Gambling

There’s no denying that the online casino industry is a very male-driven one – the front pages of many online casinos show attractive ladies inviting the players to sign up and join in on the fun, and the amount of good-looking female dealers in the live casino section puts the number of males to absolute shame. The casinos’ color schemes are darker, and many games feature things that appear predominately to men, such as football or cars. And you know what? That is totally fine! After all, 82% of all online gamblers are men, according to the most recent statistics I could find, so it only makes sense that the people in charge of casinos will try to appeal to their primary demographic. That’s completely fine – we don’t expect casino sites to cater to women just like they don’t expect bingo sites to cater to men. This isn’t really my problem at all. The problem – and it is a problem that’s not exclusive to online casinos – is that the treatment of women within the gambling industry is somewhat insulting and degrading.

Before we go on, it’s important to talk a little bit about objectification. Objectification is a central notion in feminist theory that, to put it extremely simply, relates to the idea of women being relegated to the role of objects that are to be used by males rather than characters in their own right. Think back to early “James Bond” movies – the Bond girl has no real personality or motivations of her own, she is merely there to give up her body to the male hero and maybe die for him. Those characters have been objectified. They’re not fully fleshed out in the way that James Bond or his male villains have been, they’re merely objects that Bond can use and discard to his leisure. They have no ambition, they are there to serve a purpose, and that purpose is to appeal to a male. Of course, that’s just one example of objectification. There are plenty more in real life and in media, too, but I won’t get into it too much, as I don’t want to derail this article any more than I already have.

I (and hopefully you too – otherwise what are you doing here) love playing online casino games, but the way the industry has objectified women is a bit problematic. A whole ton of slots, such as “Playboy”, “Cherry Love”, “Red Hot Devil”, “Benchwarmers Football Girls”, “Girls with Guns” and many, many, many more are being promoted on the sole premise that they feature hot girls that expose themselves for the sheer joy and pleasure of the (presumably male) spectator. None of these girls have any kind of definable personality. We don’t know about their goals or motivations – hell, we can’t even infer any of that. I mean, sure, this is a slot machine, I’m not exactly expecting a deep and compelling narrative, but you can use beautiful women as characters in your slot while also treating them with respect and not purely defining them by their sexuality. For example, the girls from “Dangerous Beauty” are, as the name suggests, quite easy on the eye, but they were not designed to appeal to the male gaze. Even just by looking at them you can learn a few things about them. They’re warriors first and beautiful women second. That’s how it should be done.

But hey, these are just virtual women, right? Who cares if they’re naked? No real people are getting hurt, right? Well… Unfortunately, the double standard extends to the very real live casino. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some casinos that treat their male and female employees equally, giving them the same dress code and the same opportunities. That’s awesome! Even if there are naturally more women than men, as long as they’re treated equally, that’s fine by me. However, in many casinos men are allowed to wear a formal suit (as all croupiers and dealers should) while women are encouraged to wear revealing dresses that expose their cleavage. Similarly, men get interesting rooms, such as ones where they get to talk about sports or politics, while women need to rely on the power of boobs alone in order to attract players. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not some sort of prude that wants all women to be covered up, quite the opposite. I don’t mind showing some skin, hell, I’d even be okay with full frontal nudity as long as the opportunities are equal! If you have rooms with girls dressed sexy, you also need to have rooms with guys dressed sexy, even if their numbers aren’t exactly equal. That’s just how it should be! After all, we’re fighting for equal rights here, aren’t we? And if we objectify one gender, we should objectify the other too… Though honestly, it might be best if we just stick to not objectifying anyone.

What have y’all been up to lately, my pets? My gambling lady friends and I have mostly been giving blackjack lessons. Well, calling it a lesson is a bit of an overstatement… You see, my college roomie Emily moved back into town a few weeks ago. She wanted to reconnect and I invited her to join us for a ladies’ casino night. But what a surprise – Emily hasn’t played any casino games. Ever! Can you imagine that?

