Blackjack and Social Media

On 05.08.12, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Social media has affected many aspects of our lives. Mashable.com even goes as far to say that Social Media is playing a role is “Global Power Revolution.”  You can pretty much achieve anything you like on any of the various social media platforms, so why not improve your blackjack playing? If you’re wondering which website would be best, let me tell you about three that have the potential of greatly increasing your winnings as well as knowledge of the game.

Let’s start with the most popular social media site: Facebook. This site is not only good for exclusive promotions and deals you can also learn a lot from various casinos’ fan pages. “Friending” or “Liking” a Facebook page will allow you access to information you may have not otherwise received.

Twitter is also another one of my favorites. This site has a reputation for being a narcissistic playground only existing so users can tweet about the bagel they had for breakfast, but I can assure you it is so much more. Every business and notable personality in the casino industry has a Twitter account. Whether you are looking for tips from your favorite blackjack player, or looking for special promos from casinos, you will find them by following them on Twitter.

And finally YouTube; this site is a wealth of knowledge. There are so many tutorials and strategy videos here that you could spend hours perfecting your craft.

What are some of your favourite social media websites? Do you like to combine your interests when it comes to how you use the Internet?

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When to Surrender in Blackjack

On 10.24.11, In Blackjack Strategy, Blackjack Tips, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

No one ever wants to surrender, but sometimes it is imperative when trying not to lose too much money. Surrender is possibly the most important aspect to talk about because it is the first choice you must make when playing your hand in blackjack. You must be careful though, because many blackjack games, such as one deck blackjack don’t offer the surrender option. If the blackjack game you are playing does offer surrender, it comes in two forms: either early or late.

You may only surrender after two cards, and before you have done any other action, such as splitting, doubling down, or drawing a third card.

When you surrender, you are folding at the expense of half of your bet. An early surrender is rarely offered because it allows for the player to have a quite large advantage over the house. The player can choose to surrender before the dealer checks their cards. In late surrender, the player can only surrender if the dealer does not have blackjack, after he has checked his card.

Surrender is a great tool for a player that is why it isn’t offered at a lot of casinos; if a casino does offer it, make sure you check all of the rules because there might be tricky details embedded to up the advantage of the house.

Knowing when to surrender is basic blackjack strategy, and it shouldn’t be done too often. To lose less with surrender the player must only be 25% likely to win. So, if you lose 75% of the time, and win 25% of the time, you net loss is 50% equal to the amount you are guaranteed to lose by surrendering.

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Four Things Not to Do in the Game of Blackjack

On 10.17.11, In Blackjack Games, Blackjack Strategy, Blackjack Tips, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Everyone wants to tell you what to do while playing blackjack, I’m going to tell you what not to do, four things specifically.

First, never underestimate the power of playing simply. Sometimes advanced techniques can get too complicated to remember and abide by. Simply going with gut instinct, and getting back to the basics can prove very lucrative.

Second, you, along with the rest of the players, are playing against the dealer. The dealer is not an expert player; do not model your playing after him or her. They are only making moves based on what the casino or the random number generator tells them to.

Third, don’t abuse the insurance option. Insurance is mostly only beneficial when you are counting cards, and know when the dealer is going to achieve blackjack. When the dealer has an ace in hand, the chances of them having a paint card as their whole car and getting blackjack rise substantially. The odds in blackjack (4:13) are good for everyone playing, so insurance can be very beneficial, but don’t use it too often, your odds are just as good as the dealer’s.

Fourth, don’t forget about the surrender option. It is easy to forget it exists sometimes, but it can help you and your wallet out. Some times when to surrender are: if you have a nine or ten and your cards total fifteen or sixteen, and the dealer has a nine or ten. Players are quick to surrender when they are sitting on a hard twelve or thirteen; this move is basically giving the casino your money.

And possibly the best thing not to do is play a non-reputable establishment. There are many websites that will give you US and UK casino reviews, so utilize what’s out there.

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Learning BlackJack from YouTube

On 10.10.11, In Blackjack Strategy, Blackjack Tips, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Most everyone knows the basics of blackjack when they embark on their first game, but did you know there are plenty of easy ways to improve your game and strategy? One way, probably my favorite is YouTube.

There are over 3,000 videos on YouTube.com that will guide you on your blackjack learning quest. YouTube is a valuable tool when it comes to many things, such as; learning an instrument, watching fuzzy animals doing cute things, and even getting a recipe or culinary trick from professional chefs.

