Archive for August, 2011

This is an interesting question; can playing poker help your golf game and vice versa… I believe golf and poker complement each whilst still retaining unique characteristics. Actually, as an aware person, you can find similarities between many sports and life in general. So, as a massive fan of both poker and golf, I would like to explore both these sports. Funnily enough, they are both very addictive and those who haven’t played either often question what the attraction is at all. And yet, both poker and golf mirror many aspects of life.

Both sports rely on ability, a little… maybe even a lot of luck and, in my belief, a bucket load of mental toughness. Ability depends on the individual and varies as a result of experience, talent and knowledge. As opposed to luck which is less predictable. However, whether you hit one of two outs on the river to make your straight or get an amazing kick of a tree back into the middle of the fairway, luck will always play a part in any sport. Obviously the greater your ability, the less you need to rely on luck. Nevertheless, I believe the most important aspects of both these wonderful sports is the mental toughness required; the concentration, the focus and the mind control.

When playing poker and golf you will encounter countless thought provoking dilemmas. You will face decisions that require all your mental strength, knowledge and experience. In other words, one slight hiccup could cost you a tournament or, it may only slightly damage your game. The question is can you rely on your state of mind to return you to regular thought patterns?

In golf you may be faced with laying up against taking a fairway wood on a par 5 from 200 out or in poker, calling a bet with a set of Jacks with a 3 card flush on the board. You will make each decision, right or wrong, based on what you believe is best at the time. You will calculate the odds, do the math and importantly, work out your current position in either tournament. However, what a lot of players of both sports don’t consider is how they will react after the event. If you hit the green or your set holds up, it tends to be simple to manage, however what if neither comes off?

Will you go on tilt?

Will you throw a club (we hope not)?

Will you lose focus?

Can you regain your mental focus?

Of course there are differences between the sports, not just that their played indoors and outdoors, but also the focus or direction of your mental strength. When mastering poker it is important to focus on your opponents as much as your own game. However in golf your own game matters most. Obviously, mental discipline is needed in both sports and, if you have the ability to maintain your concentration and focus, you will improve dramatically in both games.

How often (in either game) do you hear people blame their surroundings or others for their mistakes?

Golfers say, “You moved in my back swing” or “the wind picked up before I hit the ball…”

Poker players say, “that donkey had no right to call” or “that player is such a luck box…”

The players who maintain their ‘cool’ tend to be the ones who ‘stick’ to their game plans, remain focused and play to the best of their abilities. Sure there are factors in both games that cannot be controlled, however there are methods to extend and control your mental strength and focus which will evidently improve your results.

So, I believe playing golf and poker complement each other in terms of the mental attributes required for successful play. You need to control your temper in both sports and you need to focus. If you don’t pay attention to betting patterns, body language, your back swing or even wind direction, you may make some serious mistakes.

It’s no coincidence that many professional poker players enjoy playing golf. It may be tempting to believe they see it as an opportunity to get away from poker, which it can be. However, I believe the attraction for these poker players is the similarities in the mental applications and personal discipline required to play both sports. If you haven’t played either sport, I strongly suggest doing so. I would compare the satisfaction of bluffing a strong opponent with hitting that perfect shot. The personal enjoyment of success in either is immense. Satisfaction guaranteed!

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After spending hours at the table, does it feel like you have made no progress at all? Your pile of chips is about the same, or perhaps lower than it was, and meanwhile you’ve seen players come and go. Some admittedly have lost quite quickly, but others double or triple their money and then move on to another table. How do they do that? They make winning in poker look incredibly easy.

Well there’s no special formula to winning in poker, it’s mostly just down to skill and a bit of luck. It is harder to win if you don’t get the cards, though on the other hand, sometimes you can make your own luck by doing a bit of bluffing. Perhaps that’s why they move tables. After bluffing their way through a few games, they’ve been rumbled and they move elsewhere before anyone catches on to their technique.

One of the most obvious tricks to winning in poker is not to show disappointment when receiving a bad hand. All hands can be potentially good, as long as you make your opponents think it’s good. That’s not as easy as it sounds, but with practice you can develop a good poker face, that will convince opponents you’re holding a good hand. If you curse under your breath when you receive your cards and mutter to yourself, you’re letting your disappointment show. You might as well just say hey guys, I’ve got a bad hand here. Your only option is to fold, you’re not going to win anything, but you won’t dig yourself into debt with a less than winning hand when you aren’t able to bluff your way through.

