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Most people start online gaming by playing a number of different games in demo mode on a few different sites and gradually find their game of choice ? the one they keep coming back to and that holds their attention for the longest.

If you’re at a blackjack site, then you probably think you’ve already made your choice, but there’s always room to play other games, even if you don’t take them as seriously as your preferred game. For example, you could play free games like chitchatbingo.co.uk free bingo just for a bit of a change.

You might never have played online bingo because of negative associations with the original game of bingo, played in the bingo halls all over the world. True, that kind of bingo attracted a certain reputation and a certain crowd. For non-players, the appeal was difficult to see as you had to be so quiet while numbers were marked off and any chatting was frowned upon.

But now, when you play bingo online, the game looks after itself. You simply buy your card, or cards, and then watch the numbers being called out and see the cards being marked off by the computer software. It’s exciting, because the win could come to you at any time. But while you’re watching the game unfold, you?re free to spend time chatting to other players in the bingo chat rooms. Online bingo attracts both men and women of all ages, so the chat rooms are really social hotspots. There’s always plenty of banter going on, but if you do find a kindred spirit, you can have a separate conversation through private messaging ? a facility provided on most bingo chat rooms.

Of course, there’s more than chatting to do when you’ve got a game of bingo on, you could even let your bingo games play through without you, while you play other games at the same time that do need your concentration ? like blackjack!

Online casino blackjack tournaments are popular with card players across the globe, for several reasons.

The tournament games have an added dimension and thrill to them because you?re actually testing your online blackjack strategies and skills against a host of other players too, not just the dealer. This makes the games a lot more exciting for most online casino players.

Most blackjack tournaments online are pretty straightforward and simple, but some players are still somewhat intimidated and apprehensive when it comes to entering them. This is especially true for those who are new to the online version of the game.

When playing basic games of blackjack, how much you lose or win basically comes down to how well you play against the dealer. This is really the only other person you?re playing and competing against. However, when it comes to an online tournament setting, there?s actually increased competition because you now also have to win more than the other players.

Tournaments that are held for money will usually require you to pay an entry fee or you may be able to use some accumulated bonus points at your online casino. You?ll find that you can enter some tournaments for free though. After entering an online blackjack tournament, each of the players will be assigned a table where they will play at and will also receive the same amount of playing chips.

The tournaments generally consist of a certain number of online blackjack hands or they may have a specific time period attached to them. The players that have accumulated the most chips after each round will then advance to the tournament?s next stage while others will be eliminated from the event. The tournaments continue until the last round, which features the top players with the most chips. Whoever has won the most chips at the end of the online blackjack tournament will be declared the winner.

Written by Alex, a keen player of casino games including blackjack. She also regularly tries playing bingo and her new favourite site is www.poshbingo.co.uk.

If you don’t have much Blackjack experience, it can be daunting stepping up to the tables for a game. You can, however, hide the fact of your inexperience very simply by remembering these straightforward rules. (Note – the rules of BlackJack will differ from area to area and from casino to casino, but the general principles are the same. When in doubt, ask!). A typical BlackJack table seats a dealer and up to 7 players. Starting with the dealer, the first seat on his left is ‘1st Base’, while the first seat on his right is referred to as 3rd Base. In front of each player’s seat is a betting square, printed on the felt. Right in front of the dealer is the chip tray, while on his left is the deck (a.k.a. shoe) and next to that is the’ minimum bet sign’, which tells you how ‘expensive’ the table is. As a beginner, you will want to stick to the low bet tables to keep any losses under control. On the dealer’s right is a money drop slot. This is a security feature – casinos don’t really trust their employees, and all cash and chips are deposited here to prevent ‘leakage’.

Next to the drop slot is what’s known as the ‘discard tray’. Play starts after the dealer shuffles the cards, the deck is ‘cut’ by a player using a ‘marker card’ (NOT the bare hand), and finally the dealer ‘burns’ a card (or throws it away in order to ensure randomness). Before the cards are dealt, you make your bet by placing chips or cash into the betting box. Be aware that you can sit out a hand or 2 if you like – maybe you need a break, or the dealer is just on a lucky streak. Note that if the casino is busy, you may be asked to give up your seat so another punter can take your place (or alternatively resume the game yourself). If you really don’t want to play, just get up and vacate the seat – you can always come back later!

