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Every gambler dreams of hitting it big one day while playing at the casino. Some people end up losing great sums of money in the process, but others come away with large payouts. While it is true that higher payouts usually go hand-in-hand with larger bets, this is not always the case. Lots of money has been won by both rich and ordinary people alike. Read on for a few of their stories. [Read more…]
Today’s sophisticated online multi-hand blackjack has its origins in 17th century France. While many people think that the online version of the game is modern, it would never have evolved without key changes made to meet customer demand. These changes actually work in your favour since you are not just a player, you are a blackjack consumer.
In the 1600s in France, French royalty started playing a game which they called “vingt-et-un” (twenty and one). It was popular in French palaces and from there trickled down throughout the upper class. Soon, it had become one of the most popular “parlor” games on the European continent. When foreign dignitaries would visit French royalty, they often would learn the game while waiting and bring it back to their own countries when their visit ended.
Around the same time, a similar game called “Ochko” (“the hole”) was being played in Russia. Soon, the number of players of this early form of blackjack numbered in the hundreds of thousands. However, it was not until the French Revolution when the old class system was overthrown that the masses embraced blackjack. From the chateaus and palaces of Burgundy, the game spread throughout the cities and villages. Of course, with a wave of European immigration, the game spread to the United States.
Blackjack became one of the most popular casino games in America. At the time, there was absolutely no government regulation of the game and professional gamblers realized that it was possible to manipulate the odds and bets. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the government of United States started to crack down on organized crime and manipulated blackjack games. For awhile, all casino games were banned. The unintended result was that casino games went underground and the corruption increased.
Finally, the government realized that banning gambling would not work and unfairly penalized the honest gamers with the crooks. They created laws that protect the players and inserted overseeing bodies in the government. This was when Las Vegas was reborn. However, other states kept their gambling prohibitions around, so Vegas became the gambling centre of the whole nation. The great game of blackjack could not be kept down, however, and its popularity spread to Monte Carlo and other sites around the world.
With the birth of the Internet, there was great demand for blackjack games that could be played online. Once again, it was the game’s popularity that led to the development of online casinos. Now, there are hundreds of places where once can play a realistic game of online blackjack, complete with real wagering.
The latest development has been the creation of multi-hand blackjack games. A few years ago, some forward looking casinos decided to offer blackjack players the ability to play up to five hands at once. Since multi-hand blackjack allows the player to diversify his or her strategies, there are more chances to win and to maximize winnings. Before too long, many other casinos picked up on the trend, and now multi-hand is one of the most popular blackjack versions on the web.
The advantage of the second way is that it more closely simulates the action of a real paper scratchcard, but without getting any messy gunk under your fingernail. It also creates more excitement as it allows the suspense to build up as you gradually uncover one hidden symbol after another.
But the advantage of the first method is that it is much faster, thus giving you more chances to play, and win, scratch card in the online casino. The odds of winning scratch card are exactly the same with either method, so it is a matter of which way you find the most enjoyable.
All Jackpots Casino offers a number of online scratch card variations with entertaining themes and big payouts. The top prize when you win at scratch card with Slam Funk is 250 times your bet, with Granny Prix it’s 2500 times your bet, and with Super Zeroes it’s 10,000 times your bet. So give one of the scratch card variations a try. You’re sure to have a fun time, and you could get a big real money online scratch card win as well.
The first thing you’ll notice about the online French Roulette table is that it is all green. You might have expected to see red and black numbers on the table, but this is nothing to worry about. The numbers on the roulette wheel — as opposed to the roulette table — are still red and black, and you can still make your even-money red and black bets as in any other game of roulette. The green felt table is simply a design decision that appeals to the French sensibilities but has no practical significance to playing the roulette game.
You will also notice that the French Roulette table is in French. It has words printed on it like “Pair” and “Impair” and “Passe” and “Manque”. This, too, is nothing to worry about. The English translations are also printed, in smaller letters, right on the felt, so you don’t need to know French to play French Roulette, although you could use the French Roulette table to improve your French if you want to.
The La Partage rule in online French Roulette states that if you make an even-money bet — red or black, odd or even, high or low — and the ball lands in the zero pocket, you lose only half your bet and not your entire bet.
