Archive for April, 2010

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Payout Percentage and Online Blackjack

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

I feel kind of bad after my post this morning. I kind of made online blackjack sound like it wasn’t as good as regular blackjack. The truth is that while I do enjoy a trip to a casino and the whole casino experience, I prefer to play blackjack online. And I’ve got some pretty good reasons as to why.

For starters online casinos and online blackjack have better payout percentages overall than regular casinos. The reason for this is that online casinos don’t have all the overhead to worry about paying that casinos do. Casinos have utility bills, employee wages, machine maintenance and more. While online casinos do have employees to pay and some expenses that are not as great in quantity or magnitude as casinos’ expenses.

What this means for the online blackjack player is that they payout percentage usually tends to be lower.

Payout percentage is the total amount of money paid out to players divided by the total amount of wagers made. The result is then multiplied by one hundred, and there you go, the payout percentage.

It is calculated the same way for an online blackjack game, only the wagers and payouts in consideration are those that apply to that one game.

Because of the smaller overheard, online casinos can afford to payout more to their players. This means that you have a greater chance of making more in winnings in an online casino. Think of it as the savings being passed on to you.

The reason for that online casinos pass the money onto their players rather than keep it is for two reasons.

First online gambling has increased dramatically over the last few years. It’s a more convenient way to play. Online casinos aren’t tight for money so that have room to work with players.

Second, the online casino industry is highly competitive. To keep players of popular games such as online blackjack, these online casinos need to be competitive. They offer greater payout percentages than casinos to keep themselves up with the competition and to keep players coming back.

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Insurance and Online Blackjack

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

In the majority of cases I would say to avoid taking insurance in blackjack as if that insurance were the plague. Only because it is a kind of sneaky way for the casinos to try to squeeze a little more money out of you.

Lucky for us when casinos offer this play that isn’t to our advantage there is a loop hole and times when it works better for us than for them.

There are times when taking insurance in blackjack can be advantageous but you have to only work with it then. And it involves card counting in order to pull it off and make insurance profitable. In short, the cards need to be rich in high cards and you need to be holding a natural blackjack or a 20.

Unfortunately for online blackjack players card counting is a wasted effort and that makes it almost impossible to take advantage of insurance. Also the way that online blackjack games function serves as a road block—check it out:

One of the times that you could make insurance work for you in regular casino blackjack is when you have a natural blackjack and the dealer is showing an Ace. But if you are dealt a natural blackjack in online blackjack you aren’t presented with an opportunity to take insurance—the game will automatically declare you the winner and give you your payout.

So if you want to take advantage of insurance in online blackjack you do have the opportunity when you are dealt a 20 and the dealer is showing an Ace.

Because a 20, hard or soft, are the two strongest two-card hands in blackjack after a natural, the chances of you being beat by the dealer are slimmer. But because insurance and beating the dealer both pay 2-1 you will probably come out of the round with some money.

If the dealer does turn out to have a 10 for a hole card and wins you can still collect on the insurance bet. But if the dealer doesn’t have a 10 for a hole card, then you will lose the insurance bet but you still have a strong chance of beating the dealer’s hand.

The only way for you to lose this way is if the dealer doesn’t have a 10 hole card and hits to 21. But while this makes it possible for a strong hand not to be wasted, insurance should never be taken on a whim so keep that in mind. Never take it just because or out of fear. In almost every case you will lose more over time with insurance.

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Other Ways to Win in Blackjack

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

When playing blackjack, players tend to get very focused on being deal that 21. But it isn’t the only way to win in blackjack as we all know. Remember that the objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer without going over 21. This doesn’t mean that a natural 21 is the only way to beat the dealer—it’s just the most popular.

In blackjack, 70% of your offensive hands will be won with either a natural blackjack or its closest runner a 10/10. But what about the other 30% of offensive hands? They are made up of five hands: a 10/9, an Ace/9, an Ace/8, a hard 11 and a hard 10.

But in order to make the most of these winning hands they must be played the right way. And, yes, in blackjack these hands do have a right way of being played. So we’re going to take a look at them and what to do with them.

Ace/10
This is the much coveted natural blackjack. These two cards are the only ones that can make a natural blackjack, although the 10 could also be a face card. If you’re dealt these cards, congratulate yourself and collect your money.

10/10
This hand is often misplayed because the first thing that blackjack players see is that it’s a pair. But not every pair is made to be split. And this is one of them. It’s folly to split a 10/10 because you don’t have good chances of building two hands that are just as strong. So leave them unsplit.

10/9
This would be known as a hard 19, and after a hard 20 it is the next strongest hand to have. You can only be beat if the dealer has or hits to 20 or 21, or if he has a natural 21.

