Smoking a Cigar Halfway: Smart or Wasteful?

• Author: Brian Mallikarjunan
• Filed under: General
• Date: Mar 4,2010

One can easily picture the scene. A smoker has stubbed out their cigar halfway through, they pick up the stogie, grab their Nibo lighter and get ready to relight it and are immediately warned by a friend that they should only smoke the first half of the cigar.

This debate stems from inevitable changes that occur in the flavor of a cigar as it is smoked. This results from the act of smoking itself and from the build-up of tar in the tobacco as one works their way through the cigar. Some find this taste objectionable and some find that the cigar improves as one smokes it.

Smoking tobacco, whether it be from a pipe, a cigarette or a cigar, inevitably changes the taste and the character of the rest of the tobacco in the bowl or wrapper. As the tobacco combusts, it produces tar and the tobacco through which the smoke is drawn acts as something of a filter, catching particles of the tar and flavoring the tobacco. Most often, the tobacco becomes stronger and sharper as one smokes more of it.

If a cigar is smoked halfway though, the same change in taste will occur but it will be less pronounced. Some smokers find this change in taste very unpleasant and, therefore, they stub out\”and waste\”the majority of their cigar. One should avoid this at all costs. Cigars are gourmet indulgences and should be enjoyed all the way through. There are several ways in which one can mitigate the change in taste.

Fine cigars are not cheap and their price is justified in the quality of their tobacco and in the technique used in wrapping the leaves. Saying that one should smoke only half of a cigar is akin to saying one should only eat half of a gourmet chicken because the taste of the meat changes slightly as one approaches the bone. It is a matter of preference and little more. Some individuals will find that the cigar becomes too strong for their taste toward the end and, in these cases, it is preferable to change brands rather than to waste fully half of a gourmet cigar. There are many mild brands on the market from which to choose.

Brian is a business consultant for an online butane lighter store and has expert knowledge of triple flame torch lighters.

Free Poker Cash Games – Establishing Yourself

• Author: Adam Toscano
• Filed under: Poker
• Date: Jan 17,2010

Another item to consider when choosing a site are; what amount is the free poker cash, types of games you like to play, how much you receive for opening an account, what kind of traffic does the site get and how many players play there often.

Start with the site\’s bankroll. Always sign up with obtaining the free online poker bonus they offer new players. The free poker bankroll is an amount of money that\’s put in your account when you sign up. It can be transferred straight into your account. Pay attention to the playing requirements involved. This means you have to play a number of hands have the bonus activated. Whatever, this bankrolls the beginning of your free poker cash games. It\’s free poker money!

Time to have some fun. Think of a \”Poker Nickname.\” This is how you first establish yourself at free poker cash games. At first, this may seem easy to do. But remember, you\’ll have to live with that screen name on in that free poker money site. Also you have to live with how other player\’s respond to seeing that name every time you step into a room. The screen name might affect your competitor\’s play against you. They don\’t really know who you are at the free poker cash games, but they might play some games based on your screen name!

Take this for an example, if you\’re considering a soft name like LetsHaveFun or No1 Mom, you may experience more aggression from other players. Pick a name with meaning like NoMercy (Isabelle Mercier), CardShark or the Quiet Lion (Richard Brodie). Humor is a good tactic, as well, like BadAtThis (April Zwick-Friedman), Mr Wiggles or Dan Druff (Todd Witteles).

So after you\’ve picked a good poker name, it\’s on to the free poker cash games! Pick one you like – Texas Hold\’em, Seven Card or Five Card Stud or Razz, Five Card Poker or or one of their variants. Devote a good deal of time with the game, get the feel of it, discover the players ticks and tells (poker sites have online note systems to record these). You need to reach a high comfort level with the game and own it like it\’s yours. Remember you\’ve got your free poker money to to reach this goal. That\’s the beauty when you play free poker games online. You can learn while you play without risking your own money.

You can do that when you take advantage of the features you can use while playing the free poker cash games. The poker software allows you to analyze the hands you\’ve played on the site! When you look at the hand away from the rush of the game, you\’re likely to notice some flaws that you can work on eliminating. So you can get better when you play free poker games online using free poker money.

Online poker forums are also a good way to educate yourself about the subtleties and strategies of free poker cash games. The great thing about them is that they\’re open communication. You can find yourself engaged in conversations and discuss solutions to issues that you may be having trouble with.

