Casino Blackjack Tips And Strategies

Basic Blackjack Strategy. Blackjack is not a game heavily reliant on skill like Texas Hold’em or most other forms of poker, though there is still some basic strategy every player will do well to learn. Blackjack strategy consists of taking into consideration your hand relative to the dealer’s single face-up card. The first thing to get to grips with is ‘basic strategy’ which is probably the most essential ingredient of blackjack strategy. The basic strategy detailed below is based on blackjack games played with 4 or more decks. Essentially, the basic strategy is a template which shows you the best course of action to take based on the cards dealt. Blackjack is the only card game that offers a 100% RTP when played optimally. This means that if you know what you are a doing and are able to apply some online casino strategy blackjack, it is possible to win every game played, come check out our online casino games guide and find out more about online casino games strategies. Like poker, Blackjack is a game of skill. If you are a new player with little experience adhere to the following tips and tricks for now (Blackjack tips and tricks). As you play on, the reasons behind these rules will become evident to you (Play to Win Blackjack online). 5 Blackjack Tips the Casinos Don’t Want You to Know. Basic strategy is the single most powerful tool in the blackjack player’s arsenal. It is basic strategy more than any other technique or trick that will sway the odds away from the casino and into your own pocket, making you a successful blackjack player. Learning black jack betting strategy takes time and effort.

Most of the time when you’re playing online real money Blackjack at Ignition Casino, you’ll place your bet, the cards will come out, and you’ll either hit or stand - no strategy required. But every once in a while, your hole cards will be so good, you’ll want to double your bet. The blackjack double down (or just “double” for short) strategy is one of the most powerful moves in your arsenal – but with great power comes great responsibility. The strategy of doubling in blackjack for real money should be done with great care, and only when the cards are right.

That’s because you’ll get only one more card when you double down. Then it’s the Dealer’s turn. If that seems risky, don’t worry; our latest installment of online blackjack strategy will show you when it’s appropriate to unleash the double. As always, it depends on which online blackjack game you’re playing at Ignition Casino, as well as your hole cards and what the Dealer’s up-card is. Here’s a closer look at the strategy of doubling.

Why You Should Double Down

It might seem foolish at first to limit yourself to drawing one card and one card only when you’re at the blackjack table. And it usually is. But there are a few situations where the casino odds will be in your favor – and if you’re serious about learning blackjack rules and strategy, you won’t want to pass up these opportunities to double your bet and draw that final card.

The best part of this strategy is that you’re not committed to doubling down in online blackjack before the hand begins. You get to see your hole cards and the Dealer’s up-card first; once you have that information, then you can make the right play. And you’ll almost always want to double in the first example we’ll show you.

Holding a Hard 10 or 11

Anytime you’re at the blackjack tables and you get dealt a 10 or an 11 that doesn’t contain an 11-point Ace, you’ve got a very good chance of drawing a 10-value card and making either a 20 or a 21. That will usually be the winning hand, too. It’s the best doubling spot you’ll find in any blackjack strategy guide – but even here, you need to be choosy.

That’s because you won’t always have the odds to double if the Dealer’s up-card is an Ace or a 10-value card. If you’re playing Classic Blackjack at Ignition Casino, the standard six-deck game where the Dealer hits on soft 17, you can go ahead and double if you’re holding 11, since you’re still in pretty good shape to make 21. But if you “only” have 10, pump the brakes and hit instead. The same strategy applies if you’re playing Single Deck Blackjack or Double Deck Blackjack. Note: This doubling down strategy also includes those times when you’re dealt a pair of Fives. Never split a pair of Fives, no matter which blackjack game variant you play at Ignition.

Soft 16 Against Low Up-Cards

Now we’re dealing with one of the more subtle strategy of doubling down in the casino. It’s usually a bad thing to get dealt 15-17 when you’re playing online blackjack for real money – you’ll want to just surrender those hands and eat your losses if the Dealer has a strong up-card. But if it’s a soft 15-17 (including an 11-point Ace), there is an opportunity to double – if the Dealer has a low up-card, i.e. Six or lower. You can also make this play when you have soft 13, 14 and 18. There’s even a time to double down with soft 19.