Ace/9
This is another hand that blackjack players will sometimes stumble on. And it’s because of the Ace. They see that this is a soft hand and assume that hitting is the right play to make. But this is actually a soft 20, and if you stand on it, it’s just as strong as a hard 20 in playing terms.

Ace/8
This hand is treated in a way that is similar to the Ace/9. Blackjack players will hit on it when they should be standing. It’s only a hard 19, but played as a 19 it is worth more than if it’s hit on.

Hard 11
With this hand the best play to make is to double down. This is a strong hand to start on and even though you are only receiving one more card, it still has a good chance of being high enough to beat the dealer and collect double the winning amount. The best time to double down on a hard 11 is when faced with a dealer’s 10 or anything less.

Hard 10
Like the hard 11, this hand is best played and most profitable when a blackjack player double downs on it. But the best times to double down on it is when faced with a dealer’s 9 or less.

Keep these hands and how they are played in your mind when you are at the computer playing blackjack online or are playing blackjack at the casino. It doesn’t matter which place you’re playing at because these hands’ worths and plays are the same for both casino blackjack and online blackjack.

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Florida House Signs Off on Seminole Compact

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

It looks like this compact with the Seminoles is going to happen. With a 74-39 vote, the compact passed through the House on Monday. The Florida Senate has already approved the compact with a 29-9 vote. Now all that’s left is for Governor Charlie Crist to sign off and then it’s off to the federal Department of Interior, who oversees all state-tribal gambling compacts in the U.S.

And the good news is that Crist has already said that he will sign the compact despite the fact that the Seminole’s payments will no longer go to education—something that Crist was strongly in favor of. To make the Legislature happy the money is now going into the state’s general revenue fund. This is disappointing because the education of Florida’s children should have come first.

In the next fiscal year this compact will put $435 million into the state’s budget, which is much in need of the money.

The compact will allow the Seminoles to have blackjack in their casinos. Originally the tribe wanted blackjack in all seven of their casinos, but they compromised with the deal that blackjack would be allowed at five of their casinos. The Seminoles will also have the full market on Vegas-style slot machines, except in Broward and Miami-Dade counties because voters in those counties had already approved those games.

But not everyone is happy to see the Seminoles get their blackjack.

The pari-mutuels are one such group. They feel that with the Seminoles having the only blackjack tables and the almost monopoly on the Vegas-style slots will leave the tracks unable to compete. However, the compact allows pari-mutuels to extended hours and offer higher poker limits.

Other opponents include the religious conservatives who worry about the morals of the citizens of Florida. Rep. Charles Van Zant is quoted saying that the compact “is evil and brings evil upon Floridians” and that “it damages our faith, our families and our freedoms.”

But what he is failing to see is that the allowance of blackjack and the Vegas-style slots will provide a boost to gambling tourism—and this is a state that doesn’t have a state income tax because of its tourism.

Florida also has extensive gambling offerings, proving that residents are okay with gambling. Florida is home to eight Indian casinos, a state Lottery with 13,000 retailers, gambling cruises and twenty seven pari-mutuels.

With all the gambling that is done in Florida it is about time that some of that money be returned to the state to support it, even if it isn’t going into education. The pari-mutuels and religious conservatives had better get prepared because it looks like blackjack is going to be legal in Florida.

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The Thing with Soft Hands

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Blackjack is one of the easiest games to play in the realm of casino games. Essentially if you can add up to 21 then you can play blackjack.

The strategy available for blackjack is also very simple. Basic strategy is the easiest strategy to use and have such a significant impact on the house edge.

So with both of those considered how is it that blackjack players keep misplaying soft hands?

To put the answer simply, since this is blackjack after all, is that players are misplaying their hands. Specifically soft hands.

I’m not sure how this is managed considering that basic strategy will tell a player the best way to play out every hand, including soft hands. So the problem is that players aren’t using the chart. As a result they are playing soft hands as if they were hard hands.

There’s a reason that a hand with an Ace has a different name from a hand that doesn’t have one.

And it is that Ace that makes the difference.

Blackjack players should be wanting soft hands because they offer more flexibility than hard hands. This is because that Ace can be reduced from an 11 to a 1.

Let’s look at an example. If you were dealt a hard 16 against a dealer showing a 3 you would stand. A good number of blackjack players will stand on an Ace/5 as well because they only see that the total is 16. They miss that Ace entirely.

If they were to check a basic strategy chart they would see that the correct play is to hit. You can hit a soft 16 because you have the power to reduce that Ace to a 1 if you have to.

It’s this flexibility that gives soft hands a different playing strategy on the chart from hard hands. If soft hands were meant to be played the same as a hard hand they wouldn’t have a separate name and a separate section on a basic strategy chart.

