Four Reasons for Blackjack’s Popularity

UNDERSTANDING THE CASINO EDGE

Suppose you are playing blackjack, you make a $10 bet, the dealer gives you a 10-7 and her upcard is a 7. You stand on your 17, and the dealer’s hole card is a queen, giving her 17. Your 17 tied her 17, and in blackjack parlance this is known as a “push.” When a push occurs, you neither win nor lose your bet. Let’s suppose you keep the $10 bet out for the next hand. You are dealt a 9-6, you draw another card and receive a 7, giving you a 22, and subsequently the dealer also ends up with a 22. Once again, you both have the same total, but guess what? Unlike the previous push when you both had 17, this time, because you busted (i.e., your hand is over 21) before the dealer busted, you lose your bet.

This so-called “double-bust” rule is what creates the house edge in blackjack. Players have to draw first, and if they bust, they automatically lose regardless if the dealer subsequently busts in the same round. This is the casino’s sole advantage in blackjack, and if everything else were equal, and the player “mimicked” the dealer’s playing rules, the house edge in blackjack would be about 8%. (The dealer and player each would have about a 28.3% probability of busting, if they played in the same manner; therefore, 0.283 times 0.283, or about 8% of the time, both hands would bust and the dealer would win.)

2. The Grand Ivy

Just missing out on the top spot of our ranking of the best gambling sites is The Grand Ivy. Known for its sterling casino fare and thoroughly impressive live game offerings, Grand Ivy offers by far one of the most rewarding online casino experiences.

This site scored especially highly for its lofty betting limits, making it an ideal choice for high rollers. In addition to this, its table game offerings are second to none (ironically, given its placement on this list). The only real downside is that its welcome bonus does not extend to said table games.

Step 3: Deposit

– Access the deposit section at 888 Casino– Choose your preferred payment method– Enter your banking information along with the sum you wish to deposit– Click “Deposit” and start playing live dealer games!

8. Mr. Play

Though perhaps one of the lesser-known sites to fans of online gambling, Mr. Play has been a feature of the internet gambling landscape for fifteen years. With a large emphasis on slots, and some great live games to boot, it’s well worth a visit.

The only massive downside to this site is its lack of native app, but even that is becoming less of an issue as more and more gambling sites turn towards HTML5 technology allowing for in-browser gameplay on mobile devices. With a wealth of promotions on offer, it’s earned its spot in our countdown.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Monthly deals

It’s also common to find monthly deals which are offers running on a specific day of each month. This could for instance be free cash raffled out between every player signing in on the first of each month or getting a blackjack bonus on the 21st.

Card Values

2 through 9 are face value10, Jack, Queen or King are worth 10Aces are worth 1 or 11 (player’s choice)

BLACKJACK RULES

I often shake my head in disgust when I pick up a brochure that you will usually find somewhere in a casino that explains “how to play blackjack.” Invariably it will state that the objective of blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible. Wrong!

THE OBJECTIVE OF BLACKJACK IS TO BEAT THE DEALER’S HAND BY EITHER

1. Having a total that exceeds the dealer’s total

2. By not going over 21 when the dealer does.

Best Live Casinos in the UK

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Is there an 888 casino app?

Yes, the operator has developed native apps for iOS and Android devices. Additionally, you can download a desktop client, as well, to indulge in some instant play. The 888 Casino gambling site is carefully optimized to run across all devices. You can play there via a web or mobile browser with no problems in performance.

Slots

The slots section of the 888 Casino platform is the most comprehensive of them all. Here you’ve got epic games from the likes of Playtech, NetEnt, Red Tiger, and many others. So whether it’s old-school pub classics, Megaways, jackpots, or modern-day five-reel slots you’re looking for, there’s a good chance that 888 Casino has you covered. Without question, this is one of the best areas discussed in this 888 Casino review.

888 Casino Sponsorships

In 2013, 888 Casino was the title sponsor of the Snooker World Seniors Championship. As well as the sponsorship with NFL team the New York Jets from 2018 to 2020, 888 Casino were also announced as being the sponsor for the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix. With 888’s close relation to sports and sports betting, these feel like fitting sponsorships for the brand and will likely draw in a lot of audience attention and potentially bring new customers to the casino. Additionally, 888 Sport have become the main sponsor of the Shamrock Rovers Football Club for the 2021/2022 seasons.