You shouldn’t do it all the time, though. In the six-deck blackjack game, you’ll want to double all the soft hands (13-19) we mentioned if the Dealer’s up-card is a Six. Anything lower than that, and you have to be more judicious:

• Five: Soft 13-18
• Four: Soft 15-18
• Three: Soft 17-18
• Deuce: Soft 18

You have to be even choosier if you’re playing Single Deck Blackjack or Double Deck Blackjack. In order to keep track of all these small differences in strategy, you can refer to a casino blackjack chart to help you with your decisions – as always, make sure your chart matches the specific game you’re playing, and comes from a reliable source.

Hard 9 Against Dealer’s 3-6

There’s one more situation in blackjack where you should be doubling, and it’s like a combination of the other two spots. When you get dealt a hard 9, your hand strength is almost as good as a hard 10 or 11 – but to make this play profitable, you should only use it when the Dealer’s up-card is a Six, Five, Four, or Three. If you’re playing Single or Double Deck Blackjack, you can also double with hard 9 when the Dealer shows a Deuce.

Before we wrap up our blackjack doubling strategy guide, here’s one more “secret” spot you where you should double: If you’re playing Single Deck Blackjack, you get dealt a hard 8, and the Dealer’s up-card is a Six or a Five. Making this rare play is one of the things that separates the blackjack pros from the wannabes – and now that you’ve read this strategy guide, you know all about it.

Again, keep in mind that the blackjack strategy we’ve given you here apply specifically to the games at Ignition Casino. If you play at a bricks-and-mortar venue, you might find yourself playing a version of the online blackjack game where the dealer stands on soft 17 instead of hitting, or vice versa. And if you happen to be counting cards at the live casino, you’ll obviously want to divert from the basic Blackjack strategy when the shoe is suitably rich or lacking in Aces and/or 10-value cards. But keep it on the down-low as much as possible, or you could get denied service. In the meantime, keep coming back to Ignition Casino for more blackjack strategy, and best of luck at the tables.

Tips for beating one of the world’s toughest card games

By J. Phillip Vogel

Like many of our favorite casino games, the exact origins of blackjack are forever lost to history. One of the first recorded descriptions of the game places its appearance in France during the 17th century, where it thrilled gamblers under its simple, yet appropriate appellation “vingt-et-un.” Some gaming historians, however, contend that rather than originating in France, vingt-et-un was nothing more than a variation of Spain’s already popular game “One and Thirty” or perhaps even a spin-off of Italy’s baccarat.

Regardless of its origins, so popular was the game that it quickly emigrated globally, taking on slight changes in both name and rules to suit regional appetites. In Russia, the game was called “Ochko” (roughly translated as “the hole’). In England, where players were rewarded for drawing both the jack and ace of spades as their first two cards, it became known as “blackjack.” But whether it’s “21” “California Aces” or even “Ochko,” blackjack continues to be one of gambling’s perennial favorites.

Blackjack Basics

In its most basic form, blackjack is one of the easiest casino games to learn. The objective is to attain a hand value that is greater than that of the dealer, yet does not exceed 21. It can be played using anywhere from one to eight standard decks, with cards of rank 2 through 10 scored according to their face value, while face cards—jack, queen, and king—are valued at 10 points. Aces can be worth either 1 or 11 points. The game is further governed by the following rules:

➤ Players win if their hand has a greater total point value than the dealer’s, without going over 21.

➤ The best possible hand is called a blackjack. It consists of an ace and any 10-point card. A winning blackjack pays 3:2 or in some cases 6:5.

➤ If both the player and the dealer have a tie—including with a blackjack—the bet is a tie or “push” and money is neither lost nor paid.

➤ All other winning hands pay even money, 1:1.

Best Blackjack Strategies

➤ If either the player or the dealer exceeds 21 or “busts” the hand automatically loses.

➤ If both the dealer and player bust, the player loses.

