Posts Tagged ‘Blackjack player’
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
We have been down this road before. However, blackjack is one of the most popular casino games out there; and when it comes to card games, its popularity is second only to poker. But let’s face it—blackjack is easier to a play than poker. And the same applies to online blackjack.
And being one of the most popular online casino games for obvious reasons, it is no surprise that new players find their way to online blackjack.
What they might not know is that, while being highly similar, there are some difference between online blackjack and blackjack in a brick and mortar casino. The general house rules are the same, and most part of blackjack strategy will cross over. But there is a big one that does not cross over. And players who are new to online blackjack should be aware of it.
Card counting does not work in online blackjack.
Yes, there is a reason. There are no discarded cards in online blackjack. This is because of the Random Number Generator that runs the game.
When a game of online blackjack is first created by the developers, every possible two player cards and dealer up card combination is programmed into the game’s RNG. This means that it is pulling from all of the cards so to speak. As soon as a player clicks Deal, the RNG will select a two card and dealer up card combination.
Because the RNG pulls from all possibilities it means that no cards are ever discarded. This can be compare to playing blackjack in a brick and mortar casino at a table with a Continuous Shuffle Machine (CSM). And blackjack players know that card counting is impossible with a CSM.
So when players come to play blackjack online they should know not to try to count cards.
Tags: Blackjack online, Blackjack player, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Card counting, Casino Games, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Online Casinos, play Blackjack
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Friday, August 13th, 2010
So this morning I covered the blackjack myth about the objective of the game. Now it is time for another blackjack myth discussion simply because it is Friday the 13th and something about today calls for myths, beliefs and superstitions.
Another blackjack myth that is common is the myth that the player at third base can make or break the dealer.
Third base, for those who are new and joining us, is the seventh seat at a blackjack table. Thankfully this blackjack myth does not pop up in online blackjack as it only abounds when there is a table, more players and someone in that seventh seat. Online blackjack is played one on one with the dealer so there is no seventh seat to worry about.
Under this blackjack myth it is believed that the third base player can make or break the dealer, meaning that he controls whether the dealer busts or not.
But it happens nonetheless that the third base player will hit and then the dealer will win, and his fellow players carry on that third base took the dealer’s bust card—that third base should have stood regardless of what play he needed to make. Or if third base stands and the dealer hits to a strong hand, then it is third base’s fault for not taking one of those cards the dealer needed.
The problem with this myth is that the third base player does not know what the dealer’s hole card is, and so cannot divine what play the dealer could possibly make. Also the third base player does not know what the next card in the deck is.
Since third base has no idea what card is next, nor what play the dealer will make, there is no way for third base to knowingly influence the dealer.
All you can do if you find yourself seated at the seventh seat of a blackjack table is to play your hand according to your blackjack strategy and not listen if other players complain about how you play. In all honesty they probably are not perfect blackjack players either. So disregard the third base myth and do not be afraid of sitting at third base. Also, do not complain to the third base player if you are sitting in one of the other seats.
Tags: Blackjack, Blackjack Myths, Blackjack player, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, play Blackjack, Third Base
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Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Every now and then it is good to take a step back and appreciate where something came from. Like a birthday—you celebrate where you came from once a year.
This is not a birthday post for blackjack, but more of an appreciation. Kind of like when you go to a museum or paid attention in history class to a lesson that you liked. Not everyone knows where blackjack game from, what its history is. Studying a casino game is one thing, but true appreciation comes from knowing the game. And that includes its history. So today we are going to take a look at the history of blackjack.
I know that Captain Jack Sparrow liked to blame things on the French. But in this case blaming the French for blackjack is a nice thing indeed.
While blackjack has a bit of a murky past—seems no one really kept track of things like we do today—but the most agree that blackjack originated in France from a couple of other card games: Chemin de Fer and French Ferme.
Wherever and however it actually came about, we do know that I was showing up in French casinos in the 1700s. At least that is when it was first documented as being somewhere. In the French casinos it was then called Vingt et Un, which is French for 21.
At some point 21 crossed the Atlantic and made it to the United States in the 1800s as that is when it was first document as being played here. In the western U.S. gambling—and blackjack—was legal between the 1850s and 1910.
In 1910 casino games and gambling were declared felonies. But in 1931 Nevada had a change of heart and made gambling and casino games legal again. And that is when blackjack began to reign as one of the most popular casino games.
The 1980s brought blackjack to Atlantic City. And it has continued to spread from there. Twenty states now have legalized gambling with more doing so as they are drawn to the money that could be made from taxes to fill in their budget holes. In addition there are seventy Native American casinos spread out around the United States as well.