The best thing about YouTube is it is completely free.  If you are asked to buy a subscription, or pay for a video, you are watching the wrong clips. There are promotional videos out there that want you to buy blackjack strategy software, this is not necessary. There are plenty of free videos that can provide you with all of the information you need to know, whether it is learning different varieties of blackjack to play, or mastering a certain skill, such as card counting.

Some of my favorites are BeatingBlackjack and TheCasinoGuru.  They are just a couple of regular guys who are very passionate about the game of blackjack.

When searching how various blackjack strategies, be sure to include the words: “How to.” This will narrow your search, and only give you tutorial videos. Just typing in blackjack gives you anything from clips of movies to music videos from the 80s.

Whether you are practicing for your trip to Vegas, or just getting some quick pointers in between games when playing at a Top Online Casino, YouTube videos are a great tool.

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Playing Blackjack Online Versus in a Casino

On 10.03.11, In Blackjack Games, Blackjack Strategy, Blackjack Tips, Online Blackjack, Online Casino, By Vivi

Some casino games translate to playing online very well, such as slots, or video poker. Many argue that blackjack isn’t one of these games, but I beg to differ.

It all depends on your level of play. Many expert players claim they can pick up on dealer’s ‘tells’, and actually sitting at a blackjack table in an actual casino is the only way to play. Then you have the expert player who just wants to play blackjack, and doesn’t really believe in dealer ‘tells’ and can play blackjack anywhere. After that we have the novice player, who doesn’t know the difference between playing at Caesar’s Palace or http://www.onlineblackjack.co.uk/.

I personally don’t mind as long as I’m paying attention, it all seems to be the same to me. Especially these days with so many new games coming out that have options to play with multiple players, and virtual dealers, it’s almost the same.

There are a few things to keep in mind no matter where you are playing. Always pay attention to everyone’s hand. This will give you a clue as to what the dealer’s hole card might be; after all you are only ever playing against the dealer, not any of the other players.

There are also different versions of blackjack you can play online that only use one or two decks, which really ups the players advantage.

I find myself in between the spectrum of experts and novice, it seems like I learn something new every day, and I will continue to learn about this strategic game. So are there a lot of difference between playing blackjack online versus playing in an actual casino? That’s for you, the player, to decide.

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One Deck Blackjack at Bodog

On 09.26.11, In Blackjack Games, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

What would you say if I said I can show you where there is one and two deck blackjack on the internet? Would you be interested? Because I surely was.  I’ve always played at Bodog, but when I was there the other day I saw that they had two new options: 1 deck blackjack and 2 deck blackjack. I was so excited I started playing immediately.

I take that back, I didn’t start playing immediately; I looked up what the differences were between one deck blackjack and multiple deck blackjack. I searched a bunch of tutorial videos on YouTube.com until I finally thought I was ready to conquer the game. I also learned that it has the best theoretical player advantage out of all blackjack games in the casino.

Since there were far less cards involved, I knew that the rules were going to vary a little bit. The only difference I could see was only being able to double on your first two cards dealt, as well as only being able to split once. I noticed that the pace of play is so much longer with one or two decks, that these rules were most likely purely for speed of play.

I bet the minimum bet of $25 and lost the first couple hands. Then I doubled down and won. There is no surrender or insurance in this version so I had to play with extra care. And like I said the pace was a bit slower, I was hitting sometimes up to 6 times, when I’m used to only once or twice.

I switched over to two decks after a while and didn’t see any huge difference between the two. The rules were the same, the minimum bet just got smaller and there was an insurance option.

After I played at Bodog I went on http://www.gambling101.org/ to try to find more online casinos offering this special version of blackjack.

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Online BlackJack Tips

On 09.12.11, In Blackjack Rules, Blackjack Strategy, Blackjack Tips, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Blackjack is probably the most popular game in the realm of casino games. It is thought to be the biggest money maker at the casino, so why couldn’t it be online as well?

Many gamers actually prefer to play it on the computer, in the comfort of their own home. You may not have a dealer to watch, and determine their tells, but there are plenty of advantages to playing blackjack online as opposed to in an actual casino. Here, I’m going to discuss various online blackjack tips.

So everyone knows that the goal in blackjack is to get up to 21, without going over.  You are always just playing against the dealer, no matter how many people are sitting at the table with you.

