Author Archives: TravG

PokerHost Now Offering Live Dealers

PokerHost BlackjackOne of our favorite USA online poker sites is now offering Live Dealers for Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat. Best known for their outstanding poker software, PokerHost has expanded their online casino to include Live Dealers and a full variety of casino games and slots.

PokerHost has been in business since 1995 and is fully licensed in Panama. They are one of the most well respected online poker sites because of their outstanding customer service and fast withdraws. To deposit you can use your USA Visa or MasterCard or send cash by Western Union or Money Gram. One exclusive deposit method at PokerHost is the ability to send funds with Western Union or Money Gram by using yoru credit card. PokerHost is the only USA poker site or casino that allows this. The deposits are always accepted so you never need to worry about your credit card being declined. Simply fund the Western Union transfer with your credit card and send it to PokerHost and the funds are available immediately for use.

Withdraws are also offered by Western Union and Money Gram and are received fast. Request your withdraw and have your cash pick up details generally within 72 hours. PokerHost offers some of the fastest withdraws in the industry. You can also request a withdraw by check or Bank Wire which usually arrives within 5 business days.

If you are a poker fan but also like to play casino games PokerHost is a top choice especially of you live in the US. Find a full range of casino games and slots including Live Dealer Blackjack. The minimum bet for the Live Dealer Tables is $10 and a maximum of up to $300 is allowed per hand. Watch the dealer live as your cards are being dealt in real time. Find High Limit Blackjack at the live dealer dealers.

Check out our PokerHost blackjack review for more details and play blackjack live. You can also claim a 100% match bonus up to $1000. The blackjack bonus at PokerHost works a little different than most online casinos. At PokerHost you earn 10% of your bonus after wagering 30x’s the bonus amount. So if you claim the full $1000, after you wager $3000 you would earn $100 of your bonus. Once you earn your bonus it is immediately available to withdraw or continue playing with. The bonus will remain pending until you clear the entire bonus. This is a nice spin on earning a blackjack bonus as you do not need to meet any requirement before making a withdraw. Your deposit amount and monies won are always available for immediate withdraw.

So if you want to pay Live Blackjack and other casino games PokerHost is a top choice. If you also like online poker you cannot beat the combination. Play at the games offered from just one account.

Play at High Limit Blackjack Tables

If you are a high roller and want to play at high limit blackjack tables, check out either BetOnline or the GoldenCherry Casino. Both offer the highest limits for USA online blackjack with $500 being the maximum bet per hand at either casino.

BetOnline is the only USA casino to offer live dealer blackjack which has limits higher than most standard online casinos. The limits for the live dealer blackjack is a $10 minimum bet and a $500 maximum bet. Obviously the play is a slower being more like a brick and mortar casino. You can actually see the dealer through a live streaming feed and watch as him or her deal the cards as you watch. Check out the BetOnline review for more information and play at the highest blackjack limits available.

If you want fast play but also want to bet at high limits, the GoldenCherry is your top place to play. At GoldenCherry you can also bet up to $500 per hand for Blackjack. The minimum bet is just $1 unlike the Live Casinos and GoldenCherry offers a 50% match bonus on your first two deposits for blackjack and all other table games. If you want to play high limits see the GoldenCherry Review to sign up and claim your bonus.

Playing at high limit blackjack tables gives you a little more flexibility in your betting. Most casinos only allow up to a $100 as the maximum bet and if you use a progressive betting system it really limits what you can win of you get on a good winning streak. By playing at the highest limits for Blackjack you can wager up to the table maximum of $500 and really take down some serious money by getting on a roll.

Be sure to check out our Blackjack strategy chart if you haven’t seen one on the past. The chart gives instructions of when to hit, stand, double and split. It is a must follow and you can find yourself on much longer winning streaks and by playing at high limit blackjack tables you can really feel the winnings in your pocket.

Claim Easy Bonuses

If your playing online blackjack be sure to claim the bonuses offered by the online casinos we recommend. Be sure to check the terms and conditions of the bonus because while some may seem like a great bonus, they can require such a high rollover requirement they almost become useless.

