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As sports betting continues to expand it’s footprint across the United States with legal, online sports betting opportunities, as does the world of legal, online casino and iGaming. Here, we’ll look at a rather rudimentary guide on how to play online poker and win.
How to play iGaming online poker: Starting out
If you’re just getting your feet wet playing poker online, you’re not alone. Many are dabbling in electronic casino games for the first time.
Texas holdem is widely available online, as well as games like Omaha. The latter doesn’t have nearly the mass appeal or availability, however, so we’ll focus mostly on online Texas holdem.
How to play online poker: Winning
Before we proceed, let’s just clear up a few basics. There are four suits and two colors in a standard 52-card deck. We have two red suits – diamonds and hearts – and two black suits – clubs and spades. Face cards are jacks (J), queens (Q) and kings (K). Aces (A) can be used either as a high or low card, similarly to blackjack.
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Unlike blackjack, you’re not only playing against the dealer, but also the others at the table. In Texas holdem, you will get five ‘community’ cards dealt, and two ‘hole’ cards. Your two hole cards are not shown to anyone else. You must use at least one of your hole cards to make the best possible hand against everyone else at the table.
There will be a round of betting based upon everyone’s hole cards. The order is determined by the ‘button’, which is a round marker rotating around the table each hand. This signifies who is the ‘dealer’. The next two positions are the ‘small blind’ and ‘big blind’ spots. There is a pre-determined amount required to play the hand.
The big blind pays the entire amount, the small blind plays half, and has the option of matching the big blind to remain in the hand. After the big blind, each player around the table has the option of either ‘calling’, or betting the amount of the big blind, raising or folding. The betting goes all around the table until every player matches the highest bet made in a particular round.
After the hole cards are bet upon, the ‘flop’ is dealt. These are the first three community cards. Another round of betting ensues. Then, a fourth card, or ‘Fourth Street’ or ‘The Turn’, is dealt, and another round of betting, etc. Lastly, a fifth card, or ‘Fifth Street’ or ‘The River’, is dealt, and the final bets are made before a winning hand is determined.
How to play online blackjack: Strategies
There are plenty of different strategies for winning at online poker, but the best advice is to be patient. It might seem rather boring to continually fold hands, and Texas holdem can be a grind at times, but impatience is rarely rewarded, and it’s a good idea to wait for ‘Top 10’ hands. Eventually, you’ll learn about suited connectors (cards of the same suit in numerical succession), or just suited cards in general, which can be good starting hole cards.
In addition, sometimes you will hit a set – or three of a kind – on the flop with cards which aren’t necessarily great hole cards initially. You’ll learn the nuances of the game as you gain more experience. For intermediate or advanced players, this is all common knowledge, but for beginners just learning the game, patience is a virtue.
While various tables can have players of very different skill levels, and you do not want to play ‘tight’, or too close to the vest, using less risky play initially will mitigate big losses early on and keep your interest as you continue to learn. Eventually, you’ll also learn how to bluff, which by a series of strong wagers, can trick other players into believing your hand is stronger than it might really be.
This is certainly for more advanced players, but down the road you’ll learn you can win a hand even if you have lesser hole cards than your opponent simply by wagering strategy.
As you start out, you’ll need to know the order of winning hands, and memorize this list:
Royal flush (AKQJ10 of the same suit)Straight flush (Five cards in sequence, same suit)Four of a kind (Same card in all four suits)Full house (Three of a kind and a pair)Flush (Five cards of the same suit, sequence not required)Straight (Five cards in sequence, suit doesn’t matter)Three of a kind (Same card in three different suits)Two pairs (two different matching numbers or face cards)One pair (two matching numbers or face cards)High card (If you do not have any matching cards, it’s simply your highest card)How to play online poker: Play responsibly
Again, please be careful initially when setting out. Do not play for more than you can afford to lose, try and limit your alcohol intake and other outside distractions, and simply focus on the game.
In fact, some players like to engage in chatter at the table in person, or via ‘chat’ in a room. Block all of that out and just focus on the cards, especially early on. Remember your basic rules and don’t try and get too cute. If so, you’re going to really enjoy playing poker in the comfort of your own home.
Ready to give online poker a try? Head over to BetMGM to sign up and play.
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In many ways, Tennessee is the state with the most Southern ethos in the US. It’s the home of country music, the birthplace of Elvis Presley, and home to its own style of barbecue. Fittingly, with regard to gambling, Tennessee embodies the ingrained conservatism of the region. Tennessee has no casinos of any sort inside its borders.
So, it came as a bit of a surprise when the Volunteer State moved forward with a bill to legalize sports betting in May 2019. Tennessee is now the first state with sports betting as an online-only enterprise.
Sports betting launched in early November 2020. Three sportsbooks – DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM went live as the first gambling sites in TN.
Tennesseans can also play daily fantasy sports and the lottery, if they choose. Although the selection of gambling games in the state remains limited, things are definitely looking up for games of chance in Tennessee.
Tennessee sports betting sites
DFS and sports betting in Tennessee
Another option for gambling is due to Tennessee’s legalization of daily fantasy sports betting in 2016. In doing so, Tennessee became the third state to conclude that DFS is legal in Tennessee and exempt from its gambling laws. The legalization occurred over the objections of State Attorney General Herbert Slatery. This made it an unusual move, because state governments are rarely at odds with their own law enforcement officials. So, Tennesseans are able to access sites like FanDuel or DraftKings in peace.
