Blackjack is a casino table game that is played with one, two, four, six, or eight decks of cards. In single and double deck games the dealer holds the cards when dealing. The cards are dealt face down and the player is allowed to pick up their cards. In multi-deck games the cards are dealt out face-up using a shoe and the player is not allowed to touch the cards. In some casinos you might also find the continuous shuffling machines that are now becoming more and more popular. Card Values All...
Read more about How to Play Blackjack Blackjack Odds - June 23, 2010When you are at the blackjack table it is important to know what the odds are for each situation that you might find yourself in. If you know the probabilities of hitting and busting this will give you the insight to make the correct decisions and maximize your winnings. I won’t go into the math of the numbers, but just offer you the simple percentages in order to help make your choices a little more clearer. Obvious No-Hit Situations Whenever you get to 17 you do not want to hit, but taking...
Read more about Blackjack Odds The Math of Gambling - August 11, 2009Gambling and mathematics have always been closely linked together. A new article from New Scientist explores some interesting examples of how using math can help you beat the odds at the Casino. Here are some of the highlights. Roulette - Remember that guy that sold all of his possessions and put everything he owned on one spin of the roulette wheel? Well, this is sort of like that, sort of. What the article advocates is what I would call a “chase” system. Basically, you pick...
Read more about The Math of Gambling Odds on Video Blackjack - August 22, 2008One major concern when people go to the casino or when they play online is that the odds are going to be different than if they are playing table blackjack with real cards in front of them. However, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. If you are in Las Vegas, then it’s Nevada law, as well as most of the United States, that video representations of cards need to follow the exact odds that a real game with a human dealer would have. The cards also need to come out in a completely...
Read more about Odds on Video Blackjack Two Deck Blackjack Strategy - July 21, 2008To use the basic strategy look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer’s up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17. Key to table: H Hit S Stand D Double of allowed, otherwise hit Ds Double if allowed, otherwise stand P Split H/P Split if allowed to double after a split, otherwise hit H/R Surrender...
Read more about Two Deck Blackjack Strategy Single Deck Blackjack Strategy - July 21, 2008 Read more about Single Deck Blackjack Strategy Four Deck Blackjack Strategy - July 21, 2008To use the basic strategy look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer’s up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17. Key to table: H Hit S Stand D Double of allowed, otherwise hit Ds Double if allowed, otherwise stand P Split H/P Split if allowed to double after a split, otherwise hit H/R Surrender...
Read more about Four Deck Blackjack Strategy Blackjack Playing Advice - July 21, 2008The Rules Blackjack can be played with one to eight ordinary decks of cards. Cards of rank 2 through 10 are scored according to their face value. All face cards are 10 points. Aces are semi-wild and can be worth either 1 or 11 points. The highest hand in blackjack is an ace and any 10-point card and is called a blackjack. A winning blackjack pays 3:2. If both player and dealer have a blackjack the bet is a push. Aside from a blackjack a winning hand pays even money. The player wins if his hand has...
Read more about Blackjack Playing Advice Blackjack Playing Tips - July 21, 2008Keep your emotions under control. The dealer is only the messenger of fate. Don’t take you’re losses out on him.o Always remember you can win. You didn’t bring $100 to a casino to play with and lose. If you are losing at a particular table, set a three-losses-and-you-move routine. o Focus on the dealer and his up card, not your neighbor’s cards. If other players at the table are upsetting you with their playing strategies, you can move. o Drinking and gambling do not mix....
Read more about Blackjack Playing Tips Easy Card Counting - July 8, 2008Being labeled as a “card counter” gives a blackjack player a bad reputation among casino owners and operators. It has always struck me as odd that a person who plays the game with a high degree of skill is subject to being banned from putting that knowledge to work. I cannot think of another pursuit where similar discrimination is enforced. A card counter keeps mental track of the cards that have been dealt in order to assess the collective value of the cards remaining in an effort to...
Read more about Easy Card Counting 12 vs 2 Blackjack - July 8, 2008One of the most painful hands in blackjack is when you get a 12 versus a dealer who is showing a two? Oh sure, there are plenty of hands out there that are worse mathematically, since by the book a 12 against a 2 balances out to a loss of just over $0.25 per dollar bet. Lots of player-dealer combinations are far more taxing. For instance, a 16 versus nine, 10, or ace is projected to cost above $0.50 on the dollar. And a 17, which many bettors erroneously think is a safe plateau, bears theoretical...
Read more about 12 vs 2 Blackjack Past Basic Strategy - July 8, 2008Everyone who plays blackjack regularly has probably at least tried to learn basic strategy, but many fall short. Even people I have talked to who think they are experts miss up to 20 different hands on the chart, but before you take your game to the next level you need to be perfect. Now let’s say you happen to be that one player in 50 who plays all his hands correctly. What’s next? Most prevailing blackjack literature says that card counting is the next step, but in actuality there...
Read more about Past Basic Strategy Speed Count - July 8, 2008True card counters at the blackjack tables are a rare breed, but they have the unique ability to get an edge on the casino. Most people who try to count can’t keep an accurate enough number to make a difference, or they lose their concentration a little too easily. You don’t only have to have the ability to count cards, but also have a big enough bankroll to sustain a large losing streak. Dr. Henry Tamburin, who for a very long time had success using the Hi-Lo system, thought there...
