The setting of a movie can make a significant impact on the plot and character of that movie. In many movies, casinos appear providing a certain affect. In some movies, casinos have a major role while in others it is more of a supporting role.

“Maverick” is a movie that provides one of the best casino scenes. Set in the Old West, this movie revolves around gambler, Bret Maverick. The film features a poker tournament which has very high stakes. As the drama unfolds, Maverick makes his way to the final round of the tournament. The best scene is where he wins the tournament and contributes to the drama by slowly rolling his cards one at a time.

The movie, “21”, is based on the real life story of the MIT blackjack team. The members of the team organize an elaborate card counting scheme for the game of blackjack. As a result, they end up taking many top Vegas casinos for significant amounts of money. The scenes that show the team at work are definitely top casino scenes to remember.

Another movie that includes a blackjack scene is “Austin Powers”. This scene doesn’t follow the game authentically but does provide a humorous look at the game combined with Austin Powers’ x-ray vision. In the scene, Powers’ hits a hand that no self-respecting blackjack player would. Of course, due to his special vision, he knows more than the other players.

In the game of blackjack, players must be able to read what the dealer is showing as well as their cards to determine their next move. It is always a good idea to assume the card face down for the dealer is a 10 count card. This makes it easier to decide whether or not to take a hit on one’s hand to try to get as close to 21 without going over. Online casinos like riverbelle
are excellent places for those movie viewers at home to try out this exciting game.

Regardless of your politics, those of us who love poker and gambling have to be thankful that Harry Reid keeps pushing the interests of the gaming industry. His latest efforts are on behalf of Indian tribes in Texas, as they try to bring gaming to a state that only has one measly casino. He is getting some flack however as this is reminiscent of a project crazy Jack Abramoff tried to get through ten years ago.

Of course Reid’s more important initiatives involve trying to get federal regulations for online poker. The courts have hit the feds hard by acknowledging that poker is a game of skill as opposed to a game of chance, so now the feds need to move in if they want to get regulations in place before the states dive in.

At least we’re seeing a new appreciation for poker, after years of the feds trying to tie that with other forms of online gambling. Many of us love playing online, looking for suckers in online poker rooms and working with party poker bonus codes to get more credits.

But when you learn those killer skills online you want to bring them to a live poker room and try out your tactics face to face. There’s nothing like bluffing in person, and then pulling in real chips and stacking them up when you win. Hopefully, Reid’s efforts will pay for for Texan, and his Internet initiatives will pay off for the rest of us. After all, we do live in a free country. Right?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The holidays are here, and for many people this is the best time of the year. You get together with friends and family, eat home cooked food, enjoy some cocktails and watch plenty of football.

But for many people, this time of the year can be a mini nightmare if you have one of those dysfunctional families, and the Wall Street Journal has a funny and frankly useful guide to surviving these get togethers. They call it “Dysfunctional Family Bingo” and it’s worth a read. Here are some examples:

Or consider this move from my mom’s playbook. Just before Thanksgiving this year, she called each one of her three daughters, who are nothing if not competitive, and announced that she would be awarding a “Miss Congeniality” prize at the end of the weekend.

Who won? Dad. “It wasn’t easy for him, but he held it together,” Mom says. Dad’s response: “Having everyone get along and be together was important to your mother. It was my job to stay out of the way.”

Cliff Mugnier, a 68-year-old surveyor and cartographer in Baton Rouge, La., minimizes conflict among his seven adult children by refusing to tell everyone in advance who else is coming to dinner. Rebecca Raibley, 61, a senior partner at a Boston investment relations firm, always invites a friend or two, so family members feel pressure to behave.

Greg Jensen, a 65-year-old retired human resources manager from Dallas with three sisters and a brother, visits just one sibling at a time. This year, he is meeting a sister in New Orleans for a five-day Christmas break. “I love all my siblings one at a time, but I just can’t take them all at once,” he says.

All of these are good ideas, but we have some ideas as well. First, if you’re traveling for the holidays and staying with family, make sure to plan some activities that take you out of the house. Go places. See other people. Just don’t spend all your time surrounded by people that will drive you nuts.

Also, plan on some time killers. Bring your iPad so you can catch up on movies, play games, use online time-killers like PartyBingo.com, or read some e-books. Or, make sure you have a deck of cards or even a chess board to kill time.

We also like the divide and conquer strategy mentioned above. Think about that when you’re planning activities. Take your mom to the mall, and your dad to a sports bar. Think about what works well on smaller groups and you’ll save yourself a ton of aggravation.

And finally, buy some good wine, craft beer or smooth Scotch. Anything that will dull the pain!

Could games hardware soon be a thing of the past? Rumors have emerged that Sony was about to snap up a major gaming streaming service. Will PS4 even get released? What will that mean to MS’ Smartglass?

John Carmack has been building a virtual reality headset in his spare time. He’s showing it to people behind closed doors at this year’s E3, tucked away inside the Bethesda booth, and described it as “probably the best VR demo the world has ever seen.” Click here to watch the video demos.

The goggle screens completely cover your vision, meaning the only thing you can see are scary corridors and flying heads. Character movement works more traditionally however, with players using a controller to walk around and shoot, while the goggles function as a head-tracker. If it ever comes to market as a consumer product, or even if the maker kits are reasonably accessible, it sounds like the perfect thing for hardcore ArmA(armed assault) players or flight sim enthusiasts.