Tag Archives: Blackjack

General

Latest Blackjack and Casino News

Playing at great USA online blackjack sites is how we spend most of our time but every now and again we take a break to keep up with blackjack news from around the world and in particular here in the US. Read on for some of the latest and most interesting blackjack news stories around.

Lady Gaga Hits The Tables

Lady Gaga doesn’t seem to be doing too much musically of late but she’s certainly enjoying some good casino time. She was playing at Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino and then decided to see what the casino was really all about by playing craps with Tony Bennett until three in the morning!

Personally, we’d have steered her to the blackjack tables but she obviously likes the glamour and attention that comes with shooting craps. Somehow we don’t see her playing online craps or blackjack in her kitchen on a Saturday night!

High Rollers Do As They Please

This may not count as news to many people but high rollers and the rich in general are allowed to do more or less what they please, at least according to one casino pit boss. A boss at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, has told of players urinating on walls, falling into screaming frenzies, throwing chairs, expecting to be allowed to cheat and even perpetrating sexual harassment.

Competition at real-world casinos and online blackjack sites for the big fish who spend top dollar is so intense that it is claimed that such outrageous behavior is accepted. The claims come as part of a hearing at a tribal gaming commission as pit boss Maria DeGiacomo is accused of allowing high rollers to cheat by placing late bets, action she was sacked for.

Glen Costales, testifying in support of his colleague said, “All men are created equal, except in the casino,” and said that such behavior around high rollers – allowing them to place late bets – was common and accepted.

DeGiacomo is trying to clear her name but in the process the industry of offline casinos and gaming is certainly being done no favors.

Seminole D-Day Draws Close

The ongoing issue of the Seminoles’ exclusive rights to blackjack and other card games shows no signs of an easy resolution, despite the exclusivity deal being set to expire on July 31st. Mediation is being sought as the Seminoles look to extend their lucrative deal but the ongoing battle in the state of Florida seems to be heading toward an unhappy conclusion for the tribe, who will have to close their blackjack tables.

If you want to play blackjack then playing online is, oddly enough, our favorite solution so why not check out the various casino and blackjack bonuses available right now?

General

Blackjack Basic Strategy

Blackjack is one of the very best casino games around and if you want to play USA online blackjack we have a range of great casinos and blackjack sites that offer great games and even better bonuses. However, when playing blackjack, online or in a real casino, the best way to give yourself the best odds of winning is by using basic strategy and here we explain what exactly that is.

The house edge is the name given to the advantage the casino holds over the player in any given casino game. In online blackjack the precise house edge varies according to the exact rules you are playing, with, for example, using more decks increasing the casino’s profitability.

Generally speaking though the house edge for most USA online blackjack variants ranges from around 0.5% to 1.5%, although it can be a little lower… or a LOT higher. However, the key thing to note is that the quoted or calculated house edge is the lowest possible on that blackjack variant.

Your individual choices impact the house edge and, therefore, your chances of either making a profit or of walking away without a dollar to your name. In other games, for example online roulette, the house edge is fixed and your own actions don’t affect the house edge. In blackjack, in order to achieve the lowest possible house edge and thus give yourself the highest chance of winning, you need to use optimum play and in blackjack that means using basic strategy.

Basic strategy is said to have been developed by four soldiers in the 1950s who whiled away the hours on base working through the math of the game. They created the optimal way of play that gave you the correct call to make in any given situation at the blackjack table. Basic strategy depends on the cards you have and the card you can see of the dealer, but not the cards that have gone before or that other players are showing (as that would move us into the realms of card counting).

This is scientifically and mathematically the best way to play and tells you whether to double, split, hit or stay in any situation. If you want to play blackjack and you like money, ALWAYS use basic strategy – it really is that simple.

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.

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.