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The Geeks Guide to Beating Blackjack

by on September 29, 2017
 

Blackjack is one of the most popular card games played around the world and has been for many years. Blackjack, or 21 as it’s sometimes known, is a card game of comparing type that sees players not play against each other but rather play against the dealer. The aim of the game is to get 21 with the first two cards dealt, obviously without the dealer also holding 21, or to get as close to 21 as possible without going bust.

With Blackjack being the most popular card game played in casinos, many players are always looking into improving their strategies and styles of play, in order to gain some sort of advantage, no matter how small. First of all, knowing when to hit, stand, split and double is crucial. In the eyes of many this is what gives players of any skill level the biggest advantage. If your hand is 12-16 and the dealer has 2-6 you should stand, hit if your hand is 12-16 and the dealers is 7-ace, split aces and 8s, double 11 versus a dealer’s 2-10 and hit or double aces-6s.

Another basic rule to follow is not to play insurance bets. This is only beneficial if you’re counting cards, which we will come onto later. Insurance bets see the dealer have a much greater advantage over players, it’s simply just not worth it. Players should always assess the up card that the dealer holds. If it’s a 2-6, it’s generally bad and a 7-ace is good. This should always play a key role in the action to take.

Other simple rules to follow are not to sit in the first seat next to the dealer. You want as long as possible to make your decisions. Sometimes dealers can rush, dealing the cards quickly and then the person in the first seat has less time to make a decision. You shouldn’t go in big to begin with either. Play it small and play it calm until you assess the dealer and the whole situation. It’s important to know your limits at all times and not to exceed them by chasing losses, know when to quit.

Some people count cards as their method to try and gain the edge over the house. While it isn’t illegal, many frown upon the technique. It’s extremely important though that you learn card counting after you’ve mastered the blackjack basics, otherwise it would be ineffective. It doesn’t give the player the edge over the dealer, it just reduces the dealer’s edge, so the playing field is therefore as level as can be. You basically have to master the basics so playing becomes second nature to you, you should instantly know what move to make for the best.

The basic concept of card counting is to give high cards a value (-1) and low cards another (+1). You add these values together to produce the running count. So if there are more high cards to low cards, it means that players can make bigger bets. Cards 2-6 are +1, 7-9 don’t have any value, 10 and above including aces are -1. You basically bet bigger if the count is running positive, maybe +2 and above. The issues surrounding card counting these days are that casinos often have more than one deck on play so the running count won’t be the true count.

The bottom line is that players who have studied the game with intent, can have a relatively better chance of winning against the house. However, like everything else in this world, one still requires a degree of luck as well as skill to be successful.