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What You Must Know about Winning Blackjack!

2008-03-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

When you play blackjack, there are certain things you need to be aware of in terms of how the rules of the game affect your profit potential.

Casinos are NOT going to tell you that the chances of making money on their game are less than if you play against their competitors!

So, what is it that you need to know in order to play the game of blackjack in a way that gives you the best odds against the casino?

Well, you need to look at the rules that the casino offers for each blackjack game, and use them to your advantage along with the basic strategy.

Basic Strategy

Basic strategy is mathematically proven to cut the casino edge in blackjack if played correctly.

The casino's initial edge in the game is 5.75%, but by using basic strategy correctly, it is possible to reduce the casino edge to around 0.5%

Increasing Your Advantage Further - Look for Favourable Rules

A player can increase their advantage using basic strategy further by card counting, which shifts the odds of success in their favour.

For card counting to be effective, a player needs to play blackjack games with favourable rules.

Here are some rule variations and the effect that they have on a player's long-term profits.

Favourable Rules for the Player
Early surrender +0.62%
Late surrender Single deck +0.02%
Double down after splitting +0.13%
Drawing to split aces +0.14%
Re splitting of aces +0.03%
Double down cards any number +0.20%
2:1 payoff blackjack +2.32%

Unfavourable Rules for the Player
no doubling on hard 11 -0.89%
no doubling on hard 10 -0.56%
no doubling on hard 9 -0.14%
no doubling soft hands -0.14%
dealer hits soft 17 -0.20%
dealer takes no hole card -0.13%
2 decks (v single) -0.35%
4 decks (v single) -0.51%
6 decks (v single) -0.60%
pairs no re splitting -0.05%

The conclusion from this is obvious:

Correct Play + Favourable Rules = Optimum Advantage for Players

An Example of the Casino Edge in Card Counting

Let's look at card counting and the influence of the casino rules in relation to the number of decks. This is a critical consideration for any player before they play a game. Card counting is the only way to get the odds in a player's favor.

With a single deck game, player against the dealer - a +2 count is a 2% advantage to the player. If the number of decks is increased, then we have more cards to be dealt, which in turn increases the number of cards left, which then reduces the odds of success for the player.

Blackjack Card Counting is based on Probability

Card counting does not attempt to "predict" the card sequence; it is simply looking at the probability of cards coming out the deck.

Obviously, the more cards to be dealt the less effective a probability theory such as card counting will be.

Card counting is the only way to get the edge away from the casino and favorable to the player, so it is important to play with the most favorable rules that you can, in order to maximize your bankroll and payouts.

It does not matter how well you can card count if the rules are against you! Your skills will not be used to their full potential in terms of getting payouts.

A Simple Plan to Win at Blackjack

2008-03-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Blackjack is the one game that you can play with a positive edge against the casino.

It's this edge that makes blackjack the preferred game for the serious player interested in making long term profits.

To win at blackjack long term you need to have a strategy, but you also need to play games with favourable rules and use strict money management techniques.

Here are four tips to help you make big consistent profits:

Tip 1. Basic Strategy

When you play blackjack correctly and use basic strategy, you cut the casino edge - it's a mathematically proven fact.

The casino's initial edge in the game is 5.75%, but by using basic strategy, you can reduce the casino edge to around 0.5%

There are plenty of free sources on the net that have strategy cards to tell you how to play.

Tip 2. Card Counting

After learning basic strategy, you can gain a positive edge over the casino (about 0.5 -1.5%) by card counting.

There are many card counting systems.

A Player needs to know the system they are using well and execute it without errors. Errors are costly and they will wipe out your advantage.

A simple system executed correctly will make you more long-term profit than a complicated one, which causes you to make errors.

You need to use a card counting system that you can execute with confidence and without errors to make it effective in giving you an edge over the house.

Tip 3. Look for Favourable Rules

For card counting to be effective, a player needs to play blackjack games with favourable rules.

Here are some rule variations and the effect that they have on a player's long-term profits.

Favourable Rules for the Player

Early surrender +0.62%

Late surrender single deck +0.02%

Double down after splitting +0.13%

Drawing to split aces +0.14%

Re-splitting of aces +0.03%

Double down cards any number +0.20%

2:1 payoff blackjack +2.32%

Unfavourable Rules for the Player

No doubling on hard 11 -0.89%

No doubling on hard 10 -0.56%

No doubling on hard 9 -0.14%

No doubling soft hands -0.14%

Dealer hits soft 17 -0.20%

Dealer takes no hole card -0.13%

2 decks (v single) -0.35%

4 decks (v single) -0.51%

6 decks (v single) -0.60%

Pairs no re-splitting -0.05%

You need to play with favourable rules otherwise; the casino will wipe out the edge you gain through card counting.

Tip 4. Money Management

You need to decide what your bankroll is going to be and play at a level that will enable you to ride out losing periods.

Keep in mind card counting is not a predictive theory, it's a probability theory, and losing periods can and do occur.

To win at blackjack you need staying power. There is no point in having a great strategy and no bankroll!

You need to vary your bet size. This is one of the most important keys to playing blackjack like a pro - having the courage to bet big when the odds are in your favour.

Winning at Blackjack Requires More than Card Counting

To win at blackjack not only do you need to know basic strategy and card counting, but you also need to be able to play with favourable rules and execute proper money management techniques.

Using a combination of the above four tips will enable you to make money over the long term playing blackjack.

How To Beat Blackjack Online Or Off

2008-03-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

There are all sorts of systems and books out on the shelves today that teach gamblers the art of beating the game of blackjack. Some of them have been tried and tested over a period of time and will give you a slight advantage over the house. Others aren't worth the paper the information is written on and others may work well but only when no one "upstairs" is looking.

This is a simple, easy to remember system which has worked for many blackjack players that have put it to use both online and off with great success. Try it for a few months, track your success and see what you think.

The key to success with blackjack is to always play like the casino plays. Whether you are playing blackjack online or offline, you should always play like the casino plays.

If the dealer hits a soft 17, you hit soft 17, if the dealer stands on 17, you stand on 17. It doesn't get any easier than that and even though it is hardly the most exciting way to play blackjack, it works and makes money. Isn't that the reason you are playing blackjack in the first place?

Another point to mention, with this system, you decide from the beginning whether you always split Aces and you never split eights. Concerning the Aces, decide right now and either always or never split them. As far as the eights are concerned, you will see situations that you possibly could have split them and made a profit, but over the long haul, it doesn't pay to split them.

Even though you aren't really betting with the house, you are playing your hand the way the dealer plays her hand so therefore it really makes more sense to play this way.

The Longer You Play Blackjack The More Cash You Will Earn

2008-03-14T01:57:00.001-07:00

Blackjack is an ideal casino game because it provides you with more money the longer you play. Unlike games that give the house the statistical advantage, and therefore slowly leak your purse into the house's bank account, Blackjack when played well can give you an advantage over the dealer. This means that the longer you can stay at the table playing with a great strategy and a solid understanding of how to make winning choices, the more money you will make. All you need to play a great game of Blackjack is the willingness to learn basic technique, the stamina to stay energized and alert at the table, and the small amount of capital that it will take to keep you in the game until your winnings start to accumulate.

With a lot of casino games, the trick is knowing when to quit so that you will come out ahead. However, with Blackjack, you never have to stop having fun on the floor for fear that you will lose the money you have earned. So long as you can continue to play at top capacity, you will be able to keep making cash. This is great news for anyone who is interested in having as much fun at a casino as possible, because it means that as long as you continue to feel great and focused, you will keep winning money. Although you may not win every hand in Blackjack, so long as you are playing every hand accurately and making smart decisions, you will come out ahead in the long run. The best Blackjack players are able to gain an advantage of one or even two percent over the dealer's odds of winning, which translates to major profits over the course of a single evening of high stakes play.

The best thing that you can do to turn the statistics in your favor is to learn fundamental Blackjack technique and then practice until your technique becomes second nature. Blackjack strategy is not difficult to learn, but few people pursue it because they don't know how easy it can be to get a grasp on the fundamentals of Blackjack technique. You can improve your game substantially in just a matter of a few short hours of dedicated attention. All you need are the right resources to guide you, and a little bit of time that you can devote to improving your game. Once you have set a strong foundation for your Blackjack success, you will be ready to hit the casino and play to win all night long, watching your pile of chips grow consistently. As other, less educated players come to the table, go bust, and walk away poorer than when they started, you will be able to stand your ground and count your winnings as they multiply.

How To Become A Blackjack Master

2008-03-14T01:55:00.001-07:00

Blackjack is one of the easiest card games to learn, because if you can count to twenty one and do basic addition, you can master the simple rules of Blackjack within as little as fifteen minutes. However, Blackjack is one of the most difficult games to truly master. To become an accomplished Blackjack player, you will have to spend plenty of time learning techniques and strategies so that you will be able to quickly and accurately formulate a winning plan no matter what cards you are dealt. However, when you gain expertise in Blackjack, you can win consistently.

Whether you play Blackjack online or in a casino, by learning and employing increasingly complex strategies, you can dramatically improve your odds of walking away with the jackpot. Although learning how to count cards or predict the outcome of any hand takes time and practice, from the minute you learn to implement even the simplest winning strategies, the probability of your success will jump dramatically. Playing Blackjack using even a very simple set of easy techniques can give you a much better shot at winning than playing blind, so once you start trying to become a Blackjack master, you will notice an improvement in your Blackjack success rate right away.

One of the reasons why so few people know how to play Blackjack right and make smart choices has to do with the fact that it has traditionally not always been easy to find a place to practice Blackjack. If you don't live near a casino, chances are that you don't gamble often. This used to make it very difficult to get the experience you need in order to master the game of Blackjack. However, with today's online casinos, you can practice your Blackjack strategy any time you want. The more chances you have to apply strategies, the more comfortable you will become using them and choosing which ones to pursue in different situations. Playing Blackjack online can allow anyone to get the practical experience they need to become a master by applying strategy and skill to the game.

Although becoming a true expert often takes years, you can become a much better player in as little as a single afternoon. Basic Blackjack strategy does not require any complex mathematical calculations, or knowledge of statistics. All you need to do to master fundamental Blackjack technique is to put a little bit of time and effort into learning a handful of simple rules. When you apply your new knowledge to the game, you will feel like luck is definitely on your side. Mastering basic Blackjack technique is a great way to have fun and make money while gaining the satisfaction that comes with learning a new skill.

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How To Find A Beatable Blackjack Game

2008-03-14T01:53:00.001-07:00

You can beat online blackjack if you know where to play and have the discipline to walk away from the table when you are showing a profit. Unlike other games, with blackjack it isn't a matter of "can you win", but will you win and then walk away with your winnings?

The best online games of blackjack are not necessarily found in the online casinos which offer a variety of casino-type games, but are often in the sportsbooks which also offer an online casino facility.

When you play online, you must watch for the quickly dealt hands which are keen to flop a dealer blackjack two or three times in a row. When you see this happen, you need to take your money somewhere else. You are likely to lose every penny you have deposited into your account in a casino which doesn't adhere to random cards being dealt.

You should also keep a look out for casinos which offer player incentives and will provide information about these different offers upfront. If the casino has in place an active rewards programme, they are likely to have loyal customers who have initiated it. The casinos which are eager to share with you information on these programs are usually fine to deal with on a regular basis, simply because they are proving to be customer-oriented. There are of course, exceptions to this rule.

Just as with any other offshore gambling, it is important to keep an eye on what you are doing. Make sure you know where your money is at all times and pay close attention to the kind of customer service you receive when you withdraw your money or have any other queries or questions. Do you receive the same respect or assistance when you take your money out of their book as you did when you put your money in?

There are countless "good games" of blackjack in the virtual world but knowing where to play is often entirely up to the player. Take your time and find one you feel comfortable to conduct business with on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Find one (or perhaps more than one) that suits your needs based on your style of casino play. Just as with the traditional brick and mortar casinos, sometimes you have to move around to find a player-friendly, or more to the point a highly profitable, game.

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Blackjack - A Beginners Simple System

2008-03-14T01:50:00.001-07:00

Blackjack attracts players who want to make big consistent long-term profits and is attracting new players as online gaming becomes more popular.

Many players who have not played before think blackjack is complicated and requires too much effort, but this is not true.

Here are three steps to help you make big online profits even if you have never played before.

1. Why Any Blackjack Player Can Win

The object of the game is to accumulate cards with a points total close to 21, without going over 21 to beat the dealer.

Face cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) are worth 10 points. Aces are worth 1 or 11. Other cards are represented by their relevant number.

With blackjack you compete only with the dealer, who has no choices to make - he just follows the house rules. You as the player DO have choices, and this is what makes blackjack a game you can win over the long term.

The choices that you make will determine your success.

2. Cutting the House Edge with Basic Strategy

Blackjack basic strategy is a mathematically proven method that statistically tells you how to play your cards in relation to the hands that are already out of the deck.

By following basic strategy over time you can cut the edge, the casino has over you from 5.75% to just 0.5%.

Blackjack basic strategy is easy to learn and once you are confident playing it you can put the odds in your favor by card counting.

3. Putting the Odds in Your Favor with Card Counting

All blackjack card counting methods, and there are many, are based upon basic strategy and they help you put the odds in your favor. This is done by counting the cards already dealt and estimating the probability of cards left in the deck and the most likely cards to be dealt next.

