danrempel

Can a heavy metal rock group release a CD without having ever being in the same room together or to have never met face to face? Amazingly, it is being done; and quite remarkably. Project-43 is one of the first “Internet” groups to record, mix, produce and engineer a CD from three different countries and five locations around the world.

Meet Project-43, five exceptionally talented musicians from different parts of the globe. After band mates Charlie Wardick (who hails from the state of Arizona, USA) and Steve M. Mann (from Wisconsin, USA) hooked up on Usenet in the alt.guitar newsgroup, they knew that they had happened upon something special.

Using this framework, the two enlisted other musicians to join in their cyberspace journey. When Antti Heikkinen (Finland) was added on vocals, things began to gel. The group then added Scotland’s Scott Wallace to play drums and the NYC guitar virtuoso Christopher Bell-Boudreaux to complete the quintet.

Their debut CD “Silence The Quiet” was released and met with rave reviews. But it is their follow up CD called “Ticket To Infinity” that proves that this is not a novelty act and that creating intoxicating heavy metal music in this unique process can not only be done, but accomplished with awe inspiring adventure.

Logistics make it difficult to all get together, but that is not an obstacle. As Steve explains:

“We have really progressed on this new CD; it shows our growth and improvement as a group. One person may come up with an idea for a song, then the others download this ‘model’ and start to add their parts and the mixing process begins. We don’t have some of the personality issues or conflicts that other bands have; our process is very accommodating to growth and helps us move forward. We feel we are on the cutting edge of recording and marketing and like to feel that we are moving forward in the right direction; kind of a modern spin as well as a new model of music creativity.”

After a listen to their new CD, one can hear elements of some of the band member’s influences, such as the Scorpions, Judas Priest, Queensryche or even a heavy set from Foreigner. But what Project-43 does so eloquently is meld these aforementioned groups, classic rock qualities, and heavy guitars and move them progressively into the new millennium.

The cut, “Bye Bye” has a classic blend of eerie lyrical content blended perfectly with instrumental mastery, fast guitar licks and the powerhouse pipes of lead singer Antti Heikkinen. “Secrets Never To Be Told” would be right at home on any classic rock album by Uriah Heep, complete with rich vocals, heavy rock guitars and a rapid-fire lead that adds a unique harmony to the lead vocals.

The cut “In Exile” could remind some if Alice In Chains unplugged, with smart lyrics and crisp acoustics, with tasty contributions from all five musicians. “Silence The Quiet” is full of classic Scorpions-like riffology, with complex instrumental structures and superlative vocals and I could see it bolting to the top of the heavy metal charts.

Their whole CD is full of energized music, heavy guitars and bass lines and expert musicianship. Comparing Project-43 to other bands may be a compliment, but it is their unique methods of making emotionally charged rock and roll that makes them genre defining and captures the essence of their collective musicianship.

Could Project-43 be called musical experimentalists? If so, the group has definitely laid the groundwork for others to attempt to make music in this intuitive manner. But I doubt that any group can match the hard-edged, slashing guitar riffs and seminal melodic invention that Project-43 has already mastered. Cyber group, novelty act? Not a chance- their songs are a musical collective of hard, heavy rock that will soon take the music world to a whole different level.

Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates http://www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can pick up a copy of his ebook called “The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting.” Have your vinyl records appraised at http://www.vinylrecordappraisals.com

The piano is an important musical instrument for jazz bands since the origin of jazz music and it can be played in the style of a solo performance or as part of a band. Like the guitar, the piano is one of the few musical instruments in a jazz band which can play chords as well as notes instead just single notes only instruments such as the saxophone, trombone, trumpet or even the vibraphone (1 or 2 notes together).

Gone were the days when a jazz pianist’s role is just to keep tempo with repetitive chord combinations. Nowadays, the pianist is free to choose any technique or style to accompany a band or a singer using both short and sustained chordal and melodic fragments called comping.

An accomplshed jazz pianist must not only be good at sight-reading as well as good at improvising chord symbols but also must be able to adapt to the different playing styles of various bands he jams with. Jazz pianists must balance this interpretation and improvisation to the musical style the bands are playing.

The jazz pianist is indeed a happy musician because of the extended range of the piano. The piano offers the pianist with a much greater number of choices and techniques for improvisation, much more so than any other instruments in a jazz band.

In a jazz musical style known as “striding”, the left hand of the pianist alternates positions very quickly playing notes in the bass register and chords in the tenor register. The right hand will usually play the melody, but might also play harmonic content, chordally or even in octaves.

