Blackjack Strategy – Turn the Odds on the Casino
While online blackjack is the casino game that offers the lowest house edge against the player, this statistic can be misleading. In order for one to take advantage of the game’s maximum potential, it is necessary to develop a solid working knowledge of the game’s basic strategy. Counting cards is not necessary in order to do well when you play, but understanding why you take certain actions under certain circumstances is vital if you would like to walk away from the tables as a winner on a regular basis.
Apart from the rudiments of basic strategy and some of the more advanced strategies, it is important to exercise the mental discipline necessary to trust in the math and get through bad beats. Of course, none of that means anything unless you understand some of the more subtle playing strategies that the best players employ against the house in order to win. With some practice and planning, you can fully exploit the weaknesses of this fast-paced and thrilling game.
Assuming that you already understand the basic rules and actions of the game, such as hitting, standing, splitting, doubling, insuring and surrendering, you need to learn some of the non-negotiable laws of basic strategy. Aces and eights must always be split, no matter how much money you have on the table and what your gut tells you. Aces need to be split because they both stand alone with scores of 11, meaning that no single card can bust either of your two hands and a 10-value card will give you a solid 21. Moreover, it acts as a risk-mitigation strategy because even if you lose on one, you still have a chance of scoring a 21 on the other. In essence, it is almost always a win-win move. Splitting eights, on the other hand, can serve as both an aggressive move and a risk-mitigation move, depending on what the dealer’s up card is. Another law is that you never split fives or 10s unless you are counting cards. Lastly, never take insurance against the dealer’s ace unless you are counting–it is a sucker bet that is in the house’s favour.
There are also more subtle playing decisions that usually only the best basic strategy players know to use. Many people think that you should never hit a 12 against a dealer’s three, but a three is one of the most dangerous up cards that he can show. The reason is that only a nine-value or 10-value card can make him bust. As such, always hit your 12 against a three. Conversely, never hit your 13 against a dealer’s three. Another little-known fact is that twos and threes are often some of the strongest splits against any up card that is a seven or lower; split them, no matter what your gut tells you. And lastly, remember that your objective, the entire table’s objective, is to get the dealer to bust before the players have busted. Your card total means absolutely nothing if the dealer pulls a blackjack.
