Blackjack Card Counting

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack

If you see a story on Yahoo news about players winning a lot of money playing blackjack, the game can be pretty enticing. With its low house edge and easy to learn strategy, it’s the best game, aside from possibly poker, to try and win money. Card counters can even tilt the odds in their favor. There are some things about card counting that you need to be clear about, though.

First, card counting isn’t as hard as it seems. A lot of people think you need to be a mathematical genius or a savant to count cards, but that isn’t true. The simplest card counting strategy only requires being able to count to one. You subtract one from the count for high cards, add one for low cards, and don’t add anything for cards in the middle. That is the simplest high-low count and it works for many blackjack players. The hardest part isn’t the math; it is being able to count all of the cards that are dealt if the dealer is fast.

Conversely, making money at blackjack isn’t as easy as it seems. You see movies where people go to the blackjack table, count cards, and then walk out of the casino with millions. It doesn’t work that way. In most cases, money is made small increments at a time. It will take a lot of patience and dedication to make big money at blackjack, and even then it’s not guaranteed.

The other big thing you need to know is the legality. Be sure to read your local laws regarding card counting to make sure you are in compliance. In Las Vegas, counting cards is legal if you are only using your mind. If you use anything to aid you, anything at all, from a computer to a rubber band, it is illegal, and if caught your money will be confiscated and you will go to jail. Even if you don’t break the law, though, casinos are free to ban you from playing if they see that you are a card counter.

One PA Blackjack Casino License Up For Grabs

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Gambling

Earlier this year, the U.S. state of Pennsylvania made the move to legalize table games in the state, allowing some slot parlors to offer blackjack, roulette and other casino games. The result has been a dramatic increase in customers and revenue from the establishments who were able to obtain licenses. Now, only one license remains.

When the gambling expansion legislation passed, it gave the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board the power to hand out a limited number of permits for table games. Now that only one such license remains, resorts across the Keystone State are fighting for it.

By the end of the year, the Board will decide who gets the remaining blackjack license and they are looking for a resort that is might likely to draw tourists to the area. The license will allow the winning resort to add up to 600 slot machines and 50 table games.

How much would obtaining that license help the business? Table games were only approved in the middle of July and despite that, Pennsylvania casinos reported an 18% increase in slot revenue from the previous year. Since they already offered slots, that increase in revenue shows an increase in customers, likely because of the new table games. While 18% was the average, some Pennsylvania casinos fared considerably better. For example, the Sands Casino reported a 25% increase in July slot revenue from the previous year.

Soon the August numbers will be in and with a full month of blackjack tables and other table games, we will get a more accurate picture of the benefit of table games to Pennsylvania casinos. For that reason, those remaining in contention for the lone unused license should be that much more eager to win it.

Live Dealer Blackjack Tournament at Casino Tropez

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Online Casino

If you enjoy the game of online blackjack but miss the interaction of having your cards dealt by a real person, I suggest trying the live dealer blackjack games at Casino Tropez. This is especially true if you prefer to have your cards dealt by a beautiful woman.

This weekend, the online casino is holding a blackjack tournament on their live dealer games. Players who log in and play the live dealer blackjack games will accumulate points and at the end of the promotion, those with the most points will share prize money. The live dealer blackjack tournament has an $8,000 prize pool.

The online blackjack tournament runs through Sunday, August 1. Players earn points for all money wagered on the live dealer blackjack games during that time and the tournament follows a leader board format. Prizes will be awarded to the top 73 players in the tournament (I know, kind of a strange number to pick). On Sunday, players will split the prizes. The top player will come away with $1,000 and the players who finish second through seventh place will win $500 each. Players who finish eighth to 21st will win $100 each. Finally, the 22nd through 73rd place players will win $50 each.

For more information, visit Casino Tropez, where additional details can be found. Casino Tropez is a popular PlayTech casino and, in addition to the live dealer blackjack games, has a good variety of online slots, regular blackjack games, and other table games.

Best Odds for Blackjack

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Online Casino

I don’t write about odds and strategy very much, but it’s an important part of playing at an online casino. The truth is that not all games are equal. Though all games have odds that are tilted toward the casino, some are better than others.

In general, the games with better odds have lower payouts and vice versa. For example, roulette has terrible odds, with a house edge of 5.26% over all and a winning probability that ranges from 2.63% to 47.37%. However, the bets with the lowest odds pay the most when you win. Betting on black or red or odd or even has a 47.37% chance of winning, but it only pays 1 to 1. On the other hand, betting on any single number only has a 2.63% chance of winning, but if you do win it pays out 35 to 1.

Similar odds can be found in other games of chance, including online slots. With slots, the odds are always against you and they have some of the worst odds in the entire casino. However, if you hit the jackpot you will be very happy.

Online blackjack, as a game with some of the best odds in any casino, is a game that rewards players for knowing and executing the proper basic strategy. Though the payouts are smaller and there is no chance of getting rich in a short time, over time the game can treat you quite well.

