tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81502733155045557132023-11-16T02:59:31.489-08:00Gaming Blog - GamesnomyLove playing Games :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-74860465953964791902012-02-13T21:07:00.000-08:002012-02-13T21:08:19.136-08:00Recreation clubs entitled to lawful activities: HC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Friday said that members of recreation clubs are entitled to carry on lawful activities within their premises and there should not be any interference from the police.<br />
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Justice K K Sasidharan gave the ruling while allowing a writ petition filed by Mullai Recreation Club seeking to forbear the police from interfering with the rights of the its members who played '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rummy"><b>rummy</b></a>' without betting.<br />
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In its petition, the club, situated at Thankkankulam said it was aggrieved because of the unnecessary intrusion caused by the police inspector, Thirunagar, into their activities when its members have been playing rummy which is a game of skill.<br />
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"The club never indulged in acts of playing cards using money or other illegal acts. The police inspector started to visit the club very frequently and his visit affected the smooth functioning of the club. The regular visit of the inspector caused apprehension in the minds of members," it contended. Hence, the club preferred the present petition.<br />
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The police stated that one Friends Club was functioning in the very same premises. The said club was involved in illegal activities and it resulted in the registration of a case in which an accused was also convicted.<br />
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Allowing a petition filed by the club, Justice Sasidharan gave a detailed direction that "In normal, circumstances, there should be no interference in the lawful functioning of the clubs by the police. It is not permissible for the police to enter the club premises as a routine measure, so long as the clubs are functioning within the frame work of law."<br />
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However, the judge said if the police authorities have specific information or reasonable doubt that the activities carried on by the club or its members are not in accordance with law or they indulge in unlawful activities, in violation of the provisions of the Public Gambling Act, 1867 or Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, 1930, or any other enactment,<br />
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they can enter the club premises and conduct investigation. interrogate those who involve themselves in such activities and take appropriate action on merits and as per law.<br />
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The judge said it is always open to the club or its members to challenge the action taken by the police, if it was not in accordance with law.<br />
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Justice Sasidharan further said, "In case the police authorities were of the opinion that a situation has arisen to suspend to the operation of the club in the exercise of the powers conferred, they have to issue an order in writing. When there is no authority granted to the police to issue an order of suspension orally, they are not entitled to pass such oral orders."<br />
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The judge added that before orders for the purpose of closure of the club, in exercise of powers conferred on the authorities, they should follow the principles of natural justice. The club should be given an opportunity to submit their objections and if so desired, a further opportunity of personal hearing should also be given.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-78136179643396164382011-11-10T04:34:00.000-08:002012-02-13T21:09:43.175-08:00Multiplayer Rummy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div>Multiplayer Rummy almost always scores over a 2 player rummy game. Multiplayer Rummy is synonymous with more players, more cash to be won and ofcourse more fun. Being a game of skill, Rummy touches new heights when palyed in the Multi-player Rummy format.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>How to Play Multiplayer Rummy ?</b></div><div>Multiplayer Rummy is a game that is typically played with 2 or more packs of 53 cards each (including one printed joker per pack). Arranging all 13 cards in sequences and/or sets is the objective of Multiplayer rummy. A sequence is constituted of 3 or more running cards of the same suit (eg 3, 4, 5, 6 of spade). A set is formed by 3 or more cards of the same face value (eg 3 of spade, 3 of heart, 3 of diamond). At the start of each game, a Joker is randomly selected and it can be used in place of any other card. Players can use one or more jokers to complete their sets and/or sequences.<br />
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A pure sequence is a sequence that has no joker. To declare in a multi-player rummy game, a player must have at least two sequences, at least one of which must be pure. The draw pile is formed by cards that are not dealt to any player and are placed face down on the table. The discard pile is formed next to the draw pile by placing the top card from the draw pile face up, </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>What is the method of scoring employed in Multiplayer Rummy?</b></div><div>Scoring may be done differently in various versions of Multi-player Rummy but in the Indian version, players generally play for points having a pre-decided value in Rupees. The winnings at the end of this multiplayer Rummy game are calculated as the sum of points accumulated by opponents, multiplied by the currency value of those points. When played online, the fees of the games website hosting this multiplayer Rummy game may also be deducted from the winnings. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Benefits of Multi-player Rummy</b></div><div>Like most other multiplayer games, multiplayer rummy is a game filled with energy, enthusiasm, edginess and fun. Multi-player rummy is a handy tool that lets you make friends when you are on a long distance train or bus journey. Apart from killing boredom, it is also helps sharpen your logical application skills. Playing multiplayer rummy at parties or at family weddings and functions, makes for perfect entertainment for everyone. But owing to our hectic work lives, most of us are unable to physically meet up with friends and family members often. Here again, multiplayer rummy comes to your rescue with it's online version connecting all your loved ones over your favourite game.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So folks, gather your loved ones whether online or offline and see this multiplayer rummy game strengthen your bond </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-80042173364395083602011-10-19T02:47:00.000-07:002011-10-19T02:47:29.721-07:00Throw a fun card party this Diwali<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Planning to throw a Diwali card party for your friends and family? Make it the coolest one! Read on for some deadly ideas to ensure your guests have a cracker of a time.<br />
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<b>Send out an Inspiring Invite</b>Send out a creative invitation card to all your guests giving them an inkling of the excitement that’s in store for them. Since it is a playing cards party you are inviting them for, you could try designing an invite on a playing card.<br />
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To do this you could take a set of playing cards and on the back (which has the design) paste a computer printout of your invitation. Make colourful envelopes of the same size with old magazine pages and hand these out. We bet they will appreciate your creativity.<br />
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<b>Get set go on the taash table</b>Playing cards does not necessarily mean that you have to have loads of money on stake. We suggest play without money so that your fun event does not turn ugly.<br />
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<a href="http://www.games24x7.com/">Rummy</a> is one such popular game of cards that mostly everyone knows how to play. So, you can get rolling with that. As your guests get into a mood with time, switch to playing more innovative games. Here are a few card game ideas to get you started:<br />
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<b>Shoot it!</b>Make a pitcher of a fruity shots (not so high o alcohol) that all will be able to enjoy. Get a set of shot glasses out. Now deal 4 cards to each of the players, not totaling to more than 12. The goal of this game is to collect four of a kind (four queens, four aces, four three’s etc). The person to the right of the dealer will start the game by taking the remaining cards (the number of which will vary depending on the number of players). The player will take a look at the cards and exchange a card with one of his/hers if he/she so pleases. Then the player will pass the cards to the next player, who will do the same. The first person to collect four of kind will be the winner and will get a shot. As other players one by one collect fours, the people who’ve already finished can continue to pour themselves a shot with each player’s finish.<br />
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<b>Trace the ace</b>This is a perfect game for 6-8 people. Remove the Jokers and all the Aces except the Ace of Hearts from a pack of cards. Deal the remaining cards evenly among the players. All players must keep their cards hidden from others throughout the game. Any player can begin the game by randomly pulling a card out of another player’s cards, fanned out and facing the floor. If the card now makes a matching pair (two queens, two three’s and so on) with any one of the player’s cards, the pair can then be discarded. The game continues around the circle in this fashion with the goal of discarding as many cards as possible by making pairs. A player wins when they have discarded all their cards. The last card left will be the Ace of Hearts, and the player holding it at the end is the loser. The remaining players can collectively give the loser a fun punishment.<br />
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Now get thinking and create your own fun games. You can also organize card hunts, lucky prizes for holders of a certain card, a truth or dare question to be asked to the holder of a certain card and so on.<br />
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<b>Plan the bites and the drinks</b>It’s a card party and you will want to have some fun too. So plan the food and drinks in advance. Pour pitchers of beer and keep pitchers of cocktails mixed earlier in the evening and chilled—on the taash table. Also keep snacks and even the crockery ready before the guests arrive so that all you do after their arrival is serve and set it on table.<br />
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Keep the main dinner simple. You can order in Chinese or Pizzas. This way you wouldn’t be stuck toiling away in the kitchen. Just remember to order food that is easy to pick and eat while playing.<br />
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From console to mobile phones, games that involve characters like Shikari Shambu, Kaaliya the crow, Yuvraj Singh and Kabbadi are an instant hit" , said Priyanka Ganguly, a game tester with Tinkle Online. The change is across all gaming mediums: in July this year, Reliance Entertainment owned Jump Games had launched a mobile game based on the multi-starrer Hindi flick Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Console gaming major Sony PlayStation India, on the other hand, has teamed up with Amar Chitra Katha to launch Cart Kings -- a racing game where some of the age-old Tinkle characters would travel through some of popular tourist spots in India.<br />
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More than a year back, Zynga, developer of the very-popular Farmville, Cityville and Mafia Wars, opened its first India office in Bangalore. The recent report on India's entertainment industry, jointly authored by corporate lobby FICCI and consultancy major KPMG, says the growth of the Indian console gaming market (at Rs 4.9 billion in 2010) is happening mainly on the back of localised content. "Over the next two years, the console gaming industry would have an overwhelming number of games based on localised content," says Atindriya Bose, country manager for Sony PlayStation India.<br />
