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Jon Kalmar Brought Onto the Ladbrokes Team

Ladbrokes Poker has been making news this week with their acquisition of UK poker star, Jon Kalmar. The teams newest pro was signed after gaining notoriety as the only British player to get to the final table during the 2007 WSOP Main Event where he eventually took home $1.25 million (placing fifth in the tournament) after considering quitting from a streak of bad luck that plagued him for most of the series.

Kalmar, known as ‘Skalie’ from his online handle is enthusiastic about his inclusion in the Ladbrokes line-up. Ladbrokes Poker manager, Edward Ihre maintains that the signing was only a formal gesture for Skalie who was already a regular player at Ladbrokes online. Nevertheless the adding of a new pro like Kalmar to their roster can only mean more good publicity for the team.

Only time will tell how
Jon Kalmar fares as a member of Ladbrokes Poker but the team’s 110 players July party at the Voodoo Lounge, Las Vegas should give Skalie a chance to show off his chops. The spotlight will be on the rookie member as he hopes to use his multi-table skills and headline Ladbrokes Poker’s new promotions and tutorials in the future.

Victor Chandler VC Poker Room Review

We have just published our review of the VC Poker room here at Findabet.co.uk.

VC Poker is based on the Playtech Poker software and offers fantastic 2D or 3D graphics to enhance the poker gameplay.

Feel free to
read our in depth review of VC Poker and then why not try VC Poker out and see if you agree with our positive review.

Online Bingo to be the Focus of New Acquisitions

As online bingo continues to skyrocket in popularity gambling corporations have centered more attention toward profiting from the trend. Aldgate Capital was recently the focus of a study by Clarion Gaming who found that the UK centered company is rumored to be gearing up for a move that could see £150 million invested toward Internet bingo acquisitions.

Online casinos have continued to benefit from the explosion of virtual casinos and were shown to have a 19% rise in overall traffic by UK players from 2006 to the present. With the recent smoking-ban and the implementation of a double-taxation law within physical casinos reporters have witnessed no signs of online devotees slowing their new commitment to playing from the computer. In fact the comfort of home and furthering restrictions on land-based casinos could accelerate growth in all aspects of virtual gambling.

If Aldgate’s business venture is carried out successfully it will be no surprise to see
online bingo continue to prosper as a major facet of Internet casinos, even emerging as a game to contend with the popularity of poker. The company is a strong force in the UK gaming economy and their rumored action could spark even further interest in the near future.

Infamous Poker Star Brandi Hawbaker Found Dead

Brandi Hawbaker was declared dead on Sunday, April 13th in a California residence. The twenty-six year old player has become famous in the worlds of both online and physical casino poker, in part aided by her good looks and wild personality. A Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Hawbaker’s death as a suicide while family and friends have since referenced an unidentified mental illness as the likely cause of her actions.

Hawbaker began to attract notice when she was chip leader for the first several weeks of the 2006
World Poker Tour Fiesta al Lago Classic and welcomed the spotlight with a unique brand of exhibitionism and spunk. Poker forums were abuzz with news and debate of the new player and Hawbaker was no stranger to her rising star often provoking and reacting to debate about her.

In the predominantly male world of
poker, Brandi Hawbaker emerged as an anomaly and showed that she was eager to stand as an equal among the biggest, loudest and most skilled players regardless of gender. Her attitude and looks garnered initial attention but her dedication to poker and success at the tables earned her staying power which was tragically cut short by her suicide. Hawbaker is survived by her three younger brothers, father and step-mother and the Nashville native’s ashes will be scatted in the sea as per her wishes.

888.com World Snooker Championships

The 888.com World Snooker Championships are underway at the Crucible in Sheffield.

The favorite this year, according to our Snooker gambling partner,
Bet365, is Ronnie O'Sullivan.

I am going along to the Crucible tonight to watch Match 7, which sees
Stephen Lee take on Joe Swail. Full report on the game tomorrow although Joe Swail is leading with 7 frames to Stephen Lee's 2, in a best out of 19 frames match.

