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Tired of getting slapped with pop-up ads from online casinos? How’s this for a novel idea: Strike back and take their money! I know what you’re thinking, “This is absurd. Nobody wins at online casinos.” That’s not entirely true, however – if you are self-disciplined and don’t get out of control, you WILL make money, and all it will cost you is your time and a hundred bucks to get started.
How does one do this, you might ask? Well, most casinos offer a sign-up bonus the first time you deposit money with them to play. Of course, they don’t allow you to just take your money and run -- you have to earn it, and that’s where blackjack comes in. Online casinos have a Wage Requirement that must be met before you’re allowed to cash out. This is usually between $1,000-5,000 depending on the casino. Playing blackjack is one of the few games in a casino where if you play strategically, the house’s odds are only slightly over half. Knowing this, if you bet the absolute minimum, and you play exactly as the blackjack guide (see download link below) states, you can play until you meet the wage requirement, and only sacrifice a very small portion of the bonus if any at all. There is an extremely slight chance that you could bust out, but the possibility of that is around 0.1 percent. Given these odds, it’s safe to say that there’s so small of a risk that it’s well worth cashing in on this opportunity. Just keep in mind that you’re only going to be able to cash in on these bonuses once and they’re not going to make you rich – but they’re a sure-fire way to put some extra change in your pocket.
Enough of the boring nonsense, though – let’s get down to the money making! There are a few things that I’d advise doing before starting this whole casino venture to keep your computer locked down and tidy. First, I would keep Spysweeper running and have it scan whenever you reboot. I know this is something a lot of people do these days, but I still have to recommend it. This is to keep from having more of those pop-ups attack you when you’re trying to make your bling bling. Second, play with the Java no-download versions if you can; or if you want to use their software it’s no big deal, just make a special directory to install them all to so you know where they’re at when you’re done and want to remove it. I keep them organized in the Start Menu as well, and separate the ones that have monthly bonuses, but we’ll get to those later.
Now that you’ve got your PC on lock, it’s time to set up your online bank account. I highly suggest NETeller (www.neteller.com); they’re very reputable, have great support and security, and are accepted at almost every online casino you will encounter. One thing to not, is after you set up the account, you will need to link it to your real bank account so you can withdraw that way. This may take a few days to set up, so be ready to possibly wait a couple days before you can start playing. I would like to also add that a lot of the online casinos, if you try to make a deposit with your credit card, there is a good chance it will get declined. This is usually done by your credit card company to protect you from other people using your money at online casinos. If you are itching to start right away, I assume you could call your credit card company and have them pre-approve it. After everything is setup and good to go, drop a hundred bucks in the account and get ready to make some bank.
There are quite a few choices for where to start, and everyone has their own opinion. Personally, starting with $100, your best bet is probably to start at Planetluck Casino. (www.planetluck.com) Sign up, and don’t forget to put in the bonus code when you deposit so they match 100 percent of what you deposit up to $100. The Wage Requirement at Planet Luck is $1,600. At this point you should head straight to the blackjack table, do not pass go, collect your $200, but DO NOT play any of the other games. Bet only the $1 minimum and play exactly as the guide says. I should also note that it’s a good habit to track how much you’ve wagered, as some casinos do not update this information in real-time, and it’s always a good idea to know how much longer you have until you can cash out. You want to cash out as soon as you hit the wage requirement. Keep playing until you meet the wage requirement, then cash out immediately. I would like to note also with Planetluck that they have a 24-hour hold period after you cash out where it may state that you haven’t met the wage requirement even though you have. At any rate, just wait the 24 hours then cash out. I should also note that most of the time it will possibly take 1-2 days before your money makes it to your NETeller account.
Next up is Starluck Casino, which is basically a skin of Planetluck. The program also works the exact same here, they match your deposit up to $100 and the wage requirement is 1,600 also. Complete this process and we’ll start to raise the bar a bit and get ready to start cashing in on the bigger bonuses.
Target #3, William Hill Casino (www.williamhillcasino.com), currently offers a $120 sign-on bonus. Last month when I hit it the bonus was only $80, so take advantage of this! The WR, or Wage Requirement, is $2,400 for this site. I really liked this site – you can get your Wages in real time, and they also allow you to cash out your initial deposit at any time; however, you will forfeit the bonus. This could also be a good starting casino if you want to fork up the extra $20. If you get down to your initial deposit for some reason, or don’t feel like this is for you, simply cash out get your investment back, and call it a day.
Okay, by this point you’ve probably got a nice little bank roll going, so it’s time to kick it up a notch. Sign up at Casino-On-Net (www.casino-on-net.com). Here you will deposit $200 and they will match you 100 percent, so you will be playing with $400. The wage requirement here is also fairly low at $2,000. I played three hands at once at this casino and got through fairly quickly, and made a nice fat bonus off of it so this is definitely one to hit. The only drawback to the site is that they take up to a week for you to get your payout. That’s okay, though, because you should have some money to keep going with; if not, just wait to get your payout and keep going.
For the sake of time, I will simply include a chart of all of the casinos to hit, and their current bonus amounts. I also would like to note that some of the casinos will not allow you to cash out until you validate your account by a PIN number that they snail mail to you. None of the above casinos work like that, but some of them on the “hit list” do, and I have noted this on the chart.
Just remember these basic rules: Always follow the blackjack guide, even if you have a “gut feeling.” There’s no competing with math; follow the guide. Betting more than minimum is highly risky and should not be something you should get into the habit of, ESPECIALLY when you’re just starting off. This can bury you fast and end your bonus career really quickly. I keep my bets to $1 or $2 at most. I decided to play with the William Hill monthly $40 bonus and just through $5 on each hand until I quickly lost the entire bonus and cashed out with my $40. It’s something that’s not advised. However, if you do decide to bet higher, know that the risk for betting $2 a hand is about 1 percent of totally busting out, or 5 percent for $5. These numbers I know sound very low, and they are. However, to insure you get the maximum amount out of each bonus, take your time and grind them out.
I hope this guide helps you pay some extra bills or get some new gear for your rig. I for one was intentionally planning on putting it towards the purchase of a new G5, but I’m now considering learning Texas Hold ’Em and seeing how that works out. For peace of mind, however, I have cashed out my initial $100 investment.
Good Luck!
Download the blackjack guide jpeg here.
Look at the online casino Hit List here.
