American Online Blackjack is a lot like the older European
version of the game, with one difference; in the American variant the dealer
gets one face-up card and a hole card, whereas European dealers get no hole
card and are dealt once all players are done.
American vs. European Blackjack
When playing American Blackjack in a traditional, brick and mortar casino, you could hope for a poor shuffle or a bad deal to get an unfair advantage over the house, like peak at the dealer’s hole card or be able to count the cards when the automated shuffler isn’t working. When playing Blackjack online, however, whether or not the dealer gets a hole card doesn’t influence the outcome of the game.
Betting strategies differ slightly. In American Blackjack you already know that the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, so you can be a bit more “loose” with your doubling and splitting. In European Blackjack you will need to be a bit more conservative with your betting. For example, in the event of a player’s 11 against a dealer’s 10, odds say you should double in American Blackjack and hit in the European version.
Next to the slight differences in rules and strategies, American Blackjack tables tend to have less “bad energies” than European ones. As a player on a European table, a poor decision can actually cause the dealer to have a blackjack. Imagine you are the last hand, the dealer shows a Ten and do something insane like hit on a hard 19. If the next two cards in the deck are a Seven and an Ace, you will bust and the dealer will get a blackjack. If you do the right thing and stay, it’s not only that you win the hand, but others at the table might too. Poor decisions in American Blackjack can influence others’ hands too, but not the dealer’s. Nevertheless, statistically speaking, odds say that all blunders will even out over the long run so, unless someone is malevolent and plays “for the house”, there isn’t much difference between American and European Blackjack.
Online Webcam Blackjack for American Residents
There are many online casinos that offer Webcam Blackjack, along with other web cam games like Poker, craps and Roulette. As an American, however, this can sometimes be tricky due to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed by the Congress back in 2006. Even though that law puts a ban on the use of credit cards, checks and other banking instruments when funding an online casino’s account balance, there are many alternative solutions, not to mention that some casinos still accept credit cards. In no particular order, here are the payment methods available for US residents:
- Visa or MasterCard is the quickest and most hassle-free way of funding your account. That is, when it works and is accepted by your chosen casino.
- Bank wire is a slow, but reliable alternative of depositing money to your gambling account. Depending on your bank’s policies, funding may take anything between an hour and two business days.
- Check in the mail is an awfully slow alternative, but it is sometimes the only possibility to fund your account. The check has to physically reach the casino and then to be cleared with your bank, so expect the whole process to last a few days.
- Western Union is faster than bank wire or checks in the mail, but much more expensive. Depending on the amount you are going to deposit, fees can be as high as 10%.
- Electronic wallets like AlertPay or Neteller are fast and reliable, but funding them can sometimes be cumbersome.
Now that you know how to fund your online webcam casino accounts, it's time to get to the tables and play some great live dealer games. Checkout WebcamCasino.net to learn more about online casino games using webcams and live dealers.
