Within 18 months, Cates went from losing at $5 online poker games with almost every bet, to winning at the highest stakes: that’s up to $500,000 a night. By the end of 2010 Cates was worth around $5.5 million and he got all this mostly by playing online in head to head matches against some of poker’s most recognizable stars Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Ilari (Ziigmund) Sahamies and Tom (durrrr) Dwan.

Other young and rising stars of online poker include Sweden’s Viktor Blom who goes by the handle Isildur1. He’s younger than Daniel Cates and has even beaten Cates taking $500,000 away from him which was the worst defeat in Cate’s career. But it’s not all about the big wins. When you play big, you win big but the risk of losing big is also there. Blom went on to lose $4.2 million in what is reported to be the biggest single-day loss in online poker history. The risks are well worth it and the wins prove that big money can be made so long as you play your cards right.

Online poker has been a growing industry since the early 2000s and with it comes many more superstars including Ashton Griffin (aka theAshman103), who is also Cate’s former roommate and online rival. Griffin has won a record of $7 million in just three months. Scott Palmer (Urnotindanger2) is also another one of Cate’s poker buddies who found his fortune playing online poker. With a little persistence and a little luck you too can be an online poker star.

First up let’s talk about the woman who made cake more famous than anyone could have ever imagined.

Yes, Marie Antoinette, the infamous Queen of France and Navarre who was forever chiselled into history by her immortal words “let them eat cake” has had her fair share of gambling do’s and don’ts.

While she was the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor and wife to another powerful European monarch in Louis XVI of France, Marie Antoinette was widely criticized for her brazen spending during times of hardship and famine, and this included rampant gambling, which she used as escapism from the intrigues and gossip of the Versailles court. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a very good gambler and lost quite often. Not to mention she also died by guillotine which is not a very lucky way to die. So Marie Antoinette: started out strong, ended up bust. Final Verdict: Not a good gambler.

Next up is probably one the most infamous of all English kings and that’s Henry VIII.

Not only was he excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, had six wives and had a voracious appetite, he also was a well-known lifelong gambler who frequently played dice, table and card games. He was often known to make big wagers (befitting a king!) and famously in a span of two years lost roughly 3,250 British pounds which is equivalent to about 805,000 British pounds today or a very rich nobleman’s yearly income. Yeouch! But even then, he still owned about 50 castles or so, so he still had enough cash to spend. So Henry VIII: Gambled with religion, gambled with love, gambled with games. He technically won two out of three. Final Verdict: Has gambling chops.

For our next monarch we’ve got Princess Caroline of Monaco who was responsible for the prestige and allure of Monte Carlo as a luxury gambling destination not only for Europe but for the entire world. Despite not being an avid gambler herself, Princess Caroline was solely responsible for envisioning the Monte Carlo Casino and despite numerous setbacks and inept support managed to get it running and profitable in a relatively short amount of time against great odds. So, Princess Caroline not being a traditional gambler but more of a risk-taking yet shrewd businesswoman who built one of the grandest casinos in the world and saved her Grimaldi family from bankruptcy, what’s the verdict on her? Final Verdict: Legendary gambler!

We’ve covered a wide range of royal gamblers and it seems that the golden touch doesn’t guarantee a lucky streak when it comes to gaming. It just means they’ve got deeper pockets and more time on their hands, but it also comes down to a fine measure of skill. It’s not all luck! Try your hand at some casinos today and see just how much of a combination of skill and luck you have. Maybe you can be a Henry, Caroline and Marie all rolled into one… minus the guillotine!

Yes, games played a central role in the recreational lives of ancient people just as much as it does today. The oldest record of games played in civilization is Backgammon which was played by ancient Babylonians. Chess was a game that came from Asia to Europe via the Silk Road and has undergone a huge transformation as it was passed on from people to people. A game, fascinatingly enough, that hasn’t undergone a huge change is the game of dice.

