Voice over auditions

Do people always say you should do something with that great voice of yours? Do you listen to the voices on TV and radio and think: That sounds like fun. I'd like to do that! What talent should do is make themselves "stick out" at an audition. Be on time, prepared and have several different voices for each character. Versatility and the ability to take direction are the key ingredients! Voice over work can be extremely lucrative and many actors make a living solely from voice over work. If you would like to get into the voice over business, but aren't sure how to get a demo or find a reputable company, go to Voice Over Work. Acting schools are what separate good actors from not so good actors. To be the best actor you can be you need the proper school. Go to acting schools to find the right program for you. Most acting schools, depending on the discipline, will cover beginning as well as advanced classes. Many schools will also hold classes throughout the day and night to accommodate the various schedules of its students. Prior to attending any school, actors sometimes audit certain classes (if the school offers this option) to see if they would benefit from the training. If your child has a great personality and wants to act, go to acting for children and find out everything you need to know. This would be a child acting in theatre, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. To be involved in acting for children, a child must be able to play characters in different settings and genres. Well-rounded kid actors are also skilled in singing, dancing, and dialects. The actor is the storyteller through character and sometimes as a child, the most important or main character in a production.

When the Stakes Turn Toxic

Anyone who’s bought a lottery ticket or played bingo has gambled. Gambling is any game of chance in which money changes hands. It’s common in most cultures around the world. Many people enjoy gambling as recreation without causing harm to themselves or others. Yet some people can’t control their impulse to gamble, even when it takes a terrible toll on their lives.         

For these gamblers and their families, researchers have been making progress in several areas. Scientists are learning why people have problems with gambling: how common it is, what goes on inside the gambler’s brain, which is at risk and what kinds of treatment can help.

Problem gambling is defined by some researchers as gambling that causes harm to the gambler or someone else, in spite of a desire to stop. Between 2% and 4% of Americans struggle with this condition. Problem gambling can progress to a recognized psychiatric diagnosis called pathological gambling.

Pathological gambling may affect from 0.4% to 2% of Americans. “Pathological gambling comes with a constellation of problems that contribute to chaos,” says Dr. Donald Black of the University of Iowa. “It’s associated with worse physical health, excessive smoking, excessive drinking, not exercising, not seeing primary care doctors and worse dental care. It also fuels depression, family dysfunction, crime, bankruptcy and suicide.”

Together, pathological and problem gambling may affect up to 5% of Americans. That number may rise, though. Laws in many states are creating more options for legal gambling, and internet gambling is becoming more common.

Still, gambling is often done in family settings, condoned or encouraged by parents. And the younger you start, the more likely you are to get into trouble later on. From 3% to 8% of adolescents have a problem with gambling.

Dr. John Welte of the University of Buffalo has found that, across the lifespan, gambling problems are even more common than alcohol dependence. They are also much more common in males, in young people, and in people who live in relatively poor neighborhoods. “That’s not true of the prevalence of alcoholism,” says Welte. “Alcoholism is much more democratic. So think about motives for gambling. People are hoping that winning will improve their lot. That makes them more vulnerable to developing a gambling problem.”

In a study of mostly African-American inner-city youth, Dr. Silvia Martins of Johns Hopkins University has found that about 15% have some form of problem gambling. Most at-risk were adolescents and young adults who began showing symptoms of depression at age 12. They were highly impulsive, although not hyperactive or aggressive. As the African-American boys developed into their teens and early adulthood, gambling appeared to be a separate risk factor for early fatherhood and criminal arrest.

“We are following up with these inner-city kids every single year as they enter adulthood,” says Martins.

But why is gambling irresistible to some folks and not others? Using advanced imaging techniques, Dr. Alexander Neumeister of Mount Sinai School of Medicine looked at the brains of people with gambling problems and alcohol problems. He measured the number of special receptors involved in regulating impulse control and other factors.          

“A key feature of addiction is impaired impulse control,” says Neumeister. “Abnormal function of the forebrain leads to reduced tolerance to waiting.” The resulting impatience may cause people to act without considering the consequences. “Our imaging clearly points toward the importance of impaired forebrain function in addiction.”

Pinpointing areas in the brain’s reward center, Neumeister’s team found that people with alcohol addiction and gambling problems show different functioning of these special receptors compared to healthy people. The differences were related to the severity of addiction. Other researchers are trying to develop drugs that could treat the affected areas.

Talk therapy can also help. Dr. Nancy Petry at the University of Connecticut Health Center works with pathological gamblers and people seeking treatment for drug use disorders. Gambling problems arise in about 10% to 20% of substance abusers. Petry compared the use of different types of talk therapy, including very brief interventions and cognitive-behavioral therapy CBT. CBT teaches people how to think differently about problems and then act on that knowledge.

