General

A Brief History of Blackjack

May 12, 2014 – 10:27 pm

Blackjack has become one of the most popular games played in online casinos over the last decade or so, but when and where did the game actually originate? Read on for a brief history of blackjack and an introduction of this fascinating and enthralling game. Then choose from any of our recommended online casinos to play USA online blackjack.

The origins of the game of blackjack that we know and love today are steeped in mystery and folklore, but research has suggested that it is an adaption from the game of “21” which came from France and spread to Spain and other parts of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. This game in turn appears to have grown out of others which pre-dated it, notably “quinze” (meaning “15” in French) which was also known as Ace-low and was popular in France in the 17th century.

The oldest game to which blackjack bears a remarkable resemblance, however, is the Spanish game “trente-un” (meaning “31”), which was referenced by a priest way back in the year 1440 and – more famously – by Miguel de Cervantes in 1570. Either way, all these games were similar in that they involved players using the value of their cards to get as close as possible to a specified total.

As many Europeans emigrated from Europe to America, they brought the game of 21 with them, and it soon gained new rules which made it more interesting and – crucially – more winnable. Notably, players were now able to see the dealer’s first card before deciding what to do with their own hand, something that wasn’t allowed in the European versions of the game.

Another innovation when the game came to America, that was introduced around the time of the First World War, was the addition of bonuses for hitting certain combinations of cards, such as when being dealt an ace of spades and either a jack of spades or a jack of clubs (which is where the name blackjack comes from).

Since then, there have been all sorts of additional rules and variations on the game that sometimes work in the players’ favor and sometimes help the dealers. One thing is for sure, though: you certainly have more of a choice than they did in 17th century France, and with many of the online casinos featured on this site offering excellent welcoming bonuses for blackjack players, we suspect you also have a much better chance of making a big profit too.

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Featured Casinos

Play Live Blackjack at Grand Parker

March 24, 2014 – 11:32 pm

Grand Parker CasinoGreat news for USA online blackjack players, our top Blackjack Casino is now offering live dealer online blackjack. The Grand Parker Casino has just launched a live dealer casino where you can now play live dealer blackjack, baccarat and roulette. If you have never played live dealer blackjack we highly recommend you give it a try. Get more of a brick and mortar casino experience from the comfort of your own home.

Live dealer blackjack allows you to watch the dealer and other players over a live streaming feed. Watch as your cards are dealt and the hand played out, watch other players actions and of course your own hand in real time.

Live dealer blackjack is a lot of fun and is closer to playing at a standard brick and mortar casino. If you have ever questioned whether the online games are fair (which even we have at times) by playing at a live dealer casino it can help ease those suspicions. Of course every casino we recommend here undergoes third party audits to ensure the games are fair, but it is only human nature to be skeptical.

If you like playing high limit blackjack playing at a live dealer casino should suit your needs. Bet as much as $5000 per hand at Grand Parker and up to $500 per hand at the other live casinos. You do not need to be a high roller though to play, bet as little as $2.50 per hand at Grand Parker which is even lower than most traditional casinos.

We were very happy when Grand Parker announced they were going to offer live blackjack. Grand Parker has always been one of our highest recommended USA online blackjack casinos. Grand Parker offers great software, outstanding bonuses and has the best USA deposit success rates in the business. If you want to deposit with your credit card the Grand Parker Casino has the best USA credit card acceptance rates in the industry. Deposit with your Visa or MasterCard and chances are it will be approved. When you are ready to withdraw your winnings you can do so by bank wire and expect your funds in your bank account in as little as 5 business days.

To get started or see more about the Grand Parker Casino, see our full Grand Parker Casino review and be sure to use our links to make sure you receive the best bonus. After playing at Grand Parker we doubt you will want to play anywhere else. Grand Parker is one the best USA online casinos for blackjack as well as other table games and slots.

