Leisure & Games

"All intellectual improvement arises from leisure" - Samuel Johnson.

Leisure or free time, is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity. It is also the period of recreational and discretionary time before or after compulsory activities such as eating and sleeping, going to work or running a business, attending school and doing homework, household chores, and day-to-day stresses, not including eating, and sleeping, it is often referred to as "free time". This category is for leisure activities such as those which one voluntarily spends away from such stresses, so called 'down time activities'.

Baccarat

• BACCARAT - Wikipedia.
• GAMBLER'$ HANDBOOK
• STRATEGY AND ODDS

Backgammon

• Backgammon Events
• Online Backgammon Websites
• BACKGAMMON GALORE
• BACKGAMMON - Wikipedia.
• FOSTER & SON - est. 1840. Backgammon boards.
• LINLEY - gaming table.

Backgammon Events

• BACKGAMMON TOURNAMENTS: AROUND THE WORLD
• BACKGAMMON TOURNAMENTS: MONTE CARLO

Online Backgammon Websites

• BACKGAMMONMASTERS.COM - play backgammon for real money.
• BACKGAMMONTRIAL.COM - free backgammon games and downloads, top payouts and recommended rooms, tips and promos.
• GAMMONISH.COM - play free online backgammon.
• PLAY65 - online backgammon room.

Blackjack

• BLACKJACK - Wikipedia.
• ADVANTAGE PLAYER - Glossary.
• BLACKJACK ENCYCLOPEDIA - reputable online casinos, exclusive bonus offers, rules, strategies.
• BLACKJACK STRATEGY AND ODDS
• GAMBLER'$ HANDBOOK
• GRIFFIN INVESTIGATIONS - publisher of the famous Griffin Book listing Las Vegas "advantage players", card counters and outright cheaters.
• HOW BLACKJACK WORKS
• KEN USTON'S BLACLJACK WORLD - legendary Blackjack player and card counter.

Bridge

• BRIDGE - Wikipedia.
• AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE
• THE BRIDGE WORLD

Carambole | Carom Billiards

• CARAMBOLE BILLIARDS - Wikipedia.
• ASKA BILLIARDS - pool billiard cue sticks and cases. Famous brands: McDermott, Viking, Falcon, Mezz, Joss, Schon, Lucasi, Players, Aska, Pechauer, Predator.
• BILLIARD CONGRESS OF AMERICA
• BILLIARD WAREWARE - Balabushka pool cues.
• BILLIARD WORLD MAGAZINE
• CUE STICK - Wikipedia.
• DOUGLAS PELL - sterling silver chalk holder.
• GEORGE BALABUSHKA - "the Stradivarius of cuemakers".
• MOZART AND BILLIARDS
• POOLDAWG - pool cues, billiards, pool cue cases.
• RAYMOND CEULEMANS - legendary carambole player.
• UNION MONDIALE DE BILLARD - world tournament sanctioning body.

Chess

• Online Chess Websites
• CHESS - Wikipedia.
• ELIZABETH GANN COLLECTIONS - "The Source for Premium Collectible Chess Sets." Chess sets designed by: Oleg Raikis and Piero Benzoni; rare & limited editions, glass, damascene and antique sets.
• ELO RATING SYSTEM - method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess.
• EMANUEL LASKER - (1868-1941). German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years.
• FIDE | Fédération Internationale des Échecs - World Chess Federation.
• LINLEY - gaming table.
• List of chess world championship matches - Wikipedia.
• RULES OF CHESS - Wikipedia.
• THE UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION
• WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP - Wikipedia.
• WORLD CHESS FEDERATION | FIDE

Online Chess Websites

• CHESS ANY TIME - play chess online, live or long term.
• CHESS.COM - play chess online for free.
• CHESS.NET - play chess online.
• CHESSBASE NEWS - chess news, chess programs, databases. Play chess online.
• FREE INTERNET CHESS SERVER | FICS - play chess on the web for free.
• ICC | THE INTERNET CHESS CLUB - where the Grandmasters play online chess.

