to assertive bluffing. “With poker, the key thing is unpredictability,” said Jonathan Schaeffer, one of the lead artificial intelligence researchers on the Polaris project. “A computer is very good at predicting odds … it can do that very quickly. But in poker, if you play cautiously, then the opponent can pick up on that and they start exploiting that … so the goal of (Polaris) is to be unpredictable for the human.”

The high-stakes tournament is part of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence conference being held at a Vancouver hotel. An audience will be on hand to watch professional players Phil Laak and Ali Eslami in mind-vs. -machine match with the simulator, each with the opportunity to take home $25,000 if they win all four of their games. Both Laak and Eslami are world renowned for their poker prowess.

The Man-Machine competitions have grabbed a hold of the imagination before; one of the best examples of this was the 1997 match between IBM’s “Deep Blue” chess program and Garry Kasparov, world known grandmaster. Technology has improved since then, and now computers are ready to face a more difficult challenge - trying to wrest supremacy from the humans at poker. While artificial intelligence research has created computers that are virtually unbeatable in strategic games such as chess and checkers, Polaris may have a tougher time with the role of pure luck in poker.

“I’m not at all sure that the computer is going to win this thing, precisely because it is so difficult to learn about the style of your opponent,” said Oliver Schulte, a cognitive scientist who worked with the Polaris project creators.

    Score a Royal Flush with your pocket cards on any real-money Texas Holdem ring game at CarbonPoker.com and you will receive a bonus of 100 x the big blind!

    Written by Lady4Flush · Filed Under Online Gambling News 

    UK Abandoning Online Gambling Ads

    July 21, 2007

    The UK Times is reporting that plans to allow online gambling advertising on TV and radio in the United Kingdom may be abandon as Prime Minister Gordon Brown is reconsidering the country’s position regarding gambling live and online.

    At present the on air broadcast advertising of any nature of gambling is banned in the nation. This covers all forms, including online poker room advertising. However, with the new Gambling Act being put into affect, former PM Tony Blair and former culture secretary Tessa Jowell were making progress to end the ban.

    New culture secretary James Purnell told the local paper that church leaders who believe the advertising will lead to more problem gambling have expressed opposition to the end of the ban. For this reason, the decision to end the ban is being reviewed. Purnell will be reviewing the complete impact of the new Gambling Act and has the Prime Minister’s authorization to amend the plans as he sees fit.

    The Gambling Commission had recently presented more information in relation to gambling advertisements and the rules and regulations following discuss with other organizations in the industry. The rules approach for gambling advertisement on TV and radio were intended to ensure the advertisements are socially responsible. The rules will shield children, young persons and other susceptible individuals from being injured or exploited by advertising that features or promotes gambling. Subsequent to consultations, the gambling industry has taken initiative to set up its own code of practices for advertising as well, according to the U.K. Gambling Commission.

    “We welcome the industry code of practice which will supplement the CAP and BCAP codes of practice for the advertising and promotion of gambling,” said the Commission in a June 29 media release. “The Commission will monitor the effectiveness of the industry code of practice in delivering socially responsible advertising.”

    The aforementioned guidelines were to go into effect coinciding with the Gambling Act in September. This may now change, as the culture secretary is reviewing the act, and maybe modifying it with the approval of the new prime minister. This shift in attitude is impacting the industry, and has business people world wide, watching England.

    Prime Minister Brown was recently in the news for expressing reservations over the super casino planned for Manchester as the best option for helping create economic growth for the city. This is a 360-degree turn from Tony Blair, as he was supportive of both the super casino and the possibility of more in the United Kingdom based on results in Manchester.

      Written by Lady4Flush · Filed Under Online Gambling News 

      LatestCasinoBonuses.com - Detailed Bonus Reviews

      July 20, 2007

      LatestCasinoBonuses.com is a constantly updated database of No Deposit Casino Bonus information.

      Visitors will find literally hundreds of online casino, poker and bingo site reviews focusing on bonuses, especially No Deposit CasinoBonus information. The site features online casinos, poker rooms, bingo halls and sports betting sites. Bonus info and reviews are searchable 22 variable categories.

