States With No Income Taxes & States With Low Property Taxes

Real Estate Investing & Property Tax Rates

In the United States, property tax is assessed by local government at the municipal or county level. The property tax assessment is based on two values--the value of the land, and the value of the building. Since property tax is calculated at a local-level--and since changes occur frequently--it's tricky to determine the exact spots where property tax is the lowest. However, the following information should help you locate areas with high appreciation AND low property taxes.

Which States Have the Lowest Property Tax Rates?

County tax rates are often averaged into a single figure, and this number is used when comparing property taxes between states. Surprisingly, Wyoming has the lowest property tax rates. Unfortunately, property values in Wyoming tend to be pretty depressed, due to low population influx and a lack of jobs. Also, Wyoming does not rank highly when it comes to appreciation rates for residential and commercial real estate. Just because an area has low property taxes does not mean it will be the best area to invest in (or relocate to).

What to Look For When Investing

Look for an area that has a consistent rate of real estate appreciation, combined with fairly low property taxes. Often, local property tax rates are low because real estate appreciation in the area is low--so you need to be careful. Cities located next to universities and areas where businesses are relocating are usually excellent spots to buy real estate. Paying attention to population growth can help you spot real estate trends and make wiser investments.

Medium-Sized Cities With the Lowest Property Tax Rates

According to data gathered by the Office of the CFO in Washington, D.C., the following cities have the lowest property tax rates in 2006, based on an annual income of $75,000. Assuming you earn $75,000 annually, here are the property tax amounts you would pay in each city...

Birmingham AL -- $988

Cheyenne WY -- $1,108

Phoenix AZ -- $1,248

Wichita KS -- $1,309

Denver CO -- $1,362

Charleston WV -- $1,395

Oklahoma City OK -- $1,538

Kansas City, MO -- $1,595

Little Rock AR -- $1,648

Louisville, KY -- $1,713

Jacksonville FL -- $1,744

Honolulu HI -- $1,781

Billings MT -- $1,864

Salt Lake City, UT -- $1,904

Virginia Beach VA -- $1,918

Jackson MS -- $1,971

Charlotte, NC -- $2,021

Boise, ID -- $2,176

Columbia SC -- $2,214

Las Vegas NV -- $2,225

Sioux Falls SD -- $2,228

New Orleans, LA -- $2,231

Wilmington DE -- $2,416

Memphis TN -- $2,501

Albuquerque NM -- $2,517

Houston TX -- $2,861

The Connection Between State Income Taxes & Property Tax Rates

States with no income tax (see list below) usually have high property tax rates in their respective counties (The state needs to get its revenue from somewhere!). However, the trade-off is that you will have zero taxes on all earned income. This can be a huge advantage. Instead of paying the state 7 to 15 percent (or more) of your income, you can keep your hard-earned money, and invest it back into real estate or other investments. There are currently nine states that do not tax income at the state level.

States With No Income Tax

Alaska

Florida

Nevada

South Dakota

Texas

Washington

Wyoming

New Hampshire*

Tennessee*

*New Hampshire and Tennessee do not tax earned income, but they DO tax capital gains (dividend and interest income).

How To Find the Best of Both Worlds: Low Property Tax & No State Income Tax

If you're looking for the best of both worlds (low property tax and no state income tax), you may want to consider the following cities:

Sioux Falls, SD

Houston, Texas

Jacksonville, Florida

Memphis, TN

Cheyenne, WY

Las Vegas, Nevada

You can also explore less well-known cities in the nine "no-income-tax" states. Smaller towns and cities generally offer "quality of life" advantages, and higher-than-average price appreciation and growth.

Conclusion

Now you know which states don't tax income, and which areas have the lowest property tax rates. Armed with this knowledge, you can focus on finding the best spot for your next home or real estate investment.

Arkansas Casinos

The state of Arkansas is a Southern state with a population of nearly 3 million. Arkansas' capital city is Little Rock, where one of Arkansas' Casinos is located. The state of Arkansas is the only U.S. state with an official pronunciation (ar-kan-SAW), and the only state where diamonds are found naturally. There are not a large number of Arkansas Casinos, but visitors to Arkansas can find gambling action in several places situated around the state.

One popular Arkansas Casino is Cherokee Casino in Siloam Springs. This 50,000 square foot casino is open 24 hours a day and features a restaurant and a bar with live music. This Arkansas casino boasts 813 electronic gaming machines and over 40 tables for card games, roulette, craps and more--including 19 Poker tables. One interesting feature of Cherokee Casino is that they offer Poker games that are played against other players rather than the house. Cherokee Casino is an Arkansas casino worth checking out.

