A Beginner’s Guide to Playing Blackjack: Rules, Strategies, and more

The game of blackjack, also known as 21, is a classic casino game that is enjoyed by players of all skill levels. But for those who are new to the game, the rules, strategies, and jargon can be overwhelming. This guide is intended for beginners and will cover the basics of how to play blackjack, including the rules, strategies, and etiquette of the game.

First and foremost, it’s important to understand the objective of the game. The objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer by having a hand with a higher point value than the dealer’s hand, but without exceeding 21 points. Each card in the deck is assigned a point value, with the exception of the Ace which can be either 1 or 11 depending on the hand. The player is dealt two cards and the dealer is dealt one card face up and one card face down.

When it comes to the rules of the game, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, players can choose to “hit” and receive additional cards in order to improve their hand. Players can also “stand” and keep their current hand. If a player’s hand exceeds 21 points, they lose, even if the dealer’s hand also exceeds 21 points.

Another important aspect of blackjack is basic strategy. Basic strategy is a set of guidelines that dictate the optimal move in any given situation, based on the player’s hand and the dealer’s face-up card. It’s important to familiarize yourself with basic strategy and use it as a guide when playing.

In terms of etiquette, it’s important to be respectful of other players and the dealer. This means refraining from using offensive language, making rude gestures, or engaging in other disruptive behavior. It also means being patient and understanding when other players make mistakes or take a long time to make their decisions.

Finally, it’s important to remember that blackjack is a game of chance, and no one can predict the outcome of each hand. A good strategy is essential, but luck plays a big role in the game. It’s important to set a budget and play within your limits, and to remember that it should be a form of entertainment.

In conclusion, blackjack is a classic casino game that can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels, both offline and online. By understanding the objective of the game, familiarizing yourself with the rules, using basic strategy, following proper etiquette and playing within your limits, players can increase their chances of winning and make the game more enjoyable for everyone. It’s a combination of strategy and luck and it’s a game that requires a balance of both to be successful. As a beginner, it’s important to take the time to learn the game and its various strategies, and to practice before playing for real money. Remember to play responsibly and have fun. The game of blackjack has a rich history and it continues to evolve, it’s a game that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Wrapping Up Season 9 in Fortnite

Season 9 in Fortnite is coming to an end in just a few days and I’ve been busy this weekend trying to wrap up all the challenges and get as many Battle Stars as I can before I run out of time.

I might miss out on getting to level 100. But then again there’s an article on Forbes that says Season 10 won’t begin for another two weeks: on August 1. So there might be a two week “break” between seasons and that might mean I’ll have more time to wrap things up.

This wouldn’t be the first time there’s a break between seasons. It happened this past winter, between Seasons 7 and 8.

While I’m waiting on the details, I’m grinding away on some of the challenges. They felt easier this season, but I just didn’t play as many matches as I usually do, so I’m running behind.

I’m also watching more Fortnite movies. Did you see the Bunker Jonesy origin story movie? I laughed at that one. The people who put it together worked very hard on it. Check it out:

Maybe I am slow on my Season 9 challenges because I’ve been watching too many Fortnite movies on YouTube. I’m also watching too much anime. Last month, I was catching up on Princess Mononoke and this past week I’m really getting into some of the later seasons of One Piece. I’m streaming it all on Gogoanime when it works.

Back to Fortnite. Have you seen the giant robot dude that is being built at Pressure Plant? Sooner or later he will be on the move and that will be something to watch! That has all the makings of a major in-game event.

Taking a Break to Watch Movies

This weekend, I took a complete break from playing games. Oh the shock! Oh the horror! But it was really just to have some time to catch up on movies that I have been wanting to see for a very long time. I fit in a lot of movies this weekend. It might have been too many.

Here is what I watched.

The Godfather

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, and Diane Keaton

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Some people consider this the greatest movie of all time. It sits atop most “Best of” movie lists. It’s certainly the definitive Italian mafia movie.

The Shawshank Redemption

Starring: Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman

Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.

This is another “top of most lists” film. It stars a really young Tim Robbins and “he’s in everything” Morgan Freeman. I was like, “It’s the March of the Penguins guy!” My dad recommended this film as the best of the 1990’s and I think he is right. I never thought a prison movie could be such a feel good film.

Casablanca

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid

A cynical American expatriate struggles to decide whether or not he should help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape French Morocco.

This is an oldie (1942) but a goodie. It moves a little slowly at time like all old films do, but Humphrey Bogart’s performance is so good it makes me wish I lived back then in Morocco during World War II. OK, maybe not really.

Princess Mononoke

Starring: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka

On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami’s curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.

I usually get my anime for free (or almost free) on Kissanime and Crunchyroll. In this case, I found the movie on Amazon and decided to rent it via Prime. It’s a classic from 1997, making it one of the earliest “popular” anime films and it’s much better than a lot of the mass-produced stuff you see now.

