aleksandra u
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Caption: Blackjack has a basic strategy that can be applied by anyone to reduce the house edge.
Blackjack is played against ‘the house’. This means that the casino (whether online or brick-and-mortar) has an edge when you play the game. However, the edge can be dramatically reduced by playing optimal blackjack strategy. By making the right moves, you can increase your odds of winning.
Understanding Blackjack Mechanics
Before you can apply the basic strategies of blackjack, you need to be familiar with the rules and mechanics of the game. The aim of blackjack is to get a hand value as close as possible to 21, without going bust. Players can choose whether to ‘hit’ or ‘stand’, and they can also ‘split’. Depending on the casino, other options might be available, such as to ‘double’ or ‘surrender’.
Blackjack is played against the dealer, who is also trying to get as close to 21 points without going bust. The dealer acts last and has only one card showing to the players; the other one is face down to conceal the total value of their hand. This gives them an advantage over other players and gives the house its edge.
Familiarise yourself with the rules of blackjack before you sit down at the tables to play. Only then can you begin to apply the basic strategies to reduce the house edge and maximize your chances.
Basic Strategies for Blackjack
The basic strategies of blackjack focus on when to ‘hit’ and when to ‘stand’, depending on what cards you have and what card the dealer is showing. The strategy is available as a chart of hand values that you can study and memorise.
These charts are devised using statistical probabilities and employ mathematical calculations to provide you with the best play for a given situation. It doesn’t matter whether or not you understand the math; you can play blackjack simply using the charts, which should lead to better outcomes. You can have these charts beside you if you are playing blackjack online. But casinos might frown upon bringing a copy to the tables, so for these situations, you will have to know the basics.
The charts reflect every situation in blackjack, so they are too complicated to fully describe here; but here are a few examples of what they suggest about gameplay:
Always stand on a hard 17 (‘hard’ means that your hand doesn’t have an ace).
Stand on 12 – 16 if the dealer has 2 – 6 upcard. Hit if they have 7+.
Always hit when you have 8 – 11 (obviously, as you can’t go bust).
Always split pairs of aces or 8s, no matter what the dealer has.
Split a pair of 9s, unless the dealer has a 7, 10 or upcard.
Additional Ways to Gain an Edge
Applying basic strategy using blackjack charts can increase your return to around 99.63%, the highest of any casino game that is played against the house. This is a great reason to play blackjack. Of course, players are always looking for ways to push that return a little bit further and beat the house edge.
One way to do this is to take advantage of promotions. Online casinos tend to offer more promotions. For example, Blackjack Goals by PokerStars Casino gives players the chance to win back their wager by drawing special football-themed ‘goal’ cards from the deck. Online casinos may also offer rakeback and VIP deals, deposit and play bonuses, and more. All of these can contribute to a slight increase in blackjack winnings overall.
The most popular way to increase odds in blackjack is card counting, although this is not possible online and is frowned upon in nearly all casinos. Card counting involves looking out for and memorising cards that have already been dealt so that you can predict which cards are still left in the deck. This can help players make better decisions and increase their odds, although it is debatable whether the house edge can be beaten this way—at least without the casino throwing out the player.
There’s a couple of other ways that you can improve your odds in blackjack:
Never take insurance. Insurance protects you against the dealer getting blackjack, but it is never worth it.
Never take side bets. Casinos may offer side bets, such as perfect pairs, which pays when you win with a paired hand. Again, the odds of winning with side bets are less when compared to betting on hands using optimal blackjack strategy.
If you are allowed to double-down (double your bet), then you should do so in very specific situations. Always double down on 11, unless the dealer is also showing an ace. Always double down on 10, unless the dealer is showing a 10 or 11. Doubling down in very advantageous situations helps to make up for weaker hands dealt throughout the game.
Some casinos also let you ‘surrender’ hands. When this is an option, you should surrender very bad hands where it isn’t favourable to either stand or hit. You lose half of your bet, but this can work out better if used wisely. For example, you should surrender a hard 15 against a dealer’s 10, or a hard 16 against a dealer 9, 10 or ace.
Many people play blackjack for enjoyment, but it can’t hurt to learn the basic strategies to improve your game. This will help your win rate in the long term. You don’t have to be really strict about it, and you can deviate from the charts if you want to, but sticking to them will massively reduce the house edge.