ESL Conversation

A:  You wanna team up and play some online holdem? B:  You mean for real money? A:  Of course. B:  Alright.  I’ve never done it before though.  Do we need to use a proxy? A:  No.  It’s legal. B:  I read something the other day about online gambling being illegal here. A:  I read that too but there’s a way around it.  I don’t know all the ins and outs but I know it’s ok to use offshore sites.  B:  How do you usually do when you play? A:  Not bad.  I’m up a couple grand so far.

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Holdem:  This is the common name used for the popular card game, "Texas Hold’em Poker".  This game is hugely popular on the internet and TV.  If you see a poker tournament on TV or hear people talking about playing poker online, this is probably what game they are playing.

Proxy:  A "proxy" is a special type of software that allows you to surf the internet without anyone knowing your IP address.  This is for people who don’t want anyone knowing where they are while they are using the net.  Proxy servers are popular in countries where the government blocks access to certain sites.

There’s a way around it:  If "there’s a way around something" it means that there is some legal way of avoiding some law. 

It’s illegal to buy alcohol in most parts of Canada if you are under 19.  If you are 18 and you want to drink legally, there is a way around it.  You can get your parents to buy alcohol and drink with them at home.

Ins and outs:  The "ins and outs" of something is a slang way of talking about all the specific details of some law or policy.

I don’t know all the ins and outs but I know there is a way around paying taxes in your own country if you are living and working here.

Ok:  In this context, if something is "ok" it means it’s legal or not against the rules.

Is it ok to smoke in this restaurant?

Offshore:  "Offshore" is a term that is used to describe the different laws on certain islands. 

There is a lot of "offshore banking" and "offshore gambling".  The laws for certain offshore things are different and often more relaxed than the laws about onshore things. 

How do you usually do:  In spoken English, if you ask "how do you usually do?" it means you want to know if someone usually wins or loses.

How do you usually do against him in Tennis?

How do you usually do when you go to the Casino?

Up:  In gambling or investing, we talk about being "up" or "down".  If you are "up" it means you are winning a certain amount of money.  If you are "down" it means you are losing.

I’m up over $20 000 since I started investing in the stock market.  I’m down a little bit this year though.

Grand:  This is a slang word for "thousand dollars". 

I don’t have much money right now.  I just paid over 3 grand to fix my car.

So far:  "So far" is a slang way of saying, "until now"

We’ve only been dating a few months but it’s going really well so far.

 

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