There you go! It was a busy weekend of watching movies. Next weekend, I’ll be back in action with Fortnite and Minecraft.

Tilted Towers is Done

Did you catch the live event yesterday in Fortnite? At the end of the event there was a huge volcanic explosion that sent lava and rocks over the island. They came crashing down on Tilted Towers and half of Retail Row, creating epic destruction.

Tilted Towers, once the marquee spot to land and engage in close quarters battle, is no more.

Goodbye, Tilted Towers (photo from PoptropicaSecrets.com)

The Eastern half of Retail Row was also devastated by the lava and volcanic rocks.

Retail Row won’t be selling very much for a while.

A huge crater landed where most of the shops once stood. Most of the residences survived the volcano’s wrath.

I Started Playing Fortnite

I gave into peer pressure and started playing Fortnite after wondering whether I should.

My first season playing is the current one, Season 8. It’s got pirates, ninjas, and everything really. Even a weird banana suit guy.

I almost skipped playing Fortnite entirely and nearly played Apex Legends instead. Most of my friends have left Fortnite for that game because it’s less focused on building. I like Fortnite’s quirkiness though. And I play most games on my iPad. Fortnite is there. Apex is not.

I am still getting used to the game and staying really far away from Tilted Towers until I get good enough to fight in battles there. Maybe before Season 9!

One of the top things to do in Fortnite is change your outfit. You have to wear the same outfit or skin during the entire battle, but you can change outfits when you’re in the Lobby. Many outfits have to be purchased with VBucks, the in-game currency. Some outfits are earned by Battle Pass players as they gain levels. The banana guy above is a good example. I think outfits or skins in Fortnite play as big of a role as skins in Minecraft.

 

Should I Play Fortnite?

Fortnite is the one game that I have avoided playing despite everyone around me becoming obsessed with it. Should I start playing? I have resisted for so long that I feel like playing now would be like giving in.

Most of my friends have been playing for almost the entire year. I have watched a few Fortnite YouTube Channels, so I know the basics and could probably pick it up easily. But I don’t want another game that will eat up too much time or cost me too much money.

What do you think? Should I play it or not?

6 Things Your Mom Should Have Taught You About Minecraft Skins

Curious about a new look in Minecraft? You should try out some new Minecraft Skins. Skins refer to the textures that are placed onto a player or mob model.

Skins are divided into areas that act as the surface area of the character (for example, the front head area, left leg area, etc.). A skin will only allow solid color; transparency is not allowed on the skin file except on the second layer, which is usually transparent by default; playing offline, pixels can be left free resulting in “holes” in the skin. If a skin with transparent pixels on the first layer is usually uploaded, the transparent pixels will render as black pixels in-game. The second layer can be used to give the character glasses, hats, or other accessories (even a bigger head).

Skins aren’t just for the player models. A skin can also refer to other textures in the game, such as block textures, item sprites, mob skins, etc .

It is well worth noting that zombie and zombie pigmen mobs can use typical player skins (and vice-versa). Skeleton mobs can use typical player skins as well, but keep in mind that they have their skinny arms and legs. (If a skeleton mob skin can be used as a player’s skin, their legs and arms will not be skinny. )

In order to use the player skin for zombies and zombie pigmen you must align it to the correct place on the .png or the texture will be broken.

Changing / installing player skins

It’s easy to change your Minecraft skin to something fun and creative.

 

Java Edition

This is carried out on the Profile page by uploading a valid. png image file (note:. jpg files will be accepted), which will then replace the default skin.

Skins also have the option of having 3 or 4-pixel wide arms, which can be changed on the profile page as well.

The steve. png and alex. png files in Minecraft. jar can also be changed and replaced via a resource pack, but the effects will only be visible to players using the resource pack, and will affect all players with the default skin.

Console Edition

There are currently 16 default skin types ( with the exception of the skin packs), 8 of which derive from the Steve model and the other 8 based on the Alex model, wearing different outfits and skin colors. The skins are available to be chosen in the ‘Change Skin’ area of Help & Options. The Console Edition allows transparent skins, because the player cannot create their own skins. This prevents issues with completely transparent skin users “haunting” other players.

Bedrock Edition

Since Pocket Edition Alpha 0.11.0, Players can choose one of the two default skins either Steve or Alex, and can apply their own custom skin. (Uses the same format as the Java edition). The player must select a valid skin image from their photo library, and will then be prompted to choose between the two main models. Players can also buy skin packs which cost $0. 99 USD each. Those skin packs are as follows: FestiveMashup2016 skin pack, Campfire Tales, the Minecon skin pack, Villains, Biome Settlers Pack 2, Story Mode Skin Pack, Redstone Specialists, Journey To The West, Holiday Skin Pack 2015, Biome Settlers Pack 1, Halloween Costumes, City Folk, and Town Folk.

