Off all board games, Checkers is a simple game in many ways. But, every game unfolds itself intricate layers. Every move in each game opens unknown possibilities and closes down some more unknown possibilities. Thus, it is well to keep a few strategies in mind when playing, even when it is just for fun.

Always remember the forced capture rule to maneuver your opponent into a position where he gives up two pieces for one of your own. Often a one piece advantage can make all the difference in the final moves.

Then, always try to keep the lanes to your own king’s row blocked to your opponent. Once either side gets a king, any uncrowned checker in the open is highly vulnerable.

Later, move between your own pieces and your opponent in order to move adjacent to an opposing checker without loss.

Of course, these are elementary ideas to the tournament player. To move beyond the beginner stage, a player will need a lot of practice and experience of both winning and lossing.

For the latest rules and strategy, do visit us at boardgaminginfo.com

Popularity: 40% [?]

“Don’t you hate it when you sit down to play a board game with family and friends and the game rules are no where to be found? Board Game Capital is a web site dedicated to providing you with the widest variety of board game rules on the web! Whether you are playing a card game, a dice game, a traditional board game or a party game, we have the official game rules . Quickly find the rules to your game and you’re off having a good time. These game instructions can be downloaded or printed.

Board Game Capital offers more than just rules! We have a page dedicated to fun facts and descriptions of each game. Want to find out about strategies or what others are saying about a new game? Check out our comment page for every game. We offer other links to find the best prices on games if you wish to purchase one and add it to your game closet.

If you don’t happen to see what you are looking for, Board Game Capital is constantly updating and adding new games and game rules. Be sure to bookmark Board Game Capital and keep it handy anytime you start to play a board game.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Dominoes is not only a child’s play and like most card and dice games it starts from a very simple game and as you gain experience the level of complexity can be changed accordingly. There are umpteenth numbers of variation of a domino game.

Originating from the 12^th century China, the game made its way to Europe in the 18 century and has spread across the globe from there. It is not only one of the most popular party games in the US and club game in Europe, but many Latin American countries regard this as their national game.

Rules of the game:

A domino is a small tile with a roll of two dice. The rectangular tile has a line down the center is commonly called a bone. Each end of this tile has a number. In double-six, the most popular domino set, these numbers vary from 0 to 6 to produce 28 unique tiles. A common domino is of 2 inches long, 1 inch wide and 3/8 inch thick.

The number of dots or pips on each side differentiates a domino. The lower numbers are listed first and a tile with a 2 on one end and a 5 on the other is referred to as a “2-5″. A tile with the same number on both ends is known as a “double” and one with 6-6 as a double (double-six) is regarded as the “heaviest” domino; while a double-blank is the “lightest”.

Tiles ending with the same number of dots are members of the same “suit”. A double-six set has seven suits (blank, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), each with seven members (0-5, 1-5, 2-5, 3-5, 4-5, 5-5, & 5-6) make up the “fives” suit. Apart from the doubles, each tile belongs to two suits.

The size of the domino set might vary from the standard double-six to double-nine (55 tiles), double-twelve (91 tiles), double-fifteen (136 tiles), and double-eighteen (190 tiles). Larger sets are mostly used for more complicated games.

Popularity: 42% [?]

One of world’s most popular card games is Blackjack. It is as favourite in casinos and professional tournaments as it is as a pastime played among friends and family. The origin of the game can be dated back to the seventeenth century gambling clubs of France and its maiden name was 21, which stands for the ideal numerical card combination required win in blackjack betting. In an ideal case a player should have an ace with the value of eleven along with a card with the value of ten.

The game begins with each player placing their bet in the middle of the table and after that each player is dealt two cards face up. The dealer then deals to himself a card face up which is known as the “up card,” and one card face down, known as the “hole card” .If the dealer receives a ten or an ace, he might have a blackjack and then all the players lose their bets to the house.

After receiving two cards each player has the option to “hit” (ask for another card), “stay,” or, if he happens to receive two of the same cards, “split,” which carries one card to the next hand. Depending on the casino in some cases the player is allowed to surrender his cards and keep half of his bets if he receives a threatening card and wishes to quit. One of the most popular variations of the game is the Las Vegas Blackjack.

Although blackjack has a more than 300-year old history, its popularity snowballed globally via free online blackjack versions.  In an online game not only can a player connect to a community of thousands of other players, he is also be kept up-to-date on the myriad of opportunities available to play free blackjack games.

In the online version the player can start off by playing for free and then upgrade to real money stakes when he gets a bit accustomed to the game. One basic strategy to increase the chance to win is to sit next to the dealer, where the player receives two cards last, giving him the advantage of seeing the cards of the rest of the players and help start the blackjack card counting which involves intensive tracking of all the cards dealt in each round. This help the player decide on whether to hit, stay or surrender. However, this strategy is less effective in case of a a casino blackjack download where each round begins with a virtual shuffle on the computer.

Online casinos have become widely popular and most of them offer multi-language support to enable players from around the globe to have easy access to the game. Whether one plays for fun or for real dough, the realistic look and feel is what makes these online casinos a favourite.

Popularity: 9% [?]

According to a global study conducted by Ernst & Young on the gaming sector the online gaming segment has an average growth of 13% per year. This market analysis clearly shows the rise of various skill games like Sudoku, board games and strategy games as well as that of online gambling. Chess, billiard and the traditional card games are hot favorites.

The first half of 2009 has seen 59% on web users indulge in some kind of online skill  contributing around 2.2 billion into the total online gaming market of around a staggering $ 5 billion; 150% higher than the previous year.
This growth is due to various reasons:
Most people have a tendency to indulge in some kind of game or the other. Given to the economic recession, more and more of this population took up internet gaming as a money-saving alternative to outdoor games. Also, with so many rendered jobless across the globe, people had more spare time and spent them on internet games.
The growing trend among the social networking sites to attract more traffic and keep them hooked by adding interactive widgets and applications and advert-games has also helped the online gaming industry grow manifold. These advert-games not only help the sites retain its members by getting them addicted to the games but also yield profit as they promote some service or product  as well.

Although, it is up to the financial consultants to give a verdict on whether to invest in the online gaming market, there is no denying the fact that be it online or offline, games are here to stay as long as we humans have our playful nature!

Popularity: 23% [?]