This morning Lock Poker released a press release confirming the news that the online poker room has purchased the Cake Poker Network and will be leaving the Merge Gaming Network. The network would be rebranded to Revolution Gaming on May 31st.

Speculation is that this is possibly due to Merge Gaming forcing Lock Poker to cancelled it’s LOCKOPS series which was to run from May 6th to May 20th.

London, UK – May 7th, 2012 – Lock Poker Launches Revolution Gaming. The future of Online Poker.

As of June 1st a whole new world awaits the Lock Nation.

Lock is in the process of acquiring assets from Cake and will be re-branding the Cake Network to launch Revolution Gaming, driving technology, marketing, player rewards and implementing a richer tournament schedule. The LockPRO team will be at the foundation of these changes. They will come together and offer their recommendations on all levels, truly bringing the player into the boardroom.

To all existing Lock players this move will be seamless – it will take the form of a simple software update happening on May 31st. You will login to find your real money balance as well as everything else you know and love about Lock. Lock will also continue to manage their own stand-alone cashier so withdrawals will be as fast and easy as they are now. All players’ current player VIP rewards will only increase and all rakeback players will be moved over to the increased percentage on Revolution. More details coming soon.

Get ready for the exciting new times ahead as we continue to drive the new era where the player reigns.

“We are very excited at the prospect of driving the product, marketing and overall vision of the network. It is a dream come true,” says Jennifer Larson, CEO of Lock. “Merge was a great stepping stone for us but we have outgrown them. We really need to forge our own path to continued success. The only way to do this is to stay true to our of core philosophy: partnering with our players.”

Rumors are that Lock Poker is going forward with a more advanced technology, aggressive poker tournaments and a marketing program which will include higher rewards.

Readers can visit Lock Poker by clicking here.

The world wide friendly online poker room Lock Poker has a sweet promotion coming up in the month of May for old and new players alike. This promo is giving out 2 Million dollars in guarantees; That’s almost as much as the entire Merge Gaming network has offered! Details are as followed:

From May 6th to May 20th Lock will be hosting for the first time ever a Lock Exclusive Epic Tournament Series. LOCKOPS: Lock Online Poker Series. 33 events, over 2 Million in Guaranteed Tournaments and the Grand Finale Main Event with over 800k in guaranteed winnings. A Lock PRO Elite will be hosting each tournament and there will be bounties on all Lock PRO’s heads.

A leaderboard for the top 100 players will be running throughout the series. A special final tournament for the final top 100 players will be held after the main event.

Winners of each event will also be entered in a Champion of Champions tournament, competing for 2 World Series of Poker Main Event seats. Read more about it at the Lock Exclusive Epic Tournament Series.

Read our review of this poker room by clicking Lock Poker.

San Jose, Costa Rica – April 18, 2012 - It’s not just bigger guarantees and the $500k Liberty Weekends that are attracting US-based online poker players to Americas Cardroom. For the fourth straight month, Americas Cardroom has ranked first when it comes to payment processing, a feat that’s being heralded as impressive given the concerns with cashing out from an online poker site post-Black Friday.

“When it comes to reliability and trustworthiness, we’re continuing to prove that no other site in the US stacks up to Americas Cardroom,” said Americas Cardroom spokesperson Michael Harris. “We take great pride in our A rating by Poker Affiliate Solutions, and we work hard every single day to earn the respect of players all over the world.”

In a report released by Poker Affiliate Solutions on April 12, Americas Cardroom received an A rating for payment processing. Americas Cardroom was also awarded an A rating in March, up from an A- the month before.

The first place ranking—the fourth in four months—puts Americas Cardroom at the top of the cashout reliability list.

According to the report, debit card withdrawals at Americas Cardroom take between 1-2 days, transfers are processed within 1-4 days, and check withdrawals are processed within 1-2 weeks.

The report noted that not only is payment processing at Americas Cardroom fast, but it’s also incredibly consistent, month over month.

Read our review of the online poker room by clicking Americas Cardroom.

BOVADA embarks on its own road, armed with the experience and talent to quickly become the industry’s powerhouse brand and the most trusted and most fun place to bet on sports.

New Depositors benefit from a Free Sports Bet up to $100 – while many lean on signup bonuses in trying to earn your business, BOVADA is focused on providing free wagers up to 20% of your deposit. That free bet can be up to a maximum of $100 and it can be used on any sports market or wager type in the sportsbook.

