Blackjack -- or vingt-et-un as they say in France -- is far and away the most popular casino game on the World Wide Web. So let's look at some of the Net's hottest blackjack sites starting with free resources that will help make you a better player and ending up at the table for big time, real money wagers.

Got a blackjack question that's crying for an answer? Then point your Web browser to BJ21 (www.bj21.com), the home site of blackjack author and strategist Stanford Wong. There's nothing fancy about Stanford's Web site but what makes it special is that it's the online meeting place for blackjack players all around the globe. Saunter in to BJ21's message forum and join lively and intelligent blackjack discussion or get an answer to just about any blackjack question you can think of.

For example, when MathDope asks, "Can someone tell me the % disadvantage I have when using basic strategy with 8 decks, double on 9, 10, 11 only, double after split, no surrender, dealer sits on soft 17 and I can only take one card after splitting aces?" Bootlegger, Cyrus and more than a dozen other BJ21 regulars promptly reply with knowledgeable answers. Even blackjack luminaries like Henry Tamburin and Arnold Snyder have been known to join the fray.

Speaking of Arnold Snyder, I recommend that you pay his site, Blackjack Forum (www.rge21.com), a visit. Blackjack Forum offers a variety of free services for blackjack players at any skill level including a library of articles, a message board and links to other useful sites. There's also an online catalog of books, software and other products.

Did someone say, "hit me?" Okay, I'll deal out one more hot blackjack resource: BJ Math (www.bjmath.com). As the name suggests, this one's for the serious -- and I mean serious -- blackjack player. At BJ Math you'll find statistical formulas and academic papers with titles like "Algorithms for Computations of Blackjack Strategies" and "The Evaluation of Blackjack Games Using a Combined Expectation and Risk Measure." Not particularly exciting, but useful all the same. I recommend it.

So you think you're a pretty good blackjack player, do you? Then why not put your skills to the test? Click through to BJ Champ (www.bjchamp.net) and join their open tournament. There's no entry fee, just register and play. Each week the top winner gets six hundred bucks cash. Second and third places get prize money, too.

At BJ Champ you can play straight-up against the dealer, join a public table or set up a private table with a couple of your friends. It's a great place to meet other players and put your basic strategy skills to the test, with no risk to your wallet. I can't resist a friendly competition and play there regularly. If you see "flipper" at the table -- that's me -- say hi.

Virtual Vegas (www.virtualvegas.com) also serves up a pretty good free game. Here you play for tokens you can redeem for prizes like a Tony Bennet CD or a gift certificate at Victoria's Secret. They even have a game that teaches a basic card counting system, plus free slots, craps, roulette and video poker. To get the most out of the Virtual Vegas experience, it helps to have a high-speed Internet connection.

Time for some real action: High stakes blackjack at a shiny, new Internet casino.

If you haven't tried it yet, I should tell you that playing blackjack online is a little different from playing at Caesar's or Bellagio. First of all, no matter how many decks are used, nearly all online casinos shuffle after each hand. This prevents the kind of guys who frequent BJ Math from keeping track of the cards and gaining an edge on the house. It also means that basic strategy will serve you well. One popular casino, InterCasino (www.intercasino.com), sends a basic strategy chart along with their free CD and encourages you to use it as a crutch.

I've played blackjack at dozens of Internet casinos and, for my money, multi-player blackjack is where it's at. Multi-player simply means that, instead of playing alone against a computer, you sit at a virtual table with other players, much like at a hotel casino except no one's blowing smoke in your face or complaining when you make a bold but mathematically correct move. You can watch how other players at your table play their hands and you can "chat" by typing messages on your keyboard.

The Sands of the Caribbean (www.thesands.com) has one of the best multi-player games on the Net. The game is fast and the players friendly. More importantly, The Sands is an established casino with a good reputation so you don't have to worry whether or not you'll ever see your winnings. They also offer good sign-up bonuses and excellent comps.

Not to be outdone, USA Casino (www.usacasino.com) recently released their new multi-player blackjack game and it's absolutely sensational. Even if you don't want to wager real money, I suggest you download the casino and play for fun in practice mode just to see the state of the art.

When you register at USA Casino you choose an on-screen character then take a seat at the table of your choice. If you're a high-roller you can step inside the VIP room and wager up to $1000 a hand. Pretty heavy money.

For more information on online blackjack visit our Blackjack Resource Center.