New App to Learn Blackjack Strategy
January 29th, 2013 by Site Admin
Many people are under the misconception that playing and mastering blackjack is very easy. But even if a player succeeds in learning the most advanced of blackjack strategies such as card counting, implementing these strategies without getting caught by the house is very difficult.
Players can learn strategies and gain inspiration from a large number of online as well as print sources. One of the most popular blackjack books is Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions. A movie called “21,” based on the same book, is also worth watching. Besides watching blackjack movies, visiting blackjack portals, and reading blackjack books, players can download interesting blackjack apps that teach them the rules and strategies of blackjack.
One of the most interesting apps out there is Blackjack Strategizer for iOS, available for just $1.99. This blackjack app teaches basic blackjack strategies and touch gestures used at live blackjack tables. The app also provides statistics so that players can analyze their play and correct common errors. Players can use this app while on the move, irrespective of their geographic location.
Uses of this app have claimed that it can actually help win more money at the blackjack tables.
United Kingdom Will Introduce Place of Consumption Tax on Online Gambling
January 29th, 2013 by Site Admin
The UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport is looking to crackdown on a loophole in the 2005 Gambling Act. Under the existing legislation, online poker providers have been able to avoid taxes by moving their servers to other countries. Many providers relocated to avoid paying these taxes.
The United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Select Committee passed a new bill last month that amends the 2005 Gambling Act. That act was designed to close loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying certain taxes by leaving the country. This new bill will have a significant impact on people playing online poker.
Many online gaming providers have been lobbying keep this bill from being passed. However, some companies based in the United Kingdom may benefit from the bill.
Bet365 has been based in the United Kingdom since it was founded in 2000. The company has been paying a consumption tax on all gross revenues derived from UK citizens. Bet365 will no longer be at a competitive disadvantage to other firms providing online gaming to UK citizens.
The new law will stipulate that all online gaming companies offering online poker to UK citizens will have to pay a 15% tax on all gross revenues. This “place of consumption tax” is expected to be introduced in December of 2014. However, lawmakers have not shared all details of the new law.
Reporters from Pokerfuse tried to interview Treasury officials. They declined to answer any questions. However, they have stated that they are committed to working with online gaming providers in the future. They will be giving them input on what changes they will need to make to ensure they are complying with the new law.
Blackjack Dealer Turns Stand Up Comedian
January 23rd, 2013 by Site Admin
D’Lai , a blackjack dealer from Louisiana, has made his way from the blackjack tables of casinos to the standup comedy stages of Las Vegas.
The blackjack dealer who hails from Louisiana has used his southern charm to at the blackjack tables but then decided to take his wit to the theatre instead. D’Lai is one of the more recent additions to the comedy scene and has been selected to be on Bill Bellamy’s “Ladies Night Out” which is a national tour.
’Lai was very complimentary when talking about the tour and said, “This is a hot tour with four great guys on stage, and it’s a great accomplish for four young comedians. Not a lot of young comedians get a chance like this so, for me, it’s a real blessing.”
A Louisiana native, D’Lai’s career began in the south and he catered to this kind of audience for a good part of his career. Eventually, D’Lai made his way to Las Vegas and then took up a job as a blackjack dealer on the side. The Louisiana native was a blackjack dealer by day and a standup comic by night working almost round the clock to make his dreams come true.
New Russian Law Allows State to Seize Assets of Problem Gamblers
January 22nd, 2013 by Site Admin
Russian President Vladmir Putin has signed a new law that will target problem gamblers. According to the Russian Times, the new law may define any citizen with a gambling addiction as incompetent. The new law will give the state the authority to seize any of their assets.
Putin signed the new law at the end of last week. The new policies will go into effect as soon as they are released to the public.
The new law won’t only be targeted to citizens with gambling addictions. Citizens who have exhibited any chronic behavior which places their family at risk may be classified as incompetent and be forced to forfeit their assets to the government. The law will also target citizens with substance abuse problems.
The government has also required online poker companies to provide records of their citizens. Any high rollers may unwittingly be penalized under the new law.
Russia has been increasingly focused on doing away with online gaming. They passed a law three years ago which banned all casinos except those in Altai Region, Kaliningrad, Krasnodar Region and Vladivostok. The ban has problematic for the country’s gaming industry. Many online gaming companies have been forced to operate on the black market.
More Russian citizens have turned towards online gambling. This new law will probably discourage many players from going online as well. The details of the law have not been released, so citizens are unclear over what criteria the government will use to determine whether or not someone is a problem gambler. Players will have a better indication of their standing and whether the state will likely seize their assets after the new law is published.
UK Authorities Rejects Ban for High Stakes Gambling Machines
January 18th, 2013 by Site Admin
The UK government recently received complaints from the community that gambling was becoming a problem and requested for a ban to be put in place that was calling for the removal high stake gambling machines in betting shops.
The reason for this was that the machines had a psychological effect on their players and should have been monitored. According to Matthew Zarf-Cousin, a former gambling addict and member of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, “What we’ve seen here is what looks like an addictive product, a harmful product to the consumer, that’s been allowed to go onto the market without knowing how harmful that product is.”
However, the UK government has declined the ban and has chosen to keep the high stakes gambling machines in betting shops on the basis that all evidence submitted for the case was anecdotal.
In this case, it is better for players to look at playing casino games online. Blackjack enthusiasts can try online casinos and enjoy their favorite blackjack games online and even play a few slots games when they want a break rather than playing games at betting shops. This is because you can monitor your spending in an online casino much better than in a betting shop.
