Be Careful or Your Poker Nuts Will Get Crushed!-Gambling
Be Careful or Your Poker Nuts Will Get Crushed!
The origins of the phrase "poker nuts" are uncertain although it is thought to have come from old slang meaning "delightful thing, practice or experience".
It is a "delightful thing" of course, because in Texas Holdem the poker nuts is the best possible hand that you can have at any point in the game.If you have the nuts, you can't be beaten...at that point in the hand. This is the crucial factor that a lot of inexperienced players fail to take account of, the nuts can move from one player to another and your hand which was the nuts earlier on can end up being crushed!The following example should demonstrate the fickle nature of the cards in Texas Holdem poker and how your nuts can quickly turn to pulp!You are playing a hand of Texas Holdem poker and there are three players still in the game at the flop.
You get dealt 7 of clubs, 8 of diamonds; Amy has 5 of spades, 5 of clubs and John's hand is King, 9 of hearts.The flop is dealt and the cards are 9 of hearts, 6 of hearts and 5 of diamonds. This is a great flop for you ? you've got the poker nuts! At this point you have a straight - 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 - which cannot be beaten by any other combination of cards.Now you decide to "slow play" your hand and try to draw a bet from somebody with a high pair who will like this flop, so you simply check. Amy likes the look of her hand now as she's flopped three 5s so she makes a bet which is called by John as he now has a pair of 9s with a King kicker. You like the way it's going so you call the bet.The turn card is Ace of hearts. John is now smiling to himself as he has just managed to make the poker nuts with a flush, his two hearts in his hand plus the three on the table with Ace King high now give him an unbeatable hand. John bets as he knows he's got the nuts but he wants to extract the maximum cash from the table so he keeps his bet low enough to get called. You still think you're winning with the straight, in fact the Ace has strengthened that belief as you now reckon John probably has an Ace in his hand and maybe even two pairs.He's fallen into your trap! Or so you think.The river is dealt and it's the 5 of hearts. This is a blow to you as there are now four hearts on view, so anyone with a heart is beating you with a flush. John is happy with the 5 as he still feels he is winning with the top flush, while his opponents may also have made a flush and think they are winning. Amy of course is the real winner as she has just made the nuts with four 5s, her four of a kind can only be beaten by a straight flush or a better four of a kind. There aren't enough connected hearts showing on the table to make a straight flush and there isn't another pair showing so it is impossible to make four of a kind.Amy wins the pot while you and John reflect on what should have been.Both of you held the poker nuts at one point in the game but failed to realise that the poker nuts - and your fortunes - in Texas Holdem can change completely with one turn of a card.Article by Ian McIntosh of http://www.Love-Texas-Holdem.com. Check out the site for all the latest information on Texas Holdem tournaments and freerolls.Please feel free to use this TV poker article on your website, newsletter or blog as long as this resource box is left intact and the link to the site is live.
Fun Nursery Themes That Will Even Have Your Baby Talking!-Toddler
Fun Nursery Themes That Will Even Have Your Baby Talking!
There are many whimsical, fun baby room themes if you are planning on decorating a nursery. Infants need stimulation, so parents get the chance to be kids again and let their playfulness and imagination run wild.A fun, flexible baby room theme is to decorate it in whimsical patterns. Try painting butter yellow or grass green stripes on the walls. Then hang bold graphic pictures of cats and dogs in bright red or blue frames on the walls.Use the same graphic style to paint a toy chest using stencils, or apply stickers against a colorful painted background.Another fun baby room theme is a design around the theme of Sweet Dreams. Use bright colors such as watermelon pink
and lime green on accessory pieces, and then choose white for the walls, ceiling, and lamps.Use the bright, bold colors in places that will capture your baby's attention, and mix them with different fabrics and patterns. Try fabrics such as grape terry cloth, plaids, polka dots, and candy cane stripes. Paint the walls a creamy vanilla to keep the room centered and calm.You might wallpaper one entire wall with a bold print of watermelon slices. Then hang a diaphanous sheer
