Category Archives: Blackjack

Skillz (NYSE:SKLZ) stock appears to have climbed recently due to takeover speculation and a boost from Reddit traders.

Source: NYCStock / Shutterstock.com

But I believe that the takeover speculation is likely unwarranted, while SKLZ stock remains extremely overvalued.

A publication called CTFN suggested that a casino could look to buy Skillz because there has been consolidation between casinos and online gaming, Seeking Alpha reported.

Skillz, however, does not feature gambling or emphasize games that gamblers traditionally enjoy such as poker, craps, or blackjack. It does appear to have a blackjack game and a poker game, but they arent a big part of Skillzs offerings.

As Casino.org explained in an Aug. 2 article, The bulk of the games featured on Skillz arent traditional casino fare, such as blackjack, craps, or poker.

And its tournaments with cash prizes involve traditional videogames, rather than traditional gambling games.

Given these points, its obvious that most of Skillzs customer base are probably fans of traditional video games. Casinos and companies that feature traditional gambling games online (known as iGaming) are targeting different types of consumers.

Specifically, theyre seeking consumers who enjoy the traditional gambling games, whether online or in-person or both. Thats why DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG), in an effort to expand its iGaming offerings, bought Golden Nugget (NASDAQ:GNOG), which owns many casinos and an online gambling site. Thats why MGM (NYSE:MGM) launched a joint venture called BetMGM, which specializes in iGaming and sports gambling.

Skillz has very limited iGaming infrastructure, and it caters to fans of traditional videogames, not lovers of iGaming and sports betting. Therefore, it would make no sense for a company that specializes in iGaming, operating brick-and-mortar casinos, and/or sports betting to buy Skillz.

Skillz is changing hands for nearly 13 times analysts average 2021 top-line estimate for the company. Ive heard value investors say that stocks which are trading at ten-times revenue are too expensive.

I believe that, if a company is growing explosively, has a huge addressable market, is moving towards profitability, and has great disruptive potential, ten or even 20 times revenue could be a worthwhile price to pay for long-term, growth investors.

But as far as I can tell, Skillz does not have any of these attributes.

In Q2, its top line climbed 52% year-over-year. I think thats impressive growth, but I wouldnt call it explosive. As Ive pointed out in other columns, many video games now have online multiplayer options, giving Skillz plenty of competition, and there are signs that eSports, which appears to be the main area in which Skillz has a strong competitive advantage, is not a very large market. Finally, the companys EBITDA, excluding certain items, dropped $283 million YOY last quarter, falling to -$31.6 million.

There are concrete signs that the popularity of video games is waning as economies reopen. For example, Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO) recently provided a lower-than-expected Q2 bookings estimate, causing its stock to fall sharply.

And in July, video game sales rose just 10% YOY. I wouldnt call that impressive or explosive growth.

Finally, Ive predicted for a couple of months that meme stocks would weaken. Although some meme stocks have been making a bit of a comeback in recent weeks, many, if not, most of them are already down a great deal from their recent highs. For example, SKLZ stock itself has fallen to around $12, versus its July 28 high of around $14.70.

I continue to expect most meme stocks to weaken over the longer term.

The takeover speculation about Skillz is unrealistic, while the company does not have any of the characteristics that a good, highly valued growth stock should have. Whats more, its facing a number of important macro challenges.

In light of these points, I continue to recommend selling SKLZ stock.

On the date of publication, Larry Ramer held a long position in MGM stock.

Larry Ramer has conducted research and written articles on U.S. stocks for 14 years. He has been employed by The Fly and Israels largest business newspaper, Globes. Larry began writing columns for InvestorPlace in 2015. Among his highlysuccessful, contrarian picks have been GE, solar stocks, and Snap. You can reach him on StockTwits at@larryramer.

See the rest here:

The Valuation of Skillz Stock Remains Excessive - Investorplace.com

Once the limousine door closed, a dozen of Nate Bargatzes closest friends and family members began reciting their favorite jokes from the sold-out show hed just finished in Reno, Nevada. There was the one about never asking a fitness junkie for advice on losing weight, lest they warn you about eating too much fruit. (Lets get to that point, all right? Bargatze had said. I dont think Im at where Im at because I got into some pineapple last night.) And the one about his hometown of Old Hickory, Tennessee, being named after Andrew Jackson, and a reporter informing him that the seventh president had been a bad person. (You know, we didnt know him or anything, hed deadpanned.)

As we rode through Reno on a 100-degree July night, I asked Bargatze what moment from the show stood out to him. It was the bit, he said, about the woman at a comedy club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose siren of a laugh was so distracting that the staff had to ask her to keep silent for the rest of the show. The joke skewered her parents for not correcting this when she was young, then segued into Bargatzes lament about carrying his own bad habits into adulthood. It was one of the high-decibel points of the show, but thats not why Bargatze brought it up.

I just need to be super careful with anything that could be seen as making fun of someone, Bargatze said. Maybe she had a disability or something. In fact, as his joke tactfully made clear, she did not appear to have a disabilityjust an unbearable laugh. And yet he seemed nervous. Ive seen shows where comedians cracked about someone not clapping, then realized theyve only got one hand, or joked about someone wearing sunglasses inside, then realized theyre blind, he said. I never want to put myself in that situation. I never want to be mean.

Bargatze, 42, who spent years toiling in front of single-digit crowds, had just kicked off the biggest headlining tour of his career. He was on his way to board a chartered plane to Las Vegas for two more sold-out shows. Some of his dates were selling out 10 months in advance, and he and a team of Hollywood writers were in discussions with Netflix about an eponymous sitcom. Yet here he was, spending his post-launch limo ride worrying that he may have inadvertently offended someone who wasnt there with a story that was meant to highlight his own deficiencies.

