It’s interesting this year because England are fielding a squad so inexperienced that, combined, it’s been over 50 years since there was less caps between the players. A combination of bad behaviour on and off the pitch has seen the old crew decimated in favour of a bunch of lads so thrilled to finally get the nod that the hope is they fear losing their shirt more than they fancy flinging some dwarfs about. Stuart Lancaster has the terrifying job of trying to round up the youngsters into what vaguely looks like a challenging England side, whilst simultaneously crossing his fingers and praying to God that they ‘Seize the day’ rather than go down in flames – either outcome is a distinct possibility!

Surprisingly, non of Ireland’s squad got the customary P45 that was expected after the 2011 World Cup and as a result the squad is more than familiar so Declan Kidney is clearly going with proven experience over fresh young blood. And given that they have three home games, all of which are winnable, even if they did get their asses handed to them by Wales in the World Cup, they would then only have to go to Paris and London and look for a win to potentially win the Championship. No doubt, in familiar fashion, they’ll start off pretty badly, eeking out some wins so that as they progress and get better they’ll end up in a points difference battle that will have grown men shaking in anticipation and gnawing at their finger nails for hours on the last day of the tournament until some other team has won it and we all drink up and go home!

Wales on the other hand have momentum on their side – that is of course if momentum can last four months without actually playing a game! Still aggrieved by the loss to France in the World Cup semi final, it might actually spur them on to give them a taste of their own medicine when they meet in Cardiff on March 17th. I can only hope that they’ve been training hard though I’m sure I saw a few of them pop up in ‘Stella’ on Sky 1 recently, so not much rugby action happening there – actually there wasn’t even any acting involved if the odd one-liner was to be believed – stick to the day job lads. And as second favourites after France to win the title this year they may just do that.

The fixtures are below as are the odds for the tournament!

Sat 4th Feb 12 14:30 France v Italy Stade de France Preview
Sat 4th Feb 12 17:00 Scotland v England Murrayfield Preview
Sun 5th Feb 12 15:00 Ireland v Wales Aviva Stadium

Sat 11th Feb 12 16:00 Italy v England Stadio Olimpico
Sat 11th Feb 12 20:00 France v Ireland Stade de France
Sun 12th Feb 12 15:00 Wales v Scotland Millennium Stadium

Sat 25th Feb 12 13:30 Ireland v Italy Aviva Stadium
Sat 25th Feb 12 16:00 England v Wales Twickenham
Sun 26th Feb 12 15:00 Scotland v France Murrayfield

Sat 10th Mar 12 14:30 Wales v Italy Millennium Stadium
Sat 10th Mar 12 17:00 Ireland v Scotland Aviva Stadium
Sun 11th Mar 12 15:00 France v England Stade de France More

Sat 17th Mar 12 12:30 Italy v Scotland Stadio Olimpico
Sat 17th Mar 12 14:45 Wales v France Millennium Stadium
Sat 17th Mar 12 17:00 England v Ireland Twickenham

With a relatively brand new ice panel including Katarina Witt and Louie Spence, night one kicked off with seven competing and one getting the boot just a couple of hours of his debut.

The unlucky, or lucky, depending on which way you look at it, evictee was Andy Akinwolere, the Blue Peter presenter and though he wasn’t the worst on the evening he simply fell foul of not been known very well!

That leaves six contestants from week 1 and another eight fall on to the ice this Sunday. Jorgie Porter is already the clear favourite to win it this year and to be fair to the girl, she was pretty spectacular on the night. Of Hollyoaks fame, Jorgie skated like a pro and we can only hope that she has some competition over the next few weeks or else it’s going to very bloody boring!

For those of you crazy enough to stick a few quid on this competition, all of the best and latest odds are below…

Owner John Hales revealed that last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner, who will step out of novice company for the first time in the Victor Chandler Chase on January 21, could bypass the Arkle Chase in favour of the Champion.

“We’ve put him in at 8-1 behind the two established chasers, Sizing Europe and Big Zeb, and Finians Rainbow as that’s where we think he is at the moment.

“We’ve afforded the entry a great deal of respect as it does not strike us as tilting at windmills. We’re also non-runner no-bet on the race and that has to be factored in,” said Ladbrokes spokesman David Williams.

Paddy Power stuck their head above the parapet by offering a standout 14-1, while Coral, who eased the Paul Nicholls-trained seven-year-old to 7-1 (from 5-1) for the Arkle, go 10-1 for the Champion Chase.

Friday night the qualification picture in Pools 2 and 5 is likely to become clearer when Racing Metro 92 take on leaders, Edinburgh Rugby, at Stade Yves du Manoir in Paris, and when Ospreys go up against Benetton Treviso at the Liberty Stadium.

Munster Rugby, the only club with four wins in the pool stage to date, will continue their push for a coveted place in the last eight when they host Castres Olympique at Thomond Park on Saturday, 14 January 2012 before rounding off their Pool 1 campaign a week later against Northampton Saints at stadium:mk in Milton Keynes.

Reigning champions Leinster, who are unbeaten in Pool 3, travel to Firhill on Sunday, 15 January where they meet a resurgent Glasgow Warriors, while in Round 6 they will look to reach the knockout stages once again when they host Montpellier at the RDS on Saturday, 21 January.

All the latest and best odds for the Heineken Cup are below…

Although Azerytioup broke that drought, Nicholls Festival record has got infinitely better since then as his first six visits only brought him 4 winners from 80 runners. Since those years early in that decade however he has always scored with more than one winner at the Festival, with his scores being 2004 – 4/22, 2005 – 2/34, 2006 – 3/29, 2007 – 4/34, 2008 – 3/34, 2009 – 5/35, 2010 – 2/31 and last year he had a further 3 winners from 28 runners. So since 2005 his overall record reads much better than those early years giving him 22 winners from 225 runners, managing two or more winners in each of those years at around at 10% strike-rate, not bad for the most competitive National Hunt fixture of the entire year. Those looking at the Cheltenham betting should certainly keep an eye on him.

But as ever it’s useful to break his record down and see where those wins come from and his strong and weak points. Of those 22 winners since 2005 – 12 have come in chases, 10 in hurdles with none in the National Hunt Flat race sphere, where he has only had five runners in the Championship bumper. But was is clear is that Nicholls wins far more races in the novice and championship events than he does in handicaps, breaking down those 22 winners the split becomes 17 in non-handicaps and just five in handicaps, in fact following Nicholls in handicaps at the Festival since 2005 results in a massive 54 point loss, and he has had a fair number of horses beaten at relatively short prices in handicaps including all seven that started at 7/2 or shorter. So we would take great care in supporting Nicholls short priced horses in handicaps during Cheltenham Festival racing.

