Winning Blackjack
Tips, tricks and strategies to winning Blackjack
1.0: BLACKJACK - THE GAME
1.1: About Blackjack
Also known as "21", Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in existence today. Blackjack's popularity is the direct result of the game's basic character. It is easy to learn, offers the player unusually high odds of winning, takes only seconds to play - and is fun ! And unlike many other casino games, such as slot machines, Roulette and Craps, Blackjack offers the player a chance to affect his or her outcome. So when the money is counted at the end of a session, the players with the best knowledge and skills will normally claim the biggest winnings.Of course, there are just about as many theories on how to prosper at Blackjack as there are winning players. The bottom line is that your odds of winning or losing are virtually even; it's what you do after you receive the first two cards, and how you've prepared for making that decision, that will determine your destiny. Sophisticated card counting techniques can help to improve your odds of success, just as adding a 7th or 8th deck will create a slight advantage for the House. In the end, it's the skill with which you put all of these factors together that will decide who foots the bill for your evening's entertainment at the Blackjack table!
Beginners are usually better off playing the "shoe" games where 6 or 8 decks are used. The advantage for beginners in this game is that all of the player's cards are dealt face-up in front of each player, and the dealer can help with playing questions and decisions. Notice: Once you become proficient at the game, you might want to switch to a game with fewer decks. The casino's advantage is lower with fewer decks in play.
1.2: How To Play Blackjack
In Blackjack, every player is competing with the House, which is represented at the table by the Dealer. Each individual player's objective is to win money by beating the Dealer's hand. The Dealer has particular rules he must follow and which, in course, will affect whether he or the player has an advantage towards winning the game.As the alternate name for this game implies, the magic number in Blackjack is 21: that is the point count that each player - including the Dealer - will try to reach without going over. Points are calculated by adding up the value of the cards you are dealt: each number card has a point score equal to its value, while face cards count as 10. Aces may be counted as either 1 or 11 at the player's discretion. Suit does not matter. A 10 or face card plus an Ace produces the best hand of all, which is called a Blackjack. If the player and the Dealer tie ("push"). it's a stand and no one wins.
If you have any questions, just ask the dealer. Part of his job is to help players learn the game.
1.3: Procedure
The procedure for playing a game of Blackjack is:
* Each players places a bet.
* Dealer than gives 2 cards to everyone at the table. The player's cards are faced up; but one of the dealer's cards is always down.
* One by one, the players will have an opportunity to improve their hand, by making plays and by taking additional cards. Each player's turn ends when they get a Blackjack, stop making plays (when they "stand") or go over 21 ("bust").
* The Dealer plays out his hand. Any remaining players whose hands beat the dealers, or who remain in the game when the Dealer busts, are paid even money.
Play continues in this fashion indefinitely.
The types of play which are allowed during the course of the hands are determined by the House Rules of the establishment.
1.4: Knowing How To Play Isn't Enough
There is a huge distinction between knowing how to play and knowing how to win. Casinos want you to know how to play the games and they will even teach you how to play BUT they will not help you win it.Learning the basic games and basic strategy for all the player options is essential, but it simply not enough for a good player. Without at least a rudimentary knowledge of tracking cards, the player's skill is seriously compromised.
Equally important, some attention must be given to the player's discipline at the tables. Without the discipline to quit winners, to play at the right time, and to look for the best opportunities, all other strategies become virtually useless. Now you have the opportunity to improve your Blackjack skills in -Gambling Edge Blackjack the winning approach.
2.0: BASICS OF BLACKJACK
2.1: Object Of The Game
The basic object of the game is for the player to have a hand that totals "21" or is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand. Other players at the table are of no concern. Your hand is strictly played out against the hand of the dealer. The rules of play for the dealer are strictly dictated, leaving no decisions up to the dealer. Therefore, there is not a problem with the dealer or any of the other players at the table seeing the cards in your hand. Indeed, if you're playing at a shoe game, the player cards are all dealt face up. In any event, when you're just learning to play, don't hesitate to show the dealer or other players your cards and ask questions.
2.2: Values Of The Cards
In blackjack, the cards are valued as follows:
* An Ace can count as either 1 or 11, whichever is better to make or approach 21
* The cards from 2 through 9 are valued as indicated.
* The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10.
The four suits of the cards have no significance in blackjack; only the number value is used and the value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. For example, a hand containing a 5-value card and a king count as 15; two kings count as 20.
The Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11. You need not specify which value the Ace has. It's assumed to always have the value that makes the best hand. An example will illustrate: Suppose that you have the beginning hand (Ace, 6). This hand can be either 7 or 17. If you stop there, it will be 17. Let's assume that you draw another card to the hand and now have (Ace, 6, 3). Your total hand is now 20, counting the Ace as 11. Let's backtrack and assume that you had instead drawn a third card which was an 8. The hand is now (Ace, 6, 8) which totals 15. Notice that now the Ace must be counted as only 1 to avoid going over 21.
A hand that contains an Ace is called a "soft" total if the Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11 without the total going over 21. For example (Ace, 6) is a soft 17. The description stems from the fact that the player can always draw another card to a soft total with no danger of "busting" by going over 21. The hand (Ace,6,10) on the other hand is a "hard" 17, since now the Ace must be counted as only 1, again because counting it as 11 would make the hand go over 21.
2.3: Running The Game
Satisfied that all the bets have been made, the dealer will deal the cards to the players. He'll make two passes around the table starting with the player at his far left and proceeding in turn to the player as his far right; so that the players and the dealer have two cards each. The dealer will flip one of his cards over and is seen by all the players. This card is known as the upcard and its value is importance in the determination of what strategy should be used in playing out the player's hand.If the player is not satisfied with the first two cards, he may ask for an additional card, or as many as he likes until he "stands" (is finished). If the player takes too many cards and exceed 21, it's an automatic "bust," and the player immediately loses. In this case, when you bust, the dealer will remove your cards and the wager for you.
When all the players at the table have acted on their hand, the dealer turns over the card dealt face-down (hole-card) and stands only if the total is 17 or more. The dealer is required to draw cards until the hands total at least 17 or more. If the dealer "busts" in the process, all the players who did not "bust" themselves are automatic and immediate winners.
If however, the dealer does not bust and has a hand that totals betwen 17 and 21, the hand is compared to the player's hand to see which is closer to 21. Whichever is closer, wins. If both the player and the dealer have the same total, it's called a "push" ( a tie) and there is no decision on the bet.
2.4: The Dealer's Actions
The dealer must play his hand in a specific way, with no discretions allowed. There are two popular rule variations that determine what totals the dealer must draw to. In any given casino, you can tell which rule is in effect by looking at the blackjack tabletop. It should be clearly labeled with one of these rules:
* "Dealer stands on all 17s": This is the most common rule. In this case, the dealer must continue to take cards ("hit") until his total is 17 or greater. An Ace in the dealer's hand is always counted as 11 if possible without the dealer going over 21. For example, (Ace,9) would be 20 and the dealer would stop drawing cards ("stand"). Also, (Ace,6) is 17 and again the dealer will stand. (Ace,5) is only 16, so the dealer would hit. He will continue to draw cards until the hand's value is 17 or more. For example, (Ace,5,9) is only 15 so he hits again. (Ace,5,7,6) makes 19 so he would stop ("stand") at that point.
* "Dealer hits soft 17": Some casinos use this rule variation instead. This rule is identical except for what happens when the dealer has a soft total of 17. Hands such as (6, Ace), (Ace,Ace, 5), and (Ace, 4, 2) are all examples of soft 17. The dealer hits these hands, and stands on soft 18 or higher, or hard 17 or higher. When this rule is used, the house advantage against the players is slightly increased.
Again, the dealer has no discretions to make in the play of his hand. He cannot split pairs, but must instead simply hit until he reaches at least 17 or busts by going over 21.
2.5: What Is A Blackjack, Or A Natural?
All bets that win are paid at 1 to 1 odds, "even money." If you bet $5, you win $5, and so on. However, if the player's first two cards are a 10-value card and an ace, it's called a "Blackjack" and is paid 3 to 2 odds. You will receive $15 to your $10 bet. The 10-value card does not need to be a picture-card. If the dealer receives a Blackjack on the first two cards, the player loses at even money ( only the amount of their wager) unless the player also has a Blackjack, in which case it is a push.A blackjack, or natural, is a total of 21 in your first two cards. A blackjack is therefore an Ace and any ten-valued card, with the additional requirement that these be your first two cards. If you split a pair of Aces for example, and then draw a ten-valued card on one of the Aces, this is not a blackjack, but rather a total of 21. The distinction is important, because a winning blackjack pays the player odds of 3 to 2. A bet of $10 wins $15 if the player makes a blackjack. A player blackjack beats any dealer total other than a dealer's blackjack, including a dealer's regular 21. If both a player and the dealer make blackjack, the hand is a tie or push.