      Other features of Latest Casino Bonuses include gaming rules, strategies, glossary and a Casino Whoring Guide that teaches players how to make the most of online gambling bonuses.

        Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Gambling Reviews 

        Free Slot Machines Casino

        July 20, 2007

        An exciting collection of Free Casino Slots and many other casino games. All games are free to play by downloading the software. Players may also choose to partake in any of the Slot Machine Games for real money, which includes a first time deposit bonus of 100% up to $555.

        Slots include 3 line, 5 line and MegaSpin varieties. For instance, Double Magic MegaSpin present 9 separate 3-line spins in just one round of play. The software is only 6MB and runs smooth with over 150 games and realistic graphics/sound effects. Players may also choose the no-download flash version, though it contains fewer games.

        Players interested in developing slots skills and strategies, or strengthening their pre-existing experience with Online Slot Machines, are encouraged to give them a try.

        For those who choose to go on to real money play, please note that US players are accepted. New players earn a 100% matching bonus on your first deposit up to $555. The bonus is automatically granted, but requires 10x play-through before it can be withdrawn.

        Payment methods available: NETeller, Click2Pay, FirePay, UseMyBank, PaySpark and eChecks (eChecks for deposits - check by mail for withdraws).

        Customer support is very reliable, friendly and generally very fast to reply to e-mails as they offer 8 separate support categories/e-mails. They also supply 13 different toll-free and international numbers to conveniently (and freely) serve as many members as possible.

          Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Gambling Reviews 

          Golden Casino - Online Gambling Review

          July 19, 2007

          Golden Casino is one of the oldies in the online casino industry. Members have been betting on poker and Casino Gaming since before the turn of the century. Licensed in Curacao, Golden Casino offers good game variety, frequent promotions, excellent customer support and a nifty welcome bonus. On the up-side, Golden Casino still accepts US players, for free play or real money - on the down-side, Golden Casino does not offer a no-download flash version of the software, therefore is only compatible with Windows operating systems.

          Online Gambling at Golden Palace consists of more than 80 casino games to choose from, including Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Internet craps, Red Dog Poker, Tri-Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, War, Slots (3, 5 and 7 Reel), Video Poker and Multi-hand Video Poker, Keno and more. Many of the games offer progressive jackpots as well.

          New players who sign-up an account and make their first deposit of $25 or more are eligible to receive a 100% matching bonus of up to $555. Bonus cash is held in a separate Bonus Account and must be played through 10 times before a withdraw request can be made. Until the Bonus Account is deplete, all betting amounts will be taken from this account. If a wager is won, the wager amount is redeposited into the Bonus Account, with winnings deposited into your cash account. If a player requests a withdraw before bonus requirements (10x play-through) are met, one notice will be given by the cashier. If the player still wishes to withdraw, all bonus cash and winnings derived from it will be forfeited.

          Other promotions are offered on a regular basis at Golden Palace. Tournaments are offered on Table Games, Slots, Video Poker and other Online Casino Gaming. Players who make a deposit on Mondays will automatically receive a 25% matching bonus of $50 to $1,000 on their first deposit of the day - also on Wednesdays with a 50% matching bonus of $50 to $500 - again on Fridays with a 100% matching bonus of $50 to $250. Make a deposit by Wire Transfer for a 15% bonus. Comp points can also be used for betting - every $10 wagered awards 1 comp point. Comp points convert to dollars at varying rates, depending on your VIP level. Finally, Surprise Bonuses are present several times a week to randomly chosen players.

          Deposits and withdraws are processed in USD only. Deposit methods include Credit Card, Citadel, myCitadel, NETeller and Wire Transfers. Withdrawals can be made via myCitadel, NETeller, Bank Wire and Bank Draft. All deposit methods require a $20 minimum except Wire Transfer, which incurs a $100 minimum deposit.

          Customer support may be obtained 24/7 through e-mail and telephone. The staff is friendly and reliable, with e-mail responses generally realized well within 24 hours. Two separate e-mails are provided, along with two US toll-free numbers. The FAQ can also be very helpful in answering most questions.

            Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Gambling Reviews 

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