Blackjack Archives | Casino Barometer

Quick tips: How to win in Blackjack

Delve into the true nature of gambling, exploring the stark realities of chance, winning, losing, and the human psychology involved in this ubiquitous pastime.

Gambling, as it is often remarked, remains a game dictated by chance. The uncertainty of outcomes and the thrill of the unknown form its very core. Yet, beneath the glittering surface of roulette wheels and card decks, a universal truth lurks: there will always be a loser. This unvarnished fact underscores that a game stripped of its losers cannot be classified as gambling. The scales of chance tip more towards loss than gain – a harsh reality that many gamblers are coming face-to-face with today.

Escalating Engagement

An increasing number of individuals today are being drawn into the world of gambling. For some, it offers an escape from daily woes; for others, it’s a leisure activity or an enticing challenge. Unbeknownst to them, once the hook of gambling sinks in, it holds fast, often leading to significant losses.

The Reality of Losing

What does it truly mean to lose in gambling? Is it an integral element of the game? These questions float around, often without definitive answers, largely due to an inadequate understanding of the mathematical probabilities governing the ‘game of chance.’

Exploring the Math of Loss

Here, we delve into a few statistics and realities tied to the losses in gambling:

Greater Gambling, Greater Losses: A straightforward fact about gambling is that the more one engages, the more one stands to lose. Consistent gambling typically leads to consistent losses.
The Overlooked Impact of Losing: Given the large sums of money involved, gamblers often perceive the game through the lens of potential winnings, overlooking the fact that losses are far more impactful and statistically more probable.
Winning: An Illusion? Statistical data underscores the harsh reality that a majority of gamblers will never taste victory due to the significantly low chances of winning.

For instance, in a standard card game involving a 52-card deck, each player has merely 1 in 52 chances of drawing a winning card. Likewise, the probability of landing a perfect hand is a staggering 1 in 635,013,559,599.

Consider games involving dice; a die typically has six sides, meaning that for every six throws, a player has a single opportunity to roll their desired number. If using three dice, this probability shrinks to 1 in 216.

The Final Roll of the Dice

In conclusion, the allure of gambling often veils the stark reality of its nature. While some argue that skill has a role, the reality is that losses are more common and more consequential. This intricate dance with chance, despite the skills one might possess, tends to conclude with the gambler on the losing end.

Easy To Learn Blackjack System

In all of the games used for gambling, Blackjack remains the only one in which a participant can actually change his chances of winning during the game. Whether those running casinos wish to admit it or not, Blackjack does involve skill.

Blackjack actually refers to a specific holding (two cards totalling 21). However, this is also the most common term for the game – also known as 21.

You are playing against the dealer at all times. Many people feel that you must play differently depending on where you sit at the table. This is not true. Players sit in a semi-circle around the dealer, but no matter where you sit, you are still playing against the dealer. You owe nothing to the other players – it is your own money you are risking.

In Blackjack, the suits of the cards have no significance. Tens, jacks, queens, and kings all count 10. An ace counts 1 or 10 at the player’s option. Cards from 2 to 9 have their face value. Therefore, if you hold a nine and a five, you have 14. A nine and an ace can be either 10 or 20.

The simple idea of the game is to get closer to 21 without going over than the dealer does. You are dealt two cards and the dealer is dealt two cards also – one always face up, and one face down. You are then given the option of standing with the cards you have (“stick” or “sticking”) or you may be “hit” and be given another card (“hitting”). You may take as many cards as you wish to, but should you go over 21, you “bust” and the dealer wins automatically. The dealer will not take any cards until all players are through at taking cards. Thus the dealer’s biggest advantage is here. Any players that bust, lose their bet – even if the dealer goes bust.

If you stay at 21 or under and have a higher total than the dealer, you win; if both you and the dealer hold cards equalling the same total, it is a “push” and you stay even (not winning or losing). If the dealer has a higher total without busting, he wins.

The pay off if you win is even money (one to one). If you get a “21” or “Blackjack” (21 in two cards) you are paid at a rate of 3 to 2 (bet $10 win $15). If the dealer gets blackjack at the same time, you push – all other players lose.

You may take “Insurance” when the dealer’s first card is an ace. After all players and the dealer have two cards, he will ask “Insurance?”. You may bet another 1/2 of your original bet. Payment is 2 to 1 if the dealer does get blackjack.

At this point, after each player and the dealer has 2 cards, he will start at the immediate right and see if the player wants a card (a “hit”). If yes, the player scratches the table with his fingers or cards towards himself. If not, he places his cards under his bet or makes a negative movement with his hand. Dealers respond to hand gestures only. If you go over 21 “bust” you turn your cards over (face up) and the dealer takes the cards and your bet. If you stay at 21 or under, the dealer will continue to the next player.

As we mentioned, an ace can be counted as a 1 or 11. When you have say an 8 and a 10, you have a “hard” hand. However, an 8 and an ace gives you a “soft” hand. Because you have a soft 19 or a hard 9 if you count the ace as a one.

The dealer on the other hand does not get these options. When all players are through, the dealer turns face up his hole card. He must take a card if he has 16 or less. He must stand (in most casinos) on a hard or soft 17.

