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Reason #2 why the Wizard likes Bovada:
No-hassle practice games
Most online casinos spend more effort trying to separate you from your money than they do trying to give you a good experience. They have all kinds of popup windows, they usually make you download their software, and if they do offer play-in-browser games then you have to register an account before you can play. And if you register they start sending you emails trying to get you to deposit real money.
But Bovada is different. They have no popup windows at all, and their practice games play right in your browser, with no download, and no registration required. You don’t even have to give up your email address. It couldn’t be simpler: just one click and you’re playing the game.
I wish all online casinos showed this much respect for their players. Other casinos practically ask for your first born child to play for free. Meanwhile Bovada is patient and does not twist anybody’s arm to play for real money. You can play as long as you like for free with no obligation. The real-money games are available if that’s your preference, but if not, you can play the free practice games for as long as you like without hassle.
Automatic Winner Charlie Rule in Blackjack
Last Update: Feb 9, 2011
Rarely in blackjack there is a rule that if the player reaches a certain number of cards, usually 5 to 7, without busting, the player will automatically win. This is called a "Charlie." If the player automatically wins with 7 cards or less, without busting, that rule would be called a "seven-card Charlie."
As shown in my blackjack section, the house edge is lowered 0.01% under the seven-card Charlie rule, 0.16% under a six-card Charlie rule, and 1.46% under a five-card Charlie rule.
The following table shows the strategy for hitting, standing, and doubling. This differs slightly from the Charlie strategy in
Basic Blackjack 
by Stanford Wong. The strategy below is based on an infinite deck, and thus may be wrong in some borderline situations. If you have Wong's book, I would defer to his strategy.
The next image shows the splitting strategy, which depends on whether or not double after a split is allowed, and whether a five-card or six-card Charlie rule is in effect. There should be no changes for a seven-card Charlie. Again, this is a little different from Wong's strategy, which I defer to.