Dennis Levine publishes many articles on how to establish oneself with free poker money when playing free poker cash games for beginners on the web.

How to Prepare for Ordering Custom Poker Chips

• Author: Christopher Belitz
• Filed under: Poker
• Date: Dec 27,2009

JustPokerSupplies.com has an increasing number of people interested in and ordering custom poker chips. Here are the reasons behind this trend. Many corporations are using custom poker chips as gifts to their employees. We also see a lot of clients who want to give a gift that is more personal, which fits with the description of custom poker chips pretty well. We also see a lot of people who wish to commemorate a special event with a very personalized gift, such as wedding, retirements, and job promotions. What do you need to do in order to make sure everything turns out well for your order?

Knowing what you want on your chip is a good first step. Many people want custom poker chips but they do not have a clue as to what they want on it. Logos are a good starting place if you represent a corporation; initials are also good if you are an individual.

Next you have to choose what is the right custom poker chip for you. There are four categories of custom poker chips. The first is simple hotstamping your initials on a poker chip. This is fairly inexpensive, but it is still fun and stylish way to dress up the chips. The next type is to have custom labels applied to the chip. Labels can have any number of things printed on it and is generally considered a step up in the custom chip enviroment.

The third category is direct print labels on the chip. Here, an image–whether it is a corporate logo, image, or photograph–is directly printed onto the poker chip. This creates an excellent image on the poker chip. The last type of custom poker chip is where a ceramic chip has edge-to-edge printing on it, which can also include printing on the side of the chip. These are casino-quality chips that are almost works of art.

Having the logo or design you want on the chip is the next step. You should have the files in a 300DPI AI or PSD file. Many clients deliver the files in a PDF format, which is fine but they will have to be modified by a graphic designer to put into a usable format, which will cost more money.

Once all these steps are completed, you can order your chips, make sure to request that you want to review your proof, and then recieve your custom poker chips.

To visit JustPokerSupplies to order custom poker chips, click on Custom Poker Chips. You can also purchase poker supplies, playing cards, poker chips, poker tables, and other gaming supplies by clicking on the poker chips link.

A Few Pointers On How To Win At Video Poker

• Author: Dean Evert
• Filed under: Poker
• Date: Dec 11,2009

The game of poker is one of the most popular card games out there, and something that makes it even more in favor with the general populace, is the ability now to play video poker through the miracle of today’s technology. Knowing how to play and how to win at video poker is a factor that will provide many hours of fun and pleasure; not only because you are playing against the machine and the house rather than a table of live opponents; but also you can win a lot of money if you know what you are doing.

As with any other kind of game or card game, there are rules and regulations to be followed to play the game properly, and video poker is no exception. To learn how to win at video poker, you must start with the basics and build your knowledge of the game and the quirks that lurk therein. The game of video poker is based on a deck of 52 playing cards with some forms of the game using the jokers in the play. Once the play starts, the machine deals 5 random cards to you; you decide which ones you want to keep and which you want to discard; and then the machine randomly deals replacement cards for the ones you discarded, if any. You are now paid according to the poker value of the cards you are left holding in your hand.

Next, in order to win effectively at video poker, you must have a strategy. Like any other game that requires a little thinking and conniving, you can’t just plunk down in front of the machine, hit a few buttons, and expect to make a killing. You have to have a plan of attack and follow it. Always bet the maximum amount allowed in coins—all experienced video poker players and those who win big bucks are those who always bet the max allowed. Read up on and then follow how to hold the right cards as you play so you will always know what your next step is. Always use a player card so you leave a playing trail and can cash in on the comps and perks that the house allows; and that brings up another thought—-know what the casino incentive program is and use it. After scoping out the action in the video poker machines, find a liberal pay table to play—you will fare much better in the long run.

Betting the max in coins allowed makes perfect sense when you apply the old adage: the more you wager, the more you win. The win for any given hand of cards is directly proportional to the amount bet; except for one example—-when the payouts are tallied on various boards around town, you will notice that learning how to win at video poker depends on how to read the boards and bet accordingly; because in the case of Royal Flushes—-you may be shortchanged on your payout of getting a Royal Flush if you don’t bet the max. Most boards will list the payout of such as: you will win 1000 if you bet 4 coins, but you will win 4000 if you bet 5 coins (the max). What a difference a coin makes. This little burp in the board declarations is called “An Economy of Scale”.