So, what did I do? I asked her which game she wanted to start with and she instantly replied “Blackjack!” Turned out she had recently watched the movie “21”. She looked the movie up on IMDb where she learnt the film was inspired by a true story. That really got her thinking she could try her luck at blackjack, too.

I told her all about the MIT Blackjack team and how they made a tonne of money. I covered the basics of the high-low strategy and card counting. Emily was ecstatic! She wanted to start right away. She was ready to take a walk along the edge. In her mind, playing blackjack equals anything from a misdemeanour to a felony, depending on how big the winnings are. Even though card counting isn’t illegal, to her it spells trouble. And, though our college days are long gone, danger still makes her an eager beaver. She is practically ready to cash out those millions she has not won yet.

I had to tell her to hold her horses and ask her to dedicate some time to training. It’s not like she has to pass a 6-week course in gambling or get an MIT degree but it would definitely help her to know the rules well and to practise playing some blackjack before she wagered her hard-earned money.

First, I sent her to this cool site about making real money with blackjack. I knew that she would find most of her questions answered on this page. Then, I got her the downloadable version of Ladbrokes Casino so that she could play all the blackjack games available there in practice mode. I knew she’d like those because there are quite a few blackjack varieties all done in the beautiful Playtech design. The best of all was that she could start playing them for free and then switch to staking real money. That’s one of the greatest things about online casinos – you get to practise casino games for free and you can bet real cash as soon as you feel like it. They’re perfect for newbies, too, because they don’t have to worry about casino etiquette and feeling awkward.

Emily wanted us to take her to a land-based casino and I promised we would. However, I have a feeling she’ll like the online casinos we mentioned much more. We’ll see. Oh, I just remembered, Emily was Applied mathematics and Statistics Major in college. We just might have found the perfect addition to our club. Blackjack cash, here we come!

Very, very few companies have services which are so popular that they practically monopolize the market. There’s no “search engines”, there’s only Google, to the point where it has turned into a verb of its own (“Why don’t you google this?”). Sure, there’s other search engines around (Bing or Yahoo, for example), but honestly, nobody’s using them. Similarly, there isn’t really any other streaming service that can measure up to Netflix – a popular slang term was even created because of it, “Netflix & chill”, which at one point teenagers used as code for snu-snu. And let’s not lie to ourselves, as much as Apple wants to make iOS happen, it’s not gonna happen – Windows was, is and always will be the operating system of choice for everyone using desktop computers, to the point where people are actually installing Windows on their Macs. Nothing can stop it!

But there’s one monopoly which I’ve never seen topped, one company which is so firmly planted into the public consciousness that even though I know that it has competitors, I don’t actually know who they are beyond a couple of names and nothing more. Yes, I am, in fact, talking about PayPal. Now, some of you may be wondering just what PayPal is, and to put it extremely simply, it’s an e-wallet service which helps you manage your money quickly and conveniently. You can connect a bank account or a credit card to it, and if somebody sends you money even though you haven’t connected anything to it, then no worries, PayPal will store that money for you and allow you to spend it on stuff even without having a bank account of any sort. But don’t think that just because you’ve connected your credit card that automatically means you have to invest everything from it – as a matter of fact, you can place limits on yourself, which is very helpful if you’re a spontaneous shopper when online. “Oh, what’s this? The full Blu-Ray Extended Trilogy of Lord of the Rings for only $100? Better buy it right away even though I’ve already watched the movies a dozen times!” Don’t deny it, ladies, we’ve all been there.

You can see just how helpful PayPal can be when it comes to online casino. PayPal is extremely secure, so you can use it as an intermediary between your wallet and the online casino, just to make sure your personal information is stored in as few servers as possible. Similarly, the fact that you can limit how much you deposit is a huge help for some of us who just want to put in another fiver for a few more spins of our favorite slots. Last, but not least, many casinos allow you to withdraw your winnings into your PayPal account (if you’d like a list you can always check out sites such as ponlinecasinos.co.uk) without even getting close to linking your bank account or even having one! You could say that it’s pretty great.