A bonus rollover requirement is the amount of times you must wager your bonus amount. If a casino has a 20x’s rollover it means you must wager your bonus amount 20x’s before making a withdraw. For example if you claim a $100 bonus and it requires a 20x’s rollover, you have to wager $2000 before making a withdraw. While it may seem like a lot, remember you are winning and losing while earning your bonus. Blackjack is actually one of the easier games to clear your bonus. If you bet $10 a hand and deal 3 hands a minute you would just about have your bonus cleared in an hour.

If want the easiest blackjack bonus to clear play at Bovada. Bovada only requires a 15x’s rollover for blackjack which is the easiest blackjack bonus to clear. While the bonus is not huge, it does put some free money in your hand quickly. At Bovada you can claim a 100% match bonus on your first deposit up to $200. See the Bovada Blackjack review for more information and play USA online blackjack and claim the easiest blackjack bonus.

If you want a big Blackjack bonus check out Grand Parker. At Grand Parker you can claim a 125% match bonus up to $1250 on your first 4 deposits for a total of up to $5000. Grand Parker is one of our best USA blackjack casinos and have great credit card acceptance rates for Americans. See the Grand Parker blackjack review and claim a huge bonus. The Grand Parker bonus requires a 30x’s rollover which is still not very hard to earn.

Betting on Sports

This is a great time of year for sports betting. We have the Super Bowl coming up in less than 2 weeks, the NHL season is finally under way after the lock out and the NBA and NCAA basketball season is in full swing. Betting on sports is not only an adrenaline rush while you are watching the game, but you can be a successful bettor and make money over the long term if you have the proper information. Anyone can have a good weekend, but to win consistently over a long period of time, information is the key.

Any successful sports bettor will tell you it is hard work to pick winners on a consistent basis. The amount of information available through the Internet is a huge advantage these days and must be taken advantage of. Researching and examining the information can be a full time job and if you work a regular 9-5er chances are you do have the time it requires to do so. To fully examine and handicap a full slate of games can take hours upon hours.

Luckily there are programs and tout services out there that do scour the Internet and have contacts in the front office that do pick winners for a living. If you are even a weekend warrior these services have a wealth of information available to them and are most likely much more informed than you are. They take sports betting seriously and treat it as a full time job.

The best of these services are not free by any means and the good ones can be quite expensive but if you are betting several hundred dollars over a weekend they can quickly pay for themselves. Remember the old adage you get what you pay for. Stay away from 1.800 services because you want an actual human being tell you who to pick. Many services will have dedicated account managers and they will be the only rep you speak to when they are offering their picks. Some services will give you free picks to start so you can see what they are capable of.

Playing Blackjack in the United States

Many believe that playing online Blackjack from the United States is illegal but that is just not the case. While the United States government did pass laws inhibiting online gambling from Americans, they did not actually make playing at an nline casino illegal – at least to the best of our knowledge.

The US government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) back in 2006 but this did not make online gambling illegal. Rather it made it illegal for US banking institutions and offshore gambling outfits to knowingly process money transactions for gambling purposes. This was their attempt to stop untaxed money flowing overseas and generating revenue which they could not tax.

In response to the UIGEA some online casinos, poker room and sportsbooks decided to no longer allow USA players. The main reason for this was that the ones who did decide to stop allowing US players were publicly traded companies and many of them were traded on the London Stock Exchange. Because they were a public company they knew that the consequences could be bad especially in the eyes of the public and shareholders they dedcided to disallow US players.

Other casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks which were privately owned decided to continue to allow existing players and accept new USA players as well. Because they were incorporated and licensed in countries outside the United States they feel they do not need to abide by US laws. After all do US companies abide by foreign laws?

The banking institutions in the United States also tried and continue to identify if a transaction is gambling related. If it is and they know it is most likely they will not honor it. This is the reason why your credit card is declined many times. But because the banks cannot look at every transaction and some casinos have processors that also feel they do not need to abide by US law, some casinos do a great job getting credit card deposits approved. For this reason you can still get deposits approved and play Blackjack online.

