The Greatest Gamblers in Pop Culture

There's something about a character who just relies on their luck: the boldness, the daring do, playing the numbers and walking away on top. There have been several characters who rely on their luck but we've managed to narrow it down to three bands – Movies, Books and Video Games with a final winner for each based on a blend of how iconic they are and how well they do at the whole games of chance thing. And if you feel like you want to test your luck, why not play live blackjack with Betfair Casino and see how you get on.



But now the top three.

Greatest in Movies – Rain Man
The eponymous Rain Man, real name Raymond Babbit, is a savant who uses his talents to make him and his brother Charlie instant high-rollers. Raymond's eidetic memory and abilities as a mental calculator makes him a fearsome card counter who, in his most impressive feat, managed to card count a 6-deck shoe and make both him and his brother $86,000. While the core of the movie isn't about gambling, Rain Man's abilities would make him possibly the greatest Blackjack player to ever live. There aren't many characters in fiction with such a demonstrable grasp of maths that they could card count whatever the situation. A runner-up here was Professor X being the world's best poker player but he doesn't play it in the movies so we couldn't count it.

Greatest in Books – James Bond
He was also the 3rd place for greatest in movies but we carried it over since he started in a book. Ian Fleming's super spy is a great example of someone who gambles for fun while still taking their job seriously – because there's no arguing that Bond gets his work done no matter how much time he spends playing Chermin de Fer. If we're counting his movie adaptions, Bond's had a hand at just about every form of casino game available and he's been consistently capable. There are a couple of competitors here but for sheer brand recognition, we have to give it to 007.

Greatest in Video Games – Setzer Gabbiani
It's a little difficult to quantify who relies on lady luck the most in the video game world, after all you could say the characters in Dragon Quest who can spend as many hours playing in the casino as you want could qualify, but perhaps the best example of the aesthetic and attitude is Setzer from Final Fantasy 6. The silver-haired gambler is an airship pilot who's constantly willing to bet his life on risky gambles and daring plans that rely on luck. His special skill is modelled on a slot machine where depending on what result you get; he can use a different ability. This focus on luck and the playstyle which emulates the feeling of gambling is why we feel Setzer wins the gold here. Runners up include Kazuma Kiryu from the Yakuza games and any protagonist from Dragon Quest.

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But what do you think? Do you think someone else should be the Pop culture hero? Let us know in the comments below!

All About SoundCloud Followers

SoundCloud is gaining popularity fast because it gives chances to every musician to make their sound creations heard. A lot of people who join SoundCloud are aspiring artists who want to promote their soundtracks to the world and they want to let everyone know that they are offering something of value in the industry. Read more about SoundCloud platform in this link here.

But like with all the other platforms, SoundCloud has become too crowded. There are a lot of aspiring artists who upload their soundtracks every second. They fight a lot for the attention of listeners. The problem is, they can only get attention if they are someone who is a rising talent in the music industry or someone who has already established their names. This can be unfair to those people who are just starting up.

Reasons You Aren't Getting Noticed

If you are wondering why nobody notices your sounds or songs, the first thing that you can do is not to take it personally. Everything takes time and a lot of hard work. Talent is just a part of the complexities of the music industry. You also need to understand that you have to market your tracks to the people who are looking for it. Some of the reasons why many artists are not getting followers on SoundCloud may include the following:

1. The sounds unpolished and unprofessional.
2. The images on album art and covers are not attractive enough.
3. The right audiences are not getting triggered by music.
4. There were not enough promotions or marketing done.
5. Online presence is weaker because of the absence of followers.

Fortunately, you can boost your presence in the SoundCloud platform by getting a lot of followers. It can take a lot of work but it will be worth it. Learn more on how to acquire SoundCloud followers by going into the right website. Real followers who listen to your music on a daily basis while they are commuting to work are the people that you need. Here are some tips for you on how to get them.

How to Get SoundCloud Followers

1. Quality over Quantity
When you have finished a demo, you should not upload it on SoundCloud right away. You may get excited but remember that anything that you post will reflect on your online personality as an artist. Post only tracks that are completed and polished.

Make sure that your soundtrack has high-quality sounds. If you are not recording your own beats, search for the ones who can provide the best sample packs. There are drumbeats or background music packs available online that you can search for if you are not doing your own instrument recording. You have to properly mix your tracks so that they will sound great. Master the art of mixing by watching videos on the internet or reading articles online. One high-quality track is always given priority over a hundred tracks with bad sounds. Build quality tracks one by one instead of uploading several of them without polishing them. A single track can gain you followers and they can expect more on the next days after the first one.

