GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT CASINO IN US AND TIPS FOR SAVE THE MONEY FROM GAME TABLE

Casino games generally provide a predictable long-term advantage to the casino, or "house", while offering the player the possibility of a large short-term payout. Casino games often include an illusion of control, in which the player must make choices. However, in most cases it is not mathematically possible for a player to eliminate his or her inherent long-term disadvantage (the house advantage) in a casino game.

The player's disadvantage is a result of the casino not paying winning wagers according to the game's "true odds", which are the payouts that would be expected considering the odds of a wager either winning or losing. For example, if a game is played by wagering on the number that would result from the roll of one die, true odds would be 6 times the amount wagered since there is a 1 in 6 chance of any single number appearing. However, the casino may only pay 5 times the amount wagered for a winning wager.

Categories of casino games
There are three general categories of casino games:

Table games
Table games are played on a large table covered with a printed felt layout and may contain seating locations for players, with a dealer and other casino employees located on one side of the table (known as the "pit") and players located on the opposite side. Table games may be played with cards, dice, or other gaming equipment.

Gaming machines
Gaming machines, such as slot machines, are usually played by one player at a time and do not require the involvement of casino employees to play.

Random number games
Random number games are based upon the selection of random numbers, either from a computerized random number generator or from other gaming equipment. Random number games may be played at a table, such as Roulette, or through the purchase of paper tickets or cards, such as Keno or Bingo.

Common table games
Cards
Asian stud
Baccarat
Blackjack
Caribbean Stud Poker
Chinese poker
Chuck-a-luck
Faro
Four card poker
Let It Ride
Mambo stud
Pai gow poker
Red dog
Spanish 21
Texas Hold'em Bonus Poker
Three card poker
Two-up

Dice / Tiles
Craps
Pai Gow
Sic bo
[edit]
Random numbers
Big Wheel / Big Six
Roulette

Common random number games (non-table)
Bingo
Keno

Common gaming machines
Slot machine
Video Lottery Terminal
Video poker

Rules of the Roulette Game

At the casino the roulette table is managed by one or more persons - the number of persons depends on in what country you are playing roulette. The number of roulette spins per hour also varies from country to country. You can expect about 30 spins an hour if you are playing in Europe - and up to about 100 spins per hour if you are playing in the US.

There are also other small differences - the number of players around the table can vary a great deal from casino to casino. Some roulette tables have seats - at other tables you will be standing while paying roulette and using your elbows to defend your small spot around the table. Also the number of tables may be different from casino to casino. The American roulette table normally have one table - the European roulette sometimes have two tables with the roulette table in the middle of the tables.

The person handling the roulette on behalf of the casino is called the croupier. He spins the roulette wheel in one direction thereafter he immediately shoots the roulette ball - made of plastic or ivory - in the other direction along the edge of the roulette wheel. Then the ball loses its speed and is about to come to a rest in the bottom of the wheel - where there are boxes with separate numbers the croupier announces: Rien ne va plus - or - No more bets please - if it's an American roulette wheel. Until that moment the players around the roulette wheel have made there bets according to rules that I will explain to you later.

The roulette ball comes to a rest in one of the boxes at the bottom of the roulette and the croupier announces the winning number and the color - red, black or no color - if the winning number is zero or double zero - those two numbers are green.

Finally the bets that did not win are collected by the croupier - and the winners are paid. Then a new game is ready to begin and the players starts placing their bets once again.

Introduction to the Roulette Game

The most popular casino game in Europe is the roulette game. I think this is because of the environment surrounding the game in the casino, the odds of the game, the simplicity of the rules and the many myths of fortunes lost and won on a single spin.

Most people believe they know how a roulette table looks like - but if you actually ask them they most often don't know exactly how the game looks. There is two different kinds of roulette wheels. A European wheel with 36 numbers and a single zero and an American wheel with 36 numbers and a zero and a double zero. The numbers on the European wheel are not placed in any order - while the numbers on the American wheel are placed in groups of numbers opposite each other - 1 opposite to 2, number 3 is opposite number 4 and so on.

The word 'roulette' is French for 'a little wheel'. The popularity of the roulette game origins from the casino in Monte Carlo - where it has spread throughout the rest of the world since the beginning of the last century. Today you will have a hard time finding a casino without a roulette table.