Over time, blackjack players and mathematicians have developed what is called blackjack basic strategy. A good strategy chart can be found at onlineblackjack.org, a website that offers extensive strategy advice in its blog. Adhering to basic strategy, whether playing online blackjack or at a brick and mortar casino, can reduce the house edge to only 0.5%. That means for every $100 you wager, the house would only take 50 cents from you.

Playing blackjack at a brick and mortar casino, it is possible to actually gain an advantage by counting cards, though the casinos frown upon this practice. At an online casino, though, the random number generator prevents card counting from working.

Even without counting cards, though, the best casino odds are with the game of blackjack. Playing online, there is no excuse for not following proper blackjack strategy, since you can look at a strategy chart while you play.

Table Games at VIP Slots

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Online Casino, Poker, Slots

VIP Slots Casino has a lot of online slots. That much should be clear by the fact that “slots” is in their name. In fact, I’m looking at a list and I count almost 70 slot games, despite the fact that the list of available games clearly hasn’t been updated recently. With the emphasis on slots, though, many people don’t realize that the casino has an excellent collection of table games.

VIP Slots Casino has enough table games to satisfy most players. If you’re looking for blackjack, they offer the Vegas Strip and European versions. In addition, they also offer the blackjack variants of Progressive Blackjack and Perfect Pairs.

Poker fans have a few choices as well. In fact, they have some poker variations that I haven’t even heard of (then again, poker isn’t my game of choice). VIP Slots offers Five Card Mulligan Poker, Let Them Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Tri Card Poker, Red Dog, Progressive Caribbean Stud and 10 High Hold’em Poker. That selection may not be as good as at a website that deals exclusively with poker, but for the casual poker player it offers plenty of variety.

For fans of other table games, VIP Slots Casino also has both European Roulette and American Roulette, War, Craps and Baccarat. Aside from the table games and slots, the online casino also has video poker games, specialty dice games and bingo.

To enjoy the selection of table games, slots and other games, visit VIP Slots Casino.

Blackjack Tournaments at Millionaire Casino

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Online Casino

One of my favorite things to do at any online casino is play in tournaments. To me, tournaments are beneficial because they let you play for prizes with little to no risk. There is usually only a small entry fee and sometimes there is not entry fee at all. With freeroll tournaments, there is no risk at all.

Millionaire Casino is running some good online blackjack tournaments right now. I already consider it one of the best online casinos because it has a good selection of blackjack games, ranging from the standards like Vegas Strip Blackjack and European Blackjack to variations like Perfect Pairs. Millionaire Casino also holds two different kinds of blackjack tournaments each week.

Monday through Thursday, you can play head to head blackjack action. This blackjack tournament has a $5 buy-in and you play for the pot, which varies depending on how many people join the tournament. Instead of a bunch of players going against the dealer and accumulating points, with the players with the most points at the end winning, players compete directly against each other in a winner take all kind of match.

Every weekend, Millionaire Casino holds the Weekend Blackjack Classic tournament. This blackjack tournament has a $10 buy-in and a prize pool of $5,000. This tournament takes place from Friday through Sunday and follows the standard player-versus-dealer format.

Both online blackjack tournaments are played on the game US Blackjack. To take part in the online blackjack tournaments, visit Millionaire Casino.

Blackjack Tournament at Go Casino

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Online Casino

For online blackjack fans, it’s getting harder and harder to find good blackjack tournaments. They seem to be falling to the wayside in favor of slot tournaments that generate more income for the casinos. There are still some online casinos offering good blackjack tourneys, though.

Go Casino is holding a 99-cent blackjack tournament right now, which is sure to excite any thrifty blackjack players. This tournament is for low rollers and Go Casino calls it the Blackjack 99¢ Entry, Pot Percentage tournament. This tournament is held three times every week at the casino.

As you can guess from the title, the entry fee for the tournament is only $0.99. If you decide to rebuy, you can do so for a fee of $2.49. In this blackjack tournament, you play for a percentage of the pot, which means the prize amounts vary depending on how many people join.

The next Blackjack 99¢ Entry, Pot Percentage tournament take place tonight, June 23, at 8:00 PM and runs for 24 hours. If you want to take a break from the blackjack tournaments and play a different casino game or play for some more money, Go Casino also has a wide variety of regularly scheduled slot and poker tournaments. They range from having no entry fee to entry fees of $12.99 and the prizes can be the pot or up to $75,000 in guaranteed money.

To take part in the online blackjack tournaments, visit Go Casino today.

Blackjack Variations at All Slots Casino

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Online Casino

Online casinos tend to favor players of online slots. It makes sense, considering that it is the most popular casino game and has a very high house edge. Blackjack players can feel a little left out, though. For that reason, I decided to search the internet for some of the best online casinos for blackjack players. One of them is All Slots Casino.

