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Reason #1 why the Wizard likes Bovada:
Excellent customer support
The thing that separates Bovada from the rest is its customer support. Many other online gaming companies outsource their support. It can be difficult getting a response from them, and if you do it is often slow and handled by somebody with little understanding of gambling or even of English. But Bovada’s support is handled by Bovada, and their support staff is actually knowledgeable and helpful.
I’m so confident that you’ll have a good experience with Bovada that if you have a problem getting paid and you can’t resolve it with them on your own, I’ll talk to them myself. I personally have known the Bovada management for about three years and always found them to be professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. I have also personally visited one of their call centers so I could see first-hand how they handle customer issues. (More on my mediation service.)
If you have a problem with any other casino besides Bovada, I can’t help you. I get complaints from players of other online casinos every day who have difficulty getting paid. However that isn’t my job nor my problem. If you play at Bovada after clicking through my site I’ll stand behind you 100%. Any place else and you’re on your own.
Instant 18
Last Update: Oct 8, 2010
Introduction
If you had the option to get a fixed 18 points in blackjack automatically, would you take it? I think a lot of players would, thinking that 18 is good enough. That is the question posed by a new blackjack side bet seen at the Santa Fe Station in October, 2010. At all the Santa Fe's six-deck blackjack tables, players have the option to make an Instant 18 side bet on a second hand with exactly 18 points.
Rules
As stated in the introduction, the Instant 18 hand is worth exactly 18 points. Wins pay even money. I haven't seen the game, but I am told there is an 18 printed on the felt. I'm also told a primary blackjack bet is required to make the side bet. I don't know the limits on the side bet.
Odds
The following table shows the expected value of the Instant 18 bet, according to the number of decks and whether the dealer hits or stands on a soft 17. At the Santa Fe Station, they use six decks and the dealer hits a soft 17, so the house edge there is 2.04%.
| Instant 18 — Expected Values | ||
| Decks | Dealer Stands on Soft 17 | Dealer Hits on Soft 17 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -0.003106 | -0.016454 |
| 2 | -0.005091 | -0.018799 |
| 3 | -0.005752 | -0.019578 |
| 4 | -0.006080 | -0.019968 |
| 5 | -0.006278 | -0.020201 |
| 6 | -0.006410 | -0.020358 |
| 7 | -0.006503 | -0.020468 |
| 8 | -0.006573 | -0.020552 |
Strategy
A house edge of 2.04% is much higher than in conventional blackjack, so I would recommend declining the Instant 18 option. In all fairness, 2.04% is a much lower house edge than most side bets, but unlike most side bets, Instant 18 doesn't offer the chance of a big win.