Having been in the industry since the 1980s and having been a supporter of computer systems since prominent statistician Dr. Mike Orkin wrote his Pointspread Analyzer software, where does Center of the Handicapping Universe stand?

We agree with the theory, but less so the etched-in-stone considerations. First of all, let us give a quick refresher of the difference. A system can be measured objectively because the parameters are concrete. The zigzag is an example. Going with a double digit favorite off a single digit loss would be another hypothetical.

Of course there can be modest variances depending on when and where a database gathers lines, but over any statistically significant period it does not make a huge difference.

A theory is much like a system but does not have objective parameters. Our theory is the better the team is that the zigzag system favors and the bigger the margin the loss was, the more compelling it is to “go with the team off a loss.”

True one could come up with a system to measure our upgrading of the methodology. An example would be going with a team with a winning percentage of .575 or higher off a loss of eight or more. The problem is we believe a mental sliding scale combining and most importantly, weighing the two factors works best. It allows for a mixing and matching of the two parameters.

For example, this year as in most years, it would not apply or would only be weighed slightly if we are talking about the bottom three seeds in each conference off a loss. There is a reason they are called “mismatches”.

No. 4 versus five and the next three rounds of the playoffs (barring huge first round upsets), it is weighed much heavier. Remember we told you the mocker grew conspicuously quieter as the postseason went on. Now you know why.

It’s one of those theories that almost make too much sense. During the regular season of every sport we remind you of the Golden Rule to not merely go with the “team that needs it more” if said team is fighting just to make the playoffs.

We call attention to the fact if a team were proficient at winning “must win” games they would not be playing in must-win games late in the year.

Conversely, a one through five seed, especially as the playoffs go deeper, has shown the ability to rebound from adversity and respond when their backs are to the wall.

To the handicapper there is a titanic difference between desperate elite teams and equally desperate inferior teams playing in a crucial contest. It’s like the difference between seeing Jennifer Lopez and Rosie O’Donnell in a string bikini.

Okay, I don’t follow the analogy myself, but the exemplification of the distinction is infallible. From a handicapping standpoint one can’t measure the success of the zigzag if Phoenix coming off a loss is given the same weight (no pun intended Rosie) as Washington or Golden State following a setback.

Likewise, the margin of the loss is applicable for at least two obvious reasons. As we have said many times, nothing affects public perception more than the last game they have seen. It’s not uncommon for a blowout in the previous game to influence an opening line by 2-3 points and more times than not, the closing line by more.

Casinos are plentiful in Nevada, with the major concentration of them being in Las Vegas. Almost all of Nevada’s casinos feature a large number of slot machines, table games, dining and entertainment options, with some more upscale than others. Nevada casinos are unmatched in terms of quality and most casinos around the world model their facilities after those found in Nevada.

Starting in Las Vegas, the higher end casinos include: The Aladdin Resort & Casino, The Bellagio, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, The MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, The Excalibur Hotel & Casino, The Mirage, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, to name a few. These Nevada casinos all feature thousands of slots machines, hundred of table games and all of them feature special shows and entertainment options. From Broadway shows to musical performances by top artists to boxing matches, these Nevada casinos are the best of the best and are unrivaled. The Nevada casinos are visually stunning and from fountains to light shows, no expense in spared in the aesthetic affect of each one of the Nevada casinos. Up and down the Las Vegas “strip”, there are a number of smaller facilities, each devoted to helping you win and lose money. Each casino has facilities in place to pamper you, make you comfortable, and encourage you to stay longer, gamble more and spend more money.

Venturing outside of the bright lights of Las Vegas, there is a large of concentration of casinos in both Carson City and Reno.

Reno features the Atlantis Casino & Resort, Harrah’s and the Sands Regency Casino Hotel. Carson City boasts the Silver Dollar Casino and the Carson Nugget. Each of these Nevada casinos are not as large scale as those located in Las Vegas, but feature a nice mix of table games, slot machines and various amenities.

Although using the software from these websites makes creating your own bingo cards easy, your cards will not be completely unique. For unique bingo cards, you have to create your own homemade ones. Making your own bingo cards can be lots of fun and all your friends and family can join in the venture.

All you need to make your own bingo cards are paper, preferably thick paper, a ruler, pencil and a few colored markers.

First you have to decide on the size of the grid of your bingo card. Then you use the ruler and the pencil and draw the card on the paper. Ensure that the blocks on your bingo card are all the same size. When you have finished drawing, you can darken all the pencil lines with a marker. Cut out the whole card, without cutting into the border of the card. Write down different numbers on your cards, varying between 1 and 75.

When finished with your bingo cards, you have to make the numbers for the caller to draw. Cut out even sized squares from the thick paper. Write a number, from 1 to 75, on each square. These numbers can be thrown in a hat or a box for the caller to draw.

If you haven’t ever played blackjack yet, the rules are similar to playing Lucky 9. In Lucky 9, your cards must reach 9 or the value nearest to it. Any cards beyond 9 are busted and players with cards totaling more than 9 must declare this round a loss. The same thing applies to blackjack but this time, you should aim for 21 instead of 9. While in Lucky 9, you’re only allowed to draw up to three cards, in blackjack, you can draw up to a whopping five cards.

Tips to Win at Blackjack

Now that we’ve refreshed your memory on how to play blackjack, let’s proceed to tips that will help you win big at blackjack.

Soft and Hard Hands

If you’re still unfamiliar with blackjack lingo, understand that a soft hand is the term used to describe cards that contain an ace and a number card such as a six and then using the ace as eleven to reach a total amount of 17. On the other hand, a hard hand would compromise cards that do not contain any aces or cards that have an ace but don’t give it an equivalent value of eleven.

Some people say that it’s always better to have a hard hand rather than a soft one.

Choosing Tables

Yes, the right table can have a good effect on your success rate in blackjack so choose carefully. First and foremost, make sure that the minimum allowed bet is not more than five percent of your total chips. Get to know rules variation for each table because these can affect your chances as well, no matter how slight.

The goal of the icebreaker bingo game is to get guests to ask each other questions in order to fill their bingo cards. This way guests can speak to each other and get to know each other without feeling pressured or uncomfortable. They learn personal details of each other’s lives and will soon feel they have something in common.

Making icebreaker bingo cards is easy, but do require a bit of time. The same amount of cards as guests is needed, although it is always a good idea to prepare a few extra cards in case unexpected guests arrive at the party. An icebreaker bingo card usually consists out of 25 (5X5) or 36 (9×9) even-sized blocks. Inside every block the host can write short phrases like “played college football”, “has a pet reptile”, “has been to Hawaii”, “loves reading” and “has a tattoo”. Another option is to search for ready-made cards online. Most of these sites use a random card generator, which means that all the cards will be different.

The aim of the game is to have the guests ask each other the questions on their cards. As soon as they find someone with, for example, a tattoo, they write that person’s name on the appropriate block. The first guest to fill their bingo card is the winner of the game. Another good idea is to offer a prize to the winner of the icebreaker bingo game. The prize can be anything from a yearbook if it is a reunion to a special gift at a Christmas of birthday party.

The intention is to let game last as long as possible, because guests are talking and interacting with each other.

The field, as it is called, varies from race to race. There are three main finishing points in any horse race—Win, Place and Show. Win is of course first place. Second place is called Place and Show is third. These three spots are known as “in the money.” A horse that doesn’t finish in the money is referred to as “also ran.”

Horse racing offers a plethora of wagering options. For instance, one can wager on a horse to win, place and show—also called “across the board”—or any mixture of the three. There are also other wagers, which are called “exotics”. One example of an exotic wager is a Trifecta. A Trifecta wager consists of three horses that will finish in the exact listed order. For example, if a bettor placed a 5-8-1 Trifecta, the 5 horse must finish first, the 8 horse second and the 1 horse third.

Another example of an exotic wager in horse racing, and a popular one, is the Pick 4. Horse racing bettors play Pick 4’s constantly. When a bettor makes a pick 4 wager, he or she is picking the winner in four consecutive races. Winners of the Pick 4 are paid from a pool of wagered money. There’s also a Daily Double, Pick 3 and Pick 6. In the event that there’s no winner, the money is carried over to the next day. This happens often with the Pick 6.

One of the best things I like about horse racing is the quickness of the races. Unlike a baseball game, I don’t have to wait three hours to find out if I won or not. Additionally, unlike other sports, there can be up to hundreds of races on a single day.

Will Holdem always be the poker game of choice, or is it possible another game will become the new favorite? Older poker games like Stud and Draw could possibly regain some momentum however this is an unlikely scenario as these games are currently being shunned by many new action players for their naturally slow pace of play. Other known games like Guts (3 card poker) seem a little too wild and precarious for most players and Pan (a form of chinese poker) is immediately seen as being just too complicated.

It is more likely that a newer game like Crazy Pineapple or Badugi would take over as the number one. Pineapple is essentially a spin-off from Holdem and Badugi is a fun new form of 4-card poker that is played triple-draw for low. These new games can be exciting poker alternatives when a bit of variety is needed in our playing sessions.

