Blackjack Tricks

Blackjack is the one casino game where you can play with a positive edge against the casino and win money over the longer term.

Winning at blackjack can be done by those players willing to put in the time and effort to do so.

The only trait you need to get started for winning at blackjack and expanding your bankroll is a desire to learn.

So here are your 9 tips to win at blackjack

1. Basic Strategy

Statistically, there is only one play a player can make, for the hands they are dealt, against each up card the dealer holds.

Basic strategy outlines the moves you should make and you should know it off by heart. If you don't there are plenty of free basic strategy cards you can get form the net to jog your memory

2. Money management

Losing periods can and do occur so you need to be prepared and keep an eye on your bankroll.

A money management rule that should be utilized is bet with only 1% of your bankroll.

For example, if you have a bankroll of $1000, your betting size is 1%, or $10.

If you are playing with a 1.5% advantage over the house, (with a card counting strategy), the chances of losing your entire bankroll are only 5% and there pretty good odds.

It’s a certainty that you will hit a losing run as you cannot predict in blackjack winning blackjack is all about staying power and looking at the bigger picture, so make sure you have adequate resources.

3. Learn to Count Cards

It has been proven mathematically that by counting cards, you can actually get and maintain a positive advantage over the casino, if used with basic strategy.

There are lots of different counting systems and you need to pick one that’s right for you.

There are many card counting systems that can be learned in just 15 minutes but will give you a significant advantage in winning at blackjack.

4. Estimate the True Count

Once you know the running count, you are then able to calculate the true count.

The true count is the running count divided by the number of decks of undealt cards and it is vital you know it.

The true count gives a more accurate indication of how favorable the remaining cards are than does the running count, and only needs to be calculated when you want to bet.

5. Alter Bet Size Based on the True Count

As the true count goes up, bet size needs to be increased.

As the true count goes down, the bet size should be decreased.

You will always lose more hands then you win.

In order to make money, a player needs to increase bet size when the odds are favorable to compensate for the times he loses

6. Play with Favorable House Rules

You need to look for favorable house rules to give you an extra edge and the differences between different casino rules can be the difference between winning at blackjack and losing, so make sure you do your homework.

7. Mindset

If you are seriously playing for money, make sure that you are mentally concentrating as errors can and do cost money, especially when your card counting.

The margin between success and failure is thin, and you need to keep the odds on your side, so concentrate!

8. Discipline

If you have a plan, you need discipline to implement it rigorously.

Stick with your plan even in losing periods.

You know that if you use basic strategy and card count the odds will be in your favor longer term, so ignore short term losses.

9. Take it seriously

If you want to win at blackjack you need to take it seriously. Learn all the above have adequate bankroll and play and stick with your plan.

If you do, you can and will end up winning at blackjack.

Good luck!

One might be able to argue that professional gamblers are born, not made. The certain degree of cunning and strategy that most people long to possess seems to come so easily from these select few individuals. But with any profession, gambling or other, drive, practice and knowledge are key elements for a successful career.

Of the multitudes of obstacles out there for potentially professional gamblers, information is one of the largest. It's out there in droves, but you have to be able to find it, and do so before all of the competition get their hands on it. Whether you're searching through the giant book store at the mall, or probing the internet in hopes of finding the latest techniques, the experts agree there are a few steps to plan out and master before trying your luck at a $500 a hand blackjack table in Las Vegas.

First and foremost, you need to choose your technique. There are scores of them out there, so you need to pick one that interests you and believe that you can understand. Methods that are currently being used by active pros are the best, for you know that they are currently being used successfully, not to mention that said individuals are able to direct you properly through the finer points of the game.

Once you have mastered this particular technique, try it out at the tables or online, keeping your bets small and your heart humble, for even the best of the best in professional gambling make mistakes when trying out a new technique. Failure is reserved for those who purposely stop trying, so keep at your new craft until you have it mastered.

After you've become proficient, you'll need to go on to another technique, maybe from the same professional that you learned from the first time, or perhaps a completely different strategy altogether. This brings us to the next obstacle for potentially professional gamblers- the failure to proceed.

