Five Things You Didn’t Know About Nick the Greek

Are you worried about putting up a five-spot to play in your office’s NFL picks pool this weekend? Does the idea of putting down $10 on a blackjack hand make you queasy? We’re not sure these anecdotes will make you feel any better, but if you don’t want to play games of chance yourself, here are a few interesting facts about one of history’s most legendary gamblers, Nick “the Greek” Dandolos.

1. He Really Was Greek

Nick the Greek was born Nicholas Andreas Dandolos in Crete at some point around the turn of the 20th century. (Dandolos was cagey about revealing his age. While some friends insisted he was born in 1883, he claimed to be just 60 when he died in 1966.) Although he was born into a wealthy family, Dandolos was a diligent student and earned a degree in philosophy at the Greek Evangelical College — a degree that would later earn him the nickname “The Aristotle of the Don’t Pass Line.” He didn’t stay in Greece and become the next great Greek philosopher, though. Dandolos’ family sent him to the United States with an allowance of $150 a month.

Dandolos, of course, used the allowance to bankroll his early gambling adventures. After a short stay in Chicago he moved to Montreal and began betting on horse races. As it turned out, Nick the Greek had a knack for picking the ponies; he allegedly turned his allowance into $500,000 in just one racing season.

2. He Was Equally Good at Winning and Losing Money

According to Dandolos, he took the half-million he’d won playing the horses and returned to Chicago. In the Windy City he learned how to shoot craps and play cards, two pursuits that led to him promptly dropping the entire gigantic bankroll during a run of bad luck. This loss sort of set the stage for the rest of Nick the Greek’s life. He never really seemed all that interested in money; what he really wanted from gambling was the action. Although he estimated he won and lost somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million total in his life, he also added that he went from rags to riches and back around 73 times over the course of his career. How could someone build such huge fortunes and then just fritter them away? One of Nick the Greek’s most famous quotes offers a quick explanation: “The next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing.”

3. He Could Run a (Poker) Marathon

In 1949, Nick the Greek called up famed casino owner Benny Binion to ask for Binion’s help in finding a heads-up poker game against one of the world’s best high-stakes players. Binion agreed to help set up the game against Johnny Moss, but on one condition: the entire one-on-one match be played in the lobby of Binion’s casino, where the public could watch. Binion ended up getting more publicity for his casino than he’d bargained for. Dandolos and Moss played each other constantly for five whole months. The only breaks in the action came when the two players had to sleep, and they hopped from one poker format to another. After five months, Moss finally nailed Dandolos on a particularly large five-card stud hand. The exhausted Nick the Greek stood up from the table and famously said, “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go,” shook Moss’ hand, and retired from the game.

Some observers estimated that Moss had taken $2 million off of Dandolos, while Moss later claimed he’d pegged the Greek for $4 million.

The real winners were poker fans, though, as the wild popularity of this marathon session among spectators later inspired Binion to start the World Series of Poker.

4. He Didn’t Help the Early Movie Business

While Nick the Greek loved poker and betting the don’t-pass line at craps, his favorite pursuit was supposedly faro, a largely obsolete card game that was popular in the Old West. Dandolos could go on long faro binges that nearly equaled his poker marathon. At one point Nick the Greek arranged for movie producer and Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle to stake him for a three-month faro bender in Reno. The cards weren’t falling for Nick the Greek, and Laemmle ended up losing every dime he put up to back Dandolos.

5. He May Have Shown Einstein the Town

Dandolos was a popular, garrulous fellow, so when big names came to visit Vegas, friends would occasionally arrange for Nick the Greek to show the tourists around. One possibly apocryphal story tells of how Dandolos gave Albert Einstein the grand tour of Vegas during Einstein’s tenure at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton. As the story goes, Dandolos didn’t want to have his gambling cronies mock Einstein for being a scientist, so he introduced the physicist as “Little Al from Princeton” and explained to his friends that Little Al “controlled a lot of the action around Jersey.” Although it’s impossible to know if that story actually happened, Nick the Greek definitely interacted with at least one brilliant scientist. Nobel-Prize-winning physicist and Manhattan Project researcher Richard Feynman wrote in his autobiography about how Dandolos taught him his betting system of winning by avoiding the obvious bets at table games.