Jazz pianists play the solo with 3 basic objectives to fulfill simultaneously. The techniques are as follows :-

a) To provide a clear and swinging rhythm. This style is usually done by striking a beat with the right hand just after a weaker beat with the left hand. The objective of this technique is to mimic the combination of a cymbal ride as well as the walking bass. This technique can also be executed deftly with the left hand alone, by imitating the weaker beat preparatory swing note that is played by a bassist just before he strikes some of the notes of the bass phrasing.

b) Play the melody or solo improvisation with the right hand.

c) Establish the guide tones for chord changes.

One method commonly used by jazz pianists for tackling this triple situation simultaneously is to hold the hands together in a fork-like shape with the index and the third finger joining the thumbs to form a central group, whilst the fourth and fifth fingers are spread outwards.

This is done so that the pianist can use the left branch fingers to play bass notes, the middle fingers to moderate the guide tones and the right branch fingers to play the upper lines of the melody.

It is indeed challenging for the pianist to meet all these demands at the simultaneously. However these skills are inherent in most competent jazz pianists.

What is commonly called the ‘circle of fifths’ is also an important element in playing jazz piano because it provides harmonic diversity through a well guided harmonic phrase. Playing the circle of fifths technique is very much related to chord “planing” techniques which shift a chord, often voiced in fourths, up the scale, while implying a repeated harmonic pattern of tonic-dominant-tonic-dominant.

If you intend to be a good at playing jazz piano, then mastering these styles and techniques is a required skill.

More music articles by Chris Chew at Become A Jazz Pianist and
Learn To Play Piano By Ear

Are you good at cash games or poker tournaments?

Ladbrokes poker tournaments and cash games are played in the same manner as chess and checker tournaments. However, there are different kinds of Ladbrokes poker games that are quite dissimilar from each other, having a unique set of rules and regulations. One of the disadvantages of playing in such a game is that even if you are a master in one, you may often find it difficult to play the other poker games at Ladbrokes. Whether you are playing poker tournament or a cash game, you need to master different types of techniques to be the best in your game.

If you play the cash games at Ladbrokes poker, you are given the opportunity to buy in more chips whenever you want. However, a poker tournament does not allow you to buy chips so easily. There are a few exceptions to this rule, like re-buy tournaments. Generally, when a player is out of chips during the tournament, it’s all over for him. While at Ladbrokes poker, a cash game player is provided more flexibility in his game. This is because of the simple reason that he can buy chips whenever he needs them, provided he can afford to do so.

To explain this further, an example can be of a no limit cash game that has a $1 and $2 blind. You buy in an amount of $200 and have an additional $1800 kept in reserve. An A-10 of diamonds is dealt and the call is that of a $12 raise, made by a loose player. At A-6-2 the flop comes with two diamonds. A pot sized-bet is made by your opponent but he is not given the credit for an ace. After your call, he moves all in so that you are put into a decision for all your chips.

There can also be a different scenario, in which case, while playing Ladbrokes poker you are among the top 50 of the 500 players who started the tournament. With no re-buy options you bought in $200 and are dealt the A-10 of diamonds. In this scenario, you must know that no matter what your opponent holds, you can be certain that you have the best hands. For instance, a pair of aces along with another diamond on the river might offer you a comfortable position, but here the situation gets a little difficult.

Even though the hands are almost similar in both tournament poker and in cash games, when thinking of folding or calling, you have to use different tactics. At Ladbrokes poker tournaments, you have difficult decisions to make, since you can’t fall back on your bankroll. Where as, if you are playing in a cash game at Ladbrokes poker, you can make a call whenever you want. With the plentiful supply of ready re-buy money, you are a lot safer than a tournament player. Tournament players at Ladbrokes poker games have to take a lot of crucial decisions for their survival in the competition.

UK Betting Central was created so punters would have a place to go to find the newest betting sites and the latest offers for free bets, bonuses, and match funds. Each website is chosen for their security, reliability, and payouts. Visit UK Betting Central

Switching Strategies Helps

Getting knocked out “on the bubble” or just outside the money is something that a lot of poker players dread. Therefore, in the later stages of the game most of them get a little careful and tight fisted. Let’s imagine a scenario where most of the players are already out and the poker table is down to the two final tables.

Among the initial 200 players who were competing for the coveted reward, only the last eighteen remain. In this situation, most players stop aggressive play and start folding because no one wants to get knocked out. However, there is one player at your table who has not changed his strategy at all. This is the one who is making full use of the uncertainty of others and cashing in by aggressive playing. Every time he makes a standard raise, everyone at the table folds, earning him some dead ante money as well as blinds. This is, in fact, a great help in the final stages of the game at Ladbrokes poker tournament.

Players who use these effective strategies at the games of Ladbrokes poker are often luckier than the others. You might have started the game with average sized stacks but once you start playing aggressively while others are still in two minds whether to play or not, you become the tournament chip leader. You are not only playing on the bubble but also get to make the big run at the final table. This is how you can effectively switch your playing strategy and rake in the rewards too. You have to make sure that you are prepared for the final table and an increase in your chip stack can make things easier for you.

