A casino is, in the modern sense of the word, a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are known for hosting live entertainment events, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sporting events. Today, there are more than 4000 casinos worldwide.
In most jurisdictions worldwide, gambling is limited to persons over the age of license (18 or 21 years of age in most of the United States and 16 to 21 in most other countries where casinos are permitted).
Customers gamble by playing slot machines or other games of chance (e.g., craps, roulette, baccarat) and some skill (e.g., blackjack, poker) (for more see casino games). Games usually have mathematically-determined odds that ensure the house retains a long term advantage over the players. This advantage is called the house edge. In games such as poker where players play against each other, the house takes a commission called the rake. Casinos often give out free items, known as comps to people who are gambling. Often, in most casinos, the more money a player uses the more benefits or comps the player get.
Payout is the percentage won by players.
Playing with house money refers to the situation where a winning player is placing bets with money that has been won from the casino.
Lightweight
The word lightweight usually refers to a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight. It is also a slang term, indicating insignifigance or ineptitude.
The lightweight is the 130 pounds (59 kilograms) to 135 pounds (61 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. In England, it equates to the weight bracket of 9 st 3 lb - 9 st 8 lb.
Notable lightweight boxers includes Bummy Davis, Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong, Joe Gans, Tony Canzoneri, Carlos Ortiz, Ike Williams,Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Hector "Macho" Camacho, Julio César Chávez, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley, Colin Smith, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Diego Corrales, and the current Ring Magazine champion, Joel Casamayor.
The lightweight is the 130 pounds (59 kilograms) to 135 pounds (61 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. In England, it equates to the weight bracket of 9 st 3 lb - 9 st 8 lb.
Notable lightweight boxers includes Bummy Davis, Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong, Joe Gans, Tony Canzoneri, Carlos Ortiz, Ike Williams,Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Hector "Macho" Camacho, Julio César Chávez, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley, Colin Smith, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Diego Corrales, and the current Ring Magazine champion, Joel Casamayor.
David Díaz
"Dangerous" David Díaz (born June 7, 1976 in Chicago, Illinois, United States) is a professional boxer in the lightweight (135 lb) division. His record is 34-1-1 (17 KOs). He is the current WBC lightweight champion.
He defeated José Armando Santa Cruz for the interim title on August 12, 2006. On February 20, 2007, Diaz was awarded the title when Joel Casamayor, the champion at the time, failed to make the weight limit in a match against Diego Corrales and was eventually stripped. He defeated Mexican legend Erik Morales on August 4, 2007 by a unanimous decision to defend his title.
David Diaz (34-1-1, 17 KO) stated that his June 28, 2008 showdown with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas is "is the biggest fight of my life. Bigger than when I won the title. Even bigger than beating a legend like Morales."
He defeated José Armando Santa Cruz for the interim title on August 12, 2006. On February 20, 2007, Diaz was awarded the title when Joel Casamayor, the champion at the time, failed to make the weight limit in a match against Diego Corrales and was eventually stripped. He defeated Mexican legend Erik Morales on August 4, 2007 by a unanimous decision to defend his title.
David Diaz (34-1-1, 17 KO) stated that his June 28, 2008 showdown with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas is "is the biggest fight of my life. Bigger than when I won the title. Even bigger than beating a legend like Morales."
NBA All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference. The participants are currently chosen in two ways. The first is via fan ballot, with the leading vote recipients at each position starting the game; secondly the reserves are chosen by a vote among the head coaches of each squad's particular conference. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players. If a player is injured and cannot participate, the commissioner will select a replacement.
The coaches who currently lead the team with the most wins in their conference through the Sunday two weeks before the game coach their respective conferences. However, the same coach cannot coach the team in consecutive seasons. This is the so-called "Riley Rule" so named because coach Pat Riley's Lakers teams of the 1980s won so often that he coached the Western Conference team nearly every season in the 1980s. In the event that a coach's team repeats as the best record holder the coach from the team with the second best record will serve as All-Star coach for that conference.
The All-Star Game is played under normal NBA rules, but there are notable differences from an average game.
Since the starting All-Stars are selected by fan vote, players often start the game at atypical positions. For instance, in 2007 Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady had the two highest fan vote totals among Western Conference guards. As both players normally play shooting guard, Bryant, who is 6'6" (198 cm), started the game as a point guard, a position usually manned by a much smaller player.
The player introductions are usually accompanied by a significant amount of fanfare, including lighting effects, dance music, and pyrotechnics. Special uniforms are designed for the game each year, usually red for the Western Conference and blue for the Eastern Conference, but the 1997-2002 game allowed players wearing their retrospective jerseys. A major recording artist typically sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to tipoff. One of the more memorable performances was given by Marvin Gaye during the 1983 game. Gaye was accompanied by Gordon Banks, who played a tape from an all night session that used numerous elements of soul music and funk. Banks still has that historic tape of the music to which Gaye sang his soulful version.