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Featured Casinos

Mobile Blackjack for USA Players

November 8, 2013 – 1:51 pm

Playing online blackjack is a great way to get the thrill of the casino from the comfort of your own home. But these days online casinos are going one better by allowing players to engage with their games using their mobile devices and tablets. While there are an increasing number of casinos offering this convenient gaming interface, there are surprisingly few of those who accept players from the USA. Luckily we have the details of the best ones that do, so read on for the details of where you can play blackjack on your mobile phone and also get some great bonuses too.

There are three US-friendly online casinos that we rate very highly who offer mobile blackjack. The first is Winpalace who have a fantastic welcome bonus available to new customers which is worth up to a gigantic $5,000. They will give you a 100% match on each of your first 10 deposits with them up to $500 each time (though you must remember to add the bonus code WINBJ each time you make a deposit). See our WinPalace Blackjack review for more information.

Next up is Grand Parker Casino whose welcome bonus for blackjack (and other table games) also adds up to a massive $5,000. It comes in the form of 125% matched bonuses of your first four deposits with them, up to $1,250 each time. Note there is a 30x wagering requirement before you can cash out your winnings, but you’ll find so many great games at Grand Parker this shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. Check out our complete Grand Parker blackjack review.

The final one of our fine mobile blackjack triumvirate is Bovada, a big, big gaming organization who have the know how and experience to offer some of the best casino games around. Their bonus might not be quite as headline-grabbing as the previous two, but it is still worth up to $1,000 so it is certainly worth getting a hold of. It comes in the form of a 100% match of your first four deposits, up to $250 for each. The downside of Bovada’s offer is that they have a fairly restrictive 80x wagering requirement, but if you are looking for one of the best mobile blackjack options out there, they certainly fit the bill. The Bovada blackjack review offers ore information on this great casino.

So there you have it, three of the best casinos that offer USA online blackjack to play on your mobile, so give them a go and give yourself the chance of winning big while on the bus, train or in the bar.

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General

Is Insurance the Right Bet?

November 4, 2013 – 10:11 pm

This could be a really short feature and I won’t mess around, the short and deliciously simple answer is… no. You should never, ever take insurance when playing blackjack, be that online, in Vegas or anywhere else.

The logic and reasoning is down to very simple math and the fact is that by taking insurance you give the house a huge edge of around 6% depending on what variant of the game you are playing.

With the dealer needing a card worth 10 to make blackjack there are just four cards that can hurt you, a 10, jack, queen or king, while there are nine cards that will leave the dealer still playing. Given insurance pays out at 2/1 it is plain and simple a bad bet based on the probabilities of the cards.

Unless you are a professional card counter and know the deck is stacked with 10s you should never take insurance if you want to win at online blackjack. This applies to the same degree whether you are holding 17, 12 or 20. In fact, ironically, taking insurance on a hand with one or (especially) two 10-value cards is the worst value bet of all. Without the need for card counting, you know that there are one or two 10s the dealer has no chance of hitting – the ones in front of you!

Another thing you should never do is take even money if you are already holding blackjack. Many players favour the certainty of an even money payout but over time this will cost you money. Again, it’s simple math and will lose you around 4% of the value of your hand (bet) in the long-term.

These are very simple things to remember and if you can’t be bothered to learn perfect basic strategy or – easy if you are playing online blackjack, keep a blackjack strategy chart handy – then just remembering these things will help you out.

Another very simple strategy to follow is always hit on less than 17 if the dealer is showing a seven or above. That is probably the simplest basic principle of blackjack but it’s amazing how often you see players standing on 16.

Blackjack is a great game to play at an online casino and with amazing free bets, bonuses and promotions, if you’re prepared to learn a few basic rules you have a great chance of profiting as well as having fun.

See our recommended USA online blackjack casinos and claim a great bonus.

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Featured Casinos

Playing Live Dealer Blackjack

October 16, 2013 – 8:17 pm

Live dealer games, be it blackjack, roulette, baccarat or poker are often thought of as a relatively new thing but in reality the technology has been around for approaching 10 years.

