Blackjack Tips Og Tricks

It’s probably safe to say that you haveheard of blackjack before, but whether you are great at playingblackjack or not is anotherstory. Playing blackjack has always maintained its place as the popular game of choice in casino’s worldwideand online. Over time, games like poker and the pokies have gained quite the following. Blackjack, however, does notappear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Blackjack is unique and offers many tipsand tricks that help players like you to overcome the house edge; at least asmuch as possible anyway. While the ideaof counting cards and being able to beat the house may seem lucrative, thepopularity behind blackjack is plain and simple. Playing blackjack is fun.

Now you might think that to be a goodblackjack player you need to invest in learninga strategy heavily, but this is not true. With our quick tips andtricks, you can increase your chances of landing a great hand and a nice nest egg without spending hours readingthrough card counting books.

The ultimate guide to playing blackjack professionally. Tips and tricks of the trade from professional blackjack players to become a real pro! That said, here are our top 10 quick Blackjack tips to help you play winning blackjack: Starting out: If you are new to blackjack, play online, casinos offer a practice mode with autoplay to assist you. Play until you have the hang of it so that you don't lose money foolishly.

How to play blackjack

Blackjack isusually played with a four, six, or eight standard 52-card decks. Thesedecks are combined to create the dealer’s shoe, which is also the source of wherethe cards are drawn from to give players’ their hand in each round. Now, eachcard in the game of blackjack carries a point value, cards two to ten are worth their face value; kings, queens, andjacks are valued at ten points; and acescan be used as a one or as an eleven.

Blackjack Tips Og Tricks

The way that you win a game of blackjackis by drawing cards from the dealer which add up to a value of 21, withoutgoing over, or at the very least to beat the dealer’s hand.

How to win playing blackjack

Now that you are all caught up on thebasics of how to play blackjack – read onand make sure to take note of our quick blackjack tips and tricks.

Lookout for fives

In blackjack, each card has a value. Thisvalue is the underlying factor in determining what actions you take and theireffect on the entire game played from the dealer’s deck.

Card counters are always on the lookoutfor decks that are stacked with high-value cards. This is because a deck that is loaded with cardson the higher value benefits the player’s chances of drawing winning hands.

Now, if higher value cards arebeneficial, then lower value cards are bad news. These lower value cards aregreat for the dealer. What is useful to know is that the lowest value card withthe most significant disadvantage to theplayer is the five. For every five that isremoved from the dealer’s deck,the player will receive an extra 0.67% to their expected return. This might seem small at first but considermultiplying that by the number of fives that are in a dealer’s six-deck shoe, and you’re looking at a significant advantage.

So be sure to keep a lookout for all thefives that are being drawn, the more being removed from the shoe, the better!

When to hit

Tricks

A hit is your way of asking the dealerfor another card. How you notify a ‘hit’ is different, depending on the styleof game that you are playing. In hand-held games,players scrape their cards against the table. In face-up games, players can useeither a wave of a hand towards their body or tap the table with a finger.

Use the following guidelines as a quicktrick for when to hit, depending on what your hand looks like and the dealer’s face-up card:

  • Ifyour hand totals eight or 12 through to 16, and the dealer’s face up card is aseven, eight, nine, ten, or ace – hit
  • Ifyour hand totals 11, and the dealer’s face up card is an ace – hit and do not double down
  • Ifyour hand equals ten, and the dealer’sface up card is a ten – hit and do not doubledown and
  • Ifyour hand equals nine, and the dealer’sface up card is a seven, eight or nine – hit and do not double down.

When to stand

To notify the dealer that you want tostand, you can place your cards under chips in hand-held games; whereas, in face-up games, you must wave your handhorizontally across your cards.

Use the following guidelines as tips forwhen to stand, depending on what your hand looks like and the dealer’s face-up card:

  • Ifyour hand totals 17 or above, no matter what card the dealer has – you alwaysstand
  • Ifyour hand equals 13 or above, and thedealer’s face up card is a six or below – stand

and

  • Ifyour hand consists of a splittable pairof 10s or face cards – do not split them, stand.

When to split

A split is a little more complicated.When splitting a pair of cards, you must place a second bet of equal value outside of the betting box while pointing with two fingers in a spread ‘V’shape.

The dealer will then split the cards anddeals an additional card to each new hand, which results in the player usingeach hand separately.

Our quick “tricks” to split your handdepends on the value of your pair of cards, and the value of the dealer’s face-upcard. Consider the following rules to decide when it is best to split yourhand:

  • Onlysplit a pair of twos or threes if thedealer’s face up card is a four, five, six, or seven
  • Neversplit a pair of fives; either opt todouble down, or hit if the dealer’s face up card is a ten or an ace
  • Alwayssplit sixes and sevens if the dealer’s face up card is a six or below
  • Alwayssplit a pair of eights – no matter what the dealer’s face up card is showing

and

  • Alwayssplit aces if you are allowed.

