Is there any such thing as a free ride? At the online casinos there is. While nearly every site offers some sort of deposit bonus, is there anyone out there that will just give you cash without a deposit? Duggle Bogey has a line on a good deal called "Instant Bankroll":

Badugi, in the words of Scurvy Dog, is like "Razz on steroids. Or crack. Or steroid crack." Scurvy’s been all up in the Badugi shit lately, and he’s got the mechanics of the game down:

"As far as the action, every player is dealt four cards to begin with, followed by a betting round. Remaining players then choose to draw, up to four cards. There’s a second betting round, followed by a second drawing round. Third betting round, third drawing round. Then the final betting round and showdown."

From Las Vegas blog:

"You may know Sapphire (3025 S. Industrial Rd.) as the largest strip club in the world — 71,000 square feet and $25 million ($352 per square foot) invested in a multi-level former warehouse with three bars. What you may not know is from Dec. 2-10 between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., Sapphire hosts the 2nd Annual Topless Bullriding Contest, emceed by Hollywood Don Yates. Admission is $20 ($10 for locals), but if you wear a hat you’ll get in for free."

AJ got his Buh-Bye post last week, this one’s mine. It’s been a pleasure working with Gawker and AJ in particular, and being able to write "professionally" (cough) about something I love has been a thrill. As the poker and horse guy, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge some of the better places to continue to improve and read about your degenerate habits online. Big thanks go to Dr. Pauly and Joe at Las Vegas blog for allowing me to pilfer their stuff at will. If you’re looking to become a better poker player, DoubleAs and ScurvyDog are among the best strategerians online, and should be mandatory reads.

There are plenty of "moves" you can make in tournaments that are effectively bluffs or semi-bluffs that can help add to your chip stack. Poker Player Newspaper features an article about a technique the author dubs "The Fourth Street Thief:"

"A player made his standard raise of three times the big blind. I was the lone caller from the big blind with an absolute trash hand-8-4 suited. The flop came down 10-2-6 rainbow. Unless he held an over pair, the likelihood that this flop helped my opponent was pretty slim.

We talked to God last night, like we always do. He calls us on the Bat-Phone. Anyway, God says you should leave us the hell alone and let us manage our habits in private. We’re going to continue to smoke cigarettes, drink whiskey, and play online poker despite your tacit disapproval. Maybe, just maybe, God’s talking to the rest of you too. From The Daily Bulletin:

"Poker’s newfound social acceptance has, for some, justified the morality of playing. Christians bet in home games and in Las Vegas casinos, for pennies and for Benjamins. Long the arcane club of some churches, poker night now happens openly a few times a week. "On a good night, it’s a good way to make money and kill some time.

· Chops finds an article which breaks the record for most poker metaphors ever used in one paragraph. The author, apparently, did not know when to fold ‘em. [WickedChops]
· April suggests you should see your unimproved hands to the river, raises be damned, just in case you catch something good at the end. […]

For those of you who don’t watch splashy entertainment news shows, fat-cum-thin-cum-beefy billionaire talk show host Oprah Winfrey is finally taking off her pussypants and appearing on The Late Show With David Letterman. After years of dodging Letterman’s show(16, exactly), Oprah will sit her big black ass on the couch this Thursday night. And guess what? The crazy-ass dildos at Bodog have odds on some of the celebrity grab-assing that’s sure to follow.

Dr. Pauly, with the most obvious tip of all:

"I think this one is self-explanatory. Don’t bring more cash to Vegas than you are willing to lose. Always keep your bankroll separate from your strip club money. You’ll thank me later."

In every sitcom you’ve ever seen, if the characters forget their wallet at the restaurant, they end up washing dishes. In Vegas, if you can’t pay your hotel bill because of the roulette wheel’s siren call, you get sent downstairs to a windowless room with a guy named Vinnie and the business end of a pool cue.

This gem from Dr. Pauly is dumb, but oh so true:

"If you have the opportunity to eat, do it because you never know when you might never have another chance to get some grub."

Here’s the worst feeling in the world: You’ve been on a bender, and caught maybe two hours of sleep before your stomach starts screaming at you for sustenence. You pass by the casino’s coffee shop, and the line is 10 minutes long, plus the 15 minutes it’ll take to see a sandwich in front of you, and you need something now.