In a casino you will normally need to take more risk if you want to win a bigger prize and if you take less of a risk you will potentially win something smaller. You will need to get a balance here. You will need to decide whether you are happy winning a smaller prize and taking less risk or whether you would rather win a big prize and take more risk.

If you think that it only worth playing if you can potentially get a really big jackpot then you will have to pay out more money and have a lower chance of winning. If you think that you would rather win more often and do not mind how much you win, then you will need to play the lower risk games.

These may not come match up, in that you may not like taking a risk, but think that the only prize worth winning is the high jackpot one. On the other hand you might be happy with taking a risk but enjoy winning so be happy to win more often even if it means that you get smaller prizes.

It is worth giving this some thought before you start playing any games as you will have more fun if you play it in a way that keeps you the happiest. Obviously there will be other factors that will have an influence on how much you enjoy it as well, such as how much you can afford, whether you like certain games and who you are playing with.

It is sensible to not to risk losing money that you cannot afford to lose. There is no guarantee of winning even if the game is a low risk and so you need to be really careful and only spend money that you can afford to lose.

There is no evidence that if you take big risks you are more successful than if you do not with regards to how much return you get on what you pay in. It is much better to see the money that you pay out as a fee for the enjoyment that you are having playing the game and any prizes as a bonus.

Blackjack has different names depending on where you are in the world including Twenty One, Pontoon and Vingt-et-un.
Although the actual origins of blackjack are unknown, reference of “ventiuna” (the Spanish name for twenty one) is found as far back as the beginning of 17^th century. It is widely recognized that blackjack can offer some of the best odds of any online casino games as it is possible to mathematically calculate the probability of a higher or lower valued card coming out of the pack. The higher odds of winning makes playing blackjack very appealing and why it is such a popular casino game.

Blackjack Objective

The primary objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer (or banker as it is sometimes known) with a higher hand without exceeding 21 (also known as ‘Busting’). In this game, the numbered cards (2 to 10) are counted as per their value where as picture cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) count as 10 and Aces count as either 1 or 11 according to the player’s choice.

In the game, each player is provided with two upturned cards which they are not allowed to touch. The dealer gets one upturned card and one face down card which is known as the hole card. After the cards are dealt, the players are asked to start making decisions based on the dealer’s upturned card and the two cards in their hand. The player can decide on one of the following:

Stand
Also known as “stick” or “pass”, this is played when someone feels their total score has a good chance of beating the dealer. The dealer then plays their hand to reveal whether the player has won, or not.

Hit
When the player feels their score needs to be improved in order to beat the dealer, they can call ‘hit’. It allows the player to draw one more card from the “shoe”. The player can either ‘hit’, ‘stand’ or will be ‘bust’.

Double
The ability to double your card varies from casino to casino. Some casinos allow players to double down on any total, where as some limit the action of doubling, and others don’t allow it at all.  When a player ‘doubles’ they can match their original bet and receive only one card.

Split
A player can split any pair of matching valued cards (not necessarily the same suit). Once the “split” is called the cards are separated and the original bet is matched on the second card, the player then receives another card on each of his split cards and proceeds with the hands separately. Most casinos will allow you “one card only” when you split aces. This simply means you split the aces and each ace receives another card, at which point you have to “stand” regardless of your total. It is not uncommon to receive the same valued card on your split card and more often than not you will be allowed to split this pair again.

Outcomes Resulting From Player Actions

Stand off or Push
This is when the score of the player is equal to the dealer’s. It is a stand off result where the player usually gets his bet back.

Blackjack for the player
If the player gets an ace with any card valued at 10, he scores 21 and ‘blackjack’.

Blackjack for the dealer
The dealer makes “blackjack” by beating all other hands on the table including any aces that have been split and have made black with their second card.

Insurance
When the upturned card of the dealer is an ace, ‘insurance’ is offered to players and allows them to make a side bet, usually up to half of their original bet, on the dealer making a ‘blackjack.’

Bust
If the score of the player exceeds 21 (the maximum value accepted in the game), they are deemed ‘bust’ and have lost.

General Blackjack Terms

To understand the blackjack guide and strategies, it is necessary that you know the general terms used in the game. Some of the terms commonly used in the game are given below:

The Dealer
Dealer is the casino employee who shuffles and deals the cards, and is also in charge of the ‘shoe’.