Too many times, talented gamblers get lost in the crowds because they don't push themselves past the beginning level. They master one aspect of the profession, perhaps counting cards, but never move on to the next aspect. On the flip side, you can't just keep educating yourself on the subject without trying it. Think of it as learning to drive a car. Sure, the education and study time is crucial to your success as a driver, but you need time behind the wheel, getting the feel of reality, to become the driver that you want to be. So you'll have to get out and risk a few dollars to familiarize yourself with the professional gambler's driver's seat.

Self discipline and persistence are the basis for all professionals, gambling included. The confidence necessary for your successful career will come in time as you master more and more aspects of successful professional gambling around the globe.

Blackjack has some of the best odds in the casino. The house's advantage is about ½ of 1%. BUT, the casinos still make a killing. The house has these odds against a player using basic strategy. Most players don't use basic strategy, and this is one reason why the casinos reap huge profits. Basic strategy is a simple set of rules for playing your dealt cards against the dealers up card. Most casino gift shops will sell "basic strategy" tip cards. Or you can find charts online, a good site is bjmath.com . So my first step to "Maximizing your Blackjack Earnings" is to use basic strategy. This will reduce the houses advantage greatly and is a solid foundation for maximizing your blackjack earnings.

The second step is choosing the blackjack table with the best odds. A very important principle in card counting and blackjack odds is higher value cards (10's) help the player and lower value cards hurt the player. The reason is the dealer MUST hit to a 17 or higher. With more higher cards the dealer will bust more and the player will win. So remember to play tables that offer fewer decks, avoid 6 deck games and play 1 or 2 deck games if available.

The third step is don't increase your bet because of "gut" feelings. Increase your bet when it is most optimal for you. How do you do this without counting cards? I call it monitoring cards. If you notice that an overwhelming majority of the cards dealt on the last hand were low cards, raise your bet on the next hand. This will be more effective on a single or double deck game. And you wont win every time so don't go crazy with your bet. Over the long run you will see results. Which brings me to my forth step.

The fourth step is to keep records. I have a little pocket notebook I keep blackjack records in. You have to understand that blackjack can have great swings. You can win for days straight and then lose for a week straight. But if you keep records you can see what your profit are over the long run. I write down what I started with and what I ended with, and how long it took.

The fifth step is DON'T deviate. If you have a 16 against a dealers 10 hit every time, don't stand because of a "gut" feeling. The casinos make millions on these gut feelings! Always split and double when basic strategy calls for it. This is were you make your money.

Be a professional and You to can "Maximizing your Blackjack Earnings Without Counting Cards"

As well as any casino game, you have now the option of play craps online. This very popular casino game with high gambling odds and much, much more can be accessed in two ways on the internet;

• download craps game software onto your computer and play it offline
• play the game online.

The nice thing with downloading Craps game software is the fast and easy accessibility from your computer desktop. As soon as you have clicked on the downloaded icon on your desktop, the game program will automatically connect you to the game server and you will not have to go through your web browser.

The best thing with playing craps online is that you do not have to perform the download procedure and you will also save space on your computer. There are many Craps websites that do not require you to download software to play the game but start right away.

You don’t have to be afraid not to find Craps gambling sites online; there are lots of sources on the internet for people who wants to play this game online. You can play it

• for free.
• for money.

Many online casino websites give players a chance to play Craps and other games like poker, blackjack, baccarat and roulette for free. For beginners, this is a great and cheap way to learn how to play it. An offline Casino does not have this option.

What is the difference with playing Craps online compared to an offline casino?

If you are a newbie it’s easier to play the Craps game online. Why? You have to learn the game’s rules and basic strategies. While learning all this you will inevitably do some mistakes; for instance placing wrong bets at the wrong time. By playing online from your own home you avoid the embarrassing situation of other people watching you taking your first steps into the wonderful and exciting world of Craps. If you have played for a while however, live casino craps games are filled with lots of excitement and feel that are difficult to obtain by your computer. So the choice is yours.

Black jack is one of the basic games at all casinos. So it goes almost without saying that when casinos went online they also obviously brought black jack with them. The game of black jack is where casinos make a lot of money in terms of swiftness. When compared to another popular game poker it is a much faster game.

The concept of online black jack is very much the same with that of real casinos. The only difference is that it could be played more accessible. This is because if you have a computer at your house you could play from the comfort of your own home. If you have a laptop it could be even better. You could even play black jack while you're answering the call of nature.

