Basic Blackjack Strategy

Some of you must think I’m one of those patient types that suffers fools gladly. But what would you have me do? Drive them off? Get a rep so fearsome that only the bravest of the brave would ever come near me? Well that’s never been my style. The fact that more’n a few of them’ll stump up for a drink is payment enough for my time. And, anyway, it’s more than a passing fascination of mine to see just how deluded some folks can get.

So there’s me on my high stool at one of my regular casino bars, just nodding and grunting enough so’s they all keep talking. You have to give them just enough face so they don’t catch on you’re only humoring them in the hope of another free drink. And, sooner or later, they all come round to the Basic Strategy in blackjack.

These folks are all into urban myths and conspiracy theories. They just know when they’re true. It’s instinctive, just like their play at blackjack. They’ll not have it that a one-size-fits-all approach can work with a game like blackjack. “Blackjack,” they say as if the Red Sea’s about to part in front of them. “Blackjack is all guesswork.” And to prove their point, they’ll give you a hand from the last time they were playing online. With a crafty smile born of desperation, they give you stiff 14. Dealer’s upcard is a Jack. “So this here blackjack strategy, what’s it say?”
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A Little About Blackjack Basic Strategy

Most of the time when folks ask me questions, you know they just wanna to hear they have the right of whatever discussion we’re having. And ’cause I’m kinda amiable, I rarely turn the discussion into an argument. Life’s too short and I’m kinda on the old side to be getting into fights, so I just suck it all up — along with the alcohol to numb the senses. But every once in a while, folks are not just fishing for poker or blackjack tips. You get the feeling they actually want real answers. So, the other day when this young felloe asked me whether the Basic Strategy shaded the odds in your favor against the House, he had that look in his eye. I took him at his word.

“It depends,” I said not meaning to sound unhelpful. “It depends on the rules and the number of decks in the shoe but, at its best, the Basic Strategy should cut the House edge to no more than about 0.5%.”

I could see him chewing on that, perhaps a little disappointed you were still at a disadvantage. But the story doesn’t end there. No blackjack strategy can’t deliver more than it promises. In this case, it promises to do no more than reduce the odds of losing which is pretty damn impressive when you consider the other casino games you can play. Those that play baccarrat are always 1.06% down in the hole before they start. Casino slots rarely pay back more than 97%. Roulette gives the House a 5.25% edge. And then there’s keno, the best get-rich-quick scheme ever invented by a casino.
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Blackjack Strategy

Jack, the barkeep, has just set me up with a boilermaker and I’m sitting here with this digital recording device. When this young guy sold me on the idea of this writing job, I told him straight that I’m no writer. He tells me not to worry. All I have to do is talk into this here machine and he has people that’ll write it all down for me. Tidy it up a bit, maybe. But, it’ll be just like me talking to you.
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Blackjack isn`t just a guessing game

I’m a bar-kind of a guy. When I’m not playing, you’ll find me nursing a glass, watching the world go by. Time was, I used to prop, but the knees are getting a little tired (along with the rest of the body), so now you’re more likely to find me on one of those high stools at the end of the bar. You get the best view of the room from there.
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You’re better than a machine at online blackjack

Games have become the subject of some serious scientific study.

Take blackjack for example. Here we all know the rules, but we don’t have access to perfect information about all the variables. So, when you play blackjack in a casino or play online blackjack, you see all the players’ cards, but only the dealer’s upcard. You’re also not allowed to look through the decks (which would take all the fun out of the game) and so do not know the order of cards in the stack. But, for calculation purposes, this is still very good quality information and “robot” players can be given comprehensive rule systems for shading the odds in their favor.
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Blackjack: A Few Tips for Splitting your Cards

It is all too common for the beginner to let themselves down in a game of Blackjack by failing to split their paired starting cards at the right times. Those who know all too little about the game may fail to split their cards; whereas others consistently split their pairs.A wise Blackjack player will find a happy medium. The aim of splitting your cards is, of course, to make the most possible profit. But – for this reason – it is essential that you learn not to let greed get you carried away.

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Betting Strategies for Blackjack Tournament Play

When you enter a multiplayer blackjack tournament, the most important thing to master is the system you will use for managing your money. In other words, you need to bet with a winning blackjack strategy. It is important to remember that when you play in a tournament, you are not just betting against the house. You are also betting against the other players in the tournament. The winner of the tournament will be the player with the most chips at the end of the final hand. If you want to be that player, you need to find a winning strategy and stick with it.

Some blackjack enthusiasts play with a “win at all costs” mind set. That is useful to an extent, but it is not the be all and end all of winning a blackjack tournament. For example, you don’t want to bet everything on the first hand because the first hand is the easiest hand to lose. You want to be in a position where you can still win the tournament even if you lose the first hand. The first hand is difficult to win because the odds are against you. None of the cards have been dealt, so anything is possible. There are likely to be three or six or more decks in the shoe, and it is much harder to predict what will happen when you haven’t seen any cards yet. Later in the game, if you have been carefully observing what is happening, you can play with more of a “go-for-broke” strategy if you need to (if you are not already the table leader, for example).

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Blackjack: betting in blackjack tournaments

Consistency. That Is the key to a betting strategy that is guaranteed to either help you win, or keep your money safe. In a tournament, there are so many people all playing for the same thing; all players watching the cards and the chips for the winning hand.

In traditional blackjack, the game starts off with two cards being dealt to each player, and also to the dealer. One of the cards dealt to the dealer is face up, while the other remains down. The idea of the game is that each player is playing individually against the dealer, so there may be no winners, or several winners at the table.

A tournament differs from this. The rounds are played in much the same way, where you try to bring your hand to 21 in any way possible, although it is easier to have a face card and an Ace in order to secure your win. In a tournament however, the players only play against each other, and the way to win the game is to have more chips in your pile after the last hand has been played.

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Blackjack: strategy

There are many strategies available that all claim to give you an edge over the other players, but many of these do not take into account the fact that blackjack is essentially a game of luck. Not accounting for this can be your downfall, as you will collectively lose more money over a longer time period. To avoid losing more money than you win, there is a simple rule that can help you raise your advantage without resorting to complex strategies or breaking the rules in any way.

Counting the cards has been frowned upon by casinos, as it means that the advantage is unfair, and could cost the casino a large sum of money. However, this strategy is not an unfair advantage, as it only includes a quick glance at the cards that are in play at that time. Looking at the proportion of high cards in relation to the low cards is a simple and quick calculation that you can do in order to moderate your own strategies accordingly. For the record, high cards are from ten to kings, and the low cards are from two to five. In each deck, these cards are of equal proportion. However, after the dealer has placed all the cards, the proportion on the table may differ.

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Blackjack: for the beginners

Starting with the dealer placing two cards on the table, each player must then decide whether or not to increase the amount of cards in their hand. The game is won by the player who has 21 (made up of an Ace and a 10, or any of the court cards, Jack, Queen or King), or has the highest numbered card. Winning hands are typically those that have cards totalling from 16 all the way to 21, although having a total of 16 will always give you a lower chance of winning. There are some games that have a bonus payout if you tie with the dealer, (called a ‘push’) but this is a rare occurrence.

Bets are important in a game of Blackjack. The bets are placed before the cards are dealt, whereas with most other card games, at least one card is dealt to the players before bets are made. Usually, the cards are dealt so the players can see all the cards, with the exception of the dealer. His hand is dealt so that one is visible and the other is face down, called a ‘hole card’. That is where the typical strategies come in about hitting, doubling, or standing based on the upturned card of the dealer. Doubling is done when a player has two cards of the same value, which can be split to form two hands.

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