“We found very brief interventions and CBT were effective in reducing gambling and gambling-related problems,” Petry says. “There was a significant improvement relative to usual care or standard forms of treatment like Gamblers Anonymous [a 12-step program].”

Anybody can have a gambling problem, and no one should feel ashamed or be afraid to seek treatment. “Pathological gambling is a medical disorder, not a sin or a vice,” says Dr. Carlos Blanco of Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. “There is no stereotype. The main predictor of outcome is really motivation.”

In other words, what counts most is a strong drive or desire to take action. Blanco offers gamblers motivational interviewing, which helps them explore their mixed feelings about trying to quit gambling. This primes them to be ready and willing to begin CBT. Using both therapies together can be very effective.

If you have concerns about your gambling, ask for help. Your health provider can work with you to find the treatment that’s best for you.

Casino Keno

Playing Keno

Keno is usually played in Casino lounges specifically allocated for the game, but there are so called 'Keno runners' who will collect your ticket and deliver the winnings if the player wants to play from outside the lounge area. There are many television monitors spread all over the Casino halls to keep players informed of the winning numbers.
There is also the video version of Keno. These are slots-like coin operated machines. It plays using the same principle with similar rules of the regular Keno, but you get the results much faster.
To play Keno, you select a minimum of 4 but no more than 10 numbers between 1 and 80. Each selection is called a 'Spot', so if you select 10 numbers you are playing a 10 Spot game.
Keno tickets are located at tables throughout the Casino and in the Casino's Keno lounge. The Casino provides a 'Keno crayon' for this purpose.

Simply mark a blank Keno ticket with the numbers of your selection. Then present your ticket to the Keno desk with your wager and the clerk will give you a duplicate ticket. In a few minutes, twenty numbered Keno balls will be drawn at random from a barrel containing 80 numbered balls, and if enough of your selected numbers are drawn, you are a winner. The results are displayed on screens, called Keno boards, throughout the Casino.
Minimum bets can be as low as 5 cents, although some Casinos only accept bets of $1 or more. The house's Keno brochures give you information about payoffs and various tickets you can play.
The amount of money you win is dependent upon the type of ticket you play and the number of 'spots' caught. You may play as many tickets as you wish. You could win as much as $50,000 on a $1 wager in some Casinos.

The round of a Keno game is called a Keno race. In many Casinos, 'multi-race' Keno is featured, where you can play a number of consecutive Keno races at one time.
The house advantage on Keno varies according to the Keno game played. It is always around 30% or more.

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Acey Deucey

Acey Deucey, also known as In-Between or Sheets, is a simple card game that involves betting. Before the action, each player must add their ante into the pot. Two cards are then dealt face-up to one player. That player then bets from nothing to the amount that is in the pot at the time whether or not the third card will numerically fall in between the first two. If the third card falls in between the two other cards, the bettor takes the amount he bet out of the pot; if the third card falls outside of the two other cards, the bettor must add what he bet to the pot; and if the third card matches the numerical value of one of the other two cards, the bettor must add to the pot double what he bet. If two cards of the same value come up, e.g. 2,2 the bettor picks if the next card will be higher or lower and bets. If the next card is the same as the last two, i.e. a 2, the bettor must triple his/her bet.

The rules and specifics of the game often vary from region to region. For example in Liaoning province, northeast China the minimum number of players is 4 and each player is required to ante before the first card is turned. Two cards are then dealt face-up to one player. That player then bets from nothing to the amount that is in the pot at the time during the first time around the table players are only allowed to bet up to half of the pot whether or not the third card will numerically fall in between the first two.

If the third card falls in between the two other cards, the bettor takes the amount he bet out of the pot; if the third card falls outside of the two other cards, the bettor must add what he bet to the pot; and if the third card matches the numerical value of one of the other two cards, this is referred to as a Post and the bettor must add to the pot double his initial bet. If two cards of the same value come up, e.g. 2,2 the bettor picks if the next card will be higher or lower and bets. If the next card is the same as the last two, i.e. a 2, this is considered a Post and the player is required to pay double the bet for the hand.

In addition to this, there is a special rule for Aces. If the first card turned is an Ace the player may choose its value as either the high Ace or the low one. If an Ace comes up as the second card turned it is always considered the high Ace. If a player Posts on an Ace they are required to pay four times their bet for that hand. Aces also cause an automatic loss if it is the third card turned when the first two cards are a match, e.g. 6,6. The best spread in the game is considered to be a low Ace on the left and a high Ace on the right. This is also one of the worst hands to get as you run the risk of the third card being an Ace and having to pay four times your bet for the hand.

Another variation is to split the cards if two end cards are the same value. This requires the bettor to ante in for two hands and the dealer would draw one more card under each of the end cards. After this, the same rules apply.