Play Smart Online Poker April 21st, 2011

Is gambling online smart? Many people are hesitant to gamble online, and some fear that gambling, in any form, is a harmful or sinful practice and go to great lengths to avoid it all together.

Card games, however, are another story. Professional online casino players are today’s high rollers, but that doesn’t mean that everyone who plays online poker is a jackpot-driven profit fiend. Historians have found evidence of recreational gaming, recorded thousands of years ago by our ancestors, so it’s clear that games of chance have long played an important role in society.

The online casino revolution of provides an amazing amount of invaluable assets and opportunities to any card player looking to pursue their craft in a new arena such as Full Tilt Poker, giving players access to an international network of like-minded players, up-to-the minute gaming news, and trustworthy advice.

Much of the poker online community is actually made up of amateur and low risk players and gaming enthusiasts who are eager to share their experiences and trade stories with fellow gamers. An overwhelming majority of online poker players actively support strict adherence to fair play, so getting involved in the online gaming community is actually a healthy way to compliment responsible gaming practices.

All-purpose poker news and review sites such as Poker.ca also can provide inexperienced curious players with a number of avenues to sharpen their skill sets by hosting casino review forms and acting as a resource for unbiased online casino gaming standards and guidelines.

Blackjack and Roulette Odds March 11th, 2011

Casino games tend to be enjoyable, regardless of where you play them, and the popularity of online casinos with players residing in New Zealand proves that Kiwi players love to gamble. New Zealand’s most successful blackjack and roulette players know, however, that luck and skill are only part of the game, and that one of the most important elements of casino strategy is a sensitivity to the casino’s house edge.

The casino’s edge, also know as the house advantage, is an expression of the probability of a casino’s profit for a certain game. These odds are determined by comparing the amount of money a player spends in their initial bet for a particular game to their final bankroll when play commences.

Roulette’s odds are relatively straightforward, as the game is based purely on chance. This simplicity is one of the reasons that roulette wheels are so popular with casino patrons, but it’s important to note that the house edge can be deceptively high in some casino’s versions of roulette, so make sure that your roulette wheel only has one zero space.

Blackjack odds are generally favourable for casino visitors, but it’s also possible for players to improve their chances with good blackjack strategy. A casino’s blackjack house edge is highly dependant on the skill of its players.

Electronic Blackjack Table June 3rd, 2008

Yes you read that title right. X10 has just released an electronic card table which comes pre-installed with Blackjack.
The table comes equipped with 10 12″ LCD screens placed around the edge of the table (one for each player) and one 27″ LCD screen in the middle of the table for the dealer.
The $30,000 price tag makes this dream machine just that a dream for all but the rich and famous.

Seriously though, who would spend $30,000 on a electronic card table to play Blackjack when you could visit you favorite casino, get great comps a few times for $30,000. Honestly I’d rather visit Vegas, Atlantic City or Monte Carlo just to name a few gambling cities that, that type of money would take you with change left over.

Flashback May 21st, 2008

I thought I’d start a new trend and every week or so devote one post to a news story from the past. In honor of my first post I thought I’d share this article with you from Time Magazine dated May 25th 1981. The Article covers Kenneth Uston who at the time was 47 and already a famous blackjack player. Enjoy. (here’s a link to the actual article)

Blackjack Buckaroo
Kenneth Uston, 47, is an American success story: Phi Beta Kappa in economics at Yale, Harvard M.B.A., a former senior vice president of the Pacific Stock Exchange in San Francisco, who in 1975 quit his $50,000 job to follow an offbeat, not to say raffish, entrepreneurial dream—and made it work.

In 1968 Uston read Beat the Dealer, a 1962 book by Mathematician Edward Thorp, the “father” of card counting. Uston, a statistics, mathematics and computer buff, was fascinated, and while still serving as a pillar of the West Coast financial establishment, began imagining himself a buckaroo blackjack hero. For six years he worked feverishly to acquire the necessary skills, practicing rigorous memory drills and doing complex statistical calculations. In 1974 he went to Harrah’s Casino in Reno to put himself to the test. He won $3,000 and never looked back.

In countless blackjack hands since then, Uston and the team of players he generally works with have piled up total winnings of more than $4.5 million. His biggest individual killing was $27,500 in 45 min., at Fremont Casino in Las Vegas in 1975. He once played eight hours a day for 23 straight days, falling behind as much as $35,000 before recouping and finally going ahead.

After basing himself for several years in Las Vegas, Uston now lives in Margate City outside Atlantic City, where he makes a living by remote-piloting his blackjack team. He is a busy and popular instructor and lecturer, who charges students $500 for a course but lectures for free. He has written three books—one of which, the autobiographical The Big Player, is slated to be produced as a film by Frank Capra. He is a swinging bachelor who tries to conceal his age (”I date a lot of young girls”) and a celebrity in the gambling world. That, of course, is a disadvantage. To play undetected—hence unevicted—at major casinos, he resorts to a disguise kit designed for him by Hollywood Makeup Expert Mike Westmore. Says Uston: “I have been a British aristocrat and I have been a cowboy. I have false teeth, false noses and many wigs. With each disguise I use the appropriate accent. But the best ploy is to impersonate a sucker who is there to be milked.”