The legends of stand-up, from Lenny Bruce to Richard Pryor to Dave Chappelle, were subversive, antagonistic, troublemaking. Bargatze is none of those things. He worries constantly about alienating his audience or hurting someones feelings. His act is slow, almost soothing, as he plods through nonthreatening tales of his own mediocrity. He comes across as a walking Xanax, helping audiences slow down and, as he says, shut off their brains for an hour.

From the January/February 2013 issue: Monty Python, the Beatles of comedy

If comedy is a proxy for the mood of American society, Bargatzes sudden popularity suggests that hes tapped into something powerful: the discontent with our discontent. He insists that stand-up can be a great unifier, bridging the divides that have emerged within families, among friends, between red states and blue states. People are worn out, he told me. It seems like every form of entertainment these days has to have a message, and its gotten old.

Bargatze broke out during Donald Trumps presidency with the first of two hour-long Netflix specials. A college dropout who insists hes too dumb to make informed decisions for himself, let alone lecture anyone else, he never talks about politics. He goes nowhere near race or identity issues. He maneuvers so gingerly around other subjectsreligion, gender roles, the fracturing of Americathat they feel untouched.

The comedian to whom Bargatze is most often compared is Jim Gaffigan, the churchgoing family man from Indiana whose punch lines revolve around parenting and food. But even Gaffigan picked a side in the summer of 2020, when he called Trump a fascist on Twitter and suggested that his voters were part of a hapless cult. Gaffigan was denounced in the Wall Street Journal opinion section and sworn off by countless fans across Red America.

When I mentioned this episode to Bargatze, he exhaled hard and gazed skyward, like a bystander asked to describe a car wreck. I dont have the stomach for that stuff, he said. I dont have it in me to make people uncomfortable.

From the September 2015 issue: Caitlin Flanagan on how comics have to censor their jokes on college campuses

Instead Bargatze takes his audiences on strange, circuitous journeys that rarely conclude with an obvious punch line. He tells stories about sleeping in a hotel room with the lights on because he couldnt find the switch, and being intimidated by his 9-year-old daughters homework, and accidentally ordering coffee with whipped cream instead of with cream.

Gaffigan told me that from the first time he saw Bargatze perform, he was impressed that Bargatze could be so unhurried, so inoffensiveand yet also rollickingly funny. Comedy is all about authenticity and point of view, he said. Nate is your buddy from a small town. Being so unaware, and discovering through his observations, thats what makes Nate funny. His jokes dont make a judgment.

Raised by strict Southern Baptist parents, Bargatze was the class clown who never got in trouble, the life of the party who never went to parties. But he was never academically inclined, either. After high school, he bounced from job to job. He worked construction. He sold cellphones at a Walmart kiosk. He delivered furniture. He put on drunk-driving simulations at high schools. Finally, he did some remedial coursework at a community college, then enrolled at Western Kentucky University. He promptly flunked every courseeven bowling, despite having once rolled a 266. He just didnt show up, his father, Stephen, told me.

When he came home, Bargatze told his parents that he wanted to pursue comedy. (They took the news well; his father made a living as a clown and a magician, a source of material for his sons future act.) At his first open-mic event, Bargatze squirmed watching his parents sit through hours of expletive-laden acts before he went on. I knew then and there I was going to be clean, Bargatze told me. I just couldnt imagine my parents coming to watch a show and Im up there being dirty.

He spent two years in Chicago without landing a single paid gig, then moved to New York, where he caught a break at the famed Boston Comedy Club. He was a barker, handing out flyers in Greenwich Village, compensated with free stage time at nights end. (He walked dogs and drove a FedEx truck during the day to pay the bills.) For years, Bargatze would take the stage after 1 a.m., when only four or five people were left in attendance. But he got to watch stars like Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K. hone their craft, and he studied up-and-comers such as Bill Burr and Patrice ONeal.

Bargatze also began drinking hard, and his act became edgier. He started swearing from the stage, and told stories about getting blackout drunk. He poked fun at overweight people, and introduced an eyebrow-raising bit about sex workers being murdered in New York City.

Bargatze told me he got very close to that edge of sabotaging his career because of alcoholism. He no longer drinks, and he hasnt cursed onstage in more than a decade. And the bit about sex workers? It became something of an inflection point. I had a girl message me on Twitter. She was a prostitute. And she was really, really hurt by it, Bargatze told me. And I just felt horrible. Like, heres this person whos really sad because of something I said. You know? I told myself I would never do that again.

Before every performance, in the dressing room backstage, Bargatze pulls out an index card and writes down his set list. The one- or two-word prompts spill down in columns from left to right, usually 30 to 40 in total. The habit reinforces his memorization while also offering a final chance to reshuffle the act.

On his last night in Las Vegasas his father warmed up the crowd with a magic actBargatze told me there would be some changes to the show. His joke about a scientific proposal to dim the sun, one hed giddily previewed just before the Reno show, was out. Instead, he was inserting new materialat the very top of the show, something his comedy hero, Jerry Seinfeld, calls a rookie mistakethat hed written hours earlier while bleeding money at a blackjack table. The gist was that Vegas dealers flipped cards too fast, so rather than trying to keep up, he would watch their facial expressions the way someone studies a flight attendants reactions on a bumpy flight: Am I going to be okay here?

