Signal Boosters

[1MoreFish4U]

I am going on a cross country trip and plan to play poker regularly using my laptop in hotels that offer free wireless.

The last time I did this the signal strength was pretty hit & miss.

Do any of the 'signal boosters' or similar equipment sold on ebay or any computer shops actually work, or are they just gimmicks?

I guess I should add that I have an Acer Laptop and it says I have "Acer Signal Up High-efficiency antenna technology". I do not know how to find out what kind of card it has - am not real computer savvy.

Thanks a lot for any responses.