How to Win at Black Jack – The Simple Guide
Are you a card games aficionado looking for your next big challenge? Have you seen the movies in which math wizards beat casinos for millions playing blackjack? Are you looking for a casino game that actually has been beated?
If the answer to any of the questions is yes, than you have come to the right place. Our blackjack tips guide will teach you how to increase your chances winning at blackjack by adhering to a number of tricks used by the most experienced blackjack players.
Keep reading and find the most important tips that will teach you how to increase your chances of winning at blackjack. Each blackjack tip you will find here will help you greatly increase your winning chances and actually put yourself in a position to beat the casino.
Players who are looking forward to learning about more advanced, more exciting game’s aspects will be excited to read this guide which explores:
- How to choose the right casino
- How to play wise and smart
- How to take advantage of the game’s side bets
- How to derive your blackjack strategy
- How to choose your blackjack bets wisely
You are ready to kick start your blackjack journey and potentially go home with big money? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know when it comes to boosting your blackjack winning odds.
1. Carefully Choose a Casino
Before you actually hop on your blackjack journey and make your first bets, you need to invest some time and efforts into choosing the right casino. When we say the right casino, we mean the casino which is fully regulated and licensed by prominent gambling authorities.
We also mean the casino which employs the latest SSL encryption technology in favor of ensuring its players that their both personal and transactional data is kept safe and secured. When we say the right casino we mean the casino with a truly reliable and trustworthy gaming environment offering worry and stress-free gaming experiences.
Since this industry is one of the most competitive industries around, there is a vast number of casino vendors offering their services and products to worldwide players. Since the competition is amazing, choosing the right casino can be extremely challenging especially if you are a beginner.
For this reason, it is a good idea to check your chosen casino’s reputation by searching through casino forums where you get to explore what the casino’s players said about its reputation.
When searching for your casino venue, also make sure you check its gaming library to see if there are blackjack games you are interested in. Make sure you also check the casino’s customer support reliability and trustworthiness.
You also want your chosen casino to offer a good range of deposit and banking methods with reasonable withdrawal limits. These are the most important parameters your chosen casino should meet.
- Be sure to choose a fully regulated and licensed casino
- Make sure to check the casino’s reputation among other players
- Be sure to choose a casino which employs the latest security measures
2. Learn the Game’s Basic Rules
Once you have found your casino, the next step requires from you to master the basic game’s rules. Blackjack is one of those extremely popular, classic card games which has been around in way or another for centuries now and the game’s rules have never changed.
The main object of the game is to draw cards whose combined value defeats the dealer’s being as close to twenty-one without actually going over which means you lose or you bust. It also should be noted that in every blackjack game, the cards two through ten are worth their values while all of the face cards including King, Queen, and Jack are worth ten.
When it comes to Aces, they are worth either eleven or one. Also, keep on mind that hands with Aces which are counted as eleven are regarded to as a soft hand. Therefore, having an Ace counted as eleven and a five worth its face value is usually cold soft sixteen.
One other hand, having a hand with an Ace which counts for one is usually called a hard hand. Every game of blackjack starts with your playing your real money bets followed by your receiving two cards which are facing up. At this point, the dealer received one card facing up.
Keep in mind that in some blackjack variations, the dealer also receives two cards facing up. At this point, you need to examine your cards and if your card initial makes a total of twenty-one, you have blackjack and the dealer pays you win worth 3/2 of your bet.
On the other hand, if the dealer also has a blackjack in cards, you push or tie that hand and your initial stake rides on the following hand.
- Be sure to master the basic game’s rules
- Learn the difference between soft and hard hands
- Be sure to learn the game’s jargon
3. Carefully Explore Your Options
While hitting blackjack right away in the game is the most ideal scenario it does not happen so often. The next question regards what you actually do when you have not made blackjack initially after receiving your two cards. At this point, you have several different options to choose from.
First of all, you can choose to stand which means you are basically eliciting to take no additional cards. If you choose to stand, the game will move to the dealer’s options.
You can also choose to hit which means you are basically choosing to take an additional card in favor of making your card total as close to twenty-one as possible without actually going over twenty-one or busting. Keep in mind that you can press hit many times until you choose to press stand or until you go over twenty-one or bust.
You have two more options as well. One option is to go with stand which is available when you are dealt two cards which are the same. If you decide to go with stand, you actually split the cards, play the two hands separately and double your bet.
