Thousands of us are online Blackjack enthusiasts – it’s such a pure game that it’s hard not to get just a little hooked on it.  It seems so simple, the closest to, or the player ‘landing’ with 21, so to speak is the winner.  Chance obviously plays its part, but you ought to know a couple of hints and strategies to improve both your game play and also your chances of winning.

The ultimate expression of Blackjack, is knowing when to hold what you have, usually in the 16-21 range, or to take the risk of a) getting closer to 21, or b) busting over that mark.  For example do you know the difference between a hard and a soft hand?  Knowing this, could be the determining factor between winning and losing.  If you have any picture card and some other number then that is considered a ‘hard’ hand in online Blackjack; hard in relation to the other kind of hand, a soft one, where an Ace is present.  In online Blackjack, the Ace can either be considered to be worth 1 or 10 – so that will influence very greatly, how you decide to proceed.

It might seem such a small point, but it’s worth bearing in mind and taking note of.  Also, it would be advisable to utilize the depth of resources available to those playing Blackjack online.  There are self-help books, as well as one of my favorite aspects of the online casino world, hundreds of helpful bloggers and people in chat rooms who are only too ready to answer your questions.

Gambling online can be tricky business if you’ve never done it before, so any new joiner to online gambling should be well aware of safety advice that all players should know.  What worried me firstly was the safety of my deposits, and the best way to really be sure is to check not only the information on the online gambling site you’re using about their deposit method, but check it out on an outside source as well.  Also do a bit of research about the site itself.  There are many safe, secure and simple deposit methods used by most online gambling sites, and many of them are well known as well.  Two of the most common and known for safety and security are NETeller and Click2Pay.  Don’t be swayed by bonuses offered by websites just for using their preferred method of payment, check it out first!  One thing I learned for sure:  never use a credit card.  It is possible that the online gambling site is safe, but I personally never feel fully comfortable with it.

Other than that, I feel like the rest is pretty simple.  Make sure to never share your user name or password.  You may find that your winnings have been withdrawn or gambled elsewhere, you don’t want to find your account has been hacked and your money transferred.  Maybe not so much for safety but just gambling advice:  set a daily budget and don’t go over it!  And if you’re winning a lot… take a break so you don’t lose it!