Players who use correct blackjack strategy with a card counting system can beat the casinos edge and the reason for this is simple. Low cards favor the dealer in and high cards favor the player.

Low cards favor the dealer because they help him make winning totals on his hands when he is stiff (has a 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 total on his first two cards).

In casino blackjack, you can stand on your stiffs if you want to, but the dealer cannot, he has NO CHOICE to make, but you do, and herein lays your advantage. Rules of the game require that he hit his stiffs no matter how rich the deck is in high cards that will bust him.

Blackjack for Players Who Want Serious Profits

The myth about blackjack is that it requires a lot of time and effort to make money, but it does not.

Basic strategy is easy to master and you can get charts that tell you the best option on every play, all you have to do is look!

Card counting allows you to get an edge, and while card-counting systems can be complicated, many are simple. A simple card counting system can be learned in around 5 minutes and if you practice a while you could be raking in regular profits!

The Choice is yours for Big Online Profits

It is the choices that YOU make, that will ultimately make you big online profits from blackjack, and learning the correct choices is a lot simpler than many players believe.

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Winning at Blackjack - Don't Fall into This Trap

2008-03-14T01:47:00.001-07:00

If you want to become a winning blackjack player, you need to understand the psychology of blackjack and its importance, which is very often under estimated.

Rational Disciplined Play Will Yield Profits Longer Term

A winning blackjack player using basic strategy and card counting can gain an edge over the casino and emerge a winner over time.

While this is an accepted fact and many players know this, they deviate from what is rational and make irrational plays.

Why would they do this? The answer lies in human nature and the psychology that comes into play when money is on the line.

Lets look at some examples of blackjack psychology in action and two common mistakes players make:

1. The Fear of Going Bust

The fear of busting (going over 21) is a common error among blackjack players.

Going bust means you are out of the game.

Many players find it hard to draw an additional card even though it is the right play to make.

Standing on 16 when you should take a hit stops a player going bust. However, thinking logically the dealer has to stand on 17 and above, so the perceived advantage of not going bust is offset by the fact that you cannot win unless the dealer goes bust.

Losing by busting is psychologically worse for many players than losing to the dealer.

If you hit and bust it's your fault. If you stand and lose, you can say the dealer was lucky and you have no responsibility for the loss.

Players get so preoccupied in trying to avoid going bust, that they fail to focus on the probabilities of winning and losing, when neither player nor the dealer goes bust.

The Gamblers Fallacy and Luck

Many players increase their bet after a loss and decrease it after a win. Called "the gambler's fallacy," the idea is that if you lose a hand, the odds go up that you will win the next hand, and vice versa.

This of course is irrational, but players fear losing and go to protect the winnings they have.

Other players do the reverse, increasing the bet size after a win and decreasing it after a loss. The logic here is that luck comes in streaks; so if you're hot, increase your bets!

Why Do Players Act Irrationally When They Should Act Rationally?

There are players who don't know basic strategy and fall into the above psychological traps. Experienced players do so as well. The reasons for this are normally associated with the following:

1. Players cannot detach themselves from the fact that winning blackjack requires losing periods, they get frustrated and try to get their losses back.

2. They fall into the trap that we all do, in that once "wont make a difference" and try another way of playing.

3. A player may have other things on his mind and is not focusing on the game and these blur his judgement and make him mentally lazy.

If You Have a Plan, You need to follow it!

This can be psychologically difficult for many players because it requires mental discipline to focus over the long term, take losses on the chin and remain mentally focused.

Winning at blackjack requires the discipline to execute a plan; if you don't have discipline, you don't have a plan!

The psychology of blackjack is an important but underestimated trait in winning at blackjack over the long term.

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Reasons For Blackjack Etiquette

2008-03-11T04:59:00.001-07:00

Here are the top 15 reasons why you should never join someone else's game and perhaps even ask before you join a blackjack table which already has a game in progress.

1. You could find yourself in a confrontation with another player, especially if he or she has been extremely fortunate with a run of hands.
2. It's rude.
3. If the cards are running good, the pattern will change with an additional player.
4. If the cards are running bad, an additional player can make them even worse.
5. You will probably be fortunate enough to catch a blackjack and nobody will be happy for you.
6. The dealer will catch the next blackjack after yours to annoy the other players even further.
7. The people at the table were just talking about the last person to intrude.
8. Cocktail service will pick you up in the middle of the game which causes a wait.
9. It's very rude.
10. Anyone who was secretly "counting cards" will put the blame squarely with you when they lose the count.
11. If anyone was winning and their luck changes, it's your fault.
12. If anyone was losing and they continue to lose after your arrival, it's even more your fault.
13. If anyone was losing and they begin to win after you join the table, it's your fault because either you didn't join sooner or they could have been winning more if you had sat down somewhere else.
14. The dealer starts to make more hands with "bust cards" showing all because you joined this table.
15. It's just downright rude - don't do it!

So what is the point of all of this? To let you know you are better off either playing on a table by yourself or not at all. Then again, this can easily be solved by simply playing online. The conditions are favourable and the only attitudes you deal with are your own.

Beginning Blackjack Games

2008-03-11T04:57:00.001-07:00

Blackjack is one of the oldest and easiest card games to learn how to manipulate and one of the most rewarding card games any first-time casino-bound beginner can play. The simple conceptual rules leave much room for any novice to succeed.

A basic overview of the game can be taught in a mere fifteen minutes, however, the bulk of mastering it like a seasoned casino pro does come from devoting a strenuous effort to the discipline and strategy of this classic French card game standby. For beginning players though, it takes little more than controlling simple math principals like basic addition, combined with a cunning observation of human behavior and a touch of strategy to learn the card game of blackjack.

Because of the varying levels of chance and yet still the opportunity to employ strategic tactics, blackjack is the only casino game at which one stands a chance to truly outsmart and beat the house. Gaining a sharp rise in American player popularity in the 1960's, blackjack, once called "21" based on the maximum card count total before a hand busts, is now one of the most sought-after card games in casinos worldwide. Another reason this game has sustained and increased in its number of players, is because of the increasing accessibility of online blackjack games. This card game is an "every man's" game and due to its quick learning time and the advent of Internet gambling sites, there has been a modern revitalization of the game in both real-time and virtual environments.

There is a level of independence in blackjack, and perhaps that solitary sense that a player is facing off individually against the dealer might be part of the appeal. As each player tries to beat the dealer one-on-one, other players are simultaneously doing the same. There is both a social and non-social element to the game play.

Simply learning the ropes of the game is enough to get one started, however, devoting a few hours to attaining the basic strategies of card prediction and card counting is the key to having a higher payout and a better grasp of the more advanced techniques. A short time of practicing these strategic maneuvers will propel a basic player from a run-of-the-mill neighborhood poker night player to a player who would have a great edge in a public casino. If a player knows the more popular and assured strategies like card counting, which is mentally tracking the high and low cards of the deck, blackjack is much simpler to sweep than other card games. Although the house will always have a statistical edge, the component of player choice makes the game sway positively toward the player in a way that no other card game can.

As with most games, experience is another essential component in mastering blackjack play. The casino circuit is the best way to collect the practice needed to excel, because the environment is tense and the play is quick, which can teach a player to acclimate to the speedy wit necessary to win big. However, the online blackjack options and home play are also beneficial and probably more practical for most new players.

The benefits of mastering blackjack are more rewarding than most people imagine. The time invested in learning the game and blackjack strategy produces a feeling of exercising the mind while at the same time enabling a player to take home a little quick pay dirt - a great monetary reward for a few hands of fun card playing.

Online Blackjack For The Beginner

2008-03-11T04:55:00.001-07:00

If you are new to online gaming you may have been lured in by the promise of easy money at the blackjack table. While it is one of the more beatable online casino games you may want to read over these easy to remember guidelines which will help you prepare for your attack against any online casino of your choice.

After you have deposited money into your online account, transfer however much of your deposit you intend to use for your bankroll over to the blackjack room or "21". The first thing you need to decide is how much you want to bet and click on that amount and place it in the wagering area. Look at your cards and if you are happy with the total amount they add up to then "stand". If you would like another card, click "hit".

The cards are scored as follows: two through 10 are worth their face value and picture cards, i.e. Jack, Queen and King are also worth 10. An ace card's value is 11 unless this would cause the player to bust, in which case it is worth one. A hand in which an ace's value is counted as 11 is called a soft hand, because it cannot be busted if the player draws another card.

The goal of each player is to get closer to 21 than the dealer by means of a higher, but unbusted hand. If the player busts he or she automatically loses even if the dealer also busts. If both the player and the dealer have the same point value, it is called a "push", and neither player nor dealer wins the hand. Each player has an independent game with the dealer, so it is possible for the dealer to lose to one player, but still beat the other players in the same round.

If you are dealt a pair of anything on this game, you can always split the pair and play out two hands if you so choose. You can indicate this by clicking on an indicator button marked "split". You also have the option of doubling down on your first two cards, which may be limited to a 9, 10, or an 11.

Anytime the dealer has an ace up, you should be offered to buy insurance and if you want to do that you will place a bet up to half of your original stake to insure your hand. It is highly recommend that you never get into the habit of doing this whether you are playing online or off.

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Play Black Jack Like The Pros !

2008-03-11T04:53:00.001-07:00

Playing Black Jack at a table in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or even at a small rural casino can be an exciting and entertaining experience whether you've never played the game before or whether you're a seasoned pro. However, for the first-timers, a night spent at the black jack table isn't usually lucrative, and often ends with losing a sizable stack of chips. As they stumble through the basics of the game, their stack of chips gets smaller and smaller until it vanishes.

For the pros, the story is different. These are people who are so good at playing Black Jack that they're making money much faster than most amateurs lose it. What is an enjoyable but expensive recreation to others is another day at the office for a strategic player. How are they able to make so much money when you are not? The answer is simple: they've mastered the simple rules of Black Jack strategy, and you haven't.

The secret that the casinos don't want you to know is that it takes only a little bit of time and effort to learn these techniques yourself! With the proper guidance, you can quickly learn all you need to know to turn Black Jack into a money-making operation. That is because, if played well, the odds in Black Jack actually favor the player, not the house. Casinos make money on the game simply because most people don't know how to play Black Jack well.

First, you'll have to know when to split, double down, and surrender. Surrendering is not an option at every casino, but it helps to know how to use it in case you find one where it is. If that sounded like Greek to you, don't worry. It isn't as complicated as it sounds. Splitting, doubling down, and surrendering are options available to you, the Black Jack player, that are not available to the dealer. That means that you've got at least two weapons that he or she doesn't have! That sounds pretty good, but of course these weapons are only helpful once you know exactly when and how to make use of them.

In order to really win at Black Jack, you'll also need to learn something about counting cards. This is the part that the casinos really don't want you to know about, because if too many people figure out how to do it, those people will become such a draw on casino resources that they could change the face of modern gambling houses. In fact, most of today's casinos are banking on the hope that you won't count cards at all.

However, since counting cards basically consists of paying attention, it is not cheating, so there's nothing they can do to stop you. You just need to continually be aware of what cards have already been dealt out. Again, with the right guidance, you can develop a system for keeping this information in your head. Then, using this information, you can make better guesses as to what cards you and the dealer are likely to be dealt, and you can make all your decisions accordingly. That's really all there is to it. With the right strategy, there's nothing stopping you from making money hand over fist playing Black Jack!

Blackjack Is Really Like A Rollercoaster

2008-03-11T04:51:00.001-07:00

Blackjack is a game that reminds me a little of a rollercoaster. It is a game that starts slow but gradually gets faster. As you build up your bank roll, you feel like you are getting to the top of the coaster and then when you least expect it, the bottom falls out.

Blackjack is so much like a rollercoaster the similarities are frightening. As with the popular fairground ride, your blackjack game will peak and things will be going well for a while before it bottoms out again. You have to be a player that can adjust well to the ups and downs of the game because the game of blackjack is full of them.

If you like the small coaster, one that doesn't go too high or fast, then bet small. If you find the only way you can enjoy the ride is with a larger bet, then hop on board for the ride of your life on the monster coaster. The high roller will love the view from the monster rollercoaster because he or she is not thinking about the drop as they rush head first to the top of the game.

A win goal and a loss limit works well in blackjack, but very few gamblers adhere to it. In blackjack, if you "get on the rollercoaster" as it's going up, that's terrific, but when the cards "go south" and the coaster starts to flip and turn, you had better bail out in a hurry.

If you don't, you will not remember how much you enjoyed the view while your bankroll was "up". The only thing you will remember is a lot of uncertainties, a thrilling ride and your head in the clouds. As you are reminiscing on "what ifs" you won't remember how "high up" you went but you will remember that devastating drop as clear as day.

Blackjack can be a very beatable game. It is a game of highs, a game of lows and where it stops is entirely up to you and how well you can predict whether to get off the coaster or continue the ride.

Beat the Odds in Black Jack Now

2008-03-11T04:49:00.001-07:00

Black Jack, or twenty-one, as it is often called, at first seems deceptively simple. After all, you just have to draw cards until you are as close as possible to twenty-one without going over that number. However, if you try to play without any clear tactics to win, you will quickly find yourself consistently losing to the dealer. Just like in any other casino game, the odds initially favor the house. In the case of Black Jack, this is because in a few cases where the dealer and player do equally well, the dealer still wins.