To start winning in poker you must keep your cards close to your chest and not give anything away. You must keep your opponents guessing – after all, that’s what they will be doing to you. If your opponents are only guessing that you have a great or poor hand, chances are they will go the wrong way now and then, leaving you to clean up. Don’t be downhearted if they see right through you now and then, that’s the luck part of poker. The skill is to be winning in poker more than you’re losing or at least make sure when you win you are winning alot more than when you lose or fold. Bluffing poker can be a valuable tool.

Bingo has been around for a very long time now and it is still going strong. Infact, because of the internet it is continuing to grow. The sport is played both by men and women and by people of all ages. Obviously children do not play the gambling version that adults do but bingo does not always have to be about winning money, it can be used as a teaching exercise for children believe it or not.

Because of the internet, online bingo has really kicked off and if you have access to a computer and an internet connection you are able to play bingo in the comfort of your own home, but have you ever wondered what the hype of online bingo sites are compared to bingo halls?

Nowadays, people do not have the time to visit bingo halls because of their busy lifestyles with work, family, friends, etc. After all of this people may not have time travelling to get to their nearest bingo halls unless it is located around the corner. If you are a single parent or you and your partner go to bingo halls together it is not always easy to find a babysitter to look after you children and then you have to pay the babysitter for their services, you then have the downfall of travel expenditure of getting to your local bingo hall. As soon as you are logged in on an online bingo site you can play, it can literary take 5 minutes between firing up your PC and playing bingo online.

When playing at a bingo hall you only have a choice of playing 1 game at a time and each game is either a 90 ball or a 75 game, usually with same sums of cash with loads of people playing. If you are playing online you get a huge pick between the different bingo rooms you can join, all with varied players, prizes and different twists on the game. You also have the ability to pre-book tickets. Bingo sites online also offer special signup bonuses, promotions and other great bonuses such as free bingo and penny bingo. These are a great twist on playing bingo online and get more people signing up to the bingo sites.

Online chat also offers the social ability to online bingo sites. If you go to bingo halls because of the social side you will be please to know that the online bingo world offers this too. You and your friends can meet online together through different PCs and talk on the same bingo site, or you can even make new friends online. Maybe that woman at your local bingo halls just really gets on your nerves, she is too loud and she talks to everyone, playing online bingo this is no something that can worry you. There are literary 100s of online bingo sites for you to pick from and if you join one you don’t particularly like then you can just find another one and play bingo on that.

You still may just prefer the old fashioned way of playing bingo in bingo halls, but playing bingo in the comfort of your own home that is warm, no travel costs, and no journeys to travel has to be better.

Gift ideas can be hard to come by when you have known someone long enough. On the one hand, you know their hobbies and interests, and so it becomes easier for you to narrow your search on those special gift giving occasions. But on the other, you eventually get tired of doing the same old thing for the people that you care about. One solution that you may not have previously thought of is to combine their old interests into a new form. By ordering custom chips and giving them as gifts, you can actually incorporate what you know about your friend or family member while giving them a completely unique item. Custom poker chips may be used in this manner as well as any of the following:

Business Cards

Why do people keep doing the same unproven thing when it comes to marketing their business. Business cards are a dime a dozen and usually just thrown away the moment that you leave the room. They are too ordinary to stick in someone’s memory, and as a result, even the most well meaning recipient will eventually toss the card out to make more room in their purse or wallet. But by ordering custom chips with your business’s message and brand prominent, you can actually leave a lasting impression that will not be easily forgotten. Even if that poker chip does end up getting tossed out, the unique form in which it advertises your business will stand out from the rest of the businesses out there that are still handing out cards.

Home Poker Games

A fun way of actually getting use out of your custom poker chips is to apply the family crest, or actually create a family crest to include on the custom poker chip and then use it for family poker night. Playing poker with the family allows togetherness time that you all can enjoy, and adding custom chips to the mix adds to the festive nature of the proceedings.

Wedding Favors

It is always difficult finding the right gift idea to give away as a wedding favor to all those attending. If you really want your appreciation to stand out, you should consider giving away custom poker chips as wedding favors so that those in attendance will have a useful and fun reminder of your very special day.

With all the ways that you can use custom poker chips, you may already be sold on the idea. But when you also consider that it is one of the cheapest forms of customized gift out there on the market, it becomes even more appealing. As you plan your next big gift giving occasion or special event, consider custom poker chips for the people in your life.