Tag Archives: online blackjack

General

Low Limit Blackjack

One of the biggest advantages of playing blackjack online, besides the fact that you can play it from the comfort of your home, is the low limits online casinos have to offer. When playing blackjack online you can find stakes as low as $1 making it affordable for almost everyone. Not all of us can comfortably afford $10+ minimum bets which can be found in land based casinos. It gets even more frustrating when you see an amazing single deck blackjack table with favorable rules, only to find out that the minimum stake is $50 or higher.

Online blackjack is a different world and you can find the most favorable USA friendly blackjack games with bets of just $1 and even lower. And we are not talking just about video blackjack, but live dealer tables as well.

How is it possible?

Some of you might ask: “How it can be?” Why can online casinos can have a 0.2% house edge game with such low bets and regular casinos not?

There are two main reasons for that. First, brick and mortar casinos are more expensive to manage. They have so many expenses to cover: dealers, waitresses, electricity, not to mention building the casino itself. You can see each table or slot machine as a piece of real estate. It’s “rented” to players and needs to bring the casino a certain amount per hour to make it profitable.

If the house edge is high – the casinos offer lower minimum stakes, but if they allow same bets on a favorable table, they just won’t make any money. That’s why all the high payout games have high minimum bets to compensate for that.

For online blackjack the situation is different. First, the expenses are lower. Second, there is no limit to how many players can enjoy the same game at the same time. There can be literally thousands of players on the same blackjack game from all around the country or even world. And the math is simple: better odds + lower stakes = more players.

Live dealer blackjack is a bit different, but even there, online casinos have the upper hand. With the recent addition of Bet Behind feature – the number of players that can play at a single live dealer table is almost endless. As a result, online casinos have started offering low limit bets on these games too.

The bottom line is that if you like playing blackjack, but not looking to bust the house, online low limit blackjack is the perfect place. You can still enjoy your favorite game, without risking much of your hard earned cash. Play USA online blackjack at any of our recommended casinos and play for as little as $1 per game.

Banking

USA Friendly Bitcoin Blackjack Sites

Use of Bitcoins is very popular in the USA. In 2014 the US government sold $20 million worth of Bitcoins to an anonymous bidder. These 30,000 Bitcoins were sold after they were previously seized by US Marshals Service. It was said that this transaction improved the reputation of Bitcoin as a currency, as the most powerful government in the world got engaged in Bitcoin trade.

There is another reason why Bitcoins are very popular in the US, especially among casino fans in the country. Namely, after 2006 when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act it was no longer possible for Americans to play online casino games for real money. That was definitely bad news for those Americans who enjoy playing Blackjack and other casino games online.

However, Americans can play online casino games using Bitcoins, as Bitcoin is not a conventional currency. That is why there is more than one USA friendly Bitcoin casino, in fact there are quite a lot of such casinos and often it may be difficult for the average Blackjack fan to determine which casino is the best. That is why we give you some of the best US friendly casino sites that accept Bitcoin payments.

BetOnline Casino

BetOnline is one of the most popular Bitcoin casinos. This operator has been present on the market ever since 1991. In addition to casino gaming, BetOnline also offers a sportsbook, a racebook and a poker website and it is also available on mobile devices. This casino offers a variety of different casino games, including slots, 3D slots, video poker and table games. Gold Diggers and Mr. Vegas are some of the most popular 3D slots.

Blackjack fans will be very satisfied with BetOnline’s offer as there are 6 different Blackjack games, including Super 7 Blackjack and Pirate 21. Players are entitled to a range of bonuses at this casino. Slot players receive a 100% Slots Match Bonus. Moreover, players can also receive a 25% reload on any deposit they make. You will find a lot of useful information on Bitcoins and Bitcoin use on this website.

BetChain Casino

Betchain is another very popular Bitcoin casino. This casino, at first, only accepted Bitcoin payments. However, due to the fact that its popularity was increased significantly now payments in USD and EUR are also accepted. New players at Betchain can receive a 200% Match Bonus in the amount up to 1 BTC. Players can also get a 100% Match Bonus on their third deposit, this one up to 2 BTC. There are other bonuses as well.