Already this year Nicholls has demonstrated that he is going to go to the 2012 Cheltenham Festival with a very strong team but backing all of his runners rarely results in an overall profit and selectivity is the key to making a profit with this powerful stable, especially when you are looking at their handicap candidates.

Initially you would have thought that Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea would have been shoe-ins for qualifications with Arsenal, based on some shockingly bad Premier League performances, trailing somewhere in the middle of no where in this competition but all of that has been turned on it’s head.

Arsenal, surprisingly, are currently on top of Group F with three wins and two draws from their first five games. Manchester City have the worst results with two losses from their five, United have only managed two wins and three draws and Chelsea have flatlined with two wins, two losses and a draw to date.

With only one game left in the group stages every one of them need to absolutely hammer it to have any chance of making it to the last 16. Basically Manchester City have to beat Bayern Munich, United have to get at least a point away to Basel, Chelsea have to beat Valencia at home and Arsenal are sitting pretty having already qualified!

If you’re confident that your team can not only get through, but make it all the way to the Final, then the latest and best odds are below.

Here’s a run-down of how the groups will be decided…it’s tricky enough to follow but go with me while I fumble together an explanation…

UEFA has announced the seedings for the UEFA EURO 2012 finals draw at the Palace of Arts in Kyiv, Ukraine at 18.00CET (19.00 local time) on Friday 2 December.

The 16 teams that have qualified will been drawn into four groups of four teams each (Groups A to D). Four seeding pots have been created, with the host associations Poland and Ukraine being top seeds. Poland will be automatically placed in Group A as A1, Ukraine in Group D as D1.

The reigning champions Spain will be placed in Pot 1, together with the Netherlands, the team with the highest national team coefficient, as established at the conclusion of the play-off matches.

The other 12 qualifiers have been allocated to the remaining three pots according to their respective coefficients.

Pot 1: Spain, Netherlands
Pot 2: Germany, Italy, England, Russia
Pot 3: Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden
Pot 4: Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland

The draw will start with Pot 1 in order to fill position one in Groups B and C. The draw will continue with Pot 4, from which a team will be allocated to each group consecutively, from Group A to Group D. This procedure will then be repeated for Pot 3 and finally for Pot 2.

The position of each team within its group (2, 3 or 4) will also be determined during the draw.

UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino will conduct the draw, which will be shown live by more than 70 broadcast partners, covering more than 150 territories around the world on December 2nd!

So basically Ireland will be in the first pot that is allocated to the Groups and England will be one of the last drawn. But if you fancy England’s chances before the groups have even been drawn then the latest and best odds for them are below!

Pool 1 sees Castres Olympique do battle with Munster, Northampton Saints and the Scarlets which, by anybody’s standards is the group from hell. After failing to reach the knockout stage of the Heineken Cup for the first time since Keith Earls was in nappies, Munster will be extra anxious to prove that the empire isn’t crumbling. They’re up against Northampton in their first game and although their performance in the 2nd half of the final last year will be remembered as one of the more famous chokes in the history of the competition, the truth is that is was a steep learning curve and the Saints will no doubt want to shake it off and prove themselves as worthy on Sunday.

Pool 2 is home to Cardiff Blues, Edinburgh, London Irish and Racing Metro. Not a lot to say about this group really – London Irish look like they could be top at the end as Racing Metro have had a horrendous season so far in the french league and will be lucky to come away from the group with any points, this will be Edinburgh’s big chance to win a game but that’s about it for them. So you’re left with the Blues who have some solid, decent players in their squad and London Irish to battle it out for the group win…

Pool 3 is host to Leinster, Bath, Glasgow Warriors and Montpellier. Up until a few days ago, all looked rosy in the garden of the defending champions Leinster. Their returning World Cup stars were easing their way back into top form and in their absence, the team had been going along nicely. Since then however the most open secret in rugby was confirmed – Brian O’Driscoll has been playing with an injury for months, if not years, and needs surgery. He’s expected to be out for about 6 months, but most of the reports relating to the story included a line along the lines of ‘he is expected to be fit for the quarter-finals in April’ – an addition with the whiff of arrogance which pretty much tells us all we need to know about the draw the Blues have been handed. It’s pretty easy and they’re expected to progress as pool winners.

Pool 4 consists of Leicester, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Aironi and Ulster – I wish had some interesting and exciting insight to this group but frankly if the Leicester players can’t stroll through to the top of the group then they should start re-considering their career choice – maybe, just maybe Clermont might give them a run for their money but that’s only wishful thinking…

Pool 5 is Benetton Treviso, Biarritz, Ospreys and Saracens and initially you think ‘oh please, Biarritz are going to piss that group’ but on closer inspection Saracens’ capture of their first Premiership title in the club’s history and a start to the domestic season like team on fire AND John Smit (Springbok) can only help their European challenge. In contrast, Biarritz have had a terrible start to their season, Treviso are only there to make up numbers so that leaves the Ospreys to challenge but sadly over the summer, they’ve lost enough talent to make a top class sevens team and that will be hard to replace.

Pool 6 – last but not least Toulouse, Connaught, Gloucester and Harlequins – only second to Pool 1 in the toughness stakes. No least becuase Toulouse are expected to sail through but Gloucester have had a great start to the season and Harlequins top the Aviva Premiership – sadly Connaught don’t have a shot in hell so the others will no doubt be hoping to rack up the points against them to bolster their own chances and perhaps get enough points for a best-runner-up spot.

This year sees the big guns all up against each other with Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson, David Pipe, Philip Hobbs and Nigel Twiston-Davies all with entries into this showdown. So how are they going to fair because, and this should could as no surprise, only one can win! Although a cheeky each way bet could still net you a few quid so look further afield than the top favourites if you hope to make anything out of the race.

In a week when Paul Nicholls has racked up his 2000th career win, he’s still chasing the Paddy Power Gold Cup (and the Grand National!). It has thus far eluded the champion trainer but consensus is Mon Parrain, the favourite, could yet break that duck on Saturday. He’s giving it everything and has already booked Ruby Walsh for the ride so he’s definitely confident.

But…there’s always a but…though stats and trends shouldn’t be a determining factor in anyone’s selection process, there’s only been one winning five year-old since 1960 (1998 Cyfor Malta). As short and worthy favourite as Mon Parrain is his competition is tough and I think Nicholls will be waiting another year.