3.0: THE PLAYER's OPTIONS
3.1: Surrender
If you don't like your first two cards, you "surrender" the hand and lose only one-half of your bet. To enforce surrender, simply state "surrender" to the dealer who will remove half your bet and you are out of the woods. So long as the dealer does not have a blackjack you are allowed to surrender. If you have a 15 or 16, against the dealer's 10, it is generally recommended that you exercise the surrender option.Surrender offers you as a player the choice to fold your hand, at the cost of half of the original bet. You must make that decision prior to taking any other action on the hand. For example, once you draw a third card, or split, or double down, surrender is no longer an option.
3.2: Hit Or Stand Motions
The most common decision a player must make during the game is whether to draw another card to the hand ("hit"), or stop at the current total ("stand"):
*Hitting* - If you are not satisfied with your hands, you may draw one or more cards as long as you don't bust, or go over 21. To call for a hit, either point at your cards or make a beckoning motion with your fingers. When the hit card breaks your hand (ie you go over 21), the dealer will scoop up your bet, and remove your cards from the table immediately, as you have lost, even if the dealer subsequently busts.
*Standing* -The player always has the option of standing, even with the first two cards. In Atlantic City casinos as well as in many others, you must give a hand rather than a verbal signal. When you decide to stand, just wave your hand in a horizontal motion over your cards. The dealer will then move to the next player.
3.3: Doubling Down
Among the more profitable player options available is the choice to "double down" on your first two cards by making an additional bet up to the amount of your original wager and receive only one card from the dealer. You will only get one hit.Obviously a good doubling opportunity is when you have a hand-total of 10 or 11 and the dealer's up-card is 6 or less. In this case, you have a good chance of winning the hand by drawing one additional card, so you might as well increase your bet in this ideal situation.
Some casinos limit double down to only 10 or 11. Still others will allow double down on any two cards, and that is a big advantage to the player.
Players are allowed to double down for any amount up to the original bet amount, so you could double down "for less" if you wanted. Just remember that you do give up something for being allowed to increase your bet: the ability to draw more than one additional card. If the correct play is to double down, you should always double for the full amount if possible.
The question of when it is appropriate to double down is easily answered by using the Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart below.
3.4: Splitting
Another important option for the player is to "split" a matching pair of cards in your original hand, such as a pair of 8's. An identical pair of 8's or sixteen is the worst possible player hand, since it is unlikely to win as is, but is very likely to bust if you draw to it. Here's a great chance to improve a bad situation. Let's say you draw a 3 on the first 8, for a total of 11. Many casinos will allow you to double down on that hand total of 11 at this point. When this is allowed, the rule is called "Double after Split". Regardless, you can play the first hand to completion, at which point the dealer will deal a second card to the second hand, and you can begin making play decisions on it.If you get additional pairs (in the first two cards of a hand), most casinos will allow you to resplit, making yet another hand. The most common rule allows a player to split up to 3 times, making 4 separate hands, with 4 separate bets. If double after split is allowed, you could have up to 8 times your initial bet on the table if you chose! Some casinos restrict resplitting, and some allow unlimited splitting. Another fine point is that you are allowed to split any 10-valued cards, so you could split a (Jack, Queen) hand. However, this is usually a bad play: Keep the 20.
Splitting Aces - Aces in particular receive special treatment when they are split. Only a single card is allowed on each one; the hands cannot be hit or doubled. If a ten is drawn, the hand is not considered a blackjack, but just an ordinary 21, and therefore does not collect 3:2 odds.. Regardless, splitting aces is still a strong player advantage. Always do it. Some casinos allow resplitting Aces if you draw another, while many do not allow resplitting Aces.
When this splitting option is available, the player does not just automatically do it! The decision to split or not to split your pair depends on whether or not it will be an advantage to you. Our Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart provides details of each possible pair combinations in comparison to the dealer's up-card and make the decisions for you. Two important rules you must bear in mind. Never, never split 10-value cards, such as two-face cards, and never split 5's. Always split aces and 8's. Splitting 10-value cards is an example of greed. You are throwing away en excellent hand! Players who split a 20 should have their head examined.
3.5: Insurance And Even Money
Insurance is perhaps the least understood of all the commonly available rules for Blackjack. Ordinarily insurance is a bad bet. The player receives only 2 to 1 on a 9 to 4 proposition. Yet sometimes, it can be quite beneficial once you know what buying insurance really means. The only time you can buy insurance is when the dealer's upcard is an Ace. In that case the dealer will ask all the players whether they want to buy insurance.If the dealer turns an up-card of an Ace, he will offer "Insurance" to the players. Insurance bets can be made by betting up to half your original bet amount in the insurance betting stripe in front of your bet. The dealer will check to see if he has a 10-value card underneath his Ace, and if he does have Blackjack, your winning Insurance bet will be paid at odds of 2:1. You'll lose your original bet of course (unless you also have a Blackjack), so the net effect is that you break even (assuming you bet the full half bet for insurance.) This is why the bet is described as "insurance", since it seems to protect your original bet against a dealer blackjack. Of course, if the dealer does not have blackjack, you'll lose the insurance bet, and still have to play the original bet out.