2. Be Creative with your Cover Art


You have to establish your own brand through album arts to have more followers. Ream more about album covers here: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/album-cover. Create an image that will make people remember your music easily. If you are into country songs, you can develop some painted country houses with a twist.

Build a consistent image that represents your genre. Tailor each image to your albums. It might take time but your personality will shine more. Album covers that are attractive can get you that second glance that most artists are aiming for.

Investing well on your artistic image will make you stand out among the crowd. Expect a lot of followers the next day if you are able to get your music and your art in tune. You can get a graphic artist for your brand image or you can design it yourself. As long as the visuals will set you apart from the mainstream, it is good to go.

3. Promote your Music on Social Platforms
Include links in the description box that lead to other music platforms such as Spotify. Mention your soundtrack on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. Link your SoundCloud channel on your website. Connect with bloggers.

Make your chances of exposure higher by collaborating with bloggers and other SoundCloud producers. You should submit clean tracks to your collaborators to make things easier for both of you. Produce high-quality tracks together. The readers, followers, and listeners of other people whom you collaborated with will also start to subscribe to you.

Other ways of marketing your songs and tracks are to mention it every day using hashtags. This makes you more discoverable. Do everything to get noticed. Your followers will be actual people who will listen to your music and share it with their friends and family if you do the things above. Marketing has never been easier if you know how to connect to a large network of people on the internet.

4. Interact with Your Followers
If there are people who have started to show interest in your music, show them that you care by replying to them. They may feel that you may be the next famous artist on the block and they can be delighted that you have noticed them.

Open discussions with like-minded fans who share the same passion as you when it comes to music. People who often listen to sounds as a hobby will be more open to your suggestions and other sound promotions. They can also provide you honest feedback since most of them have already experienced ears. Share your thoughts on forums, Reddit threads, and other discussion boards on the internet and you can gain a lot of followers in no time.

Getting followers in SoundCloud can be a bit tricky but in the end, it will be worth it. Whenever you upload new tracks, they will be able to notice it immediately. Artists who produce high-quality music, clean titles, attractive cover arts, and effective marketing campaigns can succeed in any music platform.

Most Controversial Players In Poker

While most poker games will go off without an issue, there are occasions when you're playing with a highly controversial character, someone who likes to cause a scene when the cards don't go their way.

When these players feature in televised tournaments, it provides great entertainment for those watching at home, but it can annoy other players at the table. If you're looking to develop your own poker skills to ensure you're always in with a chance of winning then check out https://poker.paddypower.com/poker-school/texas-holdem/.

We've taken a look at some of the most controversial poker players who could do with returning to poker school.

Ivan Freitez
He is certainly the least well-known name on this list, but Ivan Freitez has been involved in some of the most controversial moments in poker. One of the worst came in the EPT Grand Final 2011, where Freitez is dealt 6-5 and the board results in him getting a full house. His opponent, Eugene Yanayt, had K-Q with a pair of kings and fives with his queen as the kicker and it's reasonable for him to believe he is in the strongest position.

Believing he is in a position of strength, Yanayt value-bets, and Freitez's next move is controversial, he announces he is raising, but tosses in a call. In an attempt to backtrack, he says that he meant to say call and that he "no speak English."

Tournament director Thomas Kremser comes over and informs Freitez that he needs to min-raise. But Kremser also informs Yanayt and the other players at the table that this is a move Freitez has previous for when he has a very strong hand. Everyone was rooting for Yanayt to fold to reduce his losses, but even though he was armed with new information regarding Freitez, he took a risk and called, but ultimately lost. Dirty behaviour that wasn't well received by those around the table.

Tony G
The Lithuanian Antanas Guoga, better known as Tony G, is one of the most controversial poker players on the circuit. He's known for being brash and not afraid to speak his mind at the table. He's had high profile clashes with David “Devilfish” Ulliott and Phil Hellmuth Jr..

He likes to use verbal barrages to unsettle his opponents, which has made him something of a marmite poker player – you either love him, or you hate him. For all of his success in poker, his style of poker makes him quite hard to like.

Phil Hellmuth Jr
With a nickname like "The Poker Brat" it shouldn't come as any surprise that Phil Hellmuth Jr. features on this list. He is the most successful player in the World Series of Poker with regards to bracelets won, with a staggering 15 WSOP bracelets to his name. Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Phil Ivey are joint second with 10 bracelets, demonstrating just how good Hellmuth is in the WSOP.