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"<i>This is a new trend. In two years, this market will grow faster with the arrival of games based on local stories</i>" , he said adding that Sony is looking forward to the launch of the RaOne game, a console game based on the Shah Rukh Khan starrer RaOne that is slated for a Diwali release. Anshu Mor, head of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft , says entering the Indian market has been a challenging experience for the Xbox team. "There are several perception issues in India" , he said. "<b>Many consider gaming as just an entertainment. They fail to understand that there is huge business around this</b>" .</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-43589695231284814842011-04-05T04:15:00.001-07:002011-04-05T04:15:52.160-07:00‘India loves social gaming’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Of the 250 million users counted every month, 4.5 million users are from India alone. From housewives to retired folk, every one is hooked to social gaming in the country,” explains Shan Kadavil, country manager of Zynga. What makes Shan’s statistic noteworthy is the fact that Zynga is responsible for creating Facebook’s biggest online social addiction thus far, FarmVille and Mafia Wars.<br />
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Based out of San Francisco, Zynga is the world’s fastest growing social gaming company, having cracked the code of making successful games. “We’ve also adapted these games according to regions. For instance, the FarmVille India game includes localised content like auto rickshaws, tractors, Indian seasonal vegetables and poultry. This makes for great user engagement,” opines Shan. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Keeping that paradigm of increasing user engagement in mind, Zynga recently opened the biggest studio in Bengaluru, after its head office in San Francisco. Aside of monitoring content, the Indian studio will also be creating games for social media users from here. Zynga India has already created three of the top five most played games after Mafia Wars and FarmVille, which include Vampire Island, YoVille and CityVille. They are currently in the testing phase of Treasure Island, their most recent game.<br />
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<strong>Sells in India too</strong><br />
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India, according to Shan, is as interested in game development as the First World. “Even though the gaming market share is very little and it’s still considered a traditionally niche genre, we think game development and Bollywood production have a lot in common,” reasons Shan, explaining how both the industries that have a large number of users and viewers, employ creative people and use high-end technology for creation. For that purpose, Zynga has also employed top animators from the FX industry.<br />
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Among that talent is Dhimant Vyas, an animator who designed the title sequence for the Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par (2007). “Since Indian animators and special effects experts have also been working on Hollywood productions, it only made sense for us to tap into that potential here,” says Shan.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-67512076361541435092011-03-23T00:21:00.001-07:002011-03-23T00:21:52.966-07:00Online gaming spreads to Asia's poorer nations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">With his eyes fixed on the screen and his fingers flying over the keyboard, Cambodian teenager An Sopheak is lost in a world of ancient Chinese fighter heroes. <br />
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All around him, dozens of other, mostly male, faces are equally engrossed in their online fantasy game in this dark Internet cafe in the Cambodian capital. <br />
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The scene is a familiar one across Asia, but it's a relatively new sight in Cambodia, one of the region's poorest nations with one of the lowest rates of Internet usage. <br />
<a name='more'></a>"I feel so cool when my hero gets stronger," said 16-year-old An Sopheak, taking a short break from Justice X Wars II, known as JXII, the country's most popular game. <br />
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Cambodia, with a population of some 14 million people, had just 78,000 Internet users in 2009, according to the most recent United Nations data, but web access is improving rapidly. <br />
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As more Internet cafes have opened up, online gaming has taken off among Cambodia's urban teens, most of whom have no Internet at home. <br />
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Multi-player online games allow people to compete against each other in an ongoing virtual adventure. <br />
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It is no surprise that the trend is gradually spreading to countries with relatively low connectivity rates, said industry analyst Michael Inouye at US-based ABI Research. <br />
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"The limiting factor in the less affluent countries is often infrastructure and hardware-related and not for a lack of desire," he said. <br />
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It is a similar story in Nepal, another impoverished country with extremely low Internet penetration. <br />
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Only an estimated one percent of its 28 million people has web access, but teenagers are now flocking to Internet cafes in the capital Kathmandu to play games with combative names like World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike, Street Fighter and Call of Duty. <br />
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"I love it, it feels like you are playing a physical game," said Ronit Shrestha, 16, who spends 30 rupees (50 cents) an hour on his hobby. <br />
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Sudeep Shrestha, who runs a centre for electronic gaming in the city, said the popularity of online games was fuelled by a lack of things for young people to do.<br />
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"We have very few open spaces where people can go to play physical games," he said. "Like all new technology, online games arrived here very late, only a few years ago, but they have become popular with young people who want to have fun in the virtual world." <br />
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But some poor Asian countries such as Bangladesh -- which like Cambodia has an Internet penetration rate of just 0.5 percent -- have yet to embrace online gaming. <br />
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Teenagers in the capital Dhaka love to spend time on social networking sites like Facebook, but there appears to be little appetite for long-running, multi-player games and the city has no dedicated gaming centres. <br />
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This could have something to do with Dhaka's daily rolling blackouts which would prevent players from being online for hours on end, as seems to be the norm among gamers. <br />
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Richard Heeks, professor of development informatics at Britain's University of Manchester, says the appeal of online gaming is "universal" and it is only a matter of time before the phenomenon spreads as the world gets more connected. <br />
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"In five years' time no doubt the gaming bandwagon will be rolling through Africa," he predicts. <br />
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Cambodia's Internet cafes are trying to cash in on the trend by offering discounts to gamers, who overwhelmingly favour JXII -- a multi-player adventure based on Chinese legends that involves fighting opponents from rival kingdoms. <br />
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"<strong>I play the game in secret</strong>," said 14-year-old Chheng Roth Donior, who admits to spending three to five hours a day in Internet cafes if he can. <br />
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"Sometimes my mum beats me because I come here. I am afraid of her finding out but I want to play," the art school student said. <br />
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His virtual warfare costs him between 2,000 (50 cents) and 5,000 riel a day, money he takes out of his daily food allowance of 5,000 riel. "Sometimes I don't eat," he said. <br />
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While that might sound extreme, Cambodian gamers so far appear to be less hardcore than some of their peers in countries where online gaming is more entrenched. <br />
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China and South Korea have opened treatment facilities to help gamers overcome their Internet addictions. <br />
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In South Korea, online gaming has even been linked to deaths. Last year, a 32-year-old man died after reportedly playing for five days with few breaks, and a teenage boy committed suicide after killing his mother for scolding him over playing computer games too much. <br />
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Cambodia has ordered gaming centres not to set up shop near schools to discourage pupils from skipping class to play computer games. <br />
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Nonetheless, So Sothy, a Phnom Penh high school teacher, estimates that 10 percent of his 50 students regularly play truant so they can indulge in online gaming. <br />
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"I worry that they spend more time on games than on lessons, and forget to do their homework," the 27-year-old said. <br />
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But time spent on the computer can also be beneficial for people in developing countries, according to Heeks. <br />
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"There may be economic advantages -- helping build ICT (information and communication technology) skills, helping build the foundation for a gaming sector -- though it's all rather new for us to pronounce with any certainty," he said.<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-16030061272467994742011-02-16T05:33:00.001-08:002011-02-16T05:33:59.005-08:00Dehla Pakad Card Game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Dehla Pakad is a four player card game played in India. Dehla Pakad card game is very exciting, easy to learn and offers a unique game everytime you play it.<br />
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Dehla pakad card game is loved by elderly people and is played all nights in villages of India. A slight variation of Dehla pakad is also known as Coat piece. Dehla pakad is considered to be a game of smart people and needs some strategy to win it.<br />
<a name='more'></a>The beauty of Dehla Pakad is that a player has to focus/guess the opponent's cards as well as his team member's cards and the trump is not declared at the start of the game. Also, the aim is not only to make seven hands but also get a minimum of two 10s at the end of the game which makes it more exciting. See how Dehla Pakad card game is played and you will know how much fun it is:<br />
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<strong>Players in Dehla Pakad card game</strong>: 4 players (two teams of two players each)<br />
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<strong>Number of cards in a Dehla Pakad card game</strong>: Dehla pakad is played with a single pack of 52 cards. <br />
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<strong>Hands in a Dehla Pakad card game</strong>: The aim is to make 7 hands and collect a minimum of two 10s. If team A makes seven hands but the team B gets three 10s, team A would be the looser. If both the team gets two 10s each, the team that gets seven hands wins the game.<br />
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<strong>Dealer</strong>: A quick draw of cards is done and the player who gets the Jack becomes the dealer. <br />
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<strong>Card distribution in a Dehla Pakad card game</strong>: 13 cards are distributed to each player in three rounds where 5 cards are distributed in first round and 4 cards each in two following rounds.<br />
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<strong>Trump</strong>: Trump is not decided in the beginning of the game but a trump is decided is during the game and it could be anyone from the four players who can declare the trump. Suppose player A and C are in team X and B and D are in team Y. Now during the game suppose player A plays a card from hearts and player B doesn't have a card from hearts, player B will play a card from some other suit and whatever suit player B plays, becomes the trump for that game. <br />
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This is where the fun begins as A, C and D would wonder, what would B play and what trump would open. Even B's partner D would keep guessing. B would have to carefully think, assess his cards and guess his partner D's cards and then declare the trump.<br />
