Any poker room offers free play to bring in new players. It’s a good way to take advantage of the best software, but it will require a sign-up process. If you want the best non-casino places to play Texas holdem, AOL offers an abundance of the Official WSOP Poker game. AOL has a wide variety of games including other variations of poker. The MSN games are essentially the same thing, if you don’t like AOL for some reason.

The game is so popular that you can play it on your phone now. Social websites like Facebook offer the game to its customers, and a lot of them are playing. Pokerunderworld.com is a site that offers education and discussion, as well as player leaderboards. There’s an active forum and the site is available in multiple languages. Another option would be games.com; they offer most casino games, as well as the regular poker action.

It’s been a mystery why the most popular form of poker has not been available in the new gaming hotbed of Macau. The resort has been growing by leaps and bounds, but until recently poker was not on the menu. But good action has a way of finding avid gamers, and holdem has landed in China. This past week the Chinese government authorized local casinos to offer Texas Holdem action, so it’s game on in Asia.

The first casino that will offer Texas Holdem is the Grand Lisboa, the flagship casino of Sociedade de Jogos de Macau. They will start with four tables and will see how local players respond. The other Vegas-based companies in Macau are fully expected to follow suit, and Texas Holdem should soon be available throughout the resort. This could be the first step towards another poker boom in the massive Asia gaming market.

Las Vegas has been blacklisting people since the 60’s. The original lists were not created to keep out card counters or advantage players, but were a method to keep mob-related criminals out of town. One of the most famous, Marshall Caifano, died last December after being blacklisted for 43 years. He was one of the original 11 people put on the list for theft and illegal bookmaking.

Today’s blacklisted individual is more likely to be an advantage player like Ricardo Sedan. He’s one of the most successful card counters. He attended M.I.T. in the 80’s and filed lawsuits against casinos in the past. He and two other card counters filed a $2.3M lawsuit against the MGM Grand Detroit following an incident in which they were beaten and detained by casino security in 2001.

Poker star Andy Bloch is also blacklisted from the blackjack tables because of his connection with the M.I.T. blackjack team.

Poker is all about deception. Sometimes what you say can put you at an advantage by intimidating your opponents. Below is a listing of some of the more common and not so common names for starting poker hands that you can use and may possibly leave your rookie opponents feeling confused: 
AA: Pocket Rockets; Bullets; American Airlines
KK: Cowboys; King Kong
QQ: Ladies, Whores, Siegfried & Roy
JJ: Fishhooks; hooks
TT: Dimes
99: German Virgin; Barbara Feldon (Get Smart Agent 99)
88: Snowmen; Doggie Balls; Piano Keys
77: Sunset Strip
66: Route 66
55: Speed Limit
44: Magnum; Sailboats
33: Crabs
22: Ducks
AK: Big Slick; Santa Barbara
AQ: Big Chick; Walking Back to Houston
AJ: Ajax
A8: Dead Man’s hand
KQ suited Marriage
KQ offsuit Mixed Marriage
KJ: Kojak
K9: Fido Canine What a Dog
K3: Commander Crab; King Crab
QJ: Maverick
QT: Quint; Varkony
Q7: Computer hand
Q3: Gay Waiter; San Francisco Busboy (queen with a tray)
J5: Motown; Jackson Five
J4: Flat ties (what’s a jack for?)
T5: Woolworth’s; Five and Dime
T4: Broderick Crawford; Convoy; Good Buddy
T2: Texas Dolly
98: Oldsmobile
69: Big Lick; Dinner for Two
95: Dolly Parton
92: Montana Banana
76: Union Oil
57: Heinz
45: Jessie James; Jane Russell
39: Jack Benny
38: Raquel Welch

Peer-to-peer poker is a new interactive network for poker players to play internet-style poker while in the confines of a real casino. Players can play in restaurants, lounges or at the bar, and the action can be added to the casino revenue without using up any valuable floor space. Progressive Gaming International Corporation, the leading provider for gaming diversified technologies, has signed a limited exclusive license agreement with Harrah’s Licensing Company.

Harrah’s is expected to begin installing the World Series of Poker peer-to-peer network in the hotel prior to the general public. The system is expected to be attractive to players because they will be able to track their play, and there will always be open tables. The games are an option while waiting for a real table and your name is on the waiting list. The system was approved after its debut at the ICE Show in London.