But his success doesn't mean he's graceful, in fact, he's another who is a marmite player. He's someone who people enjoy watching losing, purely because he blows up. There are countless videos of Hellmuth reacting badly to a loss and plenty of people commenting saying they enjoy watching him lose.

Vanessa Selbst
Often referred to as the female Phil Hellmuth, Vanessa Selbst has developed something of a reputation for reacting badly to losing. Although she is very successful, winning three WSOP bracelets, that doesn't change the fact that she makes some basic overplays. With a reputation for playing so aggressively, it means her opponents can read her more easily and are more likely to risk a half-decent hand against her.

Her aggression works against players who are more conservative, but when she goes all-in with pocket fours, she shouldn't be surprised if someone calls her with ace nine. While great entertainment for everyone watching at home, it does mean people aren't overly keen on her as a player.

The Top Online Guitar Lessons that You Should Check

If you want to have a great music career, a good place to start is to learn the basics of a guitar. If you want to know the chords and play actual music, you can consider getting a guitar teacher. Read more about guitar chords in this link here.

A great guitar teacher has a lot of ways in helping a student become better. You could learn the basics in just a few hours when you have a teacher compared to doing it on your own. Your progress will be rapid, and you will play the guitar in the right way.

If you are considering getting guitar lessons, then here are some of the best options that you can consider:

Top Online Guitar Lessons in 2019

1. GuitarTricks
GuitarTricks is a fast, fun, and easy way to learn the guitar. They boast a Core Learning System where their students can make music even from the very first day. You can follow a step-by-step system that is organized and has interconnected lessons. Some of the lessons have a lot of guitar tabs, camera angles, jam tracks and a lot of other tools that can help jumpstart your guitar playing.

You can also benefit from the 60-day trial window, accomplished instructors, downloadable videos, and apps for mobiles. You can read more about GuitarTricks in sites such as https://www.bestonlineguitarlessonswizard.com/. These sites can provide a more comprehensive guide about these lessons as well as their pros and cons.

2. TrueFire
TrueFire boasts a lot of guitar styles such as jazz, rock, blues, classical, acoustic and country among others. They have learning paths, courses, lessons, jams, educators and classrooms available for each style.

You can choose an instructor for a private lesson and each of them is well-equipped to teach you with techniques and methods. You can interact with your instructor through a lot of tools that are available as iOS applications such as charts, lesson plans, discussion threads, video messaging, tabs, notations, and jam tracks.

The lessons comprise of 10 modules and they are arranged in chronological order. There's also a feature called “In the Jam” where guitar novices can get into jamming sessions with some of their preferred artists.

Some of the benefits that you can get with TrueFire include affordable membership rates, money-back guarantee, over 140 certified instructors available, and interactive experience through videos.

3. JamPlay
With JamPlay, you can learn beginner, advanced, acoustic, country, blues and a lot of other guitar lessons. There are a lot of guitar lessons published every 30 days and daily lessons are available for every student who wants to learn.

You can join the JamPlay's community where thousands of members can give you encouragement and tips. There's a comprehensive chord library that contains over 950,000 chords. There's a scale library where you can view a comprehensive collection of guitar scales, famous solos, interactive videos, and more. All the lessons are filmed by professionals and all videos are in high resolutions.

You can benefit from live classes, live video chats with your instructors, and the courses which are suitable to all levels of guitar players.

4. Jamorama
This is considered as the social network of guitar novices regardless of their location around the world. You can make collaborations with other expert guitarists, share tips with newfound friends, watch video lessons at your own pace, and a lot more.

Jamorama can show you how learning the guitar doesn't have to be a lonely experience. The social feature can help you get motivated. On top of these, the courses that they are offering are all tested and proven to work for a lot of people. You can enroll in courses such as beginners, fingerstyle, speed picking, learning about chords, and a lot more. Read more about fingerstyle guitar here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerstyle_guitar.

You can print a lot of guitar lessons from your course which you can practice at your own convenience. Jamorama can give you a lifetime membership in less than a hundred dollars. You can have a dynamic learning experience with Jamorama compared to other sites.

5. ArtistWorks
ArtistWorks is dedicated to providing every student with interactive and affordable access to guitar lessons all over the world. It can be considered as a one-stop shop where you can play electric guitars, bass, piano, and a lot more. There are specific instructors who can provide you with what you need.

There are schools that focus on a single genre of the type of lesson that you want to learn. You can also gain access to a wide variety of eBooks and gain support from a lot of social media platforms. You can also record your own videos and send it to your instructor for review.

