If you
find yourself afraid to hit, do it anyway. Don’t be afraid to hit when you think it is the best possible
move. Trust your understanding of the game.
If you
find yourself losing time after time at one table, don’t give up, but do move to
another table. Sometimes a dealer may be on a winning streak, and sometimes the
cards just may be stacked against you. If you find this happening, just cut
your losses and move to another table where you can start from scratch,
hopefully with better luck.
Just as you should know when to
cut your losses, you should know when to walk away with your profits. Winning
streaks do not last forever. When you find yourself on fire at the table, stay
with it. But when that feeling starts to waver, take your winnings, stuff them
in your pockets and move to another table or game.
It is a
good idea, when playing Blackjack, to always be friendly towards the dealer. A
dealer who feels favorably disposed towards you will only help you. In some
cases the dealer may have a better grasp of Blackjack strategy than you, and he
may be in a position to provide you with useful tips. In other cases, he may
warn you when you make misguided moves or when you are distracted. Aside from
that, making friends with the dealer will only add to the positive vibe of the
game and to your enjoyment of it. Also, always make sure to tip the dealer when
you are done playing, especially if the cards have been good to you.
When you
find yourself looking for a good table on which to play Blackjack, follow the
positive vibe. If you see a table where
the players look gloomy and miserable, avoid it. If you see a table where the
dealer seems to be on a lucky streak - avoid it. If, on the other hand, you see
a table where the players seem to be having a good time and the dealer seems
like a friendly guy, go for it. Many
players have found that a positive vibe has a better influence on their playing
than any calculations. In order to maintain that vibe, always remain positive
and upbeat while playing. An unhappy, fatalist player will always lose. A
positive player, even though he may also lose, will in the end come out on top.
The
history of the game of Blackjack began around the beginning of the 18th century
in France, where it appeared in the form of a game called "vingt et
un" or "twenty one". The name "Blackjack" comes from
an early version of the game in which the player received a payoff of 10 to 1
if he had a black jack of spades and a (black) ace of spades.
From
France, Blackjack made its way to the United States in the 19th century, where
it was mainly found out in the American West. In 1931, gambling became legal in
Las Vegas, and Blackjack became one of the staples of the new casino scene.
In the
1950's and 1960's, books were published that used mathematical analysis to
teach players how to improve their odds of beating the dealer. One of these
books, Dr. Edward Thorp's "Beat the Dealer" became a bestseller, and
Blackjack became the most popular casino game in the United States.
In the
1970's, Ken Uston and his merry band of creative gamblers used hidden computers
to win hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their ingenuity attracted the
attention of the FBI, which examined the computers and decided that they were
not cheating devices, and therefore were fair and legal. Players rushed to
apply the lessons of Uston's method, but many casinos decided to adopt a
multi-deck system of play, which complicated methods to improve the player's
chances. Uston himself was banned from several Las Vegas casinos and was
eventually found dead in a Paris apartment in 1987.
---------------------------------------------------
Links to the best sites teaching BlackJack (I do not provide links to online casinos)
The Future of Casino Blackjack
Hit or Stand.Net Learn strategy as you play
21 Ace - Reviews of two
basic strategy and card counting books.
Ace-Ten.com - Articles, discussions, tips, strategies, and interactive resources.
All Things Blackjack - Basic rules, tips, and advanced strategies.
BJ Math - Explores the mathematics of blackjack.
Blackjack 4 You - Rules, tips, strategies and jokes.
Blackjack at Home - History, rules, tips, and links.
Blackjack Book List - Listed by categories and recommendations.
Blackjack Cafe - Statistics, tools and various strategies.
Blackjack Info - Provides free basic strategy charts for any set of rules.
Blackjack King - Strategy, rules, payout charts, table layout and related articles.
Blackjack Man - Strategy, advice and an interactive shockwave simulation.
Blackjack-Info.net - Providing rules, strategies, downloads, table guide and odds.
Rec.gambling.blackjack FAQ - Frequently asked questions from the usenet newsgroup.
Pagat.com's Rules of Blackjack
Beat
the Casino - Advanced Blackjack Secrets
Casino Blackjack
Virtual Blackjack
Blackjack
In French
BJ21.com
All About Blackjack
Blackjack Review Network
Blackjack FAQ
American Blackjack
House of Blackjack
BlackjackInfo.Com
Mastering
Blackjack
How To Win at
Blackjack
Blackjack Info
The Gamblers Edge
Blackjack Counter
Blackjack Game and Basic Strategy
Calculator
Introduction to Probability Theory
Connecticut Casinos and Connecticut Gambling
American Casinos and Casinos in United States
World
Series of Blackjack From Mohegan Sun
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- With just one month to go until
the launch of its new WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK FROM MOHEGAN SUN on March 15th
at 10 PM ET/PT, GSN today announced the names and identities of the 25
world-class blackjack players who will be vying for the title of champion and a
total of $250,000 in winnings.