So if you want to play online blackjack from the United States you just need to find a USA friendly casino. If the casino accepts USA players chances are they get your credit card deposit approved or offer other methods to fund your account.

Again playing Blackjack online is not illegal to the best of our knowledge. We are not lawyers but all the research we have done suggests that playing online blackjack is not illegal. The onus is on the banking institutions and the actual online casinos are they are the only ones that could get into any trouble by allowing USA residents to play.

Play Smart Blackjack

Blackjack is the most popular casino game not only at land based traditional casinos but at online casinos as well. The reason for its popularity is that it is a fairly easy game to learn and play. Be careful though because there is some strategy that should be used when playing blackjack. It is not as easy as hitting to 21 or simply beating the dealer. There are odds involved and if played properly the casino edge can be reduced to make blackjack one of the more profitable games in the casino.

The main point to playing blackjack is that it does not matter what cards you have. The most important card on the table is the dealers up card. When playing blackjack you should assume the dealer has a 10 as his hole card (card facing down). If the dealer has a 10 up you assume he has 20. If he has a 6 up you assume he has 16. Always figure that the dealer has a 10 as his hole card. It is amazing how many players do not grasp this concept. How you play your cards is dependant 100% on what the dealers up card is.

If the dealers up card is a 6 or lower you know he has to hit and your strategy should be to let him bust (go over 21). Looking at your cards if there is anyway you can bust by hitting you should stand. This is hard for some people to understand, but if you have 13 and the dealer has to hit, your best bet is to stand and let him bust. If the dealer has a 6 up and you assume he has a 10 underneath, anything over a 5 and he busts and you win with your 13!

The main take away from this is that you do not need to beat the dealer if he has to hit. The best bet is to let the dealer hit and break (go over 21). With you sitting at 13 you actually have two chances to lose instead of one. The first chance being that you go over 21 and the second that the dealer beats you with a higher number combination.

This is just one quick lesson in simple blackjack strategy. For an easier demonstration of this you can always reference a blackjack strategy chart which will show you when to hit, stand, double and split. There are many other blackjack strategy techniques you can use. To see more techniques see the blackjack strategy section and start making blackjack a more profitable game.

Play Blackjack at the Begado Casino

We have added the popular Begado Casino as an approved online casino to play USA online blackjack. Begado opened last year and is quickly growing into one of the most popular USA online casinos on the Internet. Begado offers great bonuses and credit cards work very well for USA residents.

Sign up at Begado through our website and receive a generous 100% match bonus up to $1000 on your first deposit. Begado is also one of the few online casinos that offer cash back blackjack bonuses. Receive a 100% cash back bonus on every day on your second deposit made. Begado also offers daily reload bonuses that are available on every deposit. The Begado Casino is one of the most generous casinos when it comes to bonuses.

Begado also does an outstanding job getting USA credit cards approved. Because they only offer Visa and MasterCard as deposit methods you can bet they get them approved. We have never had a credit card deposit declined at Begado. Withdraws are offered by Bank Wire and are in your personal bank account generally within 5 business days.

If you like to also play online slots, Begado has a great selection including progressive jackpot slot machines. The slots bonus at Begado is also very generous and you will receive a 333% match bonus on your first 3 deposits up to $3333 for slots. You can claim your Blackjack bonus as well as the slots bonus. Begado also offers the popular Video Poker games.

If you need to contact customer service you can do so by calling them, sending an email or using their Live Chat feature. We have contacted Begado on several occasions and the support staff was always very helpful and courteous.

To get started and claim your bonus see our Begado review and be sure to take advantage of the ongoing bonuses especially the cash back bonus.

 

Online Blackjack for 2013

If you are looking to play USA online blackjack, we have a full listing of the best USA friendly blackjack sites for 2013. Find online casinos to play blackjack at that still accept USA players and do a great job getting USA deposits approved.

