Blackjack Tips and Strategy

One of the most important things that I have found in my journey to becoming a competent Blackjack player is that you can never read solid advice too much. The more you surround yourself with great information the more likely you are to implement it into your own Blackjack strategy.

Every man and his dog will try and tell you the best way to play Blackjack. The truth of the matter is that math and odds cannot lie. All you have to do is ascertain what information is factual and what isn’t.

What I’m going to do for you in these Blackjack tips is to provide you with an overall knowledge base of the things you should and shouldn’t do in Blackjack. Some of these Blackjack tips will be mathematically based and some will be more relevant to the mental side of the game. Whether or not you decide to use a couple or all of these tips is completely up to you. The best advice I can give you though is to learn from the mistakes and experience of others so you don’t have to learn the hard way.

First of all, learn the fundamental rules of Blackjack

At the end of the day it is you that has to make the decision to hit or stand. If you learn the basic rules of Blackjack and learn them well, it takes the heat off you when the pressure is on. If you don’t have a solid grounding in what to do in each situation than you will be more inclined to make the wrong decision at a critical time.

There is more than one way to play the game of course, and you will be faced with many challenging decisions during the course of a session. It is up to you to use the information at your disposal as a weapon. In this case, you have a wealth of information right here for you to read through. Practice using the tips we teach you here until you get better at playing. Once you know for certain you have mastered all the rules you can begin to play the game as optimally as possible and win more.

One of the most basic things you can do in the game is to look at what the dealer is showing and adjust your game accordingly. This is one of those rules in Blackjack that is often overlooked because players are getting caught up with their own cards. There isn’t a huge rush to make a decision. Slow down, take into account everything that is happening around you and make the right decisions.Here are a few Blackjack tips you should adhere to:

  • Play until you get 17 or more if the dealer is showing a 7 or higher.
  • When the dealer is showing 4,5 or 6; double with 9 and play soft hands between 13-17.
  • If you have 10 then double if the dealer is showing 9 or less.
  • If you have 11 then you should double.

Cards to split in Blackjack

The best tip I can give you in regards to splitting pairs in Blackjack is to always do it with Aces and Eights. These have the best chance of resulting in a win for you when you crunch the numbers.

On the other hand I advise you not to split any Face Cards or 10’s. The same advice can be given about fours and fives as well. You should try to avoid splitting these hands as much as you can.

If the dealer is showing a card between two and six then this is where a bit of Blackjack strategy comes into play. When this happens and you have 2’s, 3’s, 6’s or 7’s then this is a great opportunity to split.

Don’t forget about bankroll management when you play Blackjack

Most of the professional Blackjack players will tell you to never take more than 5% of your bankroll to the table. I tend to agree with this statement as well. Even if you are just playing for fun; nothing is worse than having to get up and leave after you just sat down because you lost your bankroll.

As is the case with most casino games, you have to enforce a strict bankroll management regime if you want to be successful over a long period of time. Blackjack has the lowest house edge out of any casino game. The less than 1% house edge goes to waste if you can’t handle your money properly.

The story with many people that have come before you is that they have gone broke. That is a simple fact and it is true. If you don’t want to suffer the same fate as they did then it is up to you to be strict with yourself. Although it might not be as fun; it’s the best way to make lots of money in the long run.

Basic blackjack strategies to help you win

When it comes to Blackjack strategy it is vital that you get the basics right first. No matter what skill level you are at you can never underestimate the power of basic Blackjack strategy. You will find that the players that live and die by the cards follow the rules of basic Blackjack strategy religiously.

The thing that you have to remember when playing Blackjack is that it all comes down to mathematics and odds. Using the Blackjack strategy cards we have provided you with allows you to have a quick reference to what the best mathematical decision to make in that particular situation is.

If you are diligent in your learning of the basic Blackjack strategies then you will find the house edge will dramatically be reduced. For a new player or someone that doesn’t make the right decisions; they can expect a house edge of around 7-8%. If you are one of the players that is clued on to how important Blackjack strategy is; you can reduce the house edge to around 1%. Going by that statistic alone you can begin to recognize the importance of the fundamental Blackjack strategies.

Implementing a Blackjack strategy

If you know how to read a chart then you should have almost no trouble interpreting the information provided. The vertical column on the left describes the hand that you hold. The horizontal line across the top is what the dealer has. All you have to do line up the columns where your hand meets the dealer’s hand and it gives you the answer. The answers will be given as an abbreviation so it is best to learn what they mean thoroughly. Below I have outlined the general abbreviations that are normally on Blackjack strategy cards.

How to use a basic Blackjack strategy

One of the biggest mistakes that I constantly see people making is that they glance over something and thinking they have learned it. When the crunch time comes these types of Blackjack players will crumble under the pressure. You have to be diligent in memorizing the Blackjack strategies if you want to be successful at playing Blackjack.

So what does it take to actually memorize this kind of Blackjack strategy? This varies from person to person but it is simple to define what it will take. It requires you to study the Blackjack charts until you get to a point where to can remember every move that you have to make without having to refer to the chart to find the answer. This will take a lot of hard work, but in the end it will pay off handsomely for you.

Blackjack charts

The reason why most of you are reading this particular article is to either have a reference point for Blackjack strategy charts or to improve the way you play Blackjack. The fundamental reasoning behind this is because you want to make more money when you play blackjack.

If you implement these basic Blackjack strategies into your repertoire you should begin to notice that you are winning more money. The better that you memorize these Blackjack strategy charts the better chance you have of remembering the right move to make.

Some land based casinos do allow you to use the strategy cards when you play and you do have these charts when you play online. You probably could get away with not knowing them off by heart for a little while but what happens when you don’t have the luxury of having these options? All the professionals will tell you that it is imperative to learn these basic Blackjack strategies. I tend to listen to them as much as I can. My advice is for you to do the same and reap the rewards.

Practice and practice some more

The key to winning at Blackjack is to practice until you get to the point where you are making the right decisions all the time. The one constant that you can control is whether or not you make the best play. If you want to make a career out of playing Blackjack or even just have regular winning sessions; then all you have to do is practice until you are flawless. If you implement all of the above Blackjack betting strategies and tips then you are well on your way to doing this. Remember, it is you that is in control of your own fate, nobody else.