In September 2021, 888 Holdings has confirmed its £2.2 billion purchase of William Hill International. Although 888 largely specialise in online gambling and casino brands, the company has no intentions to change the traditional sport betting operations and has confirmed plans to keep the in-person retail stores the way they are (in hopes of also keeping the actively visiting customers) and continue to use the stores for betting purposes. With William Hill going from about 2,300 stores in 2018 to around 1,400 in 2021, keeping these retail stores is key for the brand and company. The deal was completed in early 2022.

888 Promotions for Existing Customers

888 runs several big promotions for its loyal customers. The 888 VIP Casino Club features regular prize draws where you can win cash bonuses, gifts or FreePlay tokens.

We are also fans of the Wheel of Fortune where you can take a daily spin and win free spins or FreePlay. Also look out Pit Boss specials if you’re a live casino player. Jump onto your favourite live casino tables and win cash prizes.

• Lucky 8 (Live Roulette only)
• Prize giveaways (Live Blackjack)
• Comp Points
• Wheel of Fortune
• Live casino prize giveaways

Place Your Bets: The Available Payment Methods

Payment methods are an aspect of online gambling that are often under-appreciated, which feels slightly ridiculous given the fact that you can’t place a bet without first making a deposit. That’s why we pay particular attention to the payment options available at every gambling site we visit.

As you might guess, the broader the variety of available methods, the better. It’s imperative that users feel comfortable when making transactions online, and the best way to ensure comfort is to allow them to make deposits and withdrawals using their preferred method at their chosen casinos and betting sites.

The array of payment options can also be a good indicator of a site’s legitimacy. For instance, there are a number of methods that are no longer permitted in the UK, for various reasons. If a site offers any of the following, they’re likely not a trustworthy casino or gambling site.

Unavailable Methods in the UK

Payment Method	Reason for Exclusion
VISA, Mastercard, Diner’s Club	As of 2020, it is no longer legal for online betting sites to offer credit card payments. For the full explanation, you can read the statement from the Gambling Commission.

More 888 Casino Sister Sites

The 888 Group operates more bingo sites than it does “true” casino sites. With a range of over two hundred, though, there are still several dozen casinos in the range. You can check out all of them in one place by visiting the 888 Group page here at sister sites, but if you just want to find somewhere to play a few spins right now, here are some more 888 Casino sister sites you might want to consider in addition to those we’ve highlighted above.

Slot CrazyVelvet SlotsWarrior WinsThe Slots IslandSecret SlotsSlotahoySpin JackpotsSolar SpinsSlot RanchElectric Spins

1.0 Basic Playing Rules

The game is offered in many land-based and online casinos. Most casinos use six decks although it is available in single-, double-, and eight-deck games. Rules can vary (more shortly) but the most popular version is a six-deck game with these rules:

• Dealer hits soft 17
• Blackjacks pays 3 to 2
• Doubling down allowed on any first two cards
• Doubling down allowed after pair splitting
• Respltting allowed, including aces, up to four hands

Security and Fairness

To ensure fair gaming, 888 Casino uses a Random Number Generator (RNG). The RNG is used to decide the outcome of what hands are dealt to players, as well as to decide which community cards will be shown. 888 Casinos RNG is tested and certified by the independent regulatory agency eCogra, which has tested the MD5 RNG and found no algorithm anomalies.

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10.12 How to Disguise Your Skills

One warm evening in Las Vegas, a young man was walking on the famed Strip, contemplating what had just happened. He was a good card counter, he could count down a deck of cards accurately in 20 seconds flat, and knew his strategy deviations cold.