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If any team is able to collect all four 10s, then its a COAT on the looser team. It is like winning a series of matches. <br />
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<strong>Goal of a Dehla Pakad Game</strong>: The aim is to make seven hands and a minimum of two 10s.<br />
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Dehla Pakad card game is quite popular in states like Bihar, UP and MP while some of the other popular card games in these regions are 29 and rummy. When playing in person, many like to play Dehla Pakad for real money as well but It might not be legal to play Dehla Pakad online for real money which may be the reason why an online Dehla Pakad card game is not available. As far as legality is concerned, only rummy card game is allowed to be played online for real money in India.<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-84671690206331079792011-02-14T04:02:00.000-08:002016-08-06T03:52:19.396-07:00Teen do Paanch Card Game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Teen do Paanch is a three player card game played in India usually by kids. Teen do paanch card game is very exciting, easy to learn and loads of fun.<br />
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In India, kids usually start with saath-aath card game and then move up the ladder with teen do paanch and then they take on card games like rummy, dehla pakad, chokdi, teen-patti etc. These games are a little tough as it involves higher degree of tricks involved.<br />
<a name='more'></a>The beauty of teen do paanch is that even the elders who usually play rummy card game, bridge, chokdi, teenpatti, dehla pakad etc like it because it has a childishness involved in this game. Learn how teen do paanch card game is played and you will know how much fun it is:<br />
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<strong>Players in teen do paanch card game</strong>: 3 players<br />
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Hands in a teen do paanch card game: One player makes 5 hands, the second player has to make 3 hands and the dealer has to make 2 hands.<br />
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Number of cards in a teen do paanch card game: 30 cards. Out of the 52 cards, 22 cards are removed. Ace to Seven of spades and hearts and Ace to eight of clubs and diamonds form the playing 30 cards.<br />
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<strong>Card distribution in a typical teen do paanch card game</strong>:<br />
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<strong>Dealer</strong>: Three cards a 2, a 3 and a 5 are taken out, shuffled and then distributed. Whosoever gets the 2 becomes the dealer as he has to make 2 hands and the person sitting on his right has to make 5 hands. The third player has to make 3 hands. In total, 10 hands are to be made.<br />
The player who makes 2 hands in this game will make 3 hands in the next game as the player who is supposed to make 5 hands in this game will deal and would make 2 hands.<br />
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<strong>Card distribution</strong>: Each player gets 10 cards.<br />
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First Step: 5 cards are distributed to each player in two rounds. The player who has to make 5 hands declares the trump from those 5 cards. If the player is not comfortable in declaring the trump from those 5 cards, he/she can open a random card from the next 5 cards that he/she would get and that suit becomes the trump for that particular game.<br />
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<strong>How the teen do paanch card game is played?</strong><br />
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The player who has to make 5 hands starts the game. The aim is to make more and more hands.<br />
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At the end of the game, if a player has made more hands than he/she is supposed to; he/she has the right to pull/take those many cards or choose from the opponent i.e. if X, Y and Z are playing a teen do paanch card game and X was suppose to make 2 hands, Y was supposed to make 5 hands and Z was supposed to make 3 hands. Here X ended up making 4 hands, Y ended up making 4 hands and Z ended up making 2 hands. So X made 2 extra hands and is now eligible to pull out one card from Y and Z each in the next game.<br />
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<strong>How the card pulling rule works?</strong><br />
Taking the example above, X will draw one card from the ten cards of Y (without seeing cards of Y) and then return one card to Y. And, will do the same with Z too. This process happens after the trump is declared. Here X has a chance to get a good card from Y and Z and return them less usefull cards. This way X gets rewarded for making more than required hands in the previous game.<br />
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Teen do paanch card game is quite popular in India but it is not as popular as teenpatti or rummy. This, it seems is the reason why an online teen do paanch card game is not available. Also, not sure if playing teen do paanch card game online for real money would be legal to play in India. As far as legality is concerned, only rummy card game is allowed to be played online for real money in India.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-91118744378166421182011-02-06T23:32:00.000-08:002011-02-06T23:32:57.181-08:00Social Gaming rising in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdL2GjHSVpr5C0WXxzxSN6Rvv_F8SiHLu4P3Pv-h2IquKBG3O9-NfLVyvWBErn2GXKsU2A0e1BRPqQiOJjqa3nm9NVzv7m1B4KSd9jAKmKJhmSludVuBgmOx6n9HEHOAu7QxH8EZdoHvT/s1600/social-game-farmville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdL2GjHSVpr5C0WXxzxSN6Rvv_F8SiHLu4P3Pv-h2IquKBG3O9-NfLVyvWBErn2GXKsU2A0e1BRPqQiOJjqa3nm9NVzv7m1B4KSd9jAKmKJhmSludVuBgmOx6n9HEHOAu7QxH8EZdoHvT/s200/social-game-farmville.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The social gaming landscape in the country is witnessing a growth momentum due to easy access to mobile and Internet facilities which is offering youths exciting platforms for expanding their circle of friends. <br />
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The growth of social networks sites, the time spent by users on them, the high entertainment value proposition and opportunity to engage in fun and casual interaction with friends, was fuelling the social gaming market, say social gaming experts.<br />
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<strong>"Worldwide over 500 million play social games. In India more than 10 million (over 50 per cent) of Facebook users play social games</strong>", says Deepak Abbot, Vice President-Product, Zapak.com, one of the leading social gaming players.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>"Today conversations have found a new medium of interaction - Social Gaming. Social games now act as mini social networks. They have now become the conversation starters among two people active on the network," says Rahul Razdan, President, Products & Operations, Ibibo web.<br />
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According to Razdan, on a social network site, only 10 per cent are really active posting their pictures or providing updates on social life.<br />
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But a social gaming format works differently. Here, a user can simply play a game, make a comment and respond to their friend's moves and take active part without really bothering about whether they had something awesome to say or post pictures, as would be required in a social network site.<br />
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It creates reasons for interaction with every action of a player demanding a counter reaction. "It is an inclusive traction", he said.<br />
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<strong>Gaming in India though dominated by men, has a sizeable women gaming population as well.</strong> Games that favour aesthetic expressions, building and growing a farm found favour with women, while games relating to mafia, violence and hard core action saw men gravitate toward them.<br />
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"The statistics were skewed towards women (55 per cent) when it came to word games", he said. Surprisingly a game like Teen Pati (a game of cards) on Ibibo actually saw 30 per cent of women playing the game on Diwali night, said Rahul.<br />
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"<strong>The age profile of social gamers is usually 18-34</strong>", said Abbot. "<strong>The Indian social gamer is a bit younger than the average international gamer</strong>", he said.<br />
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"Women constitute 30 per cent of the Facebook and Internet users in India, the same per cent can also be assumed in the social gaming space. As the games are more related to building, collaborating and managing these games appeal to women too. There is hardly any skill required to play social games, therefore, gender is not an issue", said Abbot.<br />
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Social games are also a kind of a power booster as they allow youngsters to virtually own cars or a farm, operate a mafia, issue challans, generate virtual money and also spearhead a complex virtual action-packed operation.<br />
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The challenge in growing the social gaming market for India lies in creating content that has an Indian flavour, says Razdan. An Italian mafia is not everyone's cup of tea here, but an underworld Mumbai gang would find more takers, so would games related to Indian topics.<br />
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"Growth will come by focusing on Indian audience and giving them games which suit their entertainment taste", says Abbot. Currently, there were around five to six players in this space in India and globally, there were over 100 studios. But going forward, he says, "There will be many more gaming studios entering the scene".<br />
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Keen on cashing on the growing market, players are adding new elements to keep the excitement factor going. Ibibo had roped in celebrities to play games. "A gamer would find it exciting when it is Mallika Sherawat he is playing a game with and to know he has parked a car on her street during the game", says Razdan.<br />
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Though still nascent in the Indian market, the evangelisation of the celebrity gaming factor is expected to pick momentum, he feels.<br />
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The social gaming platform could be an added avenue for celebrities to interact with fans and add to numbers. "Once the celebrity sees the magic, we are sure such engagements on the social gaming platform would grow", he said.<br />
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Cricket, the experts opine, also holds huge potential in the social gaming platform. The euphoria could be translated from the real to the virtual world. "Buying a virtual cricket team" on lines of real time IPL auction, could trigger excitement.<br />
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"Social Games around cricket can get popular which are built around and released around IPL and the World Cup. However we don t see these games replacing the physical popularity of cricket. For cricket fans it would be another way to engage with their favourite past time", said Abbot.<br />
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Social gaming has also entered the realm of reality based games. "Ibibo has also created a platform for all those who want to showcase their talent by developing reality based social games which are breaking the stereotypical concept prevalent in the TV and reaching to a wider audience. Such reality based game shows where an individual is judged by the user population and rated has found a good response" said Razdan.<br />
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Social games also offer a revenue platform through advertisement and brand building and sale of virtual goods. The social gaming platform holds a huge potential in terms of replicating the success in the mainstream media. The number of Indians ready to pay for the games has begun to increase, though several still opt for free online games.<br />
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Currently the social gaming space is fairly regulated. The players say that any additional layers of security in trying to regulate the content could spell trouble. They say the space must be self regulated to keep the momentum going.<br />
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Going forward, social gaming players need to ensure that the games should hold some inherent incentives and features that would get a social gamer keep coming back, said experts.<br />