While you might be embarrassed to take a basic strategy chart to the blackjack table, it can seriously improve your odds of winning. It’s worth holding your pride in check and using the chart. If you’re really self conscious playing with the chart, practice playing blackjack online with it or simply stick to playing online blackjack.

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Blackjack’s Rule of 9

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Doubling down is one of the most advantageous blackjack plays available to players. It allows us to make the most money possible off of one hand.

And it’s easy to know when to double down on a hard hand. Or more precisely which hands to double down on and when: hard 9 against a dealer’s 3 through 6; hard 10 against a dealer’s 2 through 9; and hard 11 against a dealer’s 2 through 10.

But while hard hands are pretty easy to deal with in terms of double downs, soft hands aren’t quite as easy. This is a result of that Ace that we all love. Blackjack players aren’t sure whether to hit or stand. So it makes blackjack players even a little more confused as to when to double down. True players can always check a basic strategy chart. But in the case of doubling down n a soft hand there is another way to figure out whether to or not.

Before I get into the Rule of 9, you need to know that can be eliminated from considering: Ace/7, Ace/8 and Ace/9. Why are these hands already eliminated? Look at their hand totals: 18, 19 and 20. All three of those are hands that you would stand on if they were hard. So stand on them as if they were hard—don’t even think about throwing a strong hand away.

That leaves Ace/2 through Ace/6 up for play in the Rule of 9. With these five hands you can use the Rule of 9 to determine whether to double down on these soft hands or not.

The Rule of 9 is easy to use. Take the non-Ace card of your hand, add it with the dealer’s up card and if the total is 9 or more then you will want to double down. If it’s less than you will hit.

For example if you have an Ace/5 against a dealer’s 4, add the 5 and 4 together; you get 9 which means to double down. Now if you have an Ace/5 against a dealer’s 2, the 5 and 2 only add up to 7 which means that you don’t double down.

The Rule of 9 isn’t limited to only casino blackjack—it can be used in online blackjack too.

See, the Rule of 9 is easy to use and can be paired with basic strategy to make your blackjack strategy a little faster and a little easier to manage. And an easier managed blackjack strategy means an improved game over all.

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Dealing with a Hard 12

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Stiff hands are the worst to get. It mostly comes from the feeling that like we’re going to lose that round. But stiff hands give players the feeling of futility. This is because stiff hands are so difficult to win with.

Blackjack players can expect to be dealt a stiff hand 43% of the time when playing. Which isn’t too bad, but when there is a run of low cards and you kept being dealt stiff hands it feels like more than 43% of the time. But remember that for every run of low cards there will be a run of high cards.

The reason for the higher percentage of stiff hands in blackjack versus strong hands is because there are more stiff hands than strong hands. What makes it worse is that if you are dealt a low total, something lower than a hard 12, it can be fairly easy to hit and wind up with a stiff hand.

But not all stiff hands in blackjack are as bad as they seem, namely a hard 12 is not as bad as being dealt a hard 13 through 16. The reason for this is that a hard 12 has a little bit more flexibility.

With a hard 13 through 16 basic strategy advise to stand if the dealer has a 2 through 6 showing. If the dealer has a 7 or higher blackjack players are advised to hit. So blackjack players are hitting half of the time and standing the other half. But this isn’t so with a hard 12.

In blackjack hitting implies that there is a chance to better your hand. With a hard 12 basic strategy says to hit against a dealer’s up card of 2 and 3. So blackjack players have two more opportunities to better the chances of their hard 12.

As for as blackjack odds, players stand a chance of winning 37% of the time if they hit against a dealer’s 2 or 3. Now if you were to stand a hard 12 against a dealer’s 2 or 3 you would only have a 35% chance of winning. I know, it doesn’t sound like a lot but when holding a stiff hand any improved chances you can get you take.

Hitting may not give you a win for that round of blackjack, but you do get a slightly improved shot at winning against a dealer’s 2 or 3. This is more of a case of trying to improve your chances and trying to minimize your loses as best you can.

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Making the Most of a Double Down

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Splitting pairs and doubling down are two of the blackjack plays deemed to be favorites. Mostly because they offer the opportunity to get a little more in one round than the average round. But of the two, double down is the preferred of the two plays. It has the ability to win more money on one hand, whereas with a split pair you might lose one hand and win the other, creating a draw. And that applies to blackjack online as well as in a casino.

But in order to take the most advantage of a double down you need to know the best times in blackjack to double down. Sure you can look on a basic strategy chart and see when those times are, but why at those times? Knowing the why can help enforce when to double down and can keep you doubling down when it’s best and not at less advantageous times.