Another Arkansas casino, located in Holiday Island, is Spinzz Casino. This Arkansas casino was closed down because of gambling law disputes but has recently reopened for business. Guests visiting Spinzz Casino can stay at the nearby Spinzz Casino Hotel to be close to the action.

Though there are not many Arkansas casinos, there is a town with a rich casino history, which also happens to be former President Clinton's boyhood hometown. Hot Springs, Arkansas, in addition to being celebrated for its naturally 140-degree mineral springs, was one of America's original "sin cities." The town was a meeting place for gangsters, but instead of shoot-outs and showdowns, crime families such as the Nittis and the Capones would come to Hot Springs to sit down and talk. Historic Arkansas casinos were rampant in Hot Springs, and despite their "illegal" designation, residents of the town insisted that the casinos were good for business. At its peak, Hot Springs served as a Mecca for gambling and tourists flocked to the colorful Arkansas casinos lining its streets.

Today there are fewer choices for Arkansas casinos. However, gamblers looking for great casino action can visit the exciting Cherokee Casino or the centrally located Spinzz Casino. Of course, online Arkansas casinos are always a great option for anyone! Despite limited availability, Arkansas casinos have a long and rich history and should not be overlooked by casino aficionados and casual gamblers. Visit an Arkansas casino today!

Two Player Card Games

Two player card games are played for fun and are easy to learn. There are classic two player games and specialty deck card games. Classic two player games can be played with a regular deck of cards. Classic two player games include Bezique, Cribbage, Speed, Crazy Eights, Go Fish and Piquet. Special deck cards are used in specialty deck card games. They include games such as Uno and Phase Ten.

Bezique is a two player card game played with 4 sets of 32 cards. The popular form of Bezique is the Rubicon Bezique. Each player receives nine cards and the remaining cards become the stock. Certain combinations of cards score various points. Pinochle is a two player card game derived from Bezique. Cribbage is a two player card game played with a deck of 52 cards. The scoring device in this game is known as the Cribbage Board. Each player receives six cards. The object of the game is to achieve up to 31 cards. Each player scores points for each series. Costly Colours is a two player game similar to Cribbage. Piquet is a popular two player card game with a deck of 32 cards. The points are given to most cards in a suit, sequence and highest set.

Go Fish is a simple card game popular among children. One player asks another for cards of a particular rank. The player has to place all cards of a particular rank. If the player has no cards of that rank, he says Go Fish. Uno is played with a specially printed deck of cards. Each player receives 7 cards. The player has to play a card that matches the special effect of the exposed card. The special effects in Uno are skip, draw two, reverse and wild.

Crazy Eights is another two player card game. It is played with a 52 card pack. Each player receives 7 cards. The aim is to get rid of the cards by matching the number of previous discard. Spit or Speed is a two player card game with a 52 card pack. Each player receives 26 cards. The aim of a player is to dispose of the cards as fast as possible. Physical speed and alertness is necessary in this game.

Online two player games are also available. The game is played against an online opponent or the computer. Online two player games have user interface, customizable graphics, sound and scoring options. Ecarte and Euchre are popular online games.

Pick 4 Lottery Odds and Payouts Information

Pick 4 is a lottery game that the vast majority of lottery corporations in North America offer for play. Some call it by another name, like Win 4 or Big 4, but it is the same game. To play, players must choose 4 digits, from 0 to 9. Essentially, it is like picking a number from 0 (0000) to 9999. To win, you must either match all four digits in exact order, if you played a "straight" game, or all four digits in any order, if you played a "box" game. If you are reading this article, you are probably interested in the odds and payouts information for the game. If so, read on.

The most basic way to play Pick 4 is to play a straight game, meaning that all four digits must be matched in exact order. This is like picking one number from 0 to 9999. That means that there are 10,000 possible numbers that can be chosen and, so, the odds of winning are exactly 1-in-10,000. The prize payout is usually around $5000 for Pick 4 straight play.

It gets a little more complicated if you play Pick 4 box play. There are four different ways to box your numbers on the game. The first is a 4-way box play. In this format, you choose three digits that are the same and only one digit that is different from the rest (For example 1112). You do not need to match all digits in exact order to win, any combination will suffice (In this example, you would win if, say, 1211 were to be drawn). The odds of winning on a 4-way box play are 1-in-2500 and the payout is usually around $1,250.

The second way to box your numbers is with a 6-way box play. With this, you choose two pairs of digits that are the same (For example, 1122). Again, you do not need to match them in exact order (In this example, you would win if, say, 1212 were to be drawn). The odds of winning on a 6-way box play are 1-in-1,667 and the prize payout is normally around $800.

The third way to box your numbers in Pick 4 lottery is with a 12-way box play. With this, you again choose for numbers, with two of the digits being the same (For Example, 1123). Again, you do not need to match the numbers in order (In this example, you would win if, say, 3121 were drawn). The odds of winning on a 12-way box play are 1-in-833 and the payout is usually around $400.

