Posts filed under 'Blackjack'
Did you know that the dealer’s average non-blackjack winning hand is 18.56?
This table shows the average dealer score, assuming:
- the dealer does not bust
- the dealer has already checked for blackjack
The average dealer hand total increases with the number of decks and that the average score is 0.0405 higher when the dealer hits soft 17.
That means the probability that the dealer will bust is only 0.00403 higher when the dealer hits a soft 17. That’s 10.05 extra dealer points per dealer bust. This, hopefully, goes to show why it is bad for the player if the dealer hits a soft 17.
Thanks to the Wizard of Odds for this interesting Blackjack item.
Where to play the best Blackjack on the net? Have a look at our page comparing the top casinos for Blackjack.
May 3rd, 2007
If you’re looking for a fresh take on your online blackjack and possibly some better luck, we suggest you have a look at either Centrebet Casino or Premierbet Casino. (Sorry, neither site accepts US real money players)
Centrebet Casino offers six-deck Blackjack in single hand classic, Blackjack Surrender, Blackjack Switch, 3 hand, and 5 hand formats as well as Multiplayer and Private Group Modes, where several players sit at the same table.
Centrebet is a savvy Australian-owned and publicly listed company (“fair dinkum”) and a name you can trust. The casino and betting operation has been around since 1967, online since 1996 and has a good reputation amoung the pros.
Centrebet’s Playtech casino software plays smoothly and ultra quickly and we’ve found he blackjack to be among some of the best on the net. New Real Money players can earn up to $200 free as a joining bonus (That’s €150, 1250 NOK, 1500 SEK or 1250 DKK).
For more on Centrebet Casino, it’s payment options, what’s hot and not
Premierbet Casino is owned and operated as part of Heathorns International Ltd (Interactive Gaming Holdings plc.) It is a UK registered company and traded on the London Stock Exchange so ultra safe, heavily audited and easy to monitor.
The blackjack on offer at this top ‘no download’ UK casino ranges from Vegas Blackjack 3 hand (currently boasting a 99.75% payout) which is played with 4 full card decks, reshuffled after every hand, through to a tidy rendition of European Blackjack played with 2 decks.
One of the ‘stand out’ features at Premierbet Casino is the size of the bets – you can place £500 chips and win up to £100,000 on a game. In fact, most games at Premierbet Casino let you modify the game stake considerably – even slots games – like our favourite Heaven and Hell – let you bet up to £90-£120 per spin depending on the game. [ie DO NOT JUST PRESS ‘BET MAX’ !!]
For more on Premierbet Casino, it’s payment options, what’s hot and not
April 9th, 2007
Fancy the winnings from 50 free spins on an Egg-citingly good video slot?
All you need to do is purchase $£€200 between Friday and Monday and within an hour your Free Spins will be ready For you on the always-popular Cashanova Slot by Microgaming.
>>GO TO Blackjack Ballroom Casino (US players from 39 States are still accepted at these Casino Rewards Group online entertainment sites)
OK, So Slots not your thing, you’re more of a Blackjack fan? If you’re UK based you can take advantage of this great Blackjack offer at Ladbrokes Casino instead.
Ladbrokes are giving away 5 x “once in a lifetime” Red Letter Day experiences! (as a non-Pom I’m afraid all I associate the Red Letter Day company with is a grumpy entrepreneur off Dragon’s Den)
Whether you have your heart set on a Ferrari Thrill, Rally driving, hot air ballooning, body flying, or even a Seaplane experience… the team at Ladbrokes want to make it happen!
Each time you play £25 on any Blackjack before 15th April, you get a free entry into the prize draw. The more you play… the more chances you have to win.
>> GO TO Ladbrokes Casino (A Top UK owned Microgaming Casino – sorry, no US players)
April 6th, 2007
Rather than drinking dodgy green beer and donning a green hat…
… what about celebrating St Patrick’s Day with Dublinbet.com Casino and be in to win a trip to Dublin, Ireland?