Gameplay usually involves players attempting spectacular slam dunks and alley oops. Defensive effort is limited and the final score of the game is generally much higher than an average NBA game. The coaches also try to give most of the reserve players some time on the court instead of using a limited rotation as they would in a normal game. The fourth quarter of the game is often played in a more competitive fashion if the game is close.
Halftime is also longer than a typical NBA game due to musical performances by various artists such as Elton John, Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, OutKast, and most recently Dr. John.
The coaches who currently lead the team with the most wins in their conference through the Sunday two weeks before the game coach their respective conferences. However, the same coach cannot coach the team in consecutive seasons. This is the so-called "Riley Rule" so named because coach Pat Riley's Lakers teams of the 1980s won so often that he coached the Western Conference team nearly every season in the 1980s. In the event that a coach's team repeats as the best record holder the coach from the team with the second best record will serve as All-Star coach for that conference.
The All-Star Game is played under normal NBA rules, but there are notable differences from an average game.
Since the starting All-Stars are selected by fan vote, players often start the game at atypical positions. For instance, in 2007 Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady had the two highest fan vote totals among Western Conference guards. As both players normally play shooting guard, Bryant, who is 6'6" (198 cm), started the game as a point guard, a position usually manned by a much smaller player.
The player introductions are usually accompanied by a significant amount of fanfare, including lighting effects, dance music, and pyrotechnics. Special uniforms are designed for the game each year, usually red for the Western Conference and blue for the Eastern Conference, but the 1997-2002 game allowed players wearing their retrospective jerseys. A major recording artist typically sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to tipoff. One of the more memorable performances was given by Marvin Gaye during the 1983 game. Gaye was accompanied by Gordon Banks, who played a tape from an all night session that used numerous elements of soul music and funk. Banks still has that historic tape of the music to which Gaye sang his soulful version.
Gameplay usually involves players attempting spectacular slam dunks and alley oops. Defensive effort is limited and the final score of the game is generally much higher than an average NBA game. The coaches also try to give most of the reserve players some time on the court instead of using a limited rotation as they would in a normal game. The fourth quarter of the game is often played in a more competitive fashion if the game is close.
Halftime is also longer than a typical NBA game due to musical performances by various artists such as Elton John, Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, OutKast, and most recently Dr. John.
Poker Card Game
Poker is a type of card game in which players bet on the value of the card combination ("hand") in their possession, by placing a bet into a central pot. The winner is the one who holds the hand with the highest value according to an established hand rankings hierarchy, or otherwise the player who remains in the hand after all others have folded (the player who makes an un-called bet.).
In casual play, the right to deal a hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a 'dealer' button (or "buck"). In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but the button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting.
One or more players are usually required to make forced bets, usually either an ante or a blind bet (sometimes both). The dealer shuffles the cards, the player one chair to his right cuts, and the dealer deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a time. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.
At any time during a betting round, if one player bets and no opponents choose to "call" (match) the bet and instead "fold", the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This is what makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.
In casual play, the right to deal a hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a 'dealer' button (or "buck"). In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but the button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting.
One or more players are usually required to make forced bets, usually either an ante or a blind bet (sometimes both). The dealer shuffles the cards, the player one chair to his right cuts, and the dealer deals the appropriate number of cards to the players one at a time. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.
At any time during a betting round, if one player bets and no opponents choose to "call" (match) the bet and instead "fold", the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This is what makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.
Backgammon
Backgammon is a board game for two players in which the playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice. A player wins by removing all of his checkers from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits. Backgammon is a member of the tables family, one of the oldest classes of board games in the world.
Like chess, backgammon has been studied with great interest by computer scientists. Owing to this research, backgammon software has been developed capable of beating world-class human players.
Although luck plays an important role, there is a large scope for strategy. With each roll of the dice a player must choose from numerous options for moving his checkers and anticipate possible counter-moves by the opponent. Players may raise the stakes during the game. There is an established repertory of common tactics and occurrences.
The objective is to move all of one's own checkers past those of one's opponent and then remove them from the board. The checkers are scattered at first and may be blocked or hit by the opponent. As the playing time for each individual game is short, it is often played in matches, where victory is awarded to the first player to reach a certain number of points.
Like chess, backgammon has been studied with great interest by computer scientists. Owing to this research, backgammon software has been developed capable of beating world-class human players.
Although luck plays an important role, there is a large scope for strategy. With each roll of the dice a player must choose from numerous options for moving his checkers and anticipate possible counter-moves by the opponent. Players may raise the stakes during the game. There is an established repertory of common tactics and occurrences.
The objective is to move all of one's own checkers past those of one's opponent and then remove them from the board. The checkers are scattered at first and may be blocked or hit by the opponent. As the playing time for each individual game is short, it is often played in matches, where victory is awarded to the first player to reach a certain number of points.
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