With the supreme confidence of a true believer in his own system, Uston insists there is one role that he does not play: gambler. Says he: “I have never gambled in my life.”

Basic Strategy Lesson 2 May 1st, 2008

Since I covered Vegas Strip Basic Strategy a few days ago I felt it was time for another Basic Strategy Lesson. This time I’ll be talking about Basic Strategy for European Rules Blackjack at Goldencasino.com. You might remember that European Rules Blackjack is one of the variants of Blackjack that is offered by GoldenCasino.com.

The Rules for European Rules Blackjack offered by GoldenCasino are:

  • Dealer Stands on all 17s.
  • Pairs can be Split.
  • Doubling is allowed on hand values of 9, 10 and 11.
  • Doubling after a split is allowed on hand values of 9, 10, and 11.
  • Aces can only be split once.
  • Insurance is available when the dealer shows an Ace.
  • Dealer does not check for Blackjack.
  • Surrender is not available.
  • Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

    Your Hand Dealer’s Upcard
      2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
    7 H H H H H H H H H H
    8 H H H H H H H H H H
    9 H D D D D H H H H H
    10 D D D D D D D D H H
    11 D D D D D D D D H H
    12 H H S S S H H H H H
    13 S S S S S H H H H H
    14 S S S S S H H H H H
    15 S S S S S H H H H H
    16 S S S S S H H H H H
    17 S S S S S S S S S S
    A,2 H H H H H H H H H H
    A,3 H H H H H H H H H H
    A,4 H H H H H H H H H H
    A,5 H H H H H H H H H H
    A,6 H H H H H H H H H H
    A,7 S S S S S S S H H H
    A,8 S S S S S S S S S S
    A,9 S S S S S S S S S S
    2,2 P P P P P P H H H H
    3,3 P P P P P P H H H H
    4,4 H H H P P H H H H H
    5,5 D D D D D D D D H H
    6,6 P P P P P H H H H H
    7,7 P P P P P P H H H H
    8,8 P P P P P P P P H H
    9,9 P P P P P S P P S S
    T,T S S S S S S S S S S
    A,A P P P P P P P P P H
    Dealer 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
    Key:
    H = Hit S = Stand P = Split
    D = Double (hit if not allowed)

Basic Strategy Lesson 1 April 25th, 2008

Alright I thought I would start my Basic Strategy lessons with the basic strategy that I am using when I play online. I currently play at GoldenCasino.com and I am playing the Vegas Strip Blackjack Game. GoldenCasino.com has a few variants of Blackjack available including Perfect Pairs, European Rules, and a Progressive Blackjack game. I decided to play the Vegas Strip Blackjack as it has similar rules to what I might find in Las Vegas.

Vegas Strip Blackjack has the dealer standing on all 17’s, doubling is allowed on all values and after splits, there is no surrender option and the dealer does peak to check for Blackjack. Now that we know the rules for the game we can select the right Blackjack Basic Strategy and being play.

Basic Strategy for Vegas Strip Blackjack.


8 decks, S17, DAS, No Surrender, Peek
Estimated casino edge for these rules: 0.47 %
Dealer Upcard
Your
Hand
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
7 H H H H H H H H H H
8 H H H H H H H H H H
9 H D D D D H H H H H
10 D D D D D D D D H H
11 D D D D D D D D D H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13 S S S S S H H H H H
14 S S S S S H H H H H
15 S S S S S H H H H H
16 S S S S S H H H H H
17 S S S S S S S S S S
A,2 H H H D D H H H H H
A,3 H H H D D H H H H H
A,4 H H D D D H H H H H
A,5 H H D D D H H H H H
A,6 H D D D D H H H H H
A,7 S DS DS DS DS S S H H H
A,8 S S S S S S S S S S
A,9 S S S S S S S S S S
2,2 P P P P P P H H H H
3,3 P P P P P P H H H H
4,4 H H H P P H H H H H
5,5 D D D D D D D D H H
6,6 P P P P P H H H H H
7,7 P P P P P P H H H H
8,8 P P P P P P P P P P
9,9 P P P P P S P P S S
T,T S S S S S S S S S S
A,A P P P P P P P P P P
Dlr 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
Key:
H = Hit S = Stand P = Split
D = Double (hit if not allowed)
DS = Double (stand if not allowed)

Basic Strategy Results April 22nd, 2008

I thought I would provide an update on my play now that I’ve started using Basic Strategy. Let me say that it is pretty exciting to be winning more often than not now. Now there are certainly times that I feel the Basic Strategy goes against my judgment and a lot of the times I end up busting or the dealer beats me in these cases, but I know that using the blackjack strategy is a far better move in the long run than relying on my judgment, which in most cases is just a guess or a feeling.
This is the hardest part of getting used to using Basic Strategy. You are putting the out come of your hands in the hands of a chart. Those little letters are ultimately responsible for your play. Even though I know that each Blackjack Strategy has been vetted by many Blackjack professionals and academics numerous times over the years, it is still hard to rely on a chart filled with letters but when you do it is easy to see the results right away.

