winning secrets of online blackjack

Additionally, the ap-pendices contain several basic strategy charts for just about every game of blackjack, a glossary of terms that you learn throughout the chapters, the most comprehen

Catherine Karayanis Winning Secrets

of Online Blackjack

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Your love is endless and your talent amazes me.

Thanks to Joel Morton, who taught me many winning secrets of blackjack Your edge of blackjack, casinos, and Vegas is astounding

knowl-Thanks to Kim Benbow, Mitzi Koontz, Kristin Eisenzopf, and the rest of the Thomson Course Technology PTR publishing team

And as ever, thanks to God and to the Creary and Karayanis families

About the Author

Catherine (Creary) Karayanis has authored four previous books: Introduction to

Relational Databases and SQL Programming, Introduction to Unix and Linux Lab

Manual, All-in-One Network+ Lab Manual, and MCSE Windows XP Professional Lab

Manual She has also written numerous online computing courses and articles Karayanis

has been a technical trainer in the corporate educational system, as well as a public and private school teacher She has given workshops in Canada on cross-border employment and has been a professional musician for several years Karayanis has a love for card games—specifi cally blackjack and poker—and lives only miles from Atlantic City Her favorite casino is the historic Tropicana

Introduction xv

Chapter 1 Online Blackjack Basics 1

Object of the Online Game 1

Creating Your Account 2

Buying Your Virtual Chips 3

Value of Cards 3

Varieties of Online Blackjack Games 3

Betting 5

Dealing 7

Standing and Hitting 7

Splitting Pairs 8

Doubling Down 8

Insurance 9

Rebetting 10

Cashing Out 10

Conclusion 11

Chapter 2 Getting Started with Online Blackjack 12

How to Play Blackjack Online 12

Your Computer 12

Computer Specifi cations 13

Internet Connection 13

Crashing and Disconnecting 14

Virus Protection 14

Computer Worms 15

Trojan Horses 15

Spyware and Adware 16

Firewall 16

Download and Install the Casino Software 17

Play or “Fun” Money Games 20

Real Money Games 20

Personal Information Safety 21

Identity Theft 21

Banking Security 22

Legal Issues 22

State Laws 26

WTO and Online Gambling 26

Blackjack and Taxes 27

Conclusion 31

Chapter 3 Choosing an Online Casino 32

Where to Play 32

Awards and Reputation 33

Software 33

User Environment 34

Game Types 36

Play Type 36

Customer Service and Support 37

Security 38

Licensing 39

Deposit/Payment Options 39

Payouts 43

Bonuses/Promotions 43

Inside an Online Casino Operation 44

Golden Palace 45

Casino-well 47

32Red Casino 49

Fortune Room 51

Carnival Casino 53

River Belle Casino 55

Casino King 57

Casino-on-Net 59

Grand Online Casino 61

Spin Palace Casino 63

InterCasino 65

Conclusion 67

Chapter 4 Playing the Classic Game 68

Rules the Dealer Lives By 68

Betting 69

Hit or Stand 71

Hard Hitting 72

Soft Hitting 73

Splitting Pairs 73

Resplitting 76

Doubling Down 78

Hard Double Downs 78

Soft Double Downs 79

Doubling after Splitting 79

Insurance 80

Surrender 82

Conclusion 83

Chapter 5 Concepts and Strategy 84

Basic Strategy 84

What about Card Counting? 85

Online Blackjack Strategy 86

Beginner Mistakes 87

Practice Exercises 89

Basic Rules of Online Blackjack Games 91

Microgaming Original Software 91

Microgaming Viper Software 92

Cryptologic Software 98

Playtech Software 101

Looking to Make a Profi t 102

Conclusion 103

Chapter 6 Online Variations of the Classic Game 104

Pontoon 105

Double Exposure (Face-Up 21, Dealer Disclosure) 107

Blackjack Switch 109

Bonus Blackjack 111

Triple 7s Blackjack 113

MatchPlay 21 115

Super 21 and Super Fun 21 118

Blackjack Pro 120

Triple Shot 122

Extreme 21 122

Conclusion 126

Chapter 7 International Variations of the Classic Game 127

European Blackjack 127

Caribbean 21 129

Bets, Lies and Audiotape: A Caribbean 21 Controversy 131

Spanish 21 134

Progressive Blackjack Games 136

Conclusion 139

Chapter 8 Advice for the Online Blackjack Player 140

Make Good Decisions 140

Set a Win Limit (and Log Off When You Reach It) 141

Minimizing Losses and Maximizing Gains 143

Know Your “Dealer” 143

Play Your Game 144

Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses 145

Play Aggressively 146

Keep Records 147

Have Patience 148

RGB (Rec.Gambling.Blackjack) 149

Abbreviations Used in Rec.Gambling.Blackjack 150

Conclusion 150

Chapter 9 Online Blackjack Tournaments 151

Types of Tournaments 152

Elimination Tournaments 153

Non-Elimination Tournaments 153

Entry Fees and Prizes 153

Position 155

Betting in Tournament Play 156

Three Tips for Tournaments 157

Where to Find Tournaments 158

Sample Online Tournament Rules 159

Conclusion 163

Chapter 10 Etiquette and Addiction 164

Land-Based Casino Etiquette 164

Buying 165

Betting 166

General Play 167

Tipping 168

General Casino Behavior 169

Online Casino Etiquette 170

Preparation 171

Speed 171

Chatting 171

Gambling Addiction 173

What Is Gambling Addiction? 175

Characteristics of Compulsive Gamblers 176

Binge Gamblers 176

The Proverbial Twelve Steps 176

The Gamblers Anonymous Unity Program 177

In Love with a Gambler 178

Gam-Anon Goals 180

Are You Living with a Compulsive Gambler? 180

Gam-Anon Advice for New Members 181

Conclusion 182

Chapter 11 Tips You Need to Know 183

Find a Mantra to Inspire You 184

Pick a Reputable Casino 184

Choose the Software that Best Suits Your Game 186

Find the Game with the Best Odds 187

Find the Best Bonuses 188

Know Your Banking Options 189

Get a Good Seat 189

Bet Sensibly and Limit Your Losses 190

Be Ready to Surrender 191

Drive Without Insurance 191

Know and Use Blackjack Strategy 192