A Lot of Guitar Lessons to Choose From



The sites mentioned above are some of the best ones that offer affordable courses to their students. You have to pick the ones that have a lot of experience teaching beginner students. You can check each website's "About Us" section and courses in order to know more about them.

The Five Best Casino Movies of the Eighties

For most of us, the 80s didn't exactly feel like a period of huge excess. We were kids then, doing the stuff kids did. Adults though? Well, if you managed to get a peak of their movies, it seemed like they were truly living the high-life.

Outrageously luxurious outfits, cool-as-anything haircuts and money, money, money was the order of the day. It's why we'll always have a soft spot for eighties movies, but there's no genre which quite encapsulates those elements quite as completely as the casino movie.



Today, land casinos tend to be few and far between, thanks in part to the rise of the online casino, which, through their free spins on roulette wheels, deposit matches up to £100 and instant, play-anywhere nature have made the real-life casino less relevant than ever.

The casino as a symbol of wealth and power, though? Well, that lives on in movies both past and present. So, join us as we celebrate a few of our very favourite eighties casino movies.

1. Rain Man (1988) – It's a classic of the eighties, picking up the Best Picture award at the Academy Awards in the year of its release, but Rain Man isn't often remembered for its casino plot line. Blame that on its two outrageously charismatic lead actors (Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman), but Rain Man still goes down as one of the great casino movies of the decade.
2. Lost in America (1985) – Albert Brooks is a treasure and he shines in this hilarious casino movie about a man who convinces his wife to up sticks, cash in their savings and travel the world – until they lose it all on a single spin. Oops.
3. Casino Raiders (1989) – Hong Kong's contribution to action cinema has been reconsidered in recent years, with directors championing the incredible, visceral and compelling work that has come out of the nation. Casino Raiders from the tail end of the eighties is a fantastic example, following two best-friends-come-professional-gamblers who are sent to Lake Tahoe to help a man named Lung. High-tension action follows in this classic of the genre.
4. The Big Town (1987) – Matt Dillon offers a star turn as J. C. Cullen, an Iowa farm boy turned pro craps player in Chicago who falls for the wrong women – don't they always? Suzy Amis, played by Diane Lane, is the wife of Tommy Lee Jones' character, a gangster by the name of George Cole. The Big Town's all-star cast alone makes it, but it really is essential eighties casino viewing.
5. Atlantic City (1980) – Overshadowed by some pretty gigantic movies upon release (Empire Strikes Back, anyone?) Atlantic City is absolutely worth your time. Starring Burt Lancaster as Lou, a washed-up mob hit-man (or, so he claims) beside a young Susan Sarandon, a woman who dreams of being the first female croupier in Monte Carlo, it's a casino-coloured love affair that's far darker, deeper and better written than it has any right to be.

So, there we have it, our list of the finest casino movies of the eighties. Some funny, some tragic, some doomed, some uplifting – all from the greatest decade of all.

The Damned Announce Fall 2018 US Tour

The band will be hitting the States for a two-week run beginning in mid October in Boston and wrapping up on November 2nd in Los Angeles. Meet & greets are available for most of the dates. Tickets are available here.

October 17 - Boston, Paradise
October 18 - New York, Irving Plaza
October 19 - Asbury Park, Stone Pony
October 20 - Washington D.C., Black Cat
October 21 - Philadelphia, Theatre Of Living Arts
October 25 - Denver, Gothic Theatre
October 26 - Salt Lake City, The Depot
October 27 - Las Vegas, House Of Blues
October 28 - Tempe, Marquee Theater
October 31 - San Francisco, Regency Ballroom
November 1 - Santa Cruz, The Catalyst
November 2 - Los Angeles, Henry Fonda Theatre

The Best Apps Based on Video Games

With 2018 seeing the release of some of the most high-budget, innovative games in history, and the entire industry kicking it up a notch by seamlessly integrating top-of-the-line AI and 3D graphics into mainstream titles, it can be all too easy to forget where this all started. The video game industry kicked off in earnest back in the 1970s, and since then, there have been countless storylines and characters which have gone on to help define and exemplify mainstream culture. Luckily, these cultural icons haven't disappeared, and in the newest frontier for gaming - mobile gaming - some of video gaming's biggest heavy hitters are reappearing on our iPhone screens in creative and quirky ways. Here's a round-up of some of the best apps based on popular video games.

Pokemon Go!