In announcing the competitors for WORLD
SERIES OF BLACKJACK FROM MOHEGAN SUN, GSN President and CEO Rich Cronin said:
"With the help of gaming consultant and blackjack expert Max Rubin, who
provides color commentary for our tournament, we have invited 25 of the world's
best blackjack players to compete in this landmark event. Viewers will not only
learn winning blackjack strategy from those who literally wrote the book,
they'll also witness some of the most dramatic and heart-pounding moments of
true high-stakes gambling."
Some the top blackjack players competing
in the WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK are:
* Stanford Wong, the Godfather of Blackjack, has authored several books on Blackjack, including Basic Blackjack, Blackjack Analyzer, Blackjack Secrets, Blackjack Edge, Professional Blackjack and the bible of blackjack tournament play, Casino Tournament Strategy. A professional gambler for over 40 years, Wong is also an inductee into the Blackjack and Video Poker Halls of Fame and resides in Southern California; * Micky Rosa, credited with authoring the M.I.T. thesis on blackjack, he is featured in the NY Times best-selling book, Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas For Millions. He now resides in Australia and works in investments; * M.I.T. Mike, balances his blackjack play with work in the non-profit sector in Washington, D.C., nurturing and mentoring high school students. He also is featured in the NY Times best-selling book, Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas For Millions; * Anthony Curtis, one of the world's most recognized gambling authorities and Las Vegas resident, is the author of Bargain City -- Booking, Betting, and Beating the New Las Vegas, and The Art of Gambling Through The Ages as well as the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor; * Regina Guzior, legally blind, is credited as one of the best female blackjack players in the country -- she is the only participant from Michigan; * James Grosjean, author of Beyond Counting, is among the upper echelons of gambling experts; * Michael Konik, a true Renaissance man, expert blackjack player, and successful author of gaming books, Telling Lies and Getting Paid and The Man with the $100,000 Breasts: And Other Gambling Stories, a jazz musician and a golf columnist for an Delta Airline's in-flight magazine; * Ken Einiger, an aggressive blackjack player and former champion of the Mandalay Bay Blackjack Tournament, recently placed third in the Hilton Million Dollar Blackjack Tournament. Originally from New York, he also lived in Fort Lauderdale before moving to Las Vegas six months ago; * Previn Mankodi, an investment banker in Chicago, he also enjoyed a 3-year stint as a professional gambler and continues to contribute articles to Blackjack Forum, a quarterly journal for professional players; * Ashwin Patel, a very superstitious high roller, is an aggressive blackjack player who's biggest one night of blackjack play netted $180,000;
Rounding out the remaining competitors are the
following tournament players:
* Roger "Skip" Samad, a Las Vegas resident, has won over 20 tournaments and qualified for the Hilton Million Dollar Blackjack Tournament, is a former US Marine who's aggressive blackjack play includes shouting orders to his cards; * Ken Smith, a software and website developer, has won over 30 blackjack tournaments to date and founded a popular blackjack tournament website -- www.blackjackinfo.com . He resides in Mississippi; * Dave Stann, the undisputed Bad Boy of Blackjack, also an actor, uses psychology to gain the advantage over other players. He is a resident of Southern California; * Richard Munchkin, author of Gambling Wizards, a book that profiles some of the most successful professional gamblers of all time, qualified for MENSA and is a resident of Southern California; * Nick Dillon, a casino manager and 15-year blackjack player, who enjoys gambling "just for the fun of it;" * Cat Hulbert, is also an expert poker player. She is considered the best female gambler in the world; * Bobby J., a blackjack professional who is also an actor currently seen on television on the SciFi channel; * Joanna "Queen of Spades," a licensed chiropractor with three advanced degrees, has traveled the world playing blackjack and is a resident of Northern California; * Bradley Peterson, is a graduate of New Jersey's Seton Hall University and travels the world playing cards; * Susan, a school administrator for over 22 years who once sat down to a blackjack table with $300 and parlayed it into $150,000 by the end of the night. She is a resident of Massachusetts; * Ann Van Dyke, a married mother of two from New York who was raised in a family of gamblers; * Frank DeRocco, a high-roller tournament player and Connecticut native, who has consistently placed second and third in several recent blackjack tournaments; * Jimmy Pine, a lifelong gambler known for his winning expression "pay the little man," is also a professional singer who resides in Rhode Island; * Connie DeSimone, a highly competitive and outspoken Massachusetts housewife and mother of two who goes to casinos every weekend. She also admits to also being a reformed slots player; * Jane Gamble, a guitar player originally from Las Vegas, relies on experience, positive thinking, variance and karma to make herself a winner at blackjack.