Loosen My Load has plenty of positives in his favour. He’s seven, ran recently and Henry De Bromhead has trained plenty of winners at Cheltenham. His triumph over Wishful Thinking at level weights in the Jewson at the Festival was seen as a strong case for him in the Paddy Power. Largely ignored is the fact Loosen My Load was third in the Jewson and is 10lbs better off than Wishfull Thinking, the seven year old will be a strong fancy on the day. Keep in mind though that there’s only been one Irish trained winner in the last ten years.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, 2010 winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup with Little Josh, is a trainer who knows how to “find a mark” for a horse to win. Swincombe Rock could be that horse this year. Nigel’s son Sam getting the leg up on Billie Magern isn’t a concern, in fact it may put some off the scent. Despite the Rock’s rating and being out of the handicap, he has the profile of a Paddy Power winner. A novice last season and from a stable that have won the race twice in the last three years. Seven of the last ten winners have come 1st or 2nd in their previous start, a criteria the six year old meets.

Also keep an eye on Great Endeavour from the David Pipe Stable, Wishfull Thinking from Philip Hobbs and Dave’s Dream who will be heavily backed simply because ‘Dave’ is in the name – still a good each-way bet though!

Of course, the other end of the spectrum is just as exciting as we eagerly watch teams drop points and plummet to the bottom of the table desperately scrambling for a goal or a draw to save them from relegation and essentially financial ruin – the Premier League is exceptionally profitable for teams and shareholders alike!

With 21 teams, 42 games and hundreds of goals ahead of us, who will rise to the top or indeed, sink like stones in this, the toughest and most open football league in the world! Odds on matches are readily available on all games this season and to find out who’s going to cut the mustard just click on any of the teams below to go to a more in-dept analysis and get the latest and best odds available.

• Arsenal
• Aston Villa
• Blackburn Rovers
• Bolton Wanderers
• Chelsea
• Everton
• Fulham
• Liverpool
• Manchester City
• Manchester United
• Newcastle United
• Norwich City
• QPR
• Stoke City
• Sunderland
• Swansea City
• Tottenham Hotspurs
• West Brom
• Wigan Athletic
• Wolverhampton Wanderers

Below are the latest and best odds on Outright Winners of the Premier League 2011/12 as well as those for Relegation!

The Rugby World Cup 2011 will kick-off on September 9th 2011, in Auckland, with the first game between hosts, New Zealand and their neighbours Tonga. This is the first of 40 group games, across Pools A, B, C and D, which will last until October 2nd 2011.

The event is scheduled to be played over seven weekends from the weekend starting 10 September and culminating the weekend starting 22 October 2011. The weekend of the final was chosen so it falls on a long weekend caused by the New Zealand public holiday of Labour Day (Monday, 24 October 2011).The final is scheduled to be played in Auckland at Eden Park.

So here’s how it’s going to play out. There are four Pools, each with five teams and they are:

Pool A

• New Zealand
• France
• Canada
• Tonga
• Japan

Pool B

• England
• Scotland
• Romania
• Argentina
• Georgia

Pool C

• Australia
• Ireland
• Italy
• USA
• Russia

Pool D

• South Africa
• Wales
• Samoa
• Fiji
• Namibia

Simply click on the name of any of the teams above to get a more in-dept analysis of the team and it’s chances of progressing through the competition as well as all of the latest match odds for that team.

Each team plays the other twice, accumulating bonus points as well as points for winning, drawing, even losing as they go. The top two teams from each of the four pools reach the knock out stages which are:

Quarter Finals:
08/10 – 18:00
Winner C V Runner-up D – Wellington

08/10 – 20:30
Winner B V Runner-up A – Auckland

09/10 – 18:00
Winner D V Runner-up C – Wellington

09/10 – 20:30
Winner A V Runner-up B – Auckland

Semi Finals
15/10 – 21:00
Winner QF 1 V Winner QF 2 – Auckland

16/10 – 21:00
Winner QF 3 V Winner QF 4 – Auckland

3rd Place Play-Off
21/10 – 20:30
Loser SF 1 V – Loser SF 2 – Auckland

Final
23/10 – 21:00
Winner SF 1 V Winner SF 2 – Auckland

For those of you who just want to back your favourite team to win World Cup outright then all of the latest and best odds are below and remember, as your team progresses, the odds will almost certainly get shorter!

According to Paddy Power Bookmakers, the encounter of the week is the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday which is being billed as the Duel on the Downs. The Henry Cecil-trained Frankel, this year’s 2000 Guineas and St James’ Palace Stakes winner, will put his unbeaten record on the line when he faces classy four year old miler Canford Cliffs.

Think Ali v Spinks, Federer v Nadal, Watson v Nicklaus. In boxing terms, this is a heavyweight clash to unite the titles. The main talking point has been the Frankel camps riding instructions. In his last two runs he’s led effectively start to finish. Most argue the colt is so talented, it is not necessary to push him so hard and risk defeat.

Canford Cliffs’ trainer Richard Hannon, in Alex Ferguson-esque mind-games said he thought Frankel “should be dropped back to seven furlongs”. Possibly suggesting, his colt will have the measure of Frankel. No matter who you opt for, it’ll be match of epic proportions.

Elsewhere at Goodwood, the Totesport Mile on Saturday sees one of punters’ primary bankers of the week. William Haggas’ Green Destiny seems to be one step ahead of the handicapper and looks well-in on ratings. The four year old is 7/2 to win with the rest of the field, 8/1 bar. Consistent support suggests it’s the one to be on.

Richard Hannon’s Memory was apparently destined for great thing until she flopped in the 1000 Guineas and in the words of the trainer, “disgraced herself” in the Falmouth Stakes at Royal Ascot. She’s a bit like a lot of women; stubborn. She’s one more chance in the Oak Tree Stakes. Unbeaten as a 2 year old, Wootton Basset is another one that has not lived up to his previous form and could go very well in the Lennox Stakes.

Be sure to remember that throughout Glorious Goodwood Paddy Power Bookmakers will be offering its usual mix of Extra Place specials and Money-Back Specials. Plus, avail of their Guaranteed Prices, their great market range plus tonnes of exciting stuff just for the festival!

Plus if you wanted an extra incentive to throw a few quid at Glorious Goodwood then Click HERE for a £50 Free bet for new Paddy Power Bookmaker customers on this market and more!

The six year old’s sudden improvement may have not been expected, but his mark will lend itself well to a decent run.

And while there seems to be an air of inevitability about the Hurdle given similar coups have gone according to plan recently, according to Paddy Power Bookmakers, it’d be foolish to ignore the rest of the field.

Given his successful Cheltenham, his judgement of a horse and his rising profile in the game, Gordon Elliot’s two charges are worth a second look. Dirar, who finished third when favourite a year ago, and Plan A are intended runners. They have been campaigned lightly and with their shrewd handler claiming “the Galway race has been the plan for them for some time” staking some each-way bets at decent prices could be the way to go.