Remember this also, that for every penny spent on the video poker machines, points are rewarded and these points can be redeemed for comps of all kinds, and free play. But, the deal is, if you don’t use a player card, the casino or house has no way of knowing how much or how long you are playing and therefore no way to assign points or comps—-you must use a player card to leave a play trail. And don’t be fooled by the wise old fools out there that pontificate to you when you are learning how to win at video poker; because they will try to pass on incorrect info about the player cards—-and that is, that if you use one, the machine will not pay out as well—-WRONG. The use of a player card is strictly for tallying amount played and has no bearing on the odds or performance of the machine whatsoever.

When you are perfecting your performance as a winning video poker player and you have learned your lessons well on how to win at video poker, there is a site online that you should check out that will help you interpret the payout tables found on the various machines, and what those tables mean. The site is vpfree2.com and it has loads of info above and beyond the payout tables that you may find very useful. As you become more familiar with the world of video poker, you will begin to see the relationships of the payout tables to the play and how you can make the most of the more liberal tables; for example, the payouts vary very little except when it comes to dealing with a flush or a full house—-the middle hands seem to have more variance than the others.

Poker is a hands down, knock ‘em dead, great card game—-the most beloved in the world—-and its spinoff-video poker—is just as much fun and just as challenging without the psychology of the other players messing up your thought processes. For outright fun and good times with just you and the machine going at it face to face, learning to win at video poker is a must to truly get the most out of the whole experience, not to mention some money as well.

Dean Evert writes on topics such as Poker Tips Online. For more information on Poker Tips visit our site.

Online Poker Vs Brick and Mortar Games – What Type of Poker is Best For You

• Author: Thomas Kearns
• Filed under: Poker
• Date: Dec 8,2009

Since the dawn of the online poker age there has always been the question of which is better, online poker or live games in a casino or card room? The answer is the same as most poker questions…. It depends. While the two generally have the same rules and structure, you are dealing with two very different games.

The main advantage of online poker boils down to speed. The games are so much faster than live poker that if its volume that you want, there is no substitute. All of the dealers responsibilities are done automatically. There is no time wasted on shuffling, counting chips, dealing, or gathering the cards. These time consuming actions are all done instantaneously by the poker room’s software. This means that there is less time wasted and more time spent playing poker. This equates to 60, 70, or more hands every hour. This is if you only play one table at a time. Most online poker players take advantage of ability to play multiple tables at once. Some players even use several monitors and play 6-8 tables or more at a time. This will allow you to play 600 or more hands an hour. This equates to 20 or more times the number of hands you would be able to play in a live game. So for the winning poker player, more hands per hours should equal more winnings per hour right? Unfortunately its not that simple. Read On.

Live poker also has some advantages. While you will only play twenty to thirty five hands per hour, you should be able to make a lot more per hand on average. The competition in live games is extremely weak when compared to similar limits in online poker. It has been my experience that the 20/40 limit holdem game at the local casino is much softer than online games as small as 1/2. This means that you should be able to play live games at much higher stakes without being “out of your league” skill wise. In fact some players at these levels in a casino often are unaware of poker information as basic as hand rankings. I’ve seen players who are unaware that their two pair is going to loose to a flush even after the cards are all turned over. Players this weak might as well have ATM embroidered on their baseball caps. For a skilled poker player we would imagine that higher staked and weak opponents lead to more money right? Perhaps…

Aside from actual win rate, each form of poker has its own advantages. Live poker is a much more social game. If you’re a social person and want to get out and interact with people and have some fun, you may enjoy live poker more. The internet however allows you to play poker in your underwear (or whatever). You can play at any time and don’t even have to leave the house. This convenience appeals to a lot of people. When you decide whether online poker or going to the casino is right for you, you need to keep in mind why you play poker. If you play for entertainment or a social experience, than live action is the way to go. If you are strictly business, than with rakeback, online poker bonuses, multitabling, and the huge volume of hands, you will probably do better with online poker.

Since both forms of poker have their advantages I guess that we can conclude that its a draw. Online is better for some players where as live games suit others. It all depends on what you want to get out of your time at the tables.

The author has played poker full time since 2005 and makes the majority of his income from online poker. He currently plays poker online and gets RakeBack at Aced Poker.