Jay-Z and Beyonce Enjoy Playing Blackjack
January 15th, 2013 by Site Admin
Blackjack is a fun and exciting game that is becoming increasingly popular with celebrities and online gamblers. Some of the celebs to have recently taken a shine to playing blackjack include the likes of Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
Both these celebs belonging to the world of the bold and beautiful and being rich and famous are natural media magnets whenever they step out of their houses. As a result, Jay-Z and Beyoncé were sure to attract a lot of attention when they went to a casino and played blackjack and a few other casino games.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé were seen at the Atlantis Hotel casino where the pair played some casino slots games and had some fun with the one armed bandits. The couple visited the in-house casino in the reputed Atlantis hotel in the Bahamas.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé were either having a relaxing vacation or on a business trip but either way seem to have enjoyed a welcome break at the casino.
The power couple was spotted in the Bahamas this weekend at Atlantis hotel, heading to the in-house casino.
Reportedly, the power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé also tried their hands at some games of Blackjack and then went up to their room. The couple ended their night with Blackjack and could perhaps may consider playing online blackjack at some stage.
Female Blackjack Dealer Accused of Murdering Child
January 11th, 2013 by Site Admin
A female blackjack dealer was booked for kidnapping and murdering her ex-boyfriend’s 10-year-old daughter. She was already facing charges of assaulting a co-worker at a casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Fifty-year-old Brenda Stokes Wilson, who was supposed to have gone Christmas shopping with 10-year-old Jade Morris, stands accused of taking her to a vacant parking lot and murdering her.
According to prosecutor Robert Daskas, DNA tests have revealed that the blood found on Stokes clothes belonged to Jade. The child’s blood was also found on the steering wheel and door handle of Stokes’ car.
Members of Jade’s family and the police feel that Stokes committed the murder out of jealousy. Reportedly, Jade’s father Philip Morris had ditched Stokes and had begun dating Joyce Rhone, the woman Stokes attacked at the casino. Jade’s grandfather Philip Tucker remarked that it was all her imagination, adding that there was no relationship between Rhone and Philip, as Stokes believed.
Stokes informed the police that she had urged her therapist to get her admitted to a hospital as she felt like hurting someone. However, Stokes’ lawyer has refused to state if he would use the insanity defense.
Mother-of-three Stokes was a blackjack dealer for several years and has no criminal record.
Computer Science Students Develop Blackjack Buddy
January 8th, 2013 by Site Admin
The students who had enrolled for Associate Professor Fred Martin’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Course developed some interesting projects, one of which was Blackjack Buddy, an AI agent that can advise blackjack players about the best move to make while playing blackjack.
Blackjack Buddy was developed by Jonathan Yu, one of the computer science students who had taken up the course, with the intention of designing and implementing an artificial intelligence agent, which makes use of Q-Learning to help players effectively play blackjack even if they do not know the rules and strategies of the game.
Speaking about his project, Yu said that the agent acts as an advisor and suggests the best moves a human blackjack player can make at the gaming table. Besides, the agent learns continuously during the game. He said that the project, which required not only creating AI methods, but also learning the game of blackjack, was challenging as well as rewarding.
Yu also said that Blackjack Buddy is capable of learning one optimal strategy per 5,000 simulations of blackjack, approximately. While the win rate of random strategies is around 25 – 30 percent, the win rate of Blackjack Buddy is around 40 – 50 percent, in line with the best and most talented human players.
PokerTek Inc. Expands with Blackjack Pro into Ontario
January 2nd, 2013 by Site Admin
PokerTek Inc. has announced its expansion into Ontario, as part of which it has installed Blackjack Pro, the third installation of its kind, at Rideau Carleton Raceway, Gloucester.
Having installed Blackjack Pro once again, PokerTek now has 278 gambling venues in Ontario, indicating 78 percent increase in business during the current quarter of this fiscal year.
PokerTek Inc., a licensed and regulated gambling company, has its headquarters at Matthews in NC. The company creates and markets electronic gambling solutions for the gambling industry. Those interested can view more company details at www.PokerTek.com.
Blackjack Pro is the traditional, classic variety of blackjack played on an automated platform. The graphics are excellent, enabling players to easily blend into the gaming action. The rules, payouts, and limits are configured such that they meet not only players’ requirements, but also house requirements. Since the game has a small footprint, the gambling venue can fit it anywhere on the premises.
Besides, Blackjack Pro comes with an interesting optional side bet called Lucky Ladies. The Lucky Ladies side bet pays 1000:1 for a pair of Queen of Hearts with dealer blackjack, 125:1 for a pair of Queen of Hearts, 19:1 for matched 20, 9:1 for suited 20, and 4:1 for any 20.
New Blackjack Casino Launched for Asian Players
December 31st, 2012 by Site Admin
Jubao Palace, an Asian gaming room, was launched at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa. The facility offers 17 table games that Asian players love, such as Pai Gow Poker, Mini Baccarat, Asia Poker, Pai Gow Tiles, and Blackjack, and includes a 15-seater bar offering top-quality Asian cuisine with delicacies such as Char Siu Pork, Roast Duck, Beef Pho, Fried Dumplings, and so on.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will organize an inaugural event in February on the occasion of its Lunar New Year celebrations, featuring several events culminating in a lion dance.
Recently, the casino appointed Lynn Tran as its vice president for Asian marketing; and accordingly, Tran will monitor public relations, advertising, promotions, special events, and entertainment at the casino in general and Jubao Palace in particular.
Speaking about Tran, Anthony Patrone, vice president (marketing and player development) for Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, said that she has long-standing connections in the Asian market and brings a lot of valuable experience to the casino, adding that the casino welcomes her devotion to excellence and looks forward to having her in its leadership team.
Tran will work with team members, who can provide interact with customers in major Asian languages.