Another option is to take double down which means that you double your bet amount, take one additional card and then stand. Just like you have your options to choose from when you have not made blackjack initial, the dealer also has several options with more strict rules to follow.
- Learn the game’s options when you have not made blackjack initially
- When possible take double down
- When offered take split and double your bet
4. Learn the Dealer’s Play
When devising your how to win at blackjack strategy, in addition to learning and mastering your options offered in the game, you should also master the dealer’s play. What makes the fun more engaging and fun is the fact that the dealer plays alongside you.
However, unlike you, the dealer has certain stock moves he or she must pull in certain cases. Speaking of the dealer’s turn, once you have made your decision on whether to hit or stand, the dealer turns over his facing down cards if there are any and deals to himself a second card which is facing up.
At this point, the dealer also has several different options to choose from depending on his total card value, but his rules are stricter. In those cases when the dealer’s total card values sixteen or less he must choose hit. On the other hand, if the dealer’s total card value is worth eighteen or more, he must choose to stand.
In those cases when the dealer’s hand is a hard seventeen which is a seven and a ten, he must choose stand. On the other hand, if the dealer’s card value is a soft seventeen which is a six and an Ace, for instance, he must choose hit.
Moreover, keep in mind that the rules applied to the dealer’s play may vary from one game or another, but these are the basic rules following the majority of the games.
- Be sure to know the dealer’s play
- Make sure to examine the dealer’s options during the game
- Keep in mind when the dealer must stand and when the dealer must hit
5. Know When to Stand or Hit
Devising your how to win at blackjack strategy means you know when to choose stand and when to choose hit. While there is no any fast winning, hard blackjack strategy you need to follow on when to hit and when to stand, you should definitely gain a fundamental grasp on what you should do when you have specific cards in your hand especially when they are compared to the dealer’s cards.
There are several simple rules to follow on when to hit and when to stand. For instance, if you have a total card value of four and eight and at that point, the dealer has one card showing, the best option is to go with hit.
On the other hand, if you are dealt a total card value of between twelve and sixteen and the dealer has cards which are similarly low, the best option is to stand. Keep in mind that the dealer has to follow some rules you do not have to follow, so the best option is to let the dealer go over twenty-one when forced.
Moreover, the worst cards the dealer can have in his hand are two through six and the studies suggest that the dealer with these cards will go over twenty-one more times than usual. When boosting your blackjack winning odds, keep in mind that the dealer’s card should shape your decisions.
For example, if you are dealt twelve to sixteen and the dealer has some higher cards such as seven to Ace, the best option is to hit in favor of getting closer to twenty-one. Of course, at this point, you may go over twenty-one, but your chances of beating the dealer are actually higher.
- Learn when to stand and when to hit
- Let the dealer’s card shape your decisions
- A total of four to eight advises you hit while a total of twelve to sixteen advises you stand
6. What about Taking Insurance and Double Down?
When playing the game of blackjack, in addition to the basic options you have explored previously in the article, you also have an option to take insurance bets in certain cases. Imagine that the dealer dealt himself an Ace which is facing up.
At this point, you are offered the option to pay another bet which is equal to half of your initial bet or to simply take insurance in favor of the dealer’s following card dealt making blackjack.
In those cases when the dealer does not have blackjack with his second card dealt, you win 2/1 on your insurance bet. However, when it comes to devising your how to win at blackjack strategy, it is not advised to take insurance bets.
This means that the best option is to skip. For instance, if you have a blackjack and the dealer has an Ace, the best idea is to ignore the option for taking insurance since you have better winning chances of 3/2 on having blackjack than your winning chances when betting more money on insurance bets.
This is one of the most important advice. Another piece of advice is to always double down on eleven or ten. As mentioned previously in the article, when you actually double down, you double your bet money after you are dealt first two cards.
At this point, you get only one card to your hand. While the majority of casinos allow doubling down on any two cards, make sure you always double down on eleven or twelve. It is also advised that you double down on other numbers in the cases when the dealer shows six, five, four, three or two.
- Be sure to double down on eleven or ten
- The best option is not to take insurance
- Double down on any two cards when the dealer shows six, five, four, three or two
7. Understand the Game’s House Edge
As with any other game you want to play, in order to beat the game and boost your winning odds, you actually need to examine and understand the game’s casino edge. It is fair to say that blackjack games offer more reasonable, better casino edges for their players when compared to other games such as roulette.
What you need to take into account when devising your how to win at blackjack strategy is to the actual number of decks used in the game. Keep in mind that different blackjack games use a different number of decks ranging from one up to eight decks used during the gameplay.
