Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world, and learning the strategy of blackjack is one of the most important ways of beating the dealer and winning at blackjack. Using a blackjack guide in order to learn the best ways to deal with a hand and to help you make intelligent, rational decisions focussed on the potential outcome of a hand instead of personal incentives is vital in order to be a successful player.
Blackjack is a game that has an element of skill and there have been many changes over the years since the game ‘Vingt-et-un’ (21) appeared in French casinos. Rudimentary card counting systems were created in order to beat blackjack and although these are not illegal in casinos they are highly frowned upon and will often result in players being removed from either the blackjack tables or from the casino entirely. Using mathematical models and strategies in order to make money from blackjack is possible, and has been proven throughout history, with the story of the small group of students who became known as the MIT blackjack team. However, card counting isn’t the only way to nearly always win at blackjack. Adopting strategies and knowing when to hit, stand, double down and splitting a pair in order to minimise any damage caused by being dealt a bad hand or simply in order to beat the dealer and win at blackjack.
Learning basic strategy is the first step to becoming a successful blackjack player. Basic strategy is the mathematically correct way to play in order to maximise your winnings while minimizing your losses. Knowing the optimal way of dealing with a hand that you have been dealt is important. After you receive your initial two cards, there is a relatively short amount of time before you have to make the decision on how to play your hand, particularly if there are only a few players on the table. Knowing the dealer’s rules is also important. In most casinos, the dealer must draw if the hand totals less than 17 and stand when the total is 17 to 21.
There are various rules that you should follow in order to get the best chances of winning. Making the right decisions about when to stand, hit, split and double down is extremely important. You should stand on 13 vs dealer’s upcard of 2, 3, a 12 vs dealer’s upcard of 4, 5, 6 and on a 17 vs dealer’s upcard of 7 or more.
Doubling down is when the player doubles their bet on the first two cards and gets just one more card back. Doubling a bet will double the reward if you win, but it is important to know when to double down in order to maximise your chances of winning. You should double down on 11 verses dealer’s 10 or less and double down on 10 verses dealer’s 9 or less.
It is also important to split two 8s and split two Aces. Two 8’s totals 16, which more often than not is not going to win you the hand. Splitting and hitting gives you better odds of reaching 17 or more making you more likely to win at blackjack. Splitting Aces is also good sense, as with two aces in a hand, you’ll either bust or end up with a total of two.
Learning the basics when it comes to blackjack is important, but practice is vital in order to improve your knowledge to give you the best chances of winning. Skill plays a big part in how much and how often you win, so adopting skilful strategies and knowing how to effectively deal with certain blackjack hands will help you to nearly always win at blackjack.