It may surprise you that a casino called All Slots would be a great place for online blackjack, but they actually have an excellent blackjack selection. In all, the casino has over 40 variations on the game of blackjack. Though they also offer the standard blackjack game, here I will discuss their three most popular blackjack variations.

One popular blackjack variation at All Slots Casino is Spanish Blackjack. Spanish Blackjack has much different payouts and other rules than the standard games. There are different payouts on a hand of 21 depending on how many cards you have. You can also get a payouts for having a certain number of cards without busting. Certain sequences, such as triple sevens or a 6-7-8 combination, will also win you money. Spanish Blackjack has a higher house edge than the traditional game and requires a different basic strategy, but it is also fun to play.

Double Exposure Blackjack is another fun blackjack game offered at All Slots Casino. The major difference in this variation is that both of the dealer’s cards are dealt face up. Well, that makes the game a lot easier, right? Before you get too excited, I should tell you that other rules, such as the dealer winning all ties, offsets that player advantage. In fact, Double Exposure Blackjack has a higher house edge than the traditional game.

The other popular blackjack game at All Slots Casino is Super Fun 21. With a name that include the phrase “super fun,” there is a lot to live up to here. Fortunately, the game lives up to its name. This has a lot of crazy rules and it may take some time to learn. In this blackjack game, the player automatically wins when having a six-card hand of 20 or less, even if the dealer has a hand of 21. In this blackjack game, you can also split a hand up to 4 times, and your money is doubled if you have five cards or more and a total of 21. Again, there is a rule that negates that player advantage. Here, the rule is that natural blackjacks pay only even money, rather than 3 to 2.

All of these fun blackjack games and many more can be found at All Slots Casino. Each online blackjack game is designed by Microgaming, which ensures that the games are fun, well-made, safe and fair.

To play any of these fun blackjack games, visit All Slots Casino.

Slot Tournaments at All Slots Casino

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Online Casino, Slots

All Slots Casino has a huge selection of slots. It had better, given the name of the casino. Not only do they have a large number, but they have a lot of good slots – this casino specializes in quality and quantity. For some slots players, though, an online casino is only as good as their slot tournaments. All Slots has that covered as well.

Right now there are a number of online slot tournaments going on and they range in price and prize pool size. They are also played on a number of different games. For example, there is the $50 Tomb Raider slot tournament, which is for low rollers. This is a freeroll tournament that has no entry fee and players compete for a small prize pool that is only $50. This weekend, though, there is also the $20K Weekend Rebuy, where players compete for a prize pool of $20,000. The entry fee for this tournament is larger, though, at $20. In between, there are tournaments like the $150 All Day Loaded tournament, which is playable at any time and has players competing for a $150 prize pool while only paying $2 to enter. Another mid-range slot tournament is the $2,500 Treasure Quest tournament, which is another freeroll tournament. Despite having no entry fee, players compete for a pretty large prize pool of $2,500.

There is also a tournament for the new Thunderstruck II game, which is the sequel to one of the most popular online slots in recent memory. The tournament is called the $500 All Day Thunderstruck tournament and players compete for a $500 prize pool while paying only $5 to enter.

For players who aren’t into slots, All Slots Casino still has tournaments for you. There is the $100 Black Jack tournament, which is a blackjack tournament with no entry fee and a $100 prize. For players who want to play for slightly larger stakes and maybe play a blackjack game that doesn’t spell the game wrong in the title, there is the Blackjack $10 Card Counter. Don’t be fooled by this name, either, though. Card counting doesn’t work online, including in this blackjack tournament.

To take part in any of the wide variety of online slot tournaments and blackjack tournaments, visit All Slots Casino today.

Cherry Red Casino Now With Blackjack Tournaments

Author: scott  //  Category: Blackjack, Online Casino

Cherry Red Casino has always been one of my favorite online casinos. They have a wide range of online slots, blackjack games, poker games, roulette and more. Their game selection is among the best in the industry.

Along with the good games, Cherry Red Casino also boasts great customer service that is always quick to respond and deal with any problems and concerns that arise. The casino also has a clean, good-looking site with fluid animations and their famous woman in the red dress, who really makes you feel at home. At least, you feel at home if your home has a gorgeous woman in a red cocktail dress. If so, why are you wasting your time on the Internet?

Anyway, Cherry Red has now added a new feature to the site that makes it even better. The casino now offers online blackjack tournaments. Blackjack tournaments can be hard to find online and recently many online casinos that once held them have dropped those tournaments. Cherry Red instead has gone the other way, embracing a favorite activity for blackjack players.

The blackjack tournaments offer players a chance to compete for prize money while risking little of their own cash. The tournaments are 10 rounds each and they offer different buy-in levels to make it easier to find a blackjack tournament that fits your budget. The tournaments with the higher entry fee have a larger prize pool, though.

To play in the new online blackjack tournaments, visit Cherry Red Casino today.

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