Most players don’t have the confidence to switch tracks in the later stages of the Ladbrokes poker games. This is not unusual since poker players at the game have already played for hours and they are a lot closer to the money. With the tension building up, no one wants to get caught out just when they are at a sniffing distance from the ultimate reward. Whether it is the dread of running into a superior poker hand or bad beat, most poker players at Ladbrokes poker games fold in these stages. You won’t really witness many cards coming out in the bubble stage of the game other than the occasional aces and kings.

When you are playing at the Ladbrokes poker tournaments you have to make your decisions according to a number of external factors. This might not include your opponents or the cards you play. Being a Ladbrokes poker player, taking decisions at this stage of the game can be very risky, and therefore, requires utmost concentration. It is the decision that you make determines whether you get the actual prize money or have to go back with only the buy-in money.

If you want to switch your strategy at the bubble stage of the Ladbrokes poker tournament, remember that the chances of getting out are as high as the chances of winning. It has its share of risks. So, you must be very careful and keep making standard raises in position. At the same time you should avoid stealing if you observe that other players have limped into the pot before you.

Most often than not, these limpers are actually trying to set a trap with a good poker hand. Also try to use selective aggression tactics with the right players. Don’t get too interested with the big stacks at the tournament, or with others who have the power to come over the top of the attempted blind steal you are contemplating.

Always concentrate on aggressively attacking the tight bubble players at Ladbrokes poker games. They are typically those who would be sitting with stacks that are high enough to let them fold into the money when they want. But they are not high enough to challenge your raise without putting their own stack in danger. Even if there are chances of one of these players to come over the top of your game, you can immediately retreat and throw your hand away. The player might have used your aggressive play and was having a go at it. There are also genuine chances of his walking into a big hand.

After the last player is eliminated or the bubble popped, most of the players go back to their original ways and resume playing their normal game at Ladbrokes poker. This should give you the opportunity to stop dominating the game and start your normal game. At Ladbrokes poker games, it is always better to understand what your goals are in the initial stages. Ask yourself what you want. Do you want to play it safe and get back what you had invested? Or do you want to make a go at the original pie, i.e., the real crust of the cake? If this is what you want, play accordingly and the rewards shall be yours.

UK Betting Central was created so punters would have a place to go to find the newest betting sites and the latest offers for free bets, bonuses, and match funds. Each website is chosen for their security, reliability, and payouts. Visit UK Betting Central

The Home Game

Across the globe and especially in USA, poker night is celebrated with a lot of gilt and glamour. If one had to describe the Ladbrokes poker players, the correct phrase applicable would be “Dogs Playing Poker”. Unlike the oldies of this game, who portrayed their individual status with cigarettes, cigars and pipes, the present generation of players are equipped with sunglasses, I-pods, baseball hats and hooded sweatshirts. The tables those days were circular or octagonal, and are now oval in shape.

The game of Ladbrokes poker has surely changed drastically. With this evolution different formats have also come up, one of them being the home game version. Some for the good, some for the worse, but week after week they arrive by the thousands with one common purpose: to play home game poker.

But playing Ladbrokes poker at home is not very easy. It has to be played in accordance to a proper strategy. The player has to do a lot of groundwork that involves finding of the right table, cards and chips, creating a favorable structure, spreading the word and acquiring players. Some of the expert advices that players can follow in this format of Ladbrokes poker game are:

• Invest in Quality Apparatus:

If one has to indulge in home game Ladbrokes poker, then it is essential to create an atmosphere necessary for the matches. With the installation of accessories like a durable table, comfortable chairs, professional quality chips, and plastic playing cards for the game, you are sure to impress your guests.

• Create a Player Friendly Structure:

When a player arranges a Ladbrokes poker tournament or a cash game, it is important to make sure that players get back big bucks most from their investment. In case of a tournament everyone should start off with a large chip stack relative to the blinds. Then try to increase the blinds but not at a fast pace.

Rebuys are not a bad idea, because they allow players to stay in action, while simultaneously increasing the size of the pot. If one opts for the cash game route, setting of reasonable stakes for players is essentials. This will ensure that the players involved would not be worried over losing money.

• Invite a Good Cast of Characters:

The ideal home game involved in Ladbrokes poker should have a mix of both experienced and new players, and as many quiet types as socialites. The guest list should be a mixture of professional poker players having good knowledge of the game as well as amateurs. This will add excitement to the game. Otherwise, the amateurs may feel left out if they start losing more.

• Set the Rules in Advance:

A predetermined list of house rules should be given to the participants. This is a good defense against any untoward incident between players. The list does not have to be so extensive that it is a chore to read. Just make sure to cover the most common issues that arise at the poker table, such as string bets, mucking your hand, table talk, etc. Things like ‘house ruling is final’, ‘no questions asked’ can also be included.