Playing online black jack could be even better for someas the atmosphere of the noisy casino is avoided. If you need concentration just adding those cards up, the silence is helpful. There is some software that even adds it up for you.

The shuffling of the cards that happens during real black jack games that usually slows down the game pace is also avoided. Playing black jack at computers will give you instant shuffling. You won't even have to listen to the annoying stories of other black jack players while waiting for a new deck to be played.

However, when playing online black jack you naturally will have to pay too. It may only be in the computer but you'd need to pay real money. Question is how do you pay real money to a computer?

The most logical answer is through your credit card. Just try to be wise using your card online. This is because disclosing details based on your credit cards if not secured could make you a victim of identity theft. You wouldn't want to find out one day that your card was used to buy a Porsche you don't own.

Most online casinos have secure servers and if you are wanting to play black jack online and the online casino does not have a secure site, then find another online casino to play at. There are many choices.

If you are afraid of such risks with your card but still have the itch to play online black jack, there are other ways to pay. Some online casinos let you pay through Netteller, Wire Transfer, Bank Draft, Firepay, etc. Some even allow you to deposit using Western Union.

Playing online black jack is the same fun as in real casino black jack. That's why you should also be very smart on how you manage your bank roll money. Because even though it's the black jack game is in computers, remember it's still real money you are playing with.

Many of us are familiar with the traditional game of blackjack. Blackjack switch is a modern twist on the original game, but is it worth playing? What is the house edge? And which version is better for the player, traditional Blackjack or Blackjack switch?

First of all we will have a refresher course in the original game of blackjack. The aim of the game in blackjack is to attain a score as close as possible to 21 without going over. Players are dealt 2 cards initially, as is the dealer. All cards are worth their face value, picture cards are worth 10 and aces are worth either 11 or 1 whichever suits your hand best. The player (you) always goes first and you have the decision to hit, stand or fold. Once you have finished making your decisions and you have not busted out, the dealer has their turn. Normally they must draw to at least 17. Once this has been achieved whoever has the closest score to 21 is the winner. If the dealer busts then the player wins. If a player or dealer has a picture card and an ace it is known as a blackjack. If a player has a blackjack they are paid 3:2 on their bet.

This is all standard stuff; this version has been played for years and is by far the most popular version of blackjack around. However in recent years casino operators have tried to add some variation to the game and have created a number of variations of the original game. Blackjack switch allows players playing 2 hands with an equal bet on each to switch the second card they receive from one hand to another. This action if played correctly can turn 2 bum hands into to very lucrative hands. But (and there is always a but) there is a price to pay.

There are 2 rules which aim to even out the advantage gained by the player switching the hands are as follows. Firstly if the dealer gets a score of 22 then it is a push or a draw. In conventional blackjack if the dealer attained a score of 22 he would bust and you would win the bet. The second difference to affect the odds is the fact that player blackjacks now only pay even money instead of the traditional 3:2 ratio.

Players may only switch the second cards dealt. For example say you were dealt a 7 6 and a 3 4, you would switch the 6 and the 4 to make new hands of 7 4 and 3 6 thus greatly improving your chances of generating a winning hand. In many cases the decision as to whether or not you should switch the cards will be fairly self explanatory, but detailed calculations are very much more complex.

You can play blackjack switch online. Bewise bets has a list of casinos that offer the game (see link at the bottom of the page). The odds are considered slightly better than that of traditional blackjack although the benefits are marginal at best. Overall it makes little difference as to which game you play but it can be nice to play as a change.

Uganda is a country in East Africa. It has one city called Kampala which is situated on Nakasero Hill. Kampala is a newly developed city with a friendly community. Once it was known as a looted ghost town with decaying buildings and now it is a colorful, modern city center. The top half of Nakasero Hill houses Kampala’s exquisite parks, quiet avenues of large houses, international aid organizations, upscale hotels, and government offices. These all benefit from the stunning view of Lake Victoria. The bottom half of the hill is the complete opposite and provides an African street atmosphere. It is filled with shops, roadside traders, budget hotels, markets, and cheap restaurants. There are also lottery ticket sellers lining the streets, as the lottery is a very big commodity in Kampala.