Perhaps you have heard the classic story about the Englishman Charles Wells who arrived to Monte Carlo in June 1891 with 10.000 Franc in his pocket? He won a million franc in a few days - four month later he returned to the casino and won yet another million franc. So far so good. Had Charles Wells only had the chance to visit and read Online-Casinos.com he would have invested his money and lived rich and happy for the rest of his life. But unfortunately for him he returned the next year and lost all his money back to the casino - he later became a small time criminal and died a very poor man. Before his death he had explained that he had simply been very lucky - there was no winning system behind his big wins.

This is exactly the case with roulette gambling. You can be lucky to win at the roulette table in the short run. But over the long run the casino will always have the edge over the player - no matter what betting system you are using.

The casino always have the odds of winning on there side in every casino game. Except in blackjack where card counters can figure out when they have a small edge and adjust there bet size accordingly. Also a couple of video poker variants can give the player a return above 100% - but that requires perfect play - without making any mistakes at all.

So now know the most basic information you will need to know about the roulette game:

The casino always has the edge in the long run
You can win in the short run if you are lucky.
The Roulette game is a game of chance - not a skill game.
No betting system can make you beat the roulette table in the long run.
Let's end this roulette game introduction with a few quotes about the roulette game:

'You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it.' Quote: Albert Einstein

'A gambler with a system must be, to a greater or lesser extent, insane.' Quote: George Augustus Sala (1828-1895) English writer and journalist

'The roulette table pays nobody except him that keeps it. Nevertheless a passion for gaming is common, though a passion for keeping roulette tables is unknown.' Quote: Bernard Shaw

Slotmachine Terms

Bonus Feature Slot
A special kind of slots that offer a bonus round where it's possible to win free spins - Jackpots or a special big price or something similar.
Bonus Multiplier Slots On this kind of slotmachine you will be awarded a bonus for playing the max. coins per spin - so you should always do that or find another machine that don't offer this kind of bonus. Example: If you bet 1 coin per spin a combination pays out 4 coins, Had you played 2 coins per spin that combination would pay 8 coins. Had you played 3 coins per spin you would have won 20 coins. As you can see there is a bonus of 6 coins awarded for playing the max. coins per spin. (20-12=6)
Coin Size Some Slot Machines will let you choose the size of the coins you play with. Example: A machine takes 3 coins per spin but you can choose the coin size to be either $0,25 - $1 or $5.
Coins per Spin Some Slot Machines will let you choose how many coins you want to bet per spin. Example: Many slots offer you the choice to bet either one, two or three coins per spin. Please note that most machines offers you a bonus for playing the max. coins per spin. Also note that if you are playing a progressive Jackpot slot machine you will probably only win the jackpot IF you play the max. coins per spin.
Diamond Slots Diamond Slot is a very popular Las Vegas slot machine where some of the symbols are diamonds.
Fruit Machine A classic slot machine where the symbols are different kinds of fruit - like cherries, melons, peaches and bananas.
Loose Slots A slot machine that is ready to pay out a big win.
Multiplier Slot This kind of slots are recognized as a slotmachine that DO NOT offer the player a bonus for playing the max. number of coins per spin. Example: If you bet 1 coin per spin a combination pays out 4 coins, Had you played 2 coins per spin that combination would pay 8 coins. Had you played 3 coins per spin you would have won 12 coins. As you can see there is no bonus awarded for playing the max. number of coins per spin. This kind of slots are not bad at all - actually you should look for this kind of slots if you don't like to bet more then one coins per spin. Also see the slot term: Bonus Multiplier Slots.
One Armed Bandit Another word for a slotmachine The name refers to the fact that slotmachines used to have a handle that the player had to pull to get the reels spinning.
Pay Cycle A rumor is that a slotmachine grows through cycles where it sometimes pay out winnings to players - and other times it takes in the profit to the casino. Personally I think this is just a rumor as today's random number generators can not be guessed like that. Perhaps such cycles did appear in the past - but not with today's slotmachines.
Pay Table A table of symbols that shows the winning combinations of symbols for that particular slotmachine. Normally the pay table is located on the front of the slotmachine.
Payline This used to be the middle line on the slotmachine display - but that is not always the case today. Now a days some slots have up to 9 paylines - the more coins you play per spin the more paylines are normally activated. Symbols have to line up on the paylines for the player to win prizes according to the pay table.
Payout Percentage This is the amount of $$$$ a slotmachine pays out in winnings in average for every time $100 has been wagered on the machine. Example: A slotmachine has been set to pay out 95% in winnings in the long run. So every time $100 has been wagered the machine will pay out $95 to the players. Remember that this is in average seen over the entire life time of the slotmachine. If you put $100 in such a machine and wager $100 - you will most likely not end up having $95 left. Perhaps you win a big Jackpot - perhaps you loose most of it.
Progressive Jackpot A slotmachine with a jackpot that grows until a lucky gambler wins the big prize. Then the Jackpot is reset and starts growing again until the next very lucky player comes by and wins.
Reels The display wheels that shows the symbols
Sim Slots Short for simulating slot machine or video slot
Take Cycle A rumor is that a slotmachine grows through cycles where it sometimes pay out winnings to players (Pay Cycle). At other times it takes in the profit to the casino (Take Cycle). Personally I think this is just a rumor as today's random number generators can not be guessed/predicted like that. Perhaps such cycles did appear in the past - but not with todays slotmachines.
Tight Slots A slot machine that is NOT about to pay out a big win.
Video Slots Similar to a slot machine but the mechanical reels have been replaced by a video screen.
Wheel of Fortune Slots The 'Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine' is a very popular slotmachine in Las Vegas Casinos offering a huge Jackpot.
Wild Symbol A symbol that can count for anything - it's very similar to a wild card in a card game - you can use it to complete a winning combination.

