Author: horse-racing-free-tips

Whether you call it blackjack or “21”, you’ll call it more fun when you play blackjack at an online casino. Online casinos offer all of the blackjack action of physical casinos but none of the distractions and additional expenses like food, beverages, hotel rooms and gasoline. You get real blackjack casino action and 100% of your bankroll can be dedicated to playing the game.

Blackjack rules can vary widely between online casinos so it’s a good idea to read the online blackjack help page before you begin playing.

Depending upon the rules of when a dealer can hit and when the dealer must stand, the house edge for online blackjack can vary between a low of 0.18% to an amazing high of 0.93%. Since you don’t want to be playing blackjack at an online casino where the house wins 93 out of every 100 hands, you really need to pay attention before you plunk your money down.

Although many people still play the “standard” version of Blackjack or “21”, there are several variations which are becoming popular at more and more online blackjack casinos these days.

One of the more popular online casino blackjack games is called “Blackjack Switch.”

Although it is very similar to standard blackjack there are some subtle differences and features that make the game more interesting. The most notable feature is the fact that a player can actually trade cards between two open hands which, in effect, giving him the ability to create his own winning hand.

The player is required to make to equal bets before the cards are dealt. The dealer then gives each player two cards face up. The players can then switch the second card that was dealt to each hand if it will result in a better hand for them.

Besides this obvious feature, there are some other differences between standard online casino blackjack and Blackjack Switch played online.

* Blackjack Switch is played with 6 decks in the shoe.

* The dealer is permitted to hit on a soft 17.

* A player is permitted to double-down on any two cards.

* Players are permitted to double after a split.

* Players are not permitted to split a split.

* Blackjack pays even money.

* All players lose their entire wager when the dealer has a blackjack.

* If the dealer’s cards total 22 it will be treated as a push against any player who is holding 21 or less. A player blackjack beats a dealer’s 22.

Other variations of online casino blackjack include “Pontoon”, a version of blackjack that’s popular among the British, and Caribbean 21 which has a set of rules that’s so different that many people don’t even think of it as Blackjack.

But no matter which online casino version of blackjack you choose, you’re sure to have a good time without ever having to leave your home. Online casino blackjack is your best bet. Good luck!

What is your day to day “job”. Perhaps you are living out those golden years, have been retrenched or let go or are lucky enough to be a trust fund baby, or are otherwise working for a BOSS on the day or night slog. Ever thought of playing Blackjack as a profession- fulltime for a living, to earn a living? There is no reason to stop you, taken you know and can play Basic Strategy backwards flawlessly, have the ability to count a deck down in roughly 25 seconds using a counting method, and know 12 or more Advanced Strategies to increase your odds against the online casinos.

Confident about your playing ability and have no problem with the requirement listed above – you are on your way – YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL BLACKJACK PLAYER already. People require 3 very important things before they will be convinced to becoming a full time professional player – family, security, and finance. In fact these 3 factors will influence any person in any major job decision they take throughout their life, oh….and….where they live! Living in Las Vegas or Nevada is not quite your family neighbourhood! The lifestyle of a professional gambler could also not be to the players’ liking – nor to his family’s and he may lose more than just his money in the end. They must also remember that Blackjack does not come with full medical or unemployment insurance, and that his finance might not be large enough to cover a long run of losses, or to make the big bets needed to get the big one! It is a big decision, as changing any job should be, perhaps it can be taken slowly?

What if the player could make some sort of achievable goal during the time he still ahs that stable job, family, security, and extra cash to play with? If a player has “professional Blackjack” skills, why not let it work for him?

For example: A part time player has a day job making just under $ 100 / day . He keeps records his play at the tables and has a win : loss ratio of about 5 : 1, (5 wins out of 6 times). He wins on average 6 units of his smallest wager / hour. So…., if the table minimum is $5 and he places bets of between $5 – $25, he normally takes in roughly $30 / hour. Sometimes he wins more and sometimes has also lost $300, but consistency will ultimately pay off.

If a player wants to average wins of $100 / playing session, the same amount equal to his daily earned after tax income. Taking the win : loss ratio of 5 : 1, and a implementing a stop-loss set at $100, this means he had to win $120 5 x to cover for a loss of $100 on the 6th session. The players’ stop-loss is set at $100 (daily work rate and maximum amount he can afford to lose). Each playing session would be treated as if it was a day at work, so…off days would simply be breaking even. Though the game of Blackjack is win some, lose some, a player can effectively double his income per day.

Any good player keeping records can come up with a similar plan or system – if he earns $50 a day and wins 2 out of 3 times, he can set a stop loss of $50 and aim to win $75 each time he plays.

The system can help players contemplating the move to professional, see that the income can remain the same or even be better than their current income at their present “jobs”. They can prove it to themselves and …become profit from playing blackjack. This system will show players what they are capable of, over a period as long as they want, until they feel comfortable to make the move.

Players who make the move to Professional must also realise that this play is a long term game, and not short term as played before. Basic playing principles much the same : small wager with a Count of +1 and larger wagers above it. This strategy is a “slowly slowly” strategy that makes most Counters their money (% advantage x size of bankroll). There are players who no bankroll, and only their table betting to play with. Here a conservative approach must be used to remove volatility from the game.

Some players (Counters) use Jerry Patterson’s “Takedown” strategy. Jerry is the Father of “Alternative Blackjack” with his mentions of biases and strings of small and large cards due to shuffling and card pick-up routines. He explains why and how counters can avoid being ‘caught’ by betting large amounts as the count rises. “Takedown” is a method of betting for non-counters and Jerry explains that players should bet as the count drops, not as it rises, as it is now that the 10s are coming out.

Most successful Counters use a bankroll and increase their advantage when placing each wager based on the count, and end up earning more money long term, riding out the swings of the game. One such swing can result in a player quitting Blackjack play all together, usually having lost all his money. 6 and 8 deck games are the hardest to beat due to shuffling biases, which is hard to prove mathematically. Traditional Patterson betting strategies are more effective against one and two deck games, which are still common in Las Vegas.

Jerry in “Takedown” also recommends that players lock up their winnings and play on to other limits. i.e. a player must set a goal of say $150 for the day, but if he needs to bet out of his $120 win, he must not. If he got to $150, same deal. Jerry calls this a “winlock” and explains that players must divide their winnings into 3 piles. Using the above example, the player pockets his $120 and place his $30 win in 3 piles, two $5 chips each. He will place bets from 1 pile only. For the next hand he places a 1 chip bet from pile #3. If he loses, he bets the last chip from pile #3. If he loses, he is done for the day. If the player however gets on a winning streak he replenishes pile #3 back to 2 units. He then places the next win on pile #1, then pile #2, and finally to pile #3, the betting pile. He might get these 3 piles up to 8 units each, then hit a losing streak and lose pile #3, then it is time to QUIT. This is an excellent way to maximize your winnings and minimize your loses.