In the simplest description, Insurance is a side-bet, where you are offered 2:1 odds that the dealer has a 10-valued card underneath ("in the hole"). A quick check of the odds yields this: In a single deck game, there are 16 ten-valued cards. Assuming that you don't see any other cards, including your own, the tens compose 16 out of 51 remaining cards after the dealer's Ace was removed. For the insurance bet to be a break-even bet, the hole card would have to be a ten 1 out of 3 times, but 16/51 is only 1 in 3.1875.
The situation is often thought to be different when you have a Blackjack. The dealer is likely to offer you "even money" instead of the insurance bet. This is just the same old insurance bet with a simplification thrown in. Let's ignore the "even money" name, and look at what happens when you insure a Blackjack. Let's say you bet $10, and have a Blackjack. You would normally collect $15 for this, unless the dealer also has a blackjack, in which case you push or tie.
Let's assume that the dealer has an Ace up, and you decide to take insurance for the full amount, or $5. Now, two things can happen:
1) The dealer has a Blackjack. I tie with the $10, but collect 2:1 on the $5 insurance bet for a total profit of $10.
2) The dealer does not have Blackjack. I lose the $5, but collect $15 for my BJ. Total profit, again $10.
In either case, once I make the insurance bet, I'm guaranteed a profit of $10, or even money for my original bet.
So, casinos allow me to eliminate the insurance bet altogether, and simply declare that I want even money for my blackjack when the dealer has an Ace showing.You're probably thinking that sounds like a pretty good deal. You're guaranteed a profit even if the dealer does have Blackjack. Just remember that the guaranteed profit comes at a price. You'll win more money in the long run by holding out for the $15, even though you'll sometimes end up empty-handed. Nonetheless, many players are adamant that they prefer to take even money when offered. Just be aware that you're costing yourself money when you make that choice.
The basic strategy player should simply never take the insurance bet, even the "even money" variety. Card counters on the other hand can often detect situations where more than one-third of the remaining cards are ten-valued, and the bet is then a profitable one. So, unless you know the bet is favorable, just ignore it.
4.0: BLACKJACK BASIC STRATEGY
4.1: Stiff And Pat Hands
It should be remembered that a hard hand is one that does not contain an Ace - or if it does, the total is such that the Ace must be counted as 1 (counting it 11 would give a total higher than 21).If your cards total 17, 18, 19, or 20, it is a "pat" hand. It is decent. Although 17 and 18 may be good enough to stand on, they certainly won't get all the "goodies" all the time. 19's and 20's and Blackjack's are the real "jewels" you are looking for. A hand of hard 17 or higher, must not be hit. Any chance of improvement is more than than offset by the danger of breaking.
Any hard hand of less than 12 must be hit. It cannot bust. And it cannot win unless the dealer busts. A card should always be drawn to such a hand in an effort to improve it.
Thus the only decisions that present any problem involve hands of 12 through to 16. When they are hit, the danger of busting exists. But if they are not hit, they cannot win unless the dealer busts. Remember, the dealer never stands unless he has a total of at least 17.
Hands that give you 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16, are known as "stiffs." If your hand is 15 or 16, you have got one of the two worst hands possible, and especially tough if the dealer's upcard is a 7 or higher. The rules for hitting a stiff simple:
- a) If the dealer's upcard is high (7, 8, 9, 10, or Ace), a stiff should be hit.
- b) If the dealer's upcard is low (2 through 6), a stiff should not be hit - with this exception - hit 12 if the dealer shows a 2 or 3.
This is the main thrust of basic strategy. The validity of this strategy has been confirmed repeatedly by mathematical calculations . Simple reasoning helps to understand the good sense of the strategy. If the dealer has a 7 or higher card, his chance of busting is relatively small. There is a strong chance that he has a high card in the hole. In this case his hand is already made, and he will not have to draw. We should therefor take the risk of breaking and draw to a stiff, hoping to beat the dealer's hand.
If the dealer holds a 6 or lower card, he will have to draw. The player's chances of winning are better if he lets the dealer hit his probable stiff than if the player hits his own stiff. In other words let the dealer be the first to break.
Judging by what we now understand to be the object of the game, and the basic game rules themselves, it would appear that the biggest casino advantage is the fact that the player has to draw first and thus risk busting first. This simple fact alone accounts for a hefty advantage to the house.