The blackjack bit won roaring approval. Blackjack dealers do move too fast, and he does seem too dumb to do such speedy math. The sun-dimming joke had failed for the very reasons the blackjack joke succeeded. Bargatze was roasting the scientists floating the idea, rather than turning the joke inward, suggesting that its the kind of solution to climate change youd expect him to come up with.

What makes Bargatze so effective during these fraught times, Gaffigan told me, is his embrace of victimless comedy. But this isnt quite right. What Bargatze does is make himself the victim of his jokes, turning anecdotes into uncharitable assessments of his own intelligence.

The irony is that his comedy is really smart. His yarn about driving past a dead horse lying on the side of the road, which sent him racing down mental side streetsHow heavy is a dead horse? Would friends help move it? Which body part is easiest to lift?is so entertaining that it distracts from the jokes ultimate destination. The horse was alive, Bargatze discovered on the drive back. He just didnt know horses could lie down to sleep.

Burr, one of the most successful comics working today, told me that Bargatzes humor stems from his capacity to embody a certain type. Theres always the stereotype of the southern guy with the thick accent and theyre not smart. Its such a dumb stereotype, Burr said. But Nate knew how to make that work for him.

Burr recalled how he and Bargatze bonded years ago over their shared disdain for New Yorks cultural self-importance: Some of these badasses from Brooklyn used to make fun of the South, and Nate would take them on and destroy them. It was just amazing to watch.

That might sound out of character for the understated comedian. But if theres one subject that gets Bargatze worked up, its coastal condescension. In the time I spent with him, he kept flashing irritation with how places like his hometown are portrayed in popular culture. I do hate the way people in New York and L.A. talk about the Southwere all a bunch of rednecks running around screaming the Nword, he said.

It was a hint that Bargatze does have strong opinions about divisive subjectsopinions that would undermine his unifying image and, very possibly, damage his commercial appeal if he expressed them onstage. Reading my mind, he added: Im trying to ride the line here. Because I want to be able to sell out a theater in San Francisco one week and Mobile, Alabama, the next week. You know?

After his show, as we looked out across the shimmering Las Vegas skyline, I asked Bargatze whether he worried that his onstage persona as an aw-shucks southerner might contribute to a caricature of the people and places he loves. He seemed puzzled by the question. Look, I am dumb, he said. Thats not the South being dumb; thats just me.

Maybe he is dumb. Or maybe, I suggested, hes smart enough to see how coming across as simpleminded could work to his advantage.

Bargatze allowed a knowing smirk. I just want to be funny, he said. That ought to be enough.

This article appears in the October 2021 print edition with the headline The Xanax of Stand-Up.

Read more from the original source:

Nate Bargatze Is the Nicest Man in Stand-Up - The Atlantic

October 14, 2019Giovanni Angioni

Everyone say that playing blackjack is easy but I disagree.

Blackjack is one of those games that can take years to learn, especially if you want to play well and use all the winning chances you have.

To be good at Blackjack you need to know the right strategy, learn how to play every possible combination of cards, and have a super-sharp memory.

Unless you use a Blackjack cheat card like the one I'm giving away in this article.

Oh, and you need to be lucky too - of course.

The players who get all the chances to win at Blackjack that the game allows, know exactly what hand to play and when they are supposed to Hit or Stand.

Good Blackjack players leave to chance nothing more than they are obliges to. Blackjack is a gambling game and it comes with a natural house edge but anything more than that, is a mistake Blackjack players can't afford to make.

To be that good, you can either spend a lot of time studying the game and learning all about the best ways to play Blackjack

or you can become well-versed in the important aspects of the Blackjack basic strategy with an easy Blackjack cheat sheet for beginners.

If you choose the first approach, you are in for a lot of work that is going to pay out, eventually.

I respect your attitude and I want to help. So here's a list of good resources you should read before you download my printable Blackjack strategy card.

How to Play Blackjack for Beginners. See it as a dummies guide to Blackjack. Here you learn how to count points, understand the action, and move your first steps into the game.

How to Practice Blackjack Online. The best way to learn how to play (and put my Blackjack cheat sheet into practice) is to play for free and train. This article gives you the chance to do just that.

Best Free Blackjack Games to Play for Fun. Need more free games to test the PDF cheat card? This page has everything you need.

Single Deck Blackjack Strategy. Single Deck games are the Eldorado of Blackjack. This article tells you why and gives you some tips to get more winning chances than most other players.

Blackjack Side Bets Explained in Plain English. Lots of people get confused about the side bets in Blackjack especially as those aren't covered in my cheatsheet. This article tells you which one to try and which ones to avoid.

Best Live Blackjack Casinos in 2019: Updated List. A collection of all the best sites to play Live Dealer Blackjack in 2019 with short reviews of what makes them special.

If you don't want to go through all those articles but you just want to play, I have a way to get you in a position to get better odds at Blackjack.

With my Blackjack Cheat Sheet you:

YES. I am talking about a Blackjack Cheat Sheet pdf for dummies that can help you play like you are supposed to. Download it, print it, memorize it, and use to play your games.

It's often said that in gambling, the house always wins. Unfortunately, that's not a lie.

Although this is true for the majority of players - especially for those who do not know how to play the house effectively - there are ways to increase your chances.

Nobody expects a beginner to win, and you must use this lack of expectations to your advantage.

My Blackjack Cheat Sheet card helps you play Blackjack like players who have been playing the game for years and get more chances.

Although we call this a Cheat Sheet,it is really cheating? Of course not.

Cheating at the Casino is not allowed. And stupid.

What you find here is a Blackjack strategy that helps you to play better.

Think of it like playing a video game with a guide, or going on a guided tour when you go on vacation.