• Have Fun!

Never forget that the ultimate goal of a home game Ladbrokes poker is to create a pleasant atmosphere for the host as well as the guests. While winning is also desirable, one should never sacrifice class for a small score, and never so at the expense of your home game buddies. The best way to keep them coming back is to make sure they enjoy themselves, and if you don’t enjoy, chances are they’ll not as well.

Last but not the least; remember the famous quote by Carl Sifakis, “For American males under 18, baseball may be said to be the national pastime. When they grow up, it becomes poker.”

UK Betting Central was created so punters would have a place to go to find the newest betting sites and the latest offers for free bets, bonuses, and match funds. Each website is chosen for their security, reliability, and payouts. Visit UK Betting Central

Collecting coins is a longer term goal, however, the happiness of pursuit is always more important than the rapid completion of a set of coins. The inherent enjoyment is always found in the process of collecting, and fulfillment is found in its completion. Once fulfilled, a new goal, set quickly, will begin a new road towards further pursuits of happiness.

A solid collection will always have a solid value, at any level or grade. Higher grades, of course, will generate higher returns and higher appreciation. The higher grades will require longer term goals, a greater amount of money, and higher levels of frustration and more patience. For that reason, it is best to collect at a gradual or graduating rate, acquiring graded coins in steps, until your “goal coin” is finally acquired for your collection. These gradual steps will offer continuous levels of enjoyment, but with more positive progress and happier dispositions.

If collecting a set of Sacagawea dollars, one will experience difficulties in acquiring the Mint States more frequently than in collecting Proof coins. Sacagaweas are not unique in this respect; as this difficulty is shared by the majority of coin collecting categories. Probably for reasons of popularity, and greater ease of acquisition, modern proof coins are easier and less time consuming to acquire. For the serious collector, the extra challenge of collecting Mint State coins, modern or rare, will be more invigorating, exciting and rewarding. Now that we have four top grading companies that strictly follow the ANA guidelines (NGC, PCGS, ICG and ANACS), acquiring quality coins with a reliable grade is consistently possible. Availability still depends upon the laws of supply and demand; but this is always the challenge.

Despite the high level of your personal abilities to grade a coin, the reason that we invest in coins that are certified and graded by the “Top Four”, is that it creates a market for us when we want to upgrade and sell. It is not our opinion of the grade that matters, it is what will bring us the greatest return on our investment of time and money. The grade of a coin is everything. Coin prices are based on the grade. Buyers want the highest grade, but more important to them is an accurate and reliable grade. Personal opinions on the grade of a coin are never satisfying. Therefore, a professionally certified and graded coin eliminates the biggest issue in buying and selling a coin.

The Top Four give us stability, reliability and reputation. They also guarantee the grade and authenticity of the coin. This we need to market our coins, when we upgrade and sell. Buying raw coins is always an invitation to get cheated; someone usually loses, and the grade is always in question. Investing in raw coins should be avoided by the average collector, when possible. An alternative is to agree to pay for the cost of grading and the coin, if the grade represented by the Seller (or higher) is the result; if not, the Seller pays for grading.

The added protection from a sealed case – a slab - will greatly inhibit deterioration of the coin from exposure and damage. It will also enhance the maintenance of the coin’s grade and its appreciation. Marketing coins we need to upgrade and sell is enhanced with certified and graded coins, since: 1) there are larger pools of buyers; 2) the issue of grade is eliminated; and, 3) selling at book value and above is far more likely. People don’t mind paying a fair price for a solid coin, but do mind getting cheated for a misrepresented grade.

Don’t hesitate to buy a coin in a grade lower than you hope for or strive to acquire. One must consider that the average collectable coin is constantly appreciating; although not always at a steady or consistent rate. The Laws of Supply and Demand always have a hand in the value or worth of any coin. Having an investment in a coin is preferable to no investment. A savings account earning 3% interest is no investment, and yields no enjoyment.

Stepping up, or improving your coin’s grade, in a graduated process, is far more pleasing because it adds more activity, allows completion of sets (albeit temporary for the actual grade desired), the cost is less or spread out, and makes for continuous progress. The fewer numbers of coins available in the next higher grade, the costs of each upgrade being higher, and putting a higher value on your time, makes the approach of buying only the “goal coin” undesirable. Doing so will degrade your progress, enjoyment and appreciation.

The challenge of graduated acquisition will last longer, adding to the thrill of each new addition. With each higher step up, comes a higher investment in time, your patience, and money. Secondly, the coin you have will be appreciating, while the collector striving for the “goal coin”, may be waiting months and years to find the right coin – with no benefits to him in the mean time. Thirdly, your collection will be growing, and so will your appreciation of what you have. How quickly you can complete your collection is not the goal; it’s the path you take to get there.

