Go Poker Newz

So little time, so many teams on the bubble. Let’s burst a few dreams right now.

I’m saying right now USC is out. Take a look at the schedules of all Pac-10 teams and you’ll see there’s a deficiency of truly impressive non-conference wins. Now take a look at it from the mindset of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee (if such a thing can realistically be done). USC has played a few very close games this year. But big deal. If you look down the road, you have to think teams like Butler and Davidson will command at-large bids if they’re unsuccessful in the Horizon and Southern tournaments. That’s going to cost a couple of teams elsewhere. If USC doesn’t play lights out down the stretch, they could be one of those teams.

Here’s a tough one to call, but UAB is bouncing on that bubble, again. But they have a few things going for them, namely an undefeated record at home and the majority of their losses to ranked teams. Plus they took out the Wildcats on the road…quite impressive. If you are thinking about doing some basketball betting, keep an eye on them, too, to make a run. They could just be the team that ends Memphis’ conference winning streak later this month at home. That couldn’t hurt.

OK, a quick hunch. Utah State makes it in as a “bubble lock” if that makes sense. Even if they don’t secure the automatic WAC tourney bid, they’re in.

How about a look at the Big 10? Ohio State and Penn State are both bubble teams, no doubt about it. Northwestern, even with victories over Minnesota and Michigan State on the road, is pretty much out of the picture now. And Penn State? Well, would think 20 wins with victories over Purdue, Michigan St and Illinois would secure them a spot in the poker tournament, but it waits to be seen.

Of course, the question is how many bids will the Big 10 get? If common predictions down the stretch come through, and Penn State and, say, Wisconsin both win at least the first round matchups in the conference tournament, the Big 10 very well might fill up 7 out of 63 spots.

It’s not like betting on soccer, this is a tough conference to predict, and the way Minnesota has been playing of late, they’ll likely drop to Wisconsin. They might lose to Michigan, too.

If you are thinking of doing some baseball betting this year, save your money, don’t bet on the Cubs. Don’t even entertain the idea. In fact, it boggles my mind how they can be the preseason favorite at 3/1 odds to take home the NL pennant.

I don’t care about how they look on paper, and I also don’t care about “curses.” I’m looking at it strictly from the point of view that these are the Cubs.

They’re the Cubs. End of argument.

They’ve had many chances to prove me wrong, but in the end, they’ll always fail.

Why? Right.

Current MLB baseball odds have them at 11/2 to win the World Series, too, which is a joke. Maybe not because they’re right under the Yankees, but because somehow they’ve convinced the gambling world to treat them as contenders, once again.

Makes me sick.

Without spending too much time dissecting their new and improved team, basically because they’re not worth it, I’ll rain on the North Siders’ parade with a few specifics.

First, the Full Tilt rotation is weak. Yes, it is. Zambrano is an unnecessary roller coaster. Harden, at best when healthy is a regular season pitcher, and at worst an IR liability come May or sooner. Lilly is getting up there. Dempster, despite impressive numbers, doesn’t scare anyone, and that becomes even more evident once he leaves the friendly confines.

Plus they’re subtracting Jim Edmonds and adding Milton Bradley to the mix. Yeah, he and Lou will really help stabilize that clubhouse chemistry.

So who’s a safe bet right now? I wouldn’t call them a lock by any means, but give me a few hundred on the Mets to climb out of the NL this year. At 5/1 to make it to the Fall Classic, and 10/1 to take the cake, I’m in.

They were a bigger disappointment last year than the Cowboys, but I’m looking ahead, and I see Johan Santana, Freddy Garcia (yes, he’s back, I’m calling it) Oliver Perez and others staring back at me. Plus I don’t see Scott Schoenweis anymore, which can only be a good thing for them.

I think this is the year the lineup gels and we get to see the other NY team play their way through some meaningful games come autumn.

Also, save your money to play poker rather than betting on the Phillies. They were a fluke and will prove me right, I don’t care how much confidence they’re bringing into 2009. Nobody arriving makes up for Pat Burrell departing, for one thing. Those 4/1 odds on them winning the NL is a sucker’s bet.

One thing that no one ever seems to talk about is online casino gambling addiction and how it affects many people around the world everyday. We don’t most addictions serious enough in the world we live in today and people don’t understand how quickly it could take to become addicted to something. A gambling addiction is going to cause serious stress in your life and it could also hurt you and your loved ones financially which could be a big problem if you have a family.

The sooner a gambling addiction is found to be present the simpler it is to kick the addiction, but you first need to take the first step like in any other addiction and admit you have a problem. Once you have admitted that you have a gambling problem then you’ll need to start focusing on how to stay away from becoming addicted to gambling again.

The best way for you to start your process once you have admitted to having an online gambling problem is to find support. Whether the support comes from family, friends or groups such as Gamblers Anonymous you need to have a solid foundation of support surrounding you so that you don’t fall back into the same hole that you’re digging yourself out of. With technology today you can also use the internet to find help through many forums and membership websites who specialize in helping with addictions.

A gambling addiction can come from playing in a casino or in an online casino.com and you need to make sure that you be careful you don’t become addicted if you’re an online gambler. One reason people become addicted to online gambling is that you can remain anonymous the entire time. Your friends don’t need to know about your gambling and before you know it you’re gambling everyday online without any stopping you. Many people also become caught up in the virtual world of the internet and they don’t realize what they have done to there real life until it’s far too late.

Tips to Avoid Addiction

• Don’t let your real life have any effect on the reason why you’re gambling in the first place. When you win money it’s easy money, but when you lose money it could have a serious effect on your life. Don’t let your feelings take part in your gambling and never use money that you need for gambling.

• Always go to PokerStars.de with an amount of money that you can afford to lose plus walk into the casino thinking you’re going to go home broke. This way you won’t let yourself down as much and you won’t feel as bad. One thing you need to make sure though is that you don’t bring any bank or credit cards with you because this is the start to becoming addicted.

• Don’t rely on gambling solely as your means of employment or entertainment because it won’t work out. Most people need a real job because gambling on FullTiltPoker.ru isn’t a consistent income and you also need to consider other hobbies as well for your entertainment. It’s not very entertaining when you lose at the casino so if you’re losing at the casino and not getting any other entertainment then you’re going to become really depressed.