That's not cheating - that's just sensible precautions. Sure, you think, but isn't blackjack a game, and wouldn't a winning strategy be against the spirit of that game?

If you're thinking that, then, my friend, you are nobler than most players. The world might need more people like you - but you need to change your approach if you want to have your best chances to win at Blackjack.

First, though, let's take you through some basics of deck Blackjack terminology and Blackjack strategy, as you'll need to know what these words and phrases mean in order to decipher what our Cheat Sheet tells you.

Soft hand: This is when there is an ace in your hand, meaning there is no chance of you busting after the draw. The ace can be 1 or 11, but your hand must not total more than 21. Here are those soft combinations:

Hard hand: The combined total of any two cards not containing an ace. Here are the possible hard hands:

It's riskier to draw with a hard hand, as there is more chance of busting.

Hit: drawing another card.Stand: when your hand is good enough.Double down: this is when you, or another player, increase the wager.

This Cheat Sheet alone won't make you a winner.

This Cheat Sheet helps you to understand the basics and shows you how to play a hand well. It tells you when to take a positive risk and when to hold back.

It's the Yoda you need to become Blackjack's Luke Skywalker.

To win at blackjack, download the cheat sheet, you must.

You can keep the easy Blackjack Cheat Sheet open in your browser while a game of online Blackjack is running.

Use it as a reference to understand what decisions you are supposed to make when you play a hand of Blackjack.

After a while, once you get good enough to play on your own, you won't need it anymore. Until that happens, use it while you play. It'll help you learn to make the calls and do the right moves.

*: The live dealer games are not available in the United States.

Link:

Blackjack Cheat Sheet: Printable PDF to Play | PokerNews

Almost everybody is familiar and comfortable with carrying guns, knives and pepper spray for self-defense, with a few folks still choosing to carry a taser or stun gun. But there is one venerable close-quarters weapon that used to rule the roost when it came to close-in, high stakes fighting: The blackjack.

The blackjack is still around today, and still just as potent as it ever has been. Consisting of a weighted striking surface or head attached to a flexible shaft or handle, blackjacks deliver devastating impacts that seem totally contrary to their small size.

This is one discreet weapon that has enjoyed a considerable amount of use with the good guys and bad guys alike, everyone from police and concerned citizens to gangland enforcers and other outlaws.

If you dont know your way around proper usage of a blackjack it is time to remedy that. The weapons are currently enjoying a renaissance in various circles and though they have never gone out of production new, high quality versions are currently on the market and entirely viable. Keep reading to learn what you need to know about the infamous blackjack.

You might already know exactly what a blackjack is and looks like, or you might not based on name alone. Even if you are unfamiliar with the term blackjack, you are still probably familiar enough with the category of weapon in question if you have heard it by any other name.

Though technically different depending on who you ask, blackjacks are often referred to as saps, coshes or slungshots and the naming convention can vary from country to country, and even region to region.

Were not going to go too far into the weeds over semantics, as they are all close enough, and for our purposes Ill be referring to this category of weapon solely as blackjacks throughout this article.

As mentioned above, a blackjack is generally constructed of soft and malleable material to impart a certain amount of flexibility while remaining rigid.

The heads are, as a rule, hollow and contain a deformable or loose fill material, or payload, that serves to spread out impact forces and hopefully prevent the breaking of skin or bones. Lead powder or tiny lead shot is a traditional payload, but some use clay or even sand.

The head is attached to a handle that might be as flexible or less flexible than the striking surface itself but it is constructed in such a way to afford the user a solid, no-slip grip, since blackjacks are always swung with considerable force when immediate effect is desired. Blackjack designs vary greatly, but no matter how they look, what they are loaded with or their size they are all used in more or less the same manner for the same purposes.

Considering the blackjack in the context of self-defense as a civilian living in the modern world or as a survivor trying to eke out an existence in the aftermath of a major SHTF event, blackjacks can yield many advantages compared to other impact weapons.

First and foremost, compared to a baseball bat, a proper nightstick or even a telescopic baton a blackjack is supremely compact and easy to carry.

While you will give up some reach going with a blackjack compared to these other tools, it is much easier to carry, far easier to conceal and very quick into action.

A blackjack does not rely on length to generate much impact force and these tiny tools can inflict injuries completely out of proportion with their size and weight.

Additionally, blackjacks are far less likely to inflict lethal injuries on an attacker, or at least they are compared to overtly lethal tools like firearms and blades. That being said, dont misunderstand: a blackjack strike to the cranium or neck is easily capable of inflicting a concussion or other serious injury.

Popular depiction in media shows blackjacks being used more or less like a magic spell capable of rendering someone unconscious for a convenient amount of time with just a little tap on the back of the noggin. In reality, such a blow delivered with force is likely to give someone a traumatic brain injury.

In short, if you want a compact impact weapon for hardcore self defense, a blackjack is just the ticket.

Basic use of a blackjack is not rocket science. Since mankind first picked up rocks we have understood how impact weapons work: Swing or otherwise propel the hard and heavy end into your target and do it with feeling. A blackjack works just the same.

Now, even though an untrained user might obtain good results using a blackjack in a self-defense encounter you can be even more effective if you learn what to do and practice accordingly.

In short, you should learn how to properly grip your blackjack during the fight and learn where to strike with it and under what conditions.

This will allow you to respond to an attack of any kind with an appropriate level of defensive force, not just lethal force (which is not always called for) and if the fight is underway youll be more than just a one-trick pony throwing out predictable grand slam swings towards the head. A varied repertoire will allow you to steadily degrade your opponent over time with every blow.