POKER FREEROLL TOURNAMENT SERIES LAUNCHED BY ACTION POKER

Major network cardrooms to generate plenty of free action, cash and seats at the WSOP

Action Poker Network, home of Action Poker, Tiger Gaming and Poker In Canada has launched a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool freeroll poker tournament series, giving poker enthusiasts a chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars with no tournament entry fees.

The new freeroll competition started on January 15th and will feature tournaments running daily through to October 1st.

This is the latest in a series of successful promotions run by the flagship cardrooms and other member cardrooms at the Action Poker Network. The tournament will pay out 30 places, with the first prize of $200,000 going to the winner of the grand final to be held in October.

"We want our players to be rewarded and to feel excited about playing at the Action Poker Network and the $500,000 Freeroll is the just the beginning of our 2006 activities," said Jake Kalpakian, CEO.

Another major competition has been launched to please those poker players trying to fulfill their dreams of getting to the World Series of Poker 2006 by qualifying through online cardrooms.

"We've guaranteed seats in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to the players who win our ongoing World Series of Poker Satellite Tournaments, and we've made it super affordable," adds Kalpakian. Players can enter the WSOP Satellite Tournaments with buy-ins starting as low as 5 cents.

The WSOP's final prize for 2006 is estimated at $11,000,000.

Playing a video poker machine is easy - at first glance a video poker machine looks very simular to the slots. However there is a very big difference. Video poker is a game of skill whereas playing slots is a game of chance.
Before playing video poker for moeny you should know the poker hand rankings and a bit about how a video poker game is working.

The first thing you must do to play prober video poker is to forget what you know about regular poker - exept part of the hand ranking system known from regular poker. You should also forget about keeping that 'kicker'. Also nothe that in video poker an Ace is not better then a Jack. This is because you are not playing against any other poker players - just the video poker machine and the paytables. And the machine do not pay more for a pair of aces then a pair of jacks.

The objective of the video poker game is to get a winning poker hand - according to the paytable on the machine. There is no bluffing just you and the machines paytable.

When playing video poker you put your coins in the machine and start the game with being dealt 5 cards - you are dealt the cards by random from a single deck with 52 cards. If the video poker game has a joker in it - the cards will be dealth from a deck of 53 cards.

In video poker the poker hand ranking is as follows - from the hightst hand to the lowest:

5 of a kind (only posible if varinats with a wild card)
Royal Straight Flush
Straight Flush
4 of a kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
3 of a kind
Two Pairs
A Pair (normaly minimum a pair of jacks - if in jacks or better)
Then you have the change to discharge or hold any or all of your 5 cards - pressing the 'hold' botton will make you keep the card in question in your poker hand.

Then you click dela and the cards you choose to discharge is replaced with new cards.

