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ONGAME BENEFITS FROM BET&WIN TAKEOVER
Published: 2006-04-22
 And eCOGRA certification could be achievable for B&W operations
Swedish gambling software developer and turnkey provider Ongame will benefit significantly from its recent acquisition by Bet and Win, it seems. Europe's largest gambling group has decided to concentrate on using Ongame's poker going forward.
From mid-2006 Ongame will be the platform of choice for Bet and Win online operations, to the disadvantage of previous provider Boss Media. It is believed that as much as 10 percent of Boss Media's current online poker revenues come from licensing its software to B&W. The good news for Boss is that B&W will be extending its casino software license from Boss until the Fall of 2007.
The gains are not solely in Ongame's direction, however. The Swedish company has successfully passed the stringent inspection and probity processes of eCommerce and Online Gaming, Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) which opens the way for B&W online casinos and poker rooms to apply for the eCOGRA "Play It Safe" seal, provided its requirements can be met.
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Know when to show off the winning hand
Published: 2006-04-23
 There are two schools of thought when it comes to revealing your cards after everyone else has folded and the hand is over. One asks, why would you? Why give your opponents free information about how you play when they didn't pay for it?
While I totally understand and respect this strategy, I believe that in certain situations, it can be advantageous to show opponents your cards. When you watch me play poker on television, notice that I often show my hand. Of course, I'm not doing this randomly. My reasoning is calculated, and designed to give me an edge that I can exploit later in the game.
Think of it like this, I'm planting seeds that I can harvest later. You might consider doing a little poker gardening yourself.
Here's how showing your hands can work to your benefit, particularly when you're up against novice players.
1) Showing a bluff. Revealing your bluff hand might be good for your table image after you've successfully pushed your opponents out of the hand.
Bad players tend to have very long memories. By showing just one of your bluffs, they may conclude that you try to steal all of the pots, all of the time. Later in the game, when you are dealt the best hand, you'll benefit because they will call you more often than they should.
2) Showing a strong hand. There are two ways to make the most of this situation. If you are up against a weak player, showing him that you bet a strong hand will often allow you to bully him for the rest of the night. It will put the notion in his mind that when you bet, it's always because you have great cards, even if you don't.
The other benefit in revealing a strong hand is that it may help to keep an aggressive player off your back. Aggressive players are the toughest to face, and quite frankly, you don't want them attacking you.
An aggressive player will be less inclined to attack if he has evidence that you weren't messing around when you raised him earlier. Befriending an aggressive player by revealing your hand can actually tame him. You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
3) Setting up a play. Revealing a hand can have its benefits anytime you make a play that is out of the norm for you. Let's say, for example, in a Limit Hold 'em game, you usually raise the bet when holding top pair. Only this time, you just call your opponent on the flop and then raise him on the turn when a safe card hits.
If your opponent folds, showing your hand may lead him to believe that you make this play often. In the future, when you just call on the flop, he may worry that you'll raise him on the turn.
Conversely, if you raise on the flop, he may think it's more likely you have a drawing hand, since your track record suggests that you always raise on the turn with top pair.
Here's a very important rule. I don't recommend that you engage in this type of psychological warfare if you are a novice player. In fact, you'd be much better off never revealing your hand unless you are obligated to do so.
And one last piece of advice. Don't show your cards when squaring off against great players. Revealing your hand is much more effective against more easily manipulated opponents.
Showing or not showing cards will always be a topic of great debate amongst poker's elite. In my book, revealing your hand to a weak opponent can often be an effective and profitable tactic.
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