Featured Casinos

Get Lucky at Lucky Red Casino

If you are looking for a slick, reliable and well-managed online casino at which to play blackjack, look no further than Lucky Red Casino. When it comes to USA online blackjack – that is an online blackjack site that welcomes players from the USA with open arms – Lucky Red really does deliver. Read on as we give you all the information you need to make an informed decision about playing blackjack at Lucky Red Casino, including details of their excellent $1,000 blackjack welcome bonus.

Lucky Red Casino started life in 2009 and, as part of the well-respected Club World Casino Group, is run by an experienced and professional group of industry experts who know how to keep customers happy and amused. Players at Lucky Red get a good number of blackjack options to choose from, with face up blackjack, perfect pairs, match play, pontoon and Super 21 all available.

It is the welcome bonus that is likely to be your most immediate concern, however, and we are pleased to say that you are in line for a very tasty bonus of up to $1,000 when you join Lucky Red Casino. While this is nowhere near as generous as the 400% bonus of up to $4,000 that is made available to slots players, it is clear that winning at blackjack is a whole lot easier than winning when playing the spinning reels (especially if you employ blackjack basic strategy).

As such, the 100% welcome bonus of up to $1,000 – for which you need to use the promo code LUCKYRED100 – compares pretty well with rivals of Lucky Red, whilst the 30 times wagering requirement is also very fair. Note, however, that blackjack counts only 10 cents in the dollar toward that rollover – still, free money is free money, right?

Also, you’ll be interested to hear that once you have taken advantage of the initial welcome bonus, there are plenty of other reload bonuses to get your teeth into at Lucky Red. In fact there’s a different bonus available every day. And while some of these are only available to use when playing slots, others are fine to use on blackjack. And, let’s face it, every once in a while you might just fancy trying your luck on one of the slots, many of which offer some truly life-changing jackpots.

General

Golden Cherry Blackjack Review

There are loads of sites where you can play online blackjack but we only feature a handful of the very best USA blackjack sites here at USABlackjackCasinos. Golden Cherry certainly fall into that category and here we take a look at what this US-friendly blackjack site has to offer.

Who are Golden Cherry?

Golden Cherry are a well-respected blackjack and casino site that allows USA customers to play online blackjack and other great games. They were set up in 2010 and licensed and regulated in Curacao. They offer a multi-lingual site for instant play or a download casino and are owned and operated by the Netad Management group, who have a wealth of industry experience and a solid reputation.

What Bonus do Golden Cherry Offer?

The biggest bonus at Golden Cherry, as with most online casinos, is reserved for slots fans, with a very generous $3,000 bonus available. If you want to give blackjack a miss to claim the biggest bonus use code CHERRYSLOTS for a 300% deposit match.

Of course, if you want to play blackjack at Golden Cherry there is also a suitable bonus and you’ll need to use promo code CHERRY1 on your first deposit and CHERRY2 on your second. This will give you 50% match up to $444 on each of your first two deposits for a total of $888 in free bonus cash.

As with all bonuses, wagering is required prior to withdrawal and for the blackjack bonus it’s 40 times the bonus and deposit. Note that there is a 10x maximum cashout and also that whilst blackjack qualifies for the wagering, it does so at a rate of 25c in the dollar.

In addition to these two welcome offers, Golden Cherry also have weekly and one-off promotions, so check out their offers page for the latest casino and blackjack bonuses.

What Blackjack can I play at Golden Cherry?

Golden Cherry have standard blackjack, as well as a multi-hand option for is you want to play a little quicker. Both are fast though, as well as being easy to understand and boasting impressive graphics and sound. Both options can be played for real money or just for fun, so if you just want to practice your game this is a very nice feature.

General

Doubling at Blackjack

More and more people are playing USA online blackjack and there are certainly a growing number of excellent sites that accept US players. However, if you’re going to play blackjack online, you might as well give yourself the best chance possible of making a profit and to do that, knowing when to double down is essential.

Doubling involves doubling your stake once your two-card total is known in exchange for only receiving one more card. It is one of the key elements of basic strategy and whilst playing entirely to basic strategy is highly recommended, at least knowing when to cash in on a good hand by being aware of when to double gives you a better chance of success to some degree.

First of all, it’s worth knowing that some casinos will only let a player double 10 or 11, whilst others will allow doubling on 9, 10 or 11, whilst the most generous blackjack rules will allow a double on any two cards. These days more and more online casinos allow a player to double on any two cards and this is great because this is the option which has the lowest house edge and therefore gives the player the best long-term prospects.

