But the U.S. Congress is trying to take away all that.

I mean, with the state of the economy, doesn’t it make sense to just let us play and then tax the hell out of the site? It’s not like they can’t afford it.

Anyway, seems like the final touches of the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act (due to take effect on Jan. 1) are now being made.

Thank goodness Congressman Barney Frank is trying to do something about it.

Frank is calling for a special hearing on the law.

He is looking to come up with an alternative.

The Senate fooled us, Frank said.

Now they want to look into the legalization of internet gambling.

That’s more like it.

I wanna see what happens this July when the committee meets.

I’ll keep my eye on things. OK?

I play so much poker online that I sometimes forget that there are people out there who want to play but don’t really understand all the options…save for going to their closest brick and mortar casino.

So…for them, I dedicate this posting. And for the experienced players, I’ll get back to sifting through world reports about poker so that YOU know what’s happening everywhere.

First: Casino poker refers to any game played with cards; that’s different from video poker, obviously. Thanks to the many who have contributed to this posting….

When playing online, the distinction may not be quite as obvious since there are no physical cards to play with, so consider casino poker the variation played on a table, often against opponents and with a dealer.

There are a whole host of online casino poker games. Some you might have heard of. Others, not.

At many casinos, players can find games that vary in difficulty, with some games poker varieties requiring more skill than others.

Some games are more commonly found at online casinos, while some of the others players need to seek out at online poker rooms instead.

The most popular games:

1. Texas Hold ‘Em
This is one variety of online casino poker that has become especially popular.

It’s the game often portrayed in celebrity and pro tournaments that are aired on TV.

It’s a slightly simpler game than other types of casino poker, because it uses community cards.

With Texas Hold ‘Em each player receives their own 2 cards, facedown. The community cards are referred to as the flop for the first 3 cards, and then the next two dealt subsequently are the turn and the river.

Those who want to play Texas Hold ‘Em can choose between Limit Texas Hold ‘Em where the potential pot of winnings are fixed and there are maximum bets, or No Limit where players can bet as much as they want and this determines the pot.

2. Omaha Poker
Omaha Poker is not so different from Texas Hold ‘Em and it’s another really popular game with online casinos.

The simpler version of Omaha Poker is referred to as Omaha Hi; in this game players receive 4 cards of their own, and have to use 2 of them in combination with the 5 community cards for a hand. Omaha Hi/Low requires that they split their 4 cards to create 2 hands; one that’s high and one that’s low.

Like Texas Hold ‘Em the game comes in Limit or No Limit, though Limit with Omaha seems to be more popular.

3. Seven Card Stud
I grew up playing this game.

It’s classic. Here, players have all of their cards in their hand and have the option to discard some of their cards in the hopes of receiving better ones for a stronger hand

We’ll talk strategy another time. But those three games are probably the most commonly played online games these days.

Enjoy, and let me know if this was helpful.

If so, we’ll do a poker strategy posting sometime soon.

Ain’t competition great?

I mean, without competition and the need to outdo each other…in trying to attract players to their web sites, we wouldn’t have innovations like RUSH POKER, the latest from Full Tilt Poker.

Full Tilk Poker, of course, and their rival web site, PokerStars, are fighting it out for your dollars.

And we win. In a way..l.of course.

As I understand it, Rush Poker is a variation on the game in which a player (you and me)  joins a pool of participants and is seated at a random virtual table.

So far so good.

The normal options are in play, but there is also a “quick fold option.”

You play a hand. But once you are out, you (and all other folded players) go to a new table where it all begins again.

The  idea behind the concept is that there’s no time to think between folded hands, and you could play hundreds of hands with overlapping tables.

Cool huh?

Right now, the only poker game available at Rush Poker is Texas Hold’em, but that could change at any moment.

Full Tilt – the world’s second-largest poker room, last month announced some major changes to its site, including a new VIP program and changes aimed at eradicating short stackers.

The question on my mind now is…how will PokerStars respond? What will they do?

I can’t wait to find out.

Have you played Omaha Hi Poker yet? It’s  a cool variation of Texas Hold’Em, where players are dealt four hole cards instead of two. [The unique twist on the game  is this...only two of those cards can be used for the final hand.]

Still,  I like the idea that there are nine cards; think of the possibilities that you might get a stronger hand in the end. That’s where I’m coming from.

That’s probably why all the online poker players and casino game players I know like the game. Sure, Texas Hold ‘EM gets all the publicity. ESPN, of course. But Omaha, as I’ve said above, offers the chance to get higher hands. And what does that mean?

Bigger pots.

More players staying in the game.

More excitement.

Bigger payouts.

And I’m all for that.

In future posts I plan to get into some strategies of the game, but for beginners, I suggest going to your favorite online casino or favorite brick and mortar casino (I live closer to Atlantic City than Vegas….so I go there. But I also love playing online).

If you like Texas Hold’Em, you’ll more than likely like Omaha Hi.

Check it out. You might like it more than you think.

Die am meisten verbreitete Variante ist die Jacks or Better (zwei Buben oder höher) Variante, bei der schon mit zwei Buben die Auszahlungen beginnen. Es geht los mit fünf offenen Karten aus denen der Spieler die Karten markieren kann, die er behalten möchte (je nach Anbieter werden auch die Karten markiert, die ausgetauscht werden sollen). Mit dem ‚Ziehen’ Button gibt der Dealer neue Karten und tauscht die nicht markierten aus. Damit hat der Spieler seine finale Hand vor sich. Der Gewinn richtet sich nicht nur danach, ob es ein Bubenpärchen oder ein Royal Flush geworden ist, sondern selbstverständlich auch nach der Höhe des Einsatzes.

Besonders interessant am Video Poker im Online Casino ist sicherlich die große Auswahl an verschiedenen Video Poker Varianten. Neben Jacks or Better stehen Varianten wie ‚Tens or Better’, ‚Deuces Wild’, ‚Bonus Poker’ oder ‚Double Bonus’ zu Auswahl. Darüber hinaus kann häufig mit mehr als einer Hand gleichzeitig gespielt werden, so dass sich die Chance auf den großen Gewinn entscheidend erhöht. Bei z. B. 10 Händen gleichzeitig, wird eine Hand mit offenen Karten gegeben, aus der die gewünschten Karten markiert werden, z. B. ein Damen-Drilling. Jede der 10 Hände hat nun einen Damen-Drilling und mit dem ‚Ziehen’ Befehl erhöht sich für jede Hand einzeln die Chance auf ein ‚Full House’ oder‚ Four of a Kind’.