Casinos are the only legalized gambling available, and there is only one Uganda casino which is based in the city center of Kampala. The Kampala Casino is open daily from noon to 6 am. This Uganda casino holds sixteen slot machines and four video poker terminals. It also has twelve gaming tables which include American Roulette, blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Let It Ride, and Pontoon. The Kampala Casino offers its gamers valet parking, a casual dress code, and credit for qualified players. The casino is English speaking and boasts a credit card and cash advance service. Entertainment is also available including live bands, fashion shows, and lotteries.

The casino also has a spectacular restaurant called Fortunes, which has an extensive menu. As well as the salads and starters available, their specialty dish is called Chicken Shaslik, which are strips of chicken grilled in barbecue sauce. There are also meat dishes on the menu and it includes a wide range of desserts. There is also a bar at this Uganda casino offering beer and many wines and cocktails. The local cocktail is called the Kampala Casino Iced Tea. It is a mixture of vodka, tequila, Malibu, Bacardi, Triple Sec, and Coca Cola. It is said that you need to be strong to be able to handle this poignant cocktail.

Though this Uganda casino doesn’t offer sleeping facilities, there are a lot of popular hotels nearby including the Sheraton Hotel. The Sheraton Hotel offers many amenities including a wide range of children’s activities, a gym, golf, a pool, tennis, squash, and a sauna within its health club.

So whether you want a family holiday, a gambling holiday, or if you’re just passing through on a Gorilla Safari, the Kampala Casino is an excellent place to visit.

1. Own a casino.

2. Own stock in a casino company.

3. Own complementary businesses (such as bars, restaurants, pawn shops etc) near a casino.

4. Act in commercials for gambling.

My mother has made more net profit from gambling than most gamblers even though she has never stepped inside a casino or even bought a lotto ticket. As a local actress she was paid well to make two local gambling TV ads — one for the Missouri Lottery and one for The Alton Belle Casino.

5. Own land a gambling company wants to build a casino on.

6. Be a lawyer for casinos.

But be careful, not like St. Louis rainmaker Michael Lazaroff, who allegedly took money from a local casino, under illegal conditions.

7. Work as a casino employee.

8. Provide consulting services to casinos. If you know how to improve casino security or how to convince gamblers to spend more money, casinos may pay you well to enhance their bottom lines. Some former professional gamblers, such as Steve Forte, do this.

9. Be a city or state government with casinos in your taxing jurisdiction.

East St. Louis Illinois has been collecting its garbage and paying its city employees ever since The Casino Queen set down anchor on the East Side riverfront.

10. Sell your own how-to-win books, newsletters, magazines, columns, tapes and software.

11. Sell other people’s how-to-win books etc. From your local B. Dalton to The Gambler’s Bookshop in Las Vegas to various Internet sites.

12. Be a fulltime anti-gambling activist who is good at raising funds to fight the self-righteous war against gambling by lobbying against it.

13. Be a counselor or therapist who specialises in treating gambling ″addicts.″

14. Live in a gambling tourist spot.

15. Sell space on your website to banners linking to casinos.

16. Run a fax news service to keep gamblers up to the minute on casino conditions.

In 1995, Stanford Wong notified all his subscribers that The Alton Belle was about to run a holiday special and pay two dollars for one on blackjacks. A swarm of Vegas card counters who’d never before heard of Alton Illinois rented a bus and crowded out the local bettors the casino had intended to reward.

17. Buy antique slot machines as a collector.

18. Buy and sell antique slot machines as a dealer.

19. Be a politician receiving campaign contributions from local casinos.

This is not legal in Missouri but according to local newspaper stories, allegedly did not stop former St. Louis mayor Clarence Harmon from doing it.

20. Be a TV station, radio station, newspaper, magazine etc that runs gambling related stories, especially horror stories that blame casinos for the suicides of gamblers and the corruption of local lawyers and politicians.

21. Be a TV station, radio station, newspaper, billboard, magazine etc that accepts and runs advertising from casinos.

22. If you are not required to file a tax return (for instance, your only income is some form of nontaxable welfare), go to casinos and race tracks and when a taxpayer wins an amount large enough that the track or casino must report it to the IRS, volunteer to accept the winnings for them, for a fee of course.

Since you don’t pay taxes anyway, you’re safe. The taxpayer saves the approximately 40% of the winnings the federal and state government would want from them.