Finaly you can see on the paytable on the video poker machine if you have won anything or not - if you are playing jacks or better video poker you will need at least a pair of jacks or higher to win.

Note the paytable above. You see that If you play one coin per game a Royal Straight Flush will get you 250 coins. But if you play 5 coins per game a Royal Straight Flush pays 4000 coins. 5 times 250 is only 1250 coins so there is a big bonus in playing the five coins. So if you are playing to win you should always play the maximum number of coins allowed. If you dont lioke that you should look for another video poker machine that accepts lower coin size.

Low look at the paytable above again - note the payout for a full house and a flush when one coin is played. Full house pays 9 and a flush pays 6. That is good - but not all Jacks or Better machines offer 9/6 for these hands - hench you should always look for the good jacks or better video poker games offering 976 odds - also known as 'full pay' video poker.

Video Poker Rules
At first glance the video poker machines look very similar to a regular slot machine - however there is a big difference. Video poker is a game of skill whereas playing slots is a game of chance. Before playing video poker for money you should know the video poker hand rankings and a bit about how a video poker game is working. Learn all you need to know about video poker rules here at Online-casinos

Why is Videopoker such a Popular Casino Game?
Video poker is a very popular game - I think one of the reasons for this is that this game offers you the chance of a big win even with a small bet. Read on and learn more about why the video poker game is such a popular casino game.

What is Full Pay Video Poker?
Many video poker players believe that full pay video poker games are games that gives them the edge over the casino - this is not correct. A full pay video poker machine is simply the type of machine of it's kind that offers the players the best odds. For example there is many different kind of Jacks or Better video poker machines and many of them will not offer you as good odds as you can get. Read on and learn how to spot the best full pay video poker machines.

Video Poker Pay Tables
Different video poker games offer different paytables - on this page of Online-casinos.com you can find more information about online video poker paytables.

Getting That Royal Straight Flush - What is the Probabilities?
Many video poker variants offers the player a expected return of above 100% - but how often can you expect to hit those sweet royal straight flush hands? The video poker games offers the casino player the edge over the casino. But it still doesn't have to be a moneymaker for the players. Read on and learn more about the payback volatility in video poker.

Should you always Play The Maximum Coins?
Most video poker experts will advice you to play the maximum coins allowed because this in the long run will get you the highest expected return in almost any video poker game variant. Should you really always play the maximum coins allowed when playing video poker online ?

Jacks or Bettor Video Poker Strategy
Jacks or Better is the oldest and most famous version of video poker. You can get more then 100% in expected return in this great video poker variant. Just print out and play jacks or better video poker according to my Jacks or Better Video Poker Strategy Chart.

Deuces Wild Video Poker Strategy
Playing perfect deuces wild video poker requires a special deuces wild video poker strategy. Every video poker variant requires it's own special video poker strategy - read on and get a free copy of my free and perfect deuces wild video poker strategy chart.

Other Video Poker Game Variants
The popularity of video poker has evolved the video poker game into several different versions - the best known video poker version is the Jacks or Better version - but why not try the Deuces Wild Video Poker, Joker Poker, Aces & Faces or.... on this page I have made it easy for you to figure out what the different video poker games are all about.

Triple Play Video Poker Machines
If you would like a video poker game with frequent wins - triple play video poker games is just what you are looking for. This kind of video poker games offers you the choice of betting on 3 hands in one video poker game. Here I have picked some great online casinos offering triple play video poker for you.

Ten Play Video Poker Machines
If the regular single hand video poker or triple play video poker don't do it for you many online casinos have now made 10 play video poker games where you play on 10 video poker hands in one game. Normally the coin size starts from $0.05 so at first glance it's fairly cheep to play - but make no mistake. The 10 play video poker is not for the faint at hart. This is a great video poker game for the serious video poker player who is looking for frequent wins and fast video poker action. Visit my list of recommended online casinos offering ten hand play video poker machines.

Free Video Poker Games
Playing free video poker games before risking any money is always a good idea. Here at Online-Casinos you can find several free video poker game variants. Click the following link to play free video poker or visit my page with free casino games including many different variants of free video poker games.

Best Video Poker Casinos
The best video poker casinos are online casinos that offer full pay video poker games - great bonuses to new players and a fast responding customer support. When I play video poker I also prefer online casinos that offers me the choice from several versions of video poker including triple play and ten hand play video poker games. Here I have put together a list of what I rate some of the best video poker casinos for you.