Hosted by TV sports personality Matt Vasgersian and
co-hosted by Average Joe's Melana Scantlin, WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK also
features gambling consultant and professional blackjack player Max Rubin, who
provides colorful commentary. Shot on location at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino
in Connecticut, WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK will air on Monday nights at 10 PM
ET/PT beginning Monday, March 15.
In keeping with GSN's leadership position in
interactive programming, WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK will have an online presence
at www.gsn.com , where site visitors will be
able to play blackjack for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week through a
special stand-alone game. For those looking for a greater challenge, GSN is
providing online visitors with the ability to compete head-to-head with the
series players in real time playing the series sync-to-broadcast interactive
program. The more they play, the more points they get, and those points qualify
visitors for entries into sweepstakes drawings for a chance to win great
prizes. In addition to playing blackjack online, the site will offer tips and
advice from experts on how to improve your blackjack skills.
WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK is produced by R.C.
Entertainment for GSN. Paul Abeyta and Peter Kaikko serve as the series'
executive producers. GSN has also greenlit two more blackjack series, namely CELEBRITY
BLACKJACK and WORLD BLACKJACK TOUR.
Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is within
easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes
from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Places. What began with
the Casino of the Earth in 1996 has evolved into a legendary destination that
now includes: the Casino of the Sky and over 300,000 square feet of total
gaming space; The Shops at Mohegan Sun, featuring more than 40 retail shops and
dining venues ranging from food court-style to gourmet; the 10,000-seat Mohegan
Sun Arena for world-class sporting events and concerts, and an intimate
Cabaret; and a 34-story luxury hotel, featuring 1,200 guestrooms and suites,
premier meeting and convention space and a world-class spa. More information is
available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting www.mohegansun.com
GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries, video game programs and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features 84 hours per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via gsn.com. Reaching 54 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com .
GSN, The Network for Games, will be expanding its
casino-genre programming beyond its current WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK tournament,
which premieres Monday, March 15, with two more programs featuring the popular
card game, CELEBRITY BLACKJACK and WORLD BLACKJACK TOUR. Both programs are
slated to air this summer and include the world's best professional and
celebrity players in separate series that will feature the popular style of
"tournament" Blackjack, in which players compete against each other
as well as the house. The announcement was made today by Rich Cronin, President
and Chief Executive Officer of GSN.
"We just finished taping the WORLD SERIES OF
BLACKJACK from Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and each game was incredibly
suspenseful through the last hand played," reflected Cronin. "We are
thrilled to be adding to GSN's Blackjack franchise by creating these new tournaments."
CELEBRITY BLACKJACK will feature the entertainment
industry's top 25 Blackjack players, who will all compete to earn money for
their favorite charity and to earn the title of CELEBRITY BLACKJACK champion.
The series will closely resemble the format of WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK where
the five winners from the first shows will compete in the finals. The sixth
show will feature the second-place finishers in a wild-card play-off with the
winner also advancing into the final seventh show. The series will be taped in
the U.S.
WORLD BLACKJACK TOUR will take place at top casinos
in the United States and other countries. GSN will organize more than a dozen
professional Blackjack tournaments which will culminate with the winners from
each location playing in the high stakes finals. WORLD BLACKJACK TOUR will
include today's best players from every corner of the globe.
WORLD BLACKJACK TOUR and CELEBRITY BLACKJACK will
feature expert commentators who will guide the viewers through each hand in
play. Both series will also feature an online playing experience on gsn.com. As
with the WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK, gsn.com registrants will be able to play
Blackjack for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the a special
stand-alone game and also, be able to compete with the on-air players in
real-time playing via GSN's sync-to-broadcast interactive TV.
GSN has an ambitious summer slate of original
programming scheduled. Joining CELEBRITY BLACKJACK and WORLD BLACKJACK TOUR are
the previously announced series VEGAS WEDDINGS UNVEILED, a hidden-camera
reality show capturing late-night nuptials at a famous Las Vegas chapel;
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S GREEK GAMES, an athletic spoof featuring fraternities and
sororities competing in absurd games, and EXTREME DODGEBALL, a comedy game series
providing an entertaining "grown-up" slant on the gym-class favorite.
GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S.
television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game
playing. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries, video
game programs and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN
features 84 hours per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a
chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via gsn.com.
Reaching 54 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all
major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media
information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com .