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Man Wins Women's Poker Tournament

It's story that is becoming more and more frequent in the poker world. Men are entering women-only poker tournaments.

This week, Abraham Korotki of New Jersey entered the Ladies Event at the Borgata Poker Open and, after outlasting 268 women, took down the event for $20,982.

Korotki was able to enter the tournament because organizers are not allowed to exclude players based on gender.

Nicole Rowe finished in second place for $11,889 to become the last woman standing in a ladies event. Rowe was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Korotki allegedly offered to donate some of the money to a breast cancer foundation, but an exact amount wasn't given.

In 2007, former baseball player Jose Canseco entered a ladies event at the Bicycle Casino and recently a man filed a discriminatory lawsuit against Hollywood Park Casino because its poker room offered a ladies-only event.

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Poker Players Win Appeal

CHARLESTON -- It isn't time to go "all in" just yet, but five poker players busted for gambling in Mount Pleasant three years ago apparently have scored an early appeals win.

The judge overseeing their case wrote this week he is reversing the outcome of their February trial, essentially tossing out their convictions.

In a one-page letter, Circuit Judge R. Markley Dennis Jr. said it was likely that the players' chosen game of "Texas Hold 'em" - which relies on bluff, bet and card know-how to be successful - would withstand the legal test of being a game of skill versus an illegal game of chance.

"When faced with the issue, it is my opinion that the S.C. Supreme Court will likely adopt the 'dominate factor test,'" Dennis wrote attorneys from both sides of the case. "Under the dominate factor test, Texas Hold 'em is not gaming or gambling," he said.

Additionally, the judge said a section of the state's anti-gambling laws, as applied to this case, is ambiguous and "unconstitutionally vague and overbroad." The municipal court decision "must be reversed," he said.

Greenville attorney Jeff Phillips, who represents the five players, said he wanted to limit his comments until Dennis' signed order is published. But most observers agree the case is far from over and that Dennis' ruling would have been appealed up the chain, either way.

The case began in April 2006 when Mount Pleasant police raided a home on Glencoe Street. An estimated two-dozen people were cited after authorities discovered two poker tables operating in the home they said was both a for-profit gambling operation and a community nuisance.

About 20 players opted not to fight the charges, pleading guilty. The others chose to confront the charges in court, eventually being convicted of gambling charges in front of Municipal Court Judge Larry Duffy. After the conviction, they paid misdemeanor ticket fines up to $262.

Ira Grossman, prosecutor for the town of Mount Pleasant, declined to talk strategy Friday but said Dennis' ruling is another step in what has become a widely followed case. "Everyone involved in this case assumed that it would reach the highest courts in the state," he said. "I would say that an appeal is likely."

The decision does not affect Mount Pleasant's ability to investigate other poker operations or make arrests, Grossman said, because it applies only to the present case. It also does not immediately affect other gambling challenges elsewhere in South Carolina.

The Mount Pleasant case joins a multitiered debate over gambling in South Carolina. One of the more visible fights is expected to come during the upcoming term of the state Legislature in January when a bill legalizing "social gambling" is expected to surface again. The bill, from state Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, creates "an affirmative defense" from prosecution when the gambling is done in a private home, as long as "no house player, house bank or house odds exist, and where there is no house income from the operation of the game."

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A Guide On How To Make Money Playing Free Casino Online Games

Have you realized that you can make money playing free casino online games? This is most likely the best way to enjoy yourself and earn some real cash online at the same time.

The Internet casino operators mainly produced free games to boost more players to join their casino rooms. So, they will give you full access to their game rooms to play for fun so you can get a taste of virtual gambling.

But because of the increasing competition in the online gaming industry, some Internet casinos have upped the ante by offering free games with real cash winnings. Below are some of the easiest steps you can practice to take advantage of these types of casino promotions.

