You sit down to play one of your favorite games at an online casino and they you wonder — hey, how does this game really work? Not what are the rules or where do I place my bet but — how does the computer make playing blackjack like playing with a deck of cards? After all, if you’re playing with your online casino real money, you want to know what’s going on.

Now, people seem to worry about this less with slots, which is interesting because online slots and casino slots all are pretty much computer run these days. I think people often just have less trust over slot games in general, though they do have to follow fairly strict rules. But when it comes to card games, players start wondering how the computer program makes “cards” because it’s obvious there isn’t a little man hiding in there with a deck of cards.

This casino magic is all done with a little program called an RNG or Random Number Generator. Now programming an RNG to be truly random and making sure it is properly tested is part of what goes into making a casino a fair play casino. But if you want to quickly understand how an RNG works, try this.   Write the numbers 1 through 52 on slips of paper. Now associate each number with a specific card in a card deck. Say 1 might be the Ace of Spades and 2 the deuce, and so on.  Now instead of dealing cards, draw the numbers from a hat and use them to arrange the hands. The results really should mimic the results of a well shuffled deck. In fact an RNG probably shuffles even better.

Ready to deal another hand? You just toss the numbers you’ve already used back into the hat and draw again. Now this little detail is important to blackjack players because it’s why card counting doesn’t work online. Every single hand starts with the same 52 cards and the previous hands have no effect on it.  Basic strategy works with an RNG, but card counting doesn’t. Which is why it is important to know how those casino games work.

It seems that the bwin.party merger is now making news outside of gambling circles.  So, here’s what’s going on. Not long ago two major gambling companies – bwin.com and Party Gaming (aka Party Poker) merged and formed what is considered to be the largest gambling company in Europe.  A company so big there was only one thing it didn’t do — offer gambling to residents of the US.  Now, Party Poker had once been the largest online poker room in the US and well, probably the world. But when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in the United States, Party Gaming pulled out. Bwin also made sure to steer clear of the US market. These two companies were following the same bit of advice – stay out of the US market because of the US does legalize online gambling, companies that stayed while the UIGEA was in effect won’t be allowed to offer legal gambling.

But recently gambling companies from Europe and the UK have begun showing interest in forming partnerships with US gambling companies, partly perhaps because the current wisdom is that US gambling companies will be the first to be able to take advantage of any change in the gambling laws. So the recent announcement that bwin.party is merging with Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts International has created a frenzy of interest and caused stocks for the companies to soar.

But some stock analyst are advising caution. Not that the combined mega gambling company will be a bad investment for long term investors, but those looking to make a few short term dollars might want to consider that it may be sometime before we see legal online gambling in the US and until then, the new company may not be able to recognize its full potential.  If you want to follow the news out this merger, you might want to use  http://news.google.com/ to set up an email alert that will deliver news to your mailbox.

I was talking with a gambling friend the other day who likes blackjack and the subject of slots cam up. His response was “I hate slots. I have no control over the outcome.”  I’ve found this is a common split in the gambling world.  Those who like strategy games, such as blackjack, often don’t enjoy playing slot machine games.  While those who enjoy slots, may consider blackjack unappealing. But for some, when they play a game may depend on their mood.

What draws many players to slot games is that they can be played casually, without worrying about card values or remembering strategy. Slot games also feature various themes with great graphics and even interactive bonus games.  And it can’t be denied that slot games, particularly the Progressive games, are usually the biggest jackpots in the casino.  All of which make slot games the most popular casino games.

The problem is that casinos also have full control over how much a slot game pays out.  Which is why at land based casinos or online casinos, you’ll find the slot games prominently placed to catch your eye.  At land based casinos, they’re usually the games closest to the casino entrance and the biggest, flashiest games with the best jackpots are placed most prominently.  At online casinos, the slot games will usually be featured right on the front of the casinos home screen, usually with graphics and screen shots to attract a player’s attention. But there is one thing that you want to keep in mind about online casinos. Since there is more competition in the online world to keep players who can easily change casinos with the click of a mouse, the online casinos often have slightly better odds for their games than land based casinos do.

Do you wonder which casino game is the best to play? What may surprise some people is that the best overall game may be one that doesn’t offer a jackpot or progressive or massive payout but one that offers players decent odds based on their playing skills. Yeah, it sort of sounds like real life doesn’t it – the best long term career goal comes from acquiring a skill and then dedicating yourself to working hard.  Though checking out the economic news, it’s easy to convince ourselves that life is just a crapshoot. But that isn’t the game we’re talking about here. After craps really is a game of chance where the best strategy is actually just to place bets with the closest to even odds. Rather like roulette.