Computer, PC & Video Games

• CIGAME - game devolpment.
• COMPUTER GAMES - Wikipedia.
• ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT EXPO 2010 | E3 EXPO - annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It is used by many video game developers to present their upcoming games and game-related hardware.
• GAMERCRAVE - craving video games.
• IGN.COM - video games, game cheats and codes, more.
• KOTAKU - a video games focused blog. "The Gamer's Guide."
• ALL GAME GUIDE
• CIVILIZATION 4
• EDGE MAGAZINE - the global game industry network.
• GRAND THEFT AUTO: THE LOST AND DAMNED
• HALF-LIFE 2
• HITMAN
• KOTAKU - the gamer's guide.
• MONOPOLY TYCOON
• PLAYSPAN MARKETPLACE - provides a safe, secure, enjoyable marketplace for online gamers to purchase virtual goods.
• SCARFACE: THE WORLD IS YOURS
• SPIKE 2008 VIDEO GAME AWARDS
• STARCRAFT 2
• STREET FIGHTER IV
• THE BEATLES ROCKBAND
• UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES - PlayStation 3 action-adventure video game.
• WARCRAFT 3
• WII SPORTS RESORT - a collection of 12 sports games.
• WORLD OF WARCRAFT

Go

• GO - Wikipedia.
• AMERICAN GO ASSOCIATION
• GO BOARD GAME LINKS
• INTRODUCTION TO GO
• THE INTERACTIVE WAY TO GO

Lotteries

• LIST OF LOTTERIES
• LOTTERY - Wikipedia.
• LOTTERY.COM - all about the U.S. lotties: news, results, jackpots, and more
• LOTTERY INSIDER - the lottery industry news site. "The ultimate lottery portal."
• LOTTERY JACKPOT RECORDS - Wikipedia.
• MUSL | MULTI-STATE LOTTERY ASSOCIATION (US) - list of US state-lotteries.
• THE LOTTER - "Your Global Lottery Agent." Online lottery tickets & lottery results.
• CHINA WELFARE LOTTERY
• EL GORDO - the Spanish national lottery (highest payout: €126 mio. in 2008).
• EURO MILLIONS - European lottery that takes place once a week, on Friday evening. Whereas national lotteries are generally limited to the residents of one particular country, the Euro Millions lottery pools the stakes of the participating European countries.
• GERMAN LOTTO
• LA FRANÇAISE DES JEUX - the operator of France's national lottery games.
• MEGA MILLIONS - Mega Millions is America's biggest jackpot game with jackpots starting at $12 million.
• NATIONAL LOTTERY - Ireland.
• NEW YORK LOTTERY
• POWERBALL - the number one lottery game in the United States and is now played in 30 states.
• SUPERENALOTTO - the Italian lottery (Europe's biggest-ever lottery prize: Saturday, August 22, 2009 - €147.807.299,08).
• THE UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

Miscellaneous

• 50 BEST BOARD GAMES - source: The Independent.
• bet your brain - "The game where everybody has a chance."
• BOCCIA - a traditional recreational sport for athletes who require a wheelchair because of physical disability.
• BOULE LYONNAISE - the aim is to throw your boules (balls) as close to the jack as possible, and keep them there.
• BRUNSWICK BOWLING - the recognized leader in the bowling industry. Manufacturers of world class bowling balls, bowling shoes, bowling equipment.
• EIGA | EUROPEAN INNOVATIVE GAMES AWARD
• LIST OF BOARD GAMES - Wikipedia.
• MONOPOLY - named after the economic concept of monopoly, the domination of a market by a single entity.
• PÉTANQUE - a form of boules where the goal is, while standing with the feet together in a small circle, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (jack).
• RUBIK'S CUBE - invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik.
• SIMON SAYS - the rules.
• THE OFFICIAL U.S. MONOPOLY SITE
• TETRIS - non-stop puzzle.
• TRIVIAL PURSUIT - a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions.
• WCA | WORLD CUBE ASSOCIATION

Playstations & Video Game Consoles

• ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT EXPO 2010 | E3 EXPO - annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It is used by many video game developers to present their upcoming games and game-related hardware.
• NINTENDO - Wikipedia.
• PLAYSTATION 3 - Wikipedia.
• VIDEO GAME CONSOLE - Wikipedia.
• XBOX 360 - Wikipedia.
• ALL GAME GUIDE
• Kinect - the new Xbox 360 250GB Elite Console featuring a brand new, leaner machine in a black gloss finish with built-in Wi-Fi for the first time.
• NINTENDO
• NINTENDO DS
• NINTENDO GAMECUBE
• NINTENDO WII
• PLAYSTATION
• PLAYSTATION 2
• PLAYSTATION 3
• PLAYSTATION MOVE - "It only does everything."
• PSP GO
• WII VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CONSOLE
• XBOX 360

