I’d like to share with you some of the knowledge that has helped me in my online blackjack game. (Of course, the same principles apply in a regular casino as well, I’m just more used to online variants).
- It doesn’t matter where you sit at the table, all seats are equal as the order of cards is random anyway.
- Never buy insurance! Just admit that your chances of winning are lower this time – there’s no need to invent anything. You don’t need the insurance.
- Remember that the more bets you place, the more money you can win or lose. A progressive betting system will usually not increase your chances of winning, as it forces you to bet more than you are used to and therefore risk losing more. So – stick to the betting strategy that feels more comfortable and right for you.
- Try to avoid getting emotional about the cards, as emotions such as anger, greed, fear and stress can lead you to over-bet and make emotion-driven mistakes, and cloud your initial strategy and play. Therefore, keeping a cool nerve is very important. Generally speaking, this rule applies to other areas of life, so it’s nothing new, but sometimes tends to be forgotten.
- Always carry a “basic strategy” table with you. This is quite common and many websites offer them for games with different pack counts. In this sense, blackjack online is a better choice, especially for a beginner – you can simply print out this table/card and keep it in front of you as a reminder. When you go to a regular casino, you have to memorise it. This small but very useful outline will show you exactly what combination of cards to choose, and also what moves to make given the card the dealer has in his hand. Knowing these combinations will significantly reduce the casino’s advantage over the player, and the odds of winning should increase significantly.
- If you have a “basic strategy” table, it will already show the solutions to various combinations, but I’ll point out a couple of important moves that are often missed.
Firstly, always choose “Hit” when you have a “soft 18” (Ace and 7) and the dealer has an open 9 – this is one of the big mistakes even experienced players make. Nobody likes to choose “Hit” when they have an 18, but if the dealer has a 9, there is a 28% chance that their next card will be a 10 or an Ace. Therefore, it is always a wise choice to choose “Hit” for a “soft 18”. If you don’t, you give the casino an 8.3% advantage. And remember, the same rule applies if you have a soft 18 and the dealer has either a 10 or an ace.
Secondly, another mistake players often make is when you have a soft 18 and the dealer has a 6, but you don’t choose to double. If the dealer shows that he has a 6, he has about a 42% chance of “busting”, and so you have a much better chance if you double down and get another card. Every time you choose “Stand” in this situation, you give the casino a 10% advantage.
So to sum up – I would say that blackjack online is, in my opinion, the best choice for learning strategy, because it gives you a good opportunity to “gamble”. Obviously, I have now got enough material that can be successfully applied to this game.
I wish you good luck!