For a $2500 slots jackpot, that’s $1000 in taxes, so it’s certainly worth it for the taxpayer winner to pay you $200 to put your name and Social Security number on the money.

In case you haven’t guessed, this is illegal. It could be charged as conspiring to evade taxes. I do not recommend it.

23. Cheat the casino.

Also illegal and not recommended, but people do it. No telling how many people get away with it, since they may get caught next week. Also, casinos lump real cheating in with advantage winning techniques.

24. Work for state and local gambling regulatory agencies.

25. Own a store or gas station which sells lottery tickets. You get a percentage of the winnings of tickets sold at your store.

26. Work for a store or gas station which sells lottery tickets. The store’s lottery income helps provide your paycheck. Also, I’ve heard that a supermarket in nearby Godfrey Illinois sent its employees on a trip after a jackpot winner bought their ticket at that store (so Illinois also paid the store a substantial portion of the pot.)

Now you know why when you buy a lottery ticket the clerk tells you, ″Good luck.″

27. Work for a company that makes gambling equipment and supplies, such as Bee card decks, chips, roulette wheels etc.

28. Walk through casinos looking for freebies. Slots players actually walk away from millions of dollars of machine credit annually. Find such an empty machine, play the credits and keep any winnings.

I’ve heard that this is now illegal in Las Vegas, probably because casinos there had too many street people wandering through doing this, probably bothering some of the tourists.

Similarly, I’ve also heard that some sharp-eyed folk walk over race track grounds looking for discarded but winning tickets.

I can’t laugh — I hate to admit it, but I once threw away a $50 winning scratch off lottery ticket, because I didn’t understand until later that I’d won.

29. Be a bookie.

If you do this right, you are NOT gambling. You are managing risk so that you make money no matter who wins the game.

30. Sell your opinion as to horse and dog race winners or winners of ball games. Many hustlers sell tip sheets at race tracks. Others give out their sports betting advice via 900 numbers.

THE MAN WITH $100,000 BREASTS by Michael Konik has a chapter on a man who sold ball game winners via a 900 number, based on picks by his five year old son.

Be especially careful of anyone soliciting you via mail order. There is a classic scam technique using mail order.

At the beginning of the football season, they buy a list of 1,000,000 names and addresses of known sports bettors and advice buyers. They write a great sales letter describing what a terrific sports handicapper they are. To prove it, they predict the winner of the first prominent game of the season.

Let’s say it’s team A against Team B. They print up two versions of the sales letter. One predicts Team A will win. The other one predicts Team B.

They send half the mailing list the Team A winner letter, the other half the Team B winner letter.

After the game, they discard the 500,000 names who received the losing team will win letter.

Repeat the process every week. By the end of the NFL season they have only 10,000 names left, but those people think the scammer is a sports handicapping genius. They’ve seen the ″handicapper″ accurately predict the winner of one game a week since the beginning of the season. What a track record!

A few weeks before the Super Bowl the con artist sends the remaining names a letter saying they will tell them the name of their pick to win the Super Bowl, for a mere $1000.

As soon as the first flurry of checks and money orders clears, they close their bank account and the Post Office box and take a cab to the airport.

They watch the Super Bowl in a hotel room in Brazil.

Playing Texas Holdem Online

For the beginner there is no finer place to start playing Texas Holdem than online. There are numerous suitable online casinos that cater for the novice. For example:-

http://www.Williamhill.com

http://www.PartyPoker.com

At these online casinos you can play Texas Holdem making fictitious bets so that you don’t win or lose any money until you feel sufficiently confident to play for ″real″. Perhaps a truly sensible way to start.

There are numerous other advantages to starting out on your winning Texas Holdem career online. For example, online many small limit games, such as 50cents - $1, can be played in a very short period of time. Believe me, you’ll find this is an absolutely fantastic way to gain experience fast with minimum financial risk.

However, it is important to increase your stake money as your ability to play Texas Holdem improves i.e. moving on to limits of 2 - 4, 4 - 8, 6 - 12 etc. By doing this it keeps your play progressive as your skills develop. Increasing financial risk improves focus and concentration. Essential abilities if you are to play at offline casinos and continue to be a winning player.

Mental Attitudes Required to be a Winning Texas Holdem Player

Emotional control is the foundation of your Texas Holdem winning strategy. Without it there is no hope. You’d do better playing tiddly winks!