Blackjack is the most popular game to play online at a live dealer casino so if you’ve never played it before read on for the how it works and the advantages and disadvantages. Playing USA online blackjack at a live casino is a great change of pace and you can bet up to $500 per hand.

Live dealer blackjack is offered by a number of great online casinos, such as BetOnline and 5Dimes and is growing all the time. As said, while it’s been around a good length of time, only as broadband internet speeds have increased and become more reliable have the live dealer games become more viable and popular.

One reason many people like them is they feel they are more trustworthy. We have to make it clear that we 100% trust all the Randon Number Generator (RNG) blackjack games at the traditional online casinos but for some people the added reassurance of actually seeing real cards being turned over, live and in real time, trumps the traditional, computerised graphics of standard online blackjack.

Playing against a live dealer also a more realistic experience, played at a slower pace than some RNG games, meaning you are less likely to lose a lot of money very quickly. Of course, the obvious flip side to this is that you can’t win quite so quickly and completing bonus wagering requirements is not quite so fast. The exact speed of the games will vary depending on how many players are at your table but certainly on a full blackjack table it is considerably slower than normal online blackjack where you are the only player.

Many people like the realism of live dealer blackjack and the fact that you can interact with other players and also the dealer and this is clearly more realistic than playing against an automated dealer. The main, if not only downside is the reduced speed and also the possibility that, because they are actually staffed by real dealers, just like in Vegas or your local casino there is a chance you may have to wait a little while to get a spot.

However, live dealer blackjack is well worth a try – who knows, you might just like it. With some online casinos offering extra bonuses just for live dealer games too you might just walk away with a serious profit as well. You can claim a free $25 bet from BetOnline to try any live dealer game including blackjack. See our BetOnline Casino review for more information and to claim yoru free $25 bet as well as additional bonuses.

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Where to Play Real Money Blackjack

September 19, 2013 – 8:37 pm

Blackjack is one of the best card games around. It is simple to play and offers the player a great chance of winning due to the low house edge. In fact, if you play your cards right, literally and metaphorically, you can almost turn things in your favour.

Playing blackjack online has some major advantages over a long trip or vacation to your nearest brick and mortar casino. You might not get the free beers playing blackjack online but then keeping a clear head isn’t such a bad thing, there is a reason those casinos give free drinks away and it isn’t because they are nice guys! Plus the bonus offered by online casinos more than pays for a couple cases of beer or drinks.

Playing real money online blackjack means you can relax in the comfort of your own home, playing as little or as often as you like without feeling you have to make the most of things by playing extra long sessions where you can easily get tired and make poor choices.

Playing online blackjack, you also have a wide range of great bonuses and promotions to choose from. All of the online casinos we work with are UA friendly, safe, secure and offer amazing bonuses, as well as boasting great blackjack tables (often with many variations of the classic game) and software.

Grand Parker offers an amazing welcome bonus of 125% up to $5,000, while for those that want the real, live dealer blackjack experience, BetOnline is the place to go with Live Dealer Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat. You will also receive a bonus on every deposit you make at BetOnline.

As said, playing real money online blackjack offers you a great chance of winning and unlike when playing in a real casino you can easily refer to your basic blackjack strategy chart when you’re playing online. This chart shows you the right call to make in every possible situation and by playing to basic strategy you can reduce the house edge to as little as 0.5% or less.

Once you throw in the various bonuses that the best online casinos offer, as well as their generous loyalty schemes and occasional competitions and free tournaments, it’s quite easy to level off that edge, or possibly even put it in your favour.

Play USA online blackjack at any of our recommended online casinos and have great time while in the comfort of your own home. Be sure to collect your bonus for signing up and then also keep an eye out for reload bonuses. All the casinos we list offer re deposit bonuses on a regular basis.