The difference between those other games and Black Jack, is that by taking the time to develop a solid approach, you can reduce the house's advantage and even tilt the odds in your favor. Casinos are just betting that you won't bother to do this. Prove them wrong and you can win - and consistently and reliably make money through gambling!

This is possible because the dealer has only two options at any point: he or she can hit (take a card), or he or she can stand (stop taking cards and finish the turn). In contrast, the player has the option of doubling down (doubling the bet and agreeing to take one more card, after which he or she must stand), splitting (playing two hands at once while doubling the bet), and, at some casinos, surrendering (where the player forfeits half the bet and ends the turn). Knowing when and how to use each of these methods in a Black Jack game significantly increases the chance that you will win.

Once those techniques are mastered, the one additional factor that tilts the odds decisively in the player's favor is learning how to do some basic card counting. This means that the player must pay attention to what cards have been dealt up until this point, and by inductive reasoning determines what cards he and the dealer are likely to be dealt. Obviously, this means that the smart Black Jack player's odds improve as the dealer gets nearer and nearer to the end of the deck. Since more cards have already been dealt out, there are fewer possible cards left to be given, and therefore, the player has a better chance of correctly guessing the value of the next card he or she will be dealt, so long as he or she has been paying proper attention.

Learning proper Black Jack strategy is fun, it is not difficult, and it can make an enormous difference in your life. Imagine being able to reliably win money playing a game; this is what strategic Black Jack players are able to do. By taking the time developing and refining your game and learning strategy in order to maximize your odds of winning, you can easily learn to play Black Jack like the pros and become a winner. When you learn to make the rules of the game work to your advantage, the sky is the limit.

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Blackjack Card Counting Made Easy

2008-03-11T04:47:00.001-07:00

By using computer trials, it has been proved mathematically that certain cards are favourable to the player and others are favourable to the dealer.

Depending upon what cards have been played, you can determine what cards are left, and this influences how the player should play his hand.

For example, if more cards are left that favour the player, the player now has an advantage and can raise the bet size to capitalize on his advantage.

Card counting in blackjack helps the player make choices that give him an edge.

Card counting should be studied by anyone wanting to make long-term profits as it gives the player an edge over the casino.

Two Card Counting Myths

Let's first dispel two common myths on card counting.

1. Card counters do not memorize every card that they have seen dealt out of a deck or shoe.

2. Card counting also does not allow a player to foresee with certainty what card will be dealt out the deck next. It is simply a probability theory that will put the odds in your favour over the long term. Short-term results can of course vary.

Card Counting Logic

So how does a blackjack player actually card count? Many different techniques have been researched and are practiced to keep track of the cards played from a deck. Here we are going to use a very simple but effective one.

Before you start to count, you need to know blackjack basic strategy. ALL card counting systems are based on it, and it provides the best way to play following on from the hands that have already been dealt. It's easy to learn, and is soon committed to memory.

For those who don't want to rely on memory, pre printed charts are available.

Basic strategy lets you play at just under even odds with the casino, but card counting takes the advantage one step further and allows you to have the edge in your favour

The method below is easy to learn, and with some practice, you will be ready to play with the odds in your favour.

You can if you wish then move on to other more complicated strategies that may increase your edge further, but this is a perfect introduction.

The Lazy Way to Count Cards

Lazy card counting is as easy as it sounds. It doesn't take a lot of concentration or calculations, and makes very few demands on your memory.

In blackjack, a deck rich in face cards is an advantage to the player.

All you need to do with this method is observe the cards coming out of the deck. For example, if you are playing a multiple deck, and after a few hands, you observe that very few face cards or aces were played, then you have a situation where the next hand will probably be good for you the player, and you should increase your bet accordingly.

The Key: Look for Extremes

The key to success with this method to is to always look for extremes. The absence or predominance of exposed high cards is easily noticeable by any player.

You will often play several hands where the mix of face cards and low value cards are relatively even.

As soon as you see an absence of exposed high value cards, you should increase your bet. This is because the odds of a face card being dealt are now also increased which favours you the player, and you should bet accordingly.

It's simple but effective in putting the odds in your favour and is perfect introduction to card counting.

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Black Jack Wins the Longer You Play

2008-03-11T04:45:00.001-07:00

Black jack is an ideal casino game because it provides you with more money the longer you play. Unlike games that give the house the statistical advantage, and therefore slowly leak your purse into the house's bank account, black jack when played well can give you an advantage over the dealer. This means that the longer you can stay at the table playing with a great strategy and a solid understanding of how to make winning choices, the more money you will make. All you need to play a great game of black jack is the willingness to learn basic technique, the stamina to stay energized and alert at the table, and the small amount of capital that it will take to keep you in the game until your winnings start to accumulate.

With a lot of casino games, the trick is knowing when to quit so that you will come out ahead. However, with black jack, you never have to stop having fun on the floor for fear that you will lose the money you have earned. So long as you can continue to play at top capacity, you will be able to keep making cash. This is great news for anyone who is interested in having as much fun at a casino as possible, because it means that as long as you continue to feel great and focused, you will keep winning money. Although you may not win every hand in black jack, so long as you are playing every hand accurately and making smart decisions, you will come out ahead in the long run. The best black jack players are able to gain an advantage of one or even two percent over the dealer's odds of winning, which translates to major profits over the course of a single evening of high stakes play.

The best thing that you can do to turn the statistics in your favor is to learn fundamental black jack technique and then practice until your technique becomes second nature. Black jack strategy is not difficult to learn, but few people pursue it because they don't know how easy it can be to get a grasp on the fundamentals of black jack technique. You can improve your game substantially in just a matter of a few short hours of dedicated attention. All you need are the right resources to guide you, and a little bit of time that you can devote to improving your game. Once you have set a strong foundation for your black jack success, you will be ready to hit the casino and play to win all night long, watching your pile of chips grow consistently. As other, less educated players come to the table, go bust, and walk away poorer than when they started, you will be able to stand your ground and count your winnings as they multiply.

An Easy To Remember Blackjack System

2008-03-11T04:43:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest ways to play blackjack and be a consistent winner is to play like the dealer plays.

You may find more people will complain at the tables if you do so, but why would you care? You will win, more consistently, over a period of time if you always play like the dealer. Try it at home, online, or live in the brick and mortar casinos on a "slow day," but make sure you try it because it works.

It is the simplest way to play with nothing to count, absolutely no tens or fives or anything else to remember. If you stop and think about it, here is why this "system" will be the only method you will ever need:

How many times does a dealer show a two and make a strong hand?
How many times does a dealer show a three, flip a 10, and make a strong hand?
How many times have you split 8-8 against a dealer's face and had two losing hands instead of one?
How many times have you split AA against a dealer's face and hand two losing hands instead of one?

It really is amazing how the dealer can pull a hand out with starting hands of 12,13,14,15, even 16. It happens because it is supposed to happen, due to the number of low cards in the deck and other factors.

Try this system out and see if you play any better than you have in the past. Remember, if you try this system or any other, do it consistently and with this one it means you play like the dealer each and every time. Just hit till you get 17 and stand.

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Beat The Odds With Blackjack Fundamentals

2008-03-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

Blackjack, or twenty-one, as it is often called, at first seems deceptively simple. After all, all you have to do is draw cards until you are as close as possible to twenty-one without going over. However, if you try to play without any strategy, you will quickly find yourself consistently losing to the dealer. Just like in any other casino game, the odds initially favor the house. In the case of Blackjack, this is because in a few cases where the dealer and player do equally well, the dealer still wins.

The difference between those other games and Blackjack, though, is that by taking the time to develop a solid strategy, you can reduce the house's advantage and even tilt the odds in your favor. Casinos are just betting that you won't bother to do this. Prove them wrong and you can win - and consistently and reliably make money through gambling!

This is possible because the dealer has only two options at any point: he or she can hit (take a card), or he or she can stand (stop taking cards and finish the turn). In contrast, the player has the option of doubling down (doubling the bet and agreeing to take one more card, after which he or she must stand), splitting (playing two hands at once while doubling the bet), and, at some casinos, surrendering (where the player forfeits half the bet and ends the turn). Knowing when and how to use each of these methods in a Blackjack game significantly increases the chance that you will win.

Once those techniques are mastered, the one additional factor that tilts the odds decisively in the player's favor is learning how to do some basic card counting. This means that the player must pay attention to what cards have been dealt up until this point, and by inductive reasoning determines what cards he and the dealer are likely to be dealt. Obviously, this means that the smart Blackjack player's odds improve as the dealer gets nearer and nearer to the end of the deck. Since more cards have already been dealt out, there are fewer possible cards left to be given, and therefore, the player has a better chance of correctly guessing the value of the next card he or she will be dealt, so long as he or she has been paying proper attention.

Learning proper Blackjack strategy is fun, it is not difficult, and it can make an enormous difference in your life. Imagine being able to reliably win money playing a game; this is what strategic Blackjack players are able to do. By taking the time developing and refining your game and learning strategy in order to maximize your odds of winning, you can easily learn to play Blackjack like the pros and become a winner. When you learn to make the rules of the game work to your advantage, the sky is the limit.

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Why You Could Win At Casino Blackjack

2008-03-09T04:12:00.001-07:00

If you put a little bit of time into learning how to play it right, casino Blackjack is a much smarter gambling choice than any other game on the floor. The reason why gamblers often lose money has to do with what is known as the house advantage. All casino games are designed so that, although a single player may walk away with big winnings, players lose money a high enough percentage of the time that the casino makes a big profit. However, Blackjack is one of the few gambling games that actually offers players a statistical advantage over the house in some situations. In the right setting and with the right player, Blackjack is a truly unique casino game because statistics say that the casino will actually lose more money than the players.

One of the reasons why Blackjack can be a winner's game is very simple. Consistently applying basic strategy rules can give you a huge advantage over anyone who is not familiar with Blackjack technique. This is great news, for you, and bad news for casinos. The majority of gamblers don't know very much about how to really play smart Blackjack, and casinos must cater to these customers. So, in order to keep gamers interested in Blackjack, casinos must offer a set of rules that allows even the least educated players to win occasionally so that they will continue to play. This leads to bonus rules like double after split, surrender, and insurance that are favorable to players. By entering into this kind of situation with more knowledge than the average player, you will be able to turn the odds in your favor.

Casinos that use a single deck instead of a double deck, the classic Las Vegas downtown dealing rules, and a few player-friendly enticements like surrender are games where you can win Blackjack and consistently make money. Because these houses are set up in such a way where they make money every time a player makes a strategic mistake, if you are familiar enough with playing technique to play a good game, you can reduce the house advantage so dramatically that you actually come out statistically likely to make money. To win a lot of money at casino Blackjack, all you need to do is learn a little bit about how to exploit the situation to your advantage.

Blackjack strategy can be a powerful weapon on the casino floor. When you learn how to play the best possible game of Blackjack by polishing your Blackjack technique, you are making it possible for fortune to smile upon you and send you home with your pockets full of cash. To consistently win Blackjack, it helps to have a little bit of good luck, but it is more important to have strong technique. With a solid strategic foundation and the right single deck scenario, you can use Blackjack to treat a casino like your own personal bank account.

Playing Blackjack - Matter of Losing and Winning

2008-03-09T04:09:00.000-07:00

Today, blackjack seems to be one of the most popular card games. This is because playing blackjack is so easy to learn and play. Unlike poker, blackjack does not have any combinations to remember.

In blackjack, the object of the game is to get the sum of the two cards close to 21. When a person gets cards that are over 21, he or she loses the game.

Normally, a player receives two cards. After the players see their cards, they have to decide whether they would hit or stand. When a person says stand, this means the player thinks he or she is closer to 21 already. When a player says hit, this means that he or she still needs additional cards just to get close to 21.

Players can draw as many cards as they want until they feel they are close to 21 already. A player who is nearer to 21 wins.

However, there are people who have devised some tips and strategies to get an edge over the other players. There are times that these tips really can help some people win.

Here's a list of some tips that players may choose to use them so as to win the game.

1. If a player gets 17 or higher, it is always better to stand, and if the player has any number from 13 to 16 and the dealer's card is 6 or lower, it would be better to stand. But if the dealer has 7 or more, it would be better for a player to hit.

The theory here is that, if the dealer is showing a card of six or lower, the dealer may take a card, assuming that the dealer's card facing down is a ten. The players, then, assume that the dealer is banking on a bust hand, so the other players have the tendency to maintain a lower card number.

The rule of thumb: players should always assume that the dealer's down cards is 10.

2. If a player has aces or 8's, it would be better to split them regardless of the dealer's showing card.

3. A player should remember not to split 10's. Chances are, they might end up getting busted.

4. If the dealer is showing 4, 5, or 6, it would be better for a player to stand on hard 12, or hit hard if the dealer is showing 2, 3, 7, or higher.

5. In order to win, players should always remember not to split fours, face cards, and fives.

Indeed, gambling is a game of chance, but with keen observation, winning is possible.

About The Popularity Of Blackjack

2008-03-09T04:07:00.001-07:00

Blackjack is one of the world's most popular games among professional gamblers and amateur players. The game has a lot of attributes that help make it a hit among both novice and experienced gamers. If you are looking for a unique and fun way to spend an evening, try a few rounds of Blackjack and discover for yourself why this simple pastime has captivated so many people from all walks of life.