Most players try and guess what the dealer has and look at the other cards on the table before deciding to hit or stand. Most players also never win at Blackjack.

At this point, you should understand how the game is played. The following is your best strategy as determined by computer testing:

Always hit when you have 11 or less.
Always stand with a hard 17 or more.

On a hard hand: When the dealer’s up card is from 7 to Ace, draw if you have 12 to 16. When the dealer’s card is 2 to 6, stand on 12 to 16 except if the dealer’s card is a 2 or 3, in which case you would draw.

On a soft hand do the following: Always draw to a soft 12. Stand on 18 except when the dealer has a 9 or 10 value card. Stand on 19.

In most casinos, you may double down (double your bet) after your first two cards.

On a hard hand: Always double with 11, with 10 except if the dealer has a 10 or ace, with 9 against the dealer’s 2 to 6 up card.

On a soft hand: With ace 2 to ace 7 double against dealer’s 4, 5, or 6. Also with ace 6 against 2 or 3 and ace 7 against 3.

Another play is the splitting of pairs. If your first two cards of the deal are the same value, you may place a bet the same as your original, and play two hands.

Always split ace-ace, and 8-8. Never split 10-10, 5-5, or 4-4. Split other pairs only when the dealer’s card is 2 to 6. These rules may seem complicated and difficult. However, after playing at home, this basic strategy will require no concentration.

Does Card Counting Work?

If you’re a Blackjack player or striving to become one, it won’t be long until you hear about counting cards-if you haven’t already heard.

Counting cards in Blackjack will give the good Blackjack player better odds to come out ahead in the long run. It’s not some super-secret formula for winning millions of dollars at Blackjack overnight.

Also, when you count cards, you’re just trying to get a read on what type of cards are left in the deck and not trying to guess what exact card is due next-ala the Rain Man.

Here’s the basic premise. When there’s a great chance that big cards will come out, the win meter swings to your favor. When there’s a great chance that small cards will come out, the win meter swings harder to the dealer.

So, the ideal situation is one in which lots of large cards are left in the deck and in which the probability of those cards coming out is greater. When this happens, you bet larger than normal.

And that’s really the main philosophy. When there are greater numbers of small cards left, reduce your wager. When there are greater numbers of large cards left, bet bigger. That doesn’t mean you bet $5 on one hand and $5,000 the next. A typical swing might be $5-$15. But, you’ll need to decide this for yourself.

Counting cards doesn’t work online. Why? Well, online casinos shuffle their deck(s) for each hand-unless noted somewhere. Since they do this, counting is of no value.

In the real world, you’ll typically find that counting pays off as decks get smaller. But here’s the catch. To count successfully, you must be able to see all the cards. That’s right. If the player next to you just tosses in his or her card face down, you’ve lost an edge. The more it happens, the worse your count will be.

Let’s dispel one false misconception about counting cards right now. You don’t need to be a math genius to do it. Can you count from 0 to 2 and from 0 to -2? If so, you’re talented enough. All you need to do is practice.

The first time you go out to count, it’s best to play with a small table. Also, if you can find a game that deals the cards face up, you’ll have an easier time learning.

Remember, counting cards by itself does absolutely nothing. If you’re a poor Blackjack player, counting cards won’t help you win. In fact, it can help you lose more money and faster. Counting cards in Blackjack is a tool to aid those who understand the game and can play it properly.

How do you count cards? We’ll go over that in another article.

Secret Formula of Black Jack Winners

When someone plays a game, they play to win. One of the many simple games at the casino is Blackjack. For those who don’t know how to play the game, it’s always best to start by learning the basics.

When playing Blackjack the most important feature to remember is that there are four times as many cards that have a value of 10 (10, J,Q,K) as any other value. With this information, one must always assume that the next card to be drawn from the deck has a value of 10.

By keeping this in mind, one may realize that if one has any hand that has a value over 12 one will likely lose or in blackjack terms bust (go over 21). Likewise if the dealer’s card is a 2-6 it is likely to draw a 10 card which means he will have to draw again, likely causing him to bust.

Another way to make the odds more favorable to the player than the dealer is by counting cards. This of course requires many pages and charts that must be memorized. Having a professionally written guide is very helpful and there are many different authors that have different styles and different counting systems. It’s always best to get more than one opinion to find out which style works best.

Practice makes perfect. By investing time and money with online training software learning the game, it will eventually pay off at the casino.

Upon entering the casino, one must choose the right table to play at. When one observes that the players at a table seem to be winning a lot, it is a good time to join in the action. Likewise, if you notice the dealer has a lot of chips and the players seem to be doing more losing than winning, then look for a better table.

Reward the dealer by tipping when one is winning. If the dealer knows he will be tipped when the players wins, he may begin rooting and actually do subtle things to help such as performing less thorough shuffles and penetrating deeper into the shoe before he re-shuffles thus allowing the player to get a more accurate count of the cards.

Though if the dealer starts losing too much money for the casino the pit boss will likely change dealers.

Although it may be impossible to find the perfect game, one should be familiar with how certain house rules affect the player.

Keep in mind that as a rule of thumb, the fewer decks the casino uses the more advantageous it is for the player.