Getting to Know Basic Strategy

Even though blackjack features elements of skill, you won’t have to rely on your sixth sense to succeed. To triumph, all you need to do is maximize your odds in any given situation, which is exactly where basic blackjack strategy comes into play. Basic blackjack strategy makes use of all the available information to reveal the correct move to make in any situation. While you obviously won’t win every hand, you can reduce the house edge to 0.5% in many variations of the game. Compare that to a house edge of 3% for so-called skilled players who master the rules but rely on their instincts instead.

When you play blackjack, you need to use all of the available information to your advantage. After receiving your cards, you’ll know the value of your starting hand and the dealer’s card. While the dealer’s second card is a mystery, you already have enough data to know which way the metaphorical wind is blowing. For example, even if you’re playing blackjack for the first time, it’s rather obvious that you’ll want to stand if the dealer is showing a 5 and you have a king and queen since the only way the dealer can beat you is by landing 21 after hitting. Yet what would you do if you had an ace and seven? That depends entirely on what the dealer’s card is.

Luckily, there’s no guess work involved when deciding what move to make at the table. Instead just refer to a strategy chart like the one above. Simply find your hand and the dealer’s up card on the chart. Just follow the row and column where both variables intersect and you’ll immediately know what to do. In the example above, you’ll see that the correct move is to hit if the dealer has a ten, but you would want to stand if the dealer has an 8. Yet no matter what cards are on the table, you’ll always know whether it’s best to hit, stand, double down, or split.

Whether you are playing blackjack for the first time or have enjoyed the game for decades, it’s worth taking advantage of all the leg work done by gambling experts and statisticians.

Managing Your Blackjack Bankroll

Now that you know how to bet, it’s worth exploring how much you should wager. That really depends on your budget and how comfortable you are playing the game. If you are new to blackjack strategy, you’ll likely find lower table minimums on the internet. Yet at the same time, it’s much easier for new players to succeed online since you can play at your own pace and refer to your notes every hand.

Still, given the low house edge when playing properly, you can bet a larger proportion of your bankroll per hand than if you were playing roulette. Be that as it may, it’s essential that choose table limits and bets you can afford. While some experts suggest you can bet 5% of your bankroll per hand that can be a little dangerous. If you run into a few short losing streaks it could be game over. Instead, choose stakes that are equal to 2% of your bankroll, which will let you enjoy 50 hands even if you lose them all. Of course, that’s unlikely with sound bankroll management. No matter how much or little you wager, you will want to follow the strategy chart we discussed earlier.

Counting Cards When Playing Blackjack

Most people have heard of card counting, but that doesn’t mean they know what it entails. Although you can refer to our dedicated guide to counting cards, we’ll give you the basics here. Essentially, card counting is a system that lets you gauge the relative quality or favourability of the cards that are still in the deck. To count cards, you’ll need to assign values to the cards you see and keep a running total of those values. When you use this technique, you’ll know whether the house edge is better or worse than average and you can raise or lower your bets accordingly.

Remember that card counting works in conjunction with bankroll management techniques and basic strategy. You should also know that it is technically impossible to count cards when playing on the internet.