I wish I had a trick to share when it comes to memorizing the Basic Strategy Chart but sadly I don’t. I’ve been playing game after game and slowly but surely I am committing the chart to memory. If anyone has any tricks to memorizing the charts I would love to hear them.

Update to Card Counting Post April 18th, 2008

It seems that card counting online doesn’t work as the deck is essentially shuffled after each deal. This means that all the cards are in play for every hand making card counting useless. In land based casino’s this would be equivalent to playing at a table that uses a constant shuffle machine. I think I’ll do a post on these neat little machines in the near future.

Unfortunately this also means that you cannot use an online casino as a training ground to practice your counting skills. There are however computer programs that people have written specifically for people to use to practice their counting skills with.

Card Counting Continued April 17th, 2008

Some card counting system can be very complicated, even the easy system I wrote about in my last post is difficult to use when you are starting out.
I found a really simple system created by the wizard of odds. This system is call the Wizard Ace/Five and it is a great system for those that wish to start out in card counting.

Wizard Ace/Five

The Wizard Ace/Five system was developed by the Wizard of odds (wizardofodds.com) to minimize the chance of being identified as a card counter by the casino and to maximize casino comps.

The Wizard Ace/Five start like any other card counting system with the introduction of a new deck or shoe. The Wizard Ace/Five system is most effective when used at a table that has six decks, dealer stands on soft 17.

Unlike the Hi-Low system where every card was assigned a value the Wizard Ace/Five system assigns a value to only the 5 and Ace cards. The 5 cards have a value of +1 and the Ace’s have a value of -1.

Just like the Hi-Low system you will be adding or subtracting 1 to your running count. When you see a 5 played add +1 to your running count and if an Ace is played then subtract (-1) from your count. If your running count is zero or less you will wager one unit, if the count is positive you will wager 2 times your unit size times the running count. This means that if $2 is your wagering unit and the count is +2 you would wager 2 x $2 x 2 = $8.
All your game decisions should be made using basic strategy.

As you can see both the Hi-Low system and the Wizard Ace/Five system are very easy to use in theory. However using them in practice might be a little more difficult. I would imagine that trying to use these systems in a noisy casino with employees that are trained to spot card counters must be very difficult.

Card Counting April 9th, 2008

Did you know that card counting has nothing to do with counting the number of cards played and memorizing those cards? I didn’t!

I honestly thought that a card counter tracked the number and types of cards played by memorizing the number of each card played. In my world a card counter literally new that 3 tens, 1 queen, 3 5s etc had already been played, but in reality card counting has nothing to do with memorizing which cards have been played.

I’m sorry to tell any card counters out there that I am just a little less impressed with your skills than I was only yesterday. Yesterday you were Blackjack Idols with the memories that were closer to computers than anything else. Today you are just Blackjack Idols with impressive skills… sorry :)

In case there is anyone like me that has no idea what card counting is I’ll explain it like I did with Basic Strategy.

There are a number of different card counting strategies available but I’ve only looked at two of them, the Hi-Low system and the Wizard Ace/Five system.

The Hi-Low system is the most basic of the card counting systems. Each card is assigned either a +1, -1 or 0 value to it. As each card is dealt you will either add (+1), subtract (-1), or do nothing to a running count in your head and adjust your wagers based on this count.

The cards valued 2 through 6 as assigned a value of +1.
Ten valued cards (including Faces and Aces) are assigned a value of -1.
The cards 7, 8, and 9 are assigned a value of 0.

Using this distribution when a full deck has been dealt your running count should be zero as there are an equal number of +1 valued cards and -1 valued cards.

So to use this system you would wait until a new deck(s) is introduced at the table and add the appropriate value to your count (which starts at zero) as each card is dealt.
As an example I just started a hand and the cards dealt to me were 5 and 2 and the dealer has an Ace as their face up card. The count would look like this +1 for the five, +1 for the two and -1 for the Ace so my current running count is +1 (1+1-1=1). I take another card and I am dealt a 4 which changes the count to +2. Again I take another card which is a King, which bring my count back to +1. Since the King gives me 21 it is the deals turn and I get to see what cards the dealer has and will get. Their hole card was a 4 and they drew a 9 and 10. So with these cards there is no change in my running count because the 4 is worth +1, The 9 is worth 0 and the 10 is worth -1 (1+0-1=0). This means after the first hand my running count is at +1 which means that there are a more 10 valued cards in the deck and I should increase my wager as I am now more likely to be dealt a Blackjack than I was on the last hand.

Here is how my second hand worked out.
Player: 4, 2, Q, (+1)
Dealer: 5, 6, 3, 6 (+4)
New running count total: (+6)

Well thats all for my first post on Card Counting. In my next post I will discuss a simple card counting system called the Wizard Ace/Five.