Horseshoe Casino & Hotel and Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Miss. are hosting the First Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open March 27 through April 16, 2000.

Doyle Brunson, two-time World Series of Poker Champion and winner of six other World Series of Poker events, along with other World Series of Poker Champions Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth Jr., Russ Hamilton, the youngest Poker Hall of Famer Chip Reese and recent champion Scotty Nguyen will be on hand to compete for a purse valued at more than $3.3 million.

"I am looking forward to seeing some of the best poker players in the world in Tunica," said Jack Binion, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Horseshoe Casino & Hotel.

I threw the favorite out in the Gotham Stakes and took a flyer on a couple of long shots. After all, the favorite only wins one in three times. Red Bullet was not listening as it got through some traffic and then leaped into the lead and was driven to the finish line with Aptitude wishing there was another sixteenth of a mile to go. If you watched the race on ESPN2, you got chapter and verse on not only the development of Red Bullet, but how trainer Joe Orseno came through the ranks to run one of the bigger operations of Stronach Stables.

One thing that blows me away is that Alex Solis came out from California to ride this one. It is a sign that Stronach is deadly serious about having a contender get to the Kentucky Derby. This man can spend anything he wants on his operation and he does. In all the years he has been striving to win a Kentucky Derby, he never has. My point is that you can have a lot, if not everything, going right for you and still not make it to the Kentucky Derby, let alone win one. There were horses that had to scratch out of the Florida Derby, months away from the Kentucky Derby, that will never see the twin spires.

Click to read the rest of P.D.'s column

Want to improve your chances of winning at slots? Slots expert Gayle Mitchell shows how, starting this week with her analysis of "basic slots." -- Steve

Basic Slots or "flat tops" have a constant top jackpot payout that does not change no matter how much the machine is played. Basic slots tend to give smaller wins to keep you in business, extending your playing time. Basics come in several different paying versions, most of which require maximum coins to hit the top jackpot. Three features that should dictate any basic slot players' search and quest to stretch their gambling bankroll are...

Click for Gayle's basic slots tips

If you enjoy the fast-living, high-fashion style of the Roaring Twenties, then you'll love InterContinental Casino. Come aboard and enjoy the luxury of multi-player games and seductive music. And why not invite your friends to join you as you sail the oceans in your own High Society. Style, glamour and impeccable quality set InterContinental Casino in a class of its own.

Click here to visit InterContinental Casino

The Desert Inn, home to the world's largest slot pay-out in history, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on April 24. This Las Vegas landmark was the fifth property on the Strip and opened as Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn. For information, visit http://www.thedesertinn.com.

When it comes to placing an online bet, good software is important. You need to know that your bets are registered and your money is safe. I have had terrifying experiences at sites where you think you have made a bet but no bet is registered. One example was when I made a bet with a well-respected bookmaker and an error came up. I was instructed to try again. So I did several times but finally gave up. The day after the game I saw that my account was heavily reduced. Every time I had tried to make the bet, it was registered. The bookie was decent enough to pay back my money.

Another important thing is the rules. Sportsbetting is by nature surrounded by rules. There are rules for everything, and there are bookmakers who are abusing the rules to cover themselves. One example is rules about limits. Every bookmaker has limits for how much they let you win or bet. Some bookmakers make it your responsibility to know these rules. This is completely unacceptable. If they accept your bet, the bet should be valid. It is their responsibility to decline unwanted bets. Software development makes this easy to do. A bet is a bet is a bet.

One example is a bookmaker in Austria where I made lots of bets and won a lot of money. When I wanted to make a pay out they reduced my winnings by $3000. This was 4 weeks after the bet was made. Their argument was vague and the rule was hard to interpret. I could have gone to court in Austria and probably won but thought it was not worth the effort (my total winnings from the bookie totalled $35,000).

What do we learn from this? a) Choose a bookmaker with software that makes you feel safe and comfortable. b) Never open accounts with bookies that have a zillion rules. c) Never open an account with a bookie that doesn't accept that a bet is a bet is a bet.

Visit Carl-William's Web site for lots more sportsbetting info

At one time or another we've all needed to get up to speed on a subject ASAP. Basically you want to go from being a rookie to having a working knowledge in the shortest possible time. In these situations anything that can usher you up and over the learning curve is worth its weight in gold.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Gambling by Mark Balestra is such a tool. Think I'm bluffing? Considering that I've been working in the online casino industry for almost two years now and much of what I've learned is found between the covers of Balestra's humble tome, I don't think I'm bluffing at all.

Click to read the rest of Max's book review

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"The goal when playing poker is not necessarily to have the best hand; the goal is to win the biggest pot."

-- Basil Nestor, The Unofficial Guide to Casino Gambling

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Thanks for reading! We'll be back next week with all-new articles by some of gambling's top names. If you have a question or comment, contact me, Steve Johnson, at .

See you next week!

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