Archive for March, 2010

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Economy Hits Blackjack

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

No surprise, the economy has hit blackjack.

It seems that seems that blackjack revenue has fallen 20% since last year. And it had already fallen 12% in 2008.

Normally blackjack brings in around $1 billion in Nevada. But last year it fell to the income level it had in the late 1990’s: around $996 million.

So why is that?

This should be a very popular casino game. After all it is one of two games of skill offered in casinos, meaning that, through strategy use, players can impact their odds. A blackjack player that uses basic strategy can lower the house edge to 0.5%

So if players can impact this casino game so much, why is blackjack revenue on a downward swing?

It’s simple. The casinos got greedy. Knowing that blackjack is one of their most popular games and that players can impact the odds (read: win more from the casino) they started changing the rules.

They began implementing 6:5 payout games. They tried to lure in blackjack players by making these single deck games. But the smaller payout increases the house edge. Blackjack players are not stupid. Once they figured out what the casinos were up to, they quit playing those games.

Another attempt on the casinos’ parts to squeeze more money out of players was to offer more blackjack variations with side bets. And side bets we all know cause the casino to take your money faster. Again, blackjack players have figured this one out, and have begun avoiding those tables.

There is also the increase in playing blackjack online. Those who play online don’t have to worry about travel and accommodation expenses. They can sit in the PJs at home and play.

Payouts in online blackjack tend to be higher since online casinos don’t have the overhead to worry about paying. Online casinos don’t require as great of a profit to keep themselves running. With smaller expenses they can payout more and more often. Blackjack players have figured this out too. And many are now playing blackjack online it has hit land-based casinos even harder.

But blackjack players aren’t stupid. We want to win. And when we know that The Man is trying to pull more of our money out of our pockets (money that’s already more dear to us), we will take our money and patronage elsewhere.

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Luck in Blackjack—Why You Should Be Using Strategy

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

This is what I love about blackjack. It’s not a game of chance; it’s a game of skill.

And this is what makes this the casino game of choice…okay, poker is there other game of skill, but that’s not what we play here.

While other players of other casino games are left with having to rely on luck alone in whether they win or lose, blackjack players can affect their odds against the house.

A blackjack player can use strategy in how they play. They can choose how to play a hand. This is unique to this game. In slots a player is limited to where the reels stop; he has no control over when the reels stop or how to stop them. Roulette player is limited to where the ball stops; she can’t affect the ball or the wheel at all.

Blackjack players, while we can’t control what cards we are dealt, we can choose how we play them. We can hit, stand, double down, split. The point is that we are only left with the hand total we are dealt IF we choose to be left with it.

This is why it’s so important for a blackjack player to take advantage of this game by using a strategy. Even if they only use basic strategy it’s better than not using any strategy at all.

But taking advantage of this aspect of blackjack is the smartest thing for a player to do.

Blackjack carries a house edge of 2-5%. Playing perfect basic strategy, which is very easy to do, can lower that house edge to only 0.5%, giving blackjack the lowest house edge. But for players who use card counting in addition to basic strategy, they can meet the house on even ground or even overcome the house edge entirely.

This is what makes blackjack a game of skill.

Using strategy in blackjack is what makes this one of the most advantageous casino games to be played. And for those who recognize this they remove themselves from the whim of Lady Luck.

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Any Good Blackjack Strategy

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Blackjack is the only casino game that offers players the chance to get as close to being even with the house edge as possible. The key is having a playing strategy.

A playing strategy is what tells a blackjack player how to play. It’s a method of play. Having a method of play dictates how a player handles the situations in which they find themselves.

The most commonly used playing strategy in blackjack is basic strategy. It’s the most commonly used for two reasons: 1. It’s easy to use, and 2. It has the potential to impact the house edge the most of all other playing strategies.

Easy to Use

What makes basic strategy so easy to use? It’s easy to play with because all the work has already been done for you. It’s all in the chart and all a blackjack player has to do is look to see what play he needs to make based on his hand and what the dealer’s up card is. That’s it.

The plays on the basic strategy chart are the best possible plays for a player to make in each situation. These plays have been tested and tested to make sure that they’re the best statistical play possible. So all that’s left for a blackjack player to do is do what the chart says to do.

