Learning Blackjack

I found this nifty site that's a great resource for blackjack beginners. The web site I'm talking about is called, Hit or Stand. It is a free online blackjack game and trainer that teaches you blackjack strategy while you play. The goal of the game is to make a high percentage of correct moves and not to earn money, as most online gambling websites are.

The Game Play and Strategy

The Hit or Stand game works just like any other online blackjack game, however your score is determined by your ability to execute the correct moves on each hand. After the cards are dealt, you have the option to Hit, Stand, Double, or Split. Because this game is a trainer, it is up to you to add the cards and know whether you are allowed to split or double. An illegal move will be counted incorrect. If your move is legal, it will be determined to be correct and will be an increase in your points.

This online game has two modes of play: easy and difficult. In both modes you will be dealt 20 hands, and your final score will be the percentage of correct moves you made out of the incorrect ones. In difficult mode, the hands will by more challenging, and there is now a time element since you'd only be given 4 seconds to make a decision.

Basic Online Blackjack Rules

While blackjack does change from casino to casino, it generally has to form of rules - Las Vegas rules or Atlantic City rules. However the fundamental correct moves do not differ that much and in many large scale casinos the rules are similar. Below are some very basic blackjack rules.

• The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand without going over 21.
• Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever makes a better hand.
• Each player starts with two cards, one of the dealer's cards is hidden until the end.
• To 'Hit' is to ask for another card. To 'Stand' is to hold your total and end your turn.
• If you go over 21 you bust, and the dealer wins regardless of the dealer's hand.
• If you are dealt 21 from the start (Ace & 10), you got a blackjack.
• Blackjack usually means you win 1.5 the amount of your bet. Depends on the casino.
• Dealer will hit until his/her cards total 17 or higher.
• Doubling is like a hit, only the bet is doubled and you only get one more card.
• Split can be done when you have two of the same card - the pair is split into two hands.
• Splitting also doubles the bet, because each new hand is worth the original bet.
• You can only double/split on the first move, or first move of a hand created by a split.
• You cannot play on two aces after they are split.
• You can double on a hand resulting from a split, tripling or quadrupling you bet.

If you plan on seriously learning blackjack and maybe later on learn the art of card counting, visit hit or stand to learn the basics.

Website: www.hitorstand.net

Online Gambling Etiquette

It is a fact that online gambling or online casinos lack much of the protocol and etiquette of its offline counterpart however this certainly doesn't mean that anything goes. There are still certain rules to follow and respecting other online gambling players in terms of maintaining game speed and communicating appropriately to others ensures a more pleasurable experience for everyone.

Below are some very basic online gambling etiquette that both new and old players can adhere to.

1. Be considerate with other online players. Adhering to this rather simple online gambling etiquette is making it easier for yourself to adhere to the rest of the online casino etiquette presented below.
   
2. Always, always know the rules of the online game before playing. Do a research online such as how to play online poker or what is backgammon before playing with a money at stake. There are a lot of online casinos that offer newbies to try their online poker games, and such, using fake money. Availing of the free trial let's you understand the online gambling platform even more.
3. Always make sure, that you as a player is 18 and years old and above as required by most online gambling sites. This rule is taken very seriously. Violations of this rule shows disrespect toward the online gambling operator and the other players.
4. Maintain the speed of the game: Online gambling games are often much faster than the real casinos and thus more appealing to many players. You should do your best to keep the speed of the game although "moments" are normal. Nonetheless, you should constantly avoid lagging behind to show courtesy and consideration towards other online poker players.
   
5. Unless if you are playing specifically for a certain language, communicate only using English so that you can keep other online gambling players on the same page.
6. Don't abuse the chat feature: Refrain from using it for profanity, criticizing other players, or making poor jokes. A lot of online poker players and other online gamers value having their identity unknown and if these people would just like to focus on the game without socializing, then reconsider and respect their choice. Also refrain from using the chat feature to advertise your business, criticizing the hosting site and/ or talking about the hand-in progress. Forbear using ALL CAPS and exclamation points since not only is it impolite and inappropriate, this can also imply that you are shouting to the other online poker players.
7. There is never any pressure to gamble for money on most online gambling sites. However if a person just wants to bet for fun with points, let them. Pressuring people to gamble is, actually, not fun for anyone.
   
8. Should you feel that an online gambling player is downright improper and is not practicing good online gambling etiquette, it is in the best interest of the game, and every other online gambling players, to report the player to the operator as soon as possible.

Online Poker Games 101

Poker is a card game that share betting rules and usually (but not always) hand rankings. Poker games differ in how cards are dealt out, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown (for some games, the pot is split between both the high and low hands), bet limits, and how many rounds of betting are allowable.

When we speak of online poker, this is a poker game played over the internet. Online poker gambling has been particularly responsible for the growth of worldwide poker players. The increase of many avid online poker players has also caused poker revenues to increased from $82.7million in 2001 to a whopping $ 2.4 billion last 2005. Imagine how many people got incredulously hooked to online gambling especially with online poker games. For this post, we will briefly discuss online poker games that got millions hooked. Below are some popular online poker games among online poker players.

Texas hold 'em

Among all poker games this one is the most popular both online and offline. This is a community card poker game where each player can use any combination of the five community cards and the player's own two hole cards to make a poker hand.

Omaha

This online poker game is similar to the Texas hold'em, a community card game. Each player is given four cards and he must use his best hand in picking the two cards of choice, plus exactly three of the five community cards.

Seven-Card Stud

Seven-card stud used to be the most popular online poker game before the Texas hold'em grabbed the attention of the majority in online gambling. Two to eight players can play this particular poker game. The players are dealt seven cards throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five-card poker hand possible for each player is used to determine the winner.

Razz

Razz is a stud poker game that is normally played for ace-to-five low. The objective of this particular poker game is to make the lowest five-card possible hand from the seven cards given to you during the deal. Straights and flushes do not count against you for low while the ace always plays low. The best possible Razz hand is 5-4-3-2-A, or 5 high, also known as "the wheel" or "the bicycle".

Online Poker Gambling Basics

Before we start off with rants and raves about online poker gambling, we should embank on theoretical knowledge that encompasses poker; otherwise, it’s tantamount to discovering the trends of developing poker software and not knowing how to play the game. Due to this, even online poker software development companies like CyberArts need to know the basics of poker, or better be poker players themselves, to know their trade well.
Online poker gambling demands time and patience for undergoing a learning curve, the game being a skill-based. Definitely, like any other online gambling, online poker gambling has a set of terms and jargons that every online poker player needs to know.
For the benefit of the first-timers and newbies of the game, we made a list of terms that should be part of every online poker player’s survival kit.
Play- This stands for a single game, from one card shuffle to the next.
Hand tie- When there are two online poker players and both of them have the same winning hand, they will divide the amount between them; if the amount is not divisible by two, the online poker player with the highest bid gets the major amount, leaving the leftovers to the second.
Rake- In online poker gambling, it’s a commission taken by the poker rooms at the total amount won after several hands, their sole revenue.
Pot- It’s the total amount accumulated after online poker players bet; this builds up in the entire course of the game: the ultimate goal of every online poker player, in whichever online poker gambling site they play.
Ante- Simply called “blind bets,” they are the money online poker players place on the pot without seeing their cards.
Hand- This pertains to every online poker player’s combination of cards.
Showdown- Just like any other thing that’s spectacular, even when you go watching dancers in dear Las Vegas, a showdown in any online poker gambling site would mean to every online poker player the most-awaited part: the finale of determining the final winner of the pot when all the betting is done.