A massively popular game, Blackjack is a card game with the main aim being to have your hand add up to 21. Requiring an equal measure of skill and luck, it’s popular amongst the whole family (of legal gambling age!) and is the most frequented game in casinos around the world.

The excitement that comes from playing a live game of Blackjack in a casino is immense. However, in recent years, the most popular and regular big wins that come from Blackjack have been those from the online community. The most recent story being of a young lady from America who has won the progressive Blackjack jackpot at a popular Blackjack online website 10 times in under 8 years, amassing a grand total of $657,290 in winnings (that’s not taking into account her “regular” winnings on Blackjack either!). The said company is known for its massive prize handouts – they recently handed out of $5million to a gentleman from Finland who had placed a single $0.50 bet on a progressive jackpot. Scooping the whole lot, the man became an instant millionaire – not bad for the initial cost of a chocolate bar.

So how exactly do these “professional” Blackjack players make their money?

Well, it’s not actually that difficult – assuming you’ve got the time to study. The majority of the regular, high winning Blackjack players will have studied and studied day in and day out until they were playing for large amounts of money. There are various points to remember, but a large majority of Blackjack players will have a mastered a skill called “card counting”. This is the method of watching what cards have previously been dealt and working out when and how the remaining cards will be of advantage. Coupled with a regular Blackjack players own strategy, the results can be devastating for the casino if mastered properly. Of course, some casinos believe card counting to be cheating the system and so will ban you from their casino if they believe you to be using this method. Most of the larger casinos (for example, those in Las Vegas) allow for card counting to take place as they are the work place for so many regular gamblers, meaning it’s more easier to allow it as it would be somewhat impossible to stop card counting amongst the daily Blackjack players.

There are several world famous Blackjack players and in 2002, professional gamblers from all over the world were asked to nominate those who they felt should be inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame. One of the most nominated persons was the famous player Ken Uston. A pioneer of the card counting methods, Uston was renowned for placing large bets – it wasn’t uncommon to see him place $10,000 on a single hand – which is without a doubt the reason why he was a multi-millionaire, purely from playing Blackjack.

A fantastic game, Blackjack can offer you substantial winnings if played right. Of course, a little bit of luck is definitely required, so grab your four leaf clover and head off to the casino and take a seat at a Blackjack table.

By Paul O’Donnell
Online Gaming from Virgin Games – A trusted source for Online Poker, Casino and Bingo type games.