Discover Free Slots Machines

Slots machines are the long time favorite of free casino online games. You will find that many of the internet casinos today offer free slots games. Free slots games can be played directly on the website or you can choose to download them.

If you don't play with real money, free slots can get uninteresting and not that exciting. What is recommended to do is to select a free slots machine that will offer real money bonus when you reach a specific total amount of winnings.

There are also slots tournaments that you can participate in that will let you play for free. You can find these free games on a limited number of casinos and on websites that only features slots gaming. Whatever you win at these tournaments, you can cash out for real money.

Several online casinos will also request that you give their slots machines a shot. These casinos will give you free chips which you can wager for one hour. After an hour, all your winnings will be credited to your bonus account.

Play the Blackjack Tables

After you had a chance to check out the slots machines, next you can try the free Blackjack games. Blackjack is also one of the most popular free casino online games. You can join an online casino that supports typical Blackjack tournaments.

All you need to do is sign up with a real money account. You do not have to deposit money if you still want to try your luck at free Blackjack tables. You should find the Blackjack Free rolls that has high prize pots. Join these tournaments and if you are a Blackjack player with mad skills, there is a good chance you can get a portion of the prize money.

Become a Poker Free roll Shark

Normally, there are poker rooms on most online casinos. If you wanted to improve your game, casino poker rooms should have play money tables. But if you want to win real money, then you better participate in poker Free rolls.

If your skills at poker is at the intermediate level, you should have no problem beating other players at the casino poker rooms. Most advanced poker players are playing on dedicated poker sites. Casino poker rooms usually consist of players that are new to the game and want to test their luck at the tables. So, if you can win enough games and get to the last table, you are sure to get a portion of the prize pot.

Playing free casino online games is not a waste of time. Playing these games will enable you to win some real money which you can use to play new online casino games.

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Basic Tactics and Approaches for Smarter Online Gambling

Wouldn't it be nice if it was easy to win at online casino games? Even though many players never hit it big, we all enter the virtual casino hoping that the next wager will end up being our lucky move. Unfortunately, this mentality can cause a player to part with a lot of money. And while being a winning player requires a great deal of luck, there are some tactics and approaches you can take with you when playing any casino game. Sometimes all it takes is a little common knowledge to hold onto your bankroll and better your chances of winning. What we will discuss in this article are basic strategies and logic that will not only help you win small shares, but secure larger sums as well.

When to Play Low Stakes

The first approach we will go over is quite simple. If you are a bad or inexperienced player, then you should play casino games that offer relatively small takes. Because you are not wagering with a lot of funds, your money will go slowly and this will allow you to remain in the game longer. And since you have the chance to play more games, you have the opportunity to win more money. If you are playing a casino game in which the stakes are high and you do not have a lot of funds to wager, your best bet would be to pull out of the game before you go completely broke.

Go For Favorable Odds

Another recommended tactic is to play games that offer good or at least decent odds. There are quite a few games in this category and one of the most popular is craps, which has simple rules and lets you pass or don't pass on bets. Slots is also a game you want to consider because while it does not always offer the best odds, it does tend to have high payout ratios. Playing games with good odds and making smart bets is a wise strategy that can help you keep your bankroll intact and actually win something. However, these games are best when you have a sizable bankroll. Therefore, if you are running low on money, you may want to consider going back to the small stakes approach.

Know the Rule and Basic Strategies

You can become a much better player by simple knowing the rules and basic strategies of any casino game. After all, if you do not know how to play the game, not even all the luck in the world will make you a winner. At least not in most instances. For example, when playing poker, you should know not to show your emotions at any time as experienced opponents will use this against you. Skilled players typically eat up the unknowing rookies so you can remain competitive just by staying aware.

There are no surefire tactics or approaches to guarantee that you will be a consistent winner at any casino game. However, paying attention to the basic details and small stuff can increase your chances of winning regardless of what game you choose to play.