Although the strategy behind the best way to play Blackjack can be quite challenging to master, the basic rules of the game are extremely simple. In just an hour or two, even a child can learn to play Blackjack. You don't have to be a card shark in order to enjoy a few rounds of Blackjack, which is another reason for the popularity of this unique card game. Unlike other casino card games like poker, Blackjack is easy to pick up quickly, so you can spend your time having fun and mastering advanced strategy as you play round after round, instead of struggling to master the fundamentals.

One of the reasons for the enduring appeal of Blackjack is that it offers players an attractive combination of using strategy and luck to win. Unlike games like roulette or craps, which are almost entirely matters of chance, Blackjack requires a lot of smart choices and decision making that put a lot of the power to win in the hands of the player. This makes it an engaging game that is worth studying and learning about, because as you discover new strategies you will increase you chances of success. Blackjack fans are constantly on the lookout for new ideas about how to play, because how you play determines whether or not you win. Techniques like counting cards and knowing when to double down can help you achieve success at the Blackjack table time and time again.

However, part of the reason why Blackjack is so much fun is that strategy is not enough to ensure that you will hit the jackpot. Blackjack is also to some extent a matter of chance and the cards that fate deals you. This means that Blackjack never gets boring, because even the most advanced and skilled Blackjack players are still excited by the luck of the draw that will determine whether they can sweep the game or not. Because of the element of chance, there is always the thrill of waiting to see whether you have a lucky hand or not. A great Blackjack player is one who knows how to work with any hand they get, but there is no way for even the best Blackjack player to become so good at the game that it becomes dull or tiresome. Blackjack is the perfect mixture of chance and skill, because the better you are at Blackjack the more exciting it becomes.

Black Jack in Casinos

2008-03-09T04:04:00.001-07:00

Whether you're new to casino gaming or a casino veteran, blackjack is one of the simplest and most fun card games casinos have to offer. The objective in blackjack is to beat the dealer by getting a hand as close to 21 as possible without going over. To play casino blackjack, you need only a basic understanding of the rules and a desire to have fun.

So how do you reach 21? In blackjack, the cards have values. Number cards two through ten are counted at face value, while all face cards (King, Queen and Jack) are worth ten points. The ace is a special card in blackjack: you decide whether it's worth one or eleven points. Since casino players are dealt two cards to start, if you get an ace and a face card or ten, you have 21, an instant win, as long as the dealer doesn't get 21 as well. This two-card winning hand is called a blackjack hence the name of the game!

Casino rules for blackjack are basically the same at all casinos. After you get your first two cards, your options are to hit, stand, double down, split, or sometimes surrender. Hit means to take another card; stand means to keep what you have. A double down means you will double your bet in exchange for taking only one more card (you can draw up to five cards in blackjack). If your first two cards are the same value, you can split, or separate them and play each card as a different hand. Not all casinos offer the option to surrender, which means you would withdraw from the hand and receive half your bet back.

When you play blackjack at a casino, be sure to know which table to choose. Most casinos have color coded blackjack tables according to the minimum bet the table accepts, usually $3, $5, $25 or $100. In any casino, it's a given the $3 and $5 tables will be crowded, but they're great for beginners at casino games because all of the cards are dealt face-up, as opposed to the one-up, one-down method at higher tables. So the next time or the first time you visit a casino, make a stop at the blackjack tables and aim for 21!

However you have to realise that you can loose alot of money in a casino if you are not careful, always warm up on a low betting table befor joining a big game. you have to see if lady luck is on your side. also give your self an ammount limit and do not exceed that limit, buy your chips once there gone leave! gambaling can be addictive and cause you many problems.

About The Fun Of Blackjack

2008-03-09T04:01:00.001-07:00

Blackjack is not only a game that it is possible to win money at, it is also a game that is a whole lot of fun to play.

Blackjack is an ideal gambling game because it is possible for even a novice to walk away with the jackpot, but there is enough strategy and skill to it that even experienced players find it challenging and stimulating. Blackjack provides excitement to everyone at the table as each new card dealt changes the situation and requires a fast response in order to let players come out ahead. As you become a better Blackjack player, you will be able to enjoy the game even more as you compare strategies and try to pick your best option at each point in the game.

Blackjack is a great social game because many casinos have tables that can comfortably accommodate up to five or six players. This means that if you are gambling with a group of friends, you will be able to spend your night at the Blackjack table without having to split up. If you are playing online from home, Blackjack gives you a chance to get to know the playing styles of your opponents. When you play Blackjack, you are taking part in an exchange of knowledge and strategy as you watch players win and lose. This is one of the reasons why Blackjack remains compelling and enjoyable even after you have mastered enough strategy to win consistently. When it comes to Blackjack, there is no such thing as boredom, because Blackjack is fun from the moment that you master its simple rules, and continues to be fun even when you are an established player.

Learning Blackjack strategies can give you a huge advantage over other, less educated players, which not only means that you will win more money, it also means that you will be able to take pride in your winnings. When you win money in Blackjack, you have really earned it. This makes it one of the most satisfying gambling games known to man. Although turning up a lucky number is fun, learning to play a game well and then basking in satisfaction as your skill translates to cold, hard cash provides a level of pleasure and enjoyment that no game of chance can touch.

Unlike games of chance like roulette or slot machines, Blackjack is a game where skill and technique play a big part in your success. Anyone has an equal shot at pulling a lever and seeing three cherries line up for the jackpot, but when you play Blackjack and win it is because you made smart decisions and used your strategies to good effect.

By learning some basic Blackjack strategy and technique, you can not only have fun playing Blackjack, you can have fun winning Blackjack.

Black Jack Winners' Secret Formula

2008-03-09T03:56:00.001-07:00

When someone plays a game, they play to win. One of the many simple games at the casino is Blackjack. For those who don't know how to play the game, it's always best to start by learning the basics.

When playing Blackjack the most important feature to remember is that there are four times as many cards that have a value of 10 (10, J,Q,K) as any other value. With this information, one must always assume that the next card to be drawn from the deck has a value of 10.

By keeping this in mind, one may realize that if one has any hand that has a value over 12 one will likely lose or in blackjack terms bust (go over 21). Likewise if the dealer's card is a 2-6 it is likely to draw a 10 card which means he will have to draw again, likely causing him to bust.

Another way to make the odds more favorable to the player than the dealer is by counting cards. This of course requires many pages and charts that must be memorized. Having a professionally written guide is very helpful and there are many different authors that have different styles and different counting systems. It's always best to get more than one opinion to find out which style works best.

Practice makes perfect. By investing time and money with online training software learning the game, it will eventually pay off at the casino.

Upon entering the casino, one must choose the right table to play at. When one observes that the players at a table seem to be winning a lot, it is a good time to join in the action. Likewise, if you notice the dealer has a lot of chips and the players seem to be doing more losing than winning, then look for a better table.

Reward the dealer by tipping when one is winning. If the dealer knows he will be tipped when the players wins, he may begin rooting and actually do subtle things to help such as performing less thorough shuffles and penetrating deeper into the shoe before he re-shuffles thus allowing the player to get a more accurate count of the cards.

Though if the dealer starts losing too much money for the casino the pit boss will likely change dealers.

Although it may be impossible to find the perfect game, one should be familiar with how certain house rules affect the player.

Keep in mind that as a rule of thumb, the fewer decks the casino uses the more advantageous it is for the player.

Learn Blackjack And Pay For Dinner With Your Winnings

2008-03-09T03:50:00.001-07:00

Basic Blackjack strategy is not difficult to master, and it is easy to drastically improve your technique in as little as a single day. In fact, it is so simple to get a handle on a few Blackjack moves that can help you win that if you start your day by educating yourself about Blackjack in the morning and practicing in the afternoon, you can improve your odds of winning so substantially that you may even be able to pay for your dinner out of your profits. Learning simple techniques can have a huge impact on the likelihood of your winning, whether you play Blackjack online, in a glamorous casino, or casually with your friends as a social event. No matter what the scenario is where you get to exercise your Blackjack skills, it is undeniable that giving yourself even the most rudimentary grounding in Blackjack technique can boost your odds of making serious money at the game.

Blackjack strategy is not difficult to start learning, so even if you have never played Blackjack before or have little or no experience with strategy games, you can master Blackjack strategy and watch the dealer pay out to you again and again. Blackjack has very few rules, which makes it an easy game for novices to learn. As soon as you have mastered basic play, you can immediately start adding on smart techniques and strategies that will help you beat the odds and win round after round. This means that you can get almost instant gratification from learning a bit of Blackjack strategy.

Although Blackjack can take years to fully master, you can start to see results right away as soon as you start to apply your newly discovered strategies. Even if you don't have the time or interest to develop your own complete Blackjack system that will guide you to the best statistical choice at every turn of the game, learning to use even one or two tricks to figure the odds on different moves will help you win more often tomorrow than you do today. This makes the process of learning Blackjack strategy satisfying, because you can chart your progress very clearly.

Even if you only play Blackjack casually or once in a while, it is a smart move to learn the fundamentals of easy techniques like counting cards, and knowing when to double down. The more you know about Blackjack, the more fun you will have playing as you challenge yourself to come up with the best choice at every juncture of the game. Blackjack is fun for beginners and experts alike, but Blackjack is only consistently profitable for people who have gone the extra mile and learned to implement basic Blackjack strategy.

Some Solid Blackjack Tips

2008-03-09T03:44:00.001-07:00

Do you love Blackjack? Even if you are just learning how to play, here are some great Blackjack tips. I will reach into my Blackjack strategy bag and pull out 3 Blackjack tips you've got to know. These tips are in the arsenal of every winning Blackjack player on the planet. Perhaps you know a couple already. Let's find out.

Blackjack Tip One: Double Down on 11 Cautiously

Whoa there. Aren't you supposed to double down on 11 always? Actually, you want to double down on 11 most of the time-not all of the time. If the dealer is showing a 10 or face card, you need to proceed with caution. Even with a 9 up, you want to really think it over first. Never make doubling down on 11 automatic.

Blackjack Tip Two: Almost Always Split 8's

As you might know, you can split two cards when they are the same. Many times you shouldn't split, but if you find yourself holding two 8's, think about splitting them. Why should you split them? Well, holding 16 is not good. However, by splitting up the 16, you now have two hands with a realistic shot at becoming 18 or higher. The main goal is win at least one hand so you push and get your money back. Be warned. If the dealer has a 9, 10 or face card showing, you might want to think about other avenues.

Blackjack Tip Three: Double Down on Dealer Bust

This one is a little trickier. If you find yourself holding a hand worth 7 through 11, you might consider doubling down if the dealer's show card is a 5 or 6. If the dealer has a card valued at 9 or 10 underneath, there's a shot that the dealer will bust. These are golden opportunities to increase your bankroll. However, this move is not for the faint of heart or those with a very small bankroll. This move can backfire too. It helps if you have an idea of what type of cards are left in the deck.

There you have it. I just gave you three solid Blackjack tips that will make you a better Blackjack player. The first two will help you play better, and the last one will help you capitalize on golden opportunities while playing. Combined, they help form one solid Blackjack player. Winning at Blackjack consistently is never an accident. It's a skill that can be learned.

Play Blackjack Like The Professionals

2008-03-09T03:39:00.001-07:00

Playing Blackjack at a table in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or even at a small rural casino can be an exciting and entertaining experience whether you've never played the game before or whether you're a seasoned pro. However, for the first-timers, a night spent at the Blackjack table isn't usually lucrative, and often ends with losing a sizable stack of chips. As they stumble through the basics of the game, their stack of chips gets smaller and smaller until it vanishes.

For the pros, the story is different. These are people who are so good at playing Blackjack that they're making money much faster than most amateurs lose it. What is an enjoyable but expensive recreation to others is another day at the office for a strategic player. How are they able to make so much money when you are not? The answer is simple: they've mastered the simple rules of Blackjack strategy, and you haven't.

The secret that the casinos don't want you to know is that it takes only a little bit of time and effort to learn these techniques yourself! With the proper guidance, you can quickly learn all you need to know to turn Blackjack into a money-making operation. That is because, if played well, the odds in Blackjack actually favor the player, not the house. Casinos make money on the game simply because most people don't know how to play Blackjack well.

First, you'll have to know when to split, double down, and surrender. Surrendering is not an option at every casino, but it helps to know how to use it in case you find one where it is. If that sounded like Greek to you, don't worry. It isn't as complicated as it sounds. Splitting, doubling down, and surrendering are options available to you, the Blackjack player, that are not available to the dealer. That means that you've got at least two weapons that he or she doesn't have! That sounds pretty good, but of course these weapons are only helpful once you know exactly when and how to make use of them.

In order to really win at Blackjack, you'll also need to learn something about counting cards. This is the part that the casinos really don't want you to know about, because if too many people figure out how to do it, those people will become such a draw on casino resources that they could change the face of modern gambling houses. In fact, most of today's casinos are banking on the hope that you won't count cards at all. However, since counting cards basically consists of paying attention, it is not cheating, so there's nothing they can do to stop you. You just need to continually be aware of what cards have already been dealt out. Again, with the right guidance, you can develop a system for keeping this information in your head. Then, using this information, you can make better guesses as to what cards you and the dealer are likely to be dealt, and you can make all your decisions accordingly. That's really all there is to it. With the right strategy, there's nothing stopping you from making money hand over fist playing Blackjack!