Paddy Power Bookmakers have incredible prices on this race that are simply not to be missed so if you fancy your chances for the Galway Hurdle, then take advantage of their incredible offer!

Click HERE for a £50 Free bet for new customers on these markets and more!

During the war the Old Trafford ground was badly damaged and all home games had to be played at the rival Manchester City ground, Maine Rd. In 1945 Matt Busby was appointed manager and demanded total control of the team, which led to FA Cup victory in 1948 and in 1952 the club won the First Division title, for the first time in 41 years. Busby had great faith in young players and the media labelled his team ‘The Busby Babes’. In 1958 tragedy struck the young team when a plane bringing them back from a European Cup quarter final victory, crashed on take off in Munich, Germany. Twenty three people were killed, including eight player’s and several more injured amongst them Busby himself.

Throughout the 1960′s Busby re-built the team with players like Denis Law, George Best and Bobby Charlton and in 1968 United became the first English club to win the European Cup. Manchester Utd are the most successful club in English football and their manager Sir Alec Ferguson the most successful manager in English football history. They have won a record 19 League titles, a record 11 FA Cups and 3 European Cups. In the 1998/9 season they won the League, FA Cup and European Cup completing a much coveted ‘Treble’. They are considered to be the most popular team in the world and have more than 200 branches of their fan club, in at least 24 countries.

OK, maybe that’s not strictly true, there are one or two activities that have the potential to beat an evening at the bingo hall, but this is a family blog, so we’ll keep it clean.

If you’re planning your hen weekend at this very moment and incorporating the odd game of bingo is a big priority for you, as it should be, then praise the Lord for Ladbrokes Bingo Promotions, who have willingly scoured the country for their top three bingo hen weekends so you don’t have to!

So, read on, book your weekend, and then go and spend that valuable time you’ve saved by researching an outfit for your bridesmaids that won’t show you up when you walk down the aisle (oh come on, everyone knows that’s high up on the to do list of every bride)!

Number Three: Naughty Newcastle

If you like your men bare-chested, without hair on their head, and with enough stomach fat to keep a small family of snowmen efficiently insulated, Newcastle is undoubtedly the place for you and your bingo hen weekend.

With pretty much any Newcastle Hen Weekend website you happen to visit proclaiming the virtues of the local male strip show, it’s worth planning your trip well ahead of time in order to map out your evening bingo trail in a manner that avoids (or incorporates depending upon your preferences) the seedier side of the town.

There are several big bingo halls from established names to choose from in the centre of town and, with the city’s Quayside area now transformed into a futuristic hot-spot of night-time activity, with cocktails and live music very much the norm, you’re guaranteed to find somewhere fun to flash your cash after landing that bingo bonus jackpot.

Number Two: Boozy Bournemouth

Did you know that a 2007 survey conducted by a bank that shall remain nameless found that Bournemouth, the coastal town we all know and love down in Dorset, was the happiest place to live in the entire country? Yes, that’s right, a whopping 82% of those questioned revealed they were happy with their lives.

That may surprise you, but it doesn’t surprise us in the slightest, because ‘bingo’ and ‘Bournemouth’ are two words that go hand in hand as neatly as ‘Bournemouth Pier’ and ‘sunburn’.

Bournemouth used to have a reputation for being home to a disproportionate amount of people with blue rinses and perms, but now the bingo halls are more likely to be filled with hen parties and groups of girls warming up for the night before heading out to a nightclub or bar.

We’re not sure we quite agree with the estimation of a few that Bournemouth is the “south-coast Ibiza”, but with such highlights as ‘The Adonis Cabaret Show’, it’s certainly a great pick for a bingo hen weekend!

Number One: Booming Blackpool

When it comes to tacky yet entertaining hen parties in the UK, no single location is able to boast more credentials in its favour than Blackpool.

If you like your evening entertainment classy, sedate, and quiet, this kitsch seaside town isn’t for you. If, on the other hand, you like your night out raucous, loud, and guaranteed to leave you with a headache for days, you’ll find Blackpool a perfect fit.

After you’ve spent a day stuffing into your mouth as much processed sugar, or should we say “candy-floss”, as your poor heart can handle, risking life and limb walking along the slightly decrepit yet “charming” pier, and riding a donkey up and down the beach that really should have been sent into donkey retirement some time in the 1980s, you should head to one of the many bingo hall options the town has to offer.

Don’t worry if the first hall you reach is full; there are plenty of other ones to try! You’ll find all of the big names in the bingo business in Blackpool but, if you spend a little time doing your research, you’ll also find a smaller hidden gem or two that offers patrons a more traditional bingo session in a unique setting.

Having said that, if your bingo session is going to include more drinking than dabbing, stick to the chains for the sake of the poor old locals!

It is an option only available as the first decision of a hand, and allows the player to increase their bet by up to, or most often exactly, 100 per cent. Only one more card will be dealt to them, so when it goes wrong it can be a spectacular failure.

If you’ve put £10 down for your hand and been dealt a total of nine, be sure that if your one extra card is a two, the other players will be smiling because it was not them. However, there’s nothing sweeter than sitting with a hand of 11 then seeing the dealer hand you an ace.

It depends upon the house rules as to when you can double down. If you’re gambling online, the site might have “Reno rules” which allow doubling only on hard totals of 9, 10 or 11. There are other options which allow you to double on any hand, and it’s possible to use this to good effect if you have a soft 19-20 or even a soft 13-18. It’s worth taking time to study the statistics on doubling down, to give yourself the best chance of success.

The basics of the strategy is to always double down on hands of 11, unless the dealer has an ace. Doubling down is also regarded as the best option if you have 10 and the dealer has anything other than a 10 or ace.

If the site uses Reno rules, most people would advise doubling down on a nine if the dealer has between 3-6. All these guidelines apply to hard totals, there is a separate table for soft totals and pairs.

Written by Alex Corcoran, enjoys contributing to social sites and sharing gaming information on blackjack, poker, casino and uk bingo!

Junior, winner of last season’s Ascot Stakes at the royal meeting before finishing a fine runner-up to Ghimmaar at Goodwood a few weeks later, went on to complete a unique major festival double when running his rivals ragged in memorable fashion to land the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, slamming his 23 rivals. The useful Faasel got closest to him in being beaten by no less than 24 lengths. Anyone looking for horse racing betting tips would have been impressed.

The eight-year-old was fully expected to give a very good account of himself at Royal Ascot last week when attempting to land back-to-back runnings of the Ascots Stakes, but under top weight he ran a disappointing race, leading from flag-fall but never travelling with his usual fluency, then fading quickly when headed five furlongs from home before eventually trailing in a well beaten ninth of the 19 runners, some 29-lengths behind the winner, Veiled. It was something of a horse betting upset.