Probably one of the most popular and talked-about app releases of the past decade, Pokemon Go completely changed how we play on our phones, integrating the gameplay into every aspect of our daily lives by allowing users to hunt for Pokemon in different real-life locations. Who can forget the endless newsreel footage of Pokemon hunters listlessly roaming around shopping centre car parks trying to catch themselves a Charizard? Pokemon and the bright yellow mascot Pikachu are undeniably some of the most iconic cultural developments of all time, with the original Pikachu from the 1998 Gameboy release being just as instantly recognisable today as ever.

Sonic Runners Adventure

Sonic, the speedy blue hedgehog that has spawned over 50 video game titles over the past few years, has finally made his mark on the mobile world with this hugely popular app. Over the course of the evolution of gaming, Sonic appears at pretty much every level, starting at the coin-operated arcades on the 80s, and continuing today in high-budget releases for the latest consoles. Sonic Runners Adventure is classic Sonic distilled into a mobile-friendly platform, allow you to tilt your smartphone as you collect those precious rings, hunt for chaos emeralds, and fight off Dr Eggman.

Super Mario Run

There are few game characters more well-known than Mr Mario himself and, unsurprisingly, fans of the franchise had been begging Nintendo for an app release for years. Their relentless demands were finally met when they recently brought out Super Mario Run, which allows players to re-live that classic Mario nostalgia-fest of childhood, playing through iconic levels such as Mushroom Forrest and Bowser's Castle. This is Mario in its purest form, and with rumours swirling of a Mario Kart app on the way, we should expect to see a lot more if this moustached legend in the future.

Resident Evil

Resident Evil, the heart-stopping zombie shooter, finally has an app. Although not in the same vein as the classic console and arcade games, this unique app allows users to compare their stats across all of the Resident Evil titles, as well as access resources about the fictional universe of the Umbrella Corporation and Racoon City. Definitely one for the die-hard fans only.

If you have any video game apps you think deserve a shout-out, let us know in the comments!

LISTEN NOW: Penny Mob, "21st Century Kids"

This new track from Penny Mob kicks major ass!

First Listen: Chvrches, "Get Out"

First single in two years is a hot one!

The Legendary Freddy Krueger in 2018

Have you heard the rumours about the new Freddy Krueger flick? There's said to be a new one coming in 2018. This is exciting news indeed...

OK OK, the last Nightmare on Elm Street remake was a flop: audiences didn't rate it and neither did the critics. In fact, to be brutal, even the trailer kind of sucks. (Way to butcher a classic!) But maybe 2010 just wasn't Freddy's year. We die-hard fans don't let that kind of thing get us down, right? Freddy is a legendary character, an absolute icon of the horror genre, and he deserves a decent remake. So maybe, just maybe, 2018 will be the year that Freddy once again makes it into audiences' nightmares.

And no, he's not a dated character. Definitely not, though some readers will think so. If anything he's one of the most timeless characters that horror has invented. Come on now- some freak who comes to get you in your dreams? That's one of the worst things imaginable as you just can't do anything about it. The more tired you get from trying to stay awake the more afraid you become- body and mind fatigued, stress levels through the roof and emotions at breaking point! Then when you finally drop off... BAM- that horrific hand and fedora are lurking.

The bed is supposed to be the safe place, remember? You dive under the covers and you're OK... protected from the bad things of this world. The Nightmare on Elm Street concept flips that on its head and makes it the worst place to be: the very epicentre of the horrors! Just picture yourself trying to get a good night's rest when all of a sudden a scarred menace materialises from your very own dream. There's no escaping it... except perhaps for those sleeping in plush velvet beds... Freddy doesn't like those!

So what would actually make this remake worth watching? What should the director be doing to ensure that Freddy doesn't come across as risible and naff as has happened in the past? Well the thing with all horror is that it's genre film, like genre fiction, and therefore is expected to contain certain generic features: haunting strings, stuff jumping out from nowhere, shaky cameras, abandoned buildings et cetera. The key is using them well.

For instance, we all know that whenever the camera turns its back (so to speak) on a room, that when it looks back again something horrible is highly likely to be there. Now a clever director plays on these kinds of audience expectations and keeps them on their toes.

A great example is in The Ring. Remember that scene at the beginning when the teenage girl opens the fridge door to get a snack and thereby fills the entire shot and blocks the background so we can't see what's coming? Everyone just assumes that there'll be a boogie man or something similarly shocking there when it shuts again, but when it actually happens... there's nothing but an empty hallway. This is the kind of intelligent approach to horror that's expected now and is definitely what's needed to make the new Nightmare on Elm Street movie a success.

So let's cross our fingers and hope that this time it all comes together and doesn't leave us just feeling annoyed and embarrassed at the poor handling and mistreatment of a truly great character.