Read more about Speed Count 12 Against A 2 - June 23, 2008We have said time and time again that the never-bust strategy in blackjack is a bad bet and the players need to focus in on playing perfect basic strategy. This means that there are no real hard and fast rules that can be broken down in a single line, but there are a few nuances worked in. One involves a 12 against a two or a three. Even if we do not consider the depletion of the deck, the 12 hand is different from most other stiff hands because you have 9 cards that will improve your hand...
Read more about 12 Against A 2 Single Deck Blackjack - June 3, 2008A common rule difference in today’s single deck blackjack games over the old days is that they pay six for five instead of three to two for blackjacks. Many players don’t think this is such a bad thing, but we are going to try to change your mind. The rule used to be it was always to your advantage to play on a game with the fewest decks. Compared to the math of a single deck game, that of a multi-deck game seriously handicaps your play: 0.35% for two decks 0.48% for four 0.54% for...
Read more about Single Deck Blackjack Lucky Ladies - June 3, 2008There are several casinos out there who offer side bets on the blackjack table, and one that we are going to take a look at today is called Lucky Ladies. This is a side bet where you are hoping to see a natural 20 on your first two cards, if you do then the payback comes back at 4:1. The payout increases if the cards are suited (9:1), or matched (identical) and if you get two Queen of Hearts (the Lucky Ladies) then it is a whopping 125:1, unless the dealer has a blackjack that is, then it’s...
Read more about Lucky Ladies Worst Bet in the Casino - June 2, 2008There are plenty of bad bets that you can make in a casino, and by bad we mean they have astronomical house edges. However, the casinos don’t want to get rid of these games because the suckers keep on coming in and laying down their hard earned cash. We don’t want you to be one of those suckers so let’s take a look at some of the worst of the worst. Blackjack Insurance – Unless you now how to count cards, this is a wager that you are going to want to avoid. Depending on the...
Read more about Worst Bet in the Casino Royal Match Blackjack - May 21, 2008The Royal Match is a side bet in blackjack that is based on the first two cards that are dealt to the players. The rules are pretty simple to understand and follow, if the player’s first two cards are suited, then the player is paid 5 to 2. If the player has a royal match (a king and queen of the same suit) then the bet pays out at 25 to 1. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose your hand since you are paid out on your side bet as soon as the first two cards are dealt. The casino’s...
Read more about Royal Match Blackjack Hi-Lo Card Counting in Blackjack - May 19, 2008We’ve had plenty of questions coming in to the site concerning card counting in blackjack so wanted to address the issue. It is thought that with a little bit of research and practice a common player can improve their game to the point where the game is a break-even situation or else they may get the advantage to their side. The casinos have other plans in mind, and try to curtail this practice at all costs. They think it’s cheating, but it really seems to be a skill that only takes...
Read more about Hi-Lo Card Counting in Blackjack House Edge When Blackjack Pushes Go To House - March 15, 2008Generally, charity blackjack events turn pushes into wins for the casino. Real casinos do not offer such a hard-line rule, because players would never belly up to the table when the odds are so stacked against them. There is an exception: Double Exposure blackjack. Here, as compensation for losing in pushes, all dealer’s cards are dealt face up, However, (there’s always an “however”) because you get to view both of the dealer’s up-cards, the playing rules are adjusted...
Read more about House Edge When Blackjack Pushes Go To House Single Deck Blackjack – Common Rules & House Edge - March 8, 2008It seems like single deck blackjack games are becoming more common once again, but the trend in some casinos is to make the payoffs for blackjack 6:5 instead of the customary 3:2. Keep reading to see how this affects the overall dealer advantage. We advice players to play single deck blackjack games because if you play using perfect basic strategy on a single deck game the house edge shrinks to a meager 0.15%. Most casinos used to have single deck 3:2 games. But today, they are rarities, replaced...
Read more about Single Deck Blackjack – Common Rules & House Edge Simple Basic Strategy for Blackjack - March 8, 2008When people head out to Vegas they often want a crash course in how to play blackjack. Well it’s not quite that simple but we can make sure that you play as good as possible given your time constraints on learning the game. So here is the basic strategy that you are going to want to learn: If dealer shows 2 or 3 take cards until you have 13 or more. If dealer shows 4 5 or 6 take cards until you have 12 or more. If dealer shows 7 8 9 10 or Ace take cards until you have 17 or more. If you...
Read more about Simple Basic Strategy for Blackjack How Continuous Shuffling Affects the Odds - March 8, 2008A common question asked is how big of a disadvantage does the blackjack player have who counts cards have against continuous shuffle machines? And a related question of how often do online casinos shuffle their cards? We turned to casino expert Mark Pilarski to allow him to help assist us with these questions and more. Casinos thwart card counters by using different countermeasures. They can use more decks, which decrease the player’s advantage, or they can shuffle prematurely. The downside...
Read more about How Continuous Shuffling Affects the Odds Video Blackjack Odds - March 8, 2008If you want the video blackjack odds then take a look at the house edge and different strategies to help you win. We have frequently been asked about the house edge on Video Blackjack and how different rules and playing perfect strategy affect the odds against you. Many players like the smaller wager limits with the video version and the fact that they can play at my own slower pace. These visitors are right in that there are plenty of advantages to video blackjack with the low minimum bankroll required,...
Read more about Video Blackjack Odds Splitting Eights in Blackjack - March 8, 2008If you have ever taken a look at a basic strategy card, book on blackjack, or an experts column online then you will always see they recommend splitting eights against a dealer 10. However, many players realize that they are going to end up losing even with two different 8′s going against the dealer 10, so they depart from optimal play and just hit instead of splitting. While this is a hand that hurts most players, you have to realize that the perfect strategy tries to minimize losses at times...
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