Let us begin with proper grip. When gripping the blackjack, you hold it pretty much like any other tool of similar nature.

Acquire a full, firm grip with all four fingers and curl your thumb down like you are holding a carpenters hammer or baseball bat. When the time comes to actually swing the blackjack at your assailant, swing hard like you mean it and follow through!

Dont break at the last moment or rely on the springy, snappy design of the blackjack to pop your target: Focus on your intended point of impact and swing the blackjack like you are trying to drive a large nail into a tough piece of wood.

Also, when the fight is on dont swing and connect only to wait to see what happens. You need to be dropping blows repeatedly on your assailant, fighting like youre the third monkey trying to get on Noahs Ark. When they drop or retreat youll know the fight is over.

Remember: Grip it tight, take aim, swing hard and follow through!

Now that we have the basics of gripping and swinging a blackjack properly understood, it is time to move on to more nuanced application.

Generally, you can employ a blackjack for lethal or non-lethal strikes. This allows you a significant degree of flexibility in a self-defense encounter so long as you are trained and practiced accordingly.

In short, any blow you direct to the head, neck or face of the attacker is likely to be considered lethal force and can indeed have genuine lethal effect. Larger and heavier blackjacks are capable of breaking bones and delivering tremendous impact forces.

Other targets, such as the limbs, hands, joints and large muscle groups are still excellent targets as any good shot from your blackjack will produce tremendous pain and likely deaden or disable the affected limb

We will go more into specifics in each category below.

When your attacker is presenting you with a genuine, imminent threat to your life or the threat of great bodily injury it is time to take the gloves off and respond with lethal force in kind. Your blackjack is more than capable of measuring up to this task if you can strike the attacker in their head, face or neck, particularly on the back of the head or neck.

Note that, while any blow to the head from a blackjack is likely to be a major bell ringer and inflict tremendous pain, you should avoid (if possible) striking the forehead or the crown of the skull as this is the single, most durable structure on the human body.

Instead, if forced to attack from the front use a forehand or backhand strike aimed at the temple, eye socket or side of the neck. Even striking the soft tissues of the neck can still be a decisive fight stopper since major blood vessels, arteries and the airway are likely to be damaged.

If you are able to line up a strike to the back of the skull or neck understand that you will very likely inflict catastrophic damage to the spinal cord or brain of the attacker.

If you are dealing with an assailant that is gearing up to engage you with hands and feet, lethal force might not be called for, but your blackjack can still help get you out of a bad situation.

In this case, we will employ the blackjack in a non-lethal capacity to target the attackers hands and joints, in what is called a reductive method. In this context, reductive means it is reducing the assailants capability to attack you.

Remember, you dont need to completely disable someone or knock them out in order to claim victory and self-defense. Victory for our purposes is just getting them to give up, stop or give us an opening to get away. Mission accomplished!

For this technique, let us say that someone has reached out to grab you or has already grabbed you. Now that their hand is an easy reach, you can use your blackjack to crush their hand, wrist or fingers before or after checking the offending limb.

Believe me when I tell you the tiny, delicate and extremely sensitive bones of the hand and wrist will not hold up well under such abuse!

The elbow of the offending arm is another good target but youll have to be a little smarter when it comes to attacking.

Any heavy blow will definitely hurt, but ideally you want to target the side of the elbow or the rear in order to disrupt or destroy it. This will definitely reduce the attackers capability to use their arms in any meaningful way.

Also keep in mind you might be afforded a chance to do the same thing to their knees depending on how the fight unfolds.

Your blackjack is good for more than just targeting the hard surfaces of the assailants body. Make no mistake, using it in such a way will definitely do the trick, but you shouldnt give up so-called soft targets like the abdomen and major muscle groups.

Directing a solid blow to the biceps, calves, thighs or gut is going to give the bad guy some major incentive to leave you alone.

Striking these targets will induce tremendous pain and make great filler while you wait for a more promising opportunity to disable the attacker. It should also be noted that such targets might be all you can get if you are tangled up or in a compromised position.

Considering that strikes to these soft tissues are the least likely to be considered lethal force these might be your opening move if self-defense is warranted but lethal or even escalated levels of force are not.

While rarely considered prime targets for strikes delivered with a blackjack, the ribs, shoulders and collarbones are generally easy to hit, and can produce surprisingly good effect.

Youll note that both the ribs and the collarbones are among the most delicate bones on the body and a solid strike from even a modest blackjack is likely to fracture either, perhaps severely.

Aside from being life-changingly painful, this will further degrade the attackers capability to persecute his use of force against you, either by impairing movement of the arm or making breathing difficult.

To target the ribs, use a swift, powerful forehand or backhand strike, especially if you are able to drop beneath his line of attack.

Targeting the collarbone is likewise simple but might be more difficult to connect with if the attacker sees it coming. An overhead hammer strike that connects solidly can easily break a collarbone.

Also something to keep in mind is that an attacker is highly likely to leave either of these targets vulnerable if he is focused on protecting his head or face or is already guarding an area previously injured by another strike.

A feint followed up by a powerful blow to either is an excellent technique that is likely to pay off if you connect.

The humble blackjack is a close-quarters weapon with a storied, if infamous, reputation for effectiveness.

Long the weapon of choice for heroes and villains when seeking to disable an adversary with a couple of swift, powerful blows, blackjacks are enjoying a renaissance today thanks to their ideal combination of effectiveness, compactness and ease of use. But using a blackjack skillfully is more than just wailing away until an attacker drops.

Take the time to learn proper procedures for employing a blackjack as well as the best places to strike an attacker and youll be able to count on this simple, timeless tool.