Now when it’s said that the game of dice hasn’t changed, we really mean to say the die itself has not changed. However, the way you use it, how many you use and other rules have formed spawning hundreds of different games you can play with dice. That means casino games and paper and pencil RPG games. We also use dice in the principle of probability in mathematics (that too, if you think about it, is a sort of game!). The die, generally 6-sided (although in more recent times we’ve created new types 4,8,10,12 and 20-sides!), hasn’t changed for over 2000 years.

Roman legions carried dice sets with them on their long journeys across the empire. They travelled, salted the earth to build roads and fought off attacks. At the end of the day they would unwind with drink, merriment and a game of dice. They would use these dice to play odds and make wagers. It took their minds off their troubles being so far away from home.

Most of the dice made back then were made from animal bone. Probably from the leftovers of animals they had consumed. Other dice were made of hardwood. Today’s dice are made from plastics but just a century ago dice were also made from ivory. With Roman soldiers spread throughout Britain, Northern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa and Spain, they helped spread the use and growth of this game, and even picked up a few new games on their travels.

Whilst waiting for the result can sometimes be an excruciating pain, as everyone wants to know the result, guessing and betting can be a worthwhile distraction that can make the wait more bearable and fun. One solid week the entire world was wondering if the baby was a boy or a girl and the excitement was drumming up because of the added guessing game. George and James are the most likely choices for the royals as they are probably shuffling through a stack of baby names. Those who already put some money down on girl’s names can pretty much kiss away their chances of winning some extra cash, that is unless Will/Kate plan to throw us a curve ball and go with a feminine name for their son or some ultra hipster, non-traditional, obscure name like… Voldemort, or something like that. Odds on that would probably be a bajillion to one, but that sounds like some good action as Will/Kate seem like they’d make pretty cool and hip parents, a contrast to the stuffy stereotype image of the royals.

But now that we already know the gender of the baby, and the name could be revealed soon, what else is there left to find out about the possible future King of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth of Nations? Other people are starting to get more specific, aiming for hair colour, with heavy odds in favour of a ginger-haired lad like his dad. Others are placing odds on whether the royal will be the first to be born with a full set of webbed fingers and toes, as crazy as that sounds. Some are even looking far into the future, taking wagers on how long the baby king’s reign will be. Considering that Prince Charles has yet to sit the throne, that day is a long way off! But of course the birth of a new monarch brings the whole family together and it’s not always just about the baby. People are also looking at the current reigning Queen Elizabeth II and wondering how much longer she will be on the throne and if she can beat Queen Victoria’s record as the longest reigning monarch in history.

These are indeed exciting times to be living in when there is so much happening in the world. Lots of positive things happening and it seems things are only getting more exciting. So what do you think about the new born royal’s name? Something traditional like “George” or is “Hashtag” the new Hamish, a sign of change and a new era for baby names and the world? Place your bets!

The 9 new games cover a wide range of tastes and fantasies, including Space Arcade a blatant knockoff of Space Invaders, or a fitting tribute however you wish to look at it. The other games in the new bunch? Here they are in no particular order: Joker Jester, TootinCarMan, King Tiger, Oil Mania, Dr Love on Vacation, Munchers, Irish Eyes2 and Dragon Master. Fans of Daenerys Targaryen should play that last one!
So which one would you want to play? Dr. Love on Vacation sounds kind of creepy, but hey who are we to judge! Check them out if you dare and let us know which one is your favourite.

Paolo Di Canio, Bardsley’s boss, was enraged when he found out that his players were drinking heavily and acting ludicrously in a public place, in a casino for that matter… without him! But of course, Di Canio reacted to the snub by promising harsh times ahead where the men will have to play their next match in pink tutus.

Lesson learned? If you want to act and behave badly, next time, invite the boss!

