Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold has Strategy Card in Expert Mode

Even on walkabout the sturdiest Aussie can’t get to Las Vegas by foot!  Vegas, as the town is called by everyone, has two main areas of casinos.  The original area is now called downtown and the newer (no longer new at all) area is called The Strip.  Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold is blackjack, played by Vegas strip rules, and using the graphics of Microgaming’s Gold Series.

Blackjack Basics

The bare bones basics of blackjack are that players try to hit 21 or as close as possible to 21 without exceeding 21.  If you go over 21 you bust and lose automatically no matter what happens to the dealer.  If there is a tie between the dealer’s hand and the player’s hand it’s called a push.  No one wins.

Players go first.  They see one of the dealer’s cards; the other card is kept face down until all the players have finished.  Then the dealer plays.  Generally, the dealer must hit on 16 and stick on 17.

Almost all blackjack strategy involves playing the odds regarding when to hit and when to stand.

Microgaming Gold Series

As computer technology improves so do the games.  Microgaming redesigned its casino games to take advantage of the heightened graphics support.  They have Roulette Gold, Blackjack Gold, and Baccarat Gold.

Casino Gaming on iPhone

The discussion about the Gold Series is important because it is directly related to improved play on all mobile devices. iPhone blackjack uses all of the extras that the Gold Series offers to make your mobile blackjack experience that much more pleasurable and interesting.

Every iPhone casino tries to make the graphics fit the game.  Mobile casinos talk about how user-friendly their iPhone casino apps are and they are absolutely correct, as far as it goes.  Microgaming reworked its classic Vegas Strip Blackjack to take advantage of the Gold Series’ technical superiority.

Here are some of the extra features available on Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold:

• The control icons are easy to move by gently swiping the screen.  Taking into account the relatively small screen of an iPhone, the control icons are enlarged.  They become magnified when you want to use them and then revert to regular size when you’re done.
• The animation gives a more realistic feel to the game.  In a bricks-and-mortar casino there is no need to simulate reality but online there is such a need.  We needn’t enter the discussion as to why you play casino games online, but in Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold the animation provides an important element.
• The colors have been enhanced making the overall impact of the game face extremely pleasurable.
• Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold has an expert mode that increases your options substantially.  In expert mode, you can tap onto a strategy card that gives the best play choice for your hand taking into account the dealer’s up card and the cards that have already been dealt.

Enhanced Strategy Options in Blackjack

There are three other strategic choices you will have frequently when you play blackjack.  The rules differ somewhat depending on the version of blackjack you’re playing.  Here we will discuss them as they relate to Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold.

• Doubling down: The basic idea in blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible.  All picture cards are worth 10 points and aces are worth either one or eleven points.  Depending on the dealer’s up card, it is often a very good bet to double down.  You double your bet and receive one card.  In Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold there is no restriction on doubling down.
• Splitting: If you have a matching pair you can split them.  You add another bet equal to your first one and play each card as a separate hand.  You can split up to three times will all pairs except aces which you can split only once.  You can split any 10 point cards.  After receiving your first card after splitting, you can double down.
• Insurance: If dealer is showing an ace, you can buy insurance.  You place an insurance bet and the dealer “looks” at his hole card.  If it gives the dealer blackjack you win your insurance bet but lose your regular bet.  In the end, you break even.  Most odds analysts say that insurance is a bad bet but many gamers like it anyway.

Two More Variables

The dealer “peeks” at her hole card when her up card is a 10 point card.  If she has blackjack, she announces it immediately and collects the house’s winnings.  This is good for players who might have been tempted to double down or split aces.

The dealer sticks on soft 17, meaning a 17 count with an ace counted as one.  Some analysts think this helps the house because the dealer can’t bust; others say it helps players who stuck with more than 17.

Card Counting

Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold uses four standard decks which are “shuffled” after every hand so card counting is not an option.  The only way to lower the house’s edge is to know the basic strategies for doubling down and splitting and for when to hit even though a high card can cause you to bust.

A Great Blackjack Option for your iPhone

Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold provides superior graphics to make the game as real as possible.  Blackjack is a very cerebral game but without the bluffing element of poker.  It has become the go-to game for many online gamers.  With the newest generation of graphics on iPhone plus the great graphics of the Gold Series, Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold is a great mobile casino game for iPhone.