The Casino: Enemy Mine 193

Don’t Let the Other Players Ruin Your Game 193

Master Your Fear 194

Keep a Positive Attitude 195

Walk Away 195

Use Casino Strategy Cards 196

Read the Fine Print 197

Get Your Documentation in Order 198

Be Nice 198

Block Out Distractions 199

Remember: You Will Win 199

But You Can’t Always Win 200

Cash-Out When You Hit Your Win Limit 200

Try a New Web Browser 200

There’s No Such Thing as Luck 203

Don’t Offer or Take Advice 204

Get Thee to a Toy Store 204

Work Hard, Win Big 205

Don’t Pity the Fool 206

Seek Small Shoes 206

More Playing Means More Money 207

Conclusion 207

Chapter 12 Myths and Common Mistakes 208

General Myths 208

The Object Is to Reach 21 Without Exceeding It 208

“I Play Better When I’m Relaxed.” 209

It Isn’t Real 210

Bad Players Cause Us to Lose 211

I Can’t Keep Losing (You Can!) 211

Always Insure against Blackjack 211

The Third Baseman Controls the Game 212

Deuces (2s) Favor the Dealer 212

Two Hands Are Better Than One 212

It’s All Luck 213

Befriend the Dealer 213

It’s Like the Movies 214

You Can Put That Hand “Off Budget” 216

Hey, Big Spender? How about a Tip? 216

Beware the Bargaining Step 217

Sit with the Cool Kids 217

You Have to Be Some Kind of Genius 218

You Need to Bet Big to Win Big 219

Always Stand on Soft 18 219

This Guy Really Knows Blackjack 220

Newer Is Better 221

Rules Were Made to Be Broken 221

I Don’t Have a Gambling Problem 222

Common Play Mistakes 222

Conclusion 225

Appendix A Blackjack Strategy Cards 226

Microgaming Single-Hand Blackjack Strategy Card 226

Microgaming Multi-Hand Blackjack Strategy Card 228

Playtech Single/Multi-Hand Blackjack Strategy Card 229

Microgaming Atlantic City Blackjack Strategy Card 230

Microgaming Las Vegas Strip Blackjack Strategy Card 231

Microgaming Las Vegas Downtown Blackjack Strategy Card 232

Microgaming Bonus Blackjack Strategy Card 233

Microgaming Double Exposure Blackjack Strategy Card 234

Microgaming Spanish Blackjack Strategy Card 235

Microgaming Super Fun 21 Strategy Card 236

Microgaming Triple 7s Strategy Card 237

Microgaming European Blackjack Strategy Card 238

Playtech Blackjack Pro Strategy Card 239

Playtech Blackjack Switch Strategy Card 240

Boss Media Single Deck Blackjack Strategy Card 241

Boss Media Multi-Deck Blackjack Strategy Card 242

Cryptologic Single Deck Blackjack Strategy Card 243

Cryptologic Multi-Deck Blackjack Strategy Card 244

Real-Time Gaming Blackjack Strategy Card 245

Appendix B Glossary of Terms 246

Appendix C Online Casinos 248

Appendix D Contacting Gambler’s Anonymous and Gam-Anon 295

Gam-Anon 295

Gamblers Anonymous USA 296

Gamblers Anonymous International 298

Index 300

Welcome to the Winning Secrets of Online Blackjack! Hundreds of millions of people

from all walks of life and every corner of the globe enjoy playing Blackjack, or “21,” also known as Van-John in England, Pontoon in Australia, and Ein-und-Zwanzig or Achtzen-und-Drei in Germany In centuries past, only a fraction of these enthusiasts lived close enough to a casino to play the game for fun and profi t, but thanks to the Internet revolu-tion, yelling, “Hit me!” today is as close as your desktop computer

But just the act of logging on to the Internet worries some people, especially the segment

of the population that does the most gaming—adults over 18, of course, and especially our seniors When turning over credit card numbers and personal information to faceless casinos is involved, that worry quickly turns into outright terror You may have the follow-ing questions:

✦ Is online blackjack safe, secure, and legal?

✦ Will I actually get paid if I win, or is the whole thing fi xed?

✦ How do I keep track of my bets and avoid losing my shirt?

✦ Which casinos give the player the best statistical chance to win?

✦ Is my skill playing blackjack on the felt going to transfer to playing online?

✦ How do I spot cheating?

✦ How do I keep my teen or anyone else from gambling with my money if I share

a computer?

Questions like these can erect a mental fi rewall, keeping even the most seasoned jack players from joining the online fun—or lead them to stumble forward into real

black-fi nancial disaster The answer: Winning Secrets of Online Blackjack This book provides

you, the online blackjack player, an introduction to the game and gets you started playing right away and learning the different types of 21 It combines the how-to-play-the-game basics with proven winning techniques, and it encourages you to fi nd your own playing style while incorporating basic strategy to your own online sessions

The book then addresses the concepts and strategies involved with playing the game’s newest incarnations on the World Wide Web There are also several chapters dealing with the different types of blackjack games available for play—Multi-hand, Spanish, Triple 7s Progressive, Vegas Downtown, FacesUp 21, and more

Next, there are chapters discussing online blackjack etiquette and tips for playing in front

of a computer alone, as well as in front of a live dealer with fellow gamers all around The book concludes with a chapter for intermediate and advanced readers, which discusses the types of online blackjack tournaments and where to fi nd them Additionally, the ap-pendices contain several basic strategy charts for just about every game of blackjack, a glossary of terms that you learn throughout the chapters, the most comprehensive list of online casinos in print, and contact information for Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon.This book will give you the skills and confi dence you need to join and succeed in the on-line blackjack world So what are you waiting for? Let’s play blackjack!