Then you're gonna love my free PDF, 20 common survival items, 20 uncommon survival uses for each. That's 400 total uses for these dirt-cheap little items!

Just enter your primary e-mail below to get your link:

Go here to see the original:

The Right Way to Use a Blackjack or Sap

Are you an ardent blackjack lover, but not a successful player? Or are you just looking to try out your luck with a good old blackjack game, but you are not sure where to even start? Either way, youre in the right place! Take a look at these 8 tips on how to win at blackjack and get ready to gamble.

Regardless of whether you are playing in-person or online, if you do not choose the right casino, none of the tips and tricks to come that are supposed to help you win will matter. Always check the casinos background before you decide to play their blackjack, and look for all the information available, including the name of the owner or service providers, licenses, and reputation. If you are surfing the internet to find a casino site, beware that not every online casino is trustworthy and safe. Moreover, there are many scamming websites pretending to be online casinos. In order to ensure your investment wont go to waste of a frauds pocket, use software tools to check the websites credibility.

You cant play the game if you dont know the rules may be a cliche saying, but it is downright true when it comes to the game of blackjack. Many beginners, and even the more experienced players, make a common mistake of taking the rule sheets for granted. Knowing the rules by heart and being able to go back to them at any moment of the game is a prerequisite to becoming a successful blackjack player. What is also important to always bear in mind is that not every blackjack game is the same. Each variant is played by different rules, and even the smallest detail can affect the house edge. This is particularly important for online blackjack since games are provided by different software developers and therefore have different rules and house edges. Closely examine the help section of each game to ensure a complete understanding of the game and increase your chances of winning. Once you know the rules, you will be able to absorb the wisdom of the ultimate blackjack tips and get the game going.

Once you have familiarized yourself with the table rules of the game variation of your choice, is it time to put the cards on the table, figuratively and literally. You need to get to know yourself as a blackjack player before you invest more of your time and money into becoming a winner. Depending on the type of player, each strategy has advantages and disadvantages. For example, the Martingale betting strategy is meant for the fearless players, those looking to win big but are also ready to lose a lot of money. On the other hand, a conservative or basic blackjack strategy is a safer option for those not yet as self-assured of their gambling competencies. The utter idea of picking the rights strategy is to get the best winning odds at the time. Tellingly, each blackjack variation requires a different strategy for different optimal results and different type of a player. Many professional players would take years and lots of effort to hack the game, that is, learn how to play each hand with the best chances to win. However, nowadays, and with all the information we have at our disposal thanks to modern technology, you can easily search through the most optimal blackjack strategies for a specific game using one of the blackjack basic strategy calculators.

In line with finding your soulmate blackjack strategy, you should always remain grounded and remember your budget limits before raising a bet like a millionaire. Although this is not a trick to be used at the blackjack table, it is one of the most critical rules you need to adhere to as a gambler. Only when your bankroll starts to build up, you should allow yourself to slowly raise your stakes. Placing a bet that is out of your league can be detrimental both to your bank account and to your career as a blackjack player.

Blackjack insurance will be offered to you in most, if not all, blackjack games online. It refers to a side bet which is offered in cases when the dealer shows an ace, in order to ensure you are against the dealer getting a blackjack. Despite the fact that getting the insurance would potentially save you from big losses, it is not as good as it sounds. Finally, the odds of the dealer making blackjack are too small to compensate for the price of the insurance itself.

Keep your eyes on the table, your focus on the cards, and your mind on the price. Paying attention to all the possible details is the key to beat the odds.

To guess when is the right time to double down or to split is half of the games success. Even though things need to be more complicated in order for the game to be as exciting and risky as it is, there are few rules set in stone regarding this. Increasing your money on the table largely depends on doubling down. When youre given a starting hand of 11, always double down, because there is a high probability that your next card will be valued a ten and you will finish with 21. On the other hand, when the dealer shows a face or an ace, it is time to stay away from doubling down. When it comes to splitting, it is slightly more complicated. Therefore, the only splitting rule to live by is to never split pairs or 10s, 5s or 4s. For all the other combinations, you will have to refer to your blackjack charts and personal sense for gambling.

Always remain in control. If you hit the ground, take a break. If you touch the sky, also take a break. Dont let the gambling spirit take you over and affect poor decisions. In situations when you do wish to proceed in playing after the lows and the highs, make sure to establish new bankroll and limits beforehand.

What may trick many blackjack players to-be is the simplicity of the blackjack game. However, there is plenty more to it. Although it is not a complicated casino game, it requires skill and dedication in order to become good at it. With this list of tips in mind, a bit of luck, and some exercise, youll be mastering the game of blackjack in no time!

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8 Tips On How To Win at Blackjack - SpeedywayMedia.com

The Keystone State and the Garden State are Rush Streets strongest markets.

The two dedicated environments are powered by live casino expert Evolution and their launch marks further expansion of Rush Streets existing partnership with the major provider of live dealer solutions.

At present, the two studios offer three Blackjack tables each that are available exclusively for BetRivers and PlauSugarHouse players in the two above-mentioned states and make it easier and faster for these players to take a virtual seat at the popular online live dealer tables.

The newly launched environments offer a mix of live Blackjack offering that is available to play 24/7. Rush Street noted that the two studios not only promise safety and convenience, but also offer the type of personal experience that its customers expect from the operators brands.

Rush Street Interactive currently provides online casino-style gaming and sports betting operations in ten US states where these practices are legal, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa and West Virginia. The company is also active in Colombia offering its services via the RushBet.co brand.