Online Blackjack Play Tips

2008-03-09T03:32:00.001-07:00

Playing BlackJack online differs from playing live BlackJack. Online you play against the dealer-computer - generator of random numbers.

The computer simply models card decks. After each delivery, unlike the dealer-person, the computer returns all cards in a deck and shuffles it anew. It does not give an opportunity to use cards counting systems.

For successful online playing it is necessary to create the own style of playing consisting of two components: rules of defining bet size and basic blackjack strategy.

Basic blacklack strategy perfectly approaches for use in a live casino and for online casino. A basis of this strategy is statistics. And because the computer models a real card deck, probabilities will remain the same. basic blackjack strategy will be usable for online playing .

Find the description of basic strategy. There are a lot of resources in the internet with the detailed description of this strategy with the convenient tables showing how to use it. Learn this strategy. It should become for you second native. The better you know this strategy, the easier to play blackjack for you.

The second part of the play is a definition of the size of the rate. There are a great number of different systems of bet size definition. But basically they can be divided on two groups: the bet increases after win or the rate increases after loss. The first refers to anti-martingale system, the second - Martingale system.

If you use Martingale system, you should increase the rate, multiplying on the specific factor, at each loss. In case of a winning bet you should return to the initial bet size. In anti-martingale system, you should increase the rate at each win.

Experts advise to not use Martingale system. And for beginning players and players with the small bankroll it is necessary to refuse in general of changing size of the bet during game.

All advices in this article do not guarantee success. They only give chance to get money playing blackjack online. Be patient and make changes to the game immediately.

Constantly practice. Only so you will get necessary experience. Today it is possible to practice playing blackjack online for free.

Learn Of Free Online Black Jack

2008-02-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

A message about gambling: Gambling (or betting) is any behavior involving risking money or valuables (making a wager or placing a stake) on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event in which the outcome of that activity depends partially or totally upon chance or upon one's ability to do something.

Free online black jack is offered by some websites on the internet. You can play free online black jack to your heart's content. You can also avail of outstanding software. Some use Macromedia Shockwave Player. Free online black jack allows you to use links to switch between games. Some websites allow you to download the free online black jack software. With a 56K modem, download of free online black jack could only take half a minute. Once you have loaded the free online black jack game, you can play offline. Free online black jack has vivid and attractive graphics complemented with sound effects that make you feel like you are in a real Las Vegas casino.
Free online black jack is a great alternative to real casinos. Although online casinos are not meant to replace the real thing they do serve an entertainment purpose as well. Free online black jack lets you have the thrill, excitement and passion of blackjack at the comfort of your home. Free online black jack is risk-free. You do not need to bet to be able to play. For the hardcore black jack players, free online black jack offers an opportunity to fulfill their craving for the black jack game.
Free online black jack operates the same way as real black jack casinos. The object of the game is to beat the dealer by getting closest to 21 without going over. If a hand goes over 21, it is called a "bust". The bet is lost. In black jack card game, the cards have the following values: Ace is either 1 or 11. Cards 2 through 9 have their face value. Card 10, Jack, Queen and King are all valued at 10.

Free online black jack allows the player to do the basic strategies which are: hit, stand, double down, pair splitting, double down, insurance, even money and surrender. Free online black jack may even let you win free money. Some online casinos use this as a promotional tool to lure players to their websites.

Free online black jack lets you play one-on-one with the computer that will deal you the cards. With free online black jack, computers are programmed to deal the cards randomly. The computer programs on free online black jack seem to reward you for playing basic black jack strategy. Even with free online black jack game, you need to play smart in order to win.

Free online black jack is one good way to while the time away and be entertained without having to shell out money.

Play for fun and have fun playing

Introducing Blackjack Variations

2008-02-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

The game of Blackjack is very diverse. Unlike some other games, the Blackjack player is not limited to the same game over and over. Each variation of Blackjack has its own set of rules. It's important to know these before diving in. If you play one variation like another, you may end up losing money. Some variations are minor, but others require their own system of play. Here are a few variations from the traditional Vegas Blackjack, which comes in two forms-Downtown and Las Vegas Strip.

European Blackjack

European Blackjack is played with two decks. The dealer must stand on soft 17. Unlike the regular game of Blackjack, in European Blackjack, players can only double down on 9 and 11. This can be a severe limitation to those highly aggressive players that love doubling on just about anything when the dealer has a 5 or 6 showing. Players are not allowed to split after a splitting once nor can they double down on a split. There is no surrender option. The house has a 0.39% house advantage.

Atlantic City Blackjack

This version of Blackjack is played in a shoe with 8 decks of cards. The dealer must stand on soft 17-like and Ace and a Six. Players are allowed to double on first two cards and right after a split. Splits can be re-split to form up to 3 total hands. The dealer checks for Blackjack before the hand continues, and late surrender is allowed. Atlantic City Blackjack has 0.35% house advantage.

Double Exposure Blackjack

Many players flock to Double Exposure Blackjack, because they think the advantage is in their favor. In this variation, both dealer cards are dealt face up. Sounds great right? Ah, but here's the rub. The dealer wins all ties except Blackjack. Here's another. Blackjack only pays even money. There's no bonus for getting it. The game is played with a shoe and 8 decks of cards. The dealer hits on soft 17. You can re-split hands to make up to four separate hands. Here's another downside. You can only double down on hard 9 and 11. Also, if you split aces, you get one final card on each. The house advantage on Double Exposure Blackjack is 0.69%.

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Blackjack Versus Poker

2008-01-27T01:23:00.001-08:00

Blackjack has always rivaled poker for popularity. In fact, many land-based casinos featured Blackjack over poker. Some casinos in the not so distant past even closed their poker rooms for lack of activity.

Since the advent of televised poker tournaments, like the World Poker Tour, and the World Series of Poker, in particular, replete with celebrity players and fabulous amounts of prize money awarded the tournament champions, poker has taken the world by storm.

Although Blackjack remained highly popular, the game was surely being overshadowed by the multitude of high-profile poker tournaments. Not any more. The Ultimate Blackjack Tour for example, may be hot on the heels of the WSOP tour's popularity, since the UBT will feature not only the best Blackjack players, but championship-level poker players as well.

Although the basic principle of Blackjack is simple; card values are added in an attempt to reach twenty-one without going over, the game is not purely one of luck, as there are numerous strategies that can be employed to increase one's chances of winning.

Although various card games similar to what we now know as Blackjack had been played in other countries for many years, Blackjack did not make an appearance in American casinos until a few years prior to WW I. Played as a private game until around 1915, Blackjack was known by it's French name of "Vingt-Un, (twenty-one). The game became "Blackjack" when the casinos established bonus payouts if a player's first two cards dealt were a Black Jack (spades or clubs), and an Ace of Spades.

In the early 1930's Blackjack had increased it's popularity among gamblers to the point that it was now the third most popular game played, second only to Roulette and Craps. Shortly after the end of WW II Blackjack's popularity soared, and the game was second in popularity only to Craps, it's rise largely attributed to returning American soldiers, who played the game most frequently as a diversion from the strife of the War years. By the early Fifties, Blackjack had become the most popular card game in the U.S.

Blackjack has evolved in the casinos, and having a "black" Jack and an Ace of Spades is no longer the sole means of getting Blackjack. Now, any ten-value card ( ten or face card ), and an Ace of any color gives one a "Blackjack".

Blackjack was hugely popular in the illegal casinos and card rooms of the U.S., but the game reached it's zenith when the State of Nevada legalized gambling within its borders in 1931. It was then that the game could be played by locals and visitors, as well as the professional gamblers that were once only able to ply their trade illegally.

A Brief Blackjack Glossary For The Beginner:

- Blackjack - Ten value card and an Ace
- Broke or Bust - Hand card value over 21
- Hit or Draw - Request for additional cards
- Splitting Pairs - Two of the same value cards "split" into separate hands
- Double-Down - Both cards turned face-up. One extra card dealt only.
- Stand/Stay/Stick - No additional cards requested
- Push - Player and dealer have the same value hand - no winner

Playing Blackjack - How to Finish as Winner

2008-01-27T01:17:00.001-08:00

When playing blackjack there are going to be times when you can do no wrong. Your 16's draw out into 20's and 21's, every double down is a winner, blackjacks are coming like you are an ace magnet, and the dealer busts every time you need him to. You are feeling like a genius and the chips are piling up.

Times like these will not last forever. That is why you must play smart. Playing smart will ensure that you walk away a winner. You can do that by following these two proven method:

Maximize your winnings and Minimize your losses.

Maximize your winnings:

1) When you are winning, the most important thing to do is walk away a winner.

The worst possible feeling is to leave the table a loser after you have been up a lot of money.

When you are up by twenty units, put aside 10 units and play with the other ten units. Then if you get hit by a losing streak and lose the 10 units, you still walk away a winner. A unit = the amount that you art betting. 10 units x $5 = $50

2) Don't set a limit on your winning sessions.
If your winning streak continues, just keep putting aside your winnings. When you have lost your ten unit buffer, you will be able to walk away a winner, a big winner.

When you are on a winning streak and want to go for larger wins, you can increase the size of your bet. Just make sure not to go overboard and put your winnings at risk with a couple of big losses. Make moderate increases in the size of your bet.

One thing that you should not forget is, just because you have won four hands or more in a row, does not mean you will win the next hand. Only the odds of the game determine player's chances of winning a hand and not the outcome of the previous hand.

Minimize your losses:

The following guidelines will help save you money, a lot of money.

1) Limit your table losses to 20 units.
Say if you are betting $5 on every game then you should limit your loss to no more than $100 in any session. If you limit your losses and resist the temptation to chase your losses then you will avoid walking away a big loser. Do not be afraid to take a break and come back later.

2) Always keep your bet range within your bankroll.
Simply put, bet within your means. If you are a $5 player then don't start betting $25 chips and put your bankroll at risk.

3) Do not increase the size of your bet to try and break even. Just because you increase the size of your bets does not mean you will improve your chances of winning. Instead, you will put yourself at risk of losing even more money.

The truth is you can't win all the time. It just doesn't happen. But what you can ensure is, when you do lose, lose as little as possible. When you do win, win as much as possible. When you are successful at maximizing your winnings and minimizing your losses, you will be a consistent winner.

The Way To Win Blackjack Will Always Remain

2008-01-27T01:11:00.001-08:00

One of the best ways of foreseeing the future is to understand the human nature. Our needs, hopes, problems and dreams are often the basis for our future making. The nature of the human being is one of the most important ingredients in a complicated gambling business. Each of the parties - a casino and a gambler, long to win money from each other. And the growing strain will determine the future of the game.

Blackjack before 1962:
Before publication of the classic book "Beat The Dealer" by Edward O. Thorp in 1962 no single player had ever suspected of such a thing as the Basic Strategy. Everyone used one's own mixture of superstitions concerning the way in which one or the other hand had to play. Plus, some experience gained while playing at home in the kitchen. Excluding a small number of professional card-players who intuitively presupposed that their overbalance would be more if there were more bowers left in a pack, practically none won in blackjack. Naturally, casinos felt quite comfortable under such conditions. Till 1962 blackjack was not very popular, though percentagewise the profit rate was exclusively high.

The next decade: from 1962 till 1972:
After publication of the book by Thorp the situation changed radically. When the book mounted the peak of sales, became a bestseller, and the professor Thorp became an internationally famous personality, casinos were terrified that thus everyone could learn the system of Thorp and would start beating casinos winning huge amounts of money.

The results of this panic are well-known. The majority of casinos cardinally changed the blackjack rules creating even a larger overbalance in comparison with the previous set of rules. These introductions were effective a few weeks only as the majority of casinos' clients simply refused to play a game with such bad rules. Subordinating to the law of supply and demand casinos had to quickly restore traditional rules for all. After this gamblers started immediately to play again, more than that in considerably larger quantities.

The popularity of Thorp's book played into the hands of casinos. Blackjack started to attract crowds of people who thought they could "beat a dealer" only after they had read one book.

But the fact remained that casinos' visitors continued to lose the same amounts of money while playing blackjack as before. Only the number of gamblers increased a hundred times. The majority of those who had read the book simply didn't understand the way the calculation of tens given in the book worked, and those who got to the bottom didn't take enough pains so as to master the system of calculation from A to Z. Casinos observed in surprise the incredibly increased profits.

Reedition of the book in 1966 gave a reader a simpler calculation system. Over that period of time a number of books on blackjack were published. The game gathered pace. Casinos were setting more and more tables. Blackjack was becoming the most popular game in casinos having outrun the previous leader craps.

Blackjack of the 70s:
The classic book "Playing Blackjack as a Business" by Lawrence Revere is responsible for further increase in popularity of the game in the 70s to a great extent. Revere published a shortened version of his systems at the beginning of 1969, but by 1972 already thousands of copies of the book were sold out. Revere republished an extended version of the book offering his simple and effective systems of the game which increased blackjack popularity even more.

Also the book "Winning Blackjack" by Stanley Roberts, was in the right place at the right time, in addition the author appeared in a number of radio and TV-shows. Roberts invested a considerable amount of money into advertising of his book making a splash.