I will be keeping this blog up to date with progress as it happens.

Ladbrokes Casino Review


We have just published a
review of the Ladbrokes Casino here at Findabet.co.uk. Ladbrokes are a very established brand in the UK with over 2200 high street betting shops. They have chosen the Microgaming Viper Software platform for their Casino and this includes Flash based instant play games, allowing you to play on your Mac as well as PC.

The download
Casino is PC only but does have fantastic graphics and gameplay from a trusted brand.

Check out the
review of Ladbrokes Casino, or go straight to the Casino to play.

Thieves Steal £150, 000 to Fund Poker Spree

An odd bit of news sees the conclusion to a recent story regarding two brothers who managed to scam roughly £150,000 to fund a trip to Vegas poker tables. Mohammed Imran and Mohammed Ifran (both in their mid-30s) were top players in the international poker scene before their arrest for the crime, having played against enormously wealthy Microsoft chief, Bill Gates and entrepreneur, Kerry Packer in Las Vegas before and at such illustrious tables as in the Bellagio Hotel venue. The theft was carried out in order to enable a continuation of high-stakes play against the best players in Las Vegas.

The brothers were able to access an error made within the automated banking system from back around the time of the Halifax and Bank of Scotland’s merger. Using a single, expired Halifax Bank of Scotland card, large amounts of money were frequently withdrawn from various cash point machines until the captured sum was amounted. Imran and Ifran were caught once the bank became aware of the withdrawals, referenced surveillance footage and later raided their homes.

Before the theft, Mohammed Imran was ranked 32nd in the 2005 World Series of Poker and Ifran at 19th but after their capture the two have been banned from all UK casinos and it seems incredibly doubtful that visas will be granted for Imran and Ifran to travel to American poker tables.

The brothers plead guilty and now face jail time around two years for the perpetration of their crimes.

MGM to Cash in On Poker Popularity with ‘Deal

Given the massive (and constantly growing) fan base of poker it seems only natural that Hollywood would address the craze with films based on the game. The newest James Bond film, ‘Casino Royale’ came close but wasn’t as concerned with the cards themselves as other elements of action and last month’s release of ‘21’, a story based on MIT card counters was immensely popular even though its casino setting was centered around the game of blackjack.

MGM Studios have recently announced a new poker-based feature entitled ‘Deal’ with Shannon Elizabeth, Burt Reynolds and Bret Harrison set to star. Aside from the cast of mainstream actors the film is projected to supply cameo appearances of real-life poker players such as Phil Laak, Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem and Vincent Van Patten in an effort to provide something special for the dedicated poker followers sure to make up a large part of the audience.

With the announcement of ‘Deal’ and the great success of ‘21’ expect for a large number of poker-themed blockbusters and primetime television series across the world. As new fans flock to the game every day there is sure to be significant demand for film makers to supply stories based on their favourite pastime.

St Georges Day Special from Crown Bingo

Crown bingo free trial pound

To celebrate St. George's day, Crown Bingo are running a special promotion on St. George's day, Wednesday 23rd April 2008.

The winner of the
Full House game at 1200 will win a bouquet of flowers. The winner of the Full House at 1600 will win a Full Roast Dinner and the lucky winner of the Full House at 2000 will win tickets to see England play at Wembley!, and hopefully win.

You have to be in it to win it,
so sign up today at Crown Bingo and try your luck.

32Red Casino Review

We have just published our review of the 32Red Casino here at Findabet.co.uk.

32Red have become well known in the United Kingdom through their sponsorship of
Aston Villa Football Club. They also use the UK actress, Patsy Kensit as the voice of the Casino. Patsy Kensit introduces the Casino. reads out the cards, and also calls the numbers in the various online games.

32Red offer a £100 sign up matched bonus for new Casino players and have some great games and graphics thanks to the Microgaming Viper Software employed by the Casino.

Be sure to check out the
review of 32Red Casino. Alternatively, go straight to 32Red Casino to sign up and start playing.

