Onlineblackjackguide.com Online Blackjack Guide: Strategy and Casino Ranking

Overall Score: 77/90 Visit: Sands of the Caribbean

Summary: Sands of the Caribbean is one of the safest, most respected online casinos using Cryptolgic software. Cryptologic is a public company traded on the Toronto stock exchange. The casino verifies payouts with PriceWaterHouse Coopers big 5 accounting firm.

Accreditation: 9/10 Based in Willemstad, Curacao, Peak Entertainment, NV (www.PeakEntertainment.com) currently owns and operates five online casino properties and a player-to-player poker room under multiple gaming licenses from the government of Curacao.

House Edge: 8/10 The house edge is calculated at 0.49% for blackjack. Not bad considering the bonus money. If you are able to get VIP status, you will be able to play a version with one deck with a slight player edge. I have not been able to play this game yet. I heard that the table minimum is $50 at the one deck game.

Payment History: 8/10 Very reliable payouts. They use ECash Direct, and you have to wait for a pin to be mailed to you before you can process your first cashout. It took 16 business days for me to get my first cashout. After I received the pin, my next cashout only took 2 days.

Bonuses/Comps: 9/10 The bonus is 100% up to $50! Wager requirements are 25x's. Blackjack games count towards the wager requirements on as half. So the Blackjack WR are 50x's the bonus. They also give a $100 match every month on the first when you have wagered $6000 the month before.

Software/Graphics: 9/10 Sands of the Caribbean is powered by Cryptologic Software. The software is first rate with flash and download versions available. The flash version is a no frills program..

Customer Support: 9/10 Great support. 24/7 phone, and email support. No live chat feature yet. Operators are very friendly and helpful.

Blackjack Rules/Variations: 8/10 Sands of the Caribbean has a few versions of blackjack available. The download and flash rules are the same. For one deck rules (if you qualify and want to bet $50 a hand) ask me in the Forum Here are the rules.

Five deck Blackjack Rules: House edge calculated at 0.49%

8 decks

American Peak rules: dealer checks for blackjack

Dealer stays on soft 17

May double after splitting

One card after split aces

One split per hand

Double any first 2 cards

No surrender

Banking: 9/10 Uses ECash Direct for all payments and transactions. Very reliable, but you have to wait for your pin to be mailed to you via snail mail. Accepts Neteller, Firepay, credit cards, although my credit cards were not accepted..

My Rating: 8/10 Sands of the Caribbean is a safe casino to play. The generous bonus (don't forget to take advantage of the free $25 via Neteller) makes this a must play casino. Founded in 1997, they have been in the business for a long time for a reason.