Online Casino Gambling

It is the most popular casino banking game in the world. The game may seem simple but their is plenty of strategy involved. Blackjack or Twenty-one is a staple of online casino games.

What is Blackjack?

In blackjack, each player begins with an initial two card hand. From that beginning, the player tries to reach the closest value of twenty-one without going over. The player is able to add single cards to their initial hand in an attempt to reach twenty-one. The card values play a role in the basic simple rules of the game. Cards 2 through 9 are each worth their appropriate value. In addition to the 10 cards, jacks, queens and kings are also assigned a value of ten. The ace cards can be valued at 1 or 11 with the value being determined by the player. A player will play their hand before the dealer plays. The competitor finishing closest to twenty-one without going over is the winner.

History

The origins of blackjack date all the way back to the 17th century. The basic concepts of the game appear to have originated in Spain and France over 400 years ago. In France, a game called Vingt En Un was played in French casinos. Vingt En Un translates to the term “twenty-one” in French.

The game wasn’t an immediate hit when it was introduced into Las Vegas casinos in the 1930′s. So, casinos added some bonuses to certain hands to draw more players. A player could obtain a 10-1 bonus with an ace of spades and a black jack (clubs or spades). This hand became known as “blackjack” and helped to increase the popularity of the game. While the bonuses were quickly abolished from the game, twenty-one became widely known as Blackjack in the years to come.

Card counting in Blackjack

While there is plenty of chance involved in Blackjack, there are some basic strategies that can be employed to have success in the game. Some of these strategies are pretty basic. For example, the player will generally “hold” their hand once they get to a certain number to avoid going over. A player will rarely attempt to add another card once their hand is at 17 or higher.

A more complex strategy in Blackjack involves card counting. In card counting, the player keeps track of the ratio of high cards to low cards. A player can gain an advantage of up to 2% over the house through the use of proper card counting techniques.

Card counting helps the player in a couple of important ways. First, the player is able to determine which cards are left in the deck. This helps the player develop his strategy. Second, the player can make aggressive bet amounts based on the cards that are remaining in the deck.

While mental card counting is legal in casinos, the practice is frowned upon by most casino operators. If a player is viewed to be a card counter, the casino will take steps to ban the player from the property.

According to a report that was released this week by the Joint Committee on Taxation, a measure to decriminalize most forms of internet gambling would raise nearly $42 billion for the U.S. over the next decade. The report, from Washington Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott, is based on the provision of a federal license for operators that would allow them to offer online wagering throughout the United States.

A logical way to raise needed revenue

“I suspect that many of my colleagues will take more interest in this issue once they see $41 billion available that they can match up with any number of worthy programs,” McDermott said in a press release associated with the report. “I would suspect it’s only a matter of time before Congress appropriately moves to regulate the industry in order to protect consumers and reverse the flow of billions of dollars currently lost offshore as Americans gamble billions online despite attempts to prohibit the activity,” he added.

The report has also gained the attention of many in the online gaming industry. “This analysis further reinforces the fact that a regulated environment will generate billions in new revenue to offset the costs of health care reform or other vital government programs,” said Michael Waxman, spokesman for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. “With the completed analysis, and support for Internet gambling regulation growing daily, it’s only a matter of time before Congress acts and begins allocating the billions in new revenue sitting on the table to one program or another. This is a very significant development in support of the push to regulate the industry. We would expect that there will be more conversation and more interest in internet gambling regulations.”

The industry is hoping that the report will be a wake up call for the members of congress that haven’t been on board with the initiative. “We believe this tax revenue analysis will encourage immediate discussions and consideration of pending legislation to regulate Internet gambling,” said Waxman.  “With everyone acknowledging that attempts to prohibit the activity have failed, this provides even more incentive for Congress to act.”

McDermott, Frank leading reform efforts

This past spring, McDermott introduced bill HR 2268. The Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act would impose a fee of 2% of deposits on licensed internet gambling operators. McDermott is joined in the fight by Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Barney Frank. The chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services has announced his desire to hold a hearing and markup in the coming months on his legislation, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2009 (H.R. 2267).

Chairman Frank’s bill would establish a framework to allow licensed gambling operators to accept bets from individuals in the U.S.  It includes several consumer protections including safeguards against money laundering and identity theft. Additional provisions in the bill support the rights of each state to determine whether to allow web gambling activity for people within the state. 

Keno is a casino game that has steadily gained in popularity over the years. Keno is sometimes confused with bingo. While there are similarities, keno is slightly more advanced. In a traditional keno game, there are 80 ping pong-like balls that are numbered 1 through 80. Keno is even offered as a game in some state lotteries.

The origins and history of the game date back to China.

Keno originated in China

By most accounts, the earliest game that featured elements of keno was introduced nearly 3000 years ago. Cheung Leung, a ruler of the Han Dynasty, developed a game to help raise state revenues. He based the game on a popular poem of the day, “The Thousand Character Classic.” Even today, the poem is used as a tool to help children learn how to count. The poem consists of one thousand unique Chinese symbols. It is broken down into 250 phrases with four characters each. Leung’s game featured 120 of the phrases subdivided into eight characters to each subdivision. Any player that could correctly predict a subdivision would win the game. Eventually, funds from the game were used to help build the Great Wall of China.

Chinese brought the game to the West

Chinese immigrants were responsible for bringing the game to America in the late 19th century. The immigrants sailed across the Pacific to aid in the construction of the trans-continental railroad in the United States. By this time, the Chinese Keno game had been reduced to 90 characters and would soon reach the modern number of 80. Even though gambling was illegal at the time, the game was widely played by the Chinese immigrants in and around San Francisco. Americans were intrigued by the game but couldn’t understand the Chinese symbols. So, the Chinese characters were translated into numbers to allow American players to participate in the game.

Keno arrives in Las Vegas casinos

In 1931, the state of Nevada legalized gambling. However, keno was viewed as a lottery. At this time, lotteries were not authorized by the federal government. So, operators had to make a slight adjustment to get keno into their casinos. The casinos developed “race horse keno” to solve the issue. Each number was designated as a horse although the actual game had nothing to do with racing.

The keno payout limits have gradually evolved in Nevada casinos over the years. In 1963, the aggregate payout limit was $25,000. In 1979, the limit was raised to $50,000. Finally, in 1989, the caps were lifted. This enabled each casino to control their aggregate pay limits.

Keno isn’t a game that many professional gamblers will get involved in. The house edge can range form 4 to 66 percent. Still, the game is a staple at casinos throughout the world. Keno play sheets are scattered throughout the casino. The player doesn’t even have to be at the draw to participate. A play sheet can be turned in to a runner which enables the player an opportunity to participate in a keno game while they are doing something else in the casino.