ONLINE SLOTS.
On this page of Online-Casinos you will learn to figure out if the online slots you are playing are: Classic Slots - Progressive Slots - Bonus Feature Slots - Regular Multiplier Slots - Bonus Multiplier Slots - 5 Reel Slots - 9 Payline Slots - Multi Payline Slots.


Classic Online Slots
The Classic Slots are all known for offering three reels and one payline


Progressive Online Slots
The Progressive Jackpots is where the BIG winnings are collected. Some of the Progressive Slots have Jackpots starting out at $100.000 and some of them grows up to a massive $1.500.000


Bonus Feature Online Slots.
This kind of slots offers a special bonus game. When a certain combination of symbols is hit - the bonus feature game starts. This kind of slots is in my opinion some of the most fun out there to play.


Regular Multiplier Online Slots
This kind of online slots do NOT offer a bonus for playing the max. coins per spin - like most slotmachines do. If you don't like to play the max. coins per spin this is the kind of online slots you should be looking for.


Bonus Multiplier Online Slots
The Bonus Multiplier Slots offers the player a bonus if he bets the max. coins per spin - example: Betting One coins pays 2 coins betting Two coins pays 4 Coins - but betting 3 Coins do not pay 6 but 8 - so there is a bonus for playing the max. coins per spin. If you do not like playing the max. coins per spin you should NOT play this kind of online slots.


5 Reel Online Slots
5 Reel Slots are for the real fans of online slots. A Regular Classic Slot machine only has 3 reels and from 1 to 3 paylines. The 5 Reels Slots has from 5 and up to 21 paylines. Favorites are The Thunderstruck Slot Machine found at most Microgaming Casinos. And La Fiesta Found at Intercasino and The Sands of The Caribbean Casino.


Multi Payline Online Slots
The Classic online slots had only one payline - today you can find online slots with up to 9 or more paylines.

BLACKJACK TIPS.

INSURANCE TIP:
The Insurance option in blackjack is really just a side bet that the dealer with an Ace up has 10 in the hole. However - If you ask a blackjack dealer he will probably tell you something different :-) With normal card distribution, at the 2 to 1 payoff, the insurance bet is about 8% against you. In other words - it's not a good bet at all. However, if you happen to be observant enough to know when the remaining deck has fewer than twice as many non-tens than tens, then taking the Insurance is a good bet. Do you remember the classic Las Vegas Trip where Dustin Hoffman is counting cards in "Rain Man"? He was very good at that. If you are not good at that you should not accept an offer about taking insurance.

ALL BLACKJACK GAMES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL:
Compared to a single deck game, a two-deck game handicaps your play -0.35%, four decks handicaps you, -0.48%, six decks, -0.54% and eight decks -0.58%. As you can see, it is always to your advantage to play on a blackjack game that offers the fewest decks of cards. You should also note, the house edge goes up substantially when you go from one deck to two, but the change is less dramatic as you add more decks. How much is this costing you in dollars and cents? If you were to play 100 hands per hour at $5 per hand, each -0.1% would cost you approximately 50¢ per hour. Playing on a game with two decks versus one deck will cost you $1.75 per hour, with each additional deck costing you increasingly more.

LOOK FOR THE GAME WITH THE BEST RULES:
You should always play in the casino that offers the best blackjack rules. Try to avoid hostile playing conditions in blackjack. You should look for the following combination of blackjack rules that are all favorable to the player:


A single deck game

The surrender rule - both early and late

Double down should be allowed on any two cards

Double down should be allowed after splitting pairs

Multiple pair splitting should be allowed, plus re-splitting aces.

Dealer should stand on a soft 17

Deep deck penetration.
DON'T PLAY BLACKJACK IF YOU ARE TIRED:
When you feel tired, it's time to call it quits, or at least take a break and rest for an hour or two.


SUPER SIMPLIFIED& EASY BLACKJACK STRATEGY:
You always want to hit until 17 IF the dealer is showing a 7 or higher.

KNOW THE RULES OF BLACKJACK:
Too many players don't even consider the rules before they sit down and play. If you don't know the blackjack rules or any of the blackjack playing strategies, learn the game on a 25-cent video blackjack machine - or even better the free blackjack game fount here on Online-Casinos.com. A five-dollar blackjack game should not be your classroom.