Chapter 1: Online Blackjack Basics

1

Online Blackjack Basics

Object of the Online Game

French casinos at the dawn of the eighteenth century pioneered a game they called

“vingt-et-un,” or “twenty-and-one,” and they began exporting it to America before the Civil War Simply put, blackjack, or 21, is the most popular casino game because the

player’s goal is so simple: Collect a hand of cards with a total value greater than the

dealer’s without going over 21 (a bust) If you hit 21, you can’t lose If you beat the

com-puter’s total or it goes bust, your 21 pays three-to-two—three dollars for every two you

bet If you tie the dealer (called a push) at 21, you keep your original bet

The fact that its odds are among the best in the casino also helps popularize the game

Whether you play blackjack in Las Vegas, on a riverboat, against a friend, or on your puter, you’re pitting yourself against a single entity, the dealer, and not against other players For this reason, online blackjack comes far closer to duplicating the brick-and-mortar

com-casino experience than other virtual games of chance, such as online poker, that lack key human elements of the live game, such as bluffi ng However, online gaming provides other challenges, such as securing your personal information and your computer itself

Even if you’re not playing for money, you can bring down a world of trouble on yourself if you download gaming software from a disreputable site and pick up a virus with it This can put any information on your computer at the hands of a thief, so I’ll say a word about protecting yourself that makes good sense no matter what you’re doing on the World Wide Web Similarly, I’ll remind you of the trouble that can befall you if you fail to protect your credit card information—and if harmless gaming crosses the line into addiction I’ll confront all these issues so you can enjoy hours of trouble-free fun with online blackjack

Creating Your Account

In order to play at an online casino, you’ll need to have an account This holds true in fun games that casinos offer to entice you to play for cash and allows you to familiarize yourself with the game Even if you start off playing for fun, think security fi rst in case you decide to play for cash later Choose a user name that conceals your identity (never one that has your fi rst and last name), and pick a password different from those you use for your ATM, an e-mail account, and so on Of course, your password shouldn’t be a simple word like “blackjack.”

for-Again, avoid choosing a password that refl ects personal information such as your date

of birth or mother’s maiden name If anybody other than yourself could gain access to your computer, such as a grandchild visiting for the weekend or a roommate, commit your password to memory rather than check the option to Remember My Username and Password on This Computer

For an added measure of security, include a wildcard, such as an ampersand, asterisk, or percent sign plus a numeral in your password

Creating an account when you’re playing for money means providing some personal information such as your address and credit card number I’ll address security and what

to look for in a casino in Chapter 3, “Choosing an Online Casino,” but start thinking about protecting yourself right off the bat Not all casinos require you to download their software, but you should be ready to download such programs as well as update your browser with programs such as Java and Flash to play non-download games Some online casinos offer Flash-based, Instant Play Casinos

Here you play online in your browser window after opening an account Players with older computers possessing minimal free hard-drive space or slow processors will prefer Instant Play Casinos because they use little stored computer memory by hosting the game on the site in a browser window I’ll cover the specifi cs of what your computer will need when we get to that chapter, but plan to experiment to fi nd which games work best for you when you start playing

Chapter 1: Online Blackjack Basics

Buying Your Virtual Chips

Once you’ve opened your account, you’ll be able to buy credit Usually you’ll want to buy

10 to 20 times your average bet per hand—an amount that will guide you toward tables based on their clearly posted Minimum/Maximum bet signs Make sure you don’t buy more than you can afford to lose This is especially key in online casino games Remem-ber: A numeric readout of your balance is easier to lose track of in the heat of playing than a stack of chips you can feel dwindling beneath your fi ngers with each new deal Plus, graphic illustrations usually show only one chip to represent both a stack of 100 or your last, lonely, bottom dollar

Value of Cards

Blackjack uses all 52 cards in the standard deck, which features four cards of 14 ies Adding to its elegant simplicity, blackjack counts all numbered cards two through ten at face value, ignores suits (Diamonds ♦, Spades ♠, Hearts ♥, Clubs ♣), and gives

variet-all face cards (King, Queen, Jack) equal values of ten each Now we have 16 cards in the

deck—just over 30 percent—that carry the value of ten “If only there were a card worth 11,” you may think “It would be a cinch to get 21.”

That brings us to the one kind of card we have remaining and the only one that can be tricky to count: Aces An Ace is worth either 11 or one; it’s your choice Of course, the choice is made for you if counting it as 11 will put you over 21 If you’re at 21, the online hand ends Similarly, a live dealer may not give you an additional card to push you over even if you ask for one by mistake You can choose to toggle the value for any Ace be-tween one and 11 as you gain more cards

Because of the fl exibility they lend to counting your total, hands with Aces are known as soft and have a unique set of rules unlike hard hands, those which do not feature any Aces

