1)
What do I need before I start?
You
will need a few different things. You need access to a computer,
understanding of the basics of blackjack, and some cash
available for entertainment purposes. If your goal is to
simply practice online, you can skip the cash. I learned
to play in Atlantic City by practicing online.
2) Should I play
blackjack online?
You should only play online
if you can afford the money, have enough time to play, and
are willing to keep accurate records of your play. If you
can't do this, I don't recommend playing online.
- Is it fair?
We believe the most reputable online casinos are fair. Our
internal calculations based on over $200,000 in wagers from
the casinos represented on OBS are consistent with the posted
odds by the casino. Be careful though, many of the online
casinos have posted odds that simply are not that good.
Make sure you understand how the subtle changes in the rules
of the game influence the odds tremendously. Try to stick
to well know casinos to avoid even the possibility of beinf
ripped offf.
Most of the casinos on OBS also use proprietary software
owned by other companies. These companies independently
verify the odds of the individual games and the casinos
are unable to change the odds on the games themselves. These
software companies don't want to rish their reputations
by manipulating the odds. The added protection of the software
companies is a consideration in picking an online casino.
- Is it safe?
We have wagered over $200,000 online without any hitches.
No money stolen, no identities stealing, no bogus credit
card charges, nothing. We're not saying that these things
don't happen, but if you stick with reputable online casinos,
you should be safe. All casinos on OBS use SSL (secure sockets
layer) for transactions, downloads, and gameplay. SSL helps
protect your personal information. This is the same technology
used when you make a purchase at Amazon or Ebay. Here's
a link to read more about SSL.
- Is it legal?
We have spent thousands of dollars trying to get the answer
to this one! We have paid several lawyers to look into this
for us and they all came up with the same thing.... maybe!
The thing is, no one has ever been charged, arrested, convicted,
or even accused of gambling online. In fact, there has only
been 1 person arrested for anything to do with gambling
online. His name was Jay Cohen and he was the owner of an
online casino that was in the US. The law is clear that
you can't operate a casino online on US soil, but as far
as playing online, the law is far from clear. Lawmakers
are still arguing over internet commerce and online gambling
appears to be in the "gray" zone for now. We'll
keep you posted of any major changes.There are many resourced
to get more information on this.topic: www.gamblingandthelaw.com,
www.igamingnews.com, and www.gambleonthenet.com. Read this
recent article
in the Detroit Free Press.
- Will I get paid?
After attempting over hundreds of cash ins at hundreds of
casinos, we can reports the we have NEVER been stiffed.
While it may have taken a very long time for some of the
less reputable casinos to pay up, we have always been paid.
Understand that most of the online casinos will ask for
extra paperwork before processing any cash ins to help prevent
fraud. Always keep good documentation of all your records
in case of any discrepancies. If you have any problems with
any casinos, we want to hear about it. Email us HERE.
- Is online better
than offline? Yes and no. Take look at our Online
vs Offline page.
3) What are the
rules in blackjack?
The object of Blackjack
is for the total of your cards to be closer to 21 than the
dealer’s cards, without exceeding 21. In Blackjack,
aces count as either 1 or 11, face cards as 10, and number
cards as their face value. If you receive an ace and a ten-value
card as your first two cards, you have Blackjack and win
150% of your original bet (if you bet $10, you get $25 back).
If the total value of your cards is closer to 21 than the
dealer’s, you win 100% of your original bet (if you
bet $10, you get $20 back). If the total of your cards is
more than 21, you “bust” and lose your bet.
If you and the dealer have the same card total (17 and up)
neither of you win and your bet is returned to you in a
“push”. Blackjack is an ace with either a ten,
jack, queen, or king on the first 2 cards. An ace with a
face card after a split will only count as 21, not blackjack.
Since an ace can count as a 1 or 11, any hand where the
ace is acting as an 11 is a "soft" hand. Ex: ace
plus 5 is soft 16. If you hit the soft 16 and get a 10,
you now have a "hard" 16.
Player Options: These rules vary from casino
to casino. It's how the casinos change the odds.
Split
If your first two cards have the same point value, you may
split them into two separate hands by placing a second bet
equal to the original bet. You then proceed to draw cards.
You may draw as many cards as you like on each split hand.
Some casinos let you resplit a split hand, some don't. Also,
many casino's will only give you one card after splitting
aces. If you receive an ace and a ten-value card in a split
hand, it is counted as 21 and not Blackjack.
Double
After you are dealt two cards, and think that another card
will allow you to beat the dealer’s hand, you can
increase your bet by an amount up to your original bet or
“double” your bet. Your wager is doubled, and
you are allowed to receive one more card. Some casinos will
allow you to double after a split, and some casinos will
limit the point totals for doubling only on hard 9,10, and
11's.
Insurance
Insurance is a suckers bet and we NEVER recommend it under
any circumstances. We'll tell you how it works, but don't
recommend it. Insurance allows you to try and protect yourself
when you think that the dealer may have Blackjack. When
buying insurance, you place half of your initial bet by
pressing the Insurance button. If the dealer does have Blackjack,
you are paid 2 to 1 on your insurance bet. If the dealer
doesn’t have Blackjack, you lose your insurance bet.