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General

Playing to Win at Online Blackjack

September 5, 2013 – 11:40 pm

Online blackjack has increased in popularity in recent years thanks to the ease with which the games can be played and understood. But the vast majority of players around the world appear to neither understand the game nor play it sensibly, that is to give themselves the best chance of actually winning. While some high-rolling superstars might not care one way or the other whether they win or lose, for most of us the very point of playing is to go after a profit. So read on to find out how to increase your chances of winning when playing USA online blackjack.

One of the main appeals of the game of blackjack is that players have the power to decide what they do, in terms of whether they hit, stand, split or double. Knowing when to do each of these things to optimize your chances of beating the dealer is complicated as the rules vary between online casinos and indeed between the various versions of blackjack many of them offer. The number of decks used, whether the dealer must stand or hit on a soft 17, whether doubling up is allowed after splitting cards and other factors affect what your optimum strategy should be.

If all this sounds like far too much hassle to calculate, fear not: the Blackjack Basic Strategy is there to help you cut through the probabilities and permutations and give you the answers you seek. This strategy will minimize the house edge the casino gets from online blackjack, giving you the best mathematical chance of success. The casino will almost always retain an edge, meaning they will always win over the long term, but you can give yourself the best chance of short term gains this way.

Following the Basic Strategy, for instance, when two packs are used, the dealer stands on a soft 17, doubling after splits is allowed and surrenders are not, you would always stand on hard 17 and above, and would also stand after hitting as low as a hard 12 if the dealer card is a four, five or six. You would also hit on a soft 18 (against the instinct of many players) if the dealer’s card is a nine, 10 (including picture cards) or ace.

There are tables published on many casino sites for literally thousands of variation of rules, so the key to following the Basic Blackjack Strategy effectively is to know the rules of the particular online blackjack game you are playing. Oh, and be sure to make use of the all the bonuses and promotions you can get your hands on.

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Blackjack and Great Bonuses at BetOnline

September 2, 2013 – 1:46 am

BetOnline Casino ReviewBetOnline is a one stop shop for all your gambling needs and they welcome USA players. They offer sports betting, poker and of course, a great online casino with all your favourite games. Play USA online blackjack as well as slots and other table games like Roulette, Baccarat and Craps.

They are managed by an experienced team with industry experience going back to 1991 and are based in Panama City, Panama. The management at BetOnline is great and another reason we think BetOnline is worth signing up to and that is their great bonuses and live dealers.

The casino offers something for everyone so whether you are a high-roller or a smaller player, love roulette, slots or blackjack they have a bonus that will increase your chances of winning.

Start off with a $25 risk-free bet in their live dealer casino including live dealer blackjack. Just place a $25 wager and if it wins, well done, you’re off to a great start at BetOnline. If it loses you’re still off to a good start because BetOnline will refund your loss. Just email freeplay@betonline.ag with your account number and the bet reference and within 48 hours you’ll have your $25 back. There is a very generous wagering requirement of just six times with the refund so this really is a superb offer.

For high rollers, how does a $1,000 bonus every single month sound? Players who stake at least $75,000 a month will qualify for the High Roller bonus which starts at $50 but goes all the way up to a cool thousand bucks for the seriously high and mighty rollers out there. The bonus will be credited on the second of the month and is calculated on your previous month’s play.

For your regular player there are plenty of other promotions to go at, including a 25% reload on any casino deposit of at least $25. There is a 50x wagering requirement attached to this and Blackjack is excluded from the offer but with a $3,000 maximum this is a generous offer to play other games.

If you want to play more than USA online blackjack you can claim a bonus for slots. Slot players can use code SLOTS100 and claim a 100% bonus on every single deposit of $100 or more they make. The maximum here is $5,000 and with so many great slots to choose from you will be in Slot heaven!

