How To Play Blackjack
The most popular casino table game is Blackjack. Since the purpose of Raw Online Casino is to give you the best online casinos review, we will be discussing basic Blackjack strategy. There is a slight variation in strategy when playing at a land based casino since you have to account for other players and the occasional drunk anchor when you are playing offline.
The goal in Blackjack is for you the Player to come as close to 21 without going over, also known as “busting out”. In order to win the hand you must also have a higher total than the dealer. Getting a “Blackjack” means you got 21 with only your first two cards. Example) You have an Ace and either a King, Queen, Jack or 10. Blackjack!
First things first! Before being dealt any cards, the Player must place a wager. The amount of the wager placed is often just as important as the result. It is important to start off small with your wagers until you find your grove.
Next, the Player and Dealer are both dealt two cards each. If the total value of the Player’s cards is closer to 21 than the Dealer, the Player wins as much as was wagered. The Dealer can also bust out which automatically gives the winning hand to the Player. If the Player’s total goes over 21, the Player loses the amount wagered.
Important Blackjack rules for the best US online Casinos:
Blackjack is dealt with 4 decks of cards.
Cards are re-shuffled after each hand.
Dealer Hits Soft 17.
Double on any 2 cards
Split up to 3 hands.
Surrender any first 2 cards.
Split Aces receive only one card.
No re-splitting of Aces. We know we know, but it can’t be that easy for us.
Card Values:
Aces can count as either 1 or 11 whichever is more advantageous.
The honorable royalty – Jacks, Queens and Kings are all valued at 10.
Cards 2 through 10 are equal to their face value. Ex) 2 = 2, 8=8
And please remember that those fancy different suit cards like hearts, diamonds, spades or clubs have no meaning in this game.
Now that you know the rules, it is time to talk strategies!
Blackjack Basic Strategy
There are six components in Blackjack where strategy can be used to increase your winnings. The following will cover all of them and provide you with the best strategies for specific situations.
Hitting And Standing
The most basic component of Blackjack is hitting and standing.
To hit is to get another card from the dealer. If you have 20, we ask that you please do not hit.
To stand is to say that you do not want any more cards. You are confident with the cards you have.
We will first show you which scenarios you should hit and then followed by when you should stand.
When you should hit:
Your hand is less than 17 and the dealer is showing an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9 or 8. In this hand the dealer is more likely to get closer to 21 than you.
When you should stand:
Your hand is above 12 and the dealer is showing a 4, 5 or 6 indicating that the dealer will most likely bust out.
Ok so we know what to do when the dealer is showing 4,5,6,8 or Ace, but what about when the dealer is showing 7? Patience young grasshopper, we will get there. We like your enthusiasm!
Doubling Down
A quick way to break the house, and fast too! The best and fastest way to make it when playing Blackjack is by successfully doubling down at every opportunity. Doubling down can help you double your bet in the best of times but if you are not careful it can also help cost you double in the worst of times.
The first and most important rule of doubling down is to always double down any hand totaling 11. No matter what the dealer is showing. If you land a 10 when you have got 11 the dealer can’t beat you. You can trust the ROC, home of the best rated online casinos.
Now you are asking yourself, “is 11 the only time I should double down?” No.
When your hand is 10 and the dealer is showing a 9 or lower, double it up.
When your hand is a 9 or you have a “soft” hand (an ace counted as 11) between 13 and 17 against a dealer’s 4, 5 or 6, double it up.
That’s it though. Those hands give you the best shot at cashing in when you double down. Follow those rules and you’ll end up on the winning end of a double. No applause necessary, just throw us money.
For a thorough guide to strategic doubling down please refer to the Blackjack Strategy chart.
Splitting
This has nothing do with your pants. The final strategy point, and what tends to be everyone’s favorite or most hated part of Blackjack, is splitting. Splitting can be just as lucrative as Doubling Down if it is done correctly. Again, if this is done incorrectly you could end up splitting your behind even more so than it already is and losing two hands instead of just one.
First rule to Splitting is to never split 10′s or 5′s. Ten’s refers to any card valued at 10 including the honorable royalty cards.
WAIT…. there is a slight exception to the above rule. Always split Aces and eights, no matter what the dealer is showing. The reason behind splitting Aces should be obvious, but you might be perplexed about eights. Are you confused yet?
A pair of eights equals 16, which is really a middle child hand in Blackjack. Like we said before, with 16 your only chance of winning is if the dealer busts. By splitting into a pair of eights, your chances of hitting two hands higher than 16 are actually quite tasty.
Other than Aces and eights, your best bets when it comes to splitting are to split 2′s and 3′s against a dealer’s 4, 5, or 6. When it comes to the rest of the cards in the deck (4, 6, 7, 9), the simplest rule is to only split these cards when the dealer’s hand is showing a card of lesser value. There are variations to this rule however, so you may want to stick with Aces, 8′s, 2′s and 3′s for now. With that little tidbit you are almost on your way to card counting!
