» Blackjack Strategy

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Blackjack, unbeknownst to some, can be a game of logic and pattern rather than being a game of chance. If you understand the basic strategy in blackjack you can minimize your percentage of losing while increasing your chances of winning.

Here is an example of a basic strategy for playing blackjack:

• Decks of 4 to 8
• On soft 17 the dealer stand
• Go double on any 2 cards
• Go double after dealer allows a split
• Only original bets lost on dealer blackjack
• Do a late surrender

Basic strategy can be applied to all blackjack games, calling for only a few changes for most rule variations. For example, if you were playing a game that used the hit soft 17 rule, which is usually played in Las Vegas Casinos, then only 5 cells of the table above would need to be altered: double on 11 versus A, double on A/7 versus 2, double on A/8 versus 6 and do a surrender 15 or 17 versus A.

Estimates on the house’s winning percentage for blackjack games are usually based on the premise that the players always follow the basic strategy and do not change the size of their bets systematically. Most games have a house edge of between 0.5% and 1%, which makes blackjack one of the cheapest casino games. Promotions from casinos like 2:1 payouts or complimentary matchplay vouchers let the players acquire an edge over the house without straying away from the basic strategy.

Card counting

Card counting is another strategy used by veteran blackjack players and one which is quite complex and difficult to understand much less apply in a game. Basically, the logic in card counting is that a deck which has lots of tens and Aces is advantageous to the player, while a deck with a lot of small cards is advantageous to the dealer.

In order to determine the value of the cards, the player has to keep track of the cards that have already been played. He should also assign a point value to each of the cards. If you wish to try this out there are equations that can be found on the internet that can help you figure this out but be warned that they are rather complex. But to put it simply, the player should assign a plus point to the deck of cards if it becomes more favorable and he should assign a minus point every time it becomes less favorable.

After that the player counts by adding and subtracting points according to the cards that were played and keeps a “running count” which is the total of the count. After which he needs to divide the running by the size of the deck which will then be the “true count”. With the result he will know or at least have an estimate of the value of the cards in the deck.

Although counting cards can be helpful most casinos frown upon this practice and they are always on the lookout for those who try to practice this. Fortunately, this strategy is not considered illegal but it is rather complex.

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