All Bitcoin transactions are processed instantly and there is no limit on Bitcoin withdrawals. In terms of game selection, Betchain is truly amazing as it features over 800 different games, including quite a few versions of Blackjack, such as Blackjack Surrender, Double Exposure Blackjack, Multi-Hand Blackjack and a lot more.

7Bit Casino

7Bit is one of the casinos with the largest number of games, as it features about 1,000 popular casino games, including slots, Roulette, Blackjack as well as other games. Multi-Hand and Double Exposure Blackjack are among the popular games offered here. When it comes to slots, we would point out Guns N’ Roses and Terminator 2.
The games offered at 7Bit Casino have been developed by some of the leading companies in the industry such as NetEnt and Microgaming. In terms of payment options, 7Bit Casino also accepts USD and EUR payments, as well as, of course, Bitcoins. The minimum deposit amount is 1 mBTC and there is no maximum limit on Bitcoin withdrawals.

Other Bitcoin Casinos

There are more than few online Bitcoin casino which accept US players that are worth noting. CloudBet Casino, Vegas Casino, BitCasino.io, mBit Casino, as well as FortuneJack Casino along with some others are also quite reliable.

General

What is Card Counting and How Does it Work?

Card counting is part of what makes blackjack unique, in that it is the only real way a player can claim an advantage over the casino without breaking the law and cheating. Here we take a look at what cared counting is, when it was “invented” and whether it remains relevant in the modern world of blackjack and specifically USA online blackjack.

What is card counting?

Card counting is a method a player uses to keep track of the rough formation of the deck by following what cards have already been dealt. In general, high cards in the deck help the player, whilst low cards in the deck are less advantageous. By knowing how many high value cards remain to be dealt the player can ascertain whether they are more or less likely to win any given hand and alter their bets accordingly. When the deck is favorable, they will stake big and when it is against them they will stake small or not at all.

When was it first formulated?

Dr. Edward O. Thorp is considered by many to have been the first person to espouse card counting in his classic 1962 book Beat The Dealer. That said, there are known to be several professional and semi-professional players using similar systems in the 1950s and perhaps the most famous four men in blackjack history, known as the Four Horsemen, published Playing Blackjack to Win in 1957.

That book was more focused on Basic Strategy but also touched on card counting and ultimately the wonder of card counting cannot be fairly attributed to any one single person, although it almost certainly began in the 1950s in America.

How does it work?

Blackjack is unique among casino games in that what has gone before has an impact on what will happen next. In slots or roulette – or indeed any other online of offline casino game – keeping track of previous spins is pointless. However, in blackjack this is not the case.

High cards are proven to help the player, making it easier to hit blackjack, making doubling more successful and, most crucially of all, making the dealer more likely to bust when they are forced to hit on 12 to 16.

There are countless variations of card counting but what they all have at their core is keeping track of the relative numbers of high cards and low cards that remain in the deck and using this count to alter how the player approaches the game.

Can you use card counting to play USA online blackjack?

Card counting remains legal but the casinos have, over the years, introduced a range of measures to offset it. When it comes to playing USA online blackjack, the benefits of card counting are minimal, with almost all real money online casinos effectively shuffling the pack after every hand, thus ensuring that all cards are in play on every hand.

Featured Casinos

Blackjack at BetOnline Casino

BetOnline Casino is one of the best options for USA online blackjack fans who are seeking a great casino with top bonuses, well-developed games and a first class live dealer blackjack option. Here we give you the information you need to make an informed choice about whether you want to visit and join BetOnline Casino… but we’re confident you will agree that they are well worth checking out!

Let’s start with the welcome bonus you are able to receive when you sign up to BetOnline Casino. Unlike most casinos who give you a hefty bonus on your first deposit and then leave you high and dry, BetOnline take a different approach, giving you a 25% bonus on EVERY deposit of you make with them of at least $25, with a maximum bonus per deposit of $1000.

To take advantage you need to have a zero balance when you make your deposit and you need to use Bonus Code CASINO25. Note there is also a 50x wagering requirement on the combined value of the deposit and bonus, but with the bonus being applied to every deposit, it is still an exceptionally good deal.