When to double

Doubling down ‘looks’ as cool as itsounds. To double down, place your added chips next to your original bet andpoint with one finger, with confidence.

Doubling is a strategy which is generally used when your hand equals nine, ten, or 11, which gives players a good chanceof hitting 19 to 20 with either a 10 or a face card. Use these guidelines to determine when to double down on your hand,according to the total value of your cardsand the dealer’s face-up card:

  • Besure to double down when your hand has atotal of ten – unless the dealer’s face up card is a ten or an ace
  • Alwaysdouble down on an eleven, unless the dealer has an ace

and

  • Alwaysdouble down on a nine when the dealer’s face up card is a three, four, five, orsix.

Consider using a strategy chart to begin

If you are having trouble remembering ourquick tips and tricks – you may want to invest in a handy blackjack strategychart.

A blackjack strategy chart is designed totell players exactly what moves to make in every possible situation. If you dopurchase a chart, beware of playerbacklash as some of the community have a strong dislike for blackjack strategycharts. This is because they remove the foundations of the game I.e. the “on the fly” decision making.

Before you decide, think of it this way –casinos have the house edge in blackjack because the dealer cannot makedecisions. The dealer always follows strict guidelines based on probabilitieswhen playing their hand.

Now, if you as the player tries to usethe same strategy, you would be effectivelyreducing the house edge.

Understand the rules

There are many variantsin the game of blackjack today, each with their slight differences in therules. Some games even have optional side bets and progressive jackpots.

If you decide to tryplaying a new variation of blackjack, like Perfect Pairs or Super 21, be sureto know all the rules and payouts beforegetting started.

No, you do not want fries with that

Insurance is the blackjack version of thecashier at Maccas asking “do you want fries with that?” When the dealer draws a face-up card – that is an ace, and the playerhas the option of purchasing insurance. Now the insuranceis a bet which involves putting down half of your original bet in the case the dealer draws a blackjack (aperfect 21). If the dealer does, you will win 2:1 on your insurance bet,covering your loss.

For example, you initially bet $10. The dealer puts up an ace to which you decide topurchase the insurance and place a $5 bet down. Now the dealer draws a king,which makes a clean 21. You get your $10 from your insurance bet but lose the$10 bet you initially placed.

Now, what if the dealer did not draw a 21 you say? If this is thecase, you will lose the $5 insurance bet you placed but still have the chanceof winning your initial bet if you beat the dealer’s hand.

It seems like a good idea on paper,hedging your bet and all – but the reality is the opposite.

The odds of a dealer having a blackjackare 9:4. This means that out of 130hands, you would win your insurance bet 40 times and lose it 90 times. So, savemoney in the long run and skip the insurance.

The not-so-sweet 16

If you thought fives were terrible, check this out about ‘16’.

Blackjack players over the world hatedrawing a hand worth 16. It is a value complete with indecision and uncertaintyand is full of confidence-shattering second-guessing;should you hit and risk busting over 21? Or should you stand and risk losing tothe dealer’s hand?

Tips

The problem with 16 is that it is there,but not quite there enough. Whether you have a hard or soft 16, or whether thecasino you are playing at has the surrender option. Any serious blackjackplayer needs to consider their stance on the not-so-sweet 16.

This is a difficult situation and not one that can be decided so quickly,so we recommend going out and doing some significant research into the16-point hand.

21, 20, and 11

So, it is a given that the best possiblehand to receive in blackjack is a perfect 21, and the second-best hand is 20. Thus, the third best hand in blackjack has to be a 19, right?

Wrong.

It might come as a surprise, but the third best hand in blackjack is an 11. This is because when you are dealt a hand witha value of 11, you need a ten to win which makes this hand very favorable.

The 11 is favourable because there are somany opportunities to get a ten, because kings, queens, and jacks all have avalue of ten. This means that there arefour times as many ten value cards inblackjack than there are any other cards.

As pointed out earlier, provided thedealer’s face-up card is not an ace – youmust always double down on 11.

Counting cards

Blackjack card counting is not for the faint-hearted and will take a lot of practice and brain-power to be able tocount effectively. Card counting is an old strategy that was used by manyprofessional blackjack players to make the game virtually beatable.

Although it is not hard to learn, it doestake some time to master; however, theresults are very lucrative.

We suggest that you do a lot of practisingbefore you practice card counting so that you do master it. Although it is not considered illegal, thestrategy is disliked by casinos because it removes the house edge and causesthe casino to lose money. You will likely find yourself being thrown out orpermanently banned from casino’s if security or gaming attendants recognisethat you are counting cards.

Remember, card counting does not work foronline games of blackjack. This isbecause after each hand the software re-shuffles the deck.

Play online, it is much cheaper

Playing online blackjack is excellent,and a really enjoyable game without the social aspect of physical casinoblackjack. The only downside? It is mostly only relevant to the hardcoreplayers – which means that you cannot count cards because the virtual dealer isdrawing from an infinite source of cards.