The six bros, well they’re not actual bros just frat bros which actually makes things ten times worse, started Absolute Poker in Costa Rica. They traded up boring and cold Montana for the beaches of Costa Rica. Makes total sense! The bros themselves, Garin Gustafson, Gary Thompson, Phil Tom, Shane Blackford and Scott Tom, found investors on bro-cation to Costa Rica. Other bros from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity such as Pete Barovich – Absolute Poker’s Chief Marketing Officer, Brent Beckley and Oscar Hilt Tatum IV (sounds like royalty!) got into the sausage-fest party.

Their aim was to bypass an Interstate Wire Act of 1961 which prohibited sports betting and games of chance but it was argued poker was a game of skill—a skill in being a better bullshitter than the next guy! And the concept of skimming around the act worked! They raised $750,000 in start up capital from sources all around the world and then this is where the cocaine comes in! Within a few short years, their site was worth 30 million dollars and was bringing in roughly $800,000 a day. This success meant fast cars, hot girls, hard parties and yes cocaine! Finally, we got to the cocaine.

But it didn’t stop there! No sir! You can’t stop a bro when a bro wants to party and these bros loved parties! So they planned the next step to take their company public for some seriously bigger money. An office was set up in Vancouver with some established shareholders on the board and the site was growing 100 percent in value reaching $100 million. You know what that means, right? More cocaine!

But it was not too long before Canada’s FBI (wait, they have an FBI? I thought they only had those red guys that ride moose… hmm, go figure) launched an investigation as new laws regarding the internet were coming into place and that’s when things started going to shit for the bros. However, it wasn’t until the real FBI, the American ones, busted the bros on an attempt to circumvent the law. Ouch. The bros ended up paying $731 million in fines to the US government (wait… what about the Canandians?!).

But the bros however have one final ace up the sleeve, since the Department of Justice concluded that the original Wire Act only applied to sports bets… which was what the bros had originally based their site and business around.

Nice one Department of Justice. Great bait and switch! And you got all the money, too!

So yeah, you want everyone to think you’re a high roller. If this is you’re line of thinking then pay attention we’re about to tell you exactly how you can make yourself look like how everyone thinks a high roller should be so you can trick them. This will be fun. So, everyone thinks that high rollers are gaudy rich dudes who revel in opulence and excess without a care in the world with what to do with their money. This couldn’t be any further from the truth, but for the purpose of this part of the article this is how we’re going to dress you up to look like. Remember, it’s about making others think you are and not actually being the part. It’s acting… in a very non-Shakespearean manner.

You’ll want to wear the tackiest yet most expensive clothing you can find that will draw the most attention such as frilly shirts for men and pantaloons. And jewellery! You can’t go wrong with lots and lots of gaudy bling to make you look like a pimp. And speaking of pimps, a nice feathered cap would go nicely with this outfit. Once you walk into the casino or the club or wherever you’re going you want to also be as noisy and obnoxious as possible so that your look and attitude all come full circle.

Now, if you want to know what REAL high rollers are like read on. See real high rollers like most real rich people don’t have to flaunt their wealth so excessively. In actuality most of them try to hide their wealth so as not to attract attention from thieves and scoundrels and freeloaders, etc. So you might see a guy walk into a casino wearing a crappy t shirt, cap and slippers and probably shorts instead of pants. You might think he’s a plumber or an electrician in real life but he could be a multi-millionaire. See these high rollers don’t care about status because they have it. It’s pretty much just another day for them. They’ll only dress up if there’s a significant event to attend that day but otherwise, hitting the gaming floor with the rest of the plebs they’ll try to blend in. After all, who wants to paint a target on their back that they’re carrying a millionaire in chips in their pockets! Not me, not you and certainly not them!