In addition to the ongoing 25% bonus on deposits, BetOnline Casino will also give you a 10% rebate on your losses if you lose $100 or more in a given week in the casino (you just need to email the support team to request it).

One of the big plusses for blackjack fans who visit BetOnline Casino is their very nicely developed live dealer casino. As well as blackjack they also offer roulette, casino hold ‘em and baccarat tables. Also, just to make things that bit sweeter, when you try the live casino and make your first bet of $25, if it loses BetOnline will refund the $25 as free play cash!

As well as all the bonuses and great blackjack options – live dealer or any of the six conventional options – BetOnline are also very good when it comes to credit card acceptance rates for players who live in the USA. With a support team who are efficient and friendly, with email, phone or live chat options available, you are always in safe hands when you play blackjack online with this respected and well-run casino. So why not get over there today and see for yourself?

Games

Our Blackjack Wishes for 2016

We love playing blackjack online and if you stick to the top US online blackjack sites we recommend then playing should be a fun, slick and safe experience. However, some sites are not so honest or professional, whilst even the best of the best could get, well, a little better! Here’s what we’re wishing for in 2016 when it comes to the world of online blackjack …

House Edge

The house edge in blackjack is the casino’s advantage over the player expressed in percentage terms. It isn’t a secret and we’d like online casinos to become a little more open about it. Some of the best blackjack sites offer a range of blackjack variants and we’d like to see the house edge clearly marked for each, allowing comparison between different sites and within the same site between different rule-sets.

In addition, we’d like to see casinos lower the house edge in general. Things like short paying blackjack (some unscrupulous sites pay at 6/5, not 3/2) are just unacceptable, whilst more favorable rules generally, at least on some tables, would be a nice little gift for 2016.

Blackjack Bonuses

When it comes to casino bonuses, blackjack players are treated a little like second class citizens. Slots fans get all the love, with 300% or even 400% bonuses whilst we have to settle for 100% or maybe 200% at best. We understand why that is but what really irks us is that as well as the lower bonus percentage, we then also see blackjack not counted at 100% in the rollover terms!

Not only does this make things very complicated, with blackjack sometimes counting as little as 5% of your stake, it’s also very unfair. In 2016 we’d like to see blackjack treated more fairly compared to slots, at least when it comes to the wagering percentages.

Better Mobile Options

Mobile casinos have been around for some time and in the last few years they’ve really improved a lot. However, when it comes to blackjack, most mobile casinos still offer very little, with just standard blackjack offered at most. In 2016 would it be too much to ask for a few different blackjack variants and maybe even some live dealer blackjack?

General

Playing Mobile Blackjack

Loads of great online casinos offer USA online blackjack, but more and more of the best casinos around now offer USA-based players the chance to play mobile blackjack too. Playing your favorite card game for real money, wherever and whenever you like may sound too good to be true, but it’s not – welcome to the world of mobile blackjack!

Blackjack may have been around for 100 years or more but in essence the game has changed very little since the advent of online casinos in the mid-1990s. However, one of the best and latest developments means you can play blackjack on your cell and if you haven’t tried it, prepare for non-stop excitement and the most convenient casino action imaginable.

No more trips to Vegas, hell, no more trips to get the laptop ready or sit at your desktop: your favorite game is now resting neatly in your pocket, ready to be loaded in seconds whenever boredom hits, you have a few moments to spare or you just fancy a bit of blackjack fun.

Playing blackjack on the go couldn’t be easier: there is no need to download an app (at most of our featured online blackjack sites) and blackjack is available at just about every mobile casino there is. Apple and Android users will find they have access to just about all sites, although most modern smartphones should be able to access the mobile versions of sites easily enough.

As long as you have reasonable 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi connectivity, all the blackjack you could wish to play is in the palm of your hand. The gameplay on mobile is identical to standard online blackjack, with all the normal options and decisions open to you. The only difference between playing on your cell and on your laptop is that certain account functions (e.g. seeing all your gameplay) may not be available, but in terms of blackjack itself the experience is just as good.