Impact on the House Edge

So how does basic strategy impact the house edge in blackjack? It does so because it’s made up of the best statistical plays a play can make in any situation. While the blackjack player may not win every single hand, the point is that he is making the best play. And making the best plays is what chisels away at the house edge.

For the blackjack player who plays every single hand according to basic strategy, he can lower the house edge to only 0.5%. It’s as close to even as a blackjack player can get without putting forth an extraneous amount of effort. And it’s easy for a recreational player to use since the charts are legal in casinos.

The first step to becoming successful in blackjack is to use a playing strategy. And there’s none better—or easier—than basic strategy.

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States Need Revenue

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Since the recession, states around the U.S. are having trouble with their budgets. Trouble as in there isn’t enough money. And we’re not talking falling short a little bit, but a lot. As in millions—or billions in some places—short.

With states being at such a loss in terms of money they’re forced to cut programs and jobs, including programs and teachers in our children’s schools. And since cutting jobs hurts the economy even more and cutting education programs hurts our children, states are beginning to look at other ways of bringing in money.

Legalizing or expanding gambling offerings, such as blackjack tables, is being looked at or acted upon in at least eighteen states this year. And it’s only March.

While I’m not going to complain about a wider selection of casino games and it being easier to play blackjack, just how desperate are states for more income?

Check out what Rep. Kraig Paulson, the Republican leader in the Iowa House said: “Absolutely, we’re addicted to gambling dollars.” And this man is an opponent to expanding gambling in his state. But he also understands that his state needs revenue as well.

So what all are states up to?

-Iowa has begun a new state lottery.
-Pennsylvania has legalized table games, like blackjack.
-New York is adding 4,500 video lottery machines.
-The Governor of Connecticut wants his state to offer Keno in restaurants.
-More lottery machines have been installed in Florida. Florida is also trying to reach a deal with the Seminole tribe in regards to blackjack tables at their casinos.
-Kansas has increased its promotion of Dodge City.
-Missouri is switching and upgrading its slots game offerings to include fancier, more entertaining slots.
-And Maryland is adding 10,000 slot machines.

For citizens that are opposed to opening up gambling offerings, take a moment to consider another option: raising taxes. Suddenly, while you still aren’t in favor of things like blackjack tables, expanding a state’s gambling offerings don’t seem so bad. Because nobody wants to pay more in taxes.

Turning to gambling isn’t a sign that states are loosening up their morals. Legalizing and expanding their gambling offerings is a sign that states are looking for ways to increase their revenue while not hitting their citizens any harder. Yes, gambling will take more of their money, but it will be money willingly offered by citizens, whereas no one likes to pay taxes.

So when you’re not happy to hear about more blackjack tables or some other form of gambling coming to your state, think of the alternative—you could be paying more in taxes.

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Insurance Used More and More in Blackjack

Monday, March 15th, 2010

It seems that insurance is being used more and more often in blackjack. No matter how often a blackjack player hears that insurance is bad, they will use it anyway. But the kicker is that they don’t seem to really want to take insurance! Just look at their faces—they’re regretting taking insurance as they are putting the chips down.

And I actually have a theory on why this is happening.

I’m going to blame the casinos leaning on the bad economy. No, wait, let me explain.

Those who enjoy casino games—yes, there are people who play blackjack because they like the game, not for a need to gamble—are finding that they have less money to play with of late.

The economy has hit most of us harder than we would like. We don’t have as much extra money to play with. So even though we love the game and have made peace putting some money on the line for fun, we tend to be more cautious about how we play and how much we wager.

Casinos are starting to bank on this extra caution through insurance.

Insurance implies the creation of a safety net for your wager. And this is exactly what casinos want you to think. They want you to think that by spending more money you are saving your money.

Yes, you read that right—the casinos are hoping that with players being more cautious that they can bank on that caution by urging insurance.

But when you take insurance you are in fact putting more money on the line.

But you’re spending more when you take insurance. On a $50 wager insurance is $25. If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack but still wins the round, you’ve lost $75 instead of only $50. That’s how they get you.

Remember, insurance is a side bet on whether the dealer has a 10 in the hole or not. Keeping that in mind it will help you to avoid taking insurance.

Casinos want blackjack to be afraid that they’ll lose their money when the dealer is showing an Ace. With money being dearer of late, casinos like to see blackjack players taking insurance, encouraging players with the idea that their money is at risk and money is harder to come by, so make sure that you’re protecting your wager against that Ace. That’s exactly what they want you to think.