German Online Poker Continues to Gain Popularity

Although online poker remains in a legally hazy situation within the nation German poker players are continuing to flock to Internet Casinos to get their fill of the game as a recent poll by Deutsche Welle has demonstrated.

Through careful placement of server and corporate headquarters in nations outside of Germany,
online poker companies have been able to successfully muddle the penal system to make virtual play a viable option for the population. In Germany the law dictates that gambling is only permitted within a recognised, physical casino and this has made the transition toward online play difficult.

However as statistics demonstrate that somewhere around
200,000 to 290,000 Germans access poker sites for play (and around one million Euros were gambled by this route in 2006) the nation’s legislature is proving ineffective toward a proper regulation.

Although the German government could stand to make significant federal income from a full legalisation for now it stands that only the tax authorities themselves are profiting from this rise in
online poker’s popularity. The first step toward a greater degree of control may come soon enough however as celebrity sponsors and social acceptability are increasing along with mainstream online play showing that perhaps in a short time spectators may witness fully legalised online casinos for Germany.

US Masters Golf - Review of Day 4 - Trevor Immelman wins the 2008 US Masters

Congratulations to Trevor Immelman on winning the 2008 US Masters Golf Championship. Immelman was at the top of the leaderboard for all four days of the Masters and he is the first person to win, after doing this since Ray Floyd in 1976.
Trevor Immelman Wins at Augusta Masters
It got quite close at the end with only a three shot gap between
Trevor Immelman and and the second placed player, Tiger Woods. Immelman started the day on eleven under par, having shot rounds of 68, 68, and 69. He was two shots clear of Brandt Snedeker and Tiger was six shots behind on 5 under par.

In a day which provided difficult scoring conditions, due to the high winds, most of the people high up the leaderboard tailed off with over par rounds. These included Britons,
Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Justin Rose. The final day second placed Brandt Snedeker also have a very bad round and finished on four under having shot a five over par 77 and he shared third place with Stewart Cink.

Tiger Woods had another indifferent day and shot an even par 72 to finish the day as he started on 5 under par. I am sure he will be looking back and realizing that the short putts he missed on the back nine could have made the difference to force a playoff with Trevor Immelman, however, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Woods normally has accurate putting and this is what has made him win 7 of his last 8 professional outings, and the true favorite for the US Masters.

Well, it was nice to see
Immelman win his first major and we wish him all the best for the future. My money was lost, Woods, Rose, and Harrington all failed. Oh well, I am looking forward to the Open already!

US Masters Golf - Review of Day 3

Day 3 saw the rain that was promised. Luckily, this only really affected the mornings play and resulted in nice soft greens for the afternoon players, and leaders. Scoring conditions were great and anticipation of a few great rounds was strife.

Overnight leader, South African
Trevor Immelman was last out, so was one of those who benefited from the softer greens, allowing him more control over his approach shots. Again, he followed up his two 68s with a fantastic 69 to be eleven under par, and the clear leader from Brandt Snedeker by two shots who shot a two under par 70 leaving him on nine under par.

So, how are the British contingent doing after the third round at the Masters? Well, The leading British player is now
Paul Casey who carded a great 69 to be four shots off the lead and in fourth place at seven under par. Ian Poulter is next, on two under. Poulter had a nightmare round of 75 that included two shanked approach iron shots on the 9th and 10th holes. So, even the pro's get the dreaded shanking disease every now and then. On 10th, he even shanked what appeared to be quite a long iron. This took the toll on Ian's round and he ended up with a very disappointing three over par round of 75, leaving him on two under after staring the day on five under par. Lee Westwood also had an indifferent round, shooting a one over par 73 to end the day on one under par. Justin Rose is well out of it after another bad round.

So, what about
Tiger Woods? Well, he shot what was one of the best scores of the day, 68, four under for the day and five under for the championship. Is he too far back now as he is six shots off the lead? He sure does have a hard challenge ahead of him for him to achieve another green jacket. However, let's not forget the 1996 Masters where Greg Norman was six shots ahead of Nick Faldo, with Nick Faldo eventually winning, thanks to Norman having a nightmare round.

