How To Win Big On Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games. Knowing when to hit or stand in the game can reduce the house edge by half, which makes it one of the best casino odds games. This is also true for knowing when to split or double down in the game.
What does Hit & Stand mean in Blackjack?
Pick the Right Casino. Players often ignore this all-important step, so I decided to start precisely with. The object of the game is simple: beat the dealer by getting a count as close to 21 as possible without going over 21. While it’s all about the cards, skill is a key part of the game. Knowing how to play your hand, maximize your profits, or minimize your losses is. Win progressions encourage you to increase your bet size after a winning hand. For example, you make a minimum bet of $10 and if you win, you raise your next stakes on the hand to $20. There are all different kinds of win progressions. The most common is a 1-2-3-5 progression. This means you increase your bet by the above multiples after each. The big player then sits down, makes some big bets, and once the deck is dried up, he leaves the table, pretending to play another game or simply have some drinks with his winnings. The movie 21 perfectly describes how a blackjack card counting team should work. How To Win Big On Blackjack to find the best casino bonuses for players from United Kingdom, How To Win Big On Blackjack Austria, Switzerland, Australia, How To Win Big On Blackjack Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Poland.
The goal in blackjack is to get a hand as close to 21 as possible without going over. Hence it is also referred to as blackjack 21 or just 21.
The most frequent decision that players need to make when playing online blackjack is whether to hit or stand. To ‘stand’ simply means that you are satisfied with the cards that you have been dealt, and do not want any additional draw cards. Whereas, hitting means that you want to draw another card, or more, in order to try and improve your hand.
At anonline casino, players can action this by clicking either the ‘hit’ or ‘stand’ button on their screens. Meanwhile, players at a brick-and-mortar casino can use different hand signals to let the dealer know if they want to hit or stand. Once the signaling is done, that means your hand is complete for that round. Players can hit on any hand that totals 21 or less. In an event that your hand exceeds 21, then you have “busted” and that way you automatically lose your bet.
Other options include the ‘split’ which is simply splitting two cards of the same value into two hands, and ‘double down’ which is doubling down the amount of your bet, an extra card plus stand.
When to Hit
If your hand has a total of 8, it only makes sense that you hit on any card that the dealer holds. This is because the chances of you making a good hand are high, with so many 9 and 10-value cards in the deck. It is also wise to hit if the dealer has a relatively higher-value card on their hand such as a 7, 8 or 9 because they are likely to make 21, and the main aim of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand.
While it’s not advised, some players choose to hit when they have a hand total of 12 or 13 and the dealer has a lower card. That hand is very unlikely to win but it just might, depending on what card you will draw next.
Quick Tips:
· Hit if you have an 11 and the dealer has an Ace.
· Hit if you have a 10 and the dealer’s face-up card is also 10 or an Ace.
· Hit if you have a 9 and the dealer shows a 2 or 7 through Ace.
· Always hit on 5, 6, 7 and 8.
When to Stand
If your hand totals 17, 19 or 20 then you should stand, no matter what. This is because you are at a pretty good chance to ‘bust’ if your next card will make your hand go over 21. Some totals such as 10-10 or 9-9 can be split into two new good hands.
What’s also important is that you know the difference between ‘soft’ and ’hard’ hands in blackjack. Hands that contain an Ace, which counts as 1 or 11, are called soft hands, while hands made up of the other cards are called hard hands. Your decision to stand will also be based on which group your hand total falls into.
For instance, you should stand if the dealer’s face-up card is a 6 or below and you have a hard 16 (say consisting of a 7 and 9). Hit if the dealer shows a 2, or double down on cards 3 to 6 if you have an Ace, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
You can make a strong hand with soft cards if you draw a high-value card.
Quick Tips:
· Always stand if you have 17-21.
· Stand if you have 13-16 and the dealer shows a 2 through 6.
· Stand if you have a 12 and the dealer has a 4, 5 or 6.
The Blackjack Strategy Chart
The blackjack strategy chart is there to help you know what to do in every situation when playing the game. The table works in a simple format showing both the dealer and player’s possible hands. You can use the table to scan for the dealer’s card and through the corresponding column to your combination to see what to do. The strategy chart is based on a probability theory, which does not guarantee you a win, but at least points you towards a better direction to improve your odds.
You can also make use of other blackjack strategies to win, and calculators to help you check probabilities. However, remember that certain strategies to play blackjack such as card counting are frowned upon and can have you banned at a casino. This technique also does not work online as cards are shuffled on every round using an automated shoe.