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General

What Not to do Playing Blackjack

August 8, 2013 – 8:30 pm

Blackjack is one of the best games to play in an online casino because it is easy to understand, great fun and (best of all) has a very low house edge (the casino’s profit margin on the game). Depending on the exact rules of the variant of blackjack you are playing the house edge can be as little as 0.5%, or even less, meaning that if you played 100 hands at $10 a hand you would expect, on average, to be just $5 down. Obviously with a little luck or a generous casino bonus you could be up, but that would be the average expectation, blackjack bonuses aside.

However, to achieve that sort of result you need to be playing according to the mathematically proven rules of basic strategy. In any given situation there is a correct call, whether it is to hit, split, stand, double down or whatever. These “rules” are fairly easy but memorizing every call can be quite tricky. Obviously playing blackjack online there is no need to memorize it, you can easily have a basic strategy guide on hand but even so, many players prefer to use their own simpler strategies. Use our blackjack strategy chart to know when to hit, stand, split etc. to make sure you are playing with the best odds in your favor.

One such method of playing blackjack, which is very, easy is to simply follow the dealer. That is to say, always hit on 16 or lower and always stand on 17 (including soft 17) and higher, without ever doubling or splitting. While this is a simple way of playing and won’t require any charts or guides, it also has a fairly catastrophic impact on the casino’s house edge (from the player’s point of view). Playing this way puts the house edge up to around 5.5% – more than 10 times higher than playing basic strategy.

Another option that some players favour for its simplicity is to make sure they never bust and so always have a chance of winning. This means standing on any “hard” hand of 12 or higher and fares marginally better (assuming other calls employ basic strategy) but the casino’s advantage still rises significantly to around 4%.

The message is clear though – if you’re going to play blackjack online, make sure you play at a casino with a generous bonus, good loyalty scheme and, most of all make sure you play the optimum strategy and follow the strategy chart. The Diamond VIP and Grand Parker Casinos have great blackjack bonuses and both allow USA players for USA online blackjack. See our Diamond VIP review and claim up to $10,000 in bonuses for blackjack.

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Games

Betting Blackjack

July 15, 2013 – 10:31 pm

The most effective way to win at online blackjack is to simply play the very best strategy for the variation of the game that you are playing. By doing that you can reduce the house edge to as little as 0.28%, assuming you are able to take advantage of the most player-favourable rules out there.

That means that for every $1,000 you wager you would expect to lose slightly less than $3. But factor in some of the amazing bonuses on offer from the various online casinos as well as the loyalty schemes and comp points they run and you can soon shift the odds in your favour. Hell, with a little bit of help from Lady Luck and you might even make some serious money!

However, whilst playing basic (optimum) strategy and perfect blackjack is one thing, many players like to vary their stake and think that can give them an edge. Here we take a look at some popular ploys and see if there is any real benefit to using them.

Doubling up on a loss

One of the most popular and abiding theories and betting strategies is to double your stake after losing, a form of negative progression. This, especially when applied to roulette, is known as the Martingale system, and is 100% doomed to failure in any game where a house edge exists.

It will invariably lead to a series of small wins but over time it is a mathematical certainty that one big loss will come along and wipe out all your wins… and more besides. Say you play $10 per hand and win the first hand. Great, you bank the $10 and bet $10 again. If that loses, you bet $20, then $40 if you lose again, then $80: in fact losing just six hands in a row has you staking $640 on the next hand, which is pretty big stakes when your wins are only scraping you $10 here and there.

Increasing stake as you win

This is a positive progression system whereby you increase your bet after a win. This funds bigger stakes from money you have won and is also less likely to wipe you out as you will only lose a large stake after a succession of wins. This is a more conservative method but certainly a better one in our opinion.

Flat stake

To go right back to the start, the best betting system to use in online blackjack is a flat stake with basic strategy. It’s not exciting but it is mathematically proven and winning is more exciting than anything else! Keep it simple and give yourself the best chance of success.

Find the best USA online blackjack sites available and also see other blackjack strategy articles.

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