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Currently, the gaming population largely includes English speaking users with a robust friend network in terms of an alumni network. To increase the number of gamers, players would have to devise games where those lacking such robust friend network could still play.<br />
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<strong>"Delhi, Mumbai have the greatest number of gamers, followed by Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad</strong>. (This is proportional to the Internet penetration in India.) Social gaming picking up in tier one and two cities depends on the penetration of Facebook in these cities, which is currently low", says Abbot.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: IBN</span></em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-83267340915736606482011-02-06T23:28:00.000-08:002011-02-06T23:28:04.188-08:00Cricket dons a digital avatar this gaming season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Zapak, Nazara, Jump Games, Sony and Dream11 set to release games on the mobile, internet platforms to cash in on frenzy<br />
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This month, the sub-continent will host the ICC World Cup 2011 — and cashing in on the ubiquitous cricket buzz will be the Indian mobile and internet gaming industry.<br />
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“The cricket World Cup appeals to a wide audience, with even non-cricket enthusiasts getting involved. Games ideally need to be reasonably priced and should be able to touch base with the masses,” said Rohit Sharma, CEO (digital business), Reliance BIG Entertainment.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Reliance Entertainment, which owns the Zapak brand, is set to launch the official personal computer version of the Cup’s game, christened Cricket Power. The game CD pack is priced at Rs 299 and will be available both online and in stores from the second week of February.<br />
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<em>The gaming market in India, which is growing at 30 per cent at present, is set to be valued at almost Rs 2,000 crore by 2014, according to a report by Market Research</em>. The market is dominated by mobile gaming with a 57 per cent market share.<br />
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Sure enough, two of the leading mobile gaming businesses (<strong>Nazara Technologies</strong> and <strong>Jump Games</strong>) have their own plans in place for the World Cup, with both launching games not just for Java, but for Android devices as well.<br />
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Jump Games, the official partner of ICC for mobile gaming, has released ‘ICC World Cup 2011, Games. The games will be launched across cricket playing nations and subsequently in countries like the US that have a substantial Indian population.<br />
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“Keeping the global launch in mind, we have ensured that the game is available on the AppStore and is iPhone-compatible. The game will be priced at Rs 99 in India and $5 globally. We expect a million downloads within the month,” said Salil Bhargava, CEO, Jump Games.<br />
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Jump Games is the mobile gaming division of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) and has seen a five-fold growth in the past few years on the back of the burgeoning mobile market.<br />
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Nazara, on the other hand, is the exclusive partner for Electronic Arts in India and is planning to cash in on the 3G upsurge. Games will be dominated by high-definition graphics which will undergo cricket technique assimilation.<br />
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“For Nazara, the spotlight will be on quality in Indian users and correct marketing through tie-ups with operators. The game will be priced at Rs 50 and we expect about 2,000 downloads in the season,” said CEO Nitish Mittersain.<br />
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Web-based gaming companies, including Dream11, which specialise in graphical fantasy cricket, will launch 50 casual cricket games next month, keeping in mind both the passionate and casual cricket fans.<br />
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A typical Dream11 user would have the option of choosing between the daily and the tour challenge, which allows the user to pick the team on a day-to-day basis or for the duration of the World Cup, respectively.<br />
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“At present, we have about 600,000 registered users, which we estimate will go up substantially during the season. What is interesting is that the one-day international (ODI) format allows the user to get more innovative with the team he chooses and the game he plays,” said Harsh Jain, managing director, Dream11.<br />
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The buzz of cashing in on the World Cup frenzy is not restricted to gaming businesses on the web and mobile phone platforms. Sony, the world’s largest gaming company and maker of the iconic PlayStation, is set to come up with its own version of World Cup games.<br />
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Sony PlayStation will launch ‘Street Championship’ a game which the company thinks will capture the spirit of cricket in the narrow Indian bylanes.<br />
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The game, which has no official alliance with the ICC World Cup, will be launched and marketed around the cricketing season this year — the ICC event followed by the Indian Premier League (IPL-4).<br />
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“We are looking at sales exceeding 120,000 units on the dual platforms of the PlayStation-II (PS-II) and the PlayStation Portable (PSP). This will open the market up to subsequent opportunities,” said Atindriya Bose, country manager, Sony Computer Entertainment India.<br />
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Gaming, which is still at a nascent stage in India looks set to benefit from the cricket extravaganza that the country has in offer over one month for its equally enthusiastic cricket buffs. After all, it is India’s unofficial national game.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Business Standard</span></em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-41415967942669514672011-01-27T22:20:00.000-08:002011-01-27T22:20:54.029-08:00Harman Baweja stands second in Poker Championship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiDPS4nqwlUJJSxMThhgrvYKxeIDCVLNTFNgNSWGIrkrwByK6WKuG7H1OdjrdWVlnCxyJV-Bp6YxPIsFxFinqI6_dzd-tDA3OY4TCxmmYbxlgOXvIcaO_LThwvQYex_NO2PVKKVmRn-uO/s1600/harman-baweja-poker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiDPS4nqwlUJJSxMThhgrvYKxeIDCVLNTFNgNSWGIrkrwByK6WKuG7H1OdjrdWVlnCxyJV-Bp6YxPIsFxFinqI6_dzd-tDA3OY4TCxmmYbxlgOXvIcaO_LThwvQYex_NO2PVKKVmRn-uO/s1600/harman-baweja-poker.jpg" /></a></div>Harman Baweja stood second in the recently held India Poker Championship (IPC) in Goa. However, the actor took part in the tournament just to enjoy the game at the behest of a friend.<br />
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Talking about his love for poker Harman says, "I was in Goa for a friend's birthday and we got to know about the IPC being held around the same time. My friend Sameer suggested I participate in the tournament. Even though initially I was apprehensive I decided to take part just for the fun of it."<br />
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While he sat for the game with a casual attitude, he soon got involved in it as the hands progressed. "<strong>Yes, I did want to win when I started playing</strong>. I think when you play any game the intention is to win it. So it felt great when I was playing contenders and winning rounds. My stack kept growing bigger and in the end I had to play opposite the finalist and finish second."<br />
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Is he a serious player? "Not really. <em>I picked up poker recently and am not sure my mom would like to know about it!</em><br />
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I have friends who are experts at the game and even play it online on their Facebook accounts. I don't think I would like to pursue it seriously, as I play it re-creationally."</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-6739855431689047472011-01-27T22:04:00.000-08:002011-01-27T22:04:03.121-08:00How a Mobile Gaming Startup is Turning Sports Spectators Into Players<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">While Thump CEO Chip Overstreet was watching the 2000 Rose Bowl with friends, he had an entirely normal conversation about what would happen next between the Wisconsin Badgers and Stanford Cardinal. At which point he was struck with a great idea. What if there was a game that allowed sports fans to compete with each other to most accurately predict the next play?<br />
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At the time, smartphones and tablets were science fiction, Mark Zuckerberg was still in high school, and the term “social game” suggested Trivial Pursuit.<br />
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Nine years later, Overstreet picked the idea back up and created Thump, a game that lives on iPhones, Android phones, BlackBerrys, Microsoft’s Slate tablet and Facebook. As sport fans watch a game, they can compete with a group of friends or strangers to be the most accurate predictor of what their teams will do next. The version for pro and college football launched in September. Baseball is planned to launch in March.<br />
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Mashable recently talked with Overstreet about how Thump aims to offer a game that is compelling to both players and advertisers.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/01/28/thump/">http://mashable.com/2011/01/28/thump/</a></span></em><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-5360829515414796342011-01-23T23:48:00.000-08:002011-01-23T23:48:28.840-08:00Mobile Gaming Poised for Growth in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">According to latest research report “India Mobile Gaming Analysis”, India has become a high growth potential market for the global mobile gaming players. The industry has been witnessing phenomenal growth since 2005 and has outpaced other mobile gaming markets around the world. A vast mobile consumer base and increasing penetration of mobile gamers has transformed once a buzzword into a fully fledged industry. The 71% CAGR market growth during 2010-2014 readily confirms Indian market’s attractiveness and calls for foreign investments.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The study revealed that, mobile devices have gained popularity and have become a vital source of information among youngsters. This is one of the major reasons for the unprecedented industry growth. Total number of mobile subscribers is fore-casted to grow at a CAGR of around 10% during FY 2010- FY 2014. Growth in subscriber’s base will directly reflect in sharp increase in mobile gaming companies revenue as awareness levels and mobile games downloads are stupendously increasing in the country.<br />
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Further, at the overall gaming fronts, although the mobile gaming segment is relatively smaller in market size, it has experienced fastest development pace among the existing segments including PC, online and console gaming. During our forecast period, the segment is anticipated to sustain its skyrocketing growth on the strong back of various factors discussed and analyzed in the report.<br />
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Further, consumer behavior analysis identified that students represent half of the mobile gaming industry in India followed by working professionals. The self employed and service class consumers are slowly but steadily shifting their preference from traditional mobile usage to value added services utilization. It is anticipated that this consumer end will rapidly expand in coming years, which will attract more market players to enter this segment.<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-55846497642381911942011-01-21T02:57:00.000-08:002011-01-21T05:25:07.272-08:00Most Popular Card Games in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Playing games online is one of the <b>IN</b> things these days, mainly because of the increasing Internet penetration, lack of time, hectic lifestyle, integration of the social element in gaming which is taking the online gaming business to an extraordinary level. Strategy based games, role playing games, social games, war games, shooting games, racing games, sports based games, flash games are the most common games that you will find people hooked to but it is the traditional <b>card games</b> that are making their way ahead in the recent times.<br />