Blackjack has come a long way since it first showed up in French casinos in the 1700s.
Tags: 21, Atlantic City, Blackjack, Blackjack player, Blackjack Variations, Casino Games, Casinos, France, Jack Sparrow, Legalize Blackjack, Legalize Gambling, Nevada, play Blackjack, Vingt et Un
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Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
Ever heard of Casinoville? Sounds a lot like that Farmville that is so popular on Facebook. If you like your blackjack and ever wondered what it would be like to own your own casino then this Facebook game is right up your alley.
Okay, I was half joking. There is no Facebook online game called Casinoville…although with all of the Ville online games on Facebook I am surprise there is not a Casinoville yet.
However if you want to get your blackjack and casino owning fun on there is a Facebook online game for you.
Last Legion has created and released a Facebook game called Golden Nugget Vegas Casino. In this Facebook game players can build their very own casino to manage. Online. Yes, I know, you would be online building a brick and mortar casino to play in online. This is kind of like one of those mirror in a mirror things.
But not only do players of Golden Nugget get to build and manage their own casinos—like those Ville Facebook games—they can play in them too. You can play blackjack, video poker and roulette. To win chips to do more things to your casino.
It seems the chips are the key to the game. Players can play in their own casino for chips, or they can visit their friends’ casinos and play there for chips.
Part of managing your own casino in this game is to draw in non-player patrons and win their money off of them. Talk about the shoe being on the other foot. But if you get bored of playing the house you can always roam the floor of your own casino and play blackjack all you want.
And unlike all of those Ville games, Golden Nugget is played entirely with fake money—those chips I spoke of. The chips are in game money that do not cost a single penny of your real money. So Last Legion and Golden Nugget are not angling for your cash…for now.
CEO of Last Legion, Seth Gearson, says, “It’s pretty satisfying to actually generate in-game money in a way other than the classic social game format.” Translation: You do not have to harvest crops to earn money—you merely win it off of your friends…which is in the true spirit of gambling.
I suppose you could think of it as a garage game of blackjack in which you take your friends chips. Only this is all on Facebook where you can make a cute little casino avatar of yourself.
Oh, and since this is your own casino you can have all of the blackjack tables you want.
Tags: Blackjack, Blackjack online, Blackjack player, Blackjack Variations, Casino Games, Casinos, Facebook, Golden Nugget, Golden nugget Vegas Casino, Last Legion, Online Blackjack, Online Casinos, play Blackjack, Seth Gearson
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Friday, July 30th, 2010
When new players think of blackjack, they think the objective of the game is to get their hand total up to 21. To play to 21 in other words. However this is a bit of a misconception. Sure, 21 is the magic number in blackjack but it is not the objective.
The true objective of blackjack—any blackjack game, be it blackjack online or black in a brick and mortar casino—is to beat the dealer without getting a hand total that goes over 21.
The difference between playing to 21 and beating the dealer is a little bit different. If you were playing to 21 there would be no need for a dealer’s hand. There would then be no dealer up cards, and blackjack would not be the dealer versus player game that we know it to be. If playing to 21 were the sole objective and we did not have a dealer we would be playing against other players, and then we would descend into poker. And if I wanted to play poker I would go play poker and not blackjack.
But this is blackjack and we have a dealer and we play to beat that dealer.
This means that your blackjack strategy is based on getting the best odds. The best odds in the long run mean that you will win more from the house. That means paying attention to the game and making the play that brings you the best blackjack odds. Sometimes that means doubling down or splitting pairs, or maybe not splitting pairs, or maybe standing here and there.
The whole point of a blackjack strategy is to know how to make the best play and take the most advantage of the current hand in your attempt to beat the dealer.
The best tool for this blackjack strategy is a basic strategy chart. This is why new blackjack players are first pointed in the direction of basic strategy once they learn the basic playing rules of the game.
Paying attention to your blackjack strategy and why you make a certain play using basic strategy helps to teach new players the whys of the game, and why blackjack’s objective is not playing to 21.
Tags: Basic Strategy, Blackjack, Blackjack basic strategy, Blackjack Myth, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack online, Blackjack player, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Double Down, Game of Skill, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Pair Splitting, play Blackjack
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Friday, July 30th, 2010
Sometimes you are in the mood to play blackjack, but you either do not have the extra money in the bank account or you just do not feel like wagering any money. If you played blackjack in a brick and mortar casino you would be out of luck. But if you play blackjack online there is a way to get it for free.
And who would not want some free blackjack?