Pipe believes the son of Singspiel was almost certainly feeling the effects of some hard races over the previous 12 months and has taken the Ascot run as a message to him to ease off training for a while and give the Middleham Park Racing-owned gelding a proper break.

All roads now lead to Aintree and the Grand National, a race for which Junior missed the cut this year but should gain a place in the starting line-up in 2012. Bookmakers make him a best price 25/1 chance to add the Grand National silverware to his collection.

Wimbledon has been host to some of the most talented Champions of all time such as Fred Perry, Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova. In more recent times, amongst many others, the names of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters have been added to the Roll of Honour.

Since 2003 the Mens Single’s has been won by either Federer or Nadal and not surprisingly they are the frontrunners and the men to beat this year. A possible contender is Novak Djokovic, the Serbian player is in great form this year and certainly one of the best players in the world.

Andy Murray will of course be a favourite with the home crowd and having lost to Nadal in the semi-final stage last year, will no doubt be hoping the fans can help spur him on to his first Wimbledon Final.

Over in the women’s camp, could it be time for a change ?. The Williams sister’s have dominated the tournament since Venus won in 2000. Venus, having won five titles and Serena just one behind her, have not had a great year. Illness, injury and a lack of games mean they are unlikely to be ranked in the World’s Top 10 when the tournament gets under way.

Although they are still favourites, there are plenty of others ready to take up the challenge if they should falter. World No 1 Caroline Wozniacki is in good form as is the experienced Kim Clijsters and with the likes of Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic nipping at their heels it looks set to be an exciting feast of tennis for the fans.

Wimbledon runs from 20th June to 3rd July 2011 and will be televised on the BBC. Improvements to the ground in recent years mean the competition is no longer at the mercy of the English weather, as used to be the case. The biggest stage in tennis is set to receive the biggest and best in the world, so sit back enjoy the strawberries and cream and enjoy everything Wimbledon 2011 has to offer.

The colt, owned by the Queen, had been placed as the clear favourite for the race after an impressive win at the Dante Stakes last month, but his odds lengthened considerably to 13-8 with some bookmakers when news of the injury filtered through.

The Queen’s racing manager John Warren played down the incident, claiming that the injury wouldn’t affect his ability to run in the classic.

“Following a routine canter yesterday, Carlton House was found to have a small amount of filling in his near-fore joint.” He said on Wednesday.

“Precautionary X-rays were taken, which revealed no abnormalities.”

“We remain hopeful that he is on target for the Investec Derby on Saturday.” Warren added.

Now the Aiden O’Brien trained duo Recital and Seville have closed in on Carlton House in the betting stakes, while French challenger Pour Moi is also well in the mix with plenty of horse bets backing the Andre Fabre trained horse.

Carlton House had strengthened his grip on the favourite spot after an excellent training run on the Epsom turf, and Warren said that most of his hard work had been done anyway, meaning the injury would only be a minor inconvenience.

“Luckily, his important work is now out of the way. He told Racing UK. “It would only be routine cantering that would be left to be undertaken for the remainder of the week.”

“It could be the equivalent of a footballer straining his ankle. It was a little bit sore and they will be icing, hosing and wrapping to try and keep the joint well looked after.”

“We are still extremely hopeful but it will be a day-by-day thing.” He added.

Schwartzel became the third South African to claim a coveted Green Jacket at Augusta in April and said, ” Winning at Augusta was a dream come true and, without question, the highlight of my career, and I am really looking forward to coming to Wentworth next month as the Masters champion,‚ said Schwartzel. “I finished tied sixth in the tournament in 2009 and in the top 20 last year, so it is obviously a tournament and a golf course that I really like. It goes without saying that I will be trying my best to add the BMW PGA Championship trophy to my Green Jacket”.

Louis Oosthuizen, a fellow South African, will be hoping to reproduce the form he showed when winning The Open Championship at St Andrews last July. If either of the player’s win they would be the first South African to hold the BMW PGA Championship title.

The current World No 1 Martin Kaymer finished in the top 20 in both 2008 and 2009 at Wentworth. After a nail biting play off at Whistling Straits last August to win the US PGA Championship, the experience he gained there could be useful as he tries to add the BMW PGA Championship to his list.

Graeme Mcdowell who won his first Major’s title in the US Open Championship at Pebble Beach last June will be hoping to improve on his 2009 position at Wentworth when he tied in 13th place. McDowell and Kaymer are part of the 12 strong European Ryder Cup team who will be reunited at Wentworth. The team will be meeting up for the first time since their victory over the U.S. at The Celtic Manor resort last year.

This years BMW PGA Championship will boast many of the worlds best players and Championship Director, Jamie Birkmyre said “The BMW PGA Championship has always delivered the best in golf and this year, with the holders of all four Major Championships teeing up for the first time, I can guarantee that the thousands of spectators who will come to Wentworth this year will be in for a true golfing treat”. “All of us who follow the European Tour were thrilled when Graeme, Louis, Martin and now Charl became Major champions for the first time, and they know they will be accorded a hero’s welcome when they tee up on the West Course”.

The very recent sad and premature death of inspirational golfer Seve Ballesteros will be in the minds of many players and fans as the golf gets under way and fittingly the Championships chosen charity for this year is the Seve Ballesteros Foundation. The Foundation, which is partnered with Cancer Research UK ,helps fund world class research into cancers of the brain.

The BMW PGA Championship runs from May 26th to May 29th, all four days will be broadcast live on BBC and Sky Sports, with extensive highlights on both channels. A great treat and opportunity for all golf fans to watch one of the strongest fields on the European Tour.

It is the only Grand Slam event to be played on clay courts and has been hosted at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, since 1928. Although well known for producing a slower game due to the surface, this can usually result in longer and more exciting rallies which is fantastic for fans.

The current Men’s Champion and World number one Rafael Nadal will be back and hoping to retain his title, Nadal already has five previous victories in the tournament to his credit and is the bookies odds on favourite at the moment. The man to watch will be the winner of the 2011 Australian Open, Serbian, Novak Djokovic who won in Melbourne in fine style in January and has retained his great form so far this season.

The Ladies tournament is a little harder to predict with World no 1 Caroline Wozniacki in good form and Belgian Kim Clijsters a serious contender, who could well start the tournament as favourite. Francesca Schiavone the Italian player who won her first Grand Slam title here last year will be hoping to repeat her great performance on the clay courts.

The prize money for the Singles Champions has been increased this year from $1.4 million to an impressive $1.7 million and the organizers of the tournament have said the total prize money will be $25 million. There has been speculation in recent years as to whether the tournament should be moved to another venue however it is now decided it will stay at the historic Roland Garros site.

