Online Casinos Directory

If you have heard of the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao most likely it was in reference to oneof two things: its overwhelming beauty as a Caribbean get a way, or as a gambling center for gaming companies. Those two don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but Curacao is making it work. The small island is one of the most beautiful locations to visit. Their tourism market is on a high because of the beauty and natural appeal it has. Much of the market is built on tourism, so resorts and hotels put millions of dollars into building up their businesses for tourist attractions. The other part of their market though is their online casino operator appeal. Curacao is one of the first jurisdictions to regulate online gaming for real money. It all began back in 1993 when the island officials decided to take a chance at regulated gambling. It was a huge task and many thought the small island had no business delving into the gambling business, thinking it was more of a “big country” pursuit. In the years since, Curacao has proven all naysayers wrong.

When gambling companies are looking to set up shop, one of the first places they consider is Curacao. The island offers some of the most reasoanble fees in the world. No longer do gaming companies have to submit to enourmouse taxation or licensing committments that larger countries insist on. With islands like Curacau around, they can bypass the huge-pay countries and settle quite nicely into small ones. The best thing about setting up shop in Curacau is that the country has been at it for years now and worked out all the pre-start up bugs, so to speak. It knows what the laws should be, knows how to enforce them and has a highly affordable setup structure to top it all off. No one can beat small countries when it comes to reasonably priced regulation. Curacau is a leader when it comes to the art of licensing gambling casinos and is showing no signs of slowing down. Many gambling companies are looking to start up on the small island or to transfer their busineses to it. As large countries elevate their fees, Curacau continues to squash all the competition.

If you are a fan of poker then no doubt you keep up with the poker events going on in the market. There are enough of them to keep even the most seasoned gamer happy. The world of online gambling has grown in the market over the years and now you can find poker tournaments every week and month. Though smaller ones are a huge draw and a great way to learn the game, it’s the big ones that most serious players have their eyes on. Coming up in January is the Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure. In the dead of winter for Mid-westerners this is an event that is happening at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas on Paradise Island. The event coming up this January is most likely going to be bigger and better than ever. The event already boasts a $25,000,000 prize pool for gamers who end up holding their own place in the tournament. With the exception of Las Vegas, this is proving to be the most lucrative poker event in the world.

If you do play on attending, then carve out ten days in January, from the seventh to the sixteenth of the month, and get ready for the poker-filled week and a half. There are over fifty tournaments going on within the ten days and each one has a buy-in that is varied. Every bankroll can afford these. Some of the highlights are going to be a $25,000 High Roller game, a $100,000 Super High Roller event and a $10,300 Main Event for the night. Last year the top winner was a nineteen year old who walked away with $2.2 million in wins! This year promises to be even more fun for poker lovers so if you are a fan of the game, then get to the Bahamas. If you are in the midst of cold weather during that time, there is the added benefit of warm weather and time on the beach. Plus add to that the chance at the huge wins that are available. You should have no problems having fun at the retreat and if you get lucky, you may even walk away with a win.

If you are in need of a new style of poker, then consider playing Caribbean Stud Poker. It isn’t hard, but the rules are unique so be sure to set aside some study time. The game overall is one of the most fun on the casino floor. Remember that there is a reason why poker has taken off so…and that includes all versions of the game. Though Texas Hold’em is most likely the most popular, it isn’t the only game vying for the number one spot on the poker leaderboard. Caribbean Stud Poker is played on a special table at the casino and it is somewhat akin to blackjack. It would benefit you to know something about regular five-card stud poker prior to playing Caribbean stud poker because it takes its basic rules from this game.

When you start playing Caribbean stud poker, every player has to ante. He or she can also take a shot at the progressive jackpot attached to the game. The players all get five cards dealt face down and here is where the regular five-card rules and strategies come in handy. The dealer also received five cards, but one is face-up. Players can look at their cards and decide if their hand is worth playing or if they want to bet or fold. A dealer can only stay in the game if he or she has an Ace or King combination of some kind or better. If the dealer can’t open the game, then the player automatically wins and the game is over. If the dealer can open, then the player collects his or her win and the additional side bet. Overall it is a great game and that is why it is growing in popularity within the casinos worldwide. If you have any doubt about the game then sit in on a few games at your local casino. You would be surprised at how much fun can be had here and how much money you can win if you get the right hand and wager the proper way. Test it out slowly, but you may find that Caribbean stud poker is the newest game for you to enjoy during your gaming sessions.

Mr123.com is a website that is offering some great new games to enjoy. It just released some games based on childhood favorites like monopoly, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and Clue-do. Everyone remembers playing these games as children and hearing news that an online casino is bringing them back in electronic versions is news to the ears! Now Mr123.com is announcing its release of a new leaderboard promotion promising to award one player with a deluxe Caribbean cruise.