Thankfully online casinos understand that players sometimes just want to play, and unlike their brick and mortar counterparts, many online casinos will offer a free play or play for fun version of their games.
If the online casino that you play online blackjack at offers a free play mode, it is easy to access. The free play modes can be accessed regards of whether you play with the casino software downloaded on your computer or whether you play in the flash version.
To get your free blackjack on, sign in to your player account. The next screen that pops up should be one that asks if you want to play for free or play for real. Simply click on play for free and you will be all set to go.
Online blackjack players are at an advantage with free blackjack online.
Not every single online casino game is offered in free play modes. But thanks to blackjack being one of the most popular online casino games, just about every free play mode will offer it. Unlike slots—not every single slots game makes it to the free play mode.
Free blackjack allows players to practice their strategies and practice playing without putting any money on the line. This is another perk as you would not have this option in a brick and mortar casino.
Clearly free online blackjack allows players advantages that brick and mortar casinos just cannot offer. So take some time and enjoy blackjack or practice your blackjack strategy without worrying about money.
Tags: Blackjack, Blackjack player, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Casino Games, Casinos, Free Blackjack, Free Online Blackjack, Game of Skill, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Online Casinos, play Blackjack, Practice Blackjack
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Monday, July 26th, 2010
Barney Frank’s bill, HR2267, which would legalize and regulate online gambling in the United States, is taking a step forward. And hopefully this means that we are one step closer to being able to play online blackjack in the States.
Tomorrow, July 27th, HR2267 moves into markup. When a bill is in markup it is discussed, amended and rewritten if necessary. In the case of HR2267 it is intended to find ways to appease those who are opposed to it. But the point of the bill is still to regulate online gambling.
If Frank can get HR2267 to pass in the House and Senate, and get it signed into law, every state would be able to choose if they would like to regulate online gambling in their state. Having regulated online gambling not only would legalize it for US citizens, and bring in much need revenue on both the state and federal levels.
How much money?
Well the Joint Committee on Taxation has figured that by legalizing online gambling and regulating it that could make about $42 billion for the government over the course of ten years. As for the states, they would be looking at about $30 billion going into their coffers.
And I do not know of a state that does not need the revenue.
But first HR2267 must overcome its opposition. It seems that the most opposition comes from religious conservatives who feel that online gambling would corrupt Americans. In response Republican Congressman John Campbell had this to say:
“I don’t gamble. I don’t partake in it, but freedom is not about legislating what I like to do. Freedom is about allowing Americans to do what they want to do.”
And in that statement, Campbell hits it on the head. Professional poker player Annie Duke was right behind Campbell, saying, “HR2267 provides this freedom in a safe and regulated environment and I urge everyone on this Committee to support this common sense policy. However, you feel about gambling on the internet, I would suggest that gambling with freedom is far more risky.”
Hopefully HR2267 on legalizing online gambling and regulating it can be moved through markup by Frank and on to the House. Americans want to play their blackjack, poker, slots and more online, and with this country being founded on freedom, why should Americans be told how to spend their entertainment money.
Tags: Annie Duke, Barney Frank, Blackjack, Blackjack player, HR2267, Legalize Blackjack, Legalize Gambling, Online Blackjack, Online Casinos, play Blackjack
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Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Blackjack is a well established casino game. The reason for this is because this is an easy to learn casino game, and it has the reputation of being beatable. But along with these positives about blackjack new players are not as easy to come by as you might think.
Casinos of late seem to be focused on their bottom lines. It is all about bringing in the money. Especially with the economy being in that state it is. As a result some pretty awful house rules have sprung up and table minimums have been raised.
Nowadays you walk into a casino and mind the blackjack minimum on a game in which the dealer can hit soft 17 is $25. No new player or a person who is thinking of learning the game will pony up $25 to learn to play. Those would be some very expensive lessons.
But all those high rollers who are out at the blackjack tables are not going to be around forever. Eventually the house rules will get to the point of ridiculousness that those blackjack players hop over to online casinos to play—which would be a boon to the United States if lawmakers remove their personal feelings about gambling, put the needs of the country first and legalize online gambling.
Or the high rolling blackjack players will keep playing until they die. But since the younger new players were too intimidated by high table minimums and shoddy house rules to learn how to play blackjack, there will be no one to replace the high rollers who have gone to the great blackjack table in the sky.
What are some of the things that casinos could do to make it a little easier for new blackjack players to learn the game? Here is a list:
Offer blackjack lessons. In the evening. Most people work during the day so obviously they cannot make a morning blackjack class. Blackjack class is not an acceptable reason to call out of work. Evening blackjack lessons would allow for more new blackjack players to learn the game.
