Month: February 2011

Mis-advice About Looking for a Place to Play Online Blackjack

I have seen it time and again. Those informational websites that are full of articles on how to do something that the person who wrote said article probably has not done themselves. I take for evidence an article I found on what to look for when looking for a place to play online blackjack which had a piece of advice that was very not correct.

This particular article advised players to not register at an online casino that offered less than 10 variations of blackjack. I had to laugh at this because this does not exist. There is no online casino that has 10 variations of online blackjack available, and the reason is because there are not 10 variations that are all played popularly today. You do not believe me? Here, I will show you:

Online Vegas: 4
Millionaire: 4
Rushmore: 7
English Harbour: 4
Aladdin

Is Card Counting Legal or Not?

While card counting can be a highly useful skill for blackjack players, there is some concern over whether it is legal to use in a casino or not. This question will sometimes cause blackjack players who would normally teach themselves the skill to not learn it and therefore not take advantage of it.

In all reality there is no law that says that blackjack players cannot use card counting when playing. So in the law

A Basic Card Counting System

Now that we have talked about what card counting is and what it is not, what it does and what it does not do, it is time to look at the starting point of actually counting cards. Today we are going to look at the most basic of card counting systems, the Hi Lo system.

The Hi Lo system is the counting system that most blackjack players start out with. It is easy to remember and the math is easy enough that those who are not inclined to the subject can still use the system.

In the Hi Lo system cards fall into one of three categories: High, Low or Neutral. Each category is assigned a counting value: -1, +1 or 0. Now we look at the how the cards are broken down:

High cards: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 with a counting value of -1
Neutral Cards: 9, 8, 7 with a counting value of 0
Low Cards: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 with a counting value of +1

Okay, so now that we have the counting values down, now the work comes in.

When you are card counting you are tracking the cards that have been played. This means adding up the values of the cards as they are dealt. Of everyone at the table. So say you are dealt a 10/10, your neighbor is dealt a 10/7 and the dealer has been dealt a 6 your count would look like this:

-1 + -1 + -1 + 0 + 1 = -2

The -2 outcome means that more high cards have been played, which means there are more low cards left to be played. Low cards favor the dealer, so when your count moves beyond a -3 or -4 it is time to begin reducing your wager as the odds are more in favor of the dealer.

Now if your count goes up to +3 or +4 it means that a good number low cards have been played and have passed out of the game leaving a larger number of high cards

Understanding Card Counting

Card counting can be a very useful skill when playing blackjack. But it is a skill that requires time, practice and patience to learn to the point of effectiveness. A good many novice players do not have the correct perception of what card counting is and what it does.

So we will start there, with what card counting is. Card counting is a skill in which the player mentally tracks the flow of cards. This is not an exact count; the purpose of card counting is to give players an idea of when there are more high cards left in the unplayed deck. This is discovered when the count a player is keeping has reached the point that more low cards have been played than high cards.

Once a player has the knowledge that more low cards have been played, leaving a greater number, and therefore likelihood, of high card being dealt, the player can begin raising their bets. Bets are raised at this point because there is a greater chance of being dealt a strong hand if not an outright natural blackjack. When the remaining deck is rich in high cards, there is a greater chance of the player winning, which is why bets are increased at this point.

To sum it up, counting cards in blackjack can give players a long-term advantage over the house by knowing when they are more likely to win, and raising their wagers accordingly.

Now. What card counting is not.

Card counting is not a short cut that will allow players to beat the house. Yes, it will allow players to tilt the odds in their favor, but it is not an instantaneous happening. It is not a flashy skill to be thrown around the casino.

To be successful with card counting in blackjack, time and patience must be applied while learning the counting system of your choice. Players who utilize card counting when playing blackjack also have to understand that they are not going to win every single hand, but that they will win more over the long run.

New Online Blackjack Bonuses at Silver Oak

Online blackjack players will be quite pleased to know that Silver Oak Casino has launched some new bonuses this month. Silver Oak is calling it their Bright Side bonuses and they are four in number.

The cause for celebration is that their year has started off on a very good foot, and they owe it all to their players, hence the bonuses. All four of the new Bright Side bonuses are deposit match bonuses of varying amounts which will appeal to a variety of online blackjack players

Blackjack Tournament No-Nos: Over Betting

While there is a certain amount of luck involved in tournament play, it is not the sole deciding factor in a blackjack tournament. Blackjack tournaments are won on skill, and lost because of poor playing. One such poor way of playing is to over bet when you are in the lead by a good chunk.

What is a good chunk of a lead in a blackjack tournament? Well, let