When all players who want to play in this round have placed a bet, 2cards will be dealt to each player going from left to right. Some casinos deal the cards face down. Elsewhere the cards are dealt face up, in which case NEVER touch them – the assumption if you do is that you are cheating! The dealer deals himself 2 cards – 1 down and 1 up. Card values are, as everyone knows, 10 Jack Queen and King are worth 10, an Ace is worth 1 or 11, all other cards are worth their face values. In noisy casinos, be prepared to use hand signals to indicate whether you want to hit or stand.

How do you indicate ‘hit’? If the cards are dealt face down, flick the cards gently across the felt 2 times. If the cards were dealt face up, point at the cards with your finger in a jabbing style. You can nod your head to emphasize the desire for a hit. If you’d prefer to stand, move your hand horizontally from left to right (palm down) to indicate ‘no’. Always keep your hands a few inches off the table to avoid suspicion. If you like, you can emphasize the stand by shaking your head ‘no’ at the same time.

Should you play single or multiple deck games? Only in Vegas do they still play single deck, and the tables are usually full – it is much easier for amateurs to ‘count’ in a single game, and keep the odds pretty fair, which explains their popularity. Multiple deck games will usually be based on even number of decks (up to 8 decks in the shoe at a time). Multiple decks allow the dealer to deal more hands per hour (less shuffling etc), which makes them more profitable for the casino, and they reduce the chances of a player ‘counting’. Dealers HAVE to follow straightforward rules, and must hit if they have 16 or less. On the other hand, if the dealer has 17 or more, he MUST stand, except in some smaller casinos, where he can hit on a ‘soft 17’.

You as the player can do anything you like, standing or hitting as it suits you. If you get a BlackJack (an Ace and a ten right off) you win 1 and a half times your bet. You can only double down on 2 card hands totaling 9, 10, or 11 (a very few casinos allow doubling on any 2 card hand). If your cards were dealt face down and you want to double, turn them over and put them on the dealer’s side of the betting square. Otherwise point to them and say ‘double’ when it’s your turn. You will have to put an equal amount of chips next to those already in the betting box (NEVER put new chips on top of old chips – it looks like cheating!). You will get one new card.

Splitting is kind of similar – cards dealt face down need to be turned over and placed them a little apart. Otherwise point at them and say ‘split’ when it’s your turn. Place an equal amount of chips in the betting box near the other card (remember, NEVER on top). You are now playing 2 hands exactly as normal (unless you just split two aces in which case you only get one card – a 10 would be good!. If it is a 10 the hand isn’t a BlackJack, meaning you only get the standard odds of 1/1 and not 1/1.5 as you would for a ‘natural’ BlackJack. Be careful how you split – it is possible to end up with 4 or 5 hands simultaneously! Likewise, it’s probably not good to split two 5s – you will be replacing a hand that is great for drawing on or doubling down on with (probably) 2 poor hands. Insurance only happens when the dealer’s face up card is an Ace, when the dealer will ask the players if they want insurance (he won’t know what his face down card or ‘hole’ card is at this point, so you won’t be able to read his expression for clues). Insurance means that half the player’s bet is placed on the ‘insurance’ semicircle printed on the felt. If the dealer gets a BlackJack the player wins the the insurance bet but loses the original bet meaning a zero hand because insurance pays 2 to 1. If the dealer does not get BlackJack, the insurance bet is lost and the hand is played normally with the remaining half bet. Don’t bother with insurance unless you are trying to card count (take it when the number of non ’10’ cards to 10s drops below the 2 to 1 margin). You may also come across ‘Surrender’ – it’s not widely used, but there are 2 versions you may find, ‘early surrender’ and ‘late surrender’.

Early surrender means quitting on 2 card hands if you don’t like the dealer’s up card (e.g. a ten or court card). Surrendering in this way will give you a small extra advantage whcih is why casinos don’t like it. Late surrender means waiting until the dealer checks for BlackJack, at which point if he doesn’t, you may decide to surrender. As we say, not very common, so ask before joining the table whether you can or not. And that’s it! Stay cool, and don’t panic, and nobody will guess you are a casino newbie!