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There would be different opinions about what are the best card games available online for Indian because every person has a preference for which card game do they enjoy the most but the truth is that Indians love to play card games and now this love is slightly shifting. No, they are not playing other games but the difference is that they are playing the same old card games online.<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Teen Patti</b>: Whenever someone talks about gambling in India, Teen patti is the name that comes up. This game is also called as Flash (may have been derived from the term Flush) and is similar to some versions of Poker card game. Teen patti originated in India and is now a popular card game in entire south Asia. In India, Teen patti is not allowed to play for real money and there are a few websites offering it for fun too.<br />
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<b>Poker</b>: Poker is not a very popular card game in India and is primarily a game of the west. In India, people with a west connection know about it and are starting to learn playing poker through some websites and social apps available on Facebook.com. Poker is by far the most played card game in the world and online poker is a multi-billion dollar industry. Poker by essence is a game of chance and involves a lot of luck which is one of the prime reasons it is not allowed to play for real money in India. PartyGaming is one of the biggest poker companies of the world and is known for its famous online poker website <b>partypoker</b> has a revenue of around <b>$450 million</b>.<br />
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<b>29 card game (also called 28)</b>: 29 is one of the most popular card games in UP, Bihar, West Bengal and is also played a lot in Bangladesh. It is said that 29 is a variant of Jass Games from Europe and was brought in India by the Dutch traders. Twenty nine is really exciting and people play it all night and infact fight to play for it. 29 is a team game played with 4 players where 2 players become partners and the objective of this game is to gather maximum number of points. The game is played with 32 cards of a single pack of cards where Jack is the highest card and Nine is the second highest card. The trump is not disclosed in the beginning and hided by the person who claims to make the highest number of points in the beginning of the game. Jokers are not involved in this game.<br />
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<b>Rummy</b>: Rummy is one of the most popular card games in India and is played by commuters in trains, friends on weekends and holidays, women in social parties, men in local clubs. The most exciting thing about rummy is that the uniqueness it offers with each game and moreover the kind of skill that one has to apply to arrange the cards is just a great mix of skill and intellect. In India, Rummy is the only card game that is legal to play for real money and already lacs of users are playing rummy online on <b>Games24x7.com</b> for real cash. This website offers unlimited number of free rummy games so that users can get accustomed to the online version and look and feel. The website also Jhatpat rummy tournaments where users dont have to put any money and still they can win cash prizes.<br />
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<b>Dehla Pakad </b>(Variation of Coat Piece and Chokdi): Dehla pakad is another team game where 2 players form a team and is played with a single pack of cards. The aim of this game is to make a make a minimum of seven hands and gather more than two 10s in those hands. If a team is able to collect three 10s, they win that particular game even if they make less than seven hands. If a team is able to get the four 10s, the opponent gets a coat (also called as kot). Each player is dealt thirteen cards in three rounds where five cards are distributed in first round and the first opponent has to declare a trump from those five cards. After that four cards are distributed to each player in two rounds.<br />
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Most of us would have tried their hands on these card games with their friends and family members and most of you would try and find excuses to meet up with friends to play these games but the inability to meet up with friends to play these card games for hours is what takes you to websites that offer card games online. When it comes to playing card games online in India, you would not find online version of 29 card game and Dehla-pakad but you would find good enough versions of teen patti, poker and rummy.<br />
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You would be surprised to see a fantastic website that offers 13 cards <a href="http://www.games24x7.com/">Indian rummy</a> online where one can play free rummy as well as rummy for cash. The best part is that you get to invite your friends and family to play rummy with you. A real like table was there and two players are sitting at two ends playing rummy, chatting through the chat feature and having a really good time. <b>What else does one needs?</b><br />
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From all the card games available for Indians, rummy card becomes the top choice here because it is the game with which majority of Indians are familiar with, it can be played with only two players whereas games like poker, Dehla-pakad, 29 etc need at least three or four people to play or to make it interesting. When it comes to Online arena, rummy also wins the race because website like <b>Games24x7.com</b> offers you to play free rummy, win free cash as welll as play rummy for cash. So, when you have an option to play for free and still win real money, why not play rummy which is already a known game, popular game, fun, exciting and interesting!!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-24159200234145893032011-01-18T22:19:00.000-08:002011-01-18T22:19:20.229-08:00Cyber Cafe users are mostly affluentCyber cafe users are experienced Internet users with 64% using the Net for the last two years, according to an IMRB survey titled Internet Usage and Habits of Cyber Café Users. The survey has been conducted across 41 cities. More than 80% of the visitors to cyber cafes are from SEC (socio-economic category) A — 53% and SEC B — 29%, so the cyber cafe clientele is affluent. Education levels are also high, with 60% users being graduates or above.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Playing <a href="http://www.games24x7.com/">online games</a> appears to be a popular activity at cyber cafes, with 51% of user activity being accorded to playing games at the cafes, compared to only 32% at home. In the remaining activity time, online shopping, banking, purchase of financial investment products and searching for products — primarily consumer durables — are the popular pursuits.<br />
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<strong>Comfort levels with online transactions are high at cyber cafes with 51% comfortable with online shopping and 45% comfortable with online banking</strong>. A good 59% of cyber cafe users have bought financial products. Of the 50% of cyber cafe users who search for products, all search for consumer durables.<br />
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Surprisingly, 53% of cyber cafe users own a desktop PC at home and 79% of users who have Internet at home, have a broadband connection. So why would they be interested in visiting cyber cafes? “It is possible that users are able to avail of high speed connections at cheap rates, have convenience and privacy, and can gets prints and scans easily. Besides, cyber cafes are youth hubs,” said Balendu Shrivastava, group business director, e-Tech Group, IMRB International.<br />
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On why cyber cafes are generating so much consumer research interest, Shrivastava said, “Cyber cafes have consistently been the largest source for Internet access for India and as per the last Icube study, Internet growth is coming from small towns where cyber cafes are the primary source of access. So, obviously, it is encouraging to see data on cafe users by a credible authority.”<br />
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On the effectiveness of advertising, 53% of the respondents in the survey felt that advertising creates an impulse to purchase products.<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Hindustan Times</span></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-6913017015074049122011-01-17T04:12:00.000-08:002011-01-17T04:12:12.218-08:00UTV may exit IndiagamesFounder, other investors in talks to buy back stake even as boom seen in sector<br />
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Media and entertainment firm UTV Software Communications is in the process of selling its stake in UTV Indiagames — the online and mobile gaming subsidiary of the group, said two sources involved in the deal.<br />
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Sources said Vishal Gondal, founder of Indiagames, along with existing investors Cisco and Adobe, are in talks with both private equity consortia and strategic investors to buy back the stake they’d once sold to the parent firm. The deal is expected to be in the range of $80-100 million (Rs 360 crore-Rs 450 crore).<br />
<a name='more'></a>UTV in 2006 had invested Rs 68 crore to acquire 51 per cent stake in Indiagames. UTV had further increased its holding in the company to 58 per cent. The acquisition was an attempt by UTV to get into the mobile gaming segment. At the same time, it had acquired 70 per cent stake in UK-based Ignition Entertainment, a console gaming firm.<br />
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Indiagames is expected to clock revenues of $10 million (Rs 45 crore) for the year ending March 31 and has an operating profit of Rs 2 crore. According to a research report by Equirus, an advisory firm, it is estimated to have a compounded annual growth rate of 18 per cent from 2009-10 to 2013-14.<br />
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“The process is still underway. In all probability, the promoter will buy back the stake from UTV along with either a PE player or a strategic investor. However, this time the promoters are hoping to keep the majority shareholding with themselves,” said a source.<br />
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“It seems there is a general consensus within the group and the promoters about the sale. If UTV would not have given a go-ahead, it would have been difficult for the sale to happen,” said another source in the know.<br />
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When asked, Vishal Gondal, also CEO of UTV Indiagames, denied any such development. Calls to Ronnie Screwvala, founder and chairman, UTV Software Communications, did not elicit any response. An email to the company was not answered.<br />
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<strong>Online success</strong><br />
The deal is happening at a time when dotcom firms have again become favourites in the investing community. Especially so after the successful listing of online travel portal MakeMyTrip. In the recent past, Intrasoft Technologies, an online greeting card portal which owns 123Greetings, listed successfully on the Indian bourses. Online automotive auction portal MotorExchange raised around $5 million from Epiphany Ventures and existing investors Canaan Partners. In 2009, the firm had received its Series-A funding. Local search firm Justdial.com is also planning for a listing this year.<br />
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Indigames is one of the major players in the Indian online and mobile gaming segment and has a market share of around 50 per cent, according to market experts. It competes with players like Reliance Group’s gaming firm, Zapak, and casual game developer Games2Win, founded by Alok Kejriwal.<br />
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UTV has presence in console and online gaming, as well as PC, mobile and direct-to-home platforms. It has entered the PC and online gaming space through the acquisiton of UK-based Ignition Entertainment and US-based True Games. For the first half of financial year 2010-11, the gaming and interactive segment contributed 12 per cent to revenue. For the second quarter ended September 30, 2010, UTV’s gaming and interactive segment clocked revenue of Rs 35.7 crore, a drop of 40 per cent compared to the same quarter last year. However, the company expects this segment to contribute 20-30 per cent to the revenues for 2010-11.<br />
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Based out of Mumbai, Indiagames has close to 250 employees. The company’s Games on Demand subscription model has a base of 60,000 users. It is one of the three firms from India to have logged a million downloads on Nokia’s Ovi store. Indiagames is also a distributor of games of Electronic Arts.<br />
