How to win at Blackjack
Blackjack is the most popular table game in the casino and for
a very good reason, it can be beaten! If this is true, why would
the casinos keep a game that can lose them money? In short,
because beating blackjack takes dedication and self discipline,
and 95% of the people that play blackjack have neither, so they
never learn how to win at blackjack, or if they do, they never
use that knowledge. Don't be like the rest, beat the dealer!
Blackjack Variations
Blackjack can be played with one, two, four, six or eight decks
of cards. In the single and double deck blackjack instructions,
the dealer holds the cards and deals them out, while multi-deck
instructions state that the cards are dealt out of a tray like
box that is called a shoe and the players may not touch them.
Some casinos are starting to look at continuous shufflers that
are a shoe that shuffle as well as hold the cards.
Blackjack Systems
There are many blackjack and card-counting systems available
on the Internet. Generally, the more difficult the systems are,
the more effective they are. What about simpler systems for
the individual spending a week in Vegas or the casual bettor,
who doesn't want to spend weeks and months memorizing counting
systems, but just wants to reduce their losses significantly?
Simpler systems do exist, they just aren't very popular with
the professional counting crowd. One of the better systems is
called the ace-five count. The ace is obviously the best card
for the player, and the five is the best card for the dealer
(therefore worst for the player). With this count, the player
needs only to count the ace as -1 and the five as +1. Blackjack
systems like this don't require as much concentration as others
that count every card, leaving the player more time to enjoy
himself, and less likely to lose out in the long run.
Basic Blackjack Strategy
Standard basic blackjack strategy is designed to be used against
the baseline rules of blackjack. With basic strategy, the number
of decks used in a game of blackjack have no bearing on the
situation. Each recommended play does not guarantee that you
will win, but does offer the highest odds of winning with any
particular blackjack hand. Understanding blackjack basic strategy
can make the difference between winning and losing, and blackjack
is the only casino table game where players can employ skill
to affect the outcome of their play against the house.
The foremost important decision a player using blackjack basic
strategy has to make is whether to "hit" (take another
card) or to "stand" (keep the hand you already have)
on their hand. There are a few straight forward basic strategy
rules for both hard and soft hands in blackjack. A "soft"
hand is one that totals thirteen or more, but includes an ace
that is counted as eleven. A hard hand is any hand that does
not contain a "high" ace.
For hard hands in blackjack there are four blackjack basic
strategy rules:
Stand on any hand totaling 17 or higher.
Hit if the player hand totals between 12 and16 and the dealer
has a 7 or higher.
Stand if the player cards total between 12 and 16 and the dealer
has between 2 and 6.
Hit if the player hand is 11 or less.
For soft hands there are only three blackjack basic strategy
rules:
Always draw to soft 17 or less.
Only draw on soft 18 if the dealer has an 8, 9 or 10, otherwise
stand.
Always stand on soft 19 or higher.
Doubling Down
Doubling down is an additional bet that you can place after
receiving your first two cards. When you double down, place
your extra bet next to your original bet and you'll receive
only one more card and that's it. It is the main method by which
a basic strategy player can eliminate the blackjack house edge,
so it is very important to remember when to utilize this option
correctly when using blackjack basic strategy. This is an important
bet to learn well, as it is in these situations that you can
tilt the edge in your favour.
For hard hands, there are three basic strategy rules:
Double down when the player's cards total 11 and the dealer
has a 10 or less.
Double down when the player's cards total 10 and the dealer
has a 9 or less.
Double down when the player's cards total 9 and the dealer
has a 4, 5 or 6.
For soft hands, there are also three basic strategy rules:
Double down with a soft 13 and soft 14 when the dealer has
a 5 or 6.
Double down with a soft 15 and soft 16 when the dealer has
a 4, 5 or 6.
Double down with a soft 17 and soft 18 when the dealer has
between 3 and 6.
Splitting Pairs
There are six easy rules that apply to splitting pairs in basic
strategy:
Always split a pair of aces or 8's.
Never split 4's, 5's or 10's.
Split 2's and 3's only when the dealer has between 4 and 7.
Split 6's when the dealer has between 3 and 6.
Split 7's when the dealer has between 3 and 7.
Split 9's when the dealer has between 2 and 6, 8 or 9.
Memorize these basic strategy rules and you will greatly reduce
your expected losses.
Blackjack Hints
Finally, we offer you a few hints for playing Blackjack both
at physical and online casinos.
1. If you are playing a count strategy, the fewer of players
playing at the table the better. This is because they will get
to play more hands during high counts when their large bets
are out. In order to get even more of an advantage during high
counts, some players play multiple hands when the count is high
and only one when the count is low, thus resulting in a greater
number of hands during favourable conditions.
2. If you are playing using basic strategy, it doesn't matter
which seat you sit at, they will all yield the same advantage
for each player in the long run. This is also true for players
who alter their bet size based on the true count. For players
who alter their playing strategy based on the true count, however,
third base will yield the best advantage
3. For players who are playing a count strategy, the deeper
the dealer places the cut card into the deck(s) to indicate
a shuffle, the better it is for them. This is because the true
count tends to vary more wildly as the number of undealt cards
diminishes, thus offering the players more favorable playing
opportunities. For players who play strictly basic strategy,
this will have no effect on their advantage.
4. if you are not counting cards, it is never a good idea to
make an insurance bet. Many people automatically make an insurance
bet if they have a blackjack or perhaps other very good hands.
Basically, you should only make an insurance bet if you know
that more than 1/3 of the remaining cards are 10-valued cards.
Many counting systems have a specific true count value that
would indicate when it is beneficial to make an insurance bet.
5. You get more of a benefit from altering your playing strategy
based on the true count for single and double deck games than
you would for changing it for multi-deck games.
Good Luck, and remember to enjoy yourself - after all, that's
the whole reason you're playing the games, isn't it?
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