There are three hard hands that you want to double down on: 9, 10 and 11. But you don’t want to double down on those hands against every single dealer’s up card. These are the times to double down in blackjack:

Hard 9 against a dealer’s 3, 4, 5 or 6
Hard 10 against a dealer’s 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9
Hard 11 against a dealer’s 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10

The reasons that these are the best times to double down in blackjack is because if you only receiving one more card. And because you are only receiving one more card your starting total needs to be strong without being a stiff hand. Stiff hands begin at hard 12. Hard 9, 10 and 11 are as strong as you can get for a starting total without putting yourself in dance of busting.

Even if you double down on a hard 9 and only receive an 8 that still gives you 17, which is still a reasonable hand to stand on.

But doubling down has such a draw to it in blackjack because of the potential of making twice the winnings on only one hand. You just have to know the best times to double down and why they are the best. Don’t be afraid of putting down the extra wager amount to double down in a blackjack game, be it an online blackjack game or one in a casino.

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Blackjack Betting System No-No’s

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

A good number of blackjack players are tempted by betting systems. And most will try at least one at some point in time over the time that they play blackjack. I will admit to having tried one very early in my time of playing blackjack. I fell victim to the Martingale method.

What is the Martingale method? It is a betting system that is unfortunately used in blackjack. The way it works is to double your wager each time you lose. You only return to your original betting amount when you win.

For example, if you wager $10 and lose, the next round you would bet $20. Then $40. Then $80. Then $160. And that only covers five rounds of blackjack which you can do in less than half an hour. You can see how it adds up and how it can spin out of control.

The problem with this blackjack betting system is that eventually you are going to hit the table maximum for betting. It also requires a rather large bankroll in order for you to keep using it.

But the biggest problem, and this applies to every blackjack betting system out there, is that hands of blackjack aren’t linked. They aren’t dependent on each other. This means that there is no certain number of hands that you have to lose until you win again. Each hand is independent of the last. And that applies to online blackjack as well.

Translating this to blackjack betting system, using our Martingale example, this means that you’ll probably keep double your bets because there is no way to know if the end it in sight. And that is how you lose your money.

With blackjack hands being independent of each other there is no way to predict how the cards are going to flow. So it’s almost like you aren’t just betting on winning a hand of blackjack, but are also betting that you know when a losing streak will end.

Because these blackjack betting systems rely on a card system that is dependent on itself when in reality, the cards in blackjack are independent of each other, using a betting strategy is one of the fastest ways to run through your bankroll. Regardless of whether you’re playing blackjack online or in a casino the outcome is highly likely to be the same. And you won’t’ like it.

So avoid using a betting system and either stick with one betting amount or learn to card count if you play in a land based casino.

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Florida Legislature All About Money

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Florida is suffering from a $3.2 billion shortfall in its budget, which includes a very hard hit to education. The problem? Florida’s children risk a loss of teachers and programs, and even some scholarships.

With that in mind, Governor Charlie Crist made that his push behind the Seminole blackjack and slots compact in his talks with the state’s Legislature. He was known to say, “Do it for the children.”

The first two compacts that the Seminoles and state Legislature have squabbled over have both gone bust. Then all of a sudden here is a third compact and it’s heading for approval.

This third run at a compact would give the Seminoles five years of exclusivity for blackjack tables, and twenty years for Vegas-style slots; the only other places in Florida where slots can be found is in two counties in which voters had already approved Vegas-style slots within county lines. In exchange for this blackjack exclusivity the Seminoles are going to be paying Florida more than $1 billion dollars over five years.

However you can’t make everyone happy. And this time around it was the pari-mutuels who felt that they would be unable to compete with the Seminoles’ casinos if they were given exclusivity to blackjack and slots, even with higher poker limits and extended hours of operation. Initially it appeared that the Legislature was siding with the pari-mutuels. But the truth always comes out.

So what made this third compact agreeable to the state Legislature? It wasn’t the extensions or even the possible tax break for the pari-mutuels. The Legislature was never on the side of the pari-mutuels. What has been over-looked is where that $1 billion plus dollars for blackjack exclusivity are going. And it’s not going to the children.

The Legislature has been out for money the whole time. It seems its hang up didn’t have to do with the pari-mutuels feeling like the compact was unfair. It had to do with where the money was going. Change the money’s destination and the Legislature likes the compact now.

So where is the money from the Seminoles exclusivity to blackjack going?

It will be going into the state’s general revenue fund. That means that the state government *cough, cough* Legislature can decided how the money is to be spent. It’s a sad day when part of the government is willing to short fall their children’s education so that they can have power of this money.

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