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“The mobile gaming space has a very small base. Hence, the growth will only get better. With 3G coming in, we think the mobile gaming space will see improvement. More important, gadgets like tablet PCs and increaed usage of applications on these handhelds will give a boost to the gaming segment,” said Jhehil Thakkar, Executive Director- Performance and Technology, KPMG.<br />
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According to the Ficci-KPMG 2010 report, the mobile gaming market is expected to be Rs 240 crore in 2010 and will be a Rs 1,430 crore market by 2014. <strong>Meanwhile, the PC and online game market is expected to have a compounded annual growth rate of 37.8 per cent from 2009 to 2014, to clock revenue of Rs 610 crore by 2014.</strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Source: Business Standard</em></span><strong> </strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-6541673346331116452011-01-13T03:32:00.000-08:002011-01-13T03:32:46.823-08:00X-Up Rummy Tournaments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAdks1GX_hjxxU4jmHgIYcBzC0-LGpr7_uqILOVDJ4L9BMF5R4Z7rpFca9sJWMNklbJqVzbWI1JBZucLEwaiDnwJyn-HbCaVekjlOKvd_OqGsEkk2nOf7Zlyry_3wqlh5-SyYRxuTRUep/s1600/xUp-logo-promotion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAdks1GX_hjxxU4jmHgIYcBzC0-LGpr7_uqILOVDJ4L9BMF5R4Z7rpFca9sJWMNklbJqVzbWI1JBZucLEwaiDnwJyn-HbCaVekjlOKvd_OqGsEkk2nOf7Zlyry_3wqlh5-SyYRxuTRUep/s200/xUp-logo-promotion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A new super exciting tournament format introduced only on Games24X7.com.<br />
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You pay Rs. X in entry fee and we will multiply it twice, thrice or four times so that you can win more and have more fun!<br />
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Check out the January 2011 <a href="http://www.games24x7.com/player/RummyTournamentSchedule.html">Rummy Tournament Schedule</a></li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-35777301383711038562011-01-13T03:18:00.000-08:002011-01-13T03:18:22.494-08:00Unwind by Playing Online GamesWould you believe that today's hardcore workaholic professionals never misses to plough his farm and water his plants? You better believe it because such professionals are playing online games like Farmville, Mafia Wars etc to de-stress themselves.<br />
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Such professionals are mushrooming and psychologists also agree that playing online games is a great stress buster, of course if not overdone. Some of the popular games that are popular among the professionals today are Texas Poker, Mafia wars, Mind Jolt, <strong>Rummy</strong> and FarmVille.<br />
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The only jungle that such professionals see is that of concrete or that in computers or television. Farmville and other such games are providing an opportunity to live the dream i.e. own a farm, grow trees, fruits, vegetables and of course, all of this comes with hard work wherein you have to water your plants regularly just like a real life farm.<br />
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I was talking to a friend who said that some people laugh at him but he doesn't care as he finds social network and online gaming pretty relaxing and it gives a real life experience where he is growing his own fruits and vegetables and have some farm animals too. Who would have thought that in spite of having such busy schedule and working non-stop on computer and then facing heavy traffic jams to reach home, playing online games would be a superb break.<br />
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Sujay Chadha, a iron plates trader said: “I go online between my work to quickly try my hand over a game of rummy or scrabble and have recently been playing CityVille. My mind is totally diverted from the routine and its acts as a instant refresh button and I can concentrate on my work better.<br />
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The 12-15 hours shifts squeezes the entire energy from professionals so that they could hit the gym or go to a nearby club to enjoy an outdoor sport which again makes online games a good alternative. Due to lack of time for physical activities, even kids are hooking up to playing games online.<br />
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For professionals meetings, targets, deadlines comes ahead of family, friends and relatives. <b>Games24x7.com</b> is a website that allows you to create your own rummy circle where you can invite your friends and relatives and play rummy online with them; indeed a nice way to connect with the dear ones.<br />
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Parents want their kids to learn computer and Internet and with the increasing penetration of computer and Internet in developing countries like India, kids are having a great time playing unique and interactive games. Some of the parents join kids too.<br />
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Even doctors advise playing games online to people who have hectic work hours to ease out a little. If you go to any stress management session today, most of them advise taking a short break from the work and playing online games is indeed a quick and simple way to relax and unwind but at the same time It is important that these professionals maintain a balance while playing games online.<br />
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All in all, playing games online gives a quick break to young professionals who live a very hectic life and an excess to such schedules can affect their social life and health too. Therefore, physical activities become important and playing online games is just an alternative but one should definitely look to indulge in some physical exercises.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-83397360541214411052011-01-10T01:49:00.000-08:002011-01-10T01:49:07.454-08:00Gaming Technology Helps India Prepare For Terrorist AttacksThe 3D model of Bangalore's Garuda Mall would be right at home in a modern video game, but it's much more than that. It's part of a simulation aimed at helping emergency response teams deal with the all-too-real possibility of a terrorist attack.<br />
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Terrorism is a major issue in India. Over the past year alone the country has seen multiple devastating incidents, from the February explosion at a German Bakery in Pune that left 14 dead and more than 60 wounded, to the December bombing in Varanasi that killed a toddler and saw more than 20 injured in the stampede that followed. Fighting terrorism is a key national priority in India.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Just as important as fighting terrorism, however, is being prepared to react when a terrorist attack lands. Crowds driven into a frenzied panic by a sizeable explosion are nearly as dangerous as the explosion itself, and it's up to emergency personnel to assess the situation, assert control, and help maintain calm during and after these tragic events occur.<br />
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While policemen, paramedics, firemen, and security personnel are all trained on the basics of disaster management, it's hard to accurately predict how people will react when tragedy strikes.<br />
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That's where The Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) in Bangalore steps in. They're developing an as-of-yet unnamed game that simulates an attack on the Garuda Mall as a method for helping emergency workers develop a response to a potential attack on the real world location.<br />
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<strong>Gaming Technology Helps India Prepare For Terrorist Attacks</strong><br />
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The Garuda Mall simulation is being designed as a multiplayer game, with players taking on the role of firemen, police officers, and other emergency workers, working together to help minimize the loss of life following an explosion at the popular gathering place.<br />
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<strong>Gaming Technology Helps India Prepare For Terrorist Attacks</strong><br />
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The project is the work of NGIL, the Next Generation Infrastructure Lab, a team of 14 at CSTEP that develop both video games and pen and paper simulations to help deal with real-world problems like energy policy, power price discovery, and supply-chain management.<br />
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The Garuda game is part of a larger partnership focused on dealing with the issue of disaster management, helping develop responses to both natural disasters and terrorist threats using cutting-edge technology.<br />
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<strong>How cutting edge? How about Crytek's CryEngine3?</strong><br />
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"It is an expensive engine," says Bharath Palavalli, a computer scientist with Next Generation Infrastructure Lab (NGIL), "But the developer (Crytek) shares it on a non-commercial (basis) with not-for-profit organizations like ours. Assets like the Garuda Mall simulation and artificial intelligence that we develop for this game will go back to the developer's library."<br />
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Hopefully one day a game like the Garuda simulation won't be necessary, but until then it's good to know that gaming technology is being used in a manner that could one day save many lives.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-48700293312556470992010-12-29T02:55:00.000-08:002010-12-29T02:55:38.068-08:00As long as it is rummy try your hand in GujaratAman Gymkhana Pvt Limited, Gujarat got relief after the Gujarat High Court declared Rummy Card Game as a game of skill and not gambling. The club owners were not happy with the regular raids and harassment by police over the issue of gambling because of which they approached the High Court.<br />
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A single judge bench of Justice Akil Kureshi considered a judgment of Apex court in case of The state of Andhra Pradesh v. K. Satyanarayana and others, reported in AIR 1968 SC 825 to give relief to the petitioner. In the said judgment, the apex court held that rummy involves element of skill and is not a game of chance and involves no element of gambling.<br />
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The court disposed of the matter with a direction to authorities that they shall not interfere with the members of petitioner’s club or any other visitors as long as it involves no element of gambling.<br />
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The court however clarified that this order should not be understood to be limiting the powers of police authorities to verify whether in name of rummy, gambling is going on in certain premises.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Source: http://www.lawetalnews.com/</em></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-54887939806927189762010-12-22T03:21:00.000-08:002010-12-22T03:21:38.405-08:00Rediff launches gaming section with social networking featuresNasdaq-listed portal Rediff.com, today announced the launch of a gaming section on the website which combines features of social networking with gaming.<br />
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Though there are a variety of websites offering online gaming, the product offering is different because it has social networking features embedded, Rediff's Associate director for product development, Prerana Nayak, said.<br />
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Using the application, one can invite friends to play a particular game, let others know of their performance, or just discuss about the game, she said.<br />
<a name='more'></a>The Mumbai-headquartered website currently offers games in different genres like action, cards, classics and cards. It is an open platform wherein any developer can come and host his games, Nayak said, adding seven developers including Indiagames and Disney India are already on board with their respective product offerings.<br />
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"More than earning from the application, the application is directed more towards engaging our users. There is no financial relationship with the game developers...they get a good visibility through our platform," she said.<br />
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The application had a soft launch three months ago and has been posted on the homepage of the website for the last week, Nayak said.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: DNA</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-32284364165619486702010-12-13T02:52:00.000-08:002010-12-13T02:52:47.048-08:00The new reality of gamingVideo games used to be about fighting aliens and rescuing princesses. <strong>Not any more</strong><br />