Playing online will save you a tonne of money in exchange for giving up the social aspects of casinos andblackjack. When it comes to online blackjack, players can reduce their significant overheads that playing at casinosattract, such as the flights, accommodation, food and drink, the parties – thelist could probably go on forever.

It makes sense to stay home and set a limit on your funds that you mayuse for playing blackjack, so why not consider signingup to a casinowith online blackjack games like Planet 7 Oz? It’sone of the most favourited casinos to play online blackjack within Australia, withstable servers which perform much better during Aussie peak traffic times.

The bonuses online are worth it

The comfort of playing in your own homeisn’t even the best part of playing blackjack online.

Because of the intense competition in theonline casino gaming world, players are always going to score sweet bonuses toentice them to join.

Simple tactics like welcome bonuses orfree casino chips for returning to the casino after any short hiatus, can netyou with huge starting bankrolls up to $100!

You’ve made it through our quick tips andtricks for playing blackjack, now get out into the world and put that newfoundknowledge to the test! If you are still unsure where to start, we suggestplaying blackjack online for free before you put your hard-earned cash on theline. You can practice playing using ‘fake’ money online with Planet 7 Oztoday!

VISIT PLANET 7 OZ NOW

You can find all kinds of so-called quick blackjack tips and tricks on the internet.

Most of them are worth the paper they’re printed on.

In other words, a lot of blackjack tips are useless and/or inaccurate.

What I’ve done with this post is put together the quickest and most important 13 blackjack tips and tricks for winning that you absolutely must know if you want to win money the casinos:

This post has been completely updated and revised for 2020.

1- Never Deviate from Basic Strategy


People in the know measure the odds of casino games according to the game’s house edge. The 0.5% to 1% house edge for blackjack is widely touted.

But that’s only if you play using the correct strategy–basic strategy.

Players who just stick with their hunches face a much higher edge–4% or 5%.

What does that number mean?

Basic Strategy and the House Edge

The house edge is a statistical prediction of how much you’re going to lose on average for every bet you make. It’s a long-term expectation. In the short run, you’re going to see different results.

But once you get into thousands of hands, the average amount you’ve lost per hand will start to resemble that house edge figure.

In practical terms, here’s the difference between a 1% house edge and a 5% house edge:

If you average 70 hands per hour and play for $20 per hand, you’re putting $1400 into action each hour.

1% of that is $14, which is your expected loss per hour.

5% of that is $70.

Would you prefer to lose an average of $14/hour or $70/hour?

Blackjack Tips Og Tricks 2

Also, who do you think has a better chance of walking away from the game a winner–the player expecting to lose $14/hour or the player expecting to lose $70/hour.

Basic strategy is easy to learn, but don’t make the mistake of deviating from it. The reasons players deviate from basic strategy are many.

But they’re usually lousy reasons, too:

Some players just have a hunch about which card is coming next. They ignore basic strategy based on that hunch. Sometimes they’re right because blackjack is a random game. They’re still going to lose more money in the long run than someone using basic strategy, though.

Other players think they’ve noticed a trend in one direction or another. Maybe they think the dealer is “due” to bust. Or maybe they think they’re “due” for a really good card. These ideas are just illusions.

Basic strategy is so important that you can safely ignore all the other blackjack tips on this page and start winning more often.

2- Learn How to Count Cards


Of course, if you really want to win at blackjack in the long run, you can’t face a house edge. Even if you’re playing in a really good game with a house edge of 0.26%, you’ll eventually lose all your money.

The house edge is like compound interest. It’s a powerful force.

But if you learn how to count cards, you can put the odds in your favor.

How to Count Cards in a Nutshell

Counting cards is easier than you think.

I can teach you a quick, easy, and effective card counting system right now:

Every time the dealer gives someone a card ranked 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, add 1 to the count.

Every time the dealer gives someone an ace or 10, subtract 1 from the count.

Decide on your betting range–1 to 4 units is common. Let’s suppose you’re betting $10 to $40 per hand.

When the count is negative or 0, only bet 1 unit, $10.

When the count is positive, increase the size of your bet by a number of units equal to the count. If the count is +3, bet the full $40.

This works because the odds change in your favor as the cards are dealt. If a lot of the low cards are no longer in the deck, you have a better probability of getting a blackjack, which pays off at 3 to 2.

That’s because the ratio of aces and 10s improves. And those are the cards which create blackjacks.

If you’re playing in a game using multiple decks, you must convert your count (the “running count”) into a “true” count to compensate for the extra cards in the deck.

You do this by estimating how many decks are left in the shoe. Then divide the running count by that number.

Base your betting decisions on the true count, not the running count.

3- Stick with Fun Tables Where You Have a Better Shot at Winning


Of course, blackjack is supposed to be fun, so look for a table where the players seