Online Gambling

Merge Poker Rooms offer the easiest way that I know of to play Backgammon cash games — both head-to-head cash games and cash tourneys. Every time that I have played, I’ve found several dozen — at times a hundred or so — players playing/waiting for a game.

The thing that I liked most is the rule variants that are offered around doubling, Jacoby, Crawford, beavers, and others. I’m sure that you’ll be able to find an opponent at the variety of backgammon that you are most experienced with.

Read more about all the rules of the backgammon games at a leading Merge Poker Room, OddsMaker Poker. The initial deposit bonus at OddsMaker Poker can be earned by playing backgammon, and the 5% maximum backgammon rake is more than reasonable.

Merge Poker Rooms accept players from all 50 states!

OddsMaker.com Poker
100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $1000!
Our online poker card games test your mettle and challenge your preconceived notions of playing caliber. As a leading source of poker tournaments and rooms, Odds Maker has countless return customers who depend on our betting systems to keep their sk …[Full Description]
Languages:  Currencies: 

If you think that you’re better than most players at skill games like checkers, chess, backgammon, gin, cribbage, dominoes, canasta, and solitaire games, I have a great site for you. GameColony hosts both free and cash skill game tournaments, and players from 35 US States are eligible to play. (Players are barred from: Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, South Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Washington and Vermont.).

Here’s how it works:

1. Sign up for an account at GameColony — it took me about a minute, since all you need to provide is your choice of a screen name and password, and your birth year.
2. Use the free-play option to check out the games that they have to offer. You’ll want to get familiar with the games and the rules before you play for cash.
3. Fund your account using PayPal or a credit card for as little as $5.95. You get $Tickets in exchange for your deposit.
   • 5 $Tickets for — $5.95
   • 10 $Tickets for — $10.95
   • 25 $Tickets for — $26.95
   • 50 $Tickets for — $51.95
   • 100 $Tickets for — $103.95
4. Play the games either head-to-head or in multi-person tourneys for $Tickets. Approximately 85% of the $Ticket entry fees are returned to the winners.
5. Any time that you have more than 2 $Tickets, you can convert them back to cash and make a withdrawal back to your PayPal or credit card. Withdrawals in excess of your original deposit are sent to you as a check.

Good luck at the games!

Start off the New Year by trying some new sites. Here are my top picks to start off 2010. All of the sites below accept players from all US States.

Bingo

• Free Bee Bingo – $50 FREE + 200% bonus on initial deposits between $25 and $9999!
• 123 Bingo Online – $25 FREE + 1000% bonus on initial deposits between $10 and $9999!
• Bingo Flash – $20 FREE + 250% bonus on initial deposits between $10 and $9999!
• BingoVille – $10 FREE + 150% bonus on initial deposits between $50 and $10000!
• BingoRoom – 150% bonus on initial deposits between $50 and $10000!

Casino

• BetUS Casino – 100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $500!
• Intertops RED Casino – 100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $100!
• US-Blackjack.com – 100% bonus on initial deposits between $25 and $100!
• Superbook.com Casino – 10% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $500!

Horses

• Sportsbook.com Horses – 10% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $1990!
• Superbook.com Horses – 10% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $500!
• All Horse Racing – 10% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $1000!
• Horse Betting – 10% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $1000!
• Go Horse Betting – 10% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $1000!

Poker

• Poker Stars – 100% bonus on initial deposits between $10 and $600!
• Full Tilt Poker – 100% bonus on initial deposits between $10 and $600!
• Poker4Ever – 100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $150!
• Spin32 Poker – 100% bonus on initial deposits of between $10 and $600!
• Bizipoker3D – 30% bonus on initial deposits between $10 and $666!

Skill

• Spadester – $4 FREE + 100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $100!
• Play65 – 40% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $500!

Sports

• Intertops Sportsbook – $20 FREE + 10% bonus on initial deposits between $50 and $250!
• Sportsbetting.com Sportsbook – 20% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $500!
• BetUS Sportsbook – 20% bonus on initial deposits between $100 and $299!
• Sportsbook.com – 10% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $1990!
• Superbook.com Sportsbook – 10% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $500!

Have a lucky 2010!

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (NJ-D) introduced a bill in the Senate which would establish a way for Americans to play games of skill for money over the Internet in a regulated fashion. In the bill, examples of games of skill include poker, bridge, and mahjong.

The bill was referred to committee, from which bills often do not return. We’ll keep an eye on this to see if aything comes of it… I’m doubtful.

In the meantime, Americans still have several good choices for playing online poker. Check out the list by clicking the link.

(Please note: Wherever you live, please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online.)

Backgammon dates to 3000 BC, and is a game of incredible strategy, skill, and some luck. If you’ve never tried it, I encourage you to give it a try as a test for your brain!

Here is a link to the rules and strategy for backgammon. Some places where you can play online backgammon against other opponents matched to your skill level are:

I’ve mentioned Duplicate Poker on my blog in the past, but I’ve been playing this more and more in the past week. I am telling you, it is a blast to play. Put simply, you try to get more chips than the players at other tables in your same seat who are getting the same cards and same boards as you!

Duplicate Poker involves play of Pot Limit and No Limit Texas Hold’em under the general rules governing that game with four exceptions.

• First, there are always two or more tables of players, with the same number of players seated at each table.
• Second, an identically shuffled deck of cards is used at each table for each hand played so that players in the same seat position at each table receive the same hole cards and the common cards are the same at each table.
• Third, every player begins each hand with the same number of playing chips, regardless of how he/she may have done in any previous hand.
• Fourth, the winner of each hand is determined based on the number of chips he or she has at the end of the game as compared with those held by all players in the same seat at the other tables.

Determining winners by comparing the results achieved by the players playing identical hands eliminates the luck of the draw element normally associated with poker so that skill is what determines who wins, not whether you got good cards or bad cards. Every hand can win if it is well played.

There is an interactive tutorial at their website that I recommend highly! And, here’s their current offer to get you started:

Get $5 FREE + a 100% bonus on initial deposits between $25 and $100!

I’ve mentioned Duplicate Poker on my blog in the past, but I’ve been playing this more and more in the past week. I am telling you, it is a blast to play. Put simply, you try to get more chips than the players at other tables in your same seat who are getting the same cards and same boards as you!

Duplicate Poker involves play of Pot Limit and No Limit Texas Hold’em under the general rules governing that game with four exceptions.

• First, there are always two or more tables of players, with the same number of players seated at each table.
• Second, an identically shuffled deck of cards is used at each table for each hand played so that players in the same seat position at each table receive the same hole cards and the common cards are the same at each table.
• Third, every player begins each hand with the same number of playing chips, regardless of how he/she may have done in any previous hand.
• Fourth, the winner of each hand is determined based on the number of chips he or she has at the end of the game as compared with those held by all players in the same seat at the other tables.

Determining winners by comparing the results achieved by the players playing identical hands eliminates the luck of the draw element normally associated with poker so that skill is what determines who wins, not whether you got good cards or bad cards. Every hand can win if it is well played.

There is an interactive tutorial at their website that I recommend highly! And, here’s their current offer to get you started:

Get $5 FREE + a 100% bonus on initial deposits between $25 and $100!