Basic Blackjack Rules
Blackjack rules are very simple to follow. However, there might be slight differences depending on the variation you choose to play.
It is also important to note that some blackjack variations such as Atlantic City and European blackjack may have different side bets or progressive jackpots which can alter with the hit and stand betting system. If so, you will have an option to ‘surrender’, should you want to give up your hand early. This special option returns 50 percent of your bet.
FAQs about Blackjack Charts
Below are some frequently asked questions and answers about blackjack.
When should you not hit in blackjack?
You should not hit in blackjack if your hand totals 17 or above because you will be at a risk to exceed 21, meaning you will ‘bust’ and your winnings will be forfeited.
Should I hit or stand on 16?
Stand if the dealer shows a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
Do you hit on 12?
No, stand if the dealer has a 4, 5 or 6.
Should I hit on 13?
No, stand if the dealer shows a 2 through 6.
Do you hit 13 against a 2?
How To Win Blackjack Gta
No, stand if the dealer’s face-up card is a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
Do you always double down on 11?
A good strategy is to double down if the dealer is showing a lower card than a 10.
Conclusion
Knowing when to hit or stand is key if you want to playblackjack successfully. The strategy chart makes it even easier to decide for every hand in this fast-paced table game, and although it doesn’t guarantee you a win, it does help improve your chances of winning. Sometimes, the choice is pretty obvious and you just need to follow your instinct. So, why not learn how to hit or stand in blackjack at our live casino online? You can try this simple strategy on our demo games or play for real money to win big today!
One of the popular myths surrounding blackjack in casinos is that the average player can get an edge over the casino if he just plays his hands correctly. In other words, a lot of people think that you can win at blackjack just by mastering basic strategy.
But basic strategy isn’t enough to win at blackjack in most instances.
You need an additional strategy – an advantage technique – to get an actual edge over the casino in blackjack.
This might mean counting cards, but there are other ways, too. I’ve written extensively about counting cards in blackjack in the past.
But today I want to take a different approach.
Here’s how to win at blackjack WITHOUT counting cards.
How To Win Big On Blackjack Real Money
The First Step to Winning at Blackjack Is Mastering Basic Strategy
In blackjack, you have a finite number of potential situations to deal with. The dealer can only have one of the following face-up cards: ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10.
And you can only have one of a handful of potential totals, starting with a total of 3 and going up to a total of 21.
And many of those situations offer obvious strategic decisions. You’d always stand with a total of 21, for example. It’s an automatic winner. You’ll also always stand with a total of 20. You have far too many ways to bust in this situation to ever make it worth your while to hit in that situation.
The same holds true for a lot of your smaller totals, too. Any hand totaling 11 or lower is impossible to bust, so you’ll always at least hit in that situation.
But for many hands, you must compare what you’re holding with the dealer’s face up card to determine the playing decision with the highest expected value. In a lot of these situations, your expected value is negative. Imagine having a hard total of 16 against a dealer’s face up 10, for example. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t in that situation.
But, in those situations, some plays have a lower negative expectation than others. Your job is to make the play that loses the least amount of money in the long run.
Luckily, basic strategy is easy to memorize and implement. When you use basic strategy for every blackjack decision, you reduce the house edge to its theoretically lowest possible number. In most casinos and under most rules, this means that the basic strategy player faces a house edge of 1% or less.
You still can’t win in the long run with a house edge of 1% or even 0.5%.
But your probability of being a winner in the short run improve dramatically.
An average blackjack player with no knowledge of basic strategy is probably giving up between 2% and 4% of their house edge.
Advantage Play Techniques and Blackjack
An advantage play technique is a way of playing a casino game that gives you an edge over the casino. The most common advantage play technique is counting cards, but that’s not your only option. You can win at blackjack without counting cards, even though it’s probably the easiest way to get an edge.
How does card counting in blackjack work?
Counting cards is just a means of roughly tracking the ratio of high cards (aces and 10s) to low cards in the deck. When the deck has a higher proportion of high cards, the player is more likely to get a blackjack. That’s a 2-card hand that totals 21, and players love this hand because it pays off at 3 to 2 odds.
Bet $100 on a hand of blackjack, get dealt a natural, and you’ll get a payout of $150.
Card counters raise the size of their bets when their probability of getting a blackjack goes up based on the count.