The stadium which is rather small will be expanded and refurbished to provide improved facilities for players and the public. The plans include covering the present centre court which could allow evening matches to take place and building a new show court which will provide 5,000 seats.

If you think that Nadal can be usurped from his World Dominating position and you fancy somebody else to take the title home then the latest and best odds available are below…

In all forms of Blackjack the end goal is exactly the same, try to reach a total of 21 or a higher total than the casino dealer without going bust or allowing the dealer to bust as they draw the totals set by the casino rules. The difference comes in these rules as altering certain ones will allow a casino to increase its edge over the player, sometimes quite dramatically.

If you learn and employ the perfect Blackjack strategy then the house’s advantage over you would be less than 1%, a major reason why this game is so popular! The most common rule variation is the number of decks used at one time. Having just one deck of card in play, an extreme rarity, gives the house a 0.17% advantage but adding an extra three decks to this one increases that edge to 0.66%.

After the number of decks used the most prevalent rule change is the payout when a player hits Blackjack. The vast majority of live and online Blackjack casinos pay out at odds of 3:2 when a player hits a natural Blackjack but some casinos actually change this payout to 6:5, which does not sound too drastically different but it adds an extra 1.4% advantage to the house. If you find a game that only offers 1:1 for hitting Blackjack then walk away because the house now has an extra 2.3% edge over you and they will more than likely be using other rules to extract more cash from you.

Basically, before you wager any money on a game of Blackjack you should always as the dealer to clarify the rules the house is playing to. Most will display the information on the table but some you will have to ask for. Specifically ask if you will only receive one card after splitting aces (if you can receive more than one you have an extra 0.13% edge) and if you can double-down on a split pair (another 0.12% in your favour if you can).

Mr Whitely had taken advantage of a free promotional entry ticket and arrived at the course by public transport . Intending to have a some small bets and a few drinks with some friends,die hard gamblers would have been dismayed at his ‘method’ of random selection.

Despite odds of 368,639 – 1 he managed to pick all six winners. His selection for the last race was Lupita at 12-1 it looked unlikely she could win however in the last furlong she passed ‘Only Hope’ and created an instant millionaire. The four leaf clover he had taken with him certainly came in handy.

Mr Whitely from Devon admitted he was “shaking like a leaf” during the last race when he realised he had the only qualifying ticket left. Since the win his life has certainly changed , already he has been inundated with requests for interviews and photographs. Partner, Jill, who had received no birthday present from him wisely said “you cant stay mad at a millionaire for long”.

Off on a pre planned holiday to Australia next week [an upgrade on the ticket perhaps? he has said he intends to carry on working as a heating engineer but maybe a few more days at the races? could be on the cards. You can bet directly into Tote pools with Paddy Power Bookmakers or Ladbrokes Bookmaker, will you be the next big winner?

The two big races today are the RSA Chase and the Queen Mother Chase and all eyes will be on Ruby Walsh today as his odds for Top Rider of the festival have been slashed to 2/7 after his fantastic day, yesterday. But so much depends on the going…

And, according to the clerk of the course, Simon Claisse, day two of Cheltenham may ride marginally quicker than the opening day of the festival. Claisse on Wednesday morning reported the going unchanged at good, good to soft in places after the course received only light rain overnight.

“We had a light bit of rain overnight but not appreciable enough to measure. It may be marginally quicker but essentially it will be much like yesterday,” said Claisse. He added: “I was pleasantly surprised by how much moisture was retained on Tuesday and I’ve been delighted with the feedback from trainers and jockeys.”

CHELTENHAM
GOING: Good (Good to soft in places; Watered up to Monday; GoingStick: 7.7)
WEATHER: Cloudy Wednesday/ Thursday with some rain Thursday night into Friday morning

The Paul Webber trained seven-year-old is tipped to win today at odds of about 5/2 and there’s a good reason. He absolutely LOVES Cheltenham. His last five outings have all been there and resulted in three wins and two seconds, all under Will Kennedy who will be riding him again today.

However, he is going to be pushed to his limit by Aiteen Thirtythree, the Paul Nicholls trained, Irish seven-year-old who has an impeccable record of seven places from seven races – four wins, two seconds and a third and with odds of 7/1 he’s just about a good price for an each-way and many will say he could even win it today.

But after yesterday’s incredible three from three for Ruby Walsh would you really bet against him today? He rides Mikael Dhaguenet and can still be gotten for 8/1. He’s also a Willie Mullins horse so expect plenty of Irish bets which may shorten his odds!

Whilst a few of Ireland’s property developers maybe down to their last Champagne Mojito, Ireland’s Poker players are looking forward to the big money game in Dublin. Why not join them in Europe’s longest running Texas Hold’em tournament?

The Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament in Europe and second longest in the world after the World Series of Poker, Las Vegas.

First organized in 1981 by Terry Rogers, a well known Irish bookmaker, the tournament has experienced tremendous growth over the years. Well known for the electric atmosphere and character like no other, this poker festival is now a firm fixture on the international poker calendar and a ‘must attend’ for many of the top poker players in the world. The paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open 2011 will take place from 22 – 25 April 2011 in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin.

The buy-in for this event is set at €3,200 + €300 and players will see a radical change to the structure in that the starting stack will increase from 10,000 to 20,000 chips. The event will once again feature a €100,000 Sole Survivor promotion meaning that the longest lasting Paddy Power Poker qualifier in the Irish Open 2011 will win a €100,000 sponsorship package (50% salary, 50% buy-ins and expenses) in addition to any event prize money they may be awarded.

The 2011 Irish Open will be held in the 4-star environs of the Burlington Hotel, in the heart of Dublin City centre. Just a short stroll from Grafton Street, the RDS and Lansdowne Road/Aviva Stadium – the 02 Arena and Croke Park venues are within quick access by car, bus or taxi.

The Burlington Hotel continues to shine as Dublin’s largest conference venue and premier leisure and corporate destination. The grand-scale of this Dublin Hotel’s famous ballroom is unrivalled anywhere in Ireland. The Hotel’s bars and restaurants are a buzzing hive of activity by night – the new Bellini’s bar adding a hint of panache to an evening where guests can sip a cocktail in a low-lit ambience, amidst the busy chatter of local clientele.

Qualifiers to the Irish Open 2011 are running on Paddy Power Poker now with a variety of feeders funning daily. Win your seat on paddypowerpoker.com and you’ll be in with a chance to become the €100,000 Sole Survivor at the Irish Open 2011!

Simply put, if Cue Card wins the Supreme Novices Hurdle, Paddy Power will refund all losing singles on this race. It all also applies to all each-way bets.

