Internet Blackjack
Online Blackjack Game Play
The Internet Blackjack Game Play FAQ's that follow could make you a "Whole Pot Full a Money" the next time you Play Bingo on the Internet...
Internet Blackjack
Most popular Game in Internet Gambling
Because Blackjack is the most popular casino table game in America, it is no wonder that it has become one of the most popular Gambling Games Online in the ever popular Internet Casino. Unlike many other Internet Casino Games, skillful play in Internet Blackjack allows the player to gain a slight advantage over the Internet Casino.
Learn more online about Blackjack Strategy for Internet Blackjack Game Play.
Internet Blackjack is a Winnable Game
There have been many a Book written on the Blackjack Card Game and How it is a Beatable Game to Play. Simulations have shown different winning advantage depending on strategies, exact rules, and playing conditions. These numbers typically approach 1% (an average penny gain for every dollar bet) though in certain particular, ideal circumstances this can get somewhat higher. There is disagreement about how much advantage this translates into in the world of the Online Casino and Internet Blackjack Game Play, but it's generally believed that players can play with a small, long-run advantage in Internet Blackjack.
The variance is very high in the Game of Blackjack however, which makes the slight advantage that can be gained, by knowing the Rules of Blackjack and using Good Blackjack Strategy or Card Counting, far from a sure thing.
Advantage of Card Counting in Internet Blackjack
A typical Card Counter will have an edge of 1.5% or less, depending on the Card Counting System used, the skill of the player, and the particular house rules that the player is fighting against. It is quite unusual to find playing conditions that allow the player to get more than a 2% edge against the house, even against single deck games. The player's edge against multi-deck games is generally less than 1%.
Card Counting is Legal in Blackjack Play!
Card Counting is not illegal, althought the Blackjack Casinos would like you to believe it is illegal, immoral, and fattening, but the fact is that card counters are simply using a greater level of skill than the typical blackjack player.
The Nevada courts have ruled that blackjack players are free to use any information that is made available to them, provided that there is no collusion between a player and casino personnel. For example, if a dealer accidentally handles the cards in such a way that a player can see the dealer's hole card, the player can make use of this information without breaking the law.
Casino can Ban Blackjack Card Counters
Depending on where you play the Blackjack Casino can ban card counters. In Atlantic City for example, the casinos are not allowed to ban skillful players. In Nevada, casinos are allowed to refuse service to anyone at any time for any reason.
Blackjack Card Game Players are routinely "barred", usually by being asked to leave or by being told that they are welcome to play any game other than blackjack. If you are barred but persist in trying to play, the casino can have you arrested for trespassing.
Single Deck Blackjack Games are Best
There are some surface differences, such as single and double deck usually being hand-held, while four or more decks are dealt from a blackjack shoe, but there are fundamental mathematical differences too.
Single Deck Blackjack is usually better than multiple deck blackjack for Card Counters, Basic Strategists, and the Clueless.
Additional decks make busts less likely, since one can draw to hands like 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 (for 18) which are improbable or impossible in single deck. Busting less often helps the dealer's hand more than yours, since the dealer is forced by the rigid rules to hit more often than you. Blackjacks are also less frequent, which is bad since you get paid 3 to 2 for those.
All in all, multiple decks will cost a basic strategist nearly 0.5% in advantage, which is more than all but the very best package of favorable extra rules will give you.
Card Counters face the additional problem that the count
is less volatile with multiple decks and hence offers less frequent opportunities
for large favorable bets. Consider the difference between an urn with 1
black and 1 white marble versus an urn with 100 black and 100 white marbles.
Draw half the marbles: what is the probability that all the remaining marbles
are white? In the 1 and 1 case, there is a 1 in 2 chance. In the 100 and
100 case, there is only a 1 in
100,891,344,545,564,193,334,812,497,256 chance!
Best Place to Sit at a Blackjack Table
It is a common misconception that incorrect plays by the player at third base will "take the dealer's bust card" or "leave the dealer a good card". As long as the shuffle is sufficient to randomize the cards, improper play of other players will be just as likely to help as it is to hurt. However, bad players can cause frustration and anxiety which may increase the likelihood of making mistakes.
As far as where the best place to sit is at a Blackjack Table is, it depends. For Basic Strategy Players, seat position has no significant effect on the player's expected return. For Card Counters who use strategy variations, it is probably best to sit at third base in order to see as many cards as possible before playing the hand. When playing against a "front loading" dealer, the best seat is whichever seat gives you the best shot at getting a glimpse of the dealer's hole card. When Playing Blackjack at many Casinos, the best seat is the one that gives the best view of the cocktail waitresses.
Card Counting
The Card Counting System described below is an unbalanced 10 count that is 100% accurate for determining when to take insurance. As a general purpose card counting system, it is relatively weak and not particularly recommended, but it illustrates many of the principles behind card counting. This is intended only to give a feel for how card counting is done, and is not recommended for actual practice, although I've used it because of its simplicity. This counting strategy is listed as "Unbalanced 10 Count" in other parts of the FAQ list.
For Single Deck Games:
1) Start the count at -4 when the deck is shuffled.
2) Count -2 for 10, J, Q, K
3) Count +1 for everything else (including aces)
4) Bet low when the count is negative, high when the count is positive (actually,
simulations show that you can bet high for a count of -2 or above).