Casinos were once again overcome by the fit of paranoia. They started to suspect that the systems developed with the help of research methods could considerably influence their profits. Casinos started to introduce a multi-pack blackjack instead of a one-pack blackjack to struggle against the system game.

At the beginning of the 70s a lot of scientists, mathematicians, university professors and other "intellectuals" started to write books about blackjack. Some of them developed their own cards' calculation systems. One of the most popular and effective systems - Hi-Opt I, was developed in 1974 with the help of computer programs created by Julian Brown with participation of an anonymous postgraduate of a large Canadian university.

A lot of professional gamblers transferred from the Revere system to the Hi-Opt I system because of the relative simplicity and effectiveness of the latter one. A lot of ordinary gamblers started to use the system together with the basic strategy. These two systems evidently made the biggest impact upon casinos' profits because of their use by professionals. Roberts' systems were more often used by amateurs.

Kenneth Uston, teams and Great Horror:
Kenneth Uston noticed sometime at the end of 1976 that he was amazed by the way how effective the simplest systems of Hi-Opt I type could be. In Uston's book "Big Player"the way how Uston and his companions won together more than a million of dollars playing blackjack is described. Later on his teams transferred from very complicated systems to the simplest of Hi-Opt I type. Uston was thrown out of a few big casinos of Las Vegas, and he filed lawsuit against them for a total amount of 80 million dollars.

With the arrival of Uston the whole new era of blackjack began. Casinos were once again frightened that teams could win huge amounts of money in blackjack. Nearly at once some casinos did away with a one- and two-pack blackjack transferring to 4-, 6- and 8-pack ones. For an average gambler blackjack became too difficult. Plus, casinos started to cut most cards out of play - to two packs. As has been mentioned by Roberts in one of his articles, such practice was at the very least doubtful. By the way, the fact itself of availability of cards which didn't enter the game caused new kinds of crooked gambling connected with withdrawal and addition of cards.

Casinos up to now change the number of packs and the extent of cutting, and compare levels of profits, thus balancing rules. In any case, rules are extremely difficult for gamblers in the USA, especially beginners.

The nightmare continues:
The funniest thing is that gamblers' thoughts are not rigid. Uston's teams were followed by Keith Taft with his pocket computer for blackjack which played better than any profs in the world. The court of Nevada State broke the record of the USA on the quickness of adoption of statute on use of computers in casinos. Up to five years with confiscation in the current situation, though Taft and his advocates were sure of the unconstitutionality of that law.

Forbade the computer? There appeared Tommy Hyland and his most complicated systems of tracking. A new headache for casinos... To worsen the cutting, introduce more packs and make the procedure of riffle even longer. To invent shuffle-machines!

Stanford Wong was the first to outwit these shuffle-machines. The most important thing was to know how they worked. Poor casinos didn't know what to do. These machines cost rather a lot.
Perhaps new varieties would help? Spanish 21, Super-fan 21, 6:5 blackjack, "Open" blackjack, Blackjack-switch, Pontoon... With every introduction there was one problem: either no one played it at all or profs immediately found the way to beat it. Tournaments? Old Wong created teams especially for tournament struggle. Every new rule was calculated and intensively looked into a week in advance. The development of the Internet caused quick information distribution.

Further on the whole pleiad of gamblers of the contemporary generation came on stage. Wong, Sneider, Anderson, Dogerty, Shlesinger and heaps of people who were occupied with theory and practical aspects of the game. Mathematical models of the game were worked out. Texts on Blackjack were published in scientific reviews.

Finally, up to the present moment a small number of professionals still win in blackjack. And will win in the future. Some profs transfer to more complicated systems which are plentiful (let's say, Hi-Opt II was published as far back as 1976). New methods and techniques are being developed.

There is no doubt that it will get still more and more difficult to win in blackjack. However, there difficulties only make gambling wits work harder and harder. Right away new game systems are being worked out in many heads and at many computers of the world.

It is important to understand that gamblers always have a hope. They can change games. They can finally read a textbook on the theory of probability. They can read the same books themselves. They can spend even more money on the newest technologies. However, I assure You, there will always be a way to beat them.

Playing Blackjack With Bad Players

2008-01-24T01:58:00.001-08:00

The great majority of blackjack players simply hate playing with bad players. They hate playing with players who draw when they should stand or stand when they should draw. They especially hate it when the results of the poor player's decision cause their own hand to lose. So what is the best way to handle playing with bad players?

I frequently hear this complaint from players who describe how much money they lost because of the bad players at their blackjack table.

For some blackjack players, nothing is more annoying than sitting on the table with a 16 against the dealer's 5, and watching with horror as the third baseman draws on his own 14 - as opposed to standing and busts out with a 10. Meanwhile, the dealer flops over a 9 for a 14, and rather than drawing the 10 taken by the inept third baseman, proceeds instead to draw for a perfect 21, busting out the whole table and causing a rippling of mumbling and anger from the other players.

It is bad enough for the player holding the 15, how about the other player who holds a 20!

But you know what? It doesn't matter what any player does or how bad they are. It makes absolutely no difference to your chances of winning. Absolutely none. I personally couldn't care less if I was playing with a bunch of monkeys. And you should not care either!

In the long run, whether you have a good fundamentals blackjack player behind you or the village idiot who turns every hand into an adventure, the truth is that mathematically, this player has no effect on your winning or losing chances. This is a very important point and it needs repeating. Poor blackjack players have absolutely no effect on your chances of winning or losing.

Yes, you will always remember the bad decisions by a player that cost you money at the table. But do you remember the times when a player's poor decision making helped you to win a big hand? Most likely, you probably never even noticed when they helped you to win.

The truth is that it all equals out in the long run. The decisions made by the really bad players will help you out just as often as those decisions hurt you. You should just stop worrying about them. How could you possibly know what card they will take?

Your focus should be on following sound basic blackjack strategy. That is it. Block out what the other player does.

However, if you find that a really bad player disturbs your enjoyment of the game or your concentration then move to another table. If you are more worried about someone else's play than your own, obviously a change of scenery is in order.

About Online Blackjack Odds

2008-01-24T01:52:00.001-08:00

Blackjack is one of the most popular card games played in casinos worldwide. It's no wonder that the game of Blackjack has been studied by many gambling professionals. Through this intense study methods have been revealed which allow players to subtly increase their odds while playing the game of Blackjack. Many people think that Blackjack is just another game of chance, like a slot machine or roulette, but this simply isn't the case. If you compare the odds of blackjack to other casino games that you will run into, you will find that the odds of blackjack are much better.

The blackjack card game is very popular worldwide, and some speculate that it may just be the most popular card game ever. Blackjack is enjoyed by people in nearly every casino worldwide, and even played by many religiously online. Blackjack websites have grown in number over the years, and can offer a convenient place to play or just go for a few practice hands.

What has made blackjack such a popular card game? One of the main reasons is that when blackjack is played properly, the house has an edge of a little less than 1%. When you compare this number to other table games at the casino, you can see that the odds of winning with Blackjack are much higher than anything else.

With these kinds of odds, why are casinos still making money with Blackjack and not losing it? Basically, it´s because most players who play Blackjack don´t play the game properly or well enough to make a good living off of it. It´s a shame that most players give up such a great advantage just with lazy playing.

The fact of the matter is that as a player, you can affect the odds of your Blackjack playing. Unlike real games of chance like roulette, the decisions you make during the game of Blackjack ultimately affects your odds and how many times you will end up winning your hands. It would be smart to research more about how to increase your odds at Blackjack. People have been increasing their odds in Blackjack for years, and thus their pocketbooks, too. Casinos try to spot out these Blackjack professionals, but it's not like they can completely stop them since what they do is completely legal - it isn't cheating in any way shape or form.

In Blackjack, instead of the game being based on a chance set of independent events, it is dependent on the cards that have been previously played. This is the main reason why it isn't cheating, you're simply making smart decisions based on the cards that you've already seen.

In a nutshell, the large cards left in the deck, yet to be played, favor the player. The smaller cards yet to be dealt favor the dealer. This is the main reason why card counting is important in Blackjack, and will increase your odds of winning more often than not. There's many places with free information online that will help your Blackjack game. Take advantage of this advice, it can't hurt.

What Makes the Pro in Blackjack?

2008-01-24T01:46:00.001-08:00

A good blackjack player with a solid foundation of basic strategy can actually affect the odds in this interesting game of chance, just by using his head. Blackjack, in fact, is the best way to use your know-how to tilt the odds in your favor.

There is a lot of good information out there for getting a good blackjack strategy that works. You could, in fact, spend years learning it all, but a little goes a long way, as they say. Even players who don't count cards can pick up enough strategy to bring an advantage to the table.

The first thing a serious-minded blackjack player must do is memorize strategy charts for both single deck blackjack and multiple deck blackjack. These tables chart the best decisions for every possible contingency, giving you the highest probability to win in every situation. They are always first and foremost in any successful long-term blackjack player's bag of tricks.

Another widely-employed blackjack strategy is card counting. This is a way to track all the cards so you more or less know which cards are left in the deck. It allows you to predict the likelihood of receiving the card you need.

Card counting is complicated and demanding, which explains why most players just don't bother. It requires months, even years, to master, even with continuous practice. On top of that, it's frowned upon (to say the least), so the player who counts cards must also find ways to seem to be just a casual player.

There are several card counting systems, but in every one the goal is to get a positive count, which means mostly low cards have been played, leaving the deck with a high percentage of large cards. Such a player finds himself with a definite mathematical advantage and will lean into the bets at that point.

Other items in your basic blackjack strategy bag of tricks might include learning dealer tells, such as tics, facial expressions or gestures that enable you to "read" the dealer"s mind, shuffle tracking (which is like card counting, but even harder to master), learning how to scout out the good tables and players to your advantage (eg., not surrounding yourself with a bunch of drunks and slow card players), wise money management at the table (eg., don't play at a table with a 5% larger minimum than your own total), tipping the dealer (always a good practice), developing an honest awareness about your own strengths and weaknesses, and dedication to the game over a long period of time.

Time, dedication, a willingness to study and especially practice and experience are all invaluable tools to toss into the mix. Without them, and a good deal of plain old stubbornness as well. you'll never be an expert blackjack player, only an aficionado.

Simple Three Stage Blackjack Strategy

2008-01-21T06:38:00.000-08:00

I love Blackjack, but if I'm honest, I get a little frustrated having to constantly consult the strategy cards.

I know why the strategy cards exist - to lower the house edge (put simply, the house edge is the percentage of money bet that the casino expects to win) to as close as 1% as possible.

But because the ultimate strategy must cover every possible combination of your cards and the dealer's cards, I find them too complex to memorize exactly. The result is that I'm taking time away from the game to pore over the charts to see what the optimal move is. All of which reduces my enjoyment of the game.

And of course, this is only possible when I'm playing Blackjack online. If I were playing it at a real bricks and mortar casino, I'd be politely asked to leave before I'd made half a dozen bets!

The ideal Blackjack strategy would be easy to remember and apply, and result in a house edge of 1%. Of course, that ideal can't exist, so all Blackjack strategies are a compromise between those two goals - simplicity and accuracy.

Any strategy is going to be more or less inclined towards one of these extremes. When choosing a strategy, your decision comes down to which end of the scale you want to be at - do you want an easy strategy with a lower chance of winning, or a complex one that means that the last 0.01% has been shaved off the house edge?

Personally, my ideal is one that is smack in the middle - a strategy that has an acceptable house edge, but which is so straightforward that I can just get on with playing and enjoying the game.

After studying the available strategy cards, I've devised a strategy that is intended to take players from beginner to high roller in 3 easy stages.

The beauty of this is that as you master each stage, you add on the next one when you feel ready, but you can always step back down again when you don't!

The house edge is a little over the optimal, but the accuracy (ie the percentage of times it makes the right call) is around 98%. But what's important is that it's really simple to remember (even the third stage.)

Although not complex, it's easier to present the strategy in tabular form. My website Fortune Palace (see link in the resource box below) is designed to provide strategies for popular gambling games aimed at all risk levels and styles of play. On my simple 3 stage Blackjack strategy page, I explain everything clearly and simply.

You'll also find a straightforward guide to the rules and bets of Blackjack and - perhaps best of all! - you'll get the chance to play Blackjack for free. I'm very confident of the effectiveness of my system. Once you've tried it, I hope you'll agree that it's the best of all possible strategies - it gives you a great chance of winning without having to remember endless charts.

And best of all - it keeps Blackjack fun! Happy playing.

Online Blackjack for Profit and Fun !

2008-01-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

Be it an online blackjack tournament or one staged in the ordinary bricks-and-mortar type casino, blackjack (or "21") still reigns supreme as the most popular game for gamblers.

One reason - and it's a good one - is because newbies never have to put in a lot of time to learn how to play, (initially, that is). Even people who are not acquainted with this kind of games can easily grasp the goal of reaching 21 and a few simple rules such as never hitting on 16, and so on... and they'll win enough to keep going.

But blackjack represents something else altogether to the seasoned and dedicated card player: an opportunity to nudge the odds against the house into their own back yard. No other game of chance offers the possibility to increase the odds of winning just by being really good at what you do and able to think your way through a problem.

