Can You Cheat at Blackjack – Strategies and Tips
Since the appearance of the first gambling games in history, both players and the dealers have tried to come up with ways of cheating in a particular game – blackjack is no exception. Over the course of decades, many people have tried to come up with efficient ways to gain a better advantage in blackjack, but only a handful of methods have managed to stand the tests of time. Today we learn some interesting things about cheating in blackjack!
Card Counting Is the Most Known Method
The successful prediction of what card will come after a player has decided to “hit”, relies on knowing which cards are left in the “shoe”. “Card counting” refers to a player being able to remember which cards have already passed – which gives an incredible advantage in knowing when to stand and when to hit. This proven strategy requires incredible skill and powers of observation; however, it is completely useless in an online blackjack game.
Because the RNG (random number generator) is responsible for generating cards in any online casino blackjack, the number of decks is practically irrelevant. Although counting cards is not officially considered to be cheating by casino standards, many land-based venues will refuse to do business with players who have a reputation of being smart and capable enough to take advantage of the game.
Live Dealer Games Have Been a Topic of Concern
There are a couple of recorded cases, where live dealers have managed to “cheat” a player from a winning hand. This is how it happened – when the player has requested a “hit”, the dealer slightly pushes the first card coming out of the shoe and deals the bottom underneath it.
Given the fact that these cases have been recorded on camera, almost everyone from the worldwide online casino community has expressed their outrage. This resulted in live casino games operators to not only re-evaluate their employment strategies but also tighten their safety and fairness measures even more. Luckily, these were cases recorded with live dealer operators who had a questionable reputation, which means that you can play safely in live blackjack rooms hosted by renowned companies such as Evolution Gaming and NetEnt.
Edge Sorting – Land Based Cheats
An action that requires exceptional skills of observation, edge sorting is a method in which a player is able to recognize small imperfections or irregularities on the back of the card, which gives them the ability to recognize which cards will have a low or high value in points. In some cases, dealers are exploited to provide the decks of playing cards for a closer inspection by the players themselves.
Compared to card counting, edge sorting is considered to be outright cheating, as it exploits game factors that aren’t meant to be there. Players that have employed this technique have been heavily fined and blacklisted in many casinos. Luckily for online casinos, edge sorting is impossible in a virtual playing environment.
There Are Many Basic Strategies Out There
There are tons of free tips and strategies available online that will help a player to make the right decision when it comes to either “stand” or “hit”. What they have in common, is that a player’s decision must be formed after observing their own hand, and the one of the dealer. Bear in mind that while some of these guides are universal, others will be tailored for a specific blackjack variant.
The Best Online Casino Sites Without GamStop
After some serious restructuring of the online casino industry in the last decade, the majority of establishments that wanted to retain their licenses in specific jurisdictions had to conform to regulatory administrations, and introduce GamStop. GamStop is a special third-party service provider that helps people who experience problems with gambling. The way the service works is by registering the user’s name and details within GamStop’s website. A player would then set a no-gambling limit, which can prevent them from playing in an online casino anywhere from a couple of months to five years. Some online casinos, however, don’t think that it is right to limit players if they’ve made a mistake in imposing greater limits than they had to, and this is why they don’t feature an association with GamStop. We’ve presented some of them below!
Bovegas Casino Provides a Lot of Features
Bovegas vouches for its legitimacy by informing its customers that it is individually licensed in different jurisdictions, but that’s not all. The casino uses SSL encryption to protect the personal data of its clients, and also support an Alternative Dispute Resolution service. Bovegas casino is known to be one of the very few establishments online that offer an abundance of bonuses, games, and many other features.
DomGame – A Balanced Venue
This casino is revered for its multiple-choice bonus offers. While DomGame doesn’t offer as many games as some venues in this article, the gaming variety still offers all classic games, and some special titles as well. The venue proves its validity to the industry and its members, by having a license issued by the Government of Curacao. DomGame also offers a downloadable version of its gambling platform for PC.
Eclipse Casino Supports Cryptocurrency
This online gambling establishment delivers a slew of games, bonuses, and supports the most used banking methods in the industry – including Bitcoin. Eclipse casino is also renowned for its mobile optimization, making it one of the best online establishments that don’t fall under any restrictions set by GamStop. One of the best perks of Eclipse is that players can register a “fun mode” account, and experience most of the games for free.
Free Spin Casino Is a Responsible Operator
In addition to offering an abundance of slot games, Free Spin is a venue that recognizes the importance of “self-limiting” measures, and this is why it posts abundant information on its website, which is freely available to both signed users and unregistered visitors. This establishment offers approximately 200 gaming titles, a complex VIP program, and many other features.
