Blackjack Misconceptions

For being one of the easiest casino games to play both in the casino and in an online casino, there are a fair few misconceptions about blackjack. I understand that it is a card game and not quite as simple as pushing or clicking Spin on a slots game, but blackjack is not nearly as difficult to understand.

In looking over thirty sites with the objective of blackjack given, twenty seven of them were inaccurate.

Now poker, that I can see someone building misconceptions on and not understanding. But not blackjack.

So, I am going to discuss one of the biggest misconceptions about blackjack.

The biggest misconception about blackjack is its objective. Many people, players, nonplayers and so-called experts, claim that the objective of blackjack is to obtain a hand total of 21 using only two cards: an Ace and either a face card or a 10.

For starters the actual objective of blackjack, both blackjack played in a brick and mortar casino and online blackjack, is to beat the dealer

Card Counting Illegal or Not

I was looking around for blackjack news and I found something today that actually kind of shocked me. I read that card counting not being allowed in a casino is a myth

New Blackjack App

And another blackjack app for the iPad is being launched. This one is from Viaden Mobile. Viaden is considered one of the most innovative developers of casino game applications for mobile devices. This time their app release is their Blackjack HD.

So far reviewers have said that is has the best graphic. But as well all know good graphics does not a good blackjack app make.

The Blackjack HD app actually contains three variations of the game. Players with this app can play standard multi-hand blackjack, Blackjack Switch or Blackjack Surrender.

To round out the Vegas feeling of this casino game app, Viaden has given the three variations contained in Blackjack HD casino music. They also try to give these games the feeling of playing with a live dealer through a voice that can announce hand totals and other sayings of blackjack dealers.

Viaden has given players interested in Blackjack HD another cookie. Since this app is not limited to only the iPad, it can be played on an iPhone or an iPod Touch, once a player purchases the app, they can install it on any of their devices that will support it without an extra fee.

Yuri Gurski, the head of Viaden Mobile, said of the app,

Online Blackjack Tournaments

Recently I wrote a short series about blackjack tournament strategy. This can be owed to my rediscovering the fun of playing in an online blackjack tournament.

Blackjack is a player versus dealer kind of game. You might have other players at the table but their hand does not affect yours. You could win and they could lose and that is just the way blackjack goes.

But on occasion blackjack players want a little more from their favorite online casino game. And this comes in the form of a blackjack tournament. In a blackjack tournament suddenly those other layers matter. It matters what they are wagering and how they are playing.

In a typical brick and mortar blackjack tournament there will be several rounds of play. The rounds will either be timed or have a certain number of hands to play per round. The player with the highest chip count will advance to the next round. This keeps going until there is only one table, and the player with the highest chip count wins.

Online blackjack tournaments will typically work a little bit differently. Players sign up and then sign on at the start of the tournament. Since online tournaments have a set time limit, players will usually play until the time limit runs out. Whoever has the highest tournament balance is the winner.

Playing in an online blackjack tournament does not offer the same pressure as a blackjack tournament in a brick and mortar casino because you are not actually face to face with the other players. This makes online blackjack tournaments a good way for novice blackjack players to get into tournaments and become comfortable with competing with other players.

If you are looking for an inexpensive blackjack tournament at an online casino to try I recommend the tournaments offered at Go Casino. They fun for twenty-four hour periods every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The entry fee is only $0.99 and it gives you 50 tournament credits; rebuys are allowed for $2.49 for another 50 tournament credits.

Easiest Way to Lower the House Edge

While blackjack is a game of skill, meaning that the players have a say in how they can play out their hands, that skill requires practice. Or the use of a strategy. In most cases such skills and strategies require time and effort and energy. But everyone will try to find the easiest and fastest way to lower the house edge. Such is the way I guess. It is a something for nothing mentality. And in blackjack, that mentality can be met.

Basic strategy is the fastest and easiest way to lower the house edge. And not only can a blackjack player lower the house edge easily, they can lower it significantly.

Blackjack usually starts out with a house edge of 2% to 5% depending on what the house rules are at a particular table or a particular online blackjack game. Basic strategy can lower the house edge to 0.5% without too much effort.

All basic strategy is is a chart with every player starting hand running down the left. Ever dealer up card runs across the top. Where each lien intersects is the best statistical play for that player starting hand versus that dealer up card. All you have to do as a blackjack player is make that play. It really is that easy. All of the math and calculations and testing have already been done.

While the basic strategy chart has the best statistical play it does not mean you will win every single hand in a game of blackjack. However, it will allow you to win more often and, most importantly, lower the house edge to 0.5%

Will New Jersey have Online Blackjack?

Even if the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) now in effect California and Florida have been looking into making online gambling legal within their states for state residents. They are looking into it mostly as another source of income, which is much needed.

But while California has been going round and round in talks with tribes in their state, and Florida has been going back and forth with the Seminoles, New Jersey has snuck in under the radar.

On Thursday a bill, proposed by Senator Ray Lesniak, that would regulate online gambling within the state for New Jersey residents passed a committee vote 3-1. With the bill passed it can now go to the entire Senate for discussion and hopefully a vote that will allow for online gambling in New Jersey.

The way the bill works is to allow licensed casinos the ability to create sites online that allow for gambling online. Casinos must be licensed because without that license, according to federal law, they would not be allowed to offer online gambling. But since casinos in Atlantic City are licensed

Rules to Improve Your Blackjack Odds

The better your blackjack odds are, the better your chances of taking home some extra money. Thankfully blackjack is one such game that you can do this with.

Blackjack is a casino game in which the odds are not set in stone, like how they are with a slots game. Tables and online blackjack games can have different rules that can either help improve your blackjack odds or hurt them. Naturally, you want to look for the rules that will improve your blackjack odds.

But do you know what house rules to be on the lookout for to improve your blackjack odds?

One of the best rules to look for is blackjacks that pay 2-1. This rule can increase your blackjack odds by 2.27%. With a 3-2 payout you would be paid $15 for a blackjack on a $10 wager. But your winnings for a blackjack at a 2-1 table is $20. You are being paid more for you blackjack and that hits the house harder.

Another good house rule to be on the lookout for is an automatic win for a Five Card Charlie. A Five Card Charlie is a hand of five cards whose total value is still less than 21. If you are playing at a table that allows a Five Card Charlie to beat anything the dealer has

Basic Strategy or Instinct

Basic Strategy is the single easiest blackjack strategy tool that can be used. Basic strategy can be used for blackjack in a brick and mortar casino, and also for online blackjack. This is because it is based on the basic rules of the game, making it a versatile blackjack strategy tool.

However, this does make it ineffective for variations with different house rules, such as Spanish 21 and Pontoon. It can be used in variations in which the game play is the same as regular blackjack with the variation coming from a side bets. But you should not be playing side bet variations anyway.

What makes basic strategy the easiest blackjack strategy tool? It is because the hard work has already been done. All you have to do is find out what play is the best recommended for the hand you have been dealt against whatever the dealer