YOU ARE ONLY PLAYING AGAINST THE DEALER:
You should ONLY Focus on the dealer and his up card, not your neighbor's cards. If other players at the table are upsetting you with their playing strategies, you can move.

DRINKING & GAMBLING TIPS:
Drinking and gambling do not mix.

DON'T RISK MONEY YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE:
Only bet what you can afford to lose. Rent, car payments and other day-to-day expenses have no place in a casino - online casino or brick and mortar casino.

Negreanu Plays 'Small Ball' to Earn Big Win on WPT

ROBINSONVILLE, Mississippi -- Lee Markholt, a poker pro from Washington state, had just been eliminated from the final table of the World Series of Poker circuit tournament at the Tunica Grand casino in Mississippi last Friday night.

Before he went off to collect his $183,160 prize for finishing fourth in a field of 241 entrants, Markholt was asked if anyone could beat Daniel Negreanu, the tournament's chip leader.

"No," Markholt said, "as long as he keeps playing 'small ball.' "

Markholt's prediction was on target. Negreanu continued to embrace that "small ball" strategy, outlasting his final two opponents to capture the tournament championship and its top prize of $755,525.

In the poker world, small ball, according to the 2005 book "Kill Phil" by Blair Rodman and Lee Nelson, is a subtle, intricate strategy that's difficult to master -- and therefore, usually best left to the experts in big time, no-limit Texas hold 'em tournaments.

It entails mixing it up in a lot of small pots, but having a feel for when to bail out and when to move in for the kill.

In baseball, where the term originated, think of the Chicago White Sox from 1959 -- or 2005, for that matter -- with their reliance on stolen bases, sacrifice bunts, good pitching and turning double plays.

The diametric strategy, "long ball" poker, is also known as "big pot" poker, according to Rodman and Nelson. More formulaic than small ball, it's marked by swinging for the fences by betting all of your chips at once -- or going "all-in."

Ain't nothing subtle about long ball.

Think baseball in the steroids era -- or, if you prefer, the Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1970s, when manager Earl Weaver boasted of building his offense around the three-run homer.

Although either strategy can bring home the money, it's generally acknowledged that playing small ball at an expert level requires more advanced poker skills.

Which is appropriate because Negreanu -- despite sustaining an off year in 2005 -- is considered one of the most talented poker players in the world.

After winning his first World Series of Poker circuit event title Friday, Negreanu offered an insightful dissertation on how to play small ball -- especially when you're sitting pretty with the chip lead.

"When you're in that position, all you've got to do is throw a lot of jabs," said Negreanu, a 31-year-old Las Vegas resident. "Jab, jab, jab, then duck.

"The key to winning for me was that I stayed out of any marginal hands. I didn't invest a lot of chips before the flop, and I relied on my post-flop abilities.

"I'm not the guy who's going to get it all in before the flop with 6-6 against ace-king (the pair would be a slight favorite) and hope to stay alive. I want to see what comes on the flop before I decide if I'm going to make my move."

Negreanu, who said his goal for 2006 is to win another Card Player magazine player of the year title after earning the honor in 2004, gave credit to runner-up Bryant King for displaying superb long-ball skills.

"BK makes very few mistakes before the flop," Negreanu said.

King of Spokane, Wash., collected $416,690 for his second-place finish.

One aspect of small ball involves setting traps to entice your opponent to lose all of his chips at once.

Negreanu did just that on the final hand at the Grand's events center, which had been given the signature World Series of Poker circuit makeover: black curtains with tiny white lights that created a planetarium effect as conducive to a Pink Floyd laser show as a poker tournament.

When the flop revealed a king, a queen and a four, Negreanu bet out. King raised, and Negreanu "came over the top," or reraised all-in. King called and showed king-three for top pair -- but Negreanu was holding king-nine for top pair with a better kicker.

By leading out with the first bet -- rather than checking his hand and trying for a raise later -- Negreanu had induced his opponent to commit his chips to the pot. It was a tricky, elegant move.

King later admitted he was bamboozled, figuring Negreanu would try for a check-raise if he was holding top pair heads-up.

"When he comes over the top, I put him on a queen with a redraw," King said.

"I thought I played terribly heads-up against Daniel, but until then, I thought I played great."