The celebrated Las Vegas murder trial of casino mogul Ted Binion is being broadcast live on the Internet in the first-ever live Internet stream of a courtroom trial direct from a news provider's Web site. In what has become known as "the largest murder trial to hit Southern Nevada,"' Sandra Murphy and Rick Tabish are charged with murdering Sandra's boyfriend, Las Vegas casino mogul Ted Binion, with a lethal mix of drugs and suffocation. You can watch the trial live at http://www.KVBC.com

At last count, I tallied more than 700 casinos and sportsbooks on the Internet. That's heavy competition for your gambling dollar. And the good news is that many online casinos are pulling all the stops with special bonuses and incentives designed to lure you inside their virtual doors. So let's take a look at some of the best sign-up bonuses, special offers, incentives and comps online casinos are dishing out and see who's offering them. You might be surprised just how sweet some of these deals are.

Click to read Chuck's top bonus picks

I actually thought I was going to come away from this weekend with a clear idea of who I liked to win the Kentucky Derby. I thought at the very least I would be able to narrow it down to three of four contenders. But after watching the Wood Memorial, the Blue Grass, and the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, I am more confused than before. This three year old crop is a deep bunch indeed.

I knew Fusaichi Pegasus was going to be the real deal in the Wood, but at 4/5 tried to beat him with Exchange Rate, and that proved not a smart thing to do. The $4 million colt has now beaten Red Bullet, The Deputy, and Anees in his last two starts. The likely Derby favorite, but how short a price will we have to take on this talented colt?

High Yield put on a gutsy performance in the Blue Grass as my top pick, and I thought two of my other three contenders in the race, More Than Ready and Wheelaway ran very good races. More Than Ready showed he can get a distance of ground, at least 1 1/8 miles. Can he get 1 1/4 miles? I doubt it, but right now he looks good enough to land in the trifecta. Wheelaway, the Tampa Bay Derby winner, finished a credible third, and is on the improve. Last year Menifee came out of the Tampa Bay Derby to finish second in the Kentucky Derby.

Sharpen your handicapping pencils, cracking the superfecta in this year's Derby ain't going to be easy.

Get more Derby info at Michael's Web site

British bookmaker William Hill has picked Al Gore as a 4/6 favorite to become President, with George Bush Jr at 11/10. William Hill, who has been betting on British and US politics for over 30 years, has also taken bets that Tiger Woods (1000/1), actor/singer Will Smith (down from 500/1 to 250/1) and Hillary Clinton (10/1) will someday become President.

In the upcoming World Title heavyweight boxing match between Lennox Lewis and Michael Grant, Lewis is quoted as a 2/7 favorite to beat Grant, offered at 5/2, with the draw offered at 33/1. Lewis is 6/4 to win on points with Grant 6/1 to do likewise. Get more odds at http://www.willhill.com

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Odds are an estimation or exact evaluation of a specific event. The event could be anything -- the flip of a coin or the outcome of an election or soccer game. In flipping a coin it is possible to calculate the exact mathematical outcome since all circumstances are known. The coin has only two possible outcomes, either heads or tails. The chance is 50-50 if the coin is perfect and fairly flipped.

In a soccer match there are hidden circumstances and the calculation of odds is subjective. The person who estimates the odds has to take into account a number of parameters including motivation, statistics, strategy and so on. One parameter often forgotten, even by experienced gamblers, is betting psychology.

Betting psychology is when the bookmaker factors in the parameter "what odds will people bet on". Normally people tend to bet on the favorite since they fall into the trap I call "odds blindness". It is easy to think that a team with odds 1/20 is a sure thing. Some bookmakers take notice of this and offer better odds on the outsiders. I do not say that it is wrong to bet on low odds and favorites. I just say that good odds are often found on the outsiders and not the favorites.

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

Viewers will soon be able to enjoy concert footage from the Hard Rock Hotel's trendy venue, "The Joint," live on the Internet. The feed will be provided by Vidnet, a provider of streaming entertainment-related media. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas has hosted such legends as BB King, Santana, James Brown, The Eagles and The Rolling Stones. Upcoming shows from the Joint include such artists as Bush, Macy Gray, and The Cure.

The Hard Rock has also provided Vidnet.com archived footage from its famous opening party. In addition, Vidnet.com will be sponsoring the Hard Rock's "Pool Cam," a live feed from the Hard Rock Hotel beach. Vidnet's Web site is at http://www.vidnet.com. The Hard Rock is at http://www.hardrockhotel.com

Q. Is there anywhere on the net where I can download the blackjack basic strategy card?

A. As you probably know, basic blackjack strategy varies slightly depending on the casino's rules. You can find a complete set of basic strategy tables for all common rules variations at http://www.bjmath.com. You might have to hunt around the site to find them but when you do they're free for the taking.

Q. Where can I get information about, or links to, professional gamblers? People that gamble for a living, particularly blackjack?

A. Another blackjack question, huh? I suggest checking out http://www.bj21.com, the Web site of blackjack author Stanford Wong. A lot of serious blackjack players frequent the message board there and I'm sure they'll be able to point you in the right direction.

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"You must never, never play when you are tired. This is when you are most likely to lose your self-control."

-- Jerry L. Patterson, Blackjack: A Winner's Handbook

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Thank you for reading. We'll be back next week with a special feature I think you'll enjoy, The 10 Commandments of Online Gambling. -- Steve Johnson, .

See you next week!

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