Ways to improve your odds while playing blackjack

Often described as a casino game with the most possibility of winning, the popularity of the card game Blackjack has never waned. It is surely the most popular casino game in the world both online and in brick and mortar casinos. One of the reasons for its success lies in the fact that it’s a game of tactic, rather than chance. Here are a few more ways to improve your odds while playing it.

Start by getting your basics right. This comes from experts who’ve been studying the game for over fifty years. What you’re looking for as a player is the best way to play every single hand that you are dealt. The ‘best way’ is nothing more than the basic playing strategy. For example, learn the terms of the game. If you’re a player of any experience, you know that to beat the dealer, you need to get to 21. This takes more than just staying or choosing another card. Some terms you must know the nuances of: split pairs of similar cards and use them in different bets; two separate hands. Surrendering your hand is not generally accepted in casinos as well as when you are playing online blackjack. If you’ve got bad cards, then save at least half your bet by surrendering. Understand that you receive only one additional card and double your bet when you double down.

Understand the casino table and its rules before you start. Since card counting is an issue, many casinos use more than one deck of cards. This makes counting tough. You cannot keep track of cards if you’re playing at a table with a continuous shuffle machine. The dealer is to stop at 17, which puts the dealer at a disadvantage; casinos bypass this sometimes by allowing a soft 17, that is a 17 made by 11 or 1. These games are hard to win and are best avoided. There’s also some debate on the insurance wager. The best thing is to not avail of it. A bet of this sort gives you 2:1 but the odds aren’t always that good! So, turn it down, even if tempted.

Money is currency in more ways than one in a casino, so find out how you’ll be paid before embarking on a game. Sometimes it’s a $3 dollar payment for a $2 wager, if you get a 21 in the first two cards. But some tables may offer you $6 dollars for a $5 wager. This is not ideal, even if it seems like much. Betting is exciting but it’s best to avoid grand gestures and stick to gradual increases of perhaps a dollar at a time. Remember, strategy is everything. Once you perceive that the game is working in your favour, then raise the stakes by more.

Since Blackjack is a game of strategy, read up on the strategy. There are enough and more charts and statistics available to do just this. Think of Blackjack as chess and see how many scenarios you can keep in your head. Once you get familiar with this, moving on to play by pure intuition gets way easier to do.