In the early days of the game, players who drew a Jack of spades (J♠) and Ace of spades (A♠)— two black suited cards—as a natural scored an extra payout for their 21 Today

that hand pays out the same as any other blackjack, but it’s from this pairing that the

game we play today gets its name

Varieties of Online Blackjack Games

While you’re playing one-on-one against the dealer in all blackjack games, that doesn’t mean you can’t share the fun with other players Since you’re all trying to “beat the

dealer,” as the classic blackjack title says, Internet chatting lets you experience the same camaraderie and commiseration of live games with people all over the world Up to seven people can join games at the multiplayer tables most online casinos offer, usually simply

by sidling up to the table as you would in a brick-and-mortar casino

Do you have a group of friends who enjoy blackjack? You can set up a Private Group and control who can play there After all, when you draw that perfect card, it’s nice to have somebody there to notice Of course, the speed at which you make your moves and other factors become a concern in the multiplayer game I’ll cover such factors as etiquette, setting up a Private Group, and choosing the right table for your skill and betting levels in later chapters

You can also enjoy Multi-hand mode, which, as the name indicates, allows you to play more than one hand (up to fi ve) at one time, placing a separate bet on each hand All the same rules apply to Multi-hands as apply to Single-hand blackjack Each hand is dealt from a deck of its own and, as you’ll see in all online blackjack games to the consterna-

tion of card counters (players who count the number of individual cards in the deck), the

decks are shuffl ed before each new deal Multi-hand blackjack helps you sharpen your decision-making speed, and it is a fun way to challenge yourself as your skill improves

Figure 1.1 The non-natural blackjack hand that still pays money.

Chapter 1: Online Blackjack Basics

Betting

Before you play your fi rst hand of online blackjack, you’ll need to place a bet This holds true whether you’re playing for free with “fun money” or whether you’re playing with real money You can place your bet by clicking the graphic chips on your side of the table or

by clicking on the table until your chips and the numeric illustration of your bet appear

on the betting square Since different casinos on the Internet may have slightly different methods of betting, read up on their variations on this theme in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or Help sections they offer

If you shift between the two, be careful not to play with real money when you think you’re playing with fun money (Again: Don’t buy more total credits than you can afford to lose.) Unlike live blackjack games, you’re not pressed for time when you decide to bet online, and you have the option to play unlimited practice hands You usually have about 10 min-utes of inactivity in the Single Player game before the casino disconnects you

Use this to your advantage Experiment to make sure you know how to put out just the right number of chips and how to reduce your bet before hitting Deal This skill limits the risk when you’re playing for money, so you want to master it right off the bat You should aim to make the computer-related aspects of the game as automatic as hitting the signal

Figure 1.2 Golden Palace Casino Blackjack Games

on your car before making a turn, if you’re new to online games That way, you can centrate on the cards

con-Some online casinos offer an optional bonus bet Similar to insurance, you’re betting

before the hand is dealt that you will get 21 on your next hand You can place a bonus bet separate from your main bet(s) by placing a wager in the circle on the table labeled Bet If you receive a blackjack on a hand, you win the bonus bet in addition to the usual three-to-two blackjack payout Bonus bets, unlike insurance or blackjack payouts, vary in payouts

as I’ll discuss when examining individual casinos in later chapters Of course, since your

chances of being dealt a natural blackjack are less than 5 percent, a bonus bet only makes

sense if you’re feeling really lucky—or aren’t playing with real cash

If you change your mind about the bet you would like to make before the hand is dealt, click on the Clear Bet button to remove all your chips from the table You are able to

do so in most casinos by clicking on the chips that you wish to remove with your right mouse button; however, in some casinos clicking on your chips simply adds more chips

so the Clear Bet button will serve you best After the cards are dealt, all bets at the table are placed and cannot be altered

Figure 1.3 The Clear Bets option

Chapter 1: Online Blackjack Basics

Dealing

Once you’ve placed your bet, you’re ready to play your fi rst hand by clicking Deal The puter dealer will then give you two cards face up, and take two cards for itself, one face up

com-and one—the hole card—face down Many Las Vegas casinos deal players both cards face

down In Atlantic City and almost all other casinos, the players cards are dealt face up This

is not a concern in online blackjack where players always get their cards face up

Standing and Hitting

Now that you have your fi rst two cards, you’ll need to decide what do to next You can click

the button to Stand (also called Stay) In this case, you do stick with the numerical total you have because it has a high probability, or chance, of winning Your other option is to Hit:

take another card in hopes of closing in on 21 The typical computer program must hit on

16 and stand on 17 For this reason, if you accidentally try to hit on 18 it will ask you, “Are you sure?” to protect you It will also remove the Hit option entirely the instant you hit 21

In the strategy section, I’ll discuss how the dealer’s face card infl uences whether you stand

or hit on any given hand

Figure 1.4 Hit and Stand buttons

However, while one always splits Aces and Eights, one never splits 10-valued cards for the obvious reason that two 10-valued cards equal the nearly insurmountable total of 20 Pairs

of Aces, once split, are given one and only one additional card If you hit 21 on one or both

of these Aces, your win isn’t paid out three-to-two like the usual a blackjack win The house,

or casino, considers it a normal win and pays out one-to-one on your original bet

Figure 1.5 A split pair of Eights results in two hands being played.