However, just because you CAN double, doesn’t mean you SHOULD! Based on fairly standard blackjack rules that you are likely to encounter playing USA online blackjack, there are a few simple rules you should bear in mind and these are:

  • Never double on less than nine
  • On 10 or 11 double if your total is higher than the dealer’s (or hit if you can’t double)
  • Double a nine only against a dealer’s 3, 4, 5 or 6 (as above, hit if you can’t double)

The above three basic principles cover all “hard” hands, including a pair of fives which is doubled assuming the dealer has 9 or less.

The slightly more confusing options are doubling on “soft” hands (those formed with an ace). Always stand on soft 19, double 17 or 18 to a dealer 3-6 inclusive, hitting on 17, standing on 18 if no double is allowed. For soft 15 or 16, double only to a dealer 4, 5 or 6, whilst on 14 or 13 only double to a dealer’s 5 or 6, with all these options hitting if you can’t double.

General

Best 5 Blackjack Books

Blackjack is a game loved by many and, poker aside, it is probably the card game about which there are the most books written. Literally hundreds of tomes cover everything blackjack-related, from tips to strategy, jokes to legendary anecdotes, and math to blackjack theory. Here we take a look at five of the best blackjack books out there…

Basic Blackjack by Stanford Wong

Wong is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame and popularizer of “Wonging” and this book is a must-read for anyone serious about the great game of blackjack. Whether you are playing at a USA online blackjack site or a bricks and mortar casino, this guide to basic strategy is perfect for those wanting to get to grips with blackjack.

Beat The Dealer by Edward O Thorp

This book is arguably the most significant in the history of the game and opened up card counting to the world. Still of use to any serious players today, the book is a must-read for its significance to the game and all advantage players. Published in 1962 it has stood the test of time and there are undoubtedly many people who are a whole lot richer thanks to Thorp’s seminal piece.

Bringing Down The House by Ben Mezrich

Although this is classed as a non-fiction work, much of the book is undoubtedly heavily embellished, especially when it was adapted into the movie 21 (starring Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne). That said, this tale of the legendary MIT blackjack team is for the most part true and is all the more remarkable for that. A romping great read and sure to inspire you to get out and play some blackjack, either online or otherwise, this is another blackjack must-read.

The Big Book of Blackjack by Arnold Snyder

As the name suggests, this is a big book and it covers a huge range of topics, making it suitable for many different readers. One of the best books about the history of blackjack.

The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book by Lance Humble and Carl Cooper

We love a bold title and whilst we might not exactly agree, this book is certainly right up there with the very best. Like Snyder’s read, this is a comprehensive look at blackjack and is highly readable.

Promotions

Unlimited Blackjack Bonus: Lifetime Reloads

There are loads of USA online blackjack sites and almost all of them offer some form of welcome bonus. However, there is one that goes a step beyond the others and offers you unlimited bonuses… for ever!

BetOnline is a great USA-friendly gambling site and whilst they offer a range of betting options, from poker to sports and skill games to slots, it is, naturally enough, their blackjack offering that concerns us here.

New customers to BetOnline – which is, incidentally available to play on mobile as well as desktop – can claim a wide variety of bonuses but the best of them all gives you unlimited 25% reloads on ALL deposits. That’s all deposits ever, not for a limited time like some rival US casinos do.

As said, they offer a range of bonuses, including some designed expressly for high rollers, others for slots fans and even a $25 free play to try out their live casino (which also includes blackjack). However, the pick of the bunch gives you a 25% boost on all deposits of $25 and upwards and that’s just perfect for regular blackjack players who want a little boost every time they play online blackjack.

The bonus, which can actually be used on other games too, is granted when you deposit with bonus code CASINO25.

10% Cashback

Another offer from BetOnline also effectively works out as a great ongoing bonus, with members of their Rebate program able to claim a 10% rebate on all casino losses automatically every single week. The maximum rebate bonus is $2,000 per week, meaning you’d need to lose $20,000 every week in order to be affected by that maximum which effectively – for all but the highest of high rollers – makes this a further unlimited bonus from BetOnline.

Of course, as it’s granted on losses only, hopefully you won’t need to call on it, but should you have a bad week at the casino office, it’s nice to know you’ll still get an extra little back from BetOnline, with the 10% rebate giving you a second chance at winning some cash.

All in all BetOnline are a brilliant choice for US-based casino fans and so if you don’t have an account with them, why not join today and take advantage of their range of bonuses?

General

Who is in the Blackjack Hall of Fame?

The Blackjack Hall of Fame was first mooted in 2002 and was created a year later when a group of 21 experts was whittled down to seven inaugural inductees at the 2003 Blackjack Ball.

