Archive for the ‘Blackjack News’ Category

Vegas Casinos on the Lookout for Blackjack Card Counting App Users

Monday, December 20th, 2010

While blackjack players are looking to get their hands on blackjack applications that allow them to count cards and win at the game, the Vegas casinos are on the hunt to spot blackjack card counting apps used by players.

Reports claim that the Vegas casinos are focusing on the iPhone blackjack card counting application and are looking to spot blackjack cheaters using it. A California casino recently apprehended players using the latest iPhone blackjack app to count cards at tables in an attempt to win.

After this, casinos in Vegas were put on the alert and the Nevada Gaming Control Board went a step further and sent out warnings to several prominent casinos in Las Vegas advising them to be on guard about players using the app. The exact specific details of this app have not been divulged for security purposes.

Players who may be unaware of the laws in Las Vegas in regard to card counting at the blackjack table must take note that although the region does permit card counting, it outlaws the use of a device to help the player count cards. Furthermore, this will be considered a felony. However, most casinos do frown on card counting in general and try to get rid of such players.

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105 Year Old Says Playing Blackjack Kept Her Young

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

The game of blackjack has come to mean many things to different people, but for Annie Asaro, a 105 year old woman, it has come to symbolize the secret to a long life. Annie Asaro is a very happy and cheerful woman at her age and spends a lot of her time at the casino playing blackjack. When asked what her secret to long life was, she answered “Just play blackjack.”

Asaro was born in the year 1905 in the month of December, and has spent 88 years of her life living in Escondido. This blackjack player who has lived through the Great depression and many wars, can be found playing way to her hearts content at the blackjack tables at the Pala Casino.

Annie Asaro also plays slots games and likes to look for tournament games; she admitted to frequenting the Pala Casino and the Pauma Casino in the same vicinity. Both casinos held celebrations in her honor, and Asaro was even asked to cut a deck in honor of the occasion at one particular blackjack table. “I like to play blackjack,” she admitted and was noted to be playing the Super Fun Single Deck blackjack tables. Asaro appears to be very sharp for her age and has now closed 105 years of age.

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Blackjack Player Larry Evans Passes Away at 78

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Larry Evans, the reputed blackjack master player, passed away at the age of 78 during a gall bladder operation, much to the surprise of the blackjack community. Evans, who was also known for his skill at the game of chess, resided in Nevada and had to his credit the authorship of several books, a number of which discussed chess.

Although reputed for his success at the game of chess, Larry Evans was also a great blackjack player who learned how to play blackjack and quickly became an expert at counting cards. Evans great blackjack skills stemmed from his logical approach to the game and his mathematical abilities which he used in tandem to win at blackjack. Evans made a name for himself in the world of blackjack in 1968, long before card counting was considered to be popular and people were being instructed in it. Evans used his card counting abilities and calm logic to sort through game after game of blackjack and made a good amount of money. Evans was known to frequent the blackjack tables in the casinos at Reno where he worked at making some extra dollars.

His great logic and mathematical gaming mind made him excel in counting blackjack cards way back in 1968 before card counting came into fashion refining his memory and making some extra cash playing blackjack at Reno casinos. However, Evans was soon spotted by casino officials and was then banned from these tables in Reno.

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College Professor Uses Blackjack to Teach Statistics and Probability

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Mark Bollman, a mathematics professor at Albion College in Michigan, developed the innovative method of using blackjack to teach his students statistics and probabilities, several years back. His students studied the various factors that make profits for casinos, including house edge, and practiced blackjack strategies with the help of software and in laboratories. Later, the professor modified the course to make it more practical and introduced it into the Mount Pleasant based Soaring Eagle Casino, which permits 18 year olds to gamble.

Explaining the difference between a classroom and the gambling atmosphere in a casino, Bollman said that one cannot recreate the experience of loss or gain in a classroom, where one plays for practice without any risk. His students need not necessarily take risks or gamble, yet they have gladly played for real money, losing a maximum of $130 and winning a maximum of $400.

Speaking about his experiences, Andy Livernoise who won $110 said that the casino sounds, lights, and crowds added up to be quite an experience, but he had the knowledge that slots have a high house edge unlike blackjack, which has a low house edge. Jennifer Polinski, who won just $3, said that most winnings come from playing blackjack.

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Gambling Friendly Bills to Legalize Online Blackjack in New Jersey

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

New Jersey now has two new gambling friendly laws that will bring plenty of blackjack into the state. The senate has approved Ray Lesniak’s bill, which legalizes online gambling in New Jersey and allows foreigners and New Jersey residents to place bets on blackjack in casinos that use sophisticated gaming software as long as the servers are in the casinos of Atlantic City. The bill won by a majority of 29 – 5, and an amendment made to it provides for 15 percent tax on gross gambling revenues.

The bill permits online gambling establishments to provide online casino games including poker, baccarat, roulette, craps, blackjack, mini baccarat, slots, big six wheel, pai gow, red dog, and sic bo or any composites or variations of the above-mentioned as long as these composites or variations are offered online. Unfortunately, the bill prevents players from all other US states, except New Jersey, to stake in New Jersey based online casinos.

Another blackjack friendly bill has also been passed permitting the establishment of smaller 200-room casinos in New Jersey. Previously, hotels needed to have a minimum of 500 rooms to offer gaming services.

Governor Chris Christie still has to sign these bills, but Lesniak says there is no reason why he will not sign them.

