| Blackjack
is the one online casino game where the player can actually affect his odds of
winning - or reduce the 'house edge'. As a result, this is the one online
casino game that allows the best players to regularly 'Beat The Casino'. By
following simple rules about when to hit, when to stand, when to double and
when to split, the online casino's 'edge' can be reduced to below 1% - giving
the online casino player his best chance of big winnings.
How To Play Blackjack
When
the game begins, you (the player) are dealt two cards face up and the dealer
(the casino) is dealt two cards - one face up and one face down. Your decision
on whether to hit or stand must be based on the total value of your cards
against the value of the dealer's 'up' card.
Firstly
we will deal with 'hard' hands - hands where you do not have an Ace.
These are the simplest to play and the following rules should be followed
strictly at all online casinos.
When
you are holding cards totaling 4,5,6,7 or 8 - HIT against everything.
When
your cards total 9, DOUBLE against the dealer's 3,4,5,6 or HIT against the
dealer's 2,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K or Ace.
When
your cards total 10, DOUBLE against the dealer's 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 or HIT
against the dealer's 10,J,Q,K or Ace.
When
your cards total 11, DOUBLE against everything except an Ace (where you should
just HIT).
When
your cards total 12, HIT against the dealer's 2,3,7,8,9,10 or Ace. STAND
against the dealer's 4,5 or 6.
When
your cards total 13,14,15,16, HIT against the dealer's 7,8,9,10,J,Q,K or Ace.
STAND against 2,3,4,5 or 6.
When
your cards total 17 or higher - STAND against everything.
When
you hold an Ace (a 'soft' hand) things are a little different.
Holding
soft 13 or 14, DOUBLE against the dealer's 5 or 6. HIT against everything
else.
Holding
soft 15 or 16, DOUBLE against the dealer's 4,5 or 6. HIT against everything
else.
Holding
soft 17, DOUBLE against 3,4,5 or 6. HIT against everything else.
Holding
soft 18, DOUBLE against 3,4,5 or 6. HIT against 9 or 10,J,Q,K and STAND
against 2,7,8 and Ace.
Holding
soft 19 or 20, STAND against everything.
Once
your Ace is forced to count as a 1, follow rules for hard hands.
If
you are dealt a pair, things are a little different as certain pairs
(but certainly not all) should be SPLIT when playing blackjack at an online
casino.
Pair
of Aces, pair of 8's - always SPLIT.
Pair
of 10's - always STAND.
Pair
of 2's or 3's - SPLIT against the dealer's 2,3,4,5,6,7. HIT against
8,9,10,Ace.
Pair
of 4's or 5's - Treat as hard 8 or 10.
Pair
of 6's - SPLIT against dealer's 2,3,4,5 or 6. Otherwise treat as hard
12.
Pair
of 7's - SPLIT against the dealer's 2,3,4,5,6 or 7. Otherwise treat as hard
14.
Pair
of 9's - SPLIT against dealer's 2,3,4,5,6,8 or 9. STAND against the dealer's
7,10 or Ace.
Where
To Play Blackjack Online
There
are literally hundreds (perhaps thousands) of online casinos out there and
undoubtedly some are better than others. The five casinos listed below offer
safe, fun gambling and a great game of Blackjack. These are casinos that offer
a wide variety of payment options and fast payouts (without argument) when you
clean them out.
1
- Bar CH
Poker Room
2
- Aces
High Online Casino
3
- Golden
Reef Online Casino
4
- Lasseter's Online Casino
5
- NetClub
Casino
Stakes
For Online Blackjack
When
playing Blackjack online, level stakes are the way to go i.e. bet the same
amount on each hand (though double your stake as outlined in the guide above).
In a land based casino, counting cards and then raising your bet at the right
time is a profitable system (so long as you're not caught!) but this does
not work in online casinos. The best way to choose your stake for an
online Blackjack game is to take your initial bankroll (the money that you are
depositing to play with) and divide it by 20.
This
means that if you go into the casino with $100, you should play for $5 a hand
or if you go into a casino with a bankroll of $40, you should be playing for
$2 a hand. If you intend to play with less than $40, I recommend playing at Lasseter's
Online Casino as they offer minimum bets as low as 2 cents, whereas most
online casinos have a table minimum of either $2 or $5.
Another
vitally important point is to set yourself a target and stick to it.
For example, your target may be to double your money - in this case you would
start with, say, $100 and then quit when you reach $200 (or at the very least
make that your cut-off point). It can be very tempting to keep on playing
after a great start but beware - your luck can change....
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