The bigger number of decks used in the game means the bigger casino edge. For instance, a single deck-used blackjack game gives the casino around 0.17 percent of advantage while the casino edge increases up to 0.46 percent when a second card deck is added to the game.
Therefore, playing blackjack games which use seven decks give the casino around 0.64 percent in advantage and this number rises even more up to 0.65 percent of advantage when playing blackjack games using eight decks.
Since the number of decks used in the game determines the game’s edge, make sure you examine your game’s casino edge in favor of knowing what you are actually getting into. Do your research and choose a game based on your preferences and gambling goals.
- Examine the game’s casino edge
- Choose a game based on your gambling goals and preferences
- Keep in mind that the more decks used in the game mean the bigger casino edge
8. Explore Different Blackjack Variants
Just as with other card games enjoying massive popularity among casino players, blackjack both in land-based and online casinos opens to different gaming and winning possibilities offered by different blackjack variants. Some of the most popular blackjack variants are played with a single card deck while other games use multiple card decks.
As mentioned previously in the article, the dealer’s play on his hand may vary from one blackjack variant to another while the basic blackjack rules remain the same across different games. After mastering classic blackjack game, the best option is to explore other exciting blackjack variants such as Blackjack Surrender which is one of the most common classic blackjack variants.
Unlike the classic game, when playing Blackjack Surrender following the dealer checks for blackjack, players get to choose to surrender when they think their two initial dealt cards will not beat the dealer’s cards.
Going with surrender means that you lose your hand automatically, but at the same time, you get half money of your original bet which means that you do not lose the entire bet you placed. Another very popular blackjack variant is Double Exposure Blackjack in which both cards dealt to the dealer are facing up.
Other exciting blackjack variants you should try include Bonus Blackjack featuring lucrative bonus jackpots, Triple 7s Blackjack with big progressive jackpots as well as Multi-Hand Blackjack which allows players to play with multiple hands.
- Learn how to play different blackjack variants
- Take advantage of big progressive jackpots offered in Triple 7s Blackjack
- Take advantage of bonus jackpots offered in Bonus Blackjack
9. Try Your Luck on Multi-Hand Blackjack
Speaking of different blackjack variants, among the most popular blackjack games is Multi-Hand blackjack which surely offers boosted winning opportunities simply due to the fact that you are allowed to play multiple hands at the same time.
The truth is that Multi-Hand Blackjack is more fun and exciting than the classic game as you can usually play up to five different hands at the same time.
The game also gives you that luxury of having enough time to think through each decision you make on your hands without feeling any rush when you play at online casino venues. It should be noted that there are different, extremely exciting Multi-Hand Blackjack variants to explore such as Classic Multi-Hand Blackjack, Multi-Hand Double Exposure Blackjack also known as Multi-Hand Pontoon as well as Multi-Hand European Blackjack.
There are subtle differences between these Multi-Hand Blackjack variants, but generally speaking, they have a lot in common. The most important thing you have to decide is how many hands you want to play between one and five.
Once done, you start the game by playing one up to five bets on the blackjack table. When it comes to the gaming options, you can stand, hit, double down, split and surrender.
- Boost your winning odds by playing Multi-Hand Blackjack
- Take advantage of playing up to five hands with five same of differing bets
- Take advantage of surrender when your hand does not look good
10. Devise and Strictly Follow Your Blackjack Strategy
One of the most important things when playing any game including blackjack is your strategy. While playing blackjack is all fun and entertainment, you also need to have some winning strategy in place in favor of boosting your winning odds.
Keep in mind that blackjack strategies come in different shapes and sizes depending on what blackjack game you choose. Despite the fact that card counting is definitely among the most popular blackjack strategies, this one cannot be used when you play blackjack online and it should not be used elsewhere as well.
When devising your how to win at blackjack strategy, you need to take into account several different factors such as the game’s variation you play, the game’s casino edge, different betting opportunities, payouts as well as stake limits.
Moreover, you need to explore the game’s casino edge which is influenced by the number of decks the game uses. You also need to take into account the betting limits offered by the game which also influences your blackjack winning strategy.
These are all critical details you need to examine when employing the best blackjack strategy on your own. Fortunately, there are many blackjack strategies circling around devised by others you should also check. No matter which strategy you choose, make sure you have fun.
- Make sure you have your blackjack strategy you stick with
- When devising your winning strategy takes into account the game’s payouts and other factors
- Check online casino forums for popular blackjack strategies