Online Blackjack Newbie

#1
Hey guys i just began playing online and i confess i got frustrated when i heard card counting didnt work online and the minimum house edge is 0.5 % and we will ALWAYS loose in the long run.
Then i heard about the bonuses paying off if the correct basic strategy is followed.

Anyways, to the point/question of this post:

Once you exhausted/made your bonus payoff at the chosen cassino and have made your "profit" , will you start losing again? (for the reason mentioned above)
Do you have to change cassinos (cashout) everytime you grab your bonus otherwise you will be "losing" again to that 0.5 edge?

I appreciate any return.

Cheers,
 

KenSmith

Administrator
Staff member
#2
The short answer is yes. Unless there is a bonus, a tournament, or some kind of promotion going on, normal online casino blackjack is a negative expectation game.
 

mgcasinos

Well-Known Member
#3
Too late to collect the bonus by BJ.

Most of the online casinos exclude balckjack when you meet the wagering requirement now.

Neither "change cassinos" nor "cashout" can help you out the 0.5 edge.
 

mickpk

Active Member
#4
Too late to collect the bonus by BJ.

Most of the online casinos exclude balckjack when you meet the wagering requirement now
That's not true. There are $1000's in bonuses available right now by playing blackjack online. And the WR's are extremely reasonable and very +EV. And if you are well bankrolled and know how to play sticky's you can make anywhere from $2000 - $5000 per month. I'm not here to give you a lesson or tell you which casinos to play but I know of players making in excess of $50k pa from playing blackjack online.
 
#5
hey

Im starting out on online bjack. Can you recommend any non sticky bonuses (cause i do not have enough br to play the agressiveness required for those) cassinos??

Cheers,
 

mickpk

Active Member
#6
If you're just starting out then the first thing needed to be known is are you from the US? Many casinos are starting to drop you guys like a bad smell. That said, there are plenty still out there. Good beginners bonuses are Intercasino 100/100/2500 (deposit 100/bonus 100/WR 2500). Casino on Net 200/200/4000 (but don't use Neteller to deposit otherwise WR is 10000). Party Casino, Omni casino, Planetluck, Starluck, Golden Palace, Bet 365. And there are more if you are from the UK like William Hill, Coral, Ritz, Littlewoods.

Please always read the terms before depositing in case rules have changed and/or your jurisdiction is no longer allowed. And do research, read posts in forums, spend time finding bonuses because that is the way you make more money. Waiting for others to post the good bonuses is a -EV play as many great bonuses only last a few days and all the good players have hit them by the time you get around to reading about them, by which time they are no longer available. Doing your own research is part of the job. But I hope the above is a good start for you, anyway.
 

ScottH

Well-Known Member
#7
Just a heads up, William Hill is cancelling all US players accounts and will not take any US action in the forseeable future.
 
#8
mickpk said:
That's not true. There are $1000's in bonuses available right now by playing blackjack online. And the WR's are extremely reasonable and very +EV. And if you are well bankrolled and know how to play sticky's you can make anywhere from $2000 - $5000 per month. I'm not here to give you a lesson or tell you which casinos to play but I know of players making in excess of $50k pa from playing blackjack online.
I'd like to know how I could play online and make even 500 a month. I guess I'm naive about bonuses and stuff. But truly, everytime I get up, making minimums I lose everything I was up.
 

mickpk

Active Member
#9
Firstly, if you are from the US, it will be hard due to the current situation. But other than that, assuming previous conditions applied, you just have to stay disciplined. I know you said "But truly, everytime I get up, making minimums I lose everything I was up." But, truly, that is just very unlikely if you play sufficiently and properly. Eg, playing five Intercasino bonuses of 100/100/2500, flat betting $1, for you to not walk away with at least $1 in profit at the end of those five bonuses is a 0.012% chance (ie 1 in 8175). Of course, if there is more to the story and you played differently and/or lost discipline and chased losses or used a betting system then your results will fluctuate quite markedly. But the math still applies and the more you play the closer you will eventually arrive at 'losing' at the house edge.

I don't bet $1 or $2. I bet much higher. Yet I don't lose everything every time I am up. Certainly, I do bust often, but I also double my money often, I make $1 profit often, and everything in between. If you play properly and play sufficient bonuses there is virtually no way you could not make money with bonuses except with very ill discipline. If that is your nature then you are better off not trying at all. If that isn't you then you are capable and just need to play more bonuses. The profit margin on bonuses is in the order of 75% and higher (in the case of Intercasino, it is 87.5%). Even the worst bonus I play would have a profit margin of about 60%.