Finally, don’t be overly concerned about either getting a bargain, or paying book value or more. The value and worth of your collection will not be greatly affected by either. Time spent getting a bargain price is the single most commonly wasted activity. Your time, not spent in the happiness of pursuit, is wasted. Bidding on 20 different auctions with a goal of getting a bargain price is foolishly applying one’s time.

“Teach us to make the most of our time,

so that we may grow in wisdom.”

B Psalm 90:12

Our time holds a far greater value than each of us wants to admit. It should not be wasted, but spent in positive thoughts and endeavors. It is better to pay book value, avoiding the stress and waste of time, thereby investing your time on more rewarding pursuits.

Enjoy collecting.

Robert L Taylor, JD

Copyright 2008, Robert L Taylor, JD

Robert Taylor is a retired lawyer from Denver, CO who has had a passion for collecting US coins since age 6. Wanting to share his passion, he created http://www.ThePerfect-Coin.com featuring Rare and Modern coins.

So you finally got your new PSP ! I’m sure you are eager to explore it and play all your favorite games. But do you know you can do a lot more with your PSP? Apart from playing games, you can play music and movies, browse the internet and run many other programs. But to do all that you need to have some technical knowledge which unfortunately your PSP doesn’t give you.

In this article I am going to tell you exactly how to put music to your PSP in simple steps.

First things first, keep in mind that your PSP will not play all the music formats. It can play only MP3 files (plus some other formats such as WAV and WMA if you have the latest firmware). In this article I’ll tell how to put MP3 files to your PSP. The method to put other music files is exactly the same.

If you want to play music of any other format in your PSP; for example music from your CD; you have to convert it to one of the above formats.

You have two options in this case:

1) Convert the music files to MP3 format on your computer and then transfer them to PSP.

2) Use a CD ripper to copy music from the CD to the PSP directly.

First let’s discuss how to copy music when you have your favorite music in MP3 format on your computer. Here’s how to copy music to your PSP:

1) Connect your PSP to your computer via a USB cable. Your computer will immediately detect a new USB device.

2) In the “My Computer” section you should see a new drive letter. That’s your PSP! Mostly it will be the last drive in “My Computer” section.

3) In “My Computer” section click on the new drive letter to see its contents. Look if it has a PSP folder and a MUSIC folder inside it.

If you can’t see any folders simply create them. Create a new folder called PSP. Double click on PSP folder and create a folder called MUSIC. This is where all your music files will be stored. Don’t create any other folder inside the MUSIC folder as PSP won’t recognize be able to read it!

4) Locate the music files to be copied then Select and Copy them. Use the standard windows commands to do this (Click on the files to select them and then click Edit and Copy in the menu, or right click and select Copy , or press Ctrl and C together). Then select the MUSIC folder of your PSP drive and paste the files. Again use the standard windows commands (Click on Edit and Paste in the menu, or right click and select Paste o, or press Ctrl and V together)

5) When you’re finished with the copying, remove the USB connection and you’re done.

Now let’s see how to copy music to your PSP from the CD directly.

1) Connect your PSP to your computer via a USB cable and locate (or create) the MUSIC folder as explained in steps 1-3 above.

2) You’ll need a CD Ripper software to convert music. There are many CD rippers available on the internet. Download and Install one that can convert music from an Audio CD directly to PSP.

3) Load the music CD in the CD drive. Start the CD Ripper program and you’ll see “Extract and Encode” button. Click on the button and it’ll covert and transfer songs to your PSP. Make sure you select the PSP format. When you’re finished with copying, remove the USB connection.

There you are, now your PSP is fully loaded with all your favorite songs and music albums for you to enjoy!

Do you know how the PSP fanatics get their daily dose of Unlimited PSP Games, Music & Movies. Find out by clicking the link below:

Hot PSP Downloads

Are you a beginning slots player? Classic 3-reel slot machines are ideal games for the beginning slots player because of their easy and straightforward format. Online slots games generally have the look and feel and graphics of the real ones in Las Vegas. Each of these games has a unique theme, ranging from American diners to diamonds to fortune cookies. This article summarizes 12 classic 3-reel slot machines, including Cracker Jack, Crazy Crocodile, Cutesy Pie, Diamond 7’s, Diamond Deal, Double Magic, Double Wammy, Fantastic 7’s, Flo’s Diner, Fortune Cookie, Free Spirit, and Froot Loot.

Cracker Jack is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine from Microgaming. It accepts coins from $0.25 to $5.00, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 2. The maximum jackpot is 5000 coins. Cracker Jack is a perfect game for the beginning slots player.

