As the first capital of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763, Salvador de Bahia witnessed the blending of European, African and Amerindian cultures. It was also, from 1558, the first slave market in the New World, with slaves arriving to work on the sugar plantations.

Juan de Cavallon of Spain leads the first successful colonizers into Costa Rica. Columbus discovered and named the area in 1502, but disease and resistance from the local population delayed permanent colonial establishment until 1561. Coffee is introduced from Cuba and becomes Costa Rica's main crop.

The 4-2 Rule is a way to turn the number of drawing outs you have into your odds of hitting them. It's times 4 on the flop to hit on the turn or river, and times 2 on the turn to hit your draw on the river. Example: a flopped flush draw is 9 outs. Multiply this by 4, and the odds of hitting it by the river are 36%.

While it's possible to argue that a novice poker player may make a mistake at the table, that argument doesn't hold up if it involves an experienced poker pro. That was the excuse Brazilian poker player Rafael Caiaffa made during a recent tournament, but his antics have cost him an indefinite ban from the game.