Author Archives: Steve M

Blackjack Tips and Strategy

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Playing online blackjack is hugely popular and it is no wonder the casino owners in Vegas are keen to stop the growth of online gambling in the USA because, fun as a trip to Vegas, Atlantic City or another great resort is, playing blackjack online from the comfort of your own home also offers great appeal. Here we offer up some tips, advice and strategy for playing blackjack – having fun is great on its own, but having fun AND making money is even better!

One of the first things to know about blackjack is that whilst the adage “easy to play, difficult to master” is true in some respects, in others it isn’t, because the mastery part has been done for you. “Basic strategy” is the name given to the mathematically proven method of playing blackjack – both online or in a physical casino – that will deliver the best results and reduce the house edge to its minimum, that is it gives you the best possible chance to win money.

Learning the full details of basic strategy is tough because different blackjack rule variants have slightly different optimum strategies. However, there is no need to learn all of these – you can find a general chart right here, whilst other variations are also available online. Whatever you do, always follow the course of action basic strategy dictates, even if it seems risky or wrong: this is mathematically the best option and, if you want to give yourself the best chance of winning, making any other call is throwing your dollars away.

The other most important thing to do when playing blackjack online is to play a version of the game with the lowest house edge. Playing hard-to-find liberal Vegas rules gets the casino’s advantage down to less than 0.3%. On the other hand, if you play a version of blackjack with eight or more decks, 6/5 odds for blackjack and all the other bad rule variants, that house edge can go up to 10% or even higher (on some bonus and progressive games).

The other key thing to consider is your staking plan – how much you will bet on each hand of blackjack? Dividing your bankroll by 30 and then staking the same amount on each hand is a good option for beginners but one major tip is to avoid doubling your stake after a loss. Although this can work in the short term, long term it is doomed to failure.

Playing Online Blackjack

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Playing blackjack online offers easy access to one of the world’s greatest casino games and with some casinos also offering mobile versions of their site you can even play blackjack on the move, meaning you can pretty much play anywhere, anytime.

If you’ve never played online blackjack before, or even never played blackjack at all, our basic guide talks you through every step of the process and helps you choose a great site at which to play. Blackjack is hugely popular for two reasons: it’s really simple to play and the casino’s house edge is very small, meaning the player has a great chance to win.

Choosing and Joining an Online Casino

When selecting the casinos and blackjack sites you play at it firstly is worth considering welcome players from the USA (for US residents), whether it can be trusted to use fair and secure software and whether it offers bonuses to new players. If you can tick those important boxes straight away then away you go.

Joining an online casino is easy and it is very similar to making any other online purchase in that all you need to do is enter a few details to create an account and then fund the account in the same way you would pay for shoes, groceries or a new cell at another retailer.

Getting a Blackjack Bonus

Check the “Promotions” (or similar) page at whichever site you are looking to join and there is probably a high chance you will be eligible to claim a bonus based on your first deposit. Check the terms as you may need to enter a bonus code and there will probably be wagering requirements attached to the bonus, meaning you have to bet a certain amount before making a withdrawal, and note that blackjack is sometimes a restricted game due to its low house edge.

Choose the Right Game

Many casinos and blackjack sites offer a range of blackjack variants with slightly different rules and options. These can turn the house edge (the casino’s advantage) from less than 0.5% into almost 10%, so choose wisely. In short you want a game with full pay on blackjack (so odds of 3/2 rather than 6/5), as small a number of decks as possible, the dealer to stand on a soft 17 and late surrender.

Play Basic Strategy

Basic or optimal strategy is a mathematically proven way of playing that gives you the best odds of winning. Check out our basic strategy chart… and always stick to it!