Just deposit EURO50 or currency equivalent as a single deposit any time during March and you’re in the draw…
The winner will receive a round trip flight and first class accommodation in the heart of Dublin City for a long weekend in the spring of 2007.
While you’re there you can even play at the Fitzwilliam Casino and Card Club – the same tables DublinBet.com takes webcam feeds off for their cool Live Dealer table games. Don’t forget to wave!
PS: Check out the early payout blackjack – this is pretty cool and unique to DublinBet.com
PPS: Sorry no US players can play for real money at Dublinbet.com
>>Visit DublinBet here (sorry, no US real money players)
>>Here’s a link to a detailed review of DublinBet so you can see hhow they compare, which payment methods they take, what’t hot and what’s not…)
March 16th, 2007
As you ponder your Blackjack or Poker hand have you ever wondered why the Jack called a Jack, rather than a Prince, Earl or another nobleman?
Apparently the first European cards had all-male court cards; a seated king, a cavalier astride his horse and a foot servant or soldier. So the rank of the individual represented on the card increased with the value of the card. 1 (the ace), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 10, knave, cavalier, king. (Sometimes the ace ranks above the king.)
In the 15th century, those innovative French for reasons unknown, substituted a queen instead of the cavalier. French cards became popular in England and formed the basis of the standard English pack.
So at this time in England – and right up until the 3rd quarter of the 19th century, the court cards were called king, queen and knave, with knave being the now-defunct term for a male servant.
In the game of All Fours, jack is the name of the point awarded for winning a trick containing the knave of trumps. It was therefore also applied to the knave of trumps itself in this game. Later it also meant any of the knaves.
At the time the word Jack also had ‘a common man’ as one of its meanings.
In the middle of the 19th century, cards were labelled in 2 or 4 corners with a value, or the first initial of court cards giving K (for the king), Q (for the queen) and the first 2 initals of knave giving Kn. This was not popular and eventually was adapted to use the alternative term for a common man which was also associated with the knave card, Jack.
March 15th, 2007
Hi there – Today I’ve had a fairly strange email dialogue with a casino enthusiast new to online play. Among other things Terri wanted to know, as a avid in-the-flesh player, why there was so much fuss about Microgaming Casinos.
Well, where do you start?
As Terri had already assured me that ‘only idiots play slots’ – she wanted to know about Microgaming’s ‘real casino games like blackjack and roulette’.
OK. Easy… Along with some basics like the number of decks in the Blackjack (there are like 34 different BJ’s so this was a list!) and the payout percentages at various MG casinos, I sent her some free game, no registration links to the latest Microgaming Viper Gold Series table games so she could see for himself.
>>Perhaps you’d like to suss them out too?
Here they are – just click on the image of the game you want to try or the link below it (you get $1000 free credits each time you click and can play as often as you like).
These really are free, no strings attached links to ‘no registration required, no download required’, Microgaming Gold Series Casino Tables Games. They take just a few moments to load.
I personally think it’s obvious why so many players and industry specialists really rate this latest Viper Gold Series casino software. I especially like the slinky card turns and shadows under the chips…
Hope you enjoy them,
Elle
Multi Hand 3 Card Poker Gold
Roulette Gold
Atlantic City Gold BlackJack
PS: You can play for real at Spin Palace Casino (sorry, no US players) or Blackjack Ballroom Casino (US players welcomed from 39 states).
March 7th, 2007
In March (like, from tomorrow…) you could win a weekend trip to Dublin!
The latest promotion of savvy Irish online Casino, DublinBet, rewards players for depositing in March. Sean and Colleen (probably not their real names) will enter you into a random draw to win a weekend trip to Dublin, Ireland if you deposit €50 in March. Easy. And, if you’re feeling lucky, well worth a crack!
The winner will receive a round trip flight and first class accommodation in the heart of Dublin City for one weekend in the spring of 2007. (I have no idea what Spring is like in Dublin… but it sounds nice, no doubt lots of four leafed clover).