Our top USA blackjack site for 2013 is the Grand Parker casino. Grand Parker accepts USA players and has a great bonus for blackjack players. Claim a 125% match bonus up to $1250 on your first 4 deposits. We especially like this type of bonus because it allows you to make a smaller first deposit to try the site. You then can still take advantage of a great bonus on your next 3 deposits.

Grand Parker accepts Visa and MasterCard for USA deposits and still do a great job getting them approved in 2013. Withdraws are offered by Wire Transfer and paid quickly. You can expect to receive your winnings within 5 business days deposited directly into your personal checking account. See our Grand Parker blackjack review for more details and to claim your bonus.

If you are looking to play against Live Dealers, the BetOnline casino is the only USA friendly casino that offers live dealers in 2013. BetOnline has been in business since 2001 and has developed a solid reputation among the gaming world. They offer a 25% match bonus and 10% cash back on any losses deposited into your account weekly. See the BetOnline blackjack review to play Live Dealer Blackjack.

So use any of our recommended USA online casinos for USA online blackjack for 2013. All have a great reputation for easy deposits and fast withdraws. We have played at every casino we recommend and never have a problem at any of them. They are all also audited by a third party to ensure player fairness and random card dealing.

Find the Best in Online Poker

Playing proper blackjack gives one of the best advantages to making money at the casino. Properly played blackjack has on of the smallest house edges available but the game  is built for the casino to win in the long run. While you can have long winning streaks and win a substantial amount of money playing blackjack, if you play long enough at the same betting limits you will eventually lose.

Poker on the other hand is a game a skill and over the long term you can make a profit playing poker. Many people from the around world are professional poker players and do so for a living. One of the best online poker sites to play at is Winner Poker. Unfortunately after the passing of the UIGEA USA residents can no longer play at Winner, but if you live outside the United States it is one of the most popular online poker rooms available.

Sign up as a new player at Winner and receive a 250% match bonus on your first deposit up to $2000. You will also be eligible for new player freerolls and earn cash back through their rake back program. Winner runs on the popular iPoker network which is one of the largest European networks on the Internet. You can always find the game you are looking for at Winner regardless of the stakes level. Even during off peak hours there are plenty of players at the tables.

Winner also has a great variety of sin ‘n go and multi-table tournaments. Find Hold’em, Omaha, Razz and Stud Poker tournaments. For more information on the Winner Poker room click here and you will all the relevant information on Winner as well as the best bonus code to claim the largest bonus available. If you want to play online poker Winner is highly recommended.

 

Play at USA Friendly Sites

If you live in the United States we have the best listing of USA friendly online blackjack sites. All the casinos we recommend accept USA players and deposits. Our top USA friendly blackjack site is Grand Parker. Grand Parker offers all new blackjack players up to a $5000 blackjack bonus.

Grand Parker offers a deposit bonus on your first 4 deposits. Receive a 125% match bonus up to $1250 on your first 4 deposits. We like this option as it give you the chance to try the casino with a smaller deposit and if you like the casino you still have 3 more deposits available for a great match bonus. If you also like slots you can claim a 250% match bonus on your first 2 deposits.

Grand Parker has a selection of USA online blackjack games. Play classic Blackjack with single hand games, multi player games, single deck or a 6 deck shoe. European blackjack is also available as well as some popular variations that include Super 21, Double Exposure Match Play 21 and Perfect Pairs. For more information and to get started see our Grand Parker Blackjack review and claim a great bonus. Grand Parker has excellent USA credit card deposit success rates. Deposit with your Visa or MasterCard and get it approved.

If you want to play Blackjack against Live Dealers, your only option if you live in the USA is BetOnline. BetOnline is a great online casino, sportsbook and poker room and is the only USA Live Dealer Blackjack casino. They have been in business since 2001 and have a great reputation. You can claim a 25% match unlimited bonus and also receive 10% cash back on any losses weekly. While no one likes to lose money at least at BetOnline you can look forward to receiving 10% back every Monday. See our BetOnline Blackjack review for more details and sign up.