Nope what I’m talking about is blackjack. Now, most people are familiar with the concept of blackjack. Why? Because it shows up in so many shows and movies that have a gambling theme. It’s a game with a relatively simple concept – come as close to 21 as you can without going over. But the real players don’t go on gut instinct on this one because there are mathematical strategies developed that really will tell a player what the best move to make with any hand combination is going to be.  So the strategy can turn the odds in the player’s favor. But it takes work, practice and skill.  Just like, oh, a good job.

The good news if you’re interested in looking at blackjack is that you’ll find the game at every online casino and all the top casino software brands, like Microgaming, have been tested for fair and safe blackjack play.  Just keep in mind that while strategy will work in any blackjack game, card counting doesn’t work when you play blackjack online. Virtual cards cannot be counted.

I have to admit that I’m a bit of a geek. I have cnet.com book marked and check regularly for new articles on what’s coming out next in technology. So to me, many online gambling blogs seem to be a bit behind when it comes to technology. I see a big buzz out there every time someone even thinks about a new mobile gambling app.  The only think holding gambling back when it comes to technology are the regulations.  If we could fix those, you’d be surprised where gambling could go.  After all, think about how it’s already changed the way we look at gambling.

Instant, accessible and fun.  Gambling used to be for those who could had the money and a schedule that allowed them to travel to Las Vegas or Atlantic City or Monaco.  It took money to head off on a gambling trip.  Now, gambling is available from your living room and you don’t have to pay for hotels or airline tickets.  So, now gambling is more accessible to the average person. And technology is responsible for that change.

Online gambling saw a big upsurge in interest when high speed internet became more widely available in homes, allowing more people to use the gambling software and connect to the casino. The new trends in mobile phones and 4G speeds are making mobile gambling even more of an attractive option.  And where there is demand, there will be supply.

Look, countries can drag their feet on regulations, but prohibition didn’t work with booze and it’s not going to work with gambling.  Technology is going to grow faster than the rules so it’s time to wake up and try to at least put some ground work in place.  “No” isn’t ground work. Got it?

Check the news. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Just jump to a site like news.google.com.  Did you see articles about the sad state of the economy? Yeah? Great, now let’s fix the economy with online gambling. Okay, that might be a bit of a simplification, but online gambling is being presented as one way that the United States can tackle the economic crisis.  First of course we’d need regulations and structure to handle online casinos for real money.  Because we don’t really benefit from online casinos unless we can pull the operations into our country.  Here’s what we get.

We create the regulations so that casinos have to operate in the US. That gains us jobs. Now, some people don’t see this because they think, hey, there isn’t a physical casino for me to go to, so there’s no need to hire a gal to serve me drinks.  But online casinos actually do create a number of jobs, including well paid technical jobs to run the site and developer jobs to develop software and games.  Also, if we require customer support to be in the US, we gain customer support jobs.  Oh, the gambling industry will grumble. But they’ll do it.  Because they make money.

They’ll also pay licensing fees to be allowed to operate in the United States.  After all, other countries that actually allow online gambling charge and collect these fees.  We can’t collect them because we don’t have regulations that allow us to do so.  So from an online casino perspective, we’re actually a free market.  Oh, and since we don’t have regulations to allow the casinos to exist, we can’t tax them.  Another source of income.

Taxing gambling, whether it’s online or land based, is always an interesting political idea. People scream about any increase in taxes, but they have to admit that gambling taxes are taxes on an occupation that’s completely optional.  Look, I live in a state with an enormous gas tax. So I have to pay taxes on gas just to drive to work. Where I make money that I have to pay taxes on.  I have to do both these things to live. But gambling is optional. So everyone we taxed would be someone who chooses to play and pay.  And it would help the economy.

Are you eager to start playing at an online casino?  Online casinos are a growing form of entertainment since they allow players to sign up and start playing their favorite games in minutes. No need to drive to a casino or make reservations at a hotel.  You can play online from your home. And you can play any time you have a few spare minutes.  It’s a great way to relieve some stress in today’s busy lifestyles.

Now the main Internet Casino Advice site will always be there with the best advice available for your online casino journey, but this blog will be a place where I can update you on special promos or remind you of the best tactics and strategies to use when playing online.

Enjoy the games and book mark the blog to visit me every week!