Casino Blackjack Tips And Tricks

A round of blackjack begins with the player placing a bet in the circle or designated betting area in front of him. Every player will then be dealt two cards (both typically face up) while the dealer receives two cards, one of which is exposed and the other (known as the “hole” card) face down. If the dealer has a 10 or an ace exposed, he will check for blackjack, in which case all player hands lose, except another blackjack. However, should the dealer have an ace exposed, players may take “insurance,” a side bet that pays 2-1 and hedges the initial bet against a dealer blackjack.

If the dealer does not have blackjack, play continues starting with the player seated immediately to the left of the dealer. The following options are then available:

Stand. If the players decide their hand is sufficiently strong, they may opt to take no additional action.

Hit. Players may draw additional cards until they either bust or decide to stand.

Double down. If players hands warrants, they may opt to double their current bet and receive one additional card. This option is only offered on the first two cards, and in some cases on the first two cards after splitting.

New Blackjack Strategies

Split. When a player’s first two cards are of equal point value, he may separate them into two hands with each card being the first card of a new hand. To split, the player must make another wager of equal value to the initial wager for the second hand. In cases where another identical point valued card is dealt following the split, re-splitting may be allowed. (Re-splitting aces is often an exception.) When allowed, players may also double down after splitting.

Surrender. In certain versions of blackjack, players may surrender or yield a poor hand on their first two cards, rather than play against a potentially superior hand. Surrendered hands return ½ of the wager to the player.

Once all players have acted, the dealer will then complete his hand. Unlike players, the dealer has no freedom to determine the best course of play and must abide by the house rules which govern all actions. Usually the dealer must hit until his cards reach a total value of 17 or more. In some casinos or game versions, if a dealer is dealt a soft 17 (an ace plus cards totaling six additional points) he must also hit. If the dealer busts, all players active in the hand win automatically.

Basic Strategy

Despite its simplistic premise, blackjack is one of the most difficult games in the casino. But with an extremely low vigorish—sometimes reaching 0.18%—it can also be one of the most profitable. Or at least it is if you master basic strategy.

Although daunting and at times confusing, basic strategy is really nothing more than a breakdown of the optimal way to play every possible situation based on the house’s rules, your current hand and the dealer’s exposed card. Table A and Table B are a sample basic strategy table for use.

Remember, optimal basic strategy varies with the version of the game you play, and there are tables such as these that outline exactly what action to take given the circumstances. And while they may be challenging to memorize, if making money as a black- jack player is your ultimate goal, there’s simply no other option.

Strategies to avoid

A lot of new players can be taken in by seemingly sound strategies that actually have no real place at the tables. Avoid the following dangerously ineffective methods:

Play as the dealer plays. Some people think because the house has an edge on the game that by playing according to the dealer’s rules (such as always hitting 16 or less, or never doubling or split- ting) that same edge will apply. Wrong. Remember, the player acts first, and even if both you and the dealer bust, the house wins the hand. Such strategy results in a house edge of approximately 5.5%

Martingale System. Some players advocate an age-old, misguided betting system design ostensibly to guarantee winning. Called the “Martingale System,” this method requires players to double their bet for every hand following a loss. The theory is that by doubling the bet you will eventually win a hand and recoup any previous losses. Although it sounds powerful, this system is flawed and ineffective, and fails to take into account high-risk bets, a moderately bad run of cards, and table limits.

Never draw to a hand that can bust. Rather than take a card that could break the hand, some players prefer to always stand pat on hard totals of 12 or more. Such play is harmful in the long run and results in a vigorish of approximately 4%.

Although these and many other half-baked strategies may sound good in theory, at best they’re mildly innocuous and worst devastating. Stay clear of tricks and systems and stick with basic strategy, the only proven method of minimizing the house’s edge.

Variations on a Theme

While the traditional version is often the game of choice among blackjack enthusiasts, there are many other exciting and profitable variants available in both traditional and online casinos. Although the basic premise for each variation is akin to traditional blackjack, each has its own set of rules and strategy.

Casino Blackjack Tips And Strategies For Beginners