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Today’s most popular games have you tilling your farm, hiring waiting staff and devising menus for your restaurant or taking your pets out for walks while maintaining cordial relations with the neighbours. Reality it would seem is the new escapism.<br />
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Farming, running a restaurant or keeping a pet are three of the most successful game concepts on social networks like Facebook or smartphone platforms like iPhone and Android. For instance, Farmville is today the most popular game on Facebook with close to 55 million people playing it every month. Its maker, California-based Zynga — all of three years old — is reported to be (privately) worth USD 5.5 billion. Two of Zynga’s well known peers, Playfish and Playdom, were acquired by Electronic Arts (EA) and Disney over the last year for USD 400 million and USD 763 million, respectively.<br />
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Clearly, there’s money in social network chore-gaming. But why on earth are people actually doing it?<br />
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<strong>Who’s Playing</strong><br />
Video games of the pre-social network era were mostly played by boys or young men. Instead, the core audience of social network games are girls and young women, says Alok Kejriwal, founder and CEO of games2win, an online gaming company. The tipping point in the US came in 2008 when women outnumbered men on the Internet. That trend is even more acute on social networks.<br />
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Combined with millions of parents and grandparents who’re new to the Internet, the traditional face of the gamer is changing from that of a 25-year-old male to a band stretching from 16 to 40 years comprising men and women in almost equal numbers, says Sebastien de Halleux, one of the co-founders of Playfish, now part of EA. Gaming for this new set of players is less about breathtaking graphics, pulsating sound or edge-of-the-seat action and more about strengthening existing real world relations through frequent casual gaming.<br />
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“Social games that have risen to the top are those designed to attract non-gamers, by emphasising the incorporation of your friends into the gaming experience. The idea is that it’s fun playing with people you already know. In fact, in Restaurant City your friends are integral to success — you need to hire them as waiting staff, chefs and janitors, or have them send you ingredients for new dishes,” says de Halleux. <br />
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<strong>Water Crops, Feed Staff</strong><br />
The success of social games is dependant to a large extent on getting people to come back frequently and play for a short while, says Mia Consalvo, a professor at Ohio University with an extensive research background on the videogame industry. “You should be able to squeeze it into your life,” she says.<br />
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Hence, the activities that make up these games are individually trivial, in most cases requiring nothing more than some mouse clicks and a few spare brain cycles, but collectively meaningful. “Think of these games as a sandbox where everybody has the same tools, yet everyone achieves different results. It’s about ‘Look how I run my farm, look how smart and expressive I am’,” says de Halleux.<br />
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The activities themselves — planting seeds, harvesting crops, hiring staff, creating new dishes — are reflective of the real world because they create a tangible sense of achievement. They are also designed to tap into social emotions like friendship, love, pride instead of individual emotions like achievement, frustration or fear which were central to many “hardcore” games from earlier.<br />
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This behaviour is also more in tune with the new generation of gamers — women. “Unlike men who like to first invest lots of money in a game console and then exploit it, women are more casual and like to do things on a daily basis, like the way they shop for instance. Hence, these game activities also gel with their life psychographic,” says Kejriwal.<br />
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Millions of consumers identifiable by name, connect to their friends, spending enormous amounts of time looking at computer and mobile screens. And oh yeah, with a majority being girls and young women.<br />
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<strong>What about Advertising?</strong><br />
Traditional advertising is dead inside social network games, says Kejriwal. That’s because of the inherent dissonance between people wanting to play without interruption while advertising itself thrives on interruption. <br />
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A good example of this was Microsoft’s 2006 acquisition of in-game advertising company, Massive, for a sum reported to be between USD 200-400 million. In October, Microsoft shut down the business.<br />
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Even game companies like Zynga could afford to stay cool towards advertisers because of an alternate revenue stream: Micropayments from millions of players who want to buy virtual game artifacts.<br />
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But advertisers are a persistent lot. “They found the weak spot for consumers — everyone wants to buy assets within the games but not every consumer has the wallet power to do that. So advertisers are now saying ‘Watch my ad, take my survey, do enough of them and then I will buy one of these assets for you’,” says Kejriwal.<br />
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<strong>In other words, SVG, or sponsored virtual goods.</strong> <br />
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Says Kejriwal, “It’s about time-shifted engagement — you keep coming back because your plots need to be harvested or your menu needs new dishes. There is this lingering sense of incompleteness for consumers because games are almost replicating life. And the gameplay isn’t over because it’s never over.”<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Moneycontrol</span></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-24914374717057807952010-11-26T01:36:00.000-08:002010-11-26T01:36:14.783-08:00GAME for a JOB - Great Jobs in Indian Online Gaming IndustryThe gaming industry in India today is not just fun and games. It is a serious trade and a worthwhile, rewarding job market for those who desire to enjoy an ‘animated’ life.<br />
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Times are exciting for the Indian gaming industry. It is fast becoming a stimulating career option for the country’s gifted professionals. Consider this: Nothing less than seven to eight million mobile games are downloaded every month. The size of the Indian gaming industry grew from Rs 7.9 billion in 2009 to Rs 9.8 billion in 2010 and is expected to grow to Rs 32 billion in 2014. The industry employed an estimated 1,800 employees in 2008 and is expected to have over 13,000 employees by 2012. Clearly, the industry, which extends across the mobile, PC, online and gaming categories, is headed to a place where it will create a different DNA of people and thus an ever-increasing career prospect.<br />
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There are two components to the opportunities available in this sector in India, points out Rohit Sharma, CEO, digital, Big Entertainment. “One is that there is a huge amount of outsourcing of work in terms of art and back-end work. This will increase exponentially as the industry grows globally. Numerous studios are opening up across the country to facilitate the creation of this work, giving rise to multiple opportunities for a lucrative job market.” “Secondly, many companies like Zynga, for example, are setting up development offices in India and see a resulting growth in this industry, as well as in the number of people who will become a part of it,” adds Sharma.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Vishal Gondal, CEO, UTV Indiagames, agrees that Zynga is a testament that everywhere around the world, from Europe to Japan to China and Korea and the US, gaming is bigger than movies. “In India, movies are a bigger business. But the writing is now on the wall. In a few years, games will overtake the movie business.”<br />
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Greater awareness through advertising campaigns, more Indian content on console games, improved broadband speed and infrastructure, along with higher disposable income have resulted in an unprecedented growth in the Indian gaming industry and the jobs available. Jayont R Sharma, CEO and chairman, Milestone Interactive Group, believes, “Naturally, there will be more jobs with this kind of growth. It can be seen from the fact that we now have twice the number of employees than we had a couple of years ago.”<br />
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The gaming industry is an invigorating occupation, recognises BIG’s Sharma. “Being a multi-billion dollar industry, the place is competitive and keeps on getting cut-throat.” Jayont Sharma deems that there is a new generation of professionals, fresh out of business schools and colleges, looking for careers they are passionate about. “Employees join simply because they love gaming and want to be a part of this industry. I don’t think young professionals today will settle for any job that comes their way. They know what they want.”<br />
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Estimated to grow at a CAGR of 49 per cent by 2012, the gaming industry requires a distinctive kind of employees. Gondal explains that unlike the movie industry or the software industry, the gaming sector coalesces technical people and storytellers. “They are a rare bunch and are worth a lot. Gaming is the new entertainment business. People want to join it for its diversity and trends.”<br />
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Today, hiring trends are increasingly social. A lot happens on the likes of LinkedIn and Facebook. “It’s the new place to be and is becoming a bigger place,” says Gondal. A Nasscom report states that by 2012, Indian gaming services will move up the value chain with more end-end and off-shoring work in terms of development services coming to India. The services side of this business is being propelled by captives of international publishers of mobile game development and BPO support for massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Also, PC/console game production and game art contributes to development revenues. “We have facilitated the opening of call centres in various cities, who teach people how to play their games. They give free trials to broadband customers. This is a whole new category of people in the gaming industry,” comments Gondal.<br />
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Technology is reinvented every few years and the Indian domestic market is now rightly poised for growth. “There has been an increase of about 25-30 per cent Y-o-Y in the gaming industry where jobs are concerned,” mentions BIG’s Sharma. “The huge proliferation of 3G and broadband will lead to a rise in the domestic gaming scene. Upcoming Indian gaming companies have a huge demand for professionals in the domestic market.” “One big bet is high-speed broadband coming to India, and thanks to 3G and 4G, this market is set to explode. With 3G and the subsequent boost, the two key applications being consumed —games and videos—will take a quantum leap,” enthuses Gondal. <br />
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According to Milestone’s Sharma, 3D will definitely take gaming to a whole new level, since it offers a stunning experience. “We anticipate games with 3D support but a lot depends on the penetration of 3D TVs in the Indian market. It would take time before we see any major impact of 3D on gaming.” Industry sources feel the Indian gaming industry should take a cue from China and Korea, whose gigantic gaming industry has created so many jobs. If we tap all our potential, we have the opportunity to boost the economy, as it moves towards the digital space, they say. The Indian gaming industry has the ability to become big, create skill sets, provide job opportunities and become a driving force in the global game.<br />
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<strong>Timir Rao (23): </strong>Manager, product marketing & regional category management, Milestone Interactive<br />
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Always wanting to be a part of the gaming industry, Timir believed that there were no options in India. Aside from being an avid gamer, his daily diet included reading up extensively on games to know more about the industry, game designers, their influences, etc. After an MBA at Symbiosis in Pune, he specialised in HR as he was also interested in training and recruitment. After a job opening at Milestone and his appointment, he has never looked back. “I’ve been at Milestone for a year and a half now and it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been lucky to get my hands on some really exciting games well before their release. My specialisation in HR helps me a lot in this field, as my job also involves training people (like retailers) on new games.”<br />
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His job profile is wide and versatile. It involves marketing and general business planning for leading videogame publishers, promotions and launches for new gaming products, product training for retailers and employees and even gaming category management. Speaking about console gaming, Timir says earlier a gaming console was considered a luxury, but today it is heartening to see that families are investing in consoles, given that they can be used for more than just gaming. “The PS3, for instance, can be used to play Blu-Ray movies, DVDs and allows you to connect to the Internet as well. I see a gradual shift in gaming, to eventually it becoming a more mainstream form of entertainment, pretty much like movies and music.”<br />
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<strong>Gaurang Gheewala (26)</strong>: Game designer, Zapak<br />
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Gaurang is living his childhood dream. When he started playing games at the age of eight and became a hardcore gamer as time went by, he took his dreams forward in college by participating in the National Gaming Championships. But this was just the beginning. “The real thing, which got me into the gaming industry is the thought that crossed my mind every time I played a game. ‘How are these games made?’ A little interest and initiative gave me the answer. A great passion for games, day dreaming of stories and plots, game worlds, characters and game play got me into this industry.”<br />
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It’s been eight years since his adventure in the gaming industry. He began his career as a hardcore gamer, and was later hired as a game tester and then added graphic designing for games to his talents. He then embarked on the process of thinking of gaming ideas, concepts, methodologies and mechanics and successfully designed himself as a game designer. Gaurang mentions that in the outsourcing sector, India will have to compete with South Korea and Taiwan, whose talent pool is greater than that of India with regards to game development. He pushes for the need to establish special training institutes to develop quality professionals.<br />
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<strong>Pradip Bhattacharya (27)</strong>: Senior tech analyst, UTV Indiagames<br />
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Pradip has had a fascination for real time simulation since college. After graduation, while job hunting, a friend suggested Indiagames. And the rest was virtual history. Having been in this company for five years, everyday affirms why he is a part of this industry. “For me, creating this virtual world of strategy games and real world simulation for players is why I am here. Creating a game is like making a movie. It’s magic and a wonderful feeling.” Having previously done freelance projects for web development, he still maintains that developing a game is different.” When he first became a part of this industry, there were few companies in this sector. But the proliferation in gaming categories has led to a vast population of gamers. “The iPhone and iPad have revolutionised games. Busy people prefer web games, while one needs time for console gaming,” he explains, adding, “Mobile gaming is the best casual gaming platform, where you could be waiting at a bus stop and start, play and exit a game just as your bus arrives.”<br />
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<strong>Source</strong>: Indian ExpressUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8150273315504555713.post-38642732384677991822010-11-10T00:52:00.000-08:002010-11-10T00:52:28.661-08:00This Diwali, win some hard cashThis year, the stakes are set to go higher than ever before as Diwali card parties, underground and online tournaments vie for the top spot in attracting players and the money that comes with them. With cash prizes up to 50 lakhs (cumulative money) up for grabs and much more moolah at stake at parties, these gatherings have already started creating a buzz on the city's card circuit.<br />
And to ensure that one has enough practice for the big day, there are currently a host of meets and practice sessions, both in the virtual and real world, with social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter being used to keep players updated on upcoming tournaments and registration details. While the older tournaments feature the traditional card games of rummy and teen patti, newer ones cater to poker players after a dramatic rise in its popularity in the last few years. However, their motive is the same - to ensure no one misses this opportunity to deal a full house.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Leading the race is the Online Diwali Rummy Tournament organised by <a href="http://games24x7.com/">Games24x7.com</a>, one of India's premier online games site. Touted as India's biggest online rummy tournament, it offers players the chance to compete for prize money of Rs 10 lakh. Their 2009 tournament saw 500 participants and a total prize money of Rs one lakh. Sachin Uppal, marketing director, Games24x7.com, says, "The Diwali Rummy Tournament 2010 is expected to be the biggest online rummy tournament of the year. The tournament is currently in progress and will culminate in a grand finale during the Diwali weekend. We expect over 4,000 players to participate and approximately Rs 10 lakh can be won in total cash prizes during this festive month."<br />
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Rahul Razdan of ibibo.com, which offers the very popular teen patti game and gets over a thousand clicks per day, says, "We enable people to seamlessly play their games with their friends. This is backed by social recognition elements like rewards and badges." He adds that the biggest age group is 21 to 35 years and the biggest draw is from users in Delhi, NCR, Mumbai and all the cities of Gujarat.<br />
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<strong>Anonymity matters</strong><br />
However, not many are as forthcoming. An event organiser on the condition of anonymity, says, "Where there is money, there is a crowd. But the problem is that the Indian attitude towards gambling is not positive. We have people who throw away lakhs and crores in a single night, but do not tell their families about it. So it makes sense to keep things quiet and not attract much attention." A similar tournament, to be held in Worli during the Diwali weekend, is expected to attract professional poker players from across the country and offer a cash prize of Rs five lakh.<br />
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However, the organisers prefer a word-of-mouth approach and do not want publicity. "We do not know what sort of people might turn up. We have a dedicated group of participants and they will bring in the people needed to make our event a success." Others plan to follow suit. Poker Planet's tournament held from October 10 -14 saw a Rs 6,500 buy-in, with optional 5,000 top-ups and re-buy for the first 90 minutes. With 300-plus participants and food and booze on the house, the event was a huge success. When asked if there were plans of any Diwali tournament, the organiser, Ankur Dewani, said, "Yes, we have noticed a huge increase in poker players. However, we do not wish to tell people about our tournaments as we do not know what sort of publicity and press it will generate and how people will react to them. We prefer the anonymity."<br />
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<strong>Texas Hold'em Poker is most popular</strong><br />
When it comes to a game that has climbed the popularity charts in just a few years, Texas Hold'em Poker wins hands down. The first poker tournament in Mumbai was organised by PokerAdda two years ago. It had Rs 5,000 buy-ins and 85-odd entrants (which roughly totals to Rs 4.5 lakh). Films like Casino Royale have added to its popularity. Vishesh Karnik, a management student and poker player, says, "Earlier, one had to make do with playing with a few players. Now, Mumbai alone has 5,000 players." <br />
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Poker enthusiasts have a choice of budget they wish to play with, and can pick a circle accordingly. Players can lose/win anywhere between a couple of hundred bucks to a lakh-and-a-half in a night. Vikram Verma, professional poker players, says, "Sooner or later, rummy and teen patti players begin playing rummy. There is more than luck involved. One needs to strategise and have skills to win. It's all about mind games." <br />
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In poker, it is the Texas Hold'em version that has managed to attract the masses and classes. Alok Kejriwal of Games2win.com feels that the game has become successful mainly because of its social features. He says, "You can play with anybody in the world, gain virtual cash and be listed on the leader-board. Your virtual cash can be diverted back into the game to buy more chips. You can even buy chips online by using your credit card or pay-pal account." Point noted.<br />
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<strong>Style, celebs at parties</strong> <br />
Card parties have evolved too. From social gatherings for family and friends, they have now become new grounds for style and competitive card playing. Adding to their aura are personalised chips, folding poker tables and personalised cards. Taran Kumar, a rummy player, says, "My friend attended a party that was organised in a shack on a beach outside Mumbai with a Hawaiian theme. People won and lost lakhs but they all went home raving about the party."<br />
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There are also those who offer free booze and food on the house along with live music, stand-up acts, dance performers and even celebs who come to cheer the players. Homemaker Vinita Jain, who has organised a Russian roulette Night, says, "Style plays an important role these days at card parties and the more you show off, the better quality of players you attract." Anamika Gupta, IT student, recalls attending a teen patti night last year that was themed around the Amitabh Bachchan movie that was about to release. She says, "The host was dressed like Big B. It was the best party I have been to in my life." Glamour sure isn't passé.<br />
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<strong>Facebook, Twitter and TV help spread the word</strong> <br />
The popularity of card games like poker and teen patti can be attributed to social networking sites. The Texas Hold'em Poker game application on Facebook had millions hooked to it a little over two year ago. From there, players had the chance to form communities revolving around the game and meet poker buddies through an online friends list. Soon, people began playing the game during free time in the office and then gradually moved to playing live versions in tournaments.<br />
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Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter also help players spread the word about new tournaments and meet-ups happening in the city. And TV channels broadcasting poker matches have also helped give the game a credibility it lacked earlier. Vaishali Tanna, medical student, says, "Channels now allow people to see the moves of poker pros like Daniel Negreanu, a Romanian-Canadian professional with four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. That's inspirational to watch and we can pick up a few smooth moves too."<br />
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Mumbai Poker Nights, Indian Rummy Club, Mumbai Nights Poker and Mumbai Poker Tournaments are just a few Facebook groups that are well known amongst city gamers who would like to be kept in the know about tournaments. Sunny Shah, college student, says, "They update their sites regularly. That helps us practice and stay on top of things."<br />
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Some groups even go on to publicise their practice rounds to ensure that their members stay tournament fit. Nisha Jha, college student, says, "There is a lot of money involved. It makes sense to keep in touch. Though a bit of luck is involved in winning the games, practice does help."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0