The last way to box your Pick 4 numbers are with a 24-way box play. With this, all four digits are different (For example, 1234) and can be matched in any order (In this example, 4321 would be one way to win). The odds of winning on a 24-way box play Pick 4 ticket are 1-in-417 and the payout is usually around $200.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to play the Pick 4 lottery game and each method of playing offers different odds and different payouts. As with most lotteries, the higher the odds, the higher the payouts are.

Casino Business Opportunity

There are really two main options to owning a Casino business. One is to purchase a Casino business for sale such as an online Casino. More and more people are gambling online. A start up of this business can run from less than $200 to over $5,000. It is all dependent on who you want to run it.

There are many franchises with a business plan already laid out for you. There are also pre-built Poker and casino rooms that can start your online business. Either way you will be set up with a web site and given all the tools you will need to succeed. However, you will be responsible for all marketing of your web site. Some franchise's offer you proven guidelines to help you market, and others don't. To market on the internet costs money, and the more money you put out the more hits on your web site.

This is truly a home business. You will make money 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many online casino opportunities make 75% to 85% of the monthly deposits of your customers. Your good marketing can make this a very lucrative business.

There is also another option, and that is to start a casino biz opportunity that caters to employers, corporations, non-profit and civic clubs. It is a growing business that more people are using for fun and profit. You go to a location and create the atmosphere of a real casino. Many are willing to pay to have this outlet for their employees or as fund-raisers.

Before going out and purchasing cards, roulette wheels and tables, you should create a business plan. This will help you discover if you will need a license to operate the business, and what locations you cannot operate. But first call or log on to your local and state government web site, and ask about regulations and requirements for your business opportunity.

Once you have that information, go to your local Small Business Administration office or log on to their web site. You will find a sample business plan and other forms you will need, mentors, financing information, and other options to help you get your casino business opportunity started.

While working on your casino business plan, start pricing your equipment, and looking for employees. You may be able to contact a local temporary employee service for employees when you are first starting, but you may just want to explain to the employee that they are paid per event. This is an important decision and needs to be decided early on in the venture.

Now that your casino business plan is ready, start looking for financing. You can contact private individuals, banks, and the Small Business Administration. Prepare a proposal explaining your casino business opportunity and business plan. You may be turned away and turned down. Be persistent, you will get financing.

Once you have the financing start advertising your business and purchase your equipment. Get your employees ready to start working. You can send out fliers to corporations explaining your service, and focus on the use of it during conferences to relax and entertain the employers.

Contact Hotels and events facilities to sell your casino business opportunity as well. Many times the facility is required to offer entertainment to conference attendees. This will work in your favor and help you get clients.

Also, let local non-profit organizations know about the opportunity to use your service as a fund-raiser. You can create an exquisite casino business opportunity that is fun and different to help them raise money for their charity or cause. Any of these options or all of them can keep your casino business opportunity busy.

Review your casino business plan annually and make changes as necessary. You also want to subscribe to newsletters and periodicals in the industry to keep abreast of the industry trends. Read books and visit web sites. Most of all, watch your competition.

This is truly a great way to make money and have fun at the same time.

How to Pick Winning Scratch Off Lottery Tickets Unveiled!

Are you looking for ways on how to pick winning scratch off lottery tickets? If so then, just continue reading, for this article can be of great help to you. But before anything else, you should first be aware on the real meaning of a scratch off ticket. Simply put, the scartch card or scratch off is a simple token or ticket which is most of the time made of cardboard and contains obscured information which is typically being covered by a latex substance that can be scratched off. This is a lottery ticket game wherein all you need to do is to obtain a ticket and scratch it off to unveil the result.

Playing the scratch off lottery tickets is very exciting since you are unaware of your chances of winning. As a matter of fact, this sort of lottery game does not require for a great playing skill but rather for a great luck. Thus, if luck is on your side then, you can be certain that you have higher odds of winning. But of course, it is also not ideal to rely too much on your luck since it is somewhat unpredictable. Instead, the best thing which you can do is to select meticulously the scratch off tickets which you intend to play.