Skin packs

Skin Packs are available in the Console Edition and in the Bedrock Edition as downloadable content. Skin Packs add additional skins that players may choose from along with the 16 default skins (2 in Bedrock Edition) packaged with the game. They often feature characters from other video games, alongside original designs.

Creating a skin

Many players want to have a new look, something which describes them. While you can usually search the Internet for a previously made skin, many players prefer to create their own.

A custom skin is a great way to personalize your player model and can be done either by using a variety of community-made skin editors, or by editing the “steve. png” file manually with an image editor like Photoshop, GIMP, Paint. net or comparable image editors. When editing the “steve. png” file manually, make sure to keep the original image dimensions and make the background of the skin (the unused pixels) completely transparent. Normally, Minecraft may fail to recognize the skin as intended.

Alternatively, some people find it easier to use a program, either downloadable or in-browser, which will allow them to have a live view of their character on a three dimensional model as they are editing the skin. For example, a program called Skincraft will further aid players by providing them with a wide variety of pre-made selections ( such as hats, shoes, sweaters, etc . ), to give the skin creator exactly what they want, even if the creator has little to no artistic skill.

After generating a custom skin, either by using a skin editor or by editing the “steve. png” file directly, one will still need to upload the. png file at the Profile page on Minecraft. net before the skin is applied. Once completed, start up Minecraft and enjoy your new skin! Other players in multiplayer will also be able to observe your skin. Note that you will not be able to see your custom skin if you are not logged in or if playing offline.

Notice: the 1 8 templates can be used for pre-1.8 skins on the skin server. Only the top half of the image can be used, e. g. not the individual arms and legs on the bottom, and no overlay on any layer except the head. If the skins is usually in resource pack for 1.7, you must use the old system exactly.

Minecraft Parkour Maps

Parkour is a kind of sport in Minecraft. Parkour is frequently used in user-created Minecraft maps, often provided on servers in a variety of contests. The goal of parkour will be to jump to the end of the parkour path and complete the (challenging) map.

New maps for Parkour in Minecraft can be easily obtained on plenty of fan sites. There’s also usually a thorough description of each and every map.

Stay safe by visiting proven sites with a large audience, where the chance of the virus files existence of is minimal.

There are lots of maps of various levels of intricacy although Parkour in Minecraft is not really quite popular, and players compete among themselves who’ll pass the map. There are maps on which you can set a different amount of problem, as well as on other maps, there are several courses from the simplest ones to the ones that are toughest.

Along with various levels of difficulty, the subjects of parkour maps are totally distinct. There are, of course, degrees and having a design that is simple. Walkthroughs of some maps can be found on YouTube if you have some issues.

Main Things In Minecraft Parkour Maps

Reception. A reception is a room at which player appears to a map on the very first visit. In the anteroom, there are normally a number of tables that indicate the card’s creator and his contacts, map rules as well as in some cases desirable images settings. Sometimes in an anteroom are chests with food, weapons and some other things necessary for fulfilling the map.

Soaring blocks. Together, you need certainly to get to your target.

Slime and water blocks. Your autumn, water dampens, and lava, on the contrary, kills you. A slime block is used for consuming damage from falling as well as for high jumps.

Sand of souls. A player slows. In the event you place ice under the sand of souls, a player will probably be all the more slowed down.

Cactus. You have to jump tops quickly, since -second, 1 life point is lost. They may also be utilized in a blend with strong water flows.

Checkpoints. They are usually symbolized as water blocked by way of a piston: when this type of mechanism is jumped on by a player, it activates the lever and also the water pours down. Additionally a checkpoint could be signified in the kind of a command block that places player’s renaissance point at certain coordinates.

Final room. This isn’t present on all maps. After completing the map, this room player enters. Generally, you can discover a reward here, unless the map creator was mean and petty. 🙂

How exactly to Finish a Parkour Map in Minecraft

To complete a parkour map you must overcome most of the obstacles in your path. To do this you have to train yourself to jump farther and faster. Some professionals and parkour maps play on speed.

Start playing parkour maps that are light and after a while, you will be able to complete ones that are more challenging. We recommend that you to download a map where are several routes with different complexity are represented at a one time.

Best of luck in playing parkour Minecraft maps and remembers to download maps just from sources that are reputable!

Minecraft Adventure Maps

A very popular style of Minecraft Map is the always-exciting Minecraft Adventure Map.

Cue the Indiana Jones music and get ready for some adventure!

Adventure maps provide one with encounters which can be more about fighting, researching and finding out new things. They can be more about puzzles, traps and secrets which you must know about before starting the game.