Props and underdog odds

BOVADA has an unmatched variety of prop bets. You will find more betting options on Sports, Politics and entertainment than anywhere else.

Live betting – mobile betting – BOVADA is available on the go. They Offer live- Betting and mobile betting options from a variety of portable devices. Join BOVADA and learn more today.

Easy-to-understand website -BOVADA offers betting on every major sport and carefully steers you where you need to go each day. Find your favorite team, or odds type in a snap, whether you are betting the late baseball game on the moneyline or the quarterback props on Monday Night Football.

Best customer service, best sports stats – looking for trends, matchup details and game previews before going to the betting menu? BOVADA offers statistics on all major sports so you don’t need to venture far to do your research and handicapping. Need to contact customer service? You can always get a real, live, knowledgeable person who can help answer your questions. Customer Satisfaction is a top priority at BOVADA.

Your information is safe – security, privacy and payouts are three of the most important aspects of playing online. BOVADA’s pledge is 100% safety and satisfaction in all three areas and has independent oversight to make sure you have the best betting experience in their sportsbook. So when it’s time to feel comfortable about playing online, BOVADA is synonymous with this trust.

Want to win your share of $750,000 for just $1? Bovada’s offering up a new tournament series that is bigger and better than anything the online poker site has run so far: the Black Diamond Poker Open. Starting on February 6th and running through April 1st, players have the opportunity to play in two main events and pick up a lot of money along the way.

The Black Diamond Poker Open features two levels of play: the Contender Series and the Championship Series. The Contender Series of tournaments features online poker tournaments with low to middle-range buy-ins that culminate in a $25,000 Guaranteed Main Event on Sunday, March 18. Along the way, you can play in events that feature prize pools totaling at least $100,000 guaranteed.

Once the Contender Series wraps up, the Championship Series begins and players with a little more in their bankroll can compete in mid-to-high stakes online poker tournaments that lead up to a main event that players are going to be talking about: a $250,000 Guaranteed tournament on Sunday, April 1st where the winner gets at least $50,000 and a Championship Watch worth $5,000.

Want to make the most of a single dollar? Satellites for the Contender Series and the Championship Series kick off on February 6th. These satellites start at just $1 and you’ll have over 2,000 chances to qualify for events that are on the schedule. Didn’t make it in using the regular schedule? Not a problem. Bovada’s holding Super Saturday Satellite Days the day before each Main Event. On Saturday, March 17th you can qualify for the Contender Main Event and on Saturday, March 31st, players can win their way into the Championship Main Event.

Want to get started? Visit Bovada’s Black Diamond Poker Open page and get more details! In addition to the Black Diamond Poker Open, players can also get a bonus of up to $1,000 with their first deposit while enjoying the best player support in the business!

The BOVADA Casino arrives as one of the most popular online casinos in the world. Dozens of thrilling new table games, an exciting lounge area and casino hosts so knowledgeable and friendly that they put Las Vegas hosts to shame:

Substance and style – the BOVADA casino Lounge – everything you always expected and everything you can possibly hope for is right here in the BOVADA casino. Pick your favorites among the list of 100 exciting table games and play the old favorites too – Blackjack to progressive jackpots in the online slots! Download or play in your browser – you get the same quality and game variety. Learn new games by following professional tutorials in the casino school and play for fun or cash.

The hosts with the most – customer service will be a BOVADA hallmark as the team aims to respond quickly and professionally. Trained casino hosts – not just operators sitting by the phone – will know your account and the game you are playing. And if you have questions about betting the big football game or playing some Texas Holdem, you can do it all from your casino account. Single account, single focus on your satisfaction.

Your data (and your cash) is safe – BOVADA brings a legacy of perfect payouts and unbreakable security to the casino floor. Equipped with the latest high-tech systems, they make sure your account dollars and your personal information is safe. They go above and beyond with independent audits and review from Technical Systems Testing and Gaming Associates. Play safe and win safe at BOVADA with a casino platform geared for high performance and reliability.

The online casino is meant to be fun and meant to offer you a chance to pocket some winnings. What’s the point if the software glitches or you can’t get paid? BOVADA understands this is the most important step and acts accordingly.

Called, and not by accident , the player’s choice, WagerWeb is one of the most trusted online Sportsbooks you can find in the online betting industry offering players, for over a decade, quality customer service and easy cash outs.  WagerWeb continues to indulge their players by offering 100% bonus in every deposit!