But all gambling—blackjack included—is a risk. As a blackjack player you know you have money on the line and you’re doing so willingly. It doesn’t make sense to be afraid of what the dealer has and take insurance all in the name of saving money. Be fearless and go head to head with that Ace without insurance!

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Don’t Make Blackjack Harder!

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Blackjack is not a hard game to play. Poker. Now that is a hard card game. But blackjack isn’t hard to play.

You’re dealt two cards. You add up the numbers on them. You look at the one card the dealer is showing. And then you decide if you want another card to increase your total, or if you just want to go up against him with the two cards you have. Either way, it’s your money.

Now you can use strategy in blackjack. In fact, I recommend it. But I recommend using something that’s tried and true, like basic strategy.

The thing that makes basic strategy the best blackjack tool is that it is tried and true. Basic strategy is a statistical compilation of the best play based on your hand total and the dealer’s up card. Each combination has been tried—more than once—to make sure that it is the best play for you to make.

Basic strategy isn’t some money making scheme that someone thought up in the basement that they’ve never actually tried.

See these money schemers are very bad for blackjack. They’re taking what is an easy game to play with an easy strategy chart to follow—one that anyone can use regardless of intelligence—and trying to ruin it so that they can make a quick buck.

Basic strategy is the best strategy tool for blackjack. And this isn’t just because it gives you the best statistical play available to you. And it isn’t just because it can lower the house edge to 0.5% either—although that is a very, very good reason to use it.

The thing that makes basic strategy so good for blackjack is that it is easy to use—to the point that anyone can play with it—and that it can be used in a casino without fear of being kicked out.

What other casino game is there in which you have such a strategy tool available?

There is none.

No other casino game has such a tool that can impact the odds to this extent so easily and still be perfectly legal to use in a casino.

This is why it’s so frustrating to see so-called strategists trying to peddle self-made blackjack strategies that they haven’t tried in a casino. They’re taking an easy game and its easy-to-use yet EFFECTIVE strategy and trying to make money by making the game and its strategy harder.

It’s almost like they’re too lazy to play the game but they want the money.

As a blackjack player, the best thing that you can do for yourself, your blackjack strategy and for your money is to just stick with basic strategy when you play blackjack. It’ll give you better results in an easier to use method—and it’s free!

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New Blackjack Strategy Doesn’t Add Up

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Well, blackjack players, it seems that someone has come up with a new blackjack strategy. Something that its creator says is better than anything out there, including basic strategy.

Dr. Kevin Whitburn says that his new strategy for blackjack will actually give the edge to the player. To the tune of 1-6% in their favor. Sound too good to be true? Oh, yeah it does.

But the problem with this strategy is that he explains it in contradictions.

For example, Whitburn says that his blackjack strategy, cleverly called MOST, is based on math. But you don’t have to know math in order to use it. I’m not sure how you can use a math-based system but can avoid doing said math to make a strategy work.

Whitburn also claims that “What worked decades ago doesn’t work anymore.” The last time I checked blackjack hasn’t changed. I mean, hitting to more than 21 is still busting. And the value of a card is the same no matter who’s holding it.

This new strategy isn’t based on card counting or charts either. It apparently will tell you when to leave a blackjack table based on your chips.

What do chips tell you about how to play your blackjack hands out? Chips are just representations of your money. They do not tell you anything about the cards or how the dealer is playing. I mean think about it—chips are only holding the place of your money. They do not actually have a function in blackjack. This is why you can play blackjack without chips like when you play for fun. So how can something that’s not vital to the actual playing of blackjack be the key to a sounds-too-good-to-be-true strategy?

Whitburn also does not reveal what the letters in MOST stands for.

But he does admit that it’s pretty hard to prove a strategy in a gambling game. He even asks how it’s possible to recognize the signal that means you’re winning in a casino. And that is his response on how successful his blackjack strategy is in a casino.

But he does say that all such answers can be revealed if you read his ebook…which you, of course, have to pay for. But really would you trust someone who says this about his math-based strategy: “You don’t need to ‘get’ any of the math.’

I wouldn’t. To me, this seems like a guy looking to make a quick buck by creating what is actually a two-bit system for a game that he claims has changed since it was created. But blackjack hasn’t changed. It’s still blackjack. And I still say basic strategy all the way—that we know works and we don’t have to pay to use it.