And of course you’ll be able to visit and play in the Fitzwilliam Casino and Card Club in Dublin, where all DublinBet live dealer games are played! (Fancy starring in web cam?)
We have recommended DublinBet before in this blog, but just to re-cap – it’s got two stand-out features:
- The Early payout Blackjack – it not only plays basic strategy blackjack (4 decks) so gameplay is a “known quantity” but it also offers you the choice to opt out of a hand early to lock in a profit or recover some of your bet rather than playing the hand to its conclusion. This is a “must play” for those wanting to improve their blackjack skills – and it’s unique to DublinBet.
- The really well implemented live dealer games – DublinBet uses the latest webcam technology – a far cry from the usual stilted and virtually unplayable attempts at live dealer casino games. These tables are live from the Fitzwilliam Casino and Card Club in Dublin so you can wave as the winner of the ‘weekend in Dublin’ competition strolls on by your table!
>>Visit DublinBet (sorry, and we are sorry, no US bettors!)
>>Read more about DublinBet
February 28th, 2007
I like getting something for nothing and suspect you do too. I got a pleasant surprise today when I logged onto Blackjack Ballroom for a quick fix before doing some work… my account balance was higher than when I’d signed out. Nice.
I am generally not fussed for casino player promotions as I like to play the games I LIKE – not the ones they want to promote – and there are some games, especially certain 3-reel slots that you could not force me to play at gun point.
Today I’d been one of the 48 lucky players drawn randomly for a $50 casino cash bonus. (They are apparently giving away $14,000 this week) It’s funny, $50 is not much – but it put a smile on my face all morning, especially as I’ve now played it up to $450 on my favourite Blackjack game 🙂
Anyway – I’ve always liked Blackjack Ballroom. Canada licensed & Microgaming based, Blackjack Ballroom is CasinoLabRat.com’s top rated casino across all games categories as they have the whole suite of Microgaming games on offer not just the best blackjack on the net…
I started out playing only blackjack at this casino (there are like, 33 or 35 blackjack game variants to choose from). I then taught myself Vegas Craps – fun, if not that lucrative! I moved on to European Roulette for a couple of months. My favorite game at present is Multi-hand 3-card poker Gold Series.
…and the next classic casino table game I’m going to master is Baccarat.
If you’re looking for a new online casino with some class try Blackjack Ballroom – so many online casinos remove all the elegance and dignity that I associate with in-the-flesh casino play. Try BJBR, I think these guys have got it right. 
KJK
February 25th, 2007
Like most casino games, a lot of B.S. surrounds the game of blackjack. Believing in many of the common Blackjack myths can make you lose, and lose big! Novice players tend to be the most gullible and fall for them or have strangely superstitious views on their chances, so here’s a few debunked.
Myth #1: The goal of blackjack is to get as close to a total of 21 as possible
No! This is definitely not the objective of the game. Your main goal is to beat the dealer’s hand. There is a big difference! Play to your hand – AND the dealers.
If you’re playing tournament blackjack, player-on-player like at Get21.com, the real game objective (if you want to make money) is to accumulate the most chips at the table – to do this you need to draw out your opponents bets – much more like Texas Hold’em poker strategy.
Myth #2: The dealer is hot (or cold)
In simple terms, you think you’re winning if the cards are running in your favour. But the “dealer” (or system) is against you when you are losing. Dealers simply follow casino rules on blackjack and they don’t have a choice on what to do, but you have. The same applies to online blackjack – the casino software is programmed to deal cards based on a set of well defined rules. Believing in a “hot run” from a dealer is a sign of frustration, or simply a characteristic of a blackjack player who trusts in “lady luck”.
Myth #3: In multiplayer blackjack, players joining a table in the middle of the game can make you lose.