5) Take insurance when the count is positive.
6) Play basic strategy at all times.
For N deck games:
1) Start the count at (-4 * N).
2) all other rules are the same.
Notes on this Card Counting Method...
The unique feature of this counting method is that it is perfectly accurate for dealing with insurance. When the count is positive, the player has the advantage when taking the insurance bet. When the count is negative, the house has the advantage, so insurance should not be taken.
Counting is best done by counting several cards at once. It is easy to practice this counting method in the following way:
1) Count through a deck of cards, counting one card at a time. Start at -4, and count through the entire deck. After all of the cards have been seen, the count should be ZERO. If it is not zero, a mistake has been made somewhere. Repeat counting through the deck one card at a time, until you can do it quickly without making mistakes.
2) Count through the deck, counting two cards at a time. Look for the following
patterns, adding the correct amount for each pattern...
(X = 10, N = non-ten)
NN: +2
XN: -1
XX: -4
Again, the count should be zero after all cards have been seen. Repeat until
you can do it efficiently.
3) Count through the deck, counting three cards at a time. Look for the
following patterns, adding the correct amount for each pattern...
(X = 10, N = non-ten)
NNN +3
XNN 0 (this pattern is common)
XXN -3
4) Practice against a Computer Blackjack Game. When I play, I usually count the cards by counting an entire hand (player's or dealers) at once. If there are more than three cards in the hand, I mentally break it up into groups of 1, 2, or 3 cards (I usually look for "XNN" patterns and ignore those cards, since they add up to zero). I usually count the cards just before the dealer picks up the hand (exception: for insurance, you should count your cards and the dealer's up card immediately).
Learn more about the Different Card Counting System available to the Online Casino Blackjack Player.
Easiest Card Counting System to Use
Lots of card counting systems are available. There is an important tradeoff between complexity and theoretical power, as more complex systems are harder to use and more error-prone.
The best answer to the question would be "You pick 'em".
Most Effective Blackjack Card Counting System
The playing efficiency, betting correlation, and insurance correlation is listed below for several counting systems. These numbers give an indication of the effectiveness of the counting system. When two numbers are listed, the second number results from adding an ace side count in addition to the "main" count.
Penetration and Basic Strategy
Unless the dealer is cheating, the cards will be in a random order after the shuffle. If the player is not counting cards or using other techniques to gain an advantage, it will not matter if there are several rounds or only a single round between shuffles. But, if the dealer if using preferential shuffling, this will hurt the Basic Strategy Players as well as the Card Counters.
Correct Strategy for Late Surrender
Basic strategy for late surrender in AC multi-deck games is:
Surrender hard 16 (but not 8-8) vs. 9, 10, ace
Surrender hard 15 vs. 10
If you are the least bit risk-averse, you should also: Surrender hard 15 vs. dealers ace.
At some casinos you can surrender your first two cards. You lose half your bet in return for not having to play through the hand. With early surrender, you get back half your bet even if the dealer has blackjack, while with late surrender you lose anyway when the dealer has blackjack.
Correct Strategy for "Multi Action" Blackjack
Multi Action Blackjack allows the player to place up to three bets simultaneously on the same blackjack hand. The player is dealt a single hand, and the three bets are played out against the same dealer upcard, but with different "drawn" cards for each bet. Many players feel nervous about hitting stiff hands against a high dealer's upcard (7 or higher), since they will lose all three bets if they bust. However, Basic Blackjack Strategy is COMPLETELY UNCHANGED for this game, and the correct strategy is no different than if the player had only a single bet at risk.
Caesar's Tahoe introduced the Over-13 and Under-13 side bets that are allowed at some blackjack tables. These bets are based on the player's total for the first two cards, when aces are counted as one. Over-13 bets win when the player's cards total 14 or higher, while under-13 bets win when the player's cards total 12 or under. Either bet will lose when the player's total is exactly 13. These bets are placed at the same time as the blackjack bet, and usually the side bet can be no larger than the bet on the blackjack hand. Over-under games are usually dealt from a 6 or 8 deck shoe, and the player's first two cards are always dealt face up. Although these are "sucker" bets for basic strategy players, with a house edge of 6% to 10%, special card counting strategies can be used to give the player a significant edge on these bets.
The Basic Blackjack Strategy Player should never partake in the over-under blackjack games, as they are there for the house advantage, as are most side bets that are made available.
Counting Strategy for Over-Under Blackjack
The card weights used for the Over-Under count are as follows: count +1 for Ace, 2, 3, and 4, and count -1 for tens and face cards. The deck becomes favorable for counts of +2 and above, and for counts -4 and below. Over-13 bets should be placed when the count is +3 and above. Under-13 bets should be placed when the count is -4 and below.
When playing Over-Under blackjack with this counting scheme, virtually all of the player's profit comes from the over-13 and under-13 side bets. This counting scheme is very poor for playing the blackjack portion of the bet, and will only allow the player to play about even with the house on the blackjack bets. However, the over-under bets can be very profitable if the game has good penetration. A 6-deck over-under game with good penetration can give the player an advantage of 1.5% or more. Single deck over-under games with good penetration (very rare) can give the player an edge of over 4% when using the over/under count.
Play Blackjack Online and Win
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Online Blackjack's most FAQ's and other Blackjack Facts.
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