Unfortunately, if you are from the US this is all an academic exercise at least for the time being. But if you are not from the US and have many casinos available to you (and money to play them) then post again. You should be quite capable of making $500 per month.
 
#11
Can you actually make a profit of a bonus in bj playing 30x50 times the bonus?

And just by playing BS? or you have to give bs a twist?

-Pinos-
 

ScottH

Well-Known Member
#12
Pinos said:
Can you actually make a profit of a bonus in bj playing 30x50 times the bonus?

And just by playing BS? or you have to give bs a twist?

-Pinos-
Never deviate from BS online. They can still be profitable at 30-50X, but that is the point when it becomes iffy on whether or not it is worth your time. Calculate the EV and estimate how long it will take you to finish, then decide if you want to play it out.
 
#13
ScottH said:
Never deviate from BS online. They can still be profitable at 30-50X, but that is the point when it becomes iffy on whether or not it is worth your time. Calculate the EV and estimate how long it will take you to finish, then decide if you want to play it out.
That's what i was thinking... since i don't have any casinos near i thought i could start gambling online (i've never done it) im starting to surf recommended casinos and reading the terms and some i've read requiere playing 150 times the bonus+first buyin.

As you say it all comes down to the math.

Is this correct estimation for my EV?:

Say i play lake palace casino bj with House edge 0.5% (right) so they give me 100% match.

So say i want buyin $50 so they give other $50 and i get $100 total.

I have to play 30 times that means i would be loosing for (30*0.5)=15 which is a net gain of 35 not bad, however they say bj counts 1% meaning i actually have to play 300 times meaning my ev would me -$100?? am i getting smthinh wrong?

-Pinos-
 
#14
This is so depressing. Man have online casino bonuses been reduced to this. I can't believe it. But yah that is right. Don't play that bonus.

I mean that is right 3000WR(.005) = -$15
 
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ScottH

Well-Known Member
#15
Pinos said:
That's what i was thinking... since i don't have any casinos near i thought i could start gambling online (i've never done it) im starting to surf recommended casinos and reading the terms and some i've read requiere playing 150 times the bonus+first buyin.

As you say it all comes down to the math.

Is this correct estimation for my EV?:

Say i play lake palace casino bj with House edge 0.5% (right) so they give me 100% match.

So say i want buyin $50 so they give other $50 and i get $100 total.

I have to play 30 times that means i would be loosing for (30*0.5)=15 which is a net gain of 35 not bad, however they say bj counts 1% meaning i actually have to play 300 times meaning my ev would me -$100?? am i getting smthinh wrong?

-Pinos-
Blackjack only counts 1%? Run away as fast as you can! You are coming into bonuses a little late, they are either shutting down due to the legislation, or they are making blackjack count for a ridiculous 1%. When I did bonuses I saw a few sites that had blackjack count 50%, but 1% is just a slap in the face.
 
#16
ScottH said:
Blackjack only counts 1%? Run away as fast as you can! You are coming into bonuses a little late, they are either shutting down due to the legislation, or they are making blackjack count for a ridiculous 1%. When I did bonuses I saw a few sites that had blackjack count 50%, but 1% is just a slap in the face.
Yeah, a little too late for me... i read some great comments on casino bonus then i checked terms which very much suck, and went back to the article and read it was written years ago :cry:

Most casinos i've seen make bj count as 1% or 2% tops... if anyone knows a better one i'm all eyes ;)

-Pinos-

EDIT: About legislation not too much trouble since i'm not in USA... and closest casino is like 6 hrs away :S
 
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ScottH

Well-Known Member
#17
Pinos said:
Yeah, a little too late for me... i read some great comments on casino bonus then i checked terms which very much suck, and went back to the article and read it was written years ago :cry:

Most casinos i've seen make bj count as 1% or 2% tops... if anyone knows a better one i'm all eyes ;)

-Pinos-

EDIT: About legislation not too much trouble since i'm not in USA... and closest casino is like 6 hrs away :S
Just a few months ago there were still great bonuses out there, and there wasn't a "blackjack counts 1%" in sight. Too bad, hopefully bonuses will revive themselves sometime in the future...
 

EasyRhino

Well-Known Member
#18
It sounds like it might be a microgaming clearpay-style bonus, where different games count different amounts, and withdrawal is allowed any time.

If so...

1) Some other games may actually be +EV to grind through the bonus. The most common in microgaming is French Roulette, even-money bets, if the wagering requirement is 30x Bonus and FR counts for at least 50% of slot machines.

2) Or, withdrawals (including winnings) might be allowed at any time, in which case you play the bonus like any other sticky bonus. Bet big, hope you double up or more, and withdraw (this is of course riskier than cashable bonuses).

The third possibility is that the bonus just blows.
 
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