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Getting Schooled in First Try at Poker

My 2001 Texas Hold 'Em debut was in a Native American casino in the middle of Iowa. It was a miserable experience but strangely memorable at the same time.

I was always a gambler but usually played high-risk games such as craps and roulette. My standard casino trip consisted of $200 in gambling money, with hopes that I could parlay that into four hours of fun and hopefully walk out even.

The poker room was a bustling pace. Texas Hold 'Em, was in the infant stages of its recent popularity, but there were at least 10 full tables going strong.

I walked over to the poker room manager and told him that I wanted to play Texas Hold 'Em.

"Sure," he said. "Why don't you take that open seat over there on table seven?"

He then asked how much I wanted in chips. I told him $100, and he handed me a rack of white, $1 chips.

The seat on table seven was on the corner (later poker education labels it as No. 8), and I immediately found it odd that everybody at the table had a minimum of triple the chips I had in front of me.

At first I thought, "Wow, these guys must have been winning big."

Prelude to a lesson learned.

The dealer asked if I wanted to post on the next hand. I had no idea what that meant, so I agreed.

I threw $1 into the pot to start the hand, figuring that was the required ante. The dealer then instructed me to put in $3 more. Two other players were putting money on the table, so I discovered there were no antes and the money being put on the table was referred to as "blinds."

Lesson learned.

I was dealt A-Q on my opening hand, a pretty good holding. There were two raises in front of me, and the dealer told me it was $8 to call. I said I wanted to raise it up, and I slid out $25 in chips.

"You can't do that," the dealer said. "You can only go to $16."

I was in a $4-$8 limit game. It wasn't no-limit.

Lesson learned.

The two raisers called my $16, and the flop didn't pair my ace or queen. "I'm playing poker," I thought, "so let's run a bluff."

There was a bet into me, I raised it to $8, and I believe both players called.

I don't remember the turn card, but I tried to bet out $4 and again was told by the dealer I needed $4 more. I had no idea the betting stakes on the turn and river doubled.

Lesson learned.

Additional betting and calling continued on the river, and I sat there with nothing more than ace-high, a loser. I was left with about $15 and had to signal the floor man for another $100 in chips.

Those lasted me about 30 additional minutes, and Day1 of my live poker career had me down $200 with a single dragged pot in my favor — a continuation bet on a rag flop with A-K.

It was an embarrassing Hold 'Em debut but one that I will never forget.

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Satellite - It is a mini-tournament to gain an entry into a larger tournament.

Scoop - To win the entire pot.

Seating List - A waiting list. A player would put his or her name on this list if there were no seats at the table at which they wish to play.

Second Pair - In flop games, when you pair the second highest card on the board.

See - To call.

Seven-card Stud - A well-known poker game in which players get three down cards and four up cards. You play the best five of those seven cards. Click here for information on Seven-card Stud.

Seventh Street - This is the final round of betting in Seven Card Stud and Stud 8 or Better.

Shills - Shills are paid props who help start and maintain poker games.

Showdown - At the end of the final betting round, it's when all active players turn their cards face-up to see who has won the pot.

Side Pot - A separate pot(s) which is contested by remaining active players when one or more players are all-in.

Sixth Street - In Seven-card Stud, this is the fourth "up" card dealt to the player (their 6th card). It is also the 4th round of betting.

Solid - A fairly tight player (and reasonably good).

Small Blind - The amount put in the pot by the person immediately to the left of the dealer "button" prior to the cards being dealt.

Speed Limit - A pair of fives.

Split - Tie.

Stack - A pile of chips.

Stay - When a player remains in the game by calling rather than raising.

Steel Wheel - A five high straight (A-2-3-4-5) of the same suit.

Straddle - A straddle is a Blind bet which is usually double the size of the Big Blind\ (and that player may raise when the action gets to him).

Straight - Five consecutive cards of any suit.

Straight Flush - Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

Structure - The limits put on the blinds/ante, bets, and raises in any particular game.

Stud Games - Games in which players get down cards and up cards.

Stuck - A player who is losing in a game.

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