So, I am sure it is not too late for a final round wager, again, we recommend
Bet365 for your US Masters Bet.

Come on Tiger! My money is on you!

US Masters Golf - Review of Day 2

Day 2 at Augusta was another beautiful day, and the golf was on a par with the weather. Day one joint leader Trevor Immelman was out early with the other joint leader, Justin Rose, out last, just behind Tiger Woods.
Tiger Woods at Augusta Masters
Trevor Immelman was showing the same form as he showed on day one. He carded 5 birdies and one bogey to card a second round of 68, to take the outright lead at 8 under par.

Second place is held by American
Brandt Snedeker who shot a four under par 78 to go into second place on 7 under par.

It was a mixed day for the British players at Augusta. In true "
Justin Rose" style, he crumbled and surely now his chances of winning are over after carding a six over par 78. He was not doing that bad until a disaster on the par 5 15th saw him waste a great drive to hit is third shot into the water at the front of the green and then his next chip took a flyer, and nearly went into the water over the back of the 15th green. He ended up with a triple bogey 8 on 15, which undid a lot of the good work he had done on the first day to take the joint lead on 4 under par.

Ian Poulter on the other hand had a great round of 69, to beat his opening round of 70 to end on five under and in joint third place. He is well in the race and hopefully he can keep his nerve to ensure a good finish, who knows, he may even win it.

What about the Masters and
bookies favourite, Tiger Woods? Well, it just was not happening again for Tiger. My large bet I placed on Tiger with Bet365 is not looking very good right now. He had a mixed round, but finished with a birdie on 17 to be at one under for the championship and you have to think he is still in it but he needs a brilliant day on Saturday to be in with a chance on Sunday.

The weather forecast for Saturday is heavy rain and possible thunderstorms so I guess the tee times are critical. Those who avoid the weather will surely card better scores.

Looking forward to todays Golf and there will be another report after day three.

US Masters Golf - Review of Day 1

At the end of Day 1 at Augusta, Justin Rose and Tervor Immelman share the lead on four under par, both having carded a 68 in good conditions at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA.


I love the Masters, ever since been a child I have been mesmerized by the green fairways and white sand bunkers of Augusta. Being a golfer myself, watching the best golfers in the world attack what must be one of the most famous courses in the world is a dream.

The course has been lengthened yet again this year and is now over 7500 yards. There are a lot of Par 4s that a lot of club golfers would struggle to reach in three, even leaving the professional golfers such as Justin Rose, good drives and long irons into Par 4 greens.

The current leaderboard for below par players at the end of day one is as follows.

-4
Rose, Immelman

-3
Westwood, Bateman, Snedeker

-2
Poulter, Ames, Johnson

-1
Singh, Oberholster, Lonard, O'Meara, Solcum, Mickelson, Casey, Goosen

Great to see
Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter high up the leaderboard. Poulter had an amazing hole in one on the Par 3 16th. He hit it out right onto the bank and then the ball rolled straight into the hole, this resulted in him shooting a 2 under Par 70.

Tiger Woods is well in contention at EVEN. He had a bit of a mixed round, playing some bad shots and also not getting the run of the ball on others. Putts lipped out on what was a very uneventful level Par round for Tiger.

My
betting partner of choice for the Masters is Bet365. They have some great odds for the Masters and I have money on Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington, and of course Tiger Woods. Padraig did not have the best round but I am feeling good for my bets going into day two.

Happy Birthday Findabet!

Well, this blog is a year old today!

The first post titled "
Kick Off Post" was written a year ago today. The site had been running for a couple of months before I started this blog although the traffic increased the moment I started blogging, due to the updated content picked up by the search engines. I was getting around 20 visitors a day back then, and now get over 500 each and every day.

I have a lot more planned with this site as it is gaining in popularity now. I have more blog posts and full impartial reviews for all
Casino, Poker, Bingo, and Sports Betting providers planned.

Oh, and well done to Manchester United for beating AS Roma last night to reach the last 4 in the UEFA Champions League.

