Find Out How to Win Blackjack at Casino

Basic concepts of Blackjack:

• Player (participant) – participant of the game who plays against the dealer (croupier);
• Dealer (croupier) – distributing cards from shoes;
• Shoes – a special device into which a deck of cards is inserted after mixing. Distribution takes place from it until the next shuffle;
• Shuffle – the entire game cycle, which lasts from mixing the cards to the release of the dividing plastic card set by the dealer in the shoe;
• Hand – cards of the participant or croupier;
• Chip – a substitute for the currency in the casino. Each gaming establishment has its own chips.

Guide on How to Play Blackjack

Misconception is the statement that the meaning of the gameplay lies in the set of more points. The game comes in several decks (1-8 decks). The fewer the decks, the better are the odds to beat the dealer. At the completion of the shuffle, when only one third of the cards are left in the shoe (the game continues until the dealer in the shoe reaches the special plastic card set by him to the stakes made), the decks are mixed. If the game is played in one deck, then shuffling occurs after each game;

The nominal values of the cards are the following: cards from two to ten coincide with the nominal. Jack, Queen, King all have ten points. Ace is always either one point or eleven as will be beneficial to the participant, then the value is applicable. The number of participants is limited by the number of boxes at the table. Most of the time there are seven of them. But this does not mean that participants can make joint bets on one box. Many casinos limit the game to one box, so the participant is forced to make at least two bets. The institution itself establishes how many bets one player can make, but is usually limited to how many boxes there are on the table;

If the player and the dealer have the same amount of points, then it’s a tie. However, a loss is also possible if the institution provides rules for such a controversial point. Participants make bets before the distribution of cards. After the dealer says: “There are no more bets” – players are not allowed to add (remove) chips and touch cards. Then there is a distribution of cards. If the player gets 21 points after the distribution, it is considered blackjack. This is the only combination of cards in the game that has its own name. This player is given a win of 3 to 2 (1.5 more than his bet). The remaining participants who do not have 21 are offered a regular card, in this case it is necessary to say “card” or “more”, or to stop on that amount of points that are already on hand. If, after receiving the third card, 21 points were accumulated, the croupier silently continues the game with the next participant.

Additional Rules

Double. Only with the first two cards, the participant can declare a double. The player needs to double his bet. After that, he gets an additional card and the croupier proceeds to the next participant or reveals his cards;

• Triple. This rule is pretty rare and does not work in all casinos. It allows you to make another bet after the double, similar to the first one. That way you can get another card;
• Insurance – When a dealer has an ace on the table, he will offer participants to buy insurance against blackjack. The amount of insurance will be equal to half of the initial stake of the participant in the amount of 2 to 1, if the dealer has blackjack.

Many different types of classic blackjack are possible. The main difference is the number of cards to be dealt, which the dealer distributes to himself at the beginning of the shuffle. There is a list of rules according to which the dealer shows all his cards. Most gaming establishments make changes as they wish more often in their favor. At times there are exceptions in the form of bonuses such as additional payment when collecting three sevens or making other combinations.

How to Win Playing Blackjack at the Casino

There is a basic strategy developed for the beginners. It is a set of rules for playing a hand when playing blackjack, which allows you to minimize the expected loss with each particular hand or to maximize the expected gain. That is, it is a mathematically correct way to play a hand when playing blackjack, based only on information about the amount of player points and the dealer’s open card. In the absence of any other information, the basic strategy is the only correct way to play the hand. Any other hand drawing strategy will give worse results than the BS.

The basic strategy is a game, not a betting strategy, that is, it gives a solution only regarding the hand, but says nothing about the size of the bet and their number.

There are of two types of basic blackjack strategies: total-dependent and composition-dependent. Total-dependent BS does not take into account the specific cards in the player’s hand, considering only the sum of points in the hand, while composition-dependent BS takes into account the exact composition of the cards in the player’s hand. For example, a sum of 12 points may consist of 10 + 2, or 9 + 3, or 8 + 4, or 7 + 5. Theoretically, in these examples, the optimal solutions may be different, however, this usually manifests itself only in 1-game games, and the differences are extremely insignificant.

Each decision of the player, in accordance with the BS, depends on two parameters – on the sum of the points of the player’s cards, and on the face value of the dealer card. In each such initial scenario, there is only one optimal solution. These optimal solutions are written out, summarized in readable tables, and memorized for use in the game. Some casinos even distribute or sell cards with a BS sign to players.

It is important to understand that knowledge of the basic strategy does not in itself guarantee a win. The rules of the game in each particular casino are also important. The strict adherence of the BS leads to the fact that the player receives a mathematical benefit somewhere in the range from -0.6% to + 0.2% for standard rules without any special rarities. A simple online calculator for Norman Wattenberger allows you to find out the player’s mathematical expectation of the basic strategy using the most common rules.

The basic strategy is an absolutely essential tool for any competent blackjack player. Without a thorough BS knowledge, it is impossible to study more complex and advanced game systems, such as card counting.

Some other useful tips:

• Learn how to deal with bad luck. You can often see how an experienced player is completely lost if he has to lose again and again Of course, the most common reason why an experienced player keeps losing is the usual temporary bad luck. It may be common for people to blame someone for their own failures, but in this case nothing can be done about it. Bad luck is an integral part of gambling, and you need to learn to stay calm and control your emotions;
• Playing with fear. If a gambler, for personal reasons, needs to win today by all means, he is a typical example of a suicide player. You should not expect any sensible decisions from such a tense player. Clarity of thought is necessary to achieve success in Blackjack. You can’t win if all of your thoughts are about something else;
• Excessive confidence. This often happens to experienced players, whose confidence in the thorough knowledge of all the subtleties of the game leads to their own indiscretion. You can often see how a sense of superiority prevails over prudence, which leads to mistakes, which then cost the player dearly;
• Do not believe in gambling superstitions. Many blackjack players double the bet after losing, being sure that sooner or later they will win. Remember that even after a lost hand, in the next game you have the same chance of winning and losing. Play with the mind and do not become a victim of prejudice.