4) What are the
odds in blackjack?
The odds in blackjack vary
with the rules of the game. They can vary anywhere from
being in the players favor by 1% to the dealers favor by
2.5%. You should understand that the better the odds are,
the more likely your chances of winning.
How are the odds determined? The odds depend
on a number of factors. We will list each factor and state
how in influences the game. The overall odds of particular
casinos can be seen on the blackjack strategy cards.
Factors:
Number
of Decks: The more decks the casino uses, the lower
your odds. This is because it lowers the odds of you getting
a blackjack. 1 deck blackjack is the players best option
usually (be careful to look at the other rules, too.)
Dealer
soft 17's: Better odds if dealer stays on soft
17's, worse if dealer hit's soft 17's.
Double
after Splits: Better for you if the casino allows
you to double after splits. This rule may change your strategy
because you may decide not to split a pair if you can't
double after a split.
Number
of Splits: All casinos will let you split at least
once. Some will let you split up to 4 times. The more times
the casino lets you split, the better odds you have.
Doubling:
Some casinos let you double any 2 initial cards, while some
may limit you to doubles on 9.10, adn 11 only. Better for
you if you can double any 2 cards.
Split
Aces: Most casinos give you one more card on split
aces and that's it. They won't give you a choice of hitting.
Some casinos will let you hit after splitting aces. A very
valuable rule to find.
Surrender:
Surrender allows a player with a poor hand to give up half
of his/her bet and be counted out of the game and keeps
half of the wager. Surrender can only be requested on the
first 2 cards. Surrender is termed Late surrender if the
surrender bet is valid after the dealer checks for blackjack.
The dealer still collects the whole bet with a blackjack
in Late Surrender. Early Surrender is a rare rule which
we have never seen online. Early surrender allows a player
to keep half the bet even if the dealer has blackjack.
European
vs American Rules: In American rules, the dealer
immediately checks for blackjack after the first 2 cards.
Players must declare whether or not they want insurance,
then the dealer checks for blackjack. If he has BJ, then
the players lose their bets immediately. If no dealer BJ,
then the players may continue to play. This is true if an
Ace or a Face card is showing for the dealer. The American
rules protects the player from increased losses on dealer
blackjacks, which increases the odds.
In
European rules, there is no hole card and the dealer can't
check for blackjack. Players have the option to still double
and split in this version even though the dealer may get
blackjack. So, the European version allows the player to
lose potentially more money on dealer blackjacks, lowering
the odds.
A
third possibility is the no peak option which the dealer
wins only the original wager plus any bets where the player
busts (such as busting after splitting 9's). This is termed
Australian rules and is in between the American and European
versions.
-
How do the rule changes affect the odds? Coming
Soon
- What are the major software companies for online
blackjack? Coming Soon
- Where can I verify the odds on OBS? The
odds we have posted on our website are from our own internal
calculations that we verified with other sources on and
offline.On the internet, here are two really good links
that will help you verify our odds: www.thewizardofodds.com
and www.blackjackinfo.com
5)
What is the best blackjack strategy?
- Where can I find blackjack strategy cards for
each casino?
OBS
has created strategy cards for several of the casinos. We
are constantly developing more cards. These cards are mathematically
derived to give you the playing option for every possible
hand in the game. The strategy varies with the rules as
described above. To use a strategy card, all you have to
do is find your hand in the vertical column, the dealers
hand in the horizontal column and line them up for your
play. To see our available free strategy cards go to Blackjack
Strategy now.
6)
How do I pick a casino to practice or play for real?
You
should stick with the most reputable casinos to ensure your
chances of fair, accurate, fun play and quick payouts. All
of the casinos on OBS have been thoroughly researched and
look for the OBS approve site tag to ensure safety. Make
sure to check out our CASINO
RANKINGS page.
- Where are reliable casinos? We consider
all casinos on OBS to be reliable. We do not place a casino
on our site if it is not reliable. For a list of BLACKLISTED
casinos, email us HERE.
- What casinos have the best bonuses? We
have done all the homework for you. These bonuses are the
absolute best on the internet, guaranteed. Be careful to
read the terms of conditions of each particular casino and
understand that there are wager requirements in order to
cash out a bonus. We have broken the best bonuses down by
whether or not blackjack counts towards the wager requirements
to take out a bonus:
Top
Blackjack Bonuses:
1. Riviera Gold: 200% match on $100 ($200
free) Visit/Review
2. River Belle: 150% match on $100 ($150
free) Visit/Review
3. Five Roses: 125% match on $100 ($125
free) Visit/Review
4. Winward:100% match on $500 ($500 free)
Visit/Review
- What casinos have the best odds? The
best odds we have found online so far is the Microgaming
Software single hand game with a house edge of 0.24%. This
is much better than Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Press here
to see the MicroGaming Casinos. Update: Boss casinos actually
have PLAYER advantage odds of 0.10% HERE.
7)
How do I make a deposit to a casino?
See Online Banking
8)
How do I get my cash from a casino?
See Online Banking