Crazy Crocodile is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine that has a crocodile theme. It accepts coins from $0.25 to $10.00, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 3. The maximum jackpot is 4000 coins and the software provider is Microgaming.

Cutesy Pie is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine from Microgaming that has an “I Love You” theme. It accepts coins from $0.25 to $10.00, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 3. The maximum jackpot is 2500 coins.

Diamond 7’s is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine all about diamonds. Diamond 7’s accepts coins from $0.25 to $10.00, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 3. The maximum jackpot is 2500 coins and the software is Microgaming.

Diamond Deal is another 3-reel, single payline slot machine from Microgaming all about diamonds. It accepts coins from $0.25 to $10.00, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 3. The maximum jackpot is 3000 coins.

Double Magic is a perfect game for the slots beginner. Double Magic is a 3-reel, single payline game that accepts coins from $0.25 to $5.00. The maximum jackpot is 1600 coins and the software provider is Microgaming.

Double Wammy is a 3-reel, single payline game from Microgaming that accepts coins from $0.25 to $10.00. The maximum number of coins that you can bet is 3 and the maximum jackpot is 2500 coins.

Fantastic 7’s is another ideal game for the beginner. Fantastic 7’s is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine from Microgaming. It accepts coins from $0.25 to $10 and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 3. The maximum jackpot is 2500 coins.

Flo’s Diner is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine from Microgaming that has an American diner theme. It accepts coins from $0.25 to $10.00, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 3.

Fortune Cookie is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine that has a Chinese fortune cookie theme. It accepts coins from $0.25 to $25.00, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 2. The maximum jackpot is 1600 coins. This Microgaming slots game is ideal for the beginner.

Free Spirit is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine from Microgaming. The only coin size available is a $1.00 coin, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 2. The maximum jackpot is 5000 coins.

Froot Loot is a 3-reel, single payline slot machine that is also ideal for beginners. It accepts coins from $0.25 to $5.00, and the maximum number of coins that you can bet is 3. The maximum jackpot is 5000 coins and the software provider is Microgaming.

So there you have it, 12 classic 3-reel slot machines from Microgaming. Whether you play video slots online or blackjack at a land-based casino, remember to gamble only with the money you can afford to lose. Have fun and quit while you are ahead.

Gregory DeVictor is a consultant and has been developing and marketing web sites since 1999. You can learn more about slot machines and where to play them online at: http://slot-machines.name/3_reel_slot_machines.htm

No limit poker is deceptively easy to learn, but difficult to master. It is also one of the most profitable forms of poker for good players. If you can get some basic strategy principles down, you too can make money by playing poker. Read on for fifty-two moneymaking strategy tips.

1. If you want to start second-barreling the turn occasionally but aren’t sure when to do it, try this simple trick to get started: second barrel the turn if the flop has a flush draw but the turn doesn’t complete it.

2. You should play very few hands from early position. Stick to the big pairs AA-TT and high card hands AK and AQ.

3. If you say even one curse word out loud, take a five minute break outside.

4. Take the time to learn about pot odds. It’s not as bad as it sounds so get off your rear and get to it!

5. Don’t get married to AA, KK and QQ after the flop. It’s only a pair. If someone puts in a big raise, you better have a good reason to call.

6. Practice game selection. It’s easy to get lazy and just join the first game you find and stay in until you’re done playing. Take the time to find good games. If a game you’re in goes bad, make sure to switch tables. You might not be able to physically see it make you money, but your bottom line will improve if you practice some table selection.

7. Don’t forget to get poker bonuses. A good bonus is a major boost to the old bankroll.

8. If nobody’s entered the pot yet, come in with a raise. Don’t open-limp any of your hands. By raising you can win the blinds and if you don’t win the blinds you have a good chance at winning the pot on the flop.

9. The 10% rule is a myth. Yes, pocket pairs hit sets about 1 out of 8 times but you won’t win the opponent’s entire stack every time for this rule to work. Anything less than 10% of the smallest stack between you and your opponent will work.

10. Get PokerTracker. If you don’t have it already, you’re behind in the game. This is the most valuable tool you will ever find. PokerTracker will pay for itself many times over.

11. If it’s not strong enough to raise, just fold it.

12. Patience wins way more money than bluffs.

13. Always keep a minimum of 20 buyins in your bankroll. If your bankroll drops below 20 buyins, move down. Bad runs hit even the best players.

14. If someone is constantly floating you, tighten up preflop, lower your c-bet frequency and checkraise the turn more.

15. Position is everything! Don’t get lazy, bored or irritated and play marginal hands out of position. It’s hard enough to play strong hands from out of position so don’t even think about playing marginal hands from out of position.

16. Join some poker forums. Find some of the bigger forums and participate in hand history and strategy discussions. Forums will improve your skills more than any other resource.