And counting cards isn’t hard, either.
You just subtract 1 from the count every time you see a 10 or an ace.
You add 1 to the count every time you see a card worth between 2 and 6 points.
If you’re playing in a game with multiple decks, you adjust that running count to account for the extra decks of cards in play. That’s as simple as estimating how many decks are still in the shoe and dividing the running count by that number.
For example, if the running count is +8, and you estimate that there are 4 decks left in the shoe, the true count is only +2.
Why does this matter?
Because you raise your bets proportionally related to the count. You’ll bet more when the count is +8 than you would if the count was +4.
Not everyone wants to learn how to count cards, though.
You Can Win at Blackjack Without Counting Cards by Getting Lucky
The house edge in blackjack is a long-term phenomenon. In other words, your short-term results might look like anything. You’re mathematically expected to lose between 0.5% and 1% of your action at
the table in the long run.
But, in the short run, anything can happen.
So, one way to win at blackjack without counting cards is to keep your session short and walk away when you’ve won a specific amount of money. This is called having a “win goal.”
Most gamblers who use win goals set a win goal based on a percentage of their bankroll. For example, you might sit down at a $10 blackjack table with a $200 bankroll for the session. Your win goal might be 50% of that $200 – or $100. In that case, if you ever get to a point where you have $300 or more in chips, you walk away from the table and book your win.
Since blackjack is a negative expectation game, you’ll have more losing sessions than winning sessions over time.
But, unless something weird happens, you WILL inevitably have some winning sessions.
Another Way to Win Is to Bet Really Big and Negotiate Better Rules
Don Johnson is a living example of a blackjack player who won really big at the game without counting cards. He won over $6 million on blackjack in a single evening. Here’s how he did it:
To start with, he had mastered basic strategy. Everyone who’s ever been interviewed about him said that he played perfect cards. If you want to duplicate Johnson’s success, start with mastering basic strategy.
The next thing he did was negotiate with the casino. High rollers like Johnson, who bet $10,000 or more per hand, don’t have to play by the same rules as the average casino-goer.
It’s common for high rollers to get loss rebates. This means that the casino offers a player a discount on his losses. For example, if the casino is offering a 10% discount on your losses, and you lose $100,000, you only really lose $90,000 because of the rebate.
Some casinos also give high rollers bonus money to gamble with up front just to get them started gambling. Online casinos do this all the time, but brick and mortar casinos save this kind of treatment for their higher rollers.
Don Johnson negotiated a 20% loss rebate on his action the night he won all that money in Atlantic City.
On top of that, he negotiated specific blackjack rules that reduced the house edge to a tiny percentage. They played with a hand-shuffled, 6-deck show, and the dealer was forced to stand (rather than hit) a total of soft 17.
In total, all the rules changes wound up making this blackjack game a game with a house edge of only 0.25% — making it almost an even money game.
But on top of that, because of his loss rebate/discount, he was only risking 80 cents for every dollar he stood to win.
He had to buy in for a million dollars, but he was guaranteed a 20% discount on his first $500,000 in losses. Also, he wasn’t required to lose the entire million. He could lose the $500,000, quit, and get his $100,000 rebate – leaving him with “only” a $400,000 loss.
On the other hand, if he started winning – which he did – he could just keep playing.
And that’s how he won over $6 million without counting cards.
Other Advantage Techniques in Blackjack
Counting cards isn’t the only strategy for getting an edge at the game of blackjack. Advantage players use other techniques, some of which are well-known.
Dealer tells is one of these techniques. This describes the tendency that a dealer has to give some kind of physical clue after looking at his or her down card. The savvy blackjack player can then adjust his decisions based on the information he gleaned from the dealer tell.
Shuffle tracking is another advantage technique. The idea is that even though decks of cards get shuffled and randomized, they don’t get completely randomized.
If you can keep up with clusters of cards that are heavy with 10s and aces, you can raise the size of your bets when the dealer gets close to using those cards.
Hole carding is similar to dealer tells. It’s when a dealer accidentally reveals his actual down card when he looks at it to check for blackjack. The advantage of knowing which 2 cards the dealer has is obvious from a strategic perspective.
Other advantage play techniques exist that advantage players don’t share in public, too.
Conclusion
Counting cards is definitely the easiest way to win at blackjack, but you can without this technique. It’s harder to do, though, and I recommend learning to count cards if you’re serious about becoming a blackjack winner.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.