white-on-white polka dot draping from the ceiling that flows around the crib. Paint or paper a small square above the crib with the same watermelon slice print.When your baby looks up, he or she will certainly fall asleep and have sweet dreams!A good theme for decorating a baby nursery is to design it around a Playhouse theme. This baby room theme works well for both boys and girls, and also gives them a great place to play as they grow older. Use a border paper with houses or apartment buildings printed on it.You can find a variety of whimsical playtown dressers with buildings, cars, and clouds painted on them. Top it with a lamp that has a wooden base shaped like an apartment building and a taxicab clock. You might paint a mural of a street scene on one wall and use your family member's names on the signs above stores.There is a multitude of characters from cartoons that you can utilize for baby room themes. Try Superman, Aladdin, the Lion King, Curious George, Snoopy, Cinderella, or Mickey Mouse. How about pirates, knights, princesses, castles, cowboys, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell?You'll have no problem finding bedding, lamps, rocking chairs, and other accessories with these design figures.You can even choose animals for baby room themes, such as frogs, bugs, and goldfish. Buy a table and chair set painted with snails, butterflies, moths, ladybugs and caterpillars.Or furniture with bold colors and patterns, such as lime green chunky ball feet on tables, and chairs with polka dots decorating purple table and chair legs.Transportation themes are also easy to coordinate when you are deciding on a baby room theme. Pick planes, trains, bicycles, or automobiles. Use bright primary colors and put up a display of model trains or vintage cars.Whichever theme you decide on, choose a design that is appropriate for an infant and a toddler. Use inexpensive,
stain-repellant area rugs that can be replaced when you want to update the design.The frog lamps, duck mobiles, and framed pictures of lions and tigers can easily be switched to pictures of the latest cartoon heroes when your infant becomes a toddler.The most important factor in choosing a baby room theme is to make sure it's safe and comfortable for your baby.Then figure out all the activities that the room will be used for and go from there. The sky, literally, is the limit!Michael Holland is the creator of http://www.kids-rooms-and-crafts.com. His web site offers lots of FREE decorating
tips and ideas for decorating your home.
Maybe This Christmas Will Be Different….
Maybe This Christmas Will Be Different....
Have you always dreamed of a Norman Rockwell Christmas - where everyone is singing Christmas carols and there is joy in the house? Alas, your Christmas memories are often filled with Uncle Joe getting drunk and your parents ending up in a fight. By the end of Christmas day family members are mad and no one is talking to one another.Christmas can be very difficult if you grew up in a dysfunctional family and you choose to go home for Christmas. Often the holidays bring out the worst in families instead of the best. Old arguments that have never been resolved are reignited. Old wounds that you thought were healed are ripped open once again.Is there anything you can do to truly make this Christmas different?Here are a few suggestions:1. Pray that God will give you the wisdom to know when to speak and when to stay quiet. Many times you won't win the age old argument. Is it worth the fight?2. Have realistic expectations about what will happen at your family gathering. Often we dream and envision things will be different and our dreams are crushed once again.3. Limit your time or choose not to place yourself in toxic situations. If you will be putting yourself or your children in physical or emotional danger you may need to choose to stay home.4. Remember and be with your "adopted family". Often people from dysfunctional families have extremely close friends who feel like family. I have had several people tell me about a friend who is like a sister or a mother to them. You may choose to spend Christmas with your "adopted family".5. Remember your heavenly Father loves you unconditionally and that he can meet your needs, even when your earthly family does not meet your needs.6. Recognize that there is a difference between forgiveness and acceptance of actions. You can and should forgive family members and others who have hurt you. That does not mean their actions were acceptable. Also, you can be cautious of putting yourself into situations where you could be emotionally or physically harmed once again.7. Don't be too hard on yourself. You may have made great progress in your own spiritual and emotional growth and find when you go home you are right back where you started. Dysfunctional family patterns have a tremendous pull. You can realign yourself when you return to your own home.8. Make a conscious choice to raise your own children and live your life in a more healthy family. Decide what new Christ honoring traditions you want to start for your family.9. Be open to and aware of other people who come from hurting families. You have a story you may choose to share of the healing that has occurred for you. You can give others hope.10. Be aware that your own addictions may resurface. Those could include overspending, overeating, drinking, or drug use. Often we try to soothe our emotional pain by overspending or overeating.Above all I pray you will be kind to yourself. Have realistic expectations of what
Christmas will be for your family. Create your own good memories with your own
family or your "adopted family". Remember Mary's first Christmas was probably not what she expected. She probably did not plan on delivering Jesus in a barn, but what a blessed and glorious night. May God be your peace and joy this Christmas.