Commenting on the newest addition to their already extensive offering, Rush Street Interactive CEO Richard Schwartz said that since the initial rollout of live dealer games with Evolution in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, they have had multiple requests from their players to add exclusive tables with seats only available to those players.

Mr. Schwartz went on to explain that their customers can now benefit from dedicated seats where they can chat and interact not only with their dealers but also with fellow players in their online community. Interaction is happening in real time to add a fun social aspect to the betting experience as if they were at a land-based casino, the executive concluded.

Players will also be offered the traditional benefits they are usually offered playing online casino games with Rush Streets digital brands. Every bet a player makes on the newly added Blackjack tables will earn them bonus store points that can be redeemed at BetRivers and PlaySugarHouses Bonus Stores for wheel spins, free bets, bonus money, and more.

This is the latest expansion of an existing business relationship between the online gambling operator and the live casino specialist. Last summer, Evolution debuted a selection of its First Person games in Colombia with Rush Streets locally licensed brand.

Source: Rush Street Interactive Launches Exclusive Live Casino Tables On BetRivers And PlaySugarHouse In Pennsylvania And New Jersey, PR Newswire, September 3, 2021

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RSI, Evolution Expand Partnership with Exclusive Blackjack Tables in PA, NJ - Casino News Daily

As the world struggled to get to grips with a pandemic that kept us indoors twiddling our thumbs, thousands of new hobbies came out, while some old favorites rose from rekindled ashes. Watching movies and visiting online casinos topped the list of preferred pastimes, and the 2008 movie aptly called 21 brings both of these together.

For those of you still in the dark, 21 is another name for blackjack, a popular casino card game requiring some skill, and the inspiration behind the title. Ive tried my hand at blackjack a few times myself with dismal results, so I reckoned watching six MIT students younger than myself become millionaires playing it might teach me some tricks. In fact, after finishing the film, I can recommend that nowadays you can just try this blackjack strategy from home in online casinos. My second reason for watching was Kevin Spacey (who Ive been in love with since American Beauty) and his performance as Mickey Rosa, the genius mastermind behind the whole plot, certainly doesnt disappoint. Hot on his heels comes Jim Sturgess, who plays the lead (Ben Campbell), a broke MIT student who is refused entry to Harvard Medical School due to impossibly high tuition fees.

Based on a true story (the novel Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich), the plot is tight and slick as the game itself from the moment Rosa, Bens somewhat eccentric math professor, introduces the lad to a small group of students who he is training to count cards in blackjack. Spotting a way to pay off his school fees, Ben joins the group for a travel to Las Vegas, for beating the house and making millions with their practised strategy. The ending is rather disappointingly foreshadowed by one of Bens card-counting partners, who predicts that Ben will eventually be overcome by greed and this is exactly what happens. Enter Cole Williams; villain extraordinaire (Laurence Fishburn), whose hatred for Rosa leads him to attempt to ruin all the group has worked for, and youve got a movie that has you forgetting where youve put your popcorn.

Skill and high stakes abound in this movie where the accuracy of the portrayed characters is usurped only by the thrilling Las Vegas ambience. The action at the table is fast-paced and smoother than you would ever see it, hoisting the game of 21 high into realms of richness and mystery. The story is based on real events, and what happens onscreen is not as far removed from real life as others have been. Add the romantic love interest (for what hero could do without one?) and the movie ticks all the boxes.

For me, the best parts all revolve around the table when action was fast-paced and the characters pulled off their best poker faces, although I wished it couldve started off earlier. As a personal fan of The Big Bang Theory, the dialogue was pleasingly geeky, but generally free of jargon, with the soundtrack falling just a little short.

Is 21 worth watching? In a word, yes (if only to watch Kevin Spacey). But, all jokes aside, though 21 may fall short in some areas, the acting is great, the plot interesting, and the blackjack thoroughly exciting. So, even if youre just in it for the cards, thats certainly reason enough.

Originally posted here:

The Story Behind the Movie 21 - Film Threat

While discussing his new film The Card Counter in an interview with Deadline, filmmaker Paul Schrader presented a paradox, both railing against the supposed insidiousness of cancel culture while decrying peoples strong aversion to personal responsibility. What I was trying to capture from this moment, he explained, is this lack of responsibility people seem to have. I didnt lie, I misspoke, I didnt touch her inappropriately, I made a mistake. Nobody is really responsible for anything.

What Schrader fails to realize is that cancel culture is most often invoked by those wishing to evade responsibility (its the culture thats toxic, not me!), and while context is indeed important, it doesnt grant you an indulgence. I am reminded of Bob Baffert, the legendary horse trainer, who blamed cancel culture when his Kentucky Derby-winning horse was found to have tested positive for steroids.

This is all, of course, germane to Schraders latest, which centers on a mysterious card counter by the name of William Tell (Oscar Isaac, more brooding than ever) who, after a ten-year stint behind bars, drifts from casino to casino across the U.S. winning small sums of money at blackjack and Texas hold em. An early sequence sees William pocket $750 counting cards at blackjack before booking a cheap motel room, removing the artwork and devices, and covering all of the furniture in white sheetsfor he is a ghost who lives an ascetic life of cards, sleep, and the occasional glass of whiskey.

Like many of Schraders antiheroes, from Taxi Drivers Travis Bickle to the eco-conscious Pastor Ernst Toller of First Reformed, William is a haunted diarist in search of absolution. And he believes hes found it in Cirk (Tye Sheridan), another lost soul whom God dealt a terrible hand. So, he hatches a plot to make things right: get staked by La Linda (Tiffany Haddish), who bankrolls a stable of card sharks; win a few high-stakes poker tournaments; pay off Cirks debts; and reunite him with his estranged mother.