17. Don’t be scared of scare cards. Don’t assume every scare card just hit your opponent’s hand. Use your hand reading skills and make a logical assessment of the hand.

18. Move up in stakes. Always work on moving up and improving your game. But only do it when the bankroll allows. Remember, you must always have 20 buyins in your bankroll.

19. Don’t be scared to value bet. You’ll be surprised at what people call you down with. If you have a strong hand and you are the one betting, assume your opponent has a weaker hand until he proves you otherwise.

20. Attack the blinds from late position. It makes you look loose and will get your strong hands paid off more often. Additionally, you can play these pots with the advantage of position.

21. Don’t worry about defending your blinds. They aren’t that important. Don’t get involved with a weak hand from out of position. You’ll probably lose more money doing that than just giving up a blind now and then.

22. Assume shortstacks are fish until proven otherwise. Don’t bluff them or try to push them around. Just sit patiently and wait for a strong hand to take them out.

23. Take notes on your opponents. Not only will these notes help you in the future, but it is a good training exercise in analyzing your opponents.

24. Downswings hit everyone, so don’t feel bad when it’s your turn. If you need to, take a break from poker, move down in stakes and read up on your strategy.

25. Be the first person to change gears. If your opponents tighten up, be the first person to start stealing and bluffing. If your opponents loosen up, be the first person to tighten up and wait for stronger hands.

26. Pay attention! Even if you’re not in a hand, practice guessing what the other players have. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at it. Eventually your opponents are going to think you have x-ray vision.

27. It’s OK to quit a game while down. Not every session is going to be a winning session so get used to it. Sticking around for longer than you intended is a quick way to lose even more money.

28. If an opponent calls preflop, calls on the flop, calls on the turn and then makes a big raise on the river, he’s probably not bluffing.

29. Be aware of your table image. Your opponents will be more willing to call if you’ve been winning pots without showing anything down. It doesn’t matter if it was nothing more than a streak of nice cards because they can’t see your cards.

30. Don’t let pride keep you in a bad game. You’re going to have to quit games occasionally because there are too many good players. There’s no shame in following the money. Good players are boring to play against, fish are rewarding.

31. Clean your room. Don’t be lazy and play poker in a dirty, cluttered environment. It helps your game to play in a clean, well-lit setting. Open a window and get some fresh air.

32. Bad beats happen to good people. They aren’t any fun but the faster you can brush them off, the better off you’ll be. A good way to toughen yourself to bad beats is to go outside and get five minutes of fresh air every time you take a bad beat, even if you feel it hasn’t affected you.

33. Don’t get stuck between two raisers unless you have a monster. If player A raises, player B re-raises and you’re next to act, don’t call because the betting is still open for player A.

34. Play your sets fast more often than slow. You want to protect your set from draws and build a big pot.

35. Exploit your opponents to death. Example: If you find an opponent who always folds to blind steals, shamelessly steal his blind every single time until he stops letting you get away with it.

36. Raising a draw is a strong play. Semi-bluffs can win the pot in two ways: by getting a fold or by hitting the draw. They also do a nice job of disguising your hand.

37. Take all the small, unraised pots you can get. Be greedy! If nobody else is contending a pot, take a stab at it.

38. Don’t overestimate your implied odds. Your opponents can see the board and they’ll put less money in if an obvious draw card lands. Plus, they might not have much of a hand anyways.

39. Save the hand histories of your most difficult hands and review them later. Discuss them with other people at your favorite poker forums.

40. No matter how tempting it is, don’t berate the idiots at your table. You know in your heart that you want them around because eventually they’re going to give away all their money. If you have to, turn off the chat.

41. Be well rested, well fed and well exercised when you play poker. A healthy mind requires a healthy body.

42. Learn a new game. Learning variants other than Texas Hold Em will help you in many ways. You can find fishier games, you can play in mixed games and you can come back to Hold Em with a fresh look on things

43. Try different poker rooms out. Switching poker sites can give you a refreshing change from the norm and give you a chance to find easier games.

44. Don’t continuation-bet shortstacks with air. They love to get it all in with any draw or any piece of the flop.

45. If you raised preflop and hit a strong hand on the flop, try this line once in a while: bet the flop, check the turn, bet the river. Your turn check will throw them off and get a lot of loose river calls in your favor.

46. Learn how to play heads up no limit. It’s difficult but it will get you good at reading hands and making decisions in tough situations.

47. In heads-up no limit matches, many of your opponents will get too aggressive. Be patient. Don’t suddenly get frustrated and make huge bluffs without a plan. Wait for some decent hands and value bet them to death. Overaggressive opponents love to make hero calls. If your overaggressive opponent doesn’t make bad calls, you should find a new opponent.