To be a winner it is essential to be always astute, mentally alert and focused during play. Any distraction can cost you money. Conversely, you must be able to recognise when you’re not playing at your peak and have the courage to refrain at such times. If you don’t you are letting your emotions take control instead of you in control of them which can only lead to a downward losing spiral.

Obviously it’s impossible to constantly win every Texas Holdem hand. It’s suggested that top winning players win just 8% - 10% of their hands over the long term. Therefore consistently evaluate your game over the longer term. Don’t think of winning and losing when you’re playing, just think of your poker career as one long poker game. This way your confidence will continue to grow and not be dented by short term setbacks. It’s where you are at the end of a year that matters not just the ups and downs of each individual session.

Bear in mind that over a reasonable period of time, e.g. two months, good, committed Texas Holdem players will win, bad players will lose.

If you are frequently losing then perhaps you’re playing at too high a level so choose a lower stake game until you become more experienced. Also, even if you are winning on a particular occasion, but you know instinctively you are up against better players - move on. Remember there are times when good players will deliberately play less experienced plays just to make a few quick bucks for themselves. Don’t allow yourself to be their prey. Plan to win. There’s no point in throwing your money away.

Never play Texas Holdem to get even. Always play your best then getting even will take care of itself over time.

Set yourself a time frame in which to play, e.g. 8.00pm to 2.00am. Leave at the appointed time whether or not you’re winning. However, if during the period you become tired or for some other reason you’re playing below par, quit, cash in your chips, go home and have an early night. Whatever you do stay away from blackjack, baccarat, roulette or slot machines as an alternative to Texas Holdem on the way out. They are deliberately placed to tempt you BUT I assure you, over time, you cannot win at these games so don’t even bother to try.

I can’t emphasise it enough, to be a winner at Texas Holdem you must be at the peak of your performance whenever you’re playing otherwise more experienced players will recognise your weaknesses and subtly take you to the cleaners!

Money Management.

Keep your Texas Holdem poker money in a separate bankroll from any other money. If you spend a lot of money from that bankroll on other things it’s never going to grow. Consequently you will never get to afford to play in the higher limit or no limit games where the big money is for the taking.

So what amount of money should you have in your Texas Holdem bankroll? (By the way I’m not talking here about the amount of money you take to the table in chips, that’s another issue.) The general rule is you should have about 300 times the big bet in it. So if you are playing 2 - 4 the big bet is $4. Your bankroll should be 300 times that i.e. $1,200.

This means, for example, if you are playing 2 - 4 as a consequence of a $1,200 bankroll and start losing you should move down to playing 1 - 2 until you increase your bankroll up to the $1,200 again. Conversely if you are winning and thereby increasing your bankroll you can start playing 4 - 8 when your bank roll reaches $2,400 i.e. 300 times $8.

Texas Hold’em is a game of both luck and skill. You cannot do a lot about your luck but you can improve your skill to become a winning player to the extent of being able to change your life style if that is your wish.

First to explain why I write this article. I have been gambling online or at land based casinos for many years. I have learned, the addiction can take a hold of you and you won’t even realize it until you are broke. Especially if you are on a winning streak. I have gone through many thousands of dollars in only a short period of time and still on occasion, I will go too far. It seems you are just having fun until you decide to pay attention to your loss and the guilt sets in, and then you keep telling yourself ″I can win it back″ repeatedly. It never works. Then you feel queasy in your stomach and the harder you try the faster you lose.

When you see that you are up, STAY on the UP! When you begin to lose, don’t tell yourself, ″well just maybe one more″ and again and again, believe me, this method RARELY ever works. Say you are playing on slots, have an amount set aside prior to beginning your play. DO NOT go over that limit, no matter how tempting. If you happen to win, put that in a different pot. Do not spend your winnings no matter what. Once you have played through your original set limit, stop. Leave, whether it’s online or at a land based casino, do not stick around. Always keep in mind, there will be another day, another time. Obviously, this method can work for any game that you play, be it bingo, poker, video poker, keno, blackjack or any other.

Remember, gambling is supposed to be FUN not exhausting, nauseating work! If you aren’t enjoying yourself, you don’t belong there. If you can’t afford the loss, don’t even start.

This article goes along with Gambling Tips.