Put a learners’ table out on the floor. Designate it as a special table with either funny money or a very low minimum so that new blackjack players feel comfortable in making the wagers necessary to get the playing experience they need to move up to higher table limits.
These tables should have a friendly dealer who conducts the rounds at a slower pace and answers questions about blackjack rules. The point here is to let players learn how to play the game, not try to squeeze money out of them. If the casinos really desire to squeeze money out of players, wait until they know how to play the game and are comfortable playing with higher limits.
And will someone get these new blackjack players some basic strategy cards please!
Casinos seem to believe that blackjack is beatable and that they should not encourage new players out of fear that they will lose money to blackjack players. However, few players have the drive and discipline to put in the effort to truly beat the game. Casinos will still make their money off of blackjack players.
Tags: Basic Strategy, Blackjack, Blackjack basic strategy, Blackjack player, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Casinos, Game of Skill, How to play Blackjack, Legalize Blackjack, Legalize Gambling, Online Blackjack, Online Casinos
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Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Being that it is a game of skill, it is no surprise that blackjack is played with a strategy. Unless you wish to lose scads of money and in that case you play however you want. But for blackjack players who want to turn a profit, they will use a strategy.
Over the course of yesterday and today I compared flat betting in blackjack against progressive betting. I showed how progressive betting is not all that it is said to be and that it can cost you more money in the long run. What I did not talk about is what a progressive betting system in blackjack is.
First off, let’s you and me get one thing straight—a strategy and a system are two different things. A strategy is a plan of a blackjack player plays his hands. Strategy can be worked with to fit different situations in the game. For example, if the cards are running high, the blackjack player who is playing with a strategy can adapt his playing accordingly.
A player who plays by a system does not have that adaptability. He must abide by his system. Which means he plays the same way no matter how the cards are flowing, and in doing so, he loses opportunities along the way to make blackjack even more profitable.
An example of a betting system that is commonly used in blackjack is the Paroli progressive betting system. This is the betting system that Player B used in the comparison I spoke of.
In the Paroli betting system, a player will begin with a base wager. If he wins he will increase his wager by double. He will then keep increasing his wager by doubling until he loses a round, at which point he will return to his base wager.
If a blackjack player were using a progressive betting system like the Paroli system and happened to notice that the cards were running high, he would be unable to deviate from his betting system to take advantage of it because he cannot upset his system.
That is the difference between a betting strategy for blackjack and a betting system. So while a betting strategy may require more time to make a larger profit, it is safer in the long run to use than a progressive betting system in blackjack.
Tags: Blackjack, Blackjack betting strategy, Blackjack Betting System, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack player, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Game of Skill, How to Bet in Blackjack, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Paroli Betting System, play Blackjack, Progressive Betting System
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Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Where did we leave our players in our tale of progressive betting for blackjack strategy?
We left our Player A and Player B—our tortoise and hare—at the blackjack table. Both players had each won four rounds. Player A had won $40 as a result, while Player B had won $100 as a result of his progressive betting.
Clearly Player B is feeling quite relaxed and enjoying his blackjack playing. And he is probably feeling pretty confident that his progressive betting strategy will put him ahead in blackjack—unlike poor Player A who is flat betting.
See how it is reminiscent of the Tortoise and the Hare?
With the $40 compared to the $100, progressive betting has the edge. Not unlike the hare’s edge over the tortoise.
Now we are going to take our players for a little up and down playing. The next four rounds go like this: win, loss, win, loss. For Player A, he will be wagering $10 each time. Player B’s wagers will look like this: $10, win and increase to $20, lose and drop back to $10, win and increase to $20, and lose.
When you break the math down you can see that Player A will break even. He will have won $20 and lost $20 overall, and his bankroll be exactly where he started.
But Player B, well that is a different story. He won $10 in the first round, then increased his wager to $20 and lost. He then dropped back down to $10 and won. So he then increases his blackjack wager back up to $20, but he loses that round too. So in rounds one and three he won $20, but in rounds two and four he lost $40, which gives us a net loss of $20.
This is the moment when the hare realizes that he has goofed off far too long in the race and that the tortoise is ahead him, heading for the finish line.
As for you, you are beginning to see the down side of using a progressive betting system as a part of your blackjack strategy. But how will the story end for Player A and Player B? Check back tomorrow to find out!
Tags: Blackjack, Blackjack betting strategy, Blackjack Betting System, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack Payout, Blackjack player, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., How to Bet in Blackjack, Online Blackjack, play Blackjack, Progressive Betting System
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