When you walk into a casino, there are a plethora of games to choose from, and each of those games has a few variations of its own, each of which seems more appealing than the last. So, with all of these options, how is one to choose which game to play? Every game in the casino favors the house, this is a given. However, when you sit down at a blackjack table with a bit of knowledge in your head, and money in your pocket, your chances of winning are truly better than any other game in the room.
Blackjack, unlike other games in the casino, is a game of skill. There are people who spend much of their adult lives perfecting their blackjack game by learning all the rules by instinct, and learning how to count cards in their head. On the bright side, you don’t have to be a professional card counter to play the game and avoid losing your money. In fact, most of the world’s most skilled card counters aren’t even allowed to sit down at a blackjack table in most casinos, so it may be in your best interest to not learn that aspect of the game.
The basic strategy of blackjack is simple. Try to make the cards in your hand total 21, or at least closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over (also called going bust). In most games, the dealer stands on a soft 17 (This is probably actually printed somewhere on the blackjack table itself). What this means is that anytime the dealer has 14, 15, or 16, he has to take another card. This often works in favor of the players, as it causes the dealer to go bust.
That said, it’s important to take into account what the dealer is showing when making your move. These tips work in any game played with three or more decks, which is what is played in most casinos today.
-Always Double your bet when you have 11 in your hand, unless the dealer is showing an ace. If that’s the case, just take a hit. This is because ‘tens’ occur more often than any other card in play. Therefore, both you and the dealer have a good chance of drawing one.
-Always double on 10, unless the dealer shows an Ace or a ten. This is for the same reason; the likelihood of drawing a ten is always pretty high (unless you are a card counter, and know for a fact that there are no tens left in the deck.).
-Always split a pair of Aces or Eights. Starting a hand with 16 does not bode well for the game. 16’s are a tricky play. By splitting these, you’re likely to get two 18’s after the hit, which puts you in a much better position for the win. You want to split Aces because they are so flexible. This puts the flexibility into two hands rather than one, increasing your chances for the win.
These are only na few guidelines, but should probably get you started. Practice a bit with a deck of cards at home or a freebie online game before going to the casino, just to get a feel for the way it’s going to go down. And remember, this is one game that you can get better at by playing, so play as much as you can.