The Hall of Fame honors the best players, theorists and blackjack mathematicians and is located in San Diego’s Barona Casino where it is part shrine, part tourist attraction.

The Magnificent Seven

The first seven names into the Hall of Fame in 2002 were as follows:

  • Al Francesco  a pioneer of team play
  • Peter Griffin  the author of The Theory of Blackjack and blackjack mathematician.
  • Tommy Hyland  a blackjack team manager.
  • Arnold Snyder  a professional player and Blackjack Forum editor
  • Edward O. Thorp  the author of seminal blackjack text, Beat The Dealer
  • Ken Uston  an early exponent of team play and professional blackjack legend
  • Stanford Wong  real name John Ferguson, Wong published Professional Blackjack in 1975 and popularized mid-shoe entry when the count was positive, known as Wonging!

After the first seven players, two more were added at the next Blackjack Ball, and these were Max Rubin, who had hosted the previous year’s event and Keith Taft, who was a techie who created computerized machines to help advantage players. Statistician Julian Braun was added next for his work in analyzing game data, along with Lawrence Revere, an author and teacher, but from 2006 nomination of candidates was taken over by existing H of F inductees.

From then on it was decided there would be just one player added each year, although in 2008 four true legends, said to be the creators of Basic Strategy, were inducted together.

  • 2006 – James Grosjean – author of Beyond Counting and pro player
  • 2007 – John Chang – managed the famous MIT team
  • 2008 – Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott – “creators” of blackjack Basic Strategy, on which all future advantage techniques have been based
  • 2009 – Richard W. Munchkin – game expert
  • 2010 – Darryl Purpose – advantage player
  • 2011 – Zeljko Ranogajec – Aussie pro player
  • 2012 – Ian Andersen – blackjack expert, author and theorist
  • 2013 – Robert Nersesian – lawyer who specialized in cases against casinos
  • 2014 – Don Schlesinger – blackjack researcher and author
General

Latest Blackjack News

We have a lot of articles on this site about blackjack tips, strategy, what game variants to play, which not to play and how to use blackjack bonuses; but sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the tables and see what’s going on in the world. The blackjack world, obviously. So here are some of the latest news stories from around the globe about our favorite casino game.

Man Ejected From Hollywood Casino For Touching Other Players

A 51-year-old man was ejected from an unnamed Hollywood casino last Saturday after “touching” other players at the table. He was reportedly being very loud and demonstrative and then his behavior worsened to the extent where he was asked to leave the casino. When he refused casino staff attempted to escort him from the premises but he began flailing his arms around before head-butting one of the gaming agents in the face.

Trent Koss was arrested on various charges including aggravated battery and disorderly conduct and was taken to the police station, where he claimed that someone had stolen money from him in the casino, before being taken to the county jail. Sounds to us like another reason to play online in the comfort of your own home!

Seminole Tribe Not Giving Up Blackjack Without A Fight

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has released a TV ad that claims banked card games (essentially referring to blackjack in the main) should remain legal within state casinos, exclusively in their operations, claiming it’s “a partnership that works for Florida.”

Lawmakers are attempting to introduce a major overhaul to gambling legislation that would threaten the tribe’s exclusive deal to offer such games. Despite the fact taxation from such games has reportedly added more than $1bn to state finances, it seems likely the tribe will fail in their bid, but they sure won’t go without a fight.

Australia Doesn’t Want Kids Playing Blackjack!

Australia’s South Australia state government is seeking to ban casino-themed toys, claiming they encourage children to gamble. Draft regulations will outlaw toy roulette wheels, poker and blackjack games and toy gaming chips, whilst advertising will also be severely restricted for related products aimed at adults. Consumers’ Minister Gail Gago said, “This government will not sit back and watch children become gambling addicts.”

Games

The Worst Blackjack Decisions Ever!

Blackjack is a hugely popular game and whether playing at an online casino, in your local bricks and mortar casino establishment, or at one of Vegas’ mega resorts, there is a right way to play and a wrong way. The right way is using basic strategy to optimize your returns and reduce the house edge to the bare minimum.

Throw in a few other little ideas, such as playing at a great casino that offers a nice welcome bonus, picking a blackjack variant with a low house edge and knowing when to stop (ideally when you’re winning) and it’s quite easy to win on a regular basis at this marvelous game.

However, far too many players make some simple, avoidable mistakes that ultimately mean they give more of their money than they should to the casino and here we take a look at some of the worst mistakes.

Splitting 10s

Oh dear! Never split 10s. No matter if the dealer is showing a six. Naturally, any deviation from basic strategy is bad for the house edge but this is one simple error that’s easy to cut out and easy to remember. Never split 10s! Unless you’re counting cards, but then if you’re a card counter you knew that already!