Poker

• Online Poker Websites
• Poker Events
• 8 GAME
• ADVANTAGE PLAYER - Glossary.
• ASSOULINE POKER PACK STATIONARY
• BLUFF MAGAZINE
• CARD PLAY MAGAZINE
• CARDPLAYER.COM
• CARTAMUNDI PLAYING CARDS
• CASINOS.NET - online casinos directory, best poker sites, slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker with hih rollers.
• DEAD MAN'S HAND - is a two-pair poker hand, namely "aces and eights".
• EGAMING REVIEW - the world's acknowledged leaders in business-to-business information provision for the online gaming industry.
• FLOPTURNRIVER.COM - poker strategy forum, online Texas holdem strategies, tools & bonus guide.
• FREE POKER ODDS CALCULATOR
• GREEN TUBE - turnkey gaming and gambling solutions.
• GUS HANSEN - Danish poker professional & author.
• HIGH STAKES DB - online poker community. Results, reports, bonuses, interviews and rakeback.
• JACKPOT - Glossary.
• JaxCasinos.com - the Internet’s premier online casino and sports betting resource site. Comprehensive list of online casinos, casino reviews, casino information, deposit options, high roller casinos, online casino games guides.
• LINLEY - gaming table.
• LIST OF PLAYING CARD NICKNAMES
• MARLOW POKER CHIPS - "The Casino Royal plaques, made by Matsui, are the highest quality available, and are close reproductions of those used in the James Bond Casino Royale movie. The $500k plaque is 85x65mm & the $1m is 95x66mm. The Casino Royale chips, made by Carta Mundi, are the exact same chips that were used in the movie. These are high quality 14g chips."
• OFFICIAL POKER RANKINGS
• POKER - Wikipedia.
• POKER NEWS - "The #1 Source for Poker News, Reviews & Bonuses."
• POKER WIRE - real time tournament reporting.
• RAKE REBATE - the world's largest rakeback provider.
• THE POKER ENCYCLOPEDIA
• TOURNEY BLOG - poker tournament news.
• WICKED CHOPS POKER - poker news & gossip.

Online Poker Websites

• BET24.COM
• BET365 POKER
• BETFAIR POKER
• BINION'S POKER ROOM
• BOOKMAKER.COM - bet on sporting events, as well as horse racing, online casino games, poker, bingo and mobile betting from any location in the world.
• BWIN - the number one operator in the Power 50 ranking of egaming’s 50 leading operators.
• EXPEKT.COM
• FULL TILT POKER ROOM
• GRAND CASINO AMERICAN POKER CLASSIC
• INTERCASINO
• INTERPOKER
• IWON - the best free online games, casinos & sweeps.
• LADBROKES POKER ONLINE
• PADDY POWER POKER
• PARTYGAMING
• PARTYPOKER.COM
• POKER CHEATING BLOG
• POKER KING
• POKER STARS ONLINE
• ROXY PALACE
• SPIN PALACE CASINO
• UNIBET

Poker Events

• EPT | EUROPEAN POKER TOUR
• MASTER CLASSICS OF POKER
• PARTOUCHE POKER TOUR
• POKER STARS MACAU POKER CUP
• WCOOP | WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF ONLINE POKER
• WPT | WORLD POKER TOUR
• WSOP | WORLD SERIES OF POKER

Pool

• EIGHT-BALL POOL - Wikipedia.
• NINE-BALL POOL - Wikipedia.
• POOL | POCKET BILLIARDS - Wikipedia.
• PRO9 - European pool player resource.
• STRAIGHT POOL - Wikipedia.
• BRUNSWICK BILLIARDS - billiards tables and accessories since 1845.
• DOUGLAS PELL - sterling silver chalk holder.
• THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986) - 9-ball pool cult movie starring Paul Newman & Tom Cruise.
• THE HUSTLER (1961) - 9-ball pool cult movie starring Paul Newman & Jackie Gleason.
• WPA | WORLD POOL-BILLIARD ASSOCIATION
• WPA | WORLD POOL-BILLIARD ASSOCIATION RULES FOR STRAIGHT POOL
• WORLD STANDARDIZED RULES: 9-BALL

Royal Game of Ur

• Royal Game of Ur - Wikipedia.
• The Game of Ur
• The Royal Game of Ur

Snooker

• SNOOKER - Wikipedia.
• ASKA BILLIARDS - pool billiard cue sticks and cases. Famous brands: McDermott, Viking, Falcon, Mezz, Joss, Schon, Lucasi, Players, Aska, Pechauer, Predator.
• BILLIARD CONGRESS OF AMERICA
• BILLIARD WORLD MAGAZINE
• DOUGLAS PELL - sterling silver chalk holder.
• ENGLISH BILLIARDS - Wikipedia.
• POOLDAWG - pool apparel.
• WORLD SNOOKER NEWS

Sudoku

• SUDOKU - Wikipedia.
• ALGORITHMICS OF SUDOKU
• LIST OF SODUKO TERMS AND JARGON
• MATHEMATICS OF SUDOKU
• STEP-BY-STEP SOLUTION TO ANY SODUKO PUZZLE

Whai Whai

• WHAI WHAI - PLAY THE STORY LINE THROUGH THE CITY