The number one thing you need to remember when you play roulette is that you have to place a bet because with bets things are far more exciting. It’s a gentlemen’s wager that makes chance exhilarating—the uncertainty of winning big or losing big gets the heart racing and the blood pumping. It’s like being on a rollercoaster without having to actually be on a scary rollercoaster. Seriously, those things are scary. The worst danger that could happen to you in roulette is 1) you could lose all your money or 2) lose an eye if the ball spins out and hits you in the eye. The first one, well, you probably have tons more cash to float around so no big deal and the second problem is unlikely to happen, so don’t sweat it. Of course you could just watch everyone else betting, playing the game and having fun but you don’t want to be a sulking sally.

One of the striking advantages of playing roulette is the choice you have. You have many different options for you to choose from each with their strengths and weaknesses. There are two main kinds of bets: inside and outside bets. An Inside bet is a high-risk bet where the odds of winning are low but the payouts are fantastic. An outside bet is the opposite, meaning it is low risk with high odds of winning but the payout is little. And from there, there are tons of options to choose from within inside and outside bets.

One thing of note that’s a lot of fun about roulette is that it’s far more fun when you are playing with a lot of people. The more people that play, the more interesting the game gets as you’ll be in direct competition with all of them, yet all of you are expecting the same ball to drop in each of your favours. Wonder who will win, because not everyone can win. That’s part of the excitement!

Roulette is also a lot more enjoyable if you play it with faux French accents, since, you know, it’s a French game. Immerse yourself in its French-ness and don’t hold anything back. Why not even dress up as Napoleon Bonaparte and Maria Antoinette while you’re at it! Those costumes would make all the difference. Not to mention grab all the attention from everyone else playing. Hopefully it will also distract the dealer and other players long enough for you or your accomplices to switch out the balls and cheat your way to victory. Before cheating is also tons more fun than playing for real. Good luck!

1. Learn the rules.
2. Eat a full and nutritious meal so you’re focused.
3. Don’t swap cards. This isn’t “Go Fish.”
4. Make sure have a full 8 hours of sleep.
5. Play against stupid people.
6. Don’t be stupid yourself.
7. If you’re playing strip poker… play against people you want to see naked.
8. Learn to bluff.
9. Learn to call.
10. Learn to raise.
11. Learn to hide your emotions.
12. Learn to wear sunglasses if you can’t hide your emotions.
13. Learn how to anticipate your opponent’s hand.
14. Learn to peak discreetly at your opponent’s hand if you suck at anticipating.
15. Understand that poker isn’t a game of poking people in the belly.
16. Know that you don’t have to be Texan to play Texas Hold’Em.
17. Learn to earn money legitimately so you have money to bet.
18. Learn how to use a gun so you can shoot yourself in the face properly when you lose all your money.
19. Practice using paper money as toilet paper since you’re going win a lot of money.
20. Never play poker on a full moon.
21. Never play poker with vampires.
22. Always thank Jesus when you win.
23. Always curse Jesus when you lose.
24. I hope you took those gun lessons seriously, because another option is killing everyone at the table and then just taking their money.
25. Learn to time travel to the future so you know everyone’s cards.
26. Remember that poker is an individual game, everyone plays for themselves.
27. Watch how other players play.
28. Be mindful of your bets and how others bet.
29. Play to win at all costs.
30. The end justifies the means.
31. Make sure and double check that you are not retarded.
32. Keep an ace up your sleeve LITERALLY.
33. Bribe the dealer.
34. Play footsy with everyone in the table to mess them up psychologically.
35. As Yoda said, there is no try. Only do or do not.
36. If in Japan, be prepared to commit seppukku if you lose.
37. Don’t do drugs.
38. Count cards! It works… unless you’re terrible at math.
39. Be the host in a private game and then change the rules in your favour whenever you’re losing.
40. Play online because computers never cheat. Only people do. Like your spouse. Zing!
41. When you hit 21. Stop. Oh wait…
42. Stand up and yell “I’m the king of the world” when you have a pair of kings.
43. Start singing Bohemian Rhapsody when you have a pair of queens.
44. Dress in a tuxedo like James Bond in Casino Royale. And remember, the black guy is an American agent working for the Americans. Trust him.