Obviously the number one benefit of mobile blackjack is the total convenience so say goodbye to boredom and hello to mobile blackjack. Whether you’re waiting for a friend, collecting the kids from school or just have spare moment or two, those aces are right there in your pocket!

General

The History of Blackjack: Three Theories

Like many games found in casinos, the origins of blackjack have not been proven beyond doubt and there are plenty of contrasting theories which researchers have asserted as to how this fine game came about. While USA online blackjack is not that far removed from the game that arrived in the USA with migrants and merchants from Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, here we look at three theories about how it all began.

1. What have the Romans ever done for us?

There is a school of thought – chiefly championed by Italian researchers – that the origins of blackjack reach far further back than many believe, right back to the Roman times no less.

The theory goes that Roman soldiers who were hanging around their camps waiting for the next battle or conquest to be ordered would while away the hours inventing and playing various games on which they could gamble (they loved to gamble, apparently!) One such game involved the use of wooden blocks, each of which had a numerical value carved onto it. The players used the numbered blocks to try to get to a target total, the nearest to the total being the winner.

2. If in doubt, look East

Another theory about the origins of blackjack is that it was invented in the Far East (most probably China) some time around 900AD and that it developed from games that came about when Chinese merchants would shuffle paper money (something they certainly invented).

There are only sketchy accounts of such games and how they relate to blackjack, but there is certainly circumstantial evidence that merchants who ventured from Europe to the Far East were exposed to such games which might have inspired them to adapt the rules into something that more resembled blackjack.

3. 21 by any other name

The French game of vingt-et-un (which means “21”) is widely considered to be the true forerunner to the game of blackjack we know and love today. Originating sometime around the early 17th century, and probably as a variation of other games that existed at the time, vingt-et-un was a card game whose object was to reach a total of 21 without going over that total and in which aces counted as one or 11 in value. Sounds familiar, right?

Conclusion

All in all it is impossible to say how blackjack really came about and it almost certainly developed over the centuries as various games were morphed and adapted by those who played them. One thing’s for sure though, now we’ve got blackjack, it isn’t going away!

Featured Casinos

Silver Oak Casino: Best Blackjack Casino Around?

If you like to play blackjack online and you don’t have an account with Silver Oak then you’re in luck, because we reckon they might just about be the very best USA online blackjack site around.

Silver Oak were founded in 2009 and are licensed in Costa Rica. Their games are powered by RTG and you can play games, including of course blackjack, in either their instant play casino, or a download version. They also offer mobile games and are owned by BTK Ltd Casinos and, crucially of course, they welcome US players and handle US deposits smoothly.

They have seven different versions of “blackjack” (games where making 21 is the aim) including the basic blackjack and European blackjack, as well as Perfect Pairs, Pontoon, Super 21 and Face Up 21. With many rivals only offering two or three blackjack variants, this is a major plus for fans of the best casino game around, especially if you like a bit of variation in your play.

However, perhaps the main reason that Silver Oak is such a great place for blackjack fans is that it counts 50% (effectively) towards the wagering for their bonus.

Huge $10,000 Casino Bonus at Silver Oak

New customers to Silver Oak can claim a $1,000 bonus on each of their first 10 deposits at the casino! The bonus is a 100% match of each deposit when you use promo code SILVEROAK1 (on your first deposit) then SILVEROAK2 on your second deposit and so on, right up to SILVEROAK10 when you claim your final $1,000 of free casino action.

The wagering requirement is 30 times the deposit plus bonus combined, and 60 times on blackjack and video poker. That might sound like a lot but when you consider that many rival online casinos and US blackjack sites have the same 30 times rollover, but with blackjack counting for just 25%, 10%, 5% or even, at some slots-centered casinos, 1% or not at all, 60 times wagering is actually very generous.

To make that clear, a 30x rollover where blackjack contributes 25% towards the bonus is actually the same as a having to bet the bonus and deposit 120 times, so it’s easy to see why Silver Oak is so popular with blackjack buffs. Now what are you waiting for?

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

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.