Sports Then and Now

Valve’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has set a new record for the average number of players.

When the game was changed to a free free-to-play model in November 2018, player numbers started to quickly rise. But the reason for the new record also coincided with the new Shattered Web update released last November and was a great success indeed.

CS:GO as a sport

CS:GO, also known as Counter-Strike Global Offensive, is a very popular multiplayer first-person shooter game, where eSports professionals and recreational players alike compete all over the world. It was first released in 2012. CS: GO has proven to be an exceptional game in the world of e-sports alongside games like League of Legends and Dota 2, whose numbers only increase as the game gets older and becomes more retro. In terms of e-sports, the number of tournaments continues to grow and more teams join to compete for big prize money. 

Here’s a quote from a professional CS:GO player about how he turned pro:

“I was already playing video games a lot in middle school. I basically missed my studies and turned into a pro when I got the chance to play full-time. Now I play for ENCE eSports public. I get a monthly salary that is made possible by our sponsors. Tournament winnings are subject to a commission, so it’s a win-win for all.

Sad news from the sports world with the death of former record-setting place kicker Tom Dempsey due to the coronavirus.  Dempsey passed away Saturday at age 73.

Though Dempsey spent a decade in the NFL, he is best remembered for his improbable 63-yard field goal in the final seconds against the Detroit Lions on November 8, 1970.

Even during an era when straight-on kickers were still the majority in the NFL, Tom Dempsey was not your pro-typical NFL player.  Dempsey was 6-foot-2, but weighed more than 250 pounds. He also was born without fingers on his right hand or toes on his right foot.

Nonetheless, Dempsey played football at Palomar Community College in San Diego and then somehow found his way into the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.

As a rookie in 1969, Dempsey earned first-team All-Pro honors and appeared in the Pro Bowl while ranking fifth in league with 99 points. He led the NFL with 41 field goal attempts and was third in the league with 22 successful attempts.

In 1970 Dempsey and the Saints were struggling when they hosted Detroit in week eight. Dempsey had converted only five field goals through the first seven games and the Saints were 1-5-1 on the season.

Just days before the game against the Lions, who entered the game with a 5-2 record, head coach Tom Fears had been fired and replaced by J.D. Roberts.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is packed with moments nobody expected, but perhaps never more so than right now. The spread of coronavirus, also referred to as COVID-19, has led to the suspension of the IPL until April 15, 2020.

In truth, many experts don’t believe the IPL will resume on that date, and that it will be pushed back even farther. Right now, we can’t predict when cricket will be back on our screens – but there are some things we can predict, like great betting opportunities!

Typically, it’s pretty easy to guess who will be the favourite and who will be the underdog in an IPL match. Pitch the Mumbai Indians against the Rajasthan Royals and it’s safe to say we know where the smart money goes.

However, could coronavirus lead to different patterns of betting in the IPL?

For one thing, we need to think about government policies. Different countries are employing radically different approaches to this new threat. Some countries, like Italy, have gone into full lockdown mode, trying to kill coronavirus by keeping people indoors as much as possible. Others are taking a different approach, with the introduction of herd immunity floated as one theory to help beat the virus.

With travel restrictions impacting people all over the world due to the COVID-19 virus, many are looking for ways to pass the time. One fun way is to play casino games such as video poker, online slots and other types of online games. The cool thing about playing online is that there are sites available that you can play just for fun and others that you can play to win real money.

Poker is always a popular game and you can play video poker at New Zealand Casinos without actually being in New Zealand.

While there are many variations of video Poker, they have one thing in common: they’re all based on simple mechanics of five-card draw Poker. Video Poker uses a standard 52-card deck. After you make your wager and press the “Deal” button, the machine randomly gives you five cards. At this point, you need to choose which cards to keep and which cards to throw away or discard. Once you have made your pick, the computer will randomly replace the discarded cards.