A few years later, on May 24, 2019, Tennessee legalized sports betting, but with one big caveat. As Tennessee does not have any land-based casinos, the bill approves online sports betting only — and it’s the first state to have this kind of law. The first bets rolled on Nov. 1 with bettors unable to place them at any kind of land-based or retail sportsbook – just via online or mobile devices only.
Otherwise, pickings are pretty slim in the Volunteer State. There actually was a law on the books for almost 30 years that allowed horse racing venues to be built in the state. Unfortunately, the combination of financial trouble and legal hassles (despite the law, individual counties maintained a modicum of control over their own territories with regard to gambling) prevented any company from actually breaking ground on a track in Tennessee. The law itself was finally repealed in 2015.
Finally, a law to legalize casino gambling in Tennessee was proposed in February 2017 by State Rep.Larry Miller, a Democrat representing the Memphis area. It took less than a month for the bill to die in committee. So, at this time, no further legalization is likely in Tennessee.
Recent Tennessee legal gambling news
Online gambling in Tennessee
Tennessee has some of the broadest laws regarding gambling in the US. The language of its law banning gambling extends to “risking anything of value for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance, not including lawful business transactions.” This is striking because the language is so broad, it has to include an exception for the risk inherent in normal business activities.
Along with having options for DFS, Tennesseans are able to bet sports through online sportsbook apps in the state.
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As such, even though there is no specific prohibition against online gambling in Tennessee, the overall prohibition could easily be applied to online activities. Given the specified penalties for gambling in the state (which details fines, jail time, confiscation of any associated equipment, and confiscation of any monies used to gamble), players of online gambling games like video poker and online slots could potentially find police in their homes and have their computers and online bankrolls removed from their possession permanently. As for online, the attention of the police continues to be focused on live poker and other gambling right now.
Fantasy sports in Tennessee
The only exception (as mentioned above) is daily fantasy sports betting. The Fantasy Sports Act of 2016 provides a framework for the licensure of operators within Tennessee. As such, residents can engage in this very limited form of gaming without fear of prosecution. Below are some of the options for DFS in Tennessee – please note that FanDuel and DraftKings are by far the industry leaders and most reliable sites.
| Company | Headquarters | Offered Sports |
| FanDuel | New York, New York, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, PGA (beta) |
| DraftKings | Boston, Massachusetts, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, PGA, NASCAR, MMA, eSports |
| DraftDay | Chicago, Illinois, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, NCAA football |
| FantasyDraft | Charlotte, North Carolina, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA |
| StarsDraft | Austin, Texas, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA |
Social casino options
Tennessee residents are able to play any of the standard social casino options available across the country. Double Down Casino, Slotomania, BigFish, and Zynga are all playable options through Facebook or mobile devices.
However, people in Tennessee need to be very careful about the games they are playing because of the breadth of Tennessee’s law. Any kind of giveaway, promotion, or compensation acquired via one of these (or other sites, like MyVegas) might put players in violation of the law. So far, there are no reports of people having legal troubles because of their involvement in social casino play, but please exercise caution if you are playing social casino games in Tennessee.
State casino operator history
Tennessee’s lack of in-state casinos is problematic for residents who would like to play their favorite games of chance. However, there are some options in neighboring states that can help soothe these feelings. The most notable option is the collection of casinos just across the border from Memphis in Tunica, Mississippi.
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Tunica is one of Mississippi’s two major gambling centers (the other being Biloxi). It is home to eight casinos as sizable and luxurious as any found in Las Vegas.
Harrah’s, Hollywood, Sam’s Town, and Gold Strike all have Tunica locations with every table game one would imagine in casinos of this size. For Memphis residents, these casinos are a mere 43 miles away. They are the best option for Tennesseans in the southwestern part of the state.
Otherwise, Tennesseans have few other options. Residents in the northwestern part of the state can try the Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville in Missouri, which is a small riverboat on the Mississippi River.
Nashville residents can make a just-over-two-hour drive northwest to the Harrah’s Metropolis in Illinois. Finally, Tennesseans in the eastern and southeastern parts of the state can most easily access the two Harrah’s Cherokee properties in North Carolina.
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Land-based casinos
| Casino | Location | Nearest TN City |
| Tunica Casinos Hollywood Casino Resorts Casino Tunica Sam’s Town Casino Resort Gold Strike Casino Resort Horseshoe Casino Tunica Roadhouse Casino & Hotel Bally’s Casino Fitz Casino & Hotel | Tunica, MS | Memphis (43 miles) |
| Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville | Caruthersville, MO | Memphis (95 miles) |
| Harrah’s Metropolis | Metropolis, IL | Clarksville (109 miles) Nashville (150 miles) |
| Kentucky Downs (racetrack) | Franklin, KY | Nashville (40 miles) |
| Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort | Cherokee, NC | Knoxville (71 miles) |
| Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel | Murphy, NC | Chattanooga (95 miles) |
State legal environment
| Permitted/Offered? | Notes & Restrictions | |
| Land-Based Gambling | No | |
| Online Gambling | No | Gambling law is so broadly worded that online gambling would likely be prosecutable |
| Lottery | Yes | State and multi-state drawings available |
| Charitable or House-Based Gambling | Yes | Bingo and raffles |
| Minimum Gambling Age | 18 for lottery and charitable gambling | |