2019 – The 888 Casino Mobile App

Now we come right back up to date with the 888 Casino mobile app. 888 Casino resisted the idea of launching a standalone app for a surprisingly long time, preferring instead that players should come to the casino and play there. A trend can’t be ignored forever, though, and the trend in gaming right now is that more players are using their mobile phones to get online than there are using desktops or laptops. That’s a fact. A market of that size needs to be catered for, and that’s what the 888 Casino mobile app does. It’s a scaled-down version of the full site, featuring two-hundred-or-so slots and games taken from the full range. Two hundred is a lot to have in the palm of your hand, though, and our understanding is that the app has been and continues to be a hit.

Introduction

888 Casino is part of the 888 Group which includes an online casino, an online poker room, online sports betting and online bingo. It was officially launched in 1997, making it a well-respected brand in the online casino industry. The 888 Group is licensed by the Government of Gibraltar and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The casino is certified for safe and fair gaming by eCOGRA and their games are independently tested for fairness by iTech Labs.

Join 888 Casino today for your chance to take part in high quality and reputable online gaming.

FRENCH PLAY VINGT-ET-UN

The origins of blackjack are not entirely clear. It is widely thought that its precursor “vingt-et-un” (pronounced van-tay-uhn, meaning 20 and one, or, simply, 21).

It began showing up in French casinos around 1700. The rules for vingt-et-un differ from blackjack as we know it. The game’s objective was to reach a “natural” with cards that total 21; however, players wagered after (not before) they received their first card. The dealer had the option to double everyone’s bet after looking at his initial card. Moreover, if the dealer got a natural, players would pay him triple. Nevertheless, there are some striking similarities with modern blackjack; namely, the hand-ranking system and the goal of trying to achieve 21.

USING THE PROPER HITTING AND STANDING STRATEGIES

By knowing the proper hitting and standing blackjack playing strategy, a player can whittle another 3.5% from the house’s edge, leaving about a 2.2% edge. Remember that players can stand or hit as they wish, unlike the dealer who must always stand on 17-21 and hit 16 or less.

Payments and Contacting Customer Support

There are numerous banking methods available at 888 Casino, all of which safe and free of charge. You can deposit and withdraw your winnings using credit or debit cards Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and Diners; e-wallets such as Neteller, Skrill, PayPal, Ukash and PaySafeCard and other means like Wire and Bank Transfer, Fast Bank Transfer and Cheque. The latter can only be used for cashing out and Ukash, PaySafeCard, Fast Bank Transfer, iCheck and Cash Up can only be used for deposits.

There is a whole team of professional and friendly customer support representatives that will see to your every need and query 24 hours per day. You can contact them using one of the following means:

• Phone: – 0800 032 9873 – toll free for UK players
• Email: – support@888.com
• Contact Form: – Available on their website
• Live Chat: – Available 24/7

888 Casino is part of the 888 Holdings PLC group and it operators in the UK under the UKGC licence, number 39028. The casino also bears the seals of eCogra, to which 888 is actually a co-founder, and technical security is guaranteed by McAfee Secure.

What casino games can you get with the 888casino promo code?

There are a whole host of casino games available on 888casino with the likes of roulette, blackjack and poker all on the site for new customers.

There isn’t currently an 888casino promo code, meaning you can access all of these casino games with ease, as well as all the games in the live lobby, so you can play with others on live roulette, live blackjack and live poker.

888casino also has a terrific variety of slots with some of the most famous games such as Fishin’ Frenzy available, and is of course accessible without the need for an 888casino promo code.

Site languages

English, Finnish, Swedish, German, French, Spanish, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Japanese

🛡️ Is 888 casino safe to play at?

888 casino take great care in implementing and maintaining the security and authenticity of the provided services. The operator employs multiple industry standard procedures and controls to ensure the safety of the players’ information such as encrypted communication, external and internal audit tests, secure network topology and firewall systems and more.

888 Casino Offers And Promotions

As befits one of the world’s leading online casinos, 888 have plenty of good offers and bonuses for new and regular players.

The current starting offer is a healthy welcome bonus which sees customers receive double their first deposit with a guaranteed instant 100% up to $200/£100/€140 888casino welcome bonus. T&C’s apply, New customer only

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DOUBLE DECK BLACKJACK, H17, NDAS

BLACKJACK STRATEGY CHART