Doubling Down

Doubling down lets you increase your original bet on hand by up to two times (or double)

the amount of your initial wager When you have two cards and think one more will allow you to beat the dealer’s hand and score a payout, you can double down When you do,

Chapter 1: Online Blackjack Basics

you’ll receive one and only one more card to complete your total The high percentage of 10-valued cards in the deck explains why blackjack players always double down on 11 Since online casinos shuffl e after every deal, it doesn’t matter how many 10-valued cards you’ve seen dealt leading up to a hand of 11 There’s still that same, nearly one-in-four chance of a 10-valued card coming up next

Figure 1.6 The Double button for doubling down

Insurance

When the dealer’s up-card is an Ace, the Insurance option appears This lets the player

place a side bet that the computer will have a blackjack when the hidden card is fl ipped

over For the reasons cited previously, there’s a one-in-four chance that a given card is a 10-valued card When you click the Insurance button, chips equal to half of your original bet appear on the semicircle labeled Insurance printed on the felt Casinos cannot lose money when you buy insurance, and they will win the vast majority of the time Here’s why

If the dealer has a 10-valued card to go with his Ace, his 21 is called a natural and you lose the original bet But since the insurance bet pays 2 to 1, your hand breaks even

However, if the dealer’s hidden card is any value other than 10, you lose the side bet and you play out your hand normally Insurance favors the house, which has more than a

75 percent chance of drawing a card other than one valued at 10 Since the odds are so

Figure 1.7 Insurance versus no insurance

heavily against you, blackjack players in all versions of the game (except those who count cards in live play) should forget buying insurance

Rebetting

Rebetting, a unique feature to the online game, allows you to place the same bet as in the

previous hand and deal a new game If you’re familiar with slot machines, you’ll understand rebetting until you’re completely out of cash or credits This is a great way to learn the game because you can concentrate on new hands and what your next move should be (as I’ll dis-cuss later) instead of worrying about how much to bet and your total If you’re playing for real money, however, know the risks of falling into a routine of clicking Rebet over and over

Cashing Out

You can take your money out of your casino account at any time by clicking the Withdraw buttons provided If you’re playing for fun, the casino will remember your total for next time you visit This is handy for real competitors who want to run up big wins, much like fantasy stock market or baseball games Online casinos will always give you more comp (short for “compensation”) chips to play for fun

Chapter 1: Online Blackjack Basics

Playing for real money? Since it takes a few business days for the money to appear in your account, casinos provide a time window in which you can monitor your withdraws as they process or cancel it and head back onto the virtual casino fl oor Again, if you’re playing both fun games and money games, make sure you don’t accidentally wire yourself cash from your bank account when you think you’re just upping your complimentary practice chips

Conclusion

In this chapter you learned the object of the online blackjack game, and you walked

through setting up an account and buying your virtual chips Then you went through the basics: the value of cards, varieties of online blackjack games, plus the basics of betting, dealing, standing, hitting, splitting pairs, doubling down and rebetting You were also

advised against purchasing insurance when the dealer has an Ace as his up-card, and you were taught how to cash out

Figure 1.8 The Rebet button

Getting Started with

Online Blackjack

How to Play Blackjack Online

In this chapter, you’ll dig deeper into specifi c aspects of the online blackjack game Will your computer run the casino software properly and at an acceptable speed? Where do you download programs like Flash and Java? How can you practice without risking any money? When playing for money, how can you safeguard your personal information? I’ll also provide a few words on virus protection and what happens if you have a system failure in the middle of a game

Whether you’re an old hand at the Internet or new to the online experience, this chapter will point you to the major resources for information on the game This is especially use-ful because the sport of online gaming is constantly evolving around the world, as are the laws to regulate it The legal aspects of playing blackjack online for money take up the bulk of this chapter, as you wade into the gray area of laws governing online gaming internationally and in the United States of America

Your Computer

With 1,800 to 2,500 Internet casinos out there, and more coming online daily, no one set

of computer specifi cations will work everywhere or forever Even a casino’s Frequently Asked Questions can quickly become outdated if the technology department doesn’t get their upgrades translated into text for customers Adding to the fl uid nature of the industry

2

Chapter 2: Getting Started with Online Blackjack

is the fact that these casinos evolve constantly, competing to duplicate that “bright light city gonna set your soul on fi re” experience of their brick-and-mortar ancestors

You have a lot of casinos to choose from as was discussed in the previous chapter, but just as you wouldn’t go anywhere on the Las Vegas Strip with your eyes closed, ears

plugged, and ankles shackled, you’ll want to have decent speakers, a quality monitor, and

a system with reasonable computing power to enjoy the online casino experience You don’t need the very best, top-of-the-line machine, just something that will do what it’s supposed to without crashing, freezing, or otherwise distracting from the game

Computer Specifi cations

Here are the typical minimum specifi cations casinos require:

✦ PC-compatible computer

✦ Windows 98/2000/Millenium Edition

✦ Pentium 200 MHz

✦ 32 MB RAM

✦ 16-bit color video card (800 x 600 resolution mode)

✦ 30 MB hard drive space

Here are the typical optimum specifi cations casinos require:

✦ PC-compatible computer

✦ Windows 98/2000/ Millennium Edition

✦ Pentium II 350 MHz or higher

✦ 64 MB RAM

✦ 32-bit color video card (800 x 600 resolution mode)

✦ 30 MB hard drive space or more

✦ Sound Blaster AWE 32-bit sound card or better

In addition, you’ll also want to download the latest versions of Macromedia Flash

(www.macromedia.com/software/fl ashplayer/) and Shockwave (http://sdc.shockwave.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?), as well as Sun Microsystem’s Java

(http://Java.sun.com)

Internet Connection

Whatever changes the industry brings, one thing is for sure: Graphics-heavy pages with lots of animations, sounds, and colored graphics are here to stay This being the case, you’ll want to have a high-speed Internet connection to play and will similarly need to keep up in a world where today’s latest computer technology turns obsolete tomorrow Internet casinos usually say you can play with a 56.6bps modem This is akin to a casino

in Atlantic City telling people in New York City that they can easily make it down the New Jersey coast on their Schwinn Sting-Ray: technically true, but hardly practical.