Granted, a mind that is friendly with numbers is of great advantage when playing blackjack. Even though "counting cards" is frowned upon, it's still the true name of the game. Let's face it, intuition and being perpetually lucky is only going to get you so far.

These days, you can go to numerous Indian reservation casinos, put up your dough, and have at it. But entering into an online blackjack tournament has great advantages.

Most online blackjack tournaments, unlike those "real" casino games, are free to enter. All you usually need to do is register online to play, hand over your e-mail address, and jump into the fray.

Normally an online blackjack tournament is played with six card decks. Players, good players, compete and win real live money at online poker tournaments. Not bad, to sit at home in your jammies and play cards!

Casino tournaments in cyberspace are really fun, too. You can pit yourself against the best of the best, if you want to, and make a little bit or - sometimes - a great big cash prize. A lot of these online tournaments function by requiring everybody to put up a "registration fee." That money converts into the prize money and nobody loses more than whatever they put up.

If you're really lucky, you can find an online blackjack tournament with a big payout. Some offer fabulous incentive prizes ranging from free new cars to cash bonuses up to $35,000. Some online casinos put together monthly sweepstakes and gifts, lotteries and prize drawings... just to prove how lucky you really are.

The thrill, mind games with other players and the possible gains make the game very popular. The fact that the game is easy if you play it in an amateur level but very complex at pro level makes it appealing for different kinds of players and again, increases the number of players.

Online Blackjack and Basic Introduction

2008-01-16T04:47:00.001-08:00

As one of the most popular games in practically all casinos, online blackjack has a reputation for being the player's favorite because of the low house edge and the ease of play. As a matter of fact, there are online casinos that focus exclusively on blackjack game play.

Blackjack has been around for a very long time and continues to grow in popularity as more and more people are exposed to it via the Internet as a result of the online gaming boom. This is good for everyone from the casino operators to the player just trying to earn a few chips and have a good time.

Although Internet Blackjack is a simple game to play, proper strategies must be learned in order to play successfully. The online player must not only be able to access and utilize the Internet, they must also play the game of blackjack as close to perfectly as possible using basic strategy in order to increase their chances of winning.

It is very easy to find a reputable online blackjack site by taking a quick look at a casino review website. This should lead a player in the right direction to begin playing. A player should never jump straight in with both feet, but should instead test the waters with small wagers.

A better starting strategy, however, is to find an online blackjack casino that offers free play and uses the same software as the real money play. This allows the player to use blackjack basic strategy in the free play mode before risking any of their own money. This is a good way to further weed out any less than reputable sites as well. Most online casinos even offer a free welcome match bonus for all new players to try out their games which also aids in removing any risk.

Using proper basic strategy is the key to beating the game of blackjack online. Players can usually find excellent strategy charts at the same casino review sites that were used to find reputable sites to play. Charts can even be printed out for easy access while playing to ensure that the mathematically proper plays are being made at all times.

There are many options available today for online play. Some of the more popular versions are Blackjack Switch, multi-player games, European and Vegas style. Some casinos even offer a progressive game called Triple Sevens where the player hits the jackpot by being dealt the seven of diamonds three times on the same hand from a multi-deck shoe. The odds are rather high of hitting this hand but the payoff is substantial.

Did You Know?
Blackjack was not very popular when it was first introduced in United States casinos. As a result, casinos began offering different types of bonuses to attract players. One bonus was a 10-to-1 payout if a player's hand consisted of the ace of spades and either the Jack of spades or clubs. Since these two Jacks are "black" they named the hand "blackjack" and the name stuck.

After a player has chosen a quality online blackjack casino from a reputable casino review site, it's time to have some fun and win some money. Today's Internet blackjack software contains vibrant and exciting graphics that make the player feel as though they are playing at a live casino. The software is also quite helpful to beginners because it will prompt a player when to bet, how to bet and explain what options are available for the play of each hand.

Basic Blackjack Game Terms I

2008-01-13T06:45:00.001-08:00

From "Action" to "Color Up," we're going to go over a bunch of Blackjack and casino terms in part one of our Blackjack terms series today. I've spent some time coming up with a listing of fun terms I think you'll want to know. They're listed in alphabetical order, so scroll around if you want.

Action - It means almost what you think. When a bet is "live" it has action. This term is commonly used when someone puts actual cash in the betting area.

Back Counting - A back counter is someone who isn't sitting at the table and who is counting the cards. An example would be two friends that walk up to play. One sits down and the other stands around the table.

Bankroll - Ah, this one is a classic. A bankroll is the amount of money you have to gamble with. It's the key ingredient in money management and the better you are at managing a bankroll, the better off you are. A bankroll can be for a session of gambling, a calendar month, a season in sports or whatever other time term you want.

Bar - No, not the kind that serves you drinks. If you get barred, you're out of luck. A barred player is one who gets removed from the casino for good. It's also called "being 86ed."

Basic Strategy - In Blackjack, this is your garden-variety strategy that's designed to help you have a good time and stay in the game.

Blackjack - This is the game we're talking about. If you don't know how to play, check out the quick-start Blackjack guide on this site.

Burn Card - After the deck is shuffled and cut, the first card is "burned," which means it is discarded. This is an old anti-cheat mechanism and it's still used today in brick and mortar casinos.

Bust - When your card count in Blackjack goes over 21, you've busted. When you bust, you lose. Ideally, you hope this happens to the dealer often and not you.

Card Counting - It's a strategy to try and figure out what type of cards are left in the deck. Players who employ this strategy will bet bigger when the remaining cards in the deck are larger and bet less when the remaining cards in the deck are smaller. There are many card counting techniques and we talk about card counting in Blackjack more on this site.

Cold Deck - Cold deck is the same thing as a cold table in Craps. It just means that the deck sucks for players. If you're counting, you know when the deck is cold, because it's overloaded with smaller cards.

Color Up - When you're ready to leave the table, you can color up. Let's say that you have 20 red chips ($100), you could color up for one black chip. Casinos try to color up players, because it keeps them from having to constantly fill tables with extra chips. As a player, it's easier to walk around with fewer chips.

We'll be back in part two of our Blackjack terms series with "Comp."

Basic Blackjack Game Terms II

2008-01-10T02:26:00.001-08:00

Last time, we talked about Blackjack terms, such as "Action" and "Color Up." Let's continue forward with part two in our Blackjack terms series. We'll pick it up with "Comps," which happen to be my favorite thing in a casino. Let's get started.

Comps - This is the main reason for playing for many people. A Comp is basically anything you get for free from the casino. It could be food, rooms, cash, travel, drinks and so forth. Here's a tip. Most casinos comp players based on the data from a player's card. Whenever you walk into a new casino, ask about their player's card and get one-they are free.

Cut Card - When you cut the deck in Blackjack-at real live tables-you use a cut card. This card is the same size as a regular card in the deck and it's usually red. It's also plastic. Slide that baby in the right place and let's win some hands!

Discards - These are the cards that have already been played. In a real live game, you'll see the discards off to the side of the table.

Double Deck - A Blackjack game typically uses 1-8 decks of cards. A Double Deck game of Blackjack uses two decks of cards. In a real live game, this game is hand shuffled and dealt from hand. Shoe games start with four or more decks.

Double Down - You're so money! Even non-gamblers know this phrase. When you double down, you double up your original bet and take one final card. You can double down on your first two cards only. While online casinos typically make you double your bet on a double down, live casinos will allow you to "double for less," which means you can put any additional amount down-up to the amount of your original wager.

Double Exposure - This is a variant of Blackjack. You'll find that there are various Blackjack rules that a casino may or may not use-like surrendering. In this variant, both dealer cards are dealt face up. Sounds like easy money right? Not so fast. These games also have additional rules-usually something like dealer wins all ties. You may like this type of game though, so check it out. Make sure you ask about the rules differences before playing.

Draw - Most everyone says, "hit," but draw is the same thing. When you draw a card, you're not getting out a pencil and sketch paper to make an art masterpiece; you're taking one additional card for you hand.

Edge - Do you have an edge? The edge just means who has the best ability to make money over the long haul. As a gambler, you take steps to reduce the house's edge and increase your chances of winning. A Blackjack example of this would be card counting. Another example would be playing only certain types of Blackjack games, such as single deck.

We'll pick up our Blackjack series next time with "Even Money."

Online Blackjack Basics II

2008-01-10T02:16:00.001-08:00

Because it offers better chances of winning than most other casino games, Blackjack is one of the most well-liked and popular casino games that also made it big in online casinos. It is also known in gambling circles as the Lucky 21 game, in reference to the winning card value in the game. Regular blackjack games play with only a single deck of cards, but some blackjack games already involve more than one deck. This is the house's response to the famous blackjack counting strategies that have come up among players. No matter how the game is modified, it seems that it only gets better and more enticing for players.

The main objective of the blackjack game is to get a hand which contains cards that add up to a total card value of 21, which is called a blackjack and signals an automatic win. Blackjacks are paid out at 3:2. If no one gets a blackjack, the player with the total card value that is higher than the dealer's card value wins. Once the total card value of a hand exceeds 21, this results to what is called as a bust, which equates to an automatic loss.

The focus of the blackjack game, or what makes it exciting, are the values given to the cards. The cards from two up to ten are taken at face values. The face cards are valued at 10, while the ace cards can either be a 1 or an 11. This means that the bets possible hand in blackjack contains an ace card and a face card or a ten card, which sums up to a 21 total value.

A blackjack game online and otherwise both begins with the placing of bets. After all the bets are in, the dealer will deal two cards for each player. These cards will be dealt face up. After that, the dealer will also deal two cards for himself. The first card will be dealt face up, but the second will be kept concealed. The dealer's second card will be the determining factor of the game.

If the dealer's face up card is neither an ace nor a ten, then the players get a chance to play their hands. They have several options at this point. They can either stand or hit. A stand means to stay with the present cards, while a hit is to ask for one or more cards to improve the player's hand. Players can keep on hitting until he stands or until he exceeds 21 and busts. Other than these two basic moves, players can also double, split, or surrender. Doubling means to double the player's bet and ask for just one more card.

This happens when a player is confident about his present cards and is hopeful about the next card he will get. A split means to split a hand into two hands, which is done usually when a player has two matching cards. A surrender means to concede, lose the bets, and not play anymore.

In playing blackjack, whether online or not, it is good to choose the game you will join. There are plenty of blackjack strategies around, but the best option is to choose one that suits you best and stick to it. Finally, don't be afraid to surrender when you need to.

Basic Blackjack Game Terms III

2008-01-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the third part in our Blackjack terms series. Last time we left off talking about the house's edge. Today, we'll start out with "Even Money," which happens to be a sad moment for me. The last thing you want to see when you're dealt a Blackjack is the dealer having an Ace.

Even Money - When the dealer has a potential Blackjack-and you were dealt a Blackjack-you can ask for even money. If you take even money, your Blackjack is paid 1:1 instead of 1.5:1. So, a $15 wager is paid $15. If you don't take even money and the dealer has Blackjack, you just push.

Expectation - I won't get too technical with this one. Basically, it means the amount of money you can expect to win or lose over a period of time.

Face Cards - Real simple here. Face cards are the Jack, Queen and King. They are all worth 10 point in Blackjack. There's no real difference in these cards unless you're playing a side game like Royal Match.

First Base - This is the seat that gets the cards first. The dealer deals clockwise, so first base is the first seat on the dealer's left.

Flat Betting - When you flat bet, you're just betting the same amount on every hand. This really isn't idea. Unless you're just playing for a little fun and free drinks, you want to alter your bets some now and then.

Heads Up - This happens usually in online play. It's when you're the only one at the table. You're playing with the dealer only. In real casinos, some players like this and they'll move around looking for empty tables. When someone else sits down, they get up and find another empty table. You'll see some big-time players request an empty table. If they are playing enough, the casino will rope off a table for them.

High Roller - We just talked about one in our Heads Up description. A high roller is someone who bets a lot. The real high rollers will walk into a casino with millions to wager if they so choose. They are also called whales.

Hit - Take a hit to get another card for your hand. It's also called a draw.

Hole Card - This is the magical card that the dealer gets that you can't see-unless you're playing a double face up game of Blackjack.

Hot Deck - It's just the opposite of a cold deck. A hot deck is in your favor and hopefully you're betting big.

House Edge - We talked about this in our Edge description. All casino games have a house edge. The casino always has the advantage over you. Some games are better than others. For instance, Blackjack has a much lower house edge than Roulette.

Insurance - Many call insurance a sucker's bet. When the dealer shows an Ace, you can take insurance. It costs half your wager and if you take it, you want the dealer to have a Blackjack. If not, you lose your insurance bet and now if you win, you only win a profit of 50%, which isn't fun.

See you next time when we go into the fourth part of our Blackjack terms series.

Basic Blackjack Game Terms IV

2008-01-08T06:42:00.001-08:00

We're nearing completion in our Blackjack terms series. In our next to last series installment, we'll go over some terms, such as "Money management," "Paint" and "Push." We start out with an important term, because it highlights how the Blackjack rules can be different from casino to casino.

Las Vegas Strip Rules - Las Vegas is split into two main gambling regions-Downtown and the Strip. The Strip has different Blackjack rules than Downtown. A major rule to check on before you play is whether the dealer must hit or stand on a soft 17.

Money Management - It's no secret. Losing players rarely have any money management skills. Money management goes beyond just knowing how much money you have to play with. It involves knowing how much to bet and when. There are many money management systems out there.