The Player
This is the person who gambles money by playing against the casino, i.e. you.

Shoe
Where all the cards still in play are kept is known as the ‘shoe’. A shoe can have 1 to 8 decks of cards.

One Card Only
In certain circumstances such as ‘split’ or ‘doubling’ of aces, the dealer will allow one extra card only to continue with regardless of your total.

Soft
When a player has an ace and their total is less than 11, making the value of the ace as 1.

Hard
When a player has no aces in their hand or their hand value exceeds 11 even valuing the ace as 1.

Thankfully, in the bingo industry, award organisers have been taking steps to ensure that there are award categories that even the smallest brands can have a shot at winning.

Lets take a look at the 2016 WhichBingo Awards, they have opened several new categories which by their very nature offer a new playing field for the smaller names in the market to compete in.

Earning awards in the big title categories such as ‘Best Online Bingo Site’, may still be close to impossible due to the size of sites that usually scoop such titles. The reason for the difficulty is simple, if only a tiny percentage of Sun Bingo (for example) players vote for a given award category, the vote tally will come in far higher than the number that would be achieved by the same percentage of players at Rocket Bingo, for example.

Fortunately, the new categories that are open in the 2016 WhichBingo Awards offer plenty of scope for even the smallest of brands to have a run at becoming award winning. Take the category, ‘Best Cozy Games Bingo Site’ or ‘Best Jumpman Gaming Bingo Site’, categories which give sites such as Landmark Bingo and Rocket Bingo a really great opportunity to gain some brand recognition and the potential to earn an award.

These small brands often have considerably less budget than their larger competitors, however often they have a strong following of loyal players and some of the brands, such as Rocket Bingo actually punch well above their weight in terms of the promotions they offer.

On 20th May the results of the WhichBingo Awards will be published online after they are revealed in what is set to be a fairly glitzy ceremony held in the London Aquarium!

Thanks to six exciting new software categories, we believe the WhichBingo Awards of 2016 is set to be the most inclusive and highly anticipated award evening in the calendar.

What will set you apart is knowing when to break those rules and this will come with practise , practise , practise.

Don’t follow charts and don’t live your life by percentages – sure starting hands as explained earlier are good to know but they are not the be all and end all. Poker is a game of small advantages which will be exploited by the better player and for you to be that better player then you have to adapt to the game you are in every time.

Hands which may be folded in some games can become great hands in other games depending on who you are playing. A nice simple example of this is that playing behind two tight ass players on the blind it suddenly doesn’t matter to much what you have in your starting hand anymore so rigidly folding cards you think you should not raise or even play in this situation would be the wrong move. Sure you could get called but most often from here you will get a BB and a SB for your raise and one of those a round can keep you in with a fighting chance in a tourney.

The bottom line is the charts are a basic learning tool and they are not to be taken as literal, a bit like you need to know which hands beat which hands and what the word blind means in poker – if they were infallible then everyone would win the WSOP . The good players absorb that kind of information and then adapt it to in game situations to increase any slight edge they may have in a game. A combination of knowing what might be right for a robot and then applying that to a real life poker game. AQ may be a good calling hand even to a raise but not if the guy who is raising you only ever goes for a raise when he has AA – this is a very simplified example but you get my drift.

Don’t be a robot and you will find yourself taking the robots money.

So do you go all in or make a big bet hoping that they will follow you in? again no in my experience this will result in them folding and you losing out on some extra cash. At this point we want as many of our chips in the middle and to get called as we have the best hand right!

The thing to do in this position is to bet small – I don’t mean stupidly small but smaller than say your raise – so if the pot is 600 then bet a hundred. 9 times out of ten as your opponent probably had an ok hand to call your raise they will be thinking that you have not hit on the flop and that your small bet is a weak attempt to bluff them out of the pot. Watch them raise you almost every time.

Now you dont really want to have a cheap card come out next as if you get outdrawn then so be it but when you have the best hand and your facing a raise then you want your chips in the middle – worst case you get outdrawn and that will suck but more often than not your opponent will fold as you move all in realising that you have trapped them good. The even better scenario is that they lose the plot thinking you are trying to bully them off the pot and they call and don’t outdraw you with anything on the turn or the river and you win very big.

