Trading in Gold

Gold is a commodity which interests lot of people and this article will try to provide you some insights on basic fundamentals of investment in Gold due to its investment potential.

Long term Investment: If you are planning to invest in gold for long term then it is a good idea to accumulate gold at regular interval. This will help you to average out cost and historically gold has provided 10-15% return on an annual basis.

Factors which impact Gold

1) Dollar: Generally dollar and gold are inversely correlated which means that if dollar is appreciating then gold will go down and vice versa.

2) Stock Market Return: If stock market is in bull mode then people tend to shift their investment from Gold and invest in market. Hence in such scenario you will see Gold going down. Similarly when market is in bear mode people tend to shift their investment to Gold and bonds which are considered safe investments.

3) Inflation: Gold is considered a good hedge against inflation. Hence in scenario where inflation is going on higher side people tend to invest in gold .

4) Interest Rate: For past 100 years Gold and Interest rate have been inversely correlated. Gold prices tend to go up when interest rate goes toward 0.

Please note that above mentioned correlation is indicative and market may behave differently based on different market forces.

Blackjack: Strategy to make good Money

B/lackjack is the most popular table game in Casino. This game also offers best odds to win for a player. This b

-log is aimed at providing winning strategies which are not available easily on net.If you have never played this game then you can learn online (there are plenty of tutorials). You should also familiarize yourself with basic strategy (again available online) to get best odds of winning.

Dealer getting 4,5 or 6 : In this scenario you should always stand if sum of your card is more then 11. Dealer has high chances of getting bust and you are going to win maximum times.

Match the Dealer: Many casino's provide option to place side bet on "Match the Dealer". Initially in blackjack dealer gives you 2 cards and he gets 1 card. If one (or both) of your card matches his card then you get payout. Sample winning ratios are mentioned below

One non-suited match- 1:4
Two non-suited match- 1:8  

One suited match-        1:11
One Suited one Non-suited match- 1:15
Two Suited match -                         1:22

So if you bet $10 and you get one card which is a non-suit match then you get $40. If it is a lucky day you may end up winning huge amount.

Cash on Winning Streak: If you are winning multiple bets then it is good idea to increase bet gradually and then leave as soon as winning streak is gone.

Casino Member/Reward Points

Almost all casinos offer some kind of perks to its members in terms of reward points. If you visit casino often then it would be good idea to collect points. based on number of points you might get a free dinner or entry to that special show or couple of free night stay, options are Plenty.

How to start
When you visit casino go to their members desk and register yourself. You will get a member card and maybe bonus dollars which you can use for game.

How to earn points
If you are playing slot machine then you can insert member card in machine . You will earn points based on amount you spend and time you play. If you are playing a table game then you should show you member card when you start to play.

How to Redeem points

Restaurants/ Concert and Event

If you have sufficient points you just have to present your members card and use your points for food or attend events and concerts. You can even get special seats based on your membership status. You can also ask dealer on table games for free dinner/lunch coupons.

Stay at casino

You can also redeem your points for free stay at casino. This can save lot of your travel expense and you may get good deals as well.

Travel

Some casinos will allow you to redeem points for vacation. Their member desk will help you plan and book your travel using reward points. But you need to have lots of points to get such deal.

Hope you continue to enjoy your trips to Casino and don't forget to collect those valuable reward points....

3 Card Poker : Making Money in Casino

Many times first time visitors/beginners  to Casino don't play table games as they are not sure about rules or are hesitant to take risk. "3 Card Poker" is a good table game to start as it is easy to learn and lot of fun to play.

How To play:
This is a fun and very popular game at casino.In this game you play against dealer hence you have to beat him to win your bet (and not fellow players).  You will have three places to bet:
1) Play
2) Ante
3) Pair plus

Initially before cards are distributed you have to place bet on Ante and/or Pair Plus. Say you placed $20 on Ante and $20 on Pair Plus. Now 3 cards will be distributed to each player(including dealer). You can view your card and decide if you want to play or not. If you decide to play then you should place same amount as Ante on 'Play'. In this case you will put $20 on play if you are betting. Once everyone has placed bet, cards will be shown and if you are winner you will get payout based on cards. In this scenario if you win with pair then you will win $20 for play,$20 for Ante and $20 for pair plus hence total sum of $60.

Note: You can find ranking of various poker hands on internet.

Dealer Must Qualify: Dealer should get a Queen or above to qualify for a play/win. If dealer does not get a queen then it is called a 'Push' and you will not get payout for amount you placed on 'Play' and that amount can be used for next game. But you will get payout for amount you placed on 'Ante' and 'Pair Plus'. So if we take same example as above and if dealer does not qualify then your $20 will stay as it is , you will get $20 payout for 'Ante' and $20 payout for 'Pair Plus'

Q,10,6 Strategy: Many people use this strategy where they place a bet if they get cards which are Queen,10 and 6 equal or higher. Statistically you have better chance to win if you use this strategy.

Pair Plus Only Strategy: Many casinos will not allow you to bet only on pair plus but if allowed you should bet only on pair plus as it has better risk/reward ratio. Sample payout for pair plus are mentioned below:
Pair= 1:1
Flush= 1:4
Straight= 1:6
3 of a kind = 1:25
Straight Flush= 1:40

so what it means is that if you places bet of $20 and you got Flush(all 3 card of same suit) then you win $80. If you play for 2-3 hrs then you may also end up getting getting straight flush where payout for $20 bet would be $800 (sounds pretty good ...) .If you are playing only 'Pair Plus' then you don't need to worry about rules associated with 'Ante' and 'Play'.

Have fun and feel free to leave your comment for queries or feedback.