Money Plays - A command barked out by a dealer when a player puts actual cash in the betting area.

Natural - When you're dealt a Blackjack.

Paint - Want to see paint? If so, you're asking for a face card. It's called this, because face cards are graphical in nature.

Pat Hand - No, it's not the hand of someone named Pat. When you have a pat hand, you want to stay. An example of a pat hand is a hard 17. A hard hand is one in which there isn't an Ace counting for 11 points.

Point Count - If you're counting cards, you always know what the count of a deck is.

Push - This is another name for a tie. When you have a bet that pushes, you don't win or lose. Your money is returned. If you're playing a double face up game, it's possible that there aren't any pushes, because the dealer wins all ties.

Resplit - When you get two cards of the same rank, like two 7's, you can split them. If your first card on a split is also the same rank, you can resplit then hand. Some casinos only allow one split and others may allow up to four. Check with the casino to be certain. While you always want to split Aces, some casinos don't allow you to play split Aces like a regular hand. Instead, they'll just give you one card per hand.

Running Count - It's the same thing as a Point Count. At any given hand, a card counter knows the count of the deck and bets accordingly. If the count is favorable to the casino, the bet is reduced. If the count is favorable to players, the bet is increased.

That does it for this installment of Blackjack terms. We've got one installment in our series left. We'll go over terms, such as Shill, Shoe, Third Base, Toke, Vig and Whale.

Basic Blackjack Game Terms V

2008-01-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

We've finally arrived at the final installment of our Blackjack terms series. We're about to bring it all together. It's been a fun ride. Once you finish this series, consider yourself a Blackjack terms expert. Let's go.

Session - This term is used most when talking about money management. A session is a period of time spent gambling.

Shill - These guys are casino employees. To facilitate action, a shill will go up to a table-usually an empty one-and play. The idea is that if you're walking around and see action, you'll play. Shills are more likely to be used at a Craps table, because not many people like being the only player in Craps.

Soft Hand - This is any hand where an Ace is being used as an 11.

Stand - When you're happy with your hand, you can stand, which ends your turn.

Surrender - Some casinos allow you to surrender. When you surrender, you throw in your hand and get half your wager back. A common surrender situation is when you have a hard 16 and the dealer has a face card showing.

Third Base - It's the opposite of first base. Third base is the last seat to get cards. If the table is full, it will be the seat immediately to the dealer's right hand.

Toke - Also called a tip. Dealers work for tips, so they love players who tip them. One common way to tip in Blackjack is to place a bet for the dealer. You do this by placing your tip bet above your wager on the layout. Let the dealer know it's for him/her, so they can make sure the placement is right. This is a good way to get the dealer to root for you.

True Count - It's another card counting term. When there are multiple decks, you take the running count and divide it by the number of decks being used. This gives you a more accurate picture.

Up Card - The dealer gets two cards in Blackjack to start with. The Up Card is the card that you can see. The bottom one you can't see is called a hole card.

Unit - A measurement of betting. For instance, a unit could be $5, $10, $1 or whatever.

Vig - This is the money that goes to the house. A popular vig in sports betting, for example, is 10%.

Whale - This is the big-time player-the high roller. Casinos-and dealers-love to see a whale coming. It usually means there's a chance for a nice payday.

And there you have it. We've come to the end of our Blackjack terms series. Do you feel like a Blackjack terms expert now? We've covered a lot of ground in this series.

Good luck at the tables!

Three Important Blackjack Fundamentals

2008-01-08T06:27:00.001-08:00

What separates winning Blackjack players from losing ones? Is it all luck? No. Winning Blackjack players adhere to a set of rules that gives them the best opportunity to walk away from the Blackjack table as a winner.

Today, I will share three such Blackjack fundamentals with you. Put on your thinking caps and commit these to memory. If you already know them, you're ahead of the game.

Blackjack Fundamental One: Don't Always Double Down on Eleven

What? You can't be serious. I know, I know. We've all heard the catchphrase "Always double down on eleven." But, there are situations where doubling down on eleven makes no sense.

Let's say you have eleven and the dealer is showing a face card. Why would you double down? Think about this for a moment. You're risking twice the money for a possible 4 out of 13 chance to win.

In each suit, there are 13 cards (A - 10, J, Q, K). Let's imagine that the dealer has a 20. Only three cards in each suit can produce a win. One card will produce a tie and nine cards a loss.

The odds are not in your favor.

Blackjack Fundamental Two: Dealer Shows Six, Let it Fly

For me there's one time when I get ultra-aggressive on the Blackjack table and that's when the dealer is showing a six. There are so many possibilities for the dealer to bust.

This is the time when I like to double down on hands totaling seven to eleven or anything soft, such as a soft 18.

And I always stand on any hard hands that total twelve or above.

Blackjack Fundamental Three: Don't Chase Wins

Streaks come and go. Steer clear of any playing strategy or system that increases the betting amount after a loss. It's counterproductive.

Instead, you want to increase your wagers after a win-if at all.

Far too often I see players betting some losing progression system that has them losing more and more each hand. Personally, I stay away from any preset betting strategy and just bet up or down as the hands fly.

You just never know when a hot or cold streak is coming. If you're an astute Blackjack player, you can probably gauge how a deck is going and what's likely left. And that's how you want to determine your bet size and not some preset up and down scheme.

Start with these three fundamentals and you'll be on your way to playing better Blackjack.

Why Choose Blackjack Over Poker

2008-01-07T12:43:00.001-08:00

Out of all the different casino games, blackjack is not only the easiest to learn and the easiest to play, but it is also the easiest casino game for winning money from the different casinos whether online or offline. In comparison, poker is hitting a huge boom all over the place from the best online casinos to the huge World Series of Poker, but when it comes right down to it blackjack is still the biggest game and the most fun to play.

In this article, I am going to detail the top five reasons why black jack will prove to be a better game for you than poker. This evidence will more than suffice in laying a strong foundation to my argument that blackjack or 21 as it is also commonly called is far superior than any other casino game and especially poker.

1) Black jack is quick, you do not have to sit and wait for people to think. It is either hit me, or stay and that is all there is to it.

2) Blackjack is by far a much easier game to learn to play. Since the basis of the game is to beat the dealers hand with a 21, there is not really so much that you have to learn in comparison the poker.

3) You get to play against the dealer when playing black jack, which is not usually the case when playing at poker rooms. This is better because you do not have to worry what the other players are thinking. This is not an advantage but you do not have to worry about body language and the like.

4) Hitting 21 or Black Jack is just exiting, an automatic win. By all means poker is interesting, but how often are you dealt the Royal Flush? Well in black jack it is possible to be dealt black jack repeatedly in one sitting and I will say it is definitely more exciting hitting a black jack than seeing a guy with a pair of 7s beat a guy with a pair of 4s.

5) In black jack it is up to you to win, now it is also the same in poker, but if you lose to someone else you can not blame the dealer. Now many people would say why blame the dealer anyway? I will tell you, the dealer has only dealt the cards, you can only blame yourself for losing. It has to do with how you play. So it is easier to take loss in a hand in black jack than it is in poker.

Conclusion:
Finding the game that you identify most with is the game you should stick with. If it is poker than be a poker player in any of the different poker rooms you can find, or if it is black jack than put on your smart clothes and pick your seat at the black jack table at the casino nearest to you, because in my opinion, black jack is the best casino game there is, and once you begin to play it you will realize this for yourself.

Live Black Jack Game Rules

2008-01-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

A Blackjack game is a game of possibilities and chance. There are no certain strategies that can guarantee wins. Playing a live black jack game is quite easy, but of course, there are several special rules in blackjack that makes the game more challenging. These rules act as if they are playing with the players' fates. Here are some of the special rules in blackjack that anticipates different occurrences and changes the outcomes considerably.

In a live black jack game, the players and the dealers will be dealt two cards each. The players' cards will be revealed immediately after they are dealt, while only the dealer's first card is revealed. The second card is concealed until the players have made their plays. However, there are instances when the dealer's first card is an ace or a ten. This means that there is a possibility for the dealer to get a blackjack. A blackjack is a hand that sums up to a 21 total card value. In some games, the players are allowed to place insurance bets if the dealer has an ace or a ten.

The insurance bets will insure the players against the dealer getting a blackjack. After the insurance bets are placed and the players play their hands, only then will the second card be revealed. When a player places an insurance bet, he will be paid 2:1 in case the dealer gets a blackjack. However, insurance bets are not advisable because even if a dealer gets an ace or a ten, there is still a bigger chance for the player to win more without insurance than with.

To get on with the game, in case the dealer gets an ace or a ten face up card, most casinos check for the blackjack immediately. The players will not be given a chance to play their hands anymore, as the second card is revealed immediately. In case the dealer gets a blackjack, the house automatically collects all the bets and the game officially ends. However, this is not an ordinary blackjack occurrence. The chances of the game turning out like this depends entirely on the rules of the casino or online casino and the rules of the game you chose to join.

The blackjack being a game of chance, there are also instances when the dealer gets a blackjack and another player gets a total card value of 21 as well. This will be called a tie or a push, to use the blackjack lingo. A push means that no one wins and no bets are exchanged.

The instances mentioned above are special occurrences that can happen to a live black jack game. These special rules change the game sometimes drastically. As we have learned, a black jack game can even abruptly end and all players plummet quite quickly to a loss. These instances, however, is what makes the black jack a challenging game. Even if these can make the game harder, there is no doubt that these play a role in luring people to the quite popular game.

A Quick Rundown of Blackjack

2008-01-07T03:54:00.001-08:00

Learning Blackjack doesn't need to take years and years. Today, I'll give you a very quick rundown of the game. Within minutes you'll be ready to try your hand at Blackjack.

Part One: Cards

First, everyone, including the dealer, receives two cards. These two cards make up your hand's count. All cards are worth their face value, so a nine of clubs is worth nine points. Face cards are worth 10 points and an Ace is worth one or 11-you choose.

Part Two: Basic Goal

The dealer is always the last to act, so it's your job to determine what the dealer has and act accordingly. You can go up to 21 in your hand. If your hand ends up being 22 or more, you have busted and you lose. While some books might incorrectly state that the goal of Blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible, the goal is really to beat the dealer.

Part Three: Action Time

When it's your turn, you'll have a few actions you can perform. If you like the count of your hand, you can stand. Stand simply means that you pass and your turn is now over. If you'd like another card, you can hit. When you hit, one card is dealt to you. You can keep hitting until you are satisfied. However, if your hand reaches 22 or more, your turn is ended and you lose.

If you have two identical cards, such as two eights, you can split them into two hands. You'd then play two separate hands. But note, when you split hands, you must double your wager. Splitting can lead to greater profit or greater ruin. Act accordingly. Never split 10s or face cards.

Another action is doubling down. When you double down, you double your wager and take one final card-that's it. Most people like to double down when they have 11. Some casinos will let you double for less too. So, if you had a $100 original wager, you could double down for say $50.

Part Four: Blackjack

Should your first two cards equal 21, you have a Blackjack. Remember, an Ace can be one or 11, so a Blackjack has one Ace and one 10 or face card. Also, a Blackjack pays 1.5x, so if you had a $100 wager on the table and received a Blackjack, you'd be paid $150.

Part Five: Wagers

This is real simple. Aside from a Blackjack, all wagers are paid even money, so a $100 wager is paid $100. Good luck and have fun playing Blackjack.

How To Play Live Blackjack

2008-01-07T03:44:00.001-08:00

Blackjack is perhaps one of the most challenging yet most popular of all casino games. Besides Poker, Blackjack is not just about getting blackjack on the first hand or on any hand, it is about betting wisely and deciding for yourself if you should take a chance and play on or fold. The rules are can be kind of confusing to start with and then they will become more complex. There are many things to consider when playing this game. Each player is playing fro themselves, they are not playing against the other players at the table, they are playing one on one against the dealer. If they lose the game continues, if they win the game continues until all of the players have won or lost.

The dealer places one card face down and then one card face up. Never show your face down card until the very end. The dealer will show their cards so you can see all along what they have. The face value of the cards are pretty simple, the number 2 through the number 10 are face value at what they are, the jack, Queen and Kings are worth ten points and the Aces are worth either a one or an Eleven.

That is one benefit to this game is that if you get an Ace and any other card you cannot go bust or lose because you can use a 1 or an eleven. The winner is determined by who has the better hand, you or the dealer. If both players have the same exact card values then no one wins and it is called a push.

Once your initial hand is dealt then you have 4 options that you can use. The first option is to Hit, this means draw another card. You can Stand which means to hold onto the cards you have and not draw anymore. You can double down which means you can double the wager and then take one more card and then stand. You can also Split, this is when you double the bet because you are splitting the cards you have in your initial hand.

For example, if you have a 7 card up and a 7 card down. You can turn up your 7 card that was down and create a new hand. On a split nothing is face down everything is in the open. You can have double the chance of winning with two hands. The last option is called the Surrender, this is pretty much a forfeit of half of what you bet and you give up the hand. The Surrender was mostly used in the early days of the game but it is no longer used in a lot of casinos.

What is great about the game is that it is challenging. You get to choose which option you want, you win or lose based on two things, the luck of the draw and the luck of the player. How you play you cards is also a factor if you win or lose.