By Tina Paterson | 30th May 2011 | Blackjack News
Who said the house always has the advantage?
Say hello to the man who beat that saying and some of the best casinos on earth, by winning over $15 million dollars, in less than 6 months by playing blackjack at the Atlantic City casinos.
Don Johnson, 49, CEO of Heritage Development LLC, a company which deals with horse-racing computer based wagering systems and a blackjack high roller who in the past six months won at the Caesars over $4million, $5 million at Borgata and $5.8 at the Tropicana which was a record loss for them, leaving them in the red.
Johnson chuckled over his winnings by saying that he preferred “luck over any other skill” and that there was “no magic” to his incredible luck and that he believed that in time “someone would whack them” and that he is glad it just happened to be him.
You wouldn’t guess Johnson as a high roller as he isn’t as flamboyant like the stereotypical player. He wears plain jeans, sneakers and casino memorabilia sweatshirts and baseball caps.
Johnson also pointed out that he doesn’t always win and he does take losses in between winnings.
Johnson started playing blackjack 15 years ago placing $25 bets. His transition to high stake hands happened slowly letting him reach up to $100K a hand. He explains his winnings as a probability that can actually happen by saying that the reason he wins is because he has a bankroll, “If you can take the swings, you’re going to win. You also have to understand the math” he added. He also is very wary about skeptics and insists that he plays fair and square and no cheating is involved. “I’m not breaking any laws,” he said. “I’m beating them with my own skills.”
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By Keila Brown | 7th December 2010 | Blackjack News, Casino Game Updates
Larry Evans, blackjack and chess grandmaster extraordinaire, passed away at 78 in Nevada. Larry who’s gaming skills excelled in both chess and blackjack was a rare type of gamer, not only did he conquer the title of Chess Grandmaster in the height of his career winning or sharing the U.S Chess Championship 5 times and the U.S Open championships 4 times but also he wrote a long-running syndicated chess column and wrote or co-wrote more than 20 books on chess thus becoming the U.S. State Department’s “chess ambassador”.
This would be an accomplishment of a life time on its own but Larry was also a blackjack card counter. 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.
There are only so many “moves” in blackjack that can be memorized, it’s not like chess openings, there are number of hands are possible before the player exceeds 21 or better known as ‘going bust’. Also, by tracking the number of “ten cards” that remain in the deck, players can decide on whether to raise their bets or not. With blackjack online it is impossible to card count as there is a random card regenerator system.
Not like chess, blackjack cards counters don’t have much more of a career once fame is achieved. They are doomed to casinos banning their entry and placed on black lists. This was the case of Evans; he was banned from all the Las Vegas casinos and even in the world.
Larry died last month from gallbladder surgery complications in a hospital in Reno, Nevada.
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By Casinomom | 17th November 2010 | Blackjack News, Online Casino News, Poker News
With thousands of games to pick from online, there has never been a more exciting time for people to play at their favourite casino online. Millions of people use the internet to play games online, but now there is an all-time high. Finding the right game to play can sometimes be tricky.
The most popular games to play at a casino online are blackjack, poker, and baccarat. With blackjack, the player has a good chance of winning. If you have a good blackjack strategy it is possible to win good money playing it online. Read up on blackjack strategies on the internet if you want to become a serious player and up your chances of beating the house. A good strategy may just be a chart that tells you how to play the cards you are being dealt. You can’t expect to win every hand, but a good strategy will definitely help you win more often.
Baccarat is another people-favourite and is often played by high rollers in land-based casinos. The game is most popular with players with large bank rolls and very often you can spot a large credit player at the baccarat tables in Las Vegas casinos. To beat the game, a player needs to get a hand as close to the number 9 as possible. Like many games, you can read up on different game strategies online. Always check out a few different sites to compare the techniques.
Poker is as popular today as it has ever been. Almost every casino online offers poker as a main attraction. You can join an online poker tournament, play freeroll poker, live dealer poker and more. If you want to improve your poker skills, read up on poker rules before hitting a poker room.
Look for great welcome bonuses for new players when picking the right casino for you. Having some free money to play with makes playing online a whole lot more fun.
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By Casinomom | 23rd August 2010 | Blackjack News, Online Casino News, Roulette Updates
Things are looking good for the online casino industry. Reports by iGaming Business are showing that the market is expected to be worth over $7 billion by 2014.
According to the Global Business of Online Casinos, the recent recession has forced people to look into new creative ways of making extra money. In addition, international regulators are becoming more relaxed with the gambling market. According to these reports, the online casino market will already be worth $4.7 billion by the end of 2010.
Rachael Church-Sanders, the author of The Global Business of Online Casinos said “Each online casino operator is looking to participate in a sector becoming more socially acceptable, benefiting from a liberalised regulatory structure in some markets, and enjoying very substantial growth across many key demographics including those that have been hard to reach through other types of gaming or betting such as women. Add to that the growth in social networking, mobile apps and microtransactions and times that by the growing number of people globally with broadband connections and wireless access, the future certainly looks rosy for online casino.”
The real question that people are asking now is where the future of the online casino industry lies. Many believe that online casinos will thrive on a variety of online games. Because of the nature of the internet, it allows new games to become an instant hit across the board. But there are also those that believe that classics like roulette and blackjack will always be the top games. Everyone, however, agrees that the success of an individual online casino lies in its ability to attract new players and maintain its growth.
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