For instance, this recent legal issue with Portugal. Although the legal challenge by the poker company has ended in a loss (for now), they were those to challenge the Portuguese government. Masters of poker strategy as they are, I am quite confident this move will turn out to be good for all of us eventually.

The Bwin Group offers more than Online Poker though. Bwin operates sports betting, casino games and soft games too.

Seat is Saved for You
In a visit to the Bwin site, where the online poker software can be downloaded, one is struck with the cool graphics and design of the site. You want to click on these opportunities that wait for you – $1000 welcome bonus here, some Grand series of Poker III there.

But scroll down and see this cool invitation to Take Your Seat. Hover with the mouse cursor over the empty seat atr the realistic poker table and click. You’ll reach the poker school, only this time you’re not behind a school table or studying for a boring exam – you’re at the Bwin school of poker.

Very sweet. And kudus to all Bwin is doing on and off the poker table.

• Ace in the hole – In poker, this means that you are holding the Ace, giving you an advantage but in everyday life, it means having something that will give you the upper hand in a certain situation.
• Beats me – I love this one! I bet it never in crossed most peoples’ mind that this originally came from poker. Anyway, in poker it means a winning hand but in everyday use means something that baffles or puzzles you or that you are at a loss to explain or understand something.
• Call one’s bluff – Whilst in poker, you ‘call a bluff’ when you call against another player who is betting as if they have strong cards but actually have weak cards, in everyday life, ‘calling the bluff’ is almost like accusing someone of being a liar.
• Under the Gun – In poker this means being first to act in a pot pre-flop but in everyday life, it gun means being under pressure.
• Poker face – I reckon this would be the most commonly used one.  In poker, we all know that you need to keep a face that won’t give anything away about your cards and if you can do this they say that you have a poker face (something I still aspire too lol). But in everyday life, the term applies to people who can keep a bland facial expression even when they are guilty (or excited) about something.
• Up the ante – You up the ante in poker by betting more and making the pot bigger. In everyday life, to up the ante is to risk more so that you can reap more profits.
• When the chips are down – In everyday life this means when the pressure is on or the situation is urgent or critical.

I wonder if poker jargon is actually more popular than the game of poker itself …