48. Experience is the greatest tutor. As long as you’re able to break even, stick with it, you’ll get better over time. Keep studying your poker strategy and applying it at the tables.

49. If you get checkraised on the turn and you have a pair, you should probably fold it. At small stakes no limit tables, they don’t bluff with turn checkraises very often.

50. Try to sit with the wild, reckless players on your right and the tight, predictable players to your left. This way you get position on the wild guy so you can see what he does before you make your decisions. At the same time, you don’t have to worry about the guy to your left getting too tricky.

51. If you’re in the blinds, don’t call late position raises with pocket pairs with the hopes of hitting a set. The late position raiser has a wide range of hands and he won’t pay you off often enough to make it worth while. The rest of the time he’s going to have little trouble making you fold.

52. Open-ended straight flush draws will hit over half the time if you get it all in on the flop. If you push these hard, you’ll win the majority of the pots. You’ll get folds most of the time and the rest of the time you’ll be the favorite to win the hand. An open-ended straight flush draw looks like this: you have TsJs on a 2h8s9s board.

The one caveat to all these strategy tips is that in no limit hold ‘em, there are no absolutes. Certain situations will require you to deviate from the optimal strategy that was given above. That’s to be expected but remember; the other 95% of the time these tips will keep you on the right track. Good luck out there.

If you’d like to read more high quality strategy articles please check out SmackinYaUp’s no limit poker strategy site. He also has a free poker strategy guide that can help players of all skill levels improve their games.

Sometimes AK can really be a pain. Every strategy book tells you it’s a powerful hand and that you need to put in big preflop raises with it. The problem is AK only makes a pair 33% of the time. So what happens the other 66% of the time? You usually end up stuck in a big pot without a pair or a plan for the rest of the hand.

If this sounds familiar, don’t worry, you’re not alone. AK is one of the biggest problem hands for poker players of all skill levels. I even still sometimes have trouble with the hand and I’ve been playing poker for years. The good news is there are three things you can do to make it easier to play AK:

1. Raise preflop

2. Use continuation bets

3. Play your pairs with aggression

Raise preflop

Yes, the strategy books were correct in telling you to raise preflop with AK. Even though it can be a difficult hand to play after the flop, it still has that inherent strength that makes it worth a preflop raise.

By raising preflop with AK you accomplish two things. First, you make it easier to win the pot because you narrow down the field. If you just limp in with AK and 3 other people limp in to the pot with you, you’re going to have to hit a pretty good hand to win the pot. Against just one or two opponents though, you can win the pot with a simple bet even if you totally whiff the flop.

The second thing preflop raises accomplish is getting value for your hand. AK is strong enough that it will win more than its fair share of pots. Those of you running bad might think that sounds ridiculous but think about all the trashy hands your opponents play. If you’re up against a single opponent, for example, and he’s playing A4 offsuit you should make the pot as big as possible. AK is going to win way more than half the time against a hand like that. Even if there are four people in the pot you should raise AK preflop because, even though it’s not going to win every pot, it’s still going to win more than 25% of the time.

Use continuation bets

A continuation bet is any bet you place on the flop after raising preflop. Continuation bets are especially useful for the times the flop completely misses your AK. Your opponents have no idea what you have so bet the flop even if it misses you. More often than not you’ll win the pot right there.

Continuation bets give you an extra way to win the pot - by getting your opponents to fold. They’re not guaranteed to work but they do help you out tremendously the 66% of the time the flop misses you.

Play your pairs with aggression

When I say to play your pairs with aggression, I’m not talking about blind, closing-your-eyes-and-mashing-the-bet-pot-button aggression. I’m talking about controlled, timely aggression. I’m also talking about folding when necessary. Yes, folding does have a place in the “aggression” concept.

When you hit a pair with AK you need to come out betting. Big pairs are strong hands and you want to get value for those hands. Your opponents will call you down with way weaker hands so don’t be afraid to put some money in the pot when you spike that ace or king.

You’ll also want to bet to cut down on the pot odds for your opponents’ draws. Big pairs are strong hands and all but they are susceptible to all kinds of draws. Two pairs, flushes, sets and straights can all come out of nowhere and steal that pot right out from under your nose. If you bet but your opponents call anyways, that’s OK because every time an opponent chases a draw against the odds it’s profit for you.

Aggression also means knowing when to fold. If an opponent throws a big checkraise at you on the turn after the third flush card hits the board, you may want to consider folding. The worst way you can play AK is in the passive style - checking and calling all the way down without knowing where you stand. If someone is putting too much heat on you, don’t hesitate to drop it and move on to the next hand.

If you’d like to read more high quality strategy articles please check out SmackinYaUp’s no limit poker strategy site. He also has a free poker strategy guide that can help players of all skill levels improve their games.