A visual aid to learning the basic strategy is given below.
4.2: Basic Strategy Chart
You Dealer shows have 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 D D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H(X) H 16 S S S S S H H H H(X) H A-2 H H D D D H H H H H A-3 H H D D D H H H H H A-4 H H D D D H H H H H A-5 H H D D D H H H H H A-6 D D D D D H H H H H A-7 S D D D D S S H H S A-8 S S S S S S S S S S A-9 S S S S S S S S S S 2-2 SP SP SP SP SP 3-3 SP SP SP SP SP 4-4 SP 5-5 D D D D D D D D H H 6-6 SP SP SP SP SP SP 7-7 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP 8-8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP 9-9 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP 10-10 A-A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
H - HIT; X - SURRENDER; D - DOUBLE DOWN; S - STAND; SP - SPLIT
5.0: CONCEPT OF WINNING
Blackjack is unique among all the casino games in as much as any player can make decisions that will affect the results of the game. In addition, it is the only game where the outcome of one hand influences the following hands. As cards are removed from play, the odds for the player constantly change, sometimes in his favor, sometimes in favour of the house. The continued dealing from the pack of cards creates a situation whereby the probability of winning or losing is in constant state of flux as the game progresses.
A deck of cards can fluctuate quite a bit in favor of the player or the house. It has been conclusively proven by numerous mathematical studies that the deck is favorable to the players when the ratio of high cards remaining in the deck is greater than the ratio of low cards. The reverse is also true for the dealer who will enjoy the edge if the ratio of low cards remaining in the deck is greater than the high cards.
When the low and high cards are removed in equal proportion, the basic composition of the deck remains the same and neither the house nor the player enjoys any advantage. However, when these cards are removed in unequal proportions, the player's chances of winning change as well.
Using the Point-Count system to be able to determine just when the odds are in our favour and then using them to augment our position is the objective of all winning strategies. The basic theory of beating the casino uses this strategy - bet more when the odds are in our favor and bet less when the casino has the advantage - so that when we win, we win more, and when we lose,we lose less. The net outcome is that we must come ahead, a winner.
Gambling Edge Easycounting - which is simple and easy to uunderstand and yet effective in use - uses the same strategies the card counters use to determine the favorability of the remaining cards.
6.0: BET VARIATION ACCORDING TO COUNTS
We thus, develop three types of situations: first, where the remaining pack of cards is neutral, neither favoring the casino nor the player; second, where the remaining cards favor us; and third, where the remaining unplayed cards favor the house.
In the first situation, when the deck is neutral, our bets will be small and at table minimum, for theoretically, we will come out even in the long run. In the second situation, when we enjoy an advantage, we are going to raise our bets when the deck or decks are favorable and in the third instance, when the house enjoys the edge, we lower our bets or place minimum bets.
Once we have determined favorability, as discussed in Gambling Edge Blackjack, the most important factor in our winning expectation is the difference in our bet spread when we have the edge and when the casino has the edge.
The greater the difference in our bet between our minimum wager, when we are playing at a disadvantage, and our maximum bet, when we have the edge, the larger our advantage over the casino and the more money we should make as a blackjack player.
There are many other considerations involved in your profit objective, but simply, if you play perfect basic strategy which is a must for all players and then apply our Gambling Edge Blackjack with a decent bet spread, you have the expectation of winning and should make money at the game.
Be aware that casinos are wise to this bet spread differential, and if they believe that you're a skillful player and can beat them, they will take countermeasures to stop you from winning. They may either shuffle away good situations effectively robbing you of cards which work in your favor, and in extreme case, they have the right to bar you from playing if they suspect that you are using a card counting technique to improve your odds of winning.
There is no way to get an edge at multiple deck blackjack unless you know card counting. You must have some idea of how to take advantage of the profitable situations created by the removal of certain types of cards that remain to be played in the deck.
7.0: GET THAT WINNING EDGE
To get that winning edge, you must act, think and play like a winner. You must have confidence in yourself before you have confidence in your game. If you want to have that confidence, you must have the knowledge and skills. Basic strategy makes the game about even. It is important you memorise the Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart given above, so that you will know exactly what to do with every conceivable hand and dealer up-card. The instant you see your cards, make your decision right away! Don't guess. Follow basic strategy exactly! There is no reason to ponder.
However, you can go one step further and master a count strategy to identify the fluctuations while they are occuring. Knowing when to increase your bet size when there is an opportunity, and laying back when the opportunity is gone, is the temendous advantage to keep track of the cards.
Good Luck!
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