Last time, we spoke briefly about the 3 biggest mistakes that you could make at the poker table, that could do some serious harm to your image as a poker player and could even get you sanctioned. Let’s do a short recap, before we continue. First of all, never mention the or give out the hand you folded, especially when the hand is still in play. The second rule is never to comment or give advice in hands that you don’t take part in and last, but not least, don’t take more time to act than you need to. Now, without further ado, here are the next 3 tips.

1. Never Give Players a Hard Time for how They Play

How could you call that, where did you learn to play poker, you are a fish and many other poor-etiquette remarks like that are indeed tasteless and will simply not be tolerated in most land-based locations. Although we have witnessed such situations many times on TV poker shows, but let’s be honest, these guys are poker pros, with millions of dollars in the bank and a whole years of experience, so they can get away with pretty much anything. So, sometimes even if you see a player calling your all in, even though the odds were very slim for him to win.

2. Don’t Over-celebrate – No Need to Rub It in

I know, it’s amazing when you can almost feel that your chances of winning are close to zero and all of a sudden the dealer turns that one card that brings you back to life. In the game, I mean. But still, there is no need for you to over-celebrate it, high five friends and gloat about your lucky break. Please keep in mind that while you won, another player lost and you know the feeling all too well. Show some respect and consideration for him, as you too were and will be once again in his place and you wouldn’t want the other player rubbing it in, right? Keep your cool, smile, but try to cheer within.

3. The Dealer Is Not to Blame

We have all witnessed sore losers and it is indeed not a pretty sight. But lashing out at the dealer will get you nowhere, except maybe out or even banned from the casino or poker club. The dealer does not, I repeat, does not have any control over the cards he turns over, nor the fact that you lost. Believe me, it makes no difference for them whether you or another player wins. Well, except if you do lash out at them and treat them poorly, then perhaps he would want you to lose, as a punishment for your lack of manners. And even so, he still cannot change the cards or deal the card that could take or any other player out. So, just be nice, smile and let karma do the rest.

Whether you play poker online or live, there are a few mistakes that could not only cost you the respect of the other players, but also your tournament life. History has seen many cases in which big poker players have been sanctioned or excluded from tournaments because of an unsportsmanlike conduct. To prevent that from happening, here are a few tips and etiquette rules that can save you a lot of heartache.

1. Never Talk about a Hand in Progress

No matter if you folded the best cards, that could have won you the tournament or a lot of money, never speak about it, while the hand is still in progress. Many people make this mistake and it is not only disrespectful and distasteful, but it could actually cost other players a lot. Say for example that one of the players is trying to bluff his way into winning a pot by representing trips. I needn’t tell you that if you even mention the word ‘trips’ or if even you react in such a matter to give out that that’s what you folded, you could cost the bluffer a lot of money or even his tournament seat. Just don’t!

2. Don’t Comment during Hands You Are Not in

This has personally happened to me and believe me when I say I nearly committed my first – and only, murder. We had reached the bubble position in a very nice tournament, with a solid prize pool. After I ‘survived’ hundreds of players, came the time to push all in, after getting a monster flush on the turn. Three players, I was first to act, so I pushed all in. One of the players, a pretty good one, too, asked me if I had made the flush. I was honest, there was plenty of money in the pot already, I replied yes and the other player before him folded. He went on to say ‘I only have two pairs, the lowest ones, too, so even you don’t have the flush, I could still be beaten’. In that moment, another player that hadn’t even spent one penny on that hand, ‘advised’ him to call me, as he could get a full house on the river. The other player reacted almost immediately on his comment and it also felt that immediately came the river that would put an end to my tournament life. Believe me, I know the player pretty well, we played many times before and he would have never made that call, had he been left alone to make his decision. But it was done and I was out! Don’t ever do this.

3. Don’t Stall unless Needed

One of the things that could also drive other players is stalling. I am not saying that you should rush into bad decisions; take your time, make your choice and act in a timely manner. If you have no intention of taking part in a hand, fold your cards quickly, so that other players can make their move. This is a big issue in online poker, either due to players multi-tabling, either due to distractions. By stalling, you are disturbing the flow of the game and it could also affect your game. Poker loses a bit of its charm when players cause the game to grovel at the snail’s pace.