Crashing and Disconnecting

Speaking of computer crashing, what happens if your computer goes down in the middle of a hand? Other than possibly ruining a great hand (another reason to check that your computer’s

up to snuff), you won’t suffer The casino’s database records every move you make and keeps track of where you are in the game, even if your PC or Internet connection goes down Simply re-boot, reconnect, or otherwise fi x your problem and log back on to the casino

The server will let you pick up right where you left off without any loss of money nately, sometimes you may appear to still be logged on even though you dropped out

Unfortu-Figure 2.1 32Red Casino Connection

Error Message

If that happens, don’t keep re-entering your password more than a few times, or you may get locked out This is a security precaution to prevent someone from trying to break your password Instead, just wait 15 or 20 minutes and try logging in again Then you’ll get right back in on the action

Virus Protection

Before you download anything from the Internet, make sure you have updated antivirus protection software Computer viruses, like their biological counterparts, are simple in form and depend on living organisms to replicate and spread The tiny piece of software that comprises the computer virus attaches itself to useful programs like a Word docu-ment or a game program Each time someone runs that program, he or she runs the virus, in effect telling it to do whatever malicious set of processes it’s programmed to do

If you haven’t updated your virus protection in a while or are unsure if you have any, talk

to qualifi ed technical support before you download anything As many as six new viruses can appear in a single day, so just as you wouldn’t depend on a medical textbook from the 1920s to treat your illness today, don’t depend on virus protection from even a few weeks back to protect your computer from illness today

Chapter 2: Getting Started with Online Blackjack

Even Web sites from reputable businesses can have these malicious programs For that matter, e-mail viruses can even appear to have come from someone you love if they have clicked on it by mistake and the thing has exploited their address book You can learn about the latest viruses by visiting McAfee.com’s Security Headquarters The company’s AntiVirus Response Team (AVERT) posts a list of the new viruses and Trojan horses they

fi nd in their daily searches Another location for antivirus software and virus information

is Symantec (www.norton.com) Their Norton AntiVirus software is probably the best known and the most effective on the market today

Computer Worms

Computer worms use networks and security holes to replicate themselves A worm

constantly trolls the network searching for a computer with a specifi c security hole it can exploit When it fi nds such a computer, the worm copies itself onto it through the hole, and then starts the process of reproduction all over again If you’re running Windows, bookmark or save as one of your favorites WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.com Go there

often to check for patches and updates These will help shut down any looming holes in your computer that the bad guys might exploit

♠♥♣♦ Note

The Melissa virus forced companies like Microsoft to completely

shut down their e-mail servers The Code Red worm made a

quarter of a million copies of itself in nine hours

Trojan Horses

A Trojan horse, like its ancient Greek counterpart, pretends to be something harmless on the outside but conceals something dangerous inside A Trojan horse may claim to be a video clip, a photograph, or even an online blackjack game Instead, it wreaks havoc on your computer when installed Some Trojan horses may even erase your entire hard disk, wiping all your data clean

These precursors to viruses fi rst appeared in the early days of the personal computer olution People would post them on bulletin boards and promise they would do all sorts

rev-of fantastic things if they were downloaded Of course, once downloaded, they would

spring into action with devastating consequences Fortunately, Trojan horses cannot

replicate automatically like worms They require you letting down your guard and clicking them without thinking, so make sure you’re always thinking—if any program sounds too good to be true, don’t touch it

Spyware and Adware

Adware are software applications that display advertisements either in pop-up windows or extra bars on the computer screen In theory, adware should make you happy It recovers the costs of research, programming, and development for the producer and holds down costs for the consumer Adware gets irritating when programmers pack it with code to track your personal information and transmit it to a third party without you okaying it or even noticing

Privacy and computer security watchdogs hate this kind of adware, called spyware, but the

stuff isn’t illegal Mostly, spyware watches what sites you go to and will simply try to pitch you with ads you might like Malicious verisons, however, can monitor your keystrokes watching for passwords, credit card numbers or other personal information to ship out, using your own Internet connection They can even edit important fi les on your system.Spyware may have legitimate uses for adults monitoring kids or corporations playing Big Brother, but since they can be installed on your computer without your knowledge, it’s worth knowing they exist and how to protect yourself Lavasoft Ad-Aware, which scans for and cleans out these programs, is a hugely popular download for obvious reasons It’s available free from www.lavasoft.com

Known as freeware, Ad-Aware “is designed to provide advanced protection from known data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components.” Running it is part of good computer hygiene Do so frequently, being sure to check for updates (a link is pro-vided on the program start-up window) because, as you’ve heard repeatedly now, things

on the Internet move very fast

♠♥♣♦ Note

Remove any personal information you can from your computer Save or burn onto discs information with your Social Security numbers like last year’s tax returns, for example

Firewall

A fi rewall stands between what your modem receives and your computer—and therefore, between the men in black hats and you Without one, automated hacker bots can seize control of your PC in less time than it takes to read this section If you’re thinking about playing blackjack online for money, you’re going to have some information you want to protect But even if you’re just using the online games, you need to protect yourself when you’re on the Internet

Chapter 2: Getting Started with Online Blackjack

Just as any car can be stolen no matter how many anti-theft devices you install, as long

as you’re logged on to the Internet, you’re at risk The key is minimizing that risk, or to make your property an unattractive target so the thiefs move on to more tempting prey Does your Internet service provider (ISP) offer a fi rewall? Virus protection? Call and fi nd out If you’re choosing a router, pick one with a built-in fi rewall If you already have a

router and it has a fi rewall, make sure it’s turned on

If you’re playing on a computer you use for business, or that’s connected to a network, think about what would happen if someone with malicious intent compromised all the information it contained Think what would happen if you lost that information If you’re

in this situation, consider installing a fi rewall on your machine or calling in a professional

to do so Windows XP has a fi rewall built in, so you can just enable it if you’re running XP

