Official betting is an innovative sports bet-type that allows fans to bet on events while they’re happening. It can help sportsbooks attract new customers and engage existing ones, giving them a unique advantage over non-official markets.

MLB’s official betting partners include DraftKings and FanDuel. The league’s recent pact with FanDuel will expand the number of sportsbooks able to access data during games, as well as increase the variety of wagering options available.

NFL and NBA officials have advocated for the inclusion of official league data mandates in state-regulated sports betting laws. The leagues say such mandates are necessary for ensuring the integrity of legal US sports betting.

However, a league-mandated data mandate creates a two-tiered system in which operators are required to pay one of two prices for the same type of data. The cost of official league data varies by sports and distributor, but some sources peg it at around 0.25% of the amount wagered on each league.

While the industry has largely opposed data mandates, some private operators suggest they may change their pricing models if legal requirements become more widespread. The industry sees such mandates as a bad policy because they force operators into commercial agreements with the leagues, while granting one party what amounts to a monopoly on data.

The NCAA has an arrangement with Genius Sports for live stats, while the PGA Tour has signed a deal with IMG Arena to provide in-play betting data. Each major US sports league has a data arrangement with at least one distributor, and relationships have grown alongside the appetite for legal sports betting.

Poker is a family of card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game’s rules. The games are based on a standard deck of playing cards, and they vary in the number of cards dealt face up or down and in the amount of money involved.

Texas hold ’em is the most popular poker variant. It is played with two cards, known as hole cards, and five community cards dealt face up in three stages; the flop (three cards), turn (fourth street), and river (fifth street). The player with the best combination of the seven cards wins the pot.

In Texas hold ’em, each player bets into the pot during a betting round. The betting round continues until everyone calls or folds, and the player with the highest hand is awarded the pot.

Bluffing is a major feature of poker, and it has been used to win many high-stakes tournaments. Bluffing can be done by checking, which means making a bet without revealing a hand, or by raising the amount of money you are willing to invest.

Players may also muck their hand if they believe that their opponent has a better hand than they do. This is a common practice that occurs during the flop, and it is not against poker rules.

Another form of mucking is to peek at the opponent’s cards while they are looking. This is not against poker rules, but it can be annoying for other players and is generally against good taste. Especially in live poker, where the dealer or floor manager can make a ruling on a moment’s notice.