Super Bowl Betting and Online Blackjack

by Jake Gosselin | Feb 1 2008

What are your Super Bowl plans this year? Are you going to watch it at a bar and suffer all the drunks shouting about shit they don't even understand? Will you go over to a friend's house and deal with all the different types of Super Bowl party wreckers?

There is of course a third option that has been gaining popularity in recent years: Watch the game on your own terms while playing online Blackjack. That's right, the ultimate football game combined with the ultimate casino game makes for a sum even greater than its parts. Zen and the art of Super Bowl Blackjack is the quickest path to enlightenment known to humanity. Here's how it works:

First of all, you'll probably want to bet on the Super Bowl. The Patriots are 11.5-point favorites*, and considering the Giants' defense and the opinion of NFL-great-turned-analyst Ron Woodson, it might not be that crazy to take New York. Of course you would be betting against the Patriots, which hasn’t exactly worked out for most people this year.

Second, you'll want to make yourself a giant plate of nachos. This is not a recommendation. This is an absolutely crucial step to attaining total enlightenment. You must make the nachos.

Third, you must find the most comfortable spot possible in your house where you can see the game and still have access to your computer and your plate of nachos. Load up Bodog's Super Bowl betting page and click the button labeled "LIVE" next to the lines to bring up Bodog Live. Bodog Live will allow you to place wagers on individual plays, like whether you think the Patriots will complete a pass, make an incomplete pass, run it successfully, etc.

Now, you'll want to load up the Bodog casino and bring up your good friend, Blackjack. Blackjack is by far the most popular casino game in North America for a reason: It's got excellent odds. It also doesn't require an overwhelming amount of thought once you get the basics of the game down, so it's a perfect fit for multi-tasking.

Blackjack Basics

The Bodog casino uses four decks, which means you're getting great odds with the house edge being only around 0.50 percent. You're not going to get much better than that.

The dealer has to hit on any hand of soft 17 or lower. That means that you're gunning for a 17 or better, something you should probably draw towards unless the dealer is holding a bust card.

Chart: 

Upcard	Bust
2	35 percent
3	37 percent
4	40 percent
5	42 percent
6	42 percent
7	26 percent
8	24 percent
9	23 percent
10	23 percent
11	17 percent

Splitting

You can split your cards into two separate hands any time you are dealt a pair.

Splitting is a bad idea if you're holding a pair of 10s or 5s. It's a good idea if you're 7s or 8s while the dealer is sitting on cards of equal or lesser value. If you have 2s or 3s and the dealer's packing a 4, 5 or 6, then go for it. Obviously, you'll also always want to split aces. In fact, if you get aces, you should probably stand up do a few pelvic thrusts into the air and then split them.

Double Down Time

If you're confident that you can win the hand by being dealt only one card, then you'll want to double down.

When is that, you ask? Well that's basically anytime you're holding a 10 and the dealer has a 9 or lower. And of course, if you've got 11, you'll want to double your bet.

While we hate to tell people how to play their game, we're going to go right ahead and do just that. Don't play based on gut feelings! You know what gut feelings get you? Beaten up, arrested, or worse yet, married! So avoid your instincts and stick to the math. Bodog has a Blackjack strategy card in case you're ever stuck wondering what the right move is.

The Path to Enlightenment

Now that you're armed with all the necessary equipment (computer, TV, plate of nachos) and all of the necessary knowledge (avoid your instincts, beware of Tom Brady and don't forget to use plenty of cheese), you have everything you need to enjoy the Super Bowl like never before. You're welcome!

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