Kerio Technologies Incorporated offers a personal fi rewall as freeware You can download

it for free at Kerio.com if you’re concerned about your vulnerability Again, whatever ware you use to protect you is only as good as the updates you feed it So take advantage

soft-of the teams soft-of techinicans working to provide you with the latest protection by looking for updates The bad guys are constantly improving their techniques Make sure you don’t let them get ahead of you

Download and Install the Casino Software

I’ll critique some of the plethora of online casinos offering blackjack in the next

chap-ter As mentioned previously, some of them let you play blackjack in browser windows

Figure 2.2 Windows XP Firewall

without installing any new programs on your computer This is especially useful if your computer lacks the memory or processing power to run the large, graphics-heavy casino programs But if you do choose to download and install some new software on your com-puter, it’s worth going over just how to do it

Once you research the casino and think you can trust what you’re getting from it to be free of the malicious programs just talked about, it’s time to fi nd where they offer their gaming software Nobody ever accused online casinos of shyness; they’ll usually have the Download button fl ashing in your face Click it Most likely, it will give you a list of terms and conditions to read through Check out the fi ne print, especially if you’re dealing with a new casino you don’t fi nd covered in Chapter 3, “Choosing an Online Casino.”

Some online casinos will ask for your e-mail address To protect yourself from spam e-mail or unwanted attention should your account become compromised (say by one

of those viruses that corrupts your address book), consider signing up for a new e-mail account They’re available free from Yahoo! and Hotmail Of course, it should go without saying that you don’t want to use a business e-mail account for online gaming

After going through these steps or sometimes as soon as you click Download, you’ll bring up a standard download dialog box offering three options: Run, Save, and Cancel Choose Save

Another window will appear asking you where you wish to save the program Make note

of the program’s name so you can fi nd it later Double-click My Computer Select your

C drive, and click the Save button Your download will begin This may take some time if you’re on a dial-up connection

Once the download completes, the window will tell you that the download is fi nished or, depending on your personal settings, simply click on Close Now the program is on your computer Click the Start button on the lower-left side of your computer screen, choose Run, and press the Browse button The dialog box that appears will look similar to the one you just used to save the program, so follow the same path from the My Computer tab to the C drive

Figure 2.3 Casino software options dialog box

Chapter 2: Getting Started with Online Blackjack

Within this folder, you’ll fi nd the program you downloaded Double-click it, and follow the installation instructions provided Again, it’s in the casino’s interest to make this process

as easy as possible, so you shouldn’t have much trouble Usually the program will put a shortcut for launching the game on your desktop or in your Start menu under Programs Remember this for the next time you want to run the game

Figure 2.4 Selecting a location in which to save the Casino software

Figure 2.5 Casino software saved on the C drive

Play or “Fun” Money Games

Fun mode Play for Fun Practice Play No matter what your casino of choice calls it, these games allow you to play for virtual money The upside is you can practice your skills while risking nothing The downside, if you can call it that, is if you hit a stream of natu-rals you won’t be able to cash in These are the most popular online blackjack games, as only a fraction of the people who visit online casinos actually wager money

Most online casinos let you download their software or play on their sites for free without giving a credit card number or payment account If a casino does ask for this information before it lets you download, move on to another one Even if they say they won’t charge you until you’re ready to play for real cash, there are far too many casinos out there that will let you play without sharing personal information to waste your time with one that tries to push you toward paying

Some casinos offer free games online in browser windows These games require an Internet connection, whether you’re playing for free or paying However, if you download

a casino’s gaming software and install it on your computer, you can play it even when you don’t have a Web connection Again, this is a great way to practice on the train, in the park, or anywhere else you just want to enjoy the challenge of blackjack

Real Money Games

Real Money mode allows you to play for real dollars Take special note of the term

“real.” A major criticism of online gambling is how easy it is to forget those chips on your computer screen represent your hard work You are required to have a valid real money source (such as some, but not all, credit cards) and you must be connected to the Internet See the “Deposit/Payment Options” section of Chapter 3 for more infor-mation on depositing and withdrawing money to and from an online casino account in Real Money mode

Since you’ve already read up about installing the software and playing games for tice, it’s a simple feat to switch to the real money game Your main task is setting up

prac-an account As with brick-prac-and-mortar casinos, you shouldn’t convert more money thprac-an

If you’re suspicious of a casino’s software, copy or type its name into Google.com (putting it in quotes if the name is more than one word) along with the word

“virus” and see if the search fi nds anything suspicious

Chapter 2: Getting Started with Online Blackjack

you can afford to lose into chips This is especially good advice to follow since, for

reasons I’ll explain later in this chapter, the United States of America does not regulate

or oversee online casinos in any way This means if you fall prey to an unscrupulous dealer who disappears with your money or refuses to pay you your winnings, you have

Personal Information Safety

Today’s casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City are neon fortresses, yet thieves still age to steal from players and even the House Since online casinos reside in countries in every corner of the world, their standards for security vary widely from tight to lax, and therefore wise online players trust their security to no one As mentioned in Chapter 1,

man-think security whether you decide to play for virtual or real money.