So basically you’ve got to open an account, and back any horse in the Supreme Novices Hurdle on the opening day of the festival and you really can’t lose. If you back Cue Card and he wins – you win. If you back another runner and Cue Card wins – you win!

Of course, if he doesn’t win then we can’t help you at all so get your bets on pray to God that Cue Card storms home. Oh, and Paddy Power Bookmakers will only refund bets up to £200 so if you’re a high roller, you won’t get it all back!

Niche Market has had shortening odds since he was officially entered, moving from 25/1 to 20/1 to 16/1 to his now 12/1 ante-post favourite position. I’d love to be able to give an explanation for all the sudden love he’s being showed but given that he hasn’t raced since November 2010, I can’t be certain that it’s anything other than his handicapped weight and connection murmurings!

Oscar Time has had one of the fastest turnarounds with the bookies. Originally placed in no-mans-land on the table of odds, he has rapidly been shortened for the race and gone from 40/1 to 20/1 to now 16/1 following Phil Smiths handicap weight of 10-09 which is definitely a plus for him, though still a weight he has never run a chase with.

As the race draws nearer, everybody and their neighbour will have a tip, but here’s mine – weight until final declarations, check out the 9 or 10 year olds, narrow it down to a horse who has run the distance before, on good form, performs well on the same Going as Aintree on the race day, back your chosen horse and then pray to God that he doesn’t fall!

By stealing I do not mean literally taking the blinds and antes but instead raising preflop, most of the time with a sub-standard hand, hoping to fold out the players who are yet to act so that you win the money already in the middle of the table. Doing this once or twice an orbit can be the difference in making it through to the money in the Betfair GSOP Gold Hunt or crashing out before you are financially rewarded.

Before you go out and begin raising as if it is going out of fashion spend a few minutes to think about the ideal scenario for a successful blind steal. Firstly you should be seated in one of the late positions at the table, preferably in the cutoff or on the button. This is because your raise has to go through fewer people so is more likely to be successful. Also, you should have a relatively tight image or have at least not shown down some weak hands in the past couple of orbits otherwise you run the risk of one of your opponents attempting to re-steal from you, costing you chips.

Also, the players in the blinds should preferably be tighter than the average player so that they are more inclined to fold. Loose-aggressive players are far more likely to play back at you, again costing you crucial chips at a time you are trying to accumulate them. Finally, stack sizes of those in the blinds are important. Big stacks are going to be more inclined to call you, short stacks to move all in on you so average sized stacked opponents are best.

If you are serious about taking down the Betfair GSOP 6 Hattrick promotion then you will need to finish in the top three places in three separate GSOP events. To do that you are going to need chips, lots of chips so why not put your new chip stealing skills to good use?

The Champion Hurdle this year looks to be one of the more competitive for a while with at least four leading contenders and several lively outsiders that it would be folly to write off. The defending champion Binocular comes here on the back of a smooth win in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and he must have a leading chance of defending his crown, he’s already proved his ability around the course and it will be a surprise if he doesn’t make a bold bid to retain his crown and give trainer Nicky Henderson a sixth Champion Hurdle trophy.

There are a couple of new kids on the block though in the shape of Peddlers Cross and Menorah, the latter who won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner from last year and he is unbeaten in three starts at Prestbury Park. However you have to go back to 1971 for the last Supreme Novices’ winner to come on and win the Champion Hurdle in the following year.

No less competitive will be the Queen Mother Champion Chase where the big question will be can the winner in 2008 and 2009, Master Minded, regain his crown after finishing fourth last season. His main rivals will be his conqueror last year in Big Zeb who overcame his jumping problems last season to land this prize. A recent defeat of Big Zeb will give Golden Silver’s supporters hope of beating him again in the main event but Big Zeb will be much better suited by the better ground expected at the Festival and anyone looking to bet on Cheltenham 2011 should remember this.

Thursday and the World Hurdle looked to be completely in the control of Big Bucks who has won his last 10 hurdle races including the last two runnings of the race. His opposition looked mere pretenders – that was until the emergence of Grand Crus from the David Pipe stable. Kept away from the Festival last year he has now won all of his races last year and by winning the Cleeve Hurdle (a recognised trial for the World Hurdle) in stunning fashion by an eased down 10 lengths at Cheltenham Trials Day he has stamped himself a worthy contender to Big Bucks. Their showdown on the third day of the meeting could well prove one of the highlights of this year.

Finally, the Championship events will conclude with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, all of last year’s main protagonists will be returning and at the moment the reigning champion – Imperial Commander – is heading the Cheltenham ante post betting for the race. He’s only been seen out once this season when winning the Betfair Chase in November, and a series of niggling problems have kept him out of action since and he may got to Cheltenham without another outing. He loves Prestbury Park, though having won six out of his ten outings there and will make a strong bid to retain his crown.

Denman was the runner-up last year and although he has had his problems since winning the event in 2008 but has run some superb races in defeat and if he was back to his best it would be folly to write him off. His stablemate Kauto Star needs no introduction and he has history with both Denman and Imperial Commander, who spoilt the party in what was supposed to be Kauto Star vs Denman part three last year. The winner in 2007 and 2009 he fell last year and was recently very disappointing when trying to capture a record fifth King George at Kempton. He’s now an 11 year old and that age group have struggled in the past in the gold Cup but Kauto Star is not your average 11 year old and it would be folly to write him off completely.

Putting that argument to one side for the moment it does or rather has given Cheltenham the chance to pay tribute to one of its favourite sons in Fred Winter who was not only one of the greatest jockeys of his era but went on to make an indelible mark on the training ranks also, winning most of the major races including two Grand Nationals and the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdles. As a trainer, he took eight titles between 1971 and 1985 and the Grand National in each of his first two seasons, with Jay Trump and Anglo. He also won the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Midnight Court, Champion Hurdles with Bula, Lanzarote and Celtic Shot, and a Champion Chase with Crisp. But his best was Pendil, the dual King George VI Chase winner.

It is becoming something of a work of art for trainers to get their horses handicapped for this race – they require three runs to do so and trainers have to balance that fact with not rushing their young hurdlers.

Last time out, the race looked a real tough puzzle to solve last year but in fact it was Sanctuaire, the charge of Paul Nicholls horse trainer, who turned the race into a procession. Off a very strong pace it allowed Ruby Walsh on Sanctuaire to creep into the race very stealthily and show a sharp turn of foot up the Cheltenham hill, giving Walsh a record 26th Cheltenham Festival winner. Remarkably for such a competitive handicap the first two in the betting also filled those places at the finish as second favourite Notus De La Tour was the one to chase the winner home. The third Orsippus had had a very busy season and thrived on his racing while not appearing to be in the same league as the first two.