If you have not already done so, don't forget to
subscribe to this blog in your favourite RSS Reader.

Liverpool beat Arsenal to reach the Champions League Semi Final

Well, in what was a memorable night at Anfield Liverpool beat Arsenal 4-2 on the night to win 5-3 on aggregate.

You would have thought, as the
bookies did, that Arsenal were the favourites to beat Liverpool. So, my money was on Arsenal but yet again I was disappointed and lost my money!

No, I don't really follow Arsenal or Liverpool so I was impartial to the result but I must admit that it was a very entertaining game of football for the impartial viewer.

Tonight, Manchester United take on Roma, with a 2-0 away advantage. The match at Old Trafford should be an easy one for Manchester United, but, being a Leeds supporter for so many years has taught me never to rely upon anything!

2008 Grand National Won By Comply or Die

Congratulations to Comply or Die for winning the 2008 Grand National from Aintree on the 5th April 2008.

The Grand National was won by the Joint favorite, Comply Or Die, who held off a strong challenge from King Johns Castle to make it first to the post by four lengths in the 2008 Grand National at Aintree.

Comply or Die was ridden by the Irish jockey Timmy Murphy. Comply or Die was a David Pipe-trained nine-year-old horse and this is his first Grand National win after 11 previous attempts.

Snowy Morning claimed third place, while Slim Pickings was fourth.

The horse which I backed was Cloudy Lane, who also started as a 7-1 joint favorite, finished in sixth but was never really in contention.

Murphy gave his David Johnson-owned mount a trademark ride as he cruised along with something to spare before asking for an extra effort off the last fence.
Several horses, with Chelsea Harbour and Bewleys Berry joining the first four home, were vying for the lead as the race reached its closing stages, but it was Murphy who found the extra gear to claim the victory.

"I can't believe it yet, it's the best ride I've ever had over these fences," Said Murphy.

"He got into a lovely rhythm and he jumped fantastic, he picked up again when Paul (Carberry, on King Johns Castle) came at me.

"It's not sunk in, I'm delighted for David Pipe and my boss David Johnson - it's a race he's always wanted to win."

Milan Deux Mille was the final horse to complete the four-and-a-half-mile course in 15th place, with 25 horses failing to get over the 30 fences.

Online Bingo on the Rise in the UK

Crown Bingo - claim your free pound and bonus today!
Online bingo is increasing in popularity through the United Kingdom as a recent poll has recently shown. Bingoport.co.uk has released data collected by their server demonstrating that within the last six months online bingo has steadily been gaining players.

Although this trend should not come as much of a surprise to those who frequent
online casinos or care to watch the growth and decline of certain Internet games the poll does offer optimism to virtual casinos offering bingo to their customers.

Online bingo has been a mainstay on many Internet gambling sites but is often overshadowed by the immense popularity of Internet poker which has increased significantly in recent years. The British portal site Bingoport has monitored users accessing online bingo since September and has witnessed a 19 percent increase in traffic directed toward the game, a rise in player rates that means online bingo is set to become even more popular with time.

Scott Logan, the managing director of
Bingoport.co.uk took the news as a matter of fact, acknowledging that his company anticipated the drastic increase of online bingo players as merely a matter of time. Only time will tell if this raise in bingo enthusiasts will continue but for now this news should provide optimism to Internet sites specialising in the game.

Martingale Roulette Theory

Just read a good post over at a fellow affiliates blog, Morley Mouse, about using the Martingale theory for winning at Roulette.

This is a very simple
gambling system where you simply bet on red/black or odd/even.

Check out the blog post and give the system a go at any of the online casinos which we have reviewed here at Findabet.



Dutch Parliament Refuses Online Poker to Monopoly Holding Casino

The Dutch government recently turned down a bill which would grant Holland Casino the exclusive rights to provide a Netherlands based online casino to citizens. The company holds the monopoly for gambling in the Netherlands and was hoping to expand their market by offering the only viable service for Internet poker playing within the nation.