Either way in the second two examples you have made the most of a good hand compared to letting your opponent have a cheap card or to knocking them off the hand with an outrageous big bet on the flop.

So remember – raise a good hand – hit on the flop – small bet – massive re raise – fingers crossed

Only give Credit Card Information to the Casino

One of the most common methods of online casino fraud involves getting your credit card number. Fortunately, there is a simple way of keeping this information to yourself: do not give it to anyone.

If the online casino requires a credit card, such as for deposit or withdrawal purposes, be sure to only input it into the online casino’s main site or game software. An online casino will never ask you to send your password or other personal information through e-mail.

Scammers will often use e-mail to request your credit card number or other personal information while posing as a reputable online casino. This technique is referred to as ‘phishing’, and all suspected attempts to retrieve your personal information should be reported to the online casino’s customer support.

Online Casino Offers Should be Realistic

You’ve all heard this before, and it’s applies just as well to online casinos: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you come across an online casino offer promising huge rewards for little effort, you should be careful. It is common for an online casino to offer promotions such as sign-up bonuses and low-cost tournaments, but be wary of offers that seem over the top, especially from online casinos that haven’t built up a good reputation.

Another red flag regarding unrealistic online casino offers is the limited time deal. While time-specific tournaments and holiday offers are common, scammers will be overly pushy in the hopes of rushing players into bad decisions. If you are made to feel guilty for not accepting an offer, watch out.

A reputable online casino should not feel the need to pressure you to use their services, as their products, services and customer support speak for themselves.

Avoid Misleading Online Casino Offers

Reputable online casinos seek and deserve honest business, and want their players to make informed decisions. As such, online casinos make efforts to present their offers and services in clear, easily understood language. Most go as far as posting common questions and troubleshooting tips directly on their main web page.

If an online casino service is described in overly technical, specialized or otherwise confusing knowledge, they are not necessarily trying to mislead you, but take steps to fully understand the offer before accepting it.

Keep Track of your Credit Card and Bank Statements

With proper bookkeeping practices, you will always know when money has been taken from any of your accounts without your permission. Catching these events early on is very important in resolving any issues, should they occur.

Online Casino Scams- Final Thoughts

While players should be vigilant about preventing online casino scams, proper caution, along with educating yourself, make online casino gaming a safe and enjoyable experience.

Hit
To hit simply means to take another card. An online casino player can continue to hit on any hand valued below 21.

Stand
To stand means to leave your hand as is. A player choosing to stand will not receive any more cards and is not allowed to change his or her bet in any way.

Splitting Pairs
If a player is dealt a pair of matching cards, such as two 8’s or any two face cards, he or she has the option of splitting them into two separate hands which will be played independently. Normal betting rules apply to these new hands. A bet matching your original must be made to do this.

Splitting a pair of aces is always advisable, as drawing a 10 or any face card will result in a 21. Online casino players should note, however, that this will not be considered a Blackjack. A winning hand will payout at the regular, and not the Blackjack, rate.

Many online casinos allow up to three additional split bets to be made, should more pairs occur during subsequent card draws.

Doubling Down
Doubling down is to increase an online casino player’s initial bet by up to double the original amount (the full amount is not required). This is only allowed during the initial two-card hand, before any additional cards have been dealt. After a double-down bet has been declared, only one additional card is dealt, at which point the player must stand.

Surrender
In a surrender bet, the player forfeits their existing hand and loses half of his or her initial bet. This is a good choice if the odds of winning are minimal, as the entire initial bet will not be lost. An online casino player can no longer surrender after any other action, such as a hit.

Surrender can fall into two categories: Early surrender and late surrender.

Early surrender is done before the online casino checks to see if they have been dealt a blackjack. Many online casinos do not use this option as it greatly increases a player’s odds.

Late surrender is performed after the dealer checks for blackjack. If a blackjack occurs, surrender is no longer an option to the player.

Insurance
An insurance bet is allowed if the online casino turns up an ace. A player may bet up to half of the amount of his or her original bet as an insurance bet. An insurance bet will pay out at odds of 2:1 should the dealer reveal a 10 or face card (resulting in Blackjack). This results in the player breaking even, though they lose their initial bet. Should the casino not achieve Blackjack, the insurance bet is lost.