Of course, you never want to lose at roulette; it’s much more fun to win. But you know you’re going to lose some times, so it’s certainly better to lose half your bet than to lose your whole bet. Over a long session of online casino gambling, the La Partage rule in online French Roulette can make the difference that puts you ahead over the long run.
In addition to all the regular roulette bets, including all the inside bets and outside bets, online French Roulette also offers special bets called Call Bets and Neighbour Bets. These bets are special because they are based on the position of the numbers on the roulette wheel, not on the roulette table.
For example, the Call Bet known as Voisins du Zero is a bet on the seventeen numbers clustered around the zero on the roulette wheel. A Neighbour Bet can be made on any roulette number; it is a five-coin bet on the chosen number, on the two numbers to the left of that number on the wheel, and the two numbers to the right of the chosen number. The Call Bets and Neighbour Bets are programmed into the online roulette software, so when you play roulette online you just need to indicate which Call Bet or Neighbour Bet you want and the computer will take care of placing your chips on the correct numbers. The wheel-based Call Bets and Neighbour Bets add an unusual variation and some real spice to your online roulette game.
As the idea grew in his head, he started working on it and came up with a mechanical machine with three separated tubs or reels that would spin independently of each other when a lever was pulled. With the help of notches and ridges on the reels, they would all spin at different speeds and come to rest at different places. To this he added the picture cards of the Kings, Queens, and Jacks, and thus the first slot machine was invented. When a line of the same cards — such as all kings or all queens — was drawn, a bell rang and a winner was declared. Charles Fey gave the name Liberty Bell to this machine and made his fortune from it. This original Liberty Bell machine was a fancy machine that stood on claw feet and the public loved it.
Now in the 21st century, more than 100 years after Charles Fey had originally played around in his garage, slot machines are the biggest attractions in both land-based and online casinos. The wide and varied different themes, and the low investment that is needed to play the slots, have kept slot machines as the most popular casino game for all of these years.
You comb through the many slot machine games, looking for that special game. But wait, it isn’t here. Where could it be?! You’ve come 100 miles and spent oodles of money to try this machine out in person. What in the world could have happened?
Although you may not realize it, when you stay home and play in the online casino, you have the world of online slots games at your fingertips. There are hundreds of variations to play, thousands of options, and a myriad of betting amounts from which to choose. And in the land-based casino? Sure, it’s fun to play there. But each casino can only hold so many slot machines. There are other games that people enjoy as well, and the casino can’t be filled with only slot machines. Even if a casino were to invest in only slots, they couldn’t possibly fit every slots game that we see online into their building space. It just wouldn’t be physically possible or financially feasible.
So, while you had your heart set on a particular slot machine game, if you go to the land-based casinos, you may have to compromise. When you play slot machines online, however, you will never have to make that decision. Every slots machine game that you could want to play is at your fingertips. This, of course, makes playing online slots infinitely more appealing than the land-based variety.
In addition to this obvious reason, there are others that make online slot games more appealing than their land-based counterparts. You are in control — you can moderate the noise as much as you desire; you can control the speed of play and the betting amount. You are the only one playing — there isn’t a cacophony of slot machine sounds — and you can moderate your one little machine to fit your comfort level.
Similarly, you can jump around and play every online slot machine game without a wait. At the casino, if someone is playing the game that you want, then you have to wait. And that leaves you to either wait or find a game that you like less. At home, there is no line and no wait. You can play any game that you desire whenever you want and for as long as you want. And you can play online flash slots without even downloading any software.
Best of all, Internet slots come with free games, welcome bonuses, special promotions, a VIP Program, and the chance to play slots for real money without ever leaving your home. All Jackpots Online Casino offers several attractice and secure banking options, and 24/7 customer service for slots players via e-mail or phone.
Taking Insurance is a great, very interesting feature. If the dealer’s first card is an Ace, you are offered the chance to take insurance. This means that you are insuring yourself against the dealer getting blackjack. The Insurance Bet is equal to half of your original bet. If the Dealer doesn’t have 21, then you lose this amount. If he does have 21, then you are paid out winnings at a rate of 2:1.