Regardless of these tendencies, it’s certain that the Holdem craze is not going to end anytime soon since it has been the introductory game for the biggest wave of new players in history.

Let’s say you are a gambling beginner and you want to know some basics about baseball betting. What do you need to know? A first step is to understand how to read the money the line as this is the primary wagering option for you. This means betting on the straight–up game outcome with less to no consideration for a point spread. The money line is used for an increased sum risked for baseball betting on the expected winner than on the less appreciated team. The purpose of the oddsmakers is to balance the action for both sides. A critical factor you need to know of when baseball betting is the importance of starting pitching. While smart NFL betting is done considering only the team with most chances of victory, baseball betting offers a double chance by finding a winning edge with either the team or the pitching match-ups. This is why oddsmakers always have the starting pitchers in mind when making the money line. They play an important role in the outcome of the game and, thus, in your winning chances.

After learning how things work with baseball betting, about terms like “vigorish”, “juice” and “dime line”, tips are necessary to keep you on the winning side. A source of information will tell you to consider betting baseball totals. Another one will advise about giving special attention to left handed players – “Whether they are pitchers or hitters, they will be trouble for the opposition and they will bring you luck”. Although, there are many things a winner must pay attention to, baseball betting (as well as NFL betting) creates passions and difficulties can turn into pleasures.

In the case of NFL betting, the gamblers apply the rule “winning with the winners”. It is a simple, yet effective thing to do – identify the winning teams, check their recent playing status (the last 2 or 3 games), avoid traps and study the opposition with their own recent games and traps. NFL betting will be next natural step. It looks simple, but be careful because big games that might come up as well as the teams’ emotional state can turn the situation around giving the NFL gambler the chance to get burned. It is not right to practice NFL betting based only on what you believe to be correct. Just take a look at the line posted by oddsmakers to compare your own for the match-up with theirs. You might say that this method of NFL betting is for the simple minded, but it better to be safe and successful than sorry.

There’s a whole philosophy about baseball betting and NFL betting and everyone has a personal technique. Anyone can read about successful baseball gamblers, their methods of approaching several situations and learn from their mistakes. The Internet is full of proofs about the perseverance of baseball and NFL lovers. You can even say that betting has become an international sport as it is practiced everywhere there’s a game or a competition going on.

Newer variations of the machine allow players to insert cash or even paper tickets with barcodes in order to play slot machines. Some of the more recent slot machines will even have a touch screen that starts the reels spinning.

Now, on to debunking some of the more popular myths about slot machines:

- The average slot machine never gets hot or cold. This is because the odds of a person hitting a winning combination of reels are determined by a random number generator that is built into the slot machine’s software. The odds never change.

Amusement with prizes (AWP) machines in Britain are the exception to this rule. These AWP machines are progressive, meaning that the chances of someone hitting a winning combination increases over time if the machine has not paid out yet. Some of these machines will also grant winning combinations if it will help the machine to meet certain payout percentages.

- Though there is a logic behind where slot machines are placed out on the gambling floor, higher paying machines are not placed in areas with more traffic. Machines with similar payout percentages are put together.

- The temperature of the coins inserted into the slot machine will not affect the payout received. Slot machines do not sense temperature and payout different percentages depending on the temperature of the coins used.

- Using a slot club card will not affect the slot machine’s payout. The card only allows the casino to monitor how much a player gambles with and the corresponding amenities that should be granted.

- In most jurisdictions, slot machines cannot have their payout percentages altered depending on the time of day or day of the week by punching in some numbers into a computer. To do this would require the replacement of parts inside of the slot machine and in many areas it would also require regulatory supervision.

The fewer decks you play with, the better. This way the house edge is lowered.

If the rule “surrender” is applied, it is in Blackjack players’ favor. This rule has 2 variations- “early” and “late” surrender, “early” is the best one.

Do not take insurance in the Blackjack gambling game, it has high house edge.

Available “dealer stands on soft 17″ rule is favorable to players.

The Blackjack game rule that allows you double down after splitting makes your chances better.

You should always stand on “hard 17″ or higher.

Split 7’s against a dealer’s card of equal or lower value; split 2’s or 3’s against a 4, 5, or 6; split aces and 8’s, no matter what the dealer’s up card is.

During the game try to stay calm, keep your mind clear. If necessary, take a break, have some rest so you will return to the table refreshed.

Always place a reasonable limit on the money that you are going to gamble with. Do not evere gamble with borrowed money. That is a golden rule for all gambling games including Blackjack.