Getting Started

One type of video blackjack game is housed in a machine that looks like a slot machine. In fact blackjack is usually just one of several games
that is available on these machines (usually includes video keno, slots
and different video poker games). You just touch the blackjack icon on
the video screen and the blackjack game will appear.

This video blackjack game uses a random number generator to deal the
cards (similar to the online casino). Usually one deck of cards is programmed
in the machine and each card has equal probability of being selected on
the deal or draw. The casino fixes their advantage on this game by the
mix of playing rules ( similar to the traditional blackjack table game).
The worse the rules, the higher will be the casino's edge over the
player. Usually the minimum bet requirement on video blackjack games is
lower than the table game version. You can often find video blackjack
machines that offer 25 cents minimum bets. Therefore these games attract
players who either don't have the bankroll for the table version or are
in a learning process and want to play for small stakes.

The major problem you'll find with the rules on video blackjack machines
is that player blackjacks are paid at even money rather than 3 to 2 and
usually doubling is restricted to only 10 and 11. However, sometimes
the rules are quite good as was the case recently at a video blackjack
machine at Bellagio in Las Vegas, which was hit hard by skilled players
before it was shut down. Here's what happened.

There was a bank of machines that offered video blackjack where at the
quarter denomination blackjacks paid at even money. However, at a dollar
up to the $5 maximum blackjacks were paid at 3 to 2 (you could bet up to
20 credits per round or $100). The rules were single deck, double down
only on 10 and 11, late surrender, a 6-card hand was an automatic
winner, no double after pair splitting, dealer hits soft 17, and no
resplit of pairs. Based on these rules a player had about a 99.70%
expected return. More importantly when you use your slot club card when
you play, you can rack up a lot of slot points quickly and the cash back
was worth 0.33% times your action (giving the player an overall return
slightly over 100%). Just as important the skilled players knew that the
variance (or short-term risk) for the blackjack game was a lot lower
then a typical jacks-or-better video poker game. So the smart video
poker pros were able to put a ton of money through the machine with
little risk while racking up quite a lot of points on their player's
card. In fact many players were racking up $100 to 300K of action on
these machines, getting comped meals in classy restaurants, plus picking
up $400 (or more) in cash back. Invariable they will also get bounce
back cash in their mail-box courtesy of Bellagio because of their heavy
play. It was a sweet deal but unfortunately it only lasted a short time
before the folks at Bellagio pulled the plug on the game (I happened to
be in Las Vegas when I found out about the game but it had been
discontinued the day before).

Another similar video blackjack game is called Blackjack Blitz. This
game consists of 5 or 6 player stations arranged in a horseshoe with the
"dealer" video screen in the middle facing the players. The video dealer
deals cards to each player's screen. Players push buttons to signal if
they want to stand, hit, double etc.

Last year the Rio and Hard Rock casinos offered Blackjack Blitz with
very favorable rules especially at the Rio. I was able to take advantage
of the Rio game and rack up points on my slot card before the folks at
Rio pulled the plug on the game. Over at Hard Rock they simply kept the
game going but reprogrammed less player favorable rules making the game
not worth playing.

The third type of video blackjack is Digital 21. Several casinos on
Indian reservations (most notable Harrah's Cherokee casino in North
Carolina) offer this game. Digital 21 uses a live dealer and instead of
plastic cards, electronic cards appear on a screen imbedded in the
layout in front of each player. Except for the electronic cards and
electronic shuffling the game plays like the traditional game (e.g.,
players can make bets using casino chips and the dealer will collect
losing bets and pay off winners).

No matter which type of video blackjack game you come across here are ome tips to remember:

1. Check out the rules and make sure you are able to quickly compute the casino's edge based on the mix of rules that are offered.
2. If a video machine only pays even money for a blackjack, don't play.
3. Usually machines that pay 3 to 2 on a blackjack will do so only if you bet an even amount of money. If you bet an odd amount you'll get short-changed on the payoff so always bet in even increments when you
   play video blackjack machines.
4. Always use the appropriate basic playing strategy for the rules. Even though you are playing a video blackjack game the raditional basic playing strategy is effective in reducing the casino's edge.
5. Always use your player card to get points for your play. In the case of Digital 21, make sure you get rated when you play.
6. The majority of video blackjack machines use one deck of cards and shuffle after every round. However, if you come across one that is programmed with multiple decks of cards that are shuffled after 50% or so of the cards have been used, then card counting can be an effective strategy.