For those who are not in the know, one of the most important events in the world of Gambling for women is about to take place in July this year. The nominations for this year’s best performers in poker (we’re talking ladies only) are open. So get yourself busy and submit your application or that of someone you believe worthy of the title!
The Women in Poker Hall of Fame is hosting this fabulous event yearly, starting from 2001. It was initially formed by the Ladies International Poker Series – LIPS. The association’s aim is to enhance awareness and celebrate the contributions and achievements of women in poker. Those gorgeous ladies also help a number of charities assisting military families.
Nominations are open to the general public. The criteria for selection is as follows:

1. A candidate must have been active as a player or industry leader for a minimum of 10 years prior to election and 35 yrs of age or older.
2. Player/industry leader must have contributed to the world of poker in some significant way. This person can qualify by either winning major poker tournaments, or by making significant contributions to the industry of poker.
3. Player/industry leader must be a proponent of women in poker.
4. All nominees must be approved by a committee of the Board of Directors and the Inductees.
5. Nominees must agree to terms & conditions of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Just to spice things up before the nominations, let me just throw that study in the mix, in case there’s someone out there still doubting women are not good at gambling. Sorry gents, but women make better gambling choices than men in stressful conditions. A study conducted by the University of Ohio observed over 100 men and women who were told they’d have to give a public presentation on their own bodies following 20 minutes of a simulated gambling game. The scientists wanted to see if there is a connection between the choices the players make as the time comes closer to the deadline. Much to everyone’s surprise (they didn’t expect the difference to be significant) the ladies in the study made better gambling decisions. Men’s decision-making declined as the clock was ticking.
So there, that’s the great news from me for now, go submit your details for a chance to grab that crown if you’re into poker and have great time playing whatever game you’re into my darlings! Good luck!

Hello again, ladies! I am thrilled to bring you yet another fantastic post and this time it’s all about the most important aspect of gambling – safety. I have it said over and over again that safety is and should always be your priority when playing at online casinos and this is a fact. But there are few things that you would need to dig a little bit deeper to find, so I decided to give you a few hints and guidelines as to how to choose a safe site to play at. So, here we go!

First of all, I think I don’t need to tell you that a valid gambling licence is a must-have and obviously all operators that offer their services in the UK have been granted one. But that’s not by far the only security seal that you should and will find on safe gambling sites. Just check out the list of the most trusted casinos @safecasinos.org.uk and you will see what I mean. There, they cover aspects of real interest to us players, such as safety of banking transactions, trusted and stable software platforms and so on, as well as the importance of renowned organization such as eCogra and GLI. These are meant to oversee gambling services provided by online sites and ensure that players have a safe environment to enjoy their favourite games.

Us ladies love our credit cards and that comes as no surprise to anyone. We love to shop and paying with credit or even debt cards is fast and easy, but we would never underestimate the importance of safe transactions, especially with all the imminent Internet threats nowadays. So, always make sure that your banking transaction is processed in a safe browser page. You can easily recognize this by the extra ‘s’ added to the ‘http’ link of the casino site. Your personal and banking data are encrypted and thus protected from prying eyes.

Of course, let’s not forget that games also need to be transparent, with unexpected and unaltered outcomes and here is where the RNG (random number generator) comes in. The RNG is meant to ensure that all result are 100% unpredictable and cannot be tampered with, not by you and least of all not by the operators. And since the games are fair, so should be the payouts be and here is where eCogra and GLI come in. So many renowned casinos have the payout percentages for the individual games published on their websites, after having been checked and approved by such organizations.

And as a final proof of an online casino’s security level, you could learn more about their reputation among players. I mean, sure, they may abide the laws and strictly follow the local regulations to the letter and still slip through the cracks when you have to get paid. On the other hand, if an operator is listed at the stock exchange, you can feel confident that the casino is indeed trusted and safe and you should have nothing to worry about.