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Basics for Blackjack Success

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Success in playing blackjack comes from having some strategy at your disposal. Thankfully, there is a piece of strategy that novice players can use that will cover the entire game and doesn’t take much to employ it.

I’m talking about basic strategy. Yes, I know, I mention it a lot but that’s because it can have a big impact on your blackjack game. So it’s worth taking note of.

Basic strategy will generally come in the form of a chart. This chart contains the best statistical play for any and all hands that you could be dealt against any possible dealer’s up card. Every combination is present. This makes is easy for players to see what play to make.

The thing that makes basic strategy one of the strongest strategy tools in a blackjack arsenal is that, when played perfectly, it can lower the house edge to 0.5%.

And playing it perfectly isn’t hard. All a player has to do is play every hand according to what the basic strategy chart says. That’s it. If you play every hand according to how the chart says to, then you will be playing perfect basic strategy.

Basic strategy gives novice blackjack players a way to play that gives them better odds then making random play choices. Random play choices are what can give strength to the house edge. And no player wants that.

The other benefit to basic strategy is that it’s legal to use in casinos—both online and off—whereas card counting isn’t legal. You can walk into a land-based casino with a basic strategy chart in hand and be just fine. If you’re playing online, you can have one pulled up in another window to reference.

With it being legal to play with and with how it can lower the house edge to 0.5%, this is not a blackjack strategy tool to be passed up or ignored.

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Why Surrender in Blackjack

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. At least that’s what they say. And there is a play available to blackjack players that covers this.

In blackjack, as long as the house rules allow it at the table you’re playing at, players can surrender their hand if they feel it would be advantageous to do so.

Quickly put, surrendering in blackjack is when a play gives up playing out his hand at the cost of half of his bet. It’s similar to folding in poker except that only half of your bet is gone rather than all of it like in poker.

There are just some hands in blackjack that are tough to play and the chances of you beating the dealer are just too steep. In those cases the player must go on the defensive. And if surrender is allowed, it is the best truly defensive play available to a blackjack player.

So when are the times when it’s in a blackjack player’s best interest to surrender?

No surprise that the most advantageous times to surrender are with some of the trickiest stiff hands:

- Hard 15 vs. dealer’s 10
- Hard 16 vs. dealer’s 9
- Hard 16 vs. dealer’s 10
- Hard 16 vs. dealer’s Ace

When you have been dealt those hands and are faced with those dealer up cards the odds on the player beating the dealer are very steep. The dealer’s up card is in a good place to hit up to a strong hand.

If the deck is rich in high cards they might only hit for one card and have strong hand. But since low cards favor the dealer, if the remaining deck is rich in low cards, then the dealer still has a good chance at building a strong hand.

And with those hands against those up cards, basic strategy advises standing as the best course of action. Unless surrender is an option. If surrender is an option, then basic strategy advises to go that route and save half of your bet rather than lose all of it.

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Strategy Tips for Online Blackjack

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

While the rules for online blackjack are the same as those for blackjack played in a land based casino, strategy for online blackjack needs to be approached a little differently.

Basic strategy is going to be the single most effective strategy tools for online blackjack. Unfortunately card counting isn’t possible online. This is because cards aren’t discarded after being played. They’re added right back into the deck. Think of it as being like playing at a blackjack table with a continuous shuffling machine. Without cards being discarded it’s impossible to get an idea of whether the remaining deck is rich in high or low cards.

So with card counting not a practical option, the focus falls on basic strategy. In some ways it’s easier to play with basic strategy online than in a land-based casino. You can have the chart pulled up in another window side by side with the window containing your blackjack game. It becomes easy to check the chart for what play to make.

The one thing to be mindful of though is that blackjack online is just you and the dealer. We’re talking one on one play here.

One on one play usually means a slightly higher house edge because you can play through more hands per hour. Keeping this in mind, don’t rush yourself when you’re playing. Keep you play slow and relaxed. This way you are slowing down your rate of play and taking away that slight increase in the house edge. Don’t give them anymore of an edge than they already have!

Because there are no other players present to help slow game play down you need to be mindful of how fast you’re playing. Because of this possibility for a slightly increased house edge it’s even more important for your blackjack strategy to stick to the plays given to you through basic strategy. Basic strategy is your main tool against the house. So slow your rate of play per hour and abide by basic strategy.

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