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New Blackjack Boat to Launch on Thanksgiving Day with Blackjack Switch Tables.doc

Monday, November 29th, 2010

After the UIGEA was passed, blackjack players in the US found it extremely difficult to play their favorite games as they were barred from transacting financially with international gaming enterprises. However, since casino gambling is permitted in international waters, a boat from the state of Florida has been turned into a casino and will soon be settings ail into international seas.

The Jacks or Better boat, a special blackjack vessel that will feature an array of casino games and blackjack tables is scheduled to set forth on Thanksgiving Day, the 26th of November, which is also known as Black Friday.

Blackjack players will be thrilled to know that the Jacks or Better boat casino will sail twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday and will host a variety of games, including more than a 170 slot machines and blackjack games with 3:2 odds. The boat will also feature Blackjack Switch a much loved variant of the game.

The blackjack boat will depart from Mayport, Florida and will venture into international waters to be free from the gambling restrictions of the United States. This boat was once a 500 passenger carrier and was recently renovated for a sum of 1 million dollars. The boat is currently under inspection and will only be allowed to set sail if it passes muster by the Coast guard. The idea is to move into international waters where the federal gambling laws and state laws on gambling will not apply.

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Maine Residents Vote for Construction of New Blackjack Casino

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

The people of Maine voted for the establishment of a blackjack casino recently, as a result of which a gambling center with several casino games including blackjack will be added to the slot halls of the state.

The officials of Maine have informed the Board responsible for controlling gambling in the state, which the tax paying citizens of Maine will have to wager as much as a million and a half to facilitate regulations and a proper system to manage the gambling activities in the newly constructed blackjack casino.

It is believed that such a regulatory system will be essential towards creating a strong set of regulations for the table games and parlor games that will be hosted by the new casino. Panel members have already started studying the regulations in other states. A portion of the duties collected from the taxes will be spent on new employees, including an officer of the law and 8 inspectors who will supervise happenings at the new Maine casino.

Anne Jordon, who functions as a public safety official for the state, claimed that Maine would be expected to bear such expenses till the casino starts generating income.

Meanwhile, staunch opponents of gambling want the votes to the counted again, a month-long process. Black Bear Entertainment, which has been contracted to construct the new casino, has reported 4000 job applications from Maine citizens desiring to work at the casino. In spite of the opposition, the people of Maine are happy about the recent developments.

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IGT Subsidiaries Merge to Create More Mobile Blackjack Games

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

The two subsidiaries of International Game Technology (IGT), a company listed on the NYSE, will merge to form a single unit with its headquarters at San Francisco in California. This significant merger is expected to give rise to a large number of mobile casino games, a number of which are sure to be blackjack variants.

One of the merging subsidiaries is WagerWorks, one of the leading online gaming software developers, which powers 50 casinos and has an impressive portfolio of over 100 online casino games such as blackjack, video poker, roulette, and slots. Million-2-1, one of the leading providers of mobile phone blackjack games in the UK, including mobile lotteries and SMS contests, is the other.

Gideon Bierer, the executive vice president of IGT said that the merger will strengthen IGT’s status as the leading interactive gaming company. Speaking about the company’s achievements, he said that IGT has handled online wagers worth more than $10 billion in the UK alone during the past five years and processes online transactions worth $1.5 billion annually. The company’s recent move is to accelerate product innovation and develop interactive business in a bid to utilize advancing technology and meet the demands of an evolving market.

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PokerTek to Present New Blackjack Pro at G2E

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

PokerTek Inc., a licensed gaming software developer, will present its new blackjack variant Blackjack Pro at Global Gaming Expo (G2E), which is scheduled to be held next week at Las Vegas Convention Centre. The demonstration can be viewed in booth number 1210 on Nov 16 – 18

PokerTeck President James Crawford said that Blackjack Pro is the traditional variant of blackjack on PokerTek’s new automated gaming platform and that the company is eager to exhibit its new product to prospective and existing customers at G2E.

Though based on the rules of standard blackjack, operators can customize Blackjack Pro to suit their requirements. The large screen at the center allows players to follow the gaming action with ease and even interact with other players. The cost-effective product with its intuitive graphics is ideal for operators who want to introduce automated blackjack into their portfolio of games.

Besides demonstrating Blackjack Pro, PowerTek will also exhibit PokerPro, especially emphasizing its attractive new Tournament Plus software, a comprehensive multi-table tournament solution, which streamlines the entire gaming process from registering an account to reaching the final table. The product also includes a leader board, which presents the latest information regarding chip stacks, player ranks, and tournament status.

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Jeffrey Ma Talks Blackjack and Business Strategy At Iowa State University

Saturday, November 13th, 2010

Jeffrey Ma, the reputed blackjack player and card counter who led the MIT s notoriously successful team of blackjack players, recently addressed a gathering at the Iowa State University.

Ma discussed his opinions on business and educated those in attendance about the many financial strategies that he had acquired while playing blackjack. Ma was very much responsible for the success of the MIT team of blackjack players as it was his tips and strategies that they followed which allowed them to win millions of dollars. It was also Ma and his team of blackjack players who were the inspiration behind the famed book Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. This team and book was also the basis for the hit movie 21 produced by Robert Luketic in which Kevin Spacey starred.

Some of the tips discussed by Ma at the event included decision making as well as not quitting when it is easy.

“The most important thing I learned from playing blackjack is that you can’t quit because it’s what’s easy. Deciding not to play and to maintain the status quo is still making a decision. Even putting off deciding is making the decision not to decide,” Ma said.

Ma compared business and blackjack stating, “There is no such thing as winning or losing streaks. It’s all about how much you put into your decision making. However, that doesn’t mean that looking to the past is a bad thing. Looking at the past is the best way to predict the future. But it can’t be your only basis.”

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