Choose a user name that conceals your identity, and never one that has your fi rst and last name The password is often provided by the online casino, but if it isn’t, make sure you choose one that is made up of both numbers and letters, and commit your password to memory rather than checking the option to Remember My Username and Password on This Computer If you’re going to pay with a credit card, consider using one with a low limit and dedicating it to online play only This is a good idea in general if you’re engaging

in any transactions online

Identity Theft

We’ve all seen movies where an alien or other malicious force takes over a human being’s body or poses as them using a doppleganger For this reason, it’s worth mentioning the devastating phenomenon known as identity theft Think of the pit in your stomach if you lose your wallet Who’s charging up your credit cards or taking out loans using your Social Security number? Transmiting any personal information on the Internet puts you at risk In this section, I’ll deal with safeguarding that kind of information on your computer when you have to put it there

Just saving it on your computer may expose it to strangers, although I’ll address ing it as much as possible in the upcoming sections Since casinos all operate off shore, they’re not covered by American laws and may not be covered by the laws of your coun-try if you’re playing from outside their borders Not only is it impossible to seek redress, but the very nature of the Internet gives fl y-by-night charlatans unprecedented opportuni-ties to take your credit card numbers or other personal information today and disappear without a trace by tomorrow

protect-Banking Security

I’ll discuss the various payment options in the next chapter, but a special word here about one popular payment method and its risks With the limitations of credit cards for online wagering and the withdrawl of PayPal from the business, you may be tempted to transfer money from your bank account to a casino Casinos offer this option, and it’s as familiar

as similar transactions with credit card providers: Simply give them the routing number

on your personal check and account number, cancel out that check in your checkbook, and they’ll withdraw that amount

What you may not know (and what they’re not about to tell you) is that despite the impression someone gives you that they can only withdraw the amount you authorize, your routing and checking numbers include your account number Once somebody has that data, they can empty your account on a whim A casino may be perfectly legitimate and complete with the latest security, or it may not, so consider one of the other methods

of payment I’ll cover

Legal Issues

In November 2003, Indiana’s WNDU ran a story headlined, “Online Gambling Leads One Woman to Prison.” If you saw that story or one like it, you probably thought, “Wow, they threw someone in jail for visiting an online casino!” Frankly, that’s the false impression some in law enforcement, plus the strange bedfellows of religious groups and entrenched gambling interests, wants to give the public Without laws expressly forbidding online games like 21 or the will to honestly argue the case against them, these opponents use scare tactics to keep you offl ine

The media enjoys playing up your fears, too Look closely at that headline with the key

word italicized: “Online Gambling Leads One Woman to Prison.” But did she run afoul

of the law by playing on the Internet for cash? Nope The body of the story explains that she went to jail for embezzlement! After draining the $30,000 in her savings account and maxing out her credit cards, she stole $65,000 from her employer’s bank account and blew that When caught, she claimed the online wagers “never seemed real” and that casino pop-up ads compelled her to bet, borrow, and fi nally, to steal Her case serves as a warning on many levels

The truth is that current federal gambling law, mostly written long before the Internet, doesn’t criminalize the act of playing online casino games In fact, Americans place as the majority of the world’s incalculable number of cyber-wagers, yet the government has never charged a single one of them with a crime for doing so Put simply, federal statutes such as the Internet Gaming Prohibition Bill of 1997 target the “business” of gambling with an eye toward organized crime They ban online casinos from setting up shop within the country’s borders, but did not—and due to the constitutional right to dispose of prop-erty as one wants arguably could not—make criminals of the millions who visit online casinos from sea to shining sea

Chapter 2: Getting Started with Online Blackjack

U.S Senator John Kyl of Arizona’s landmark 1995 Internet Gambling Prohibition Act

did propose criminalizing the placing of bets, but failed to attract suffi cient support in Congress to reach the president’s desk Subsequent bills, such as the Senate’s Unlawful

Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act (italics added) of 1997 and the House’s

Leach-LaFalce Bill of 2002, squarely targeted the fi nancial aspects of the game: the dealer, not the player The current and former White House administrations have been unenthusiastic about such bills as well

Legislative proposals have included making it a crime for credit card companies, banks, Internet service providers and software developers to do business with online casinos but have recognized the impracticality of turning millions of online players into crimi-

nals—criminals law enforcement would then have to track down, catch, and prosecute The Department of Justice (DoJ) has made it clear that they don’t have the resources, manpower or will to go after dollar gamblers The process of tracing someone’s identity alone takes hours when it’s possible at all Like the old TV shows where cops claimed it took 30 seconds to trace a call only to have the kidnapper hang up after 25, many players simply don’t sit at virtual blackjack tables long enough to be tracked

Furthermore, constitutional civil liberties make round-the-clock, intrusive, Orwellian itoring of Internet use impossible The DoJ’s letters warning Web sites such as Google against taking ads for online casinos fell fl at for that very reason In August 2004, Casino City, Inc fi led a complaint against the department in the U.S District Court, arguing that Web sites had a First Amendment right to carry their ads and charging that the govern-ment had engaged in intimidation

mon-The DoJ eventually conceded that running banners or other ads for online casinos

overseas didn’t run afoul of the “aiding and abetting” statue The department had more success when it informed several states, territories, and the Senate Banking Committee that facilitating online wagers violated the 1961 Federal Interstate Wire Act, 18 U.S.C

1084 This hurt some service providers, but the Internet’s inherent fl uidity made shifting their operations and methods easy Such was the case when eBay acquired PayPal

Citing the “uncertain regulatory environment surrounding online gaming,” specifi cally the unwanted attention from the Attorney General of New York, eBay ended PayPal’s days

as the online casino’s payment method of choice Yet billions in cash still fi nd their way

to casinos in other ways Note also that the justice department never even considered subpoenaing PayPal’s records to fi nd out just who had placed all those wagers Their

interest, to paraphrase a fi ctional version of the mafi a don targeted by gambling laws, was just in the business, not personal

While the Constitution empowers the several states to regulate gambling, several federal laws also apply—all related to the business side for the reasons I’ve mentioned First and foremost is the Wire Act of 1961, which targets sports wagering Again, it refers to those

“in the business of betting or wagering” who intentionally “use a wire communication in interstate or foreign commerce.” The obvious question, whether or not this act covers