Moreover, you have to set and follow rules and particular settings about the game so that you can ensure you don’t break any rules when you start playing.

But, the great news about that map is the fact that a few of them are made to support multiplayers. Minecraft experience maps will get your needs taken good care of should you prefer company while playing.

Wanna Make Your Own? Here are Some Tips for Minecraft Adventure Maps

You should do the following should you want to create a successful and good map.

• Ensure that it stays interesting by being creative since folks are interested by initial, creative new gameplay features boss fights among others, such as for example monsters.
• Have a couple of people test it for you since the slightest mistake can screw up the complete map.
• To get more downloads; ensure that the map comes with an attractive landscape and that the builds as well as the terraforming look amazing.
• Customize your map with the addition of more custom sounds, particles and special skills.
• Make a plausible start for example by explaining why you set out on this save -the-world adventure. Furthermore, make sure that there is a well thought out ending that doesn’t sound overly cliché.

You can find all kinds of themed Adventure Maps for Minecraft, like this rendition of Rivendell from The Hobbit.

How you can Play Minecraft Adventure Maps

Would you learn how to play these games? Well, it’s easy! In case you are using an android device for example, you need to follow these steps;

First download and install a file manager that supports archive files. This file manager will enable you to extract map files and copy them to your Minecraft folder after.

Next, download the map file and ensure that it’s for Minecraft PE and not for the computer version. Furthermore, make sure that the map you’ve downloaded matches the PE variant you have.

Try to find the download folder in your file manager app and open it.

This will definitely show the information of the zip enabling one to see a folder with a name of the map you downloaded.

From the menu, select copy. This option will copy the folder letting you paste it anywhere you favor.

In the same location you found the download folder, navigate the games folder on your own base directory.

Next, press and hold a clean spot and then select paste option to paste the newest map folder onto the minecraftsworlds folder.

Now you have a game that is new. This map will be recorded on your saved games. Open it, play and take pleasure in the game!

 

The Ultimate Guide to Minecraft Maps

Minecraft maps are custom created worlds that players create and save within the Minecraft game. They entail a quest to move from one point to some other, following certain constraints.

Consequently, the maps can be anything ranging from a great role playing expedition that immerses a player into a great storyline to a fascinating puzzle map that puts to the test your problem solving abilities.

NON-SEQUITIR ALERT – OK, this has nothing to do with Minecraft Maps but I thought it was weird enough to mention here. You know how in Minecraft you can have a parrot and feed it a chocolate chip cookie? Well, the good people at NPR were worried that people would start feeding parrots chocolate chip cookies in real life, so they talked about it on the Weekend Edition.

The maps merely present endless possibilities, the only real limitation likely being your imagination. Surprisingly, everyone can create worlds that are amazingly unique with Minecraft; below is a detailed guide how to install Minecraft and create exceptional custom maps that are outstanding.

Minecraft maps are custom created worlds which can be saved within Minecraft games. They will have never-ending possibilities giving you a chance to try out various tasks that range from playing with adventure, to resolution puzzle maps that test your problem solving abilities among other tasks.

As it pertains to these maps, the only limiting factor can be your personal imagination – you can create your own Minecraft world within these maps and share with everyone. Do you want to learn the best way to play these games? If you’re the daring kind, then you certainly may want to attempt several types of different maps that you can play in Minecraft. Let’s learn!

The Minecraft Desktop edition is Java-based, and also you may play on any Windows, Mac, Linux or Windows machine provided you’ve software and installed appropriate hardware.

This game is sophisticated, while Minecraft appears to be straightforward, beneath the surface. The procedural creation of the game and in-game physics requires beefy hardware. Consequently, the edition has a long demo that its designers highly recommend taking advantage of shopping for if your computer has everything it takes to love Minecraft experience, to establish.

Start by enrolling in an account cost-free and either play the demon or go directly to buying a copy of the sport. Signing up is fairly simple; you simply supply a valid email address and a password(which you create). A verification e-mail from the developer prompts one to verify your email address. On clicking on the confirmation link, it takes one to the next stage of the sign-up process: buying the game and setting up a username.

Let’s Make Our Own Minecraft Maps!

Create the landscape; there are several ways to creating a superb scene. You can create them in-game using Creative Mode, but there are also some great and easy-to-use tools for making maps that you can download. Here are some of the editors out there:

• World Edit
• Voxel Sniper
• Buildawall
• MC Edit
• Craft Master

Minecraft PC/Desktop Edition is the most versatile and clearly provides the most bang-for-cash particularly if you consider the many multiplayer servers. This version, additionally, allows you to alter the whole game using distinct mod packs entirely.

Use the preceding process that is comprehensive create and to install Minecraft maps. While assembling the maps; avoid setting or rushing deadlines that are too tight, because doing so affects, adversely, the caliber of the results, take your time and effort.