It is fascinating that the aughts poker boom, ignited by Chris Moneymakers storybook win at the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, has yet to inspire a single decent poker film (a few eye-hemorrhaging scenes in Casino Royale notwithstanding). The Card Counter wont change this, as it is far more concerned with the burden of guilt than what happens on the feltand because of this, its OK to overlook some of its slip-ups when it comes to the world of gambling, such as misdescribing prize pools, extolling roulette odds, and failing to so much as mention the importance of timely aggression in poker or what makes William such a gifted poker player in the first place other than his steely edge.

Early on in the film, we learn that William Tell is a cutesy alias; his real name is PFC William Tillich, and he served that lengthy prison sentence after he was found to have tortured detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. In maze-like, washed-out flashback sequences shot with a fisheye lens, we see PFC Tillich brutalizing his prisoners and giddily posing with them, a la Lynddie England (who only ended up serving a year and a half behind bars). That PFC Tillich arrived at Abu Ghraib a softer man and was hardened under the tutelage of a Major John Gordo (Willem Dafoe), a sadistic civilian contractor specializing in torture, begs the question of whether he also fell victim to a corrupting systemthough, as Tillich asserts, Nothing can justify what we did.

Schraders film poses intriguing questions about redemption and self-reproach. Given the extreme nature of Tillichs crimes, is he redeemable? Has he served his penance? Should we allow his guilt to consume him, or is he, too, worthy of a helping hand? Isaacand his beautiful head of graying hairdoes a fine job of stirring up pity for Tillich, another of Gods lonely men bearing the weight of our collective sins on his shoulders. His chemistry with Haddish, who provides another way out of his misery, is powerful, culminating in a hallucinatory stroll through a neon-lit park, captured on high by a roving drone. But The Card Counter tips its hand when, during a pool-side tte--tte with Cirk, Tillich draws a parallel between a poker player going on tilt (or becoming consumed by emotion and making a series of bad plays) to force drift, a phenomenon whereby torturers no longer see their captives as human and apply more and more pain. In what world are these two even remotely the same?

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'The Card Counter' Asks Whether an Abu Ghraib Torturer Is Worthy of a Second Chance - The Daily Beast

Some people gamble for the thrill of it and dont care about the odds. Others actually like the idea of beating crazy odds for even crazier pots. However, most of us like to get out of the casino with more than we went in. While casino games are about luck, there can still be an element of strategy, and the first trick is knowing which games give you the best edge. Lets take a look at some of the games of chance that offer the best odds.

Roulette might be seen as the quintessential game of chance, but its actually one of the games where the house has the slightest edge. However, you should know that the style you pick will make a huge difference.

For instance, American roulette gives the house a 5.26% edge, which is not very great. European roulette, on the other hand, gives the house only a 2.7% edge. The reason for this is because the American version has a double-zero pocket whereas European roulette doesnt.

Some people still like playing all variations, but they can be difficult to find at your average casino. If youre one of these people, playing online could be a great option. If youre worried about the odds, know that there are plenty of casinos where you can play live roulette. This way, youll be 100% sure that youre getting the same odds as you would in any casino.

Poker is the best game of chance for people who hate gambling. In reality, poker is a game of skill with an element of chance, not the other way around. This is why you have professional poker players that win tournament after tournament or always end up on final tables. That couldnt happen with something like craps, for instance.

There are many ways that you can improve your poker game as well. People attend boot camps to refine their skills, but there are tons of manuals with just as many techniques that you can use. Playing online is also a great way to refine your skills. This will also give you the fundamentals and allow you to play in a controlled environment before playing live.

After poker, Blackjack is the most popular game for players who like to use their skills to increase their chances of winning. Blackjack is one of the games that give the house the lowest edge at around 1%. But some experienced players can reduce that edge to 0.5%.

This is because there are many strategies that you can apply here, and were not talking about card counting, even though its perfectly legal. The best players try to not only get the highest count, but also understand the odds of the house going bust, and use this to their advantage. Blackjacks rules and structure make it a popular game for advantage play, and it has many vulnerabilities that can be exploited by savvy players with good mathematical skills.

Craps may look like its pure luck since youre betting on a roll of a dice. However, what makes craps a great game for odds is the number of side bets you can make. You dont necessarily have to bet on a roller getting a 7 or an 11. You can also bet against the shooter to increase your odds. So, you should spend time learning the rules of the game so you can maximize your chances of winnings.

If you are looking for casino games that give you a real chance to win and apply a little bit of strategy, these are all great choices. The most important strategy you can use, however, is solid bankroll management, so make sure you have that down first.

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4 Games of Chance with the Best Odds - San Diego Entertainer Magazine

T

he iGaming content aggregator and solutions provider, Slotegrator, announced Thursday that it has entered into partnership with iGaming studio Rhino Gaming.

Rhino Gaming currently offers 13 titles, with new releases added every two months. Its best known products are its slots, with games such as Classic Triple Seven, Diamonds Wild, and Supaball, plus the Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild poker titles.

Rhino Gaming also offers a selection of tables and card games including blackjack, roulette and baccarat.

Operators will also be able to acquire Rhino Gamings set of retention and marketing tools, aside from its back office solution enabling advanced performance tracking.

In an official press release, Henrik Svensson, CEO at Rhino Gaming, commented on this new integration and said: We are excited to be partnering with Slotegrator and believe that our portfolio will perform very well on their vast distribution network.

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Slotegrator adds studio Rhino Gaming to its distribution network - Yogonet International