This just in:  the Wynn Casino on the famous Las Vegas Strip is being taken to court by one of its employees for overexposure to cigarette smoke.  To compensate her for allegedly being subjected to countless hours of secondhand smoke and not being moved to a non-smoking section, this woman is seeking millions of dollars.

That’s not all-apparently her employer threatened her with disciplinary consequences were she to make an issue of it.  I’ll give you a moment to start powering up your laptop.

Good times, right?   Not so much.  She was forced to offer gamblers complementary cigarettes and not complain when they blew smoke smack into her face.  The only smoke you might worry about from an online casino is your hard drive melting from overuse.  Nothing to sneeze at but that’s why computers have fans, right?

Hard to imagine brick-and-mortar casinos doing much about this as these places and cigarettes go together like, well, smokers and cigarettes.  Even while smoking bans are common in big cities, casinos aren’t exactly big cities. When you’re throwing down hundreds or thousands of dollars on casino games, you’re going to want to add the vices of drinking and smoking, and that won’t change anytime soon.

So have fun in Vegas if you must.  I’ll be playing online blackjack if anybody’s looking for me.  With my nicotine patch.

Long before the phrases “online casino” or “casino games” had even been conceived, Sega was a big player in the gaming world with their well-known mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. As it works however in the fast-moving world of technology, things changed and they lost their market share to Nintendo. After shifting to software development, they’re back and could potentially be bigger if the popularity of online gambling is any indication.

So here’s the short of it: having partnered with Playtech, one of the top online gambling software companies, they’re positioned nicely to achieve big success with their Sega Casino and Sega Poker sites which in addition to online poker, will surely feature online blackjack, online slots, and a bevy of other games.

And if you miss Sonic, he’ll make an appearance as well in the various casino games with other famous characters like Virtual Fighter. I’m no Sega loyalist, I’m an Atari kid. Here are the top 3 video game characters I’m holding my breath for:

1) Pac-Man: Everybody’s favorite yelling near-circle runs around the casino as fast as possible, guzzling drinks before the pit bosses in pursuit kick his ass.

2) Pitfall: The safari dude runs through a casino, dodging passed-out college kids in order to reach the end of the casino to collect his winnings.

3) Missile command: The object of the game is to protect your pile of chips by shooting oncoming gangsters who are getting faster and faster while attempting to grab from your winnings.

A gamer can dream, can’t he? In the meantime, online casino games just got a little more fun.

Take “Big Brother”, combine it with sixteen accomplished online casino players, and you’ve got “Rounders House,” the newest poker reality show, scheduled to tape this fall in Las Vegas. Are you listening, Teddy KGB?

Here’s how it works: sixteen online poker players, competing against one another for prizes for both themselves and the charity of their choice. Who says online gambling is an evil? And like every other reality show we’ve gotten used to, the house will be all-access so you don’t miss a darn thing they do. This from Dennis Brown, co-creator of the show: “Rounders House brings reality TV to your house. Rounders House will have multiple live 24/7 cams in the house so you never miss what these poker players are doing.” Toilet cam, anyone?

So just who are these aspiring online poker wizards anyway? Contestants will qualify by, what else? Winning online poker tourneys whose prizes will include not only inclusion on the show, but airfare, food, and four days of accommodations inside the Rounders House. Not to mention guidance from the top poker players in the world.

The fun has already begun with “DarkRalph” having won the Online Forum Challenge last weekend, becoming the first online poker player to qualify for the house. With only fifteen spots left, you better get on it, gamblers.

Each week brings another country working on legislation to regulate online gambling. “Rounders House” should only continue to make online casino games more and more popular.

There are many popular poker variations available both at Internet as well as land-based casinos, with Texas Hold ‘em being the most commonly practiced poker variation. While seasoned players may achieve a high level of skill at a number of poker games, beginners should probably focus their efforts on mastering a single poker variation. This is the best way to make sure that your odds of going completely broke are marginal… So, if you are good at Texas Hold ‘em, stick to it!

