If you just want to have fun playing blackjack online and you are happy to blast your money away – then take chances.  But be warned that you are more likely to make some of your money back and improve your return on investment, if you play roulette or slots.

Careless and rash decisions whilst playing blackjack will cost you.  Casinos have a house edge that will tip in their favor when you bet loosely.  It is best to have a specific, tight blackjack strategy when playing to ensure you minimise your loss and reduce the house edge.

Keeping discipline and knowing exactly when to hit (get dealt another card), stand (stick with the cards that you have) and double down are vital.  When I play online blackjack I always use a blackjack strategy chart that guides me with my betting decisions.  And this helps me to control my emotions and make a calculated decision or bet instead of making loose decisions.

Search for a good blackjack strategy chart now, download it or print it so that you always have it nearby when you are playing.  The strategy chart tells you exactly what to do, either to hit, stand, double down or split.  Someone has already done all the hard work and worked out what the best winning odds are for each scenario.

And its amazing because once you have used the chart a lot, then you start to get a feel of what to do.  So when you go into a live casino then you can improve the odds of winning.

Today I want to talk about mastering what you do – be it your job, your hobby, your sport, playing blackjack… whatever it is.

What inspired me last week is the heroic act of Chesley B. Sullenberger, otherwise known as “Sully”, who piloted the US Airways plane that crash landed into the Hudson River.  What a hero – Well done fella!

It was described as a “masterful landing“, but knowing a little about flying, it was not just the landing but also the quick thinking and decision making that he made, under pressure.  The plane lost power in both of its engines because it hit a flock of birds, just after take off.

With a loss of power the plane will still glide, but it will lose altitude quickly and as the plane had just taken off, there was not a lot of time before the plane hit the ground… or the water in this case.  Pilots are trained to think quickly about where they will crash land.

In this case he was faced with deciding whether to try and turn back to La Guardia Airport and risk not making it, with a very built-up and populated area that he had to get over, or try to find another airport closer, or find somewhere safe to land nearby.  He chose to turn and follow the Hudson River and put the plane down in the river.  Thereby minimizing any harm or damage to people on the ground, and in this case to the plane and passengers!

Apparently crash landings onto water are rare and it is even more unusual that the plane was intact and that everyone survived – masterful indeed.  When they removed the plane from the Hudson, one of the engines was still attached to the wing, incredible considering the force against the engines on hitting the water.

Captain “Sully” must have kept the nose of the plane right up and the wings exactly level so that the plane could skim across the water and land safely.

But lets get back to my point… and that is mastering what you do.  Capt. Sullenberger is an example to all of us, he has over 40 years of flying experience and has become a master at his profession.  His pilot training has probably repeated the safety aspect over and over again.  And, I suppose most pilots hope that they will never have to use their safety training!

You just never know what lies around the next corner.  So it is better to cast away mediocrity and become a master at what you do!

All the best for 2009!

By now you should be back into the swing of things.  Its taken me a while to get back into mainstream after a busy festive season.  Perhaps too much partying!

I want to write a lot more this year and bring you exciting gambling and gaming news.  Contact me if you wish, I welcome comments.  Let me know what you want to see on this site and I’ll try my best to bring it to you.

With focus on a change of government on 20 January, with the new president taking office.  We hope that changes are made to gambling legislation, that our leaders come to their senses and more realistic, practical regulations are put in place.

Let’s hope for change.  But let’s also do as much as we all possibly can to write to Congress and get your opinion across.  I think that the Poker Players Alliance are doing fantastic work in putting together a professional, organized and co-ordinated argument against the UIGEA.  Have you joined them?

Do your part for change in 2009, don’t just sit back and watch.  It’s not only going to take a major effort from everyone, but also a very well organized and planned offense on this legislation.  We all have to apply our minds and work together, if we want change.

Good luck for the year ahead!