The Alderney-licensed site recently also launched the famous Mega Jackpot title offering players the chance to take home more than £2.4 million from a single spin and said that it is automatically awarding players of all of its bingo, table, scratchcard and slot games with points on a new interactive leaderboard. The leaderboard competition is an exciting way to play online. The new leaderboard competition runs throughout the month of April and the winner will get the round-trip to Miami and then a seven-day cruise around the Caribbean with Royal Caribbean International valued at £2,500. A statement released by the casino read, “If you don´t win the grand prize, you will have the chance to win other cruises as five cruises are up for grabs in total.”

Some of the other outstanding promotion available are a trip to Germany and Talinn, Estonia. There are many top-notch trips out of the country that are all exotic and any winner should have a great time traveling to the various areas. The statement from Mr123.com also read, “Winners six to ten will receive accessories so they can feel as if they are on a Caribbean cruise while being at home.” Overall this is a great promotion being offered by the online casino. It is set to make players and the industry sit up and take notice of the unassuming Mr123.com website. Though the website hasn’t made headlines before, this promotion is sure to sway things into their direction as players win big. the statement from the website also read: “Leaderboard races are the ultimate way to reward top players and keep smaller players locked into the action at all times. In a leaderboard race, players from all over the world compete with each other.”

Online gambling is growing in popularity due to its ease of accessibility.  You can play games in the comfort of your own home at any time of day or night.  Here are some of your most popular Poker games found both online and in house:

Caribbean Stud Poker: Based similarly to a 5: card stud poker, but you play against the dealer alone.  Players must place a bet to receive cards.  You must then put down twice the ante amount again to continue or fold and forfeit your ante bet. If the hand beats the dealer the player is paid even the ante bet and a special amount calculated on the play bet.  If the dealer hand does not have an Ace/King or higher the hand does not qualify and the player is paid the ante bet by having the play pushed back to them.  Typically tied to a jackpot that players may play a side bet on for as low as $1.  A Royal Flush will typically pay out the entire jackpot that can be upward of hundreds of thousands of dollars at some online casinos. 

Casino Hold ‘Em: This variation is based on the popularity of Texas Hold Em’ and has similar rules.  With Casino Hold Em’ players are dealt two cards each after putting down the ante bet.  The dealer is also dealt two cards.  There community cards are then dealt to the table.  Next the players may fold losing there ante bet and forfeit any stake in prize money, or you may call by putting down and amount equal to twice their ante bet. If a player calls, two more cards are dealt to the table and the players hands are then compared to that of the dealer.  If the dealer does not have a pair of 4’s or better, his hand is disqualified.  Players would get back their ante bet and their call bets would be pushed.  If the dealer qualifies players will be paid on their ante bet according to the strength of their hand and additional money on their call bet.  Loosing players forfeit their ante and call bets.

PokerStars.com just announced its online qualifying tournaments for the PCA Ladies Weekend, which is the highlight of the Ladies Poker circuit.  It is going to be held at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas in January of 2010. The PCA Ladies Weekend is a chance for female poker players everywhere to be part of one of the greatest poker festivals on earth – the PCA – played in one of the most beautiful Caribbean locations, Paradise Island. The Ladies Weekend combines an amazing outside atmosphere of sunshine and beaches, along with spa treatments and, of course, good old cut-throat poker play!

Currently satellite tournaments are running on PokerStars and you can join for as little as $2.20, with packages worth $3,500. These packages include a three-night stay at The Atlantis, $250 spa voucher, $900 in travel expenses and other amenities the resort offers.  Winners also get entry to the Ladies Poker Boot Camp Workshop, worth $250. This is where professional players like Vanessa Rousso, Victoria Coren and Katia Thater will all come together and offer their words of wisdom and gaming to newer players. Winners, of course, also get their buy-in to the PokerStars No Limit Hold’em $1,000 final game that marks the main event of the PokerStars night. It is aptly called the High Heels Poker Tour Grand Final and will be held on January 9^th 1020.  The High Heels Poker Tour is one of the world’s premier ladies poker organizations. It strives to allow all ladies the opportunity to work on their poker playing skills at an actual table and provide a venue for nurturing the next top-playing female poker player.

All female players are welcome at the PCA Ladies Weekend, whether you are a member of the High Heels Poker Tour, from another ladies poker organization, or just playing for fun. Online qualifiers are now being held daily on PokerStars.com. You can find satellites in the tournament lobby under “Events” and “PCA”, or by typing “PCA Ladies Weekend” into the event filter. You can also buy-in directly to the grand final for $1,250 + $100.  All women are welcome and the website PokerStars.com offers tons of aids like tutorials and instructions for newer players. So join in on the fun at PokerStars and enjoy a great tournament of poker for the ladies!