The following are some of the most outstanding ways which you ought to take into account on how to pick winning scratch off lottery tickets without much trouble at all:

Determine the state where you reside. It is in reality a common fact that each state has its own available lottery games. And this only means that each state will sell a diverse series of scratch tickets.
Locate your state's official lottery site on the web. You can in reality carry this out by simply utilizing the Google search engine. After locating the site, you then have to look for the scratch off information part on the site in order to figure out your needed budget for scratch off tickets, to determine your odds of winning, and to successfully pick the winning scratchcards.
Compare the accessible scratch off tickets. This is vital so that you can identify the scratch off tickets with better odds. In point of fact, you can compare the available scratchcards by plainly evaluating their actual costs. You have to remember that scratch off tickets which have higher costs usually have better overall winning odds than those tickets

One of the exciting lottery games in these days has something to do with scratch off tickets. It may require more of luck than skill, but it can definitely bring you huge winnings. You only need to be knowledgeable on how to pick winning scratch off lottery tickets. In fact, some of the most excellent and yet simple ways on how to select the winning scratchcards have already been unveiled above. It is now just up to you as to whether you are going to adhere to the aforementioned ways or not. After all, it is going to be your own lottery game and not anyone else's game of chance.

Video Poker Slot Machines - Jokers Wild a Perfect Game For Novices

If you are playing video Poker slot machines or looking to play them, then consider Jokers Wild - its the perfect introduction for novice players.

Video Poker slot machines, unlike standard slot machines allow you to get an edge over the Casino by playing correctly, you can therefore increase your chances of winning if you play correctly.

If all the video Poker slot machine games Jokers Wild is arguably one of the most fun. Below we will look at the rules and how you can win.

An easy and fun introduction

Jokers Wild is a hot new video poker slot game that is easy, has lots of winning hands, and with the wild Joker (good for any card you wish it to be), you can more often than other video poker slot machine game.

You can play as fast or as slow as you wish, and most machines accept small bets (even $0.01) to $10.

The Rules

Jokers wild on the video slot uses a 53 pack of cards.These are all the normal cards, plus one Joker. If the Joker appears in any hand, it can used as any card you wish it to be.

You begin by making a bet. Then five cards are dealt. Now you can discard as many of the 5 cards as you wish, or keep them all. After your decision on what to keep and what to discard new cards are dealt to replace the discarded ones.

The game at this point is essentially over, it only needs to see if you won or not.

Below is a list of the winning hands, from the lowest to the highest rank.

The Winning Hands (from the lowest ranking to the highest)

Two Pair / Pair of Kings or Aces - This is any 2 cards of the same values

Three of a Kind - This is any 3 cards of the same value.

Straight - This is any 5 consecutive cards, such as J, 10, 9, 8 and 7, but not in the same suit..

Flush - This is any 5 cards of the same suit, in no particular order.

Full House - This is 3 cards of one value, and 2 cards of another value.

Four of a Kind - This is a hand with 4 cards of the same value.

Straight Flush - This is 5 consecutive cards in the same suit, for instance 8, 9, 10, J and Q. Remember the A count as a 1 or after the K.

Joker Royal Flush - This is a royal flush where one of the five cards is the poker

Five of a Kind - This is four same-value cards plus the joker.

The Natural Royal Flush (without the joker) - A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit.

How to Win

Firstly, in any Video poker slot machine game like joker poker, play a machine with the highest payouts i.e. a 7 / 5 machine.

Keep in mind you want to win the royal flush and you only get this by playing max coins so make sure you do.

Now here are some tips below to help you win that are statistically proven to help you win at Jokers Wild.

They are tried and tested rules of what to keep and what to discard, and each depending what in your hand. Follow these tips, and you will see yourself

If you cant memorize them then pre printed cards are available free on the net.

Here they are:

If you find a joker in your hand then keep all cards that are three-of-a-kind or higher, except hold four cards to the royal flush.

Keep any 4 card straight flush and a 4-card flush if it includes K, A or both.

Keep 3 cards to a royal flush

Keep any paying pair of high cards (K , A).

Keep any 3 cards to a straight flush.

Keep any 4-card flush without K or A.

If none of the above applies, keep the Joker only.

If there is no Joker in your hand, then,

Keep all paying hands, except hold a 4-card royal flush.

Keep any 4 cards to a straight flush and any 3 cards to a royal flush.

Keep 4 cards to any flush.

Keep any pair of 2's to Queens.

Keep any 3 cards to a straight flush.

Keep any 4-card consecutive straight.

Keep 2 cards to a royal flush if one of the cards is a A or K.

Keep unsuited K and A.

Keep K or A alone.

Keep 2 suited royal flush cards lower than K or A.

If you have no joker and no potential cards, its better to ask for 5 new ones. The odds are much better than keeping even one card - if you have junk throw the cards away.

An involving gaming experience fun and great odds

Video poker bridges the gap between games of pure chance such as other online slots and games of skill such as blackjack. Add in the fact that the graphics are normally fantastic and you have an involving slot game, that is great fun and good odds of success - if you play the right way.

Jokers Wild is a great intro to online video poker games but if you enjoy this one try Jacks or Better or Deuces Wild as well.

If you have never played video poker before you will find it great fun and with good odds of winning as well, its no wonder video poker slot machines such as Jokers Wild are so popular.