Another smart play tip is to hunt for games where you would have an undeniable advantage over opponents. Before joining a game, watch its participants. Follow their play. Focus on players whose moves you understand most thoroughly. If you feel like you can predict their future moves, and are ultimately proved correct about your estimations, join their game. Predictability is a poker player’s worst enemy. Use it against your opponents!

The game of Texas holdem is won by those players who have determination, courage, and incredible survival instincts combined with the moxey of a riverboat gambler. The cattle ranchers had there own ways surviving and of dealing with rustlers who tried to steal their cattle. They were courageous and brave, and they typified the American work ethic upon which the foundation of the USA was built.

When you win your next big pot on line in your casino of choice, why not take a minute to pay homage to the great founding fathers of Texas holdem?

There are a whole variety of video poker options, including: regular poker; joker(s) wild poker; deuces wild poker; one-eyed Jacks wild poker; and stud poker of the 5 and 7 card types. The popularity of the game continues to increase, and millions enjoy the challenge through the services of the Internet every day.

The rules of video poker are the same as regular poker except that the game is played against a machine. Since the competitions is set up that way, there are set winnings for players depending upon the hands that they end the game with. The lowest hand that produces a win in video poker is a pair of Jacks. The winning hands of poker in ascending order are as follows; pair of Jacks; two pair; three of a kind; straight; flush; full house; four of a kind (6-Kings); four of a kind (2, 3, 4, 5); four Aces; straight flush; royal flush.

You may elect to play from 1 to 5 coins on a video poker machine. The payoffs are in proportion to the number of coins you play except in the case of the Royal Flush. This triggers a jackpot only if you are playing the maximum coins. The chances of a jackpot hitting are extremely slim, but players usually don’t wish to take the chance to miss out on the jackpot opportunity of a lifetime. This is one reason why many bettors leave the online casino gambling floor losers. I suggest you vary your play from time to time in terms of your betting methods.

The above history is all true, but the poker game being played was not Texas holdem. You see, Texas holdem was not invented until the 20th Century, and the actual chronology of its early days is somewhat sketchy. The most accepted version is that the game can be traced back to the 1920’s to a town in Texas. At that point, there doesn’t seem to be much history on the game except that it made its mark some 40 years later. A couple of poker playing cowpokes introduced the game to the gambling town of Las Vegas, Nevada. The first World Championship of Poker was being set up, and the game of Texas holdem came to the forefront. It was selected as the poker game to be played in the first world championship poker tournament. The rest, as they say, is history.

The game of Texas holdem has had phenomenal success in casino parlors and in the online casino gambling sites on the Internet. The game is seen on TV each evening on different network channels, and the professional players are adored the way rock stars used to be idolized. We are certainly living in the “Era of Texas Holdem.”

In reality, online poker strategy is something that is best developed from a combination of sources. Poker strategy should be your own philosophy of play, and not something you read from a book based on a dissection of mathematical laws of probability. Playing poker is based on probability, but also on instinct. This instinct is honed through playing online poker in poker games that are best suited for your needs. If you’re looking to get your head handed to you on a silver platter, then go ahead and play at a level in which you have no experience. Be sure to do your research, and take advantage of the free games that are offered before you try something new on play-for-profit venues.

If you attest to a certain philosophy of throwing away a low pair to try for a high end hand, such as an Ace high straight or, perhaps, a straight flush, then by all means play consistently. Online poker strategy is the adaptation of probability to your own philosophy of play. This practice makes your strategy singularly unique and a plan that you can consistently follow.

I follow my heart when I play poker. My strategy in poker may vary depending on my particular feeling for the game on that particular day. My hunch plays may not always work out, but certainly they are mine. I’ve lost more money by failing to follow my own beliefs and by following some strategic rules of play based on probability of occurrence instead. My advice is to develop your own poker strategies and always be true to yourself. What do you think?