Once you create your account you can bet in almost any major sport, follow on horse racing and nascar or just have a good time at their casino!

WagerWeb facilitates every customer with any future parlay from every sports category including: NFL, NCAAF, NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, Motor Sports, Tennis, Soccer, Golf and more!

Just call in and request your 2 or 3 team future parlay to the props department and they will upload it to the site.

You can also check out what the other customers are coming up with and wager on their parlays as well.
Examples

Example 1
Two team parlay: New England Patriots to win the Superbowl with The New York Yankees to win the World Series.

Example 2
Three Team Parlay: Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA Championship, Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Superbowl and Tiger Woods to win The US Open.
Any parlay can be done upon request (restrictions apply).
Parlay Fever Restrictions:

Maximum two team parlay payout $15000
Maximum three team parlay payout $20000
Max bet $100

Basketball Betting Lines

How do basketball betting lines work and what are they? A betting line can look complicated to those who do not know what they are. For people that are new to sports gambling it is a strange concept to accept that there is legal gambling associated with professional and college sports leagues. The most similar concept to a betting line is point spread betting. A point spread is a gambling chart that is concerned with not only who wins but by how much they win by. In comparison the betting line is only interested in which sports team wins.

There is more to it than just winning and losing as not every team is equal and this is not a game that favors everyone just betting on the team most likely to win. That would be silly and involve virtually no risk in the long run as anyone who consistently bets on high performing basketball teams will profit.

The way that a betting line runs is that it will offer two numbers. One number will have a plus sign next to it while the other will have a minus sign next to it. The minus sign indicates that, that is the favored team and most likely to win. As such the odds are put towards that team and payouts are smaller. The number next to the minus sign indicates how much money you will need to bet to win a hundred dollars. For the plus sign, this indicates a team that is less likely to win and the number next to the plus indicates how much money you will earn if you bet a hundred dollars.

What this translates to is a pretty standard betting practice that you will see if you ever visit a casino or race track. When the odds of winning are higher you earn less than if the odds of winning are lower. Not complicated at all when you think of it like this. Just remember that a plus means that the deal is regarded as low chances and a minus indicates high chances of winning.

It is actually unusual to use a betting line in basketball though as opposed to a point spread because of the way the game works. Usually it is not only a matter of winning in basketball but the final score makes it so that a point spread is a big deal. Betting lines are more traditionally used for sports such as boxing or tennis where, while there will always be a winner, the score numbers are not nearly as big of a deal. This is not to say that you cannot use a betting line for basketball, it is just less common than a point spread.

Most bookmakers also prefer to utilize the point spread over the betting line because it results in higher profits for them. For a bookie, a point spread can always be profitable as long as they bet evenly across all possible outcomes they are going to come out on top. However, in a betting line the bookie will only ever earn money if the underdog wins the match which will be much less often than the favorite pick.

This sums up how a betting line works in basketball betting. You find a basketball game with a betting line going on and talk to the bookie to place a bet on the team that you think will win. They will give you the rates of payout and you place your bets. If you bet on the underdog your payouts will be great. If you bet on the top pick your payouts will be much smaller but consistent. The more likely an underdog is to win, the closer the payouts will be for both sides. If a top pick is almost guaranteed to win, their payout will be very small and the underdog’s payout will be huge.

I am willing to bet that many readers of Carolina Gambler enjoy watching the fights that MMA puts on. Regardless of whether you do or don’t, one has to admit that Dana White has done a terrific job of continuing to make mixed martial art fighting a recognized sport.

Now fight fans can even become members of a MMA Fantasy Poosl, and one of the latest and among the fastest growing is none other than MMA Victor.com Fantasy Pool.

The website was started in early 2010 from a group of friends wanting to challenge each other on their MMA knowledge at each event, and wanted a cool way to do it online for everyone to see how each other were competing. From this small idea they continued to add new features to the website and enhanced the information provided for fighters and MMA events to help new users who join make the right choices for their fantasy picks.

While the site is still small by some standards, as I wrote earlier it is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. This is a great site for MMA fans to join and grow with. They continuously adding new features and enhancements to the website and service, along with keeping  MMA events and fighter information up to date. It’s pretty obvious that MMA Victor.com wants to ensure the ultimate experience for all members; both new and older alike.

Think you know MMA? Put money on it by clicking here and join today!