Novice Blackjack Tips
Strategy Tips
When we say Novice Blackjack strategy, we are talking about a few basic components of the game. If you think you are ready, please proceed to learn about: Soft Hands, Insurance, and the Surrender.
Soft Hands
Soft hands do not refer to moisturizing lotion in anyway whatsoever. General cleanliness and room etiquette tips can be found on our how to handle your self as a VIP page.
As we all know in Blackjack an Ace can equal either 11 or 1. Soft hands refer to any hand with an Ace where the player can choose between 2 totals involving an Ace. Example) An Ace and a 5 could total 6 or 16
Soft hands can be tricky for the Blackjack rookie because they have their own special rules when it comes to hitting, standing and doubling down. You want to hit a soft 13 through 17 whenever the dealer is showing 7 or higher. Remember, with any soft hand no matter what card you receive you cannot bust! Now here comes the confusion…doubling down with softies.
If you’ve got a soft 13 through 17, only double down when the dealer shows a 5 or 6.
If you’ve got a soft 15 through 17, you can also double up if the dealer’s showing a 4.
Most of the time you’ll want to stand on a soft 18, but if the dealer’s sporting a 9, 10 or an ace, you’ll probably be better off taking a hit.
With your soft 18, always stand versus a 2, 7 or 8, and double down against a 3, 4, 5 or 6. No matter what the dealer is showing, always stand on a soft 19 or higher.
Finally on soft hands, if the dealer holds a 2 and you’ve got a soft hand, please do not double down.
For a thorough guide to soft hands please once again refer to the Blackjack Strategy chart.
Insurance
Sometimes saving a lot of money on your car insurance is just not good enough. This next section explains what that little insurance button on your Blackjack screen means when a dealer is showing an Ace.
When a dealer is showing an Ace as one of their two cards they will offer you the opportunity to buy insurance. You can buy insurance at half the value of your initial bet. If the dealer does get a Blackjack and you bought insurance you get paid 2 to 1. Buying insurance gives players who fear that the dealer has a potential Blackjack on the table a chance to cut their losses.
Professionals often say that in the long run insurance is definitely not worth it, but one of the worst plays a player can make when a dealer’s possible Blackjack rears its ugly head is insuring a hand of 20 made of up two 10′s.
Think of it this way; you’re insuring yourself against the dealer having a 10 when you’ve already reduced the odds of him having one by having two yourself. Besides, don’t we already spend enough money on insurance away from the Blackjack table?
Another mistake a lot of Blackjack players can make is choosing the wrong play when the dealer shows an ace and could be holding a possible Blackjack. This is one of the worst things that can happen to a player, when they get lucky and catch a Blackjack of their own. If a player has a Blackjack and the Dealer is showing an Ace, the player can still purchase insurance. Many players fear having a push forced on them and end up taking ‘even money’. Taking Insurance on your Blackjack vs a Dealer’s Ace is called ‘even money’ because regardless of the Dealer’s hand, you will take an ‘even money’ payout of 1-1 on your Blackjack. By taking even money you could be giving away potential winnings. You may lose out on a few wins once in awhile, but your Blackjack account will be reduced in the long run by taking even money.
For a thorough guide to insurance please once again refer to the Blackjack Strategy chart. Trust us, it comes in handy while you wait to get your grove going.
Surrender
If you’re still reading this, we commend you! One final tip before hitting the tables to make your Blackjack fortune; don’t be afraid to surrender if the option is given to you.
If, after the cards are dealt, the dealer is way ahead and the chances of you pulling out a win are slim, surrender, get 50 percent of your bet back and live to play another hand. If you’re stuck on when to surrender and when to play on, remember this: always surrender with a hard 15 when the dealer has a 10, and always surrender with a hard 16 when the dealer has a 9, 10 or ace. Or you can always be a cowboy and live life on the edge and scream no surrender!
For a thorough guide to surrendering in Blackjack please refer to the Blackjack Strategy chart.
The Wrap Up
If you’re looking to avoid some other common mistakes, perk up your ears or in this case, your eyes. If you think playing two hands instead of one against the dealer gives you better odds of winning, you’re mistaken. Playing two hands will give you the same advantage as two different players playing a single hand versus the dealer using exactly the same strategy. The advantage there is zero.
Another way many players feel they can get an advantage is by increasing their betting or by using a progressive betting system. No matter if yofu’re ahead or behind, your chances of winning the next hand remain static so increasing your bets during a streak of wins or losses is not necessarily a smart move. So-called progressive betting — betting one chip, then three, then five, etc. — is not a smart move either. This offers no increased chances of winning, and by losing the hand where you bet five chips after winning the two hands where you bet one and three chips, you wind up in the red. Unless you know what’s coming out of the shoe either telepathically or by counting cards, progressive betting won’t pay off. The best advice we can give you for choosing your wager amount is to bet as big as you feel. When you start getting a couple of Blackjacks and get on a hot streak bet as big as you feel at that particular moment!
Good luck at the tables, it’s all you baby!