Speaking of people sitting at the table, always be watching their cards. Say for instance you have a 10 and a 6, all you need is a 5 to win, right? You then see many 10s on the table, plus the dealer has a 10, you must always assume that the dealer has another 10 that they could flip over and have a score of 20.

Therefore, you need to achieve at least 20, it is better to burst than to let the dealer win by default, because they have to go to at least 17. They cannot stop at 14, 15, or 16. This gives the player the edge over the house. So always watch the other players, and their cards to help determine whether the dealer could possibly have a 10 in the hole.

These are just some basic guidelines, check back often for more helpful yet fun tips and tricks!

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Making the Best Bet in Blackjack

On 07.20.11, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Do you know when that is? A lot of blackjack players both online and off think they do, but they may not be right. Especially if they are not playing with any blackjack strategy. For players who are looking to make money from playing blackjack online or off, strategy is a must.

Strategy can tell a player when the best time to bet is in blackjack and what the best plays are given the cards being held and what the dealer is showing. Normally this means knowing the math and probability of the game. Unfortunately most blackjack players do not want to take the time to go that deep into the game. Generally only professional gamblers will go that deep into the game.

However, there is nothing wrong with wanting to make some serious extra money and that is where knowing the best times and best plays comes in. For players that want to make that serious real money on the side but do not want to do the math there is another way to know when and what the best bets in blackjack are: basic strategy.

In basic strategy the math and the probability has already been calculated and put into an easy to use chart. This chart is not only the best strategy tool for both online blackjack and casino players, it also has another benefit: it is free. It costs nothing to obtain a basic strategy chart and it does not require any extra investment other than what you would normally be wagering in a game of blackjack.

Basic strategy is a char that gives the best play for each combination of dealer up card and player starting hand. Playing according to basic strategy can open a player’s eyes up to more double down options, which in turn opens players up to more winning opportunities and more opportunities to increase their own edge. Playing according to basic strategy can drop the house edge to 0.5%.

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Stiff Hands in Blackjack and What to do With Them

On 04.28.11, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Stiff hands are like bad days. They happen and they suck and there really is not a thing you can do about them except to push on and play them out. Unless of course they are one of the four hands that you can surrender, in which case surrender and wait until the next round and hope for better cards.

So what do you do with stiff hands when you are dealt them?

Well, if it is a hard 13, 14, 15 or 16 your hitting or standing will be split in half. If the blackjack dealer is showing a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 you will stand. This is because it would be too easy for you to hit and bust. At least with standing you have the shot at winning if the dealer busts. But if you hit and bust then you definitely lose. But if the dealer has a 7, 8, 9, 10, king, queen, jack or Ace showing you had better hit. It is likely that they will win so what does it hurt taking a stab at improving your hand? Your odds of losing here are greater anyway.

Now if you have a hard 12 the options are a little bit different. You would still hit against a 7, 8, 9, 10, king, queen, jack or Ace; but you would also hit against a dealer 2 or 3. Because a hard 12 is still a relatively small hand, there is the chance of improving the hand so blackjack players should hit!

Above all it should be understood about stiff hands in blackjack that they are the underdog hands of the game. These blackjack hands do not have the odds with them to win. But following basic strategy and winning with one is good feeling.

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Why Double Down is Worth the Risk

On 03.31.11, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Often times in blackjack, players—especially novice players—have a hard time making the move to double down. In blackjack that is one of the best moves a player could make.

Doubling down in blackjack is when the player puts forth more chips in order to double the amount of the original wager. For example, if you were playing blackjack at $10 per hand and wanted to double down, you would have to put out another $10 so that your total wager is $20. Once the doubling of the original wager is complete, the player receives one more card from the dealer at which point the player must stand.

Because you can only receive one more card and because you are doubling your wager, it makes sense not to double down on every turn or even every other turn. There is a certain risky feeling to this play in blackjack, which is why many players tend to ignore the play.

They understand that there are opportune times to double down but because they are only receiving one card, it is somewhat hard to determine when the best times to double down are. The best rule of thumb is when you have a hard 9, 10 or 11. Generally speaking, most casinos will only let you double down on a 10 or 11 anyway. However, if the dealer has a 10 or an 11 when you have a hard 10, or an 11 when you have a hard 11, do not double down.

If you want an even easier way to know when the best times to double down are, use basic strategy. That chart will tell you when the most opportune times are making it easier to take the risk to double down in blackjack.

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