Various factors resulted in the Dutch Parliament refusing the expansion of Holland Casino’s monopoly which was overturned by only two votes in the company’s appeal to the Netherlands government. Ministers hope that by voting against the appeal it will dampen Dutch gambling practices by stopping another outlet to online poker playing although gaming betters will still find ample venues internationally and within the EU itself.

The parliamentary move has also dealt a minor blow to Holland
Casino’s software provider, CryptoLogic who have been working with the corporation for over a year on developing the proposed online casino. With the denial of a Dutch internet casino option CryptoLogic will no longer be able to benefit from the revenue sharing system they had put in motion during their time working for Holland Casino. Brian Hadfield, the software corporation’s CEO remains optimistic however as he and the rest of his team at CryptoLogic were anticipating the refusal of such a bill and continue to work for other clients.

60 Minutes to Attack the World of Online Poker

CBS’ influential weekly news show, 60 Minutes is reportedly turning to the world of online poker for a new expose. The issues being examined in the one hour program are not ones that should concern law-abiding internet poker players however as the news team’s investigation is set to look into those services which fail to properly monitor age verification and credit card information.

The primary focus of the episode will be in breaking down the basics of exactly how
online poker functions, a process not unknown to those players who frequent virtual tables. Pokerhelper.com’s Nat Arem has expressed concern that the report may sway popular opinion toward a negative view of online poker by way of having their first introduction into the phenomenon brought by way of a sensationalist broadcast. Two past reports by the CBS team have looked at the industry before to slightly negative effect but this third attempt is rumored to be more specific in its approach of the subject.

At this point it is mostly the PR managers of
online poker corporations that are concerned with the fallout the 60 Minutes piece may have so this news should not worry the casual enthusiast. Only time and broadcast will tell exactly how severe a blow the show may have on the industry.

The Grand National with Crown Bingo

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Now, The Grand National and Bingo don't really go hand in hand, however, Crown Bingo have released a Grand National Promotion.

Every Full House winner on Saturday 5th April in Bingo Room 2 from midday will be allocated one of the runners in the
Grand National. The offer will finish when all of the horses have been allocated.

Then, if you have been allocated the winning horse, you will win a prize!

Be sure to
sign up to Crown Bingo and give it a go to stand a chance of winning big on the Grand National.


The Grand National with Bet365

With the Grand National only a few days away, Bet365 have a grand set of offers god enough for your Wager on the Grand National.

There are always loads of
Grand National betting offers in the build up to the big race, but the best are at bet365.

Extra Place
Have an each way bet and, if your horse comes home in fifth,
bet365 will pay you out at ¼ odds – you won’t get that anywhere else!

Best Odds Guaranteed
Tale a price on your selection between now and the big race, and
bet365 will pay you out at the (SP) starting price if it’s bigger.

Non Runner No Bet
No need to worry about losing your money on a non-runner, as
bet365 will give you your money back if your selection doesn’t run.

Click here to bet on the Grand National with bet365.

The Grand National with Totesport

The Grand National is coming! This Saturday the Aintree racecourse hosts the 161st running of the John Smith's Grand National.

Totesport are the official betting partner for the Grand National and as usual offers some of the best prices available for the Grand National, what is the largest betting race in the sporting calendar.

Although
Tote, like many others are not offering a free bet on the Grand National, you can take advantage of the Free Bet, up to £25 for the Thursday and Friday at Aintree. So, what are you waiting for! Sign up today and good luck betting with Totesport!.

Affiliate Summit West 08 Photos

vegasI have been back from the Affiliate Summit West now a few weeks and I uploaded my pictures to my Flickr account.

We had a great time in Vegas. Some new amazing
Casinos have been built since my last visit and it was good to see that Poker has really become a major part of the casinos during the Poker boom of the last few years.

Every
Casino that we went into had a prominent Poker room. They all seemed busy and one regret is that my busy schedule whilst in Vegas kept me from playing a good game of Poker in one of the Poker rooms as I was interested to gauge the level of play in Vegas.

Had a few wins on the
slots and in the Casino, but nothing major to shout about.

Hopefully back to Vegas next year, so will have to check more out then.