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The Internet is full of free stuff. Now who does not like freebies? Online casinos have zeroed in on the magic of “free” and managed to get every Tom, Dick and Harry to play online games, gratis. It is amazing how many people who would otherwise run scared of gambling, turn up regularly at online casinos to try their luck on the free games.

Doing a one-up on online casinos are applications hosted by social networking sites which have literally hijacked the free game platform. Latest reports suggest that Facebook applications for casino games like Texas Hold’em Poker have attracted millions of players.

So much so, it is competing with long-time champion of online games, World of Warcraft.

Facebook applications – mostly hosted by online casinos –provide hundreds of casino games such as Bingo, Slots, Poker, Blackjack. Of course, many of those who play for free finally convert to “play for money” players at reputed online casinos.

Usually free online games are not played with real money. Instead, some “casino chips” are funded into your account for you to enjoy free games. The biggest advantage of playing free games is that you become well-versed with a game. You can try out all the strategies and tips suggested by game experts. You don’t feel uncomfortable when you play the same game by putting real money on the line. And when you start playing with real money, you don’t feel uncomfortable or unsure about the moves you are expected to make.

The downside to this is that children without access to cash may also try their hand at the free casino games. This has the authorities worried and there is a clamor for some fool-proof verification of age. A recent survey by the Oregon Department of Health Services has found that underage participation at free Internet gaming sites is on the increase among 12- to 17-year-olds.

Well, the online casino industry has always managed to work in some self-regulation and encourage responsible gambling. The strict vigilance over registrations for play for money can easily be extended to free games as well. After all, teens who participate in online gambling are most likely to become gambling addicts later in their life. However, it is not just websites but parents too who should keep an eye on kids’ activities on the Internet. Gambling is no child’s play and a free gamble should not be mistaken for a joy-ride.

Free online casino can really spice up life. Here I was playing regular Poker for years, often bored by the predictability of my evenings. A chance visit to Dallas introduced me to Texas Holdem Poker, a community card game where players get to bet four times.

On returning to Las Vegas, I slipped back into my old habit of Draw Poker. Watching James Bond play the game in Casino Royale prodded me to try it at a free online casino.  Here are the basics:

You play the game with a standard deck of cards even at the free online casino. Each player is dealt two personal cards face down. Five other community cards are dealt face up on the table. One had to make the best five-card poker hand among players at the free online casino, combining the personal and the community cards.

At the free online casino also, the game starts from the left of the dealer, with a forced bet (small blind) which is doubled by another player (big blind). The money wagered is the pot, and the rest of the game is devoted to staking claim to this pot. Here is how:

After the bet, the two personal (pocket) cards are dealt. This if followed by a series of moves by all players. If you ‘call’ you opt to match the amount of money bet earlier and see the next card; if you ‘fold’ your cards, you choose to stop betting and relinquish your hand; if you ‘raise’, it means you increase the stakes by betting more than what has been bet. This can either prompt others at the free online casino to fold, call or make a ‘re- raise.’

As the game unfolds, the four rounds of betting are completed in the ‘flop’, the ‘turn’, the river card’ and the ‘showdown’, when each of the five community cards are revealed one by one. Guess what? You don’t have to use your pocket cards, if you have useless ones. Last night, at a free online casino, I played “the board,’ quite sure that the best cards were there. I was right and I won at the free online casino. It’s a simple game, but calls for a lifetime of learning, they say. So I am rushing back to pick up some more tricks of the trade. Thanks to free online casinos.