Enjoy the fun predictability of European Blackjack Gold. This game makes you feel exactly like you are sitting at the Blackjack table, even if you are playing in an online casino while relaxing in the comfort of your own home. Now that’s a feeling that can’t be beat!
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When all you’re doing in a casino is pulling a lever or placing a roulette bet, you can get as hysterical as you want. But blackjack is all about restraint and discipline; the blackjack table is no place for outbursts and emotional indulgence. Blackjack is a game that calls for skill and that skill requires concentration and focus. To play blackjack well, you have to use your memory and your gray matter; emotions are not part of the basic blackjack strategy.
Blackjack utilizes logic, statistics and math. It’s not a game in which wild hunches and emotional guesses will help you out in any way. If your feelings are flying high on a particular day — high enough to obscure your good judgment — stick to a game like roulette, but stay away from the blackjack table. In blackjack, you have to be steady and steadfast; if emotions are going to get in the way of your attentiveness then either check them at the door or wait until you have them under control before you approach the blackjack table.
This advice is also applicable if you are playing blackjack in an online casino. True, you are not exposed to the craziness of the craps players and the slots players. But winning real money or losing real money tends to get people excited — even in the quiet of their own homes. So emotional control is needed in the online casino just as much as in the land-based casino.
Even the toughest among us have had their emotions tested at the blackjack table; when luck is not on your side and you’re losing, it’s hard to stay emotionally uninvolved. But it’s precisely when you’re losing that you have to maintain the most control. When you’re angry or disappointed, it’s easy to make mistakes and so when you feel your self-control slipping, it’s a good idea to either step away from the table or give yourself an imaginary slap on the face to get yourself back in line. Even the best blackjack player can lose; you have to know that the cards can go either way and you have to train yourself to stay cool even under the most negative and adverse circumstances.
Keeping your emotions under control also means not yielding to them when you’re winning at blackjack. If you’re on a winning streak, the sheer joy can make you lose your focus. If you’ve had a winning blackjack strategy, just keep with it; don’t let emotions control your betting. Staying cool and calm at the blackjack table doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time; playing calm blackjack can be just as much fun as playing emotionally erratic blackjack. The thing to remember in playing blackjack is that when you are in control, you can control the game — your actions can determine whether you’re a winner or a loser. Emotions are not a part of that equation.
Not to be left behind, the game of blackjack decided to go with a big-money televised blackjack tournament, as well. A few years ago, the cable network, GSN, introduced the “World Series of Blackjack,” which became an instant hit. It is a closed blackjack tournament, which means that players are either invited to play or can win a spot via an official open tournament (previously broadcast, as well).
To its first tournament GSN invited a hand-picked group of 40 blackjack amateurs and pros. GSN knew that despite blackjack’s popularity the series needed big names to attract viewers, so they invited pros like Kenneth Smith, and celebrity players and writers like Stanford Wong. Mixed in with the famous card sharks were unknown card players and the hope was that the potential for an upset would keep viewers riveted. Blackjack fans took the bait — the show was a hit.
In the first season of the World Series of Blackjack, the prize money was a “mere” $300,000. This jumped to $500,000 in the second year, half of for the big winner. In the third season, the prize pool was increased to $1,000,000, with a $500,000 jackpot for the first-place winner. The show is professionally produced with creative camera angles, a state-of-the-art set, and a live studio audience to keep the atmosphere electric.
The format of the World Series blackjack tournament is simple. In the first round, the 40 players are split into 8 tables with 5 players each. Winners at each table advance and second-place finishers are put into a “wild-card” group. Including the post-season games — the semifinals and finals — there are 13 shows per season/tournament.
To keep viewers continually interested, GSN introduced changes and modifications along the way. In the third season of the show, for instance, a “knockout” card was added to each shoe. When the knockout card appeared in the course of a hand, the player with the lowest chip total at the end of the following hand was eliminated from the black jack tournament. The knockout card also signaled an increase in the minimum bet per hand.
The other change was called the “Burger King Power Chip.” Each player received one Power Chip per game and it allowed the player the one-time chance to discard one card from his hand and exchange it with the next card from the shoe. The World Series of Blackjack is committed to keeping their fans in front of their TVs. You can be sure the tournament will continue to serve up bigger, better, and bolder blackjack.