This is more superstition than based on statistical outcomes. If a player getting into the game or leaving the game changes the way YOU play you may well lose – but its not because of anything they or the dealer have done. Keep focussed on your own game!
Myth #4: You are entitled to win (and soon!)
If you ever think that as the dealer has won eight consecutive times then its “your turn” or that “you are entitled to win the next round”; you’re an idiot. Sorry, I really mean you should focus on your game (or give up and play on the slots machines 🙂 ).
Myth #5: Big bucks can be made playing Blackjack
Myths 1-4 above relate to players who want quick wins without putting in the effort. Be patient, watch, listen and learn. Successful Blackjack players draw on both skill and luck. Try out the various published game strategies available and develop a blackjack system that works for you. Play lots of blackjack hands, try a few different blackjack game variants to see what you like and don’t – and read the game rules! Not all blackjack games have the same odds and payouts (ie the chances of you winning and winning best value for your bet).
Myth #6: Online blackjack is nothing like playing BJ in a real casino
Get over yourself! If you’re struggling to equate in-the-flesh blackjack play with the experience you get online we suggest you try the Microgaming Gold Series Blackjacks available at Blackjack Ballroom. It is ultra-realistic, complete with slinky card turns, and is by far the most graphically realistic blackjack on the net short of Live Dealer Casinos.
Our favourite Live Dealer Blackjack is at savvy Irish casino, DublinBet.com. If you’re hankering to join in a blackjack game at a real casino table, but can’t leave home, this web-cast live dealer game is the best on the net for realism. (You can even hear how the ‘luck of the Irish’ is running in the background – games are live 24×7 from The Fitzwilliam Card Club and Casino in central Dublin, Ireland!)
For beginners and purists we recommend the single deck classic blackjack at Blackjack Ballroom, blackjack surrender (any version) should be avoided and never take insurance!
A new blackjack game that may help you refine your skills is called Early Payout Blackjack. In this game you get the choice to ‘take the money and run’ at each stage of the hand. The amount you are offered is based on the statistical chances of your hand beating the dealer’s hand. You can only play this game at DublinBet.com but it’s well worth a look.
Good luck at the tables!
Mike
February 9th, 2007
It might come as a bit of a revelation for some of you but you can win good money online playing multiplayer tournament blackjack. The games are run a bit like poker tournaments, and they even have Freerolls to get you into the swing.
This is player-on-player stuff, the objective is no longer just to beat the dealer and so some different strategies emerge just to keep you on your toes.
Fancy a trip for two to the luxurious casino resort in Monte Carlo? There’s one to be won in February.
Get21, the site that specialises in online multiplayer tournament blackjack, has a new offer on the table for February – plus over $60K in guaranteed prize tournaments you can enter.
You’ll note I’ve not called them a casino – ‘cos they’re not. Get21 is a specialist licensed Blackjack cardroom and where many blackjack junkies hang out improving their skills and adding to their bankrolls.
BE IN QUICK: Players with ‘fun’ (play for free) accounts that register for real money accounts in February can play in free feeders to win this great trip. All real money registered players are qualified to participate. No deposit required. Note: this is Blackjack – not Poker!
Get21 also gives you more chances to maximise your winnings throughout February. Each month as their player base grows they add more tournaments, bigger payouts, more action!
- Daily $500 Guaranteed Prize Pool tournament
- 2 X Daily $250 Guaranteed Prize Pool tournaments
- 3 X daily: $100 Guaranteed Prize Pool tournaments
- Four times a day: $50 Guaranteeds
- Four times a day: $25 Guaranteeds
- Twice weekly: $1,000 Guaranteeds
At least 3 Daily freerolls too… (Once again: this is Blackjack – not Poker!)
To get you started Blackjack Freerolls range in prize values with $10, $50 and $100 tournaments running each day and a $1000 Freeroll coming up on the 28 the of February.
No harm in looking!
Try this link >>GO TO Get21 Blackjack
For more info on Get21 have a look at this independent player review.
February 8th, 2007
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