There has been a lot of news revolving the online gambling industry lately, but you might want to get used to it because it doesn’t seem to be going away. Earlier this month one accomplice in the scandal: Ira Rubin pleaded guilty to counts of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and participating in a money laundering conspiracy.

According an article I read at nytimes.com Rubin has been living in Costa Rica for the past several years avoiding fraudulent telemarketing charges. Rubin assisted the three main companies in the April 15^th indictment: Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, and Absolute Poker. With this extravagant scandal these companies wired tens of millions of dollars to fake companies while deceiving US banks.

There have been several other arrests and guilty pleas revolving around the situation; including the site’s owners.

There are reports that taxing online poker alone would generate as much as 40 billion dollars in just ten short years. Online gambling is a huge industry, and one that needs government regulation. There are several bills on the table as well as plenty of decisions to be made. In the meantime there are still several sites to play blackjack at. Reviews sites as well as site about how to play blackjack are at your disposal.

The online poker industry may be the only industry in the US actively vying for some government regulation. Regulation and taxing online gambling is the best decision congress could make at the moment, the only thing to do now though is wait and hope for the best.

If you liked playing blackjack at Casino Bodog you are going to love playing at Bovada just as much. Why? Because they are virtually the same casino. The same operators, same owners, just a slightly different website setup; I actually think they made many great improvements.

When you Google “online casino” many options will show up. There are many review sites that come up, and almost all of them will tell you to go to the online casino Bovada, I promise. There are so many reasons why this site is awesome; the great games, great bonuses and great customer service, just to name a few. They actually use software they have developed themselves derived from former licensing company Morris Mohawk Gaming. With their new license from UK Gambling Commission, Bovada seems to be unstoppable. This company has an all around impressive resume with over 120 different casino games, supported by state of the art software. They have a flash option, as well as a downloadable version to play all of their specialty games.

This blog wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the great bonuses and promotions they offer as well. Your first chip purchase, up to $500 will be matched, as well as several ongoing promotions and tournaments daily. Some players may be worried about login information and support but rest assured that all login information has been transferred over, and your first login should be seamless. So head on over there right now and start playing blackjack at Casino Bovada, you’ll be happy you did.

Many blackjack players are skeptical about playing their game online because they think it varies greatly from the game played in brick and mortar casinos. This is not necessarily true. Although there are some differences, there are many similarities. Playing blackjack online has a great deal of advantages; allow me to go over some of them.

First of all, while playing blackjack online you can ask for help, or strategy tips at any point in the game. If you have a question in an actual casino, it may be quite difficult to get the dealer to stop the game and assist you. Also it is quite easy to figure out rules for online games as they are on the screen or just a “help” click away.  Blackjack is one of the most simple games in the casino, but all of the different rules and regulations can get quite complex.

If you are a seasoned blackjack player then you may argue that playing in person is imperative to pick up on dealer’s “tells”, but these cues may not be as helpful as you anticipate. Others may argue that playing an actual game of blackjack in a casino helps determine what cards are about to be dealt because you can see all of the other player’s cards. What they don’t know is blackjack games online can be just as communal and interactive.

I actually like playing blackjack in an online casino rather than a brick and mortar casino. It is less confusing, I can find the exact table I want to play at with the rules I prefer, and it is less stressful when I’m on my own couch, rather than in a noisy casino.

It seems like there is an application for everything these days.  The best apps are the ones that make your life a little bit easier, right? Those are always nice but I also like a good entertainment app. My favorite apps go along with my favorite pastime, casino games.  I love playing games with family members and friends around the globe and I also love playing casino games at the casino so I was really excited to learn I could combine the two.

I decided to do the leg work in finding the best blackjack apps out there so I used my favorite search engine to find the best applications for your phone and computer and here is what I came up with:

The best free blackjack application is Blackjack88. This app is very easy to navigate around and the graphics were also non-confusing and stimulating. A close second was Blackjack Classic. Both options give you sing-up bonuses as well as promotions throughout play.

If you have an extra dollar lying around there is a blackjack application that trumps every other app out there. Blackjack Multi-hand is not only my favorite blackjack app but also my favorite casino game app in general. It allows you to play up to three games and has a built in tutor if you need any help throughout any of your games.  This application is definitely worth the dollar you will spend.

Other than that my other favorite casino app is Craps University. This is a great addition to your repertoire, and it is very informative.

When it comes to blackjack someone is always telling you to “hit on a hard 13” or “don’t hit on a hard 12.” To many people they may not know what this is so I’ve decided to dedicate this whole blog today to telling everyone the difference between hard and soft totals in blackjack.

Knowing the difference between a hard and soft total is very important in a game of blackjack for many different reasons, and can determine if you win or lose a game.

A soft total has an ace played as an 11 and cannot be busted by drawing one card. Let me give you an example. If you are dealt an ace and a seven, then it is a soft 18. If you then deal a paint card after, your 11 turns into a one and you are left with a hard 18.

What this means is a hard total either does not involve an ace, or the ace is played as a one, not eleven.

This is important because a dealer is required to hit anything under a soft 17, it is mandatory. An ace in the dealers hand is always an eleven; it is never counted as a one. So the dealer must hit an ace with a 2, 3, 4, or 5.  

There can also be a stiff hand. This hand should be avoided at all costs, which is kind of difficult to do seeing as blackjack is part chance. A stiff hand is a hard value of 12 to 16. This hand is nearly impossible to win with because it is too low to beat the dealer but too high to hit again.

Now it’s time for you to do some casino gambling online of your own, go on and use your new blackjack skills. You too can be a blackjack hero!