The race in the main was dominated by those ridden patiently and away from the fierce gallop we have come to expect in this contest.

It often pays to follow particular trainers in certain races at the Festival and it would appear that the David Pipe stable has developed a real penchant for this race – they won it in 2007 with Gaspara and since then have suffered three near misses with two seconds and a third in the race. We can also fall back on that exceptional statistics about last time out winners and pay special attention to horses which have had just the three hurdle runs thus giving the handicapper the minimum amount of information to work on.

The race has a long and rich history and the roll of honour is littered with some of the greats of the chasing game, from Golden Miller who won the race on five consecutive occasions (1932-36), Bregawn leading home a 1-2-3-4-5 for trainer Michael Dickenson in 1983, the mare Dawn Run completing the Champion Hurdle/Gold Cup double in 1986, Desert Orchid’s evocative win in the mud in 1989 and then the Best Mate hat-trick (2002-2004) and of course most recently the head to heads between stable mates Kauto Star and Denman which have taken racing off the back pages and onto the front pages.

If none of those excite you then the Cheltenham Festival has clearly passed you by.

As befits the leading steeplechase of the year it is not easily won but there are some patterns and traits that can help us in our search for the winner. First of all the ideal age range is between seven and nine, the last ten year old to be victorious was Cool Dawn back in 1998 and once these chasers slip in double figures in the age stakes the edge and pace needed tends to slip away from them.

Fortunately from a punters point of view shocks in the race of late have been few and far between and all of the last ten winners of the race have started in the first three in the betting, which contrasts greatly with the previous decade. The 90s served up no less than six 16/1 plus winners, including the shock winner Norton’s Coin who was 100/1 in the Cheltenham racing betting.

One good reason to discount a horse from being your selection is one that has yet to win in the same season – winning form prior to the Gold Cup is a must and those looking to place Cheltenham 2011 bets should remember this.

First run as a flat race in 1819 the Cheltenham Gold Cup will once again provide one of the highlights of the Festival as the best chasers in the land go head-to-head.

Those studying the Betfair Promotion code should know that poker is a game played with incomplete information in that we do not know our opponent’s hole cards. It is the job of the player to be able to put together all the information they do have to try and figure out what their opponent is holding. They do this by taking into consideration the playing style of his opponent, the position of the opponent in relation to the dealer button, the stack sizes of the players involved in the hand and how their opponent bets or does not bet.

A useful tool for online poker, whether using the Betfair Poker Bonus or not, is a heads-up display, or HUD as they are more often called, as it displays information written in the hand history files and displays it as statistics, in real time, next to each of your opponents. With a HUD you will instantly know who is loose, who is tight, who plays aggressively and who is passive simply by playing against them and allowing the software to do all the work, though you do need to be able to understand the statistics you are presented with and apply them to each opponent.

For example, your opponent maybe playing a tight 15/10 style which means he plays 15% of the hands dealt to him and raises 10% of the hands dealt to him. Ten percent of hands is a range that looks a lot like 88+, A9s+, Kts+, Qts+, AJo+, Kqo, so every time your opponent enters the pot for a raise he will most likely have one of these hands. However, if he continues his aggression on a board reading Kd-9c-2s-7h you can narrow down his range some more as there are hands he simply wouldn’t continue with.

Using the above board as an example why you should play against a range of hands and not a specific hand, imagine you call a preflop raise from out 15/10 player holding a pair of tens. Villain leads out on the flop and you instantly think he either has made a pair of kings, has a set of kings, set of nines or a pair of aces then you should immediately fold as you have less than 10% equity.

However, villain is also going to almost always take one last stab at the pot as a continuation bet with all of his range and if he is doing so you actually have 42.2% equity in the hand so can call the majority of bets on the flop. You can then re-evaluate on the turn depending on their action. Thinking in terms of a possible range of hands rather than just those hands that beat you has allowed you to see a turn and possible take the pot down if your opponent does not bet again.

As you can imagine from the choice of presenters the show itself bordered on slapstick, with the two contestants trying to guess the dominant answer that the six celebrities had given to what was usually a comedic statement or question – typically one that was guaranteed to bring forth plenty of double entendres.

One thing is for certain with the Paddy Power Games slot version of the game – the prizes are definitely better. Often the host of the TV game show would joke about how bad the prizes were, and oft times it seemed that the consolation prize, the ‘Blankety Blank chequebook and pen’, was actually better than the winners gains even though the chequebook was actually just a cheap-looking silver trophy in the shape of a chequebook!

In the Paddy Power Games version there are twenty-five paylines in Blankety Blank with a jackpot of 10,000 x the line bet, and the opportunity to bet anywhere from 1p to £20 per line. The special feature is…. well the Blankety Blank feature (but of course!!!) It is awarded when the ‘B’ ‘L’ ‘A’ ‘N’ and ‘K’ symbols all come up at the same time across the five reels. All of a sudden you are taken to the game show (use your imagination….!) where you will see six panelists and your question appear.

You choose which answer you think is right (or most likely to be picked by the majority of the panelists) and each match wins five games – when we played we got fifteen free games – nice! Once you have completed your free games you are then in the Supermatch Game, which gives you three multipliers – x2, x3 and x5. You then have to choose one of the panelists to reveal their answer, the three answers are then revealed and your total amount of free spins is multiplied by the multiplier matched.

The audio is exactly that of the TV show and the graphics are quite good, but not the most action-packed of the slots it has to be said. Still, definitely nice for those of us who are old enough to remember the game show!

The most popular game spread by online poker rooms is No Limit Texas Hold’em but as the various sites fight to be the best online poker room they are constantly adding new games for players to play. The most natural new game to try if you are a Hold’em player is Pot Limit Omaha, a game that is favoured by the high stakes players as it generates a lot of action and pots are often double that of Hold’em at the equivalent stakes.

As both No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha are popular with the masses they attract the better players and there are more strategy articles written about both games meaning your edge is generally lower. However, trying games such as Seven-card Stud, Omaha hi/lo, and Razz, games traditionally played by older, less knowledgeable players, players who are behind the times when it comes to modern strategy. Whilst there are some very strong players in the lesser played games, there are also a plethora of very weak, misinformed players who are ripe for taking cash from!

By far the weakest games on the internet are mixed games, which is where a series of games are played in rotation. The original format of these was HORSE which played limit games of Hold’em, Omaha hi/low, Razz, Stud and Stud hi/low but these have been replaced by the extremely popular 8-game and now even 10-game. The reason these games are so profitable is that players tend to specialise in one or two of the more popular games and then play very poorly or passively during rounds that they are not overly familiar with. To find out which poker sites have mixed games available simply check some online poker room reviews and you should be able to see what games are spread where.