Irish Luck Casino Has a Lot of Industry Experience
This leprechaun-themed online casino offers a moderate amount of games, but it is the overall bonus program that impresses the visitors. Irish Luck casino features a highly rewarding, tier-based VIP program that takes care of its most loyal customers. The operator possesses a Curacao License, and it has had its software audited and tested by the leading technical testing administration in the industry – Global Labs International.
The Different Types of Online Casino Blackjack
The iconic casino card game known as Blackjack has given rise to many variations of the game known as “21”. Today, some have become more popular than others, mainly due to the unique features that make them special. In today’s article, we will explore the abundance of many blackjack game variants, and you can hopefully find a version that will peak your interest!
Progressive Blackjack Provides Bigger Rewards
In this variant of the game, the dealer will collect one additional unit of currency for every bet that is made and place them in the “pot”. Winning the progressive jackpot can happen via a rule that has been determined by the casino, but it usually has to do with the player receiving a specific hand combination.
European Blackjack Delivers a Different Dynamic
While the classic type of Blackjack is usually played with a minimum of four decks, the European version is played usually with two. Additional features include the way the cards are dealt – two face-up for the player, and one face-up card to the dealer. Until the player’s hand isn’t resolved, the dealer will not draw another card for himself.
Spanish 21 Is for Risk Takers
In this variation, all the number 10 cards are taken out of the deck – which in turn increases the house edge. Rumours suggest that this is done as to avoid any confusion between the face cards (which have a value of 10 points) and the regular 10’s. Regardless, the Spanish 21 is considered to be the first known version of the game, from which all others were created ( in this manner, the “Classic Blackjack” is actually more of a “Simplified Blackjack”).
Just like in the European version of the game, the dealer must wait for the player to finish his turn; however, in Spanish 21 the dealer can take a peek at the card he is about to deal to himself, and if he is to achieve a blackjack, he will win; if the player also has a blackjack, the game results in a tie. Spanish 21 allows for late surrender and doubling down. The “Pontoon” version of the game is almost identical to the Spanish 21 – the only differences are that Pontoon has its own names for the different terms used in the game.
Rules of Online Casino Blackjack Games and Bet Types
A game with over 300 years of history, Blackjack continues to be one of the most popular gambling card games in the world today. Throughout the course of many years, the game was spun into many other versions, which all revolve around the same objective – gathering the sum of 21. For those unfamiliar how to play Blackjack, here are the basic rules.
The Dealing of the Cards
In the most classic version of Blackjack, you will have one dealer and up to six players at the same time. Two cards will be dealt each to the player and dealer sides, which will come from a special deck holder called “the shoe”, where usually either four or eight decks are stacked behind one another. The goal of the game is to achieve a sum of 21 from both cards. After the initial deal, the player will either have the chance to “hit” (draw) additional cards or “stand”, effectively transferring the game turn to the dealer who then continues to draw until they reach 16.
Should either the player or dealer go over 21, the round will result in a loss, or “bust”. Naturally, the number of cards allowed to draw, as well as the number of decks in a Blackjack shoe can depend on the casino and variation of the game; however, online casino blackjack cards are dealt via a Random Number Generator as there are no physical decks involved. What this means is that the number of cards within an instant casino blackjack game could be considered to be infinite.
Card Designations and Bets
All face cards are valued at ten points, and numbered cards have the same value as shown on them. The “Ace” card is an interesting exception because it carries two values – one, and eleven! A player or a dealer can choose which value they would like to use when calculating their hand. To start the game, the player makes a bet. Should they win it, the casino will pay a winning blackjack bet 3:2 (or 1.5:1).
Split Play Betting Is Important
In some cases, the player may receive a hand that has two equal cards (for example two kings, two queens, etc.) that have a value of 10 points. Before moving to the draw phase of the game, they can choose to “split” the two, effectively turning them into two separate hands. If the player wants it, they can draw or stay on one or both. Split is almost always played, as it provides a greater chance to score a “natural Blackjack” hand.
Side Bets Are Exotic
Some blackjack game versions borrow from other card games to establish new bets with better payout odds. With this being said, we can’t miss mentioning the most popular side bet rule in Blackjack – perfect pairs. In the blackjack version that allows it, a player can put money on the possibility of getting a hand that will be made up of the same-face cards. Naturally, the lowest-paying odds would be given to matching cards by type; afterwards, a pair of the same colour, and finally, the perfect pair itself – a hand made of two identical in suit and colour cards, which is known to pay 30:1!