Insurance

Avoiding insurance, just like never splitting 10s, is one easy element of basic strategy to remember. It’s a bad bet, plain and simple.

Short Pay Blackjack

As well as how you play, what you play is important, and if you choose to play blackjack that pays a “natural” blackjack at odds of lower than 3/2 then you’re just throwing money away. On fairly standard rules, the difference between a 3/2 payout and a reduced 6/5 payout is that the house edge moves from, for example, 0.45% up to a relatively huge 1.8%!

Knowing When to Stop

When playing blackjack it’s advisable to have a maximum budget you are prepared to lose. When you reach this figure, which hopefully you won’t, just stop. Always avoid the temptation to chase your losses. Conversely, set yourself a target profit, for example 50% or 100% of your budget. Once you reach that result, walk away. If you keep playing and playing there is only one result: you walk away with nothing.

Featured Casinos

WinPalace Blackjack Bonus

WinPalace was established in 2009 and uses the excellent RTG software to power its fine blackjack offering. The site welcomes US customers and makes depositing really simple and so if you fancy a few hands of blackjack at a trusted, reliable, safe and secure site – and you want to get your hands on a huge casino bonus too – why not join WinPalace today and see why they are growing so quickly?

$4,000 Blackjack Bonus

The main welcome offer at WinPalace is one that can be used on most casino games and that makes it perfect for blackjack fans. The bonus is actually two bonuses, with a 200% match on your first deposit at WinPalace up to a maximum of $4,000 and the same again on your second deposit, another 200% up to $4,000. This means you can actually claim an amazing $8,000 of bonus blackjack at this site and have an incredible $12,000 of casino action for just $4,000 of risk.

If that sounds a bit big for your budget then fear not, because you can claim the 200% bonus on any amount from $21 upwards. Just use bonus code PALACEWELCOME when you join and you’ll get the 200% bonus on your first two deposits of between $21 and $2,000.

In order to withdraw your winnings you must wager a total of 30 times the deposit and bonus and whilst blackjack is allowed it counts at a lower rate than slots and certain other games. Also note that various other games, including but not limited to roulette, video poker and craps do not contribute at all to the bonus rollover and in fact playing these games may void all winnings.

WinPalace offer a $3,000 slots bonus for those that prefer the luck of the reels as opposed to the skill of the cards whilst they also offer a good range of regular bonuses for existing customers who have already used either of the two main welcome bonuses.

With a huge range of games and two massive bonuses to get stuck into you’re sure to have A LOT of fun at WinPalace so why not check them out today and claim your blackjack bonus? If luck is on your side just imagine how much you could win with such a huge bonus!

Featured Casinos

Latest Blackjack Bonuses at Grand Parker

Grand Parker is one of our favorite online casinos and is a great choice for blackjack fans based in the US. They will process your financial transactions quickly and without fuss, offer three different types of blackjack – standard, multi-hand and Royale Blackjack – and have a site that is easy on the eye and just as easy to use, as well as great games that look and sound as good as any you will find.

However, perhaps the main reason for making Grand Parker your number one choice for online blackjack is the brilliant blackjack bonus they offer new customers, not to mention the weekly bonuses that can also be claimed for our favorite casino game.

Blackjack Welcome Bonus

If you just want the biggest possible bonus going then Grand Parker offer a generous $8,000 slots bonus using offer code GRAND250 on your first two deposits and GRAND300 on your third. However, if you want a blackjack bonus then you should opt for code GPTABLES to gain a 125% bonus worth up to $1,250 on each of your first FOUR deposits, giving you $5,000 of free blackjack action in total!

As the bonus code suggests, you aren’t restricted to blackjack and can throw in a little video poker or Texas Hold ‘em Bonus Poker too if you fancy. You’ll get the 125% bonus on any deposit over $25 (on the first four deposits) so if depositing $1,000 is a bit steep for your bankroll you can still get in on the action.

In order to withdraw winnings from the bonus you must wager 30 times the deposit and bonus, with eligible table games (including blackjack) counting at 25c in the dollar.

Blackjack Reloads

Once you have taken advantage of that amazing $5,000 blackjack bonus you can then move onto Grand Parker’s changing weekly bonuses. They offer a different bonus on each day of the week, usually with one for slots and one for tables, although check out the promotions page for the current offers.

As of January 2015 they are offering a 125% bonus on Mondays and Thursdays, 150% at the weekends and Tuesdays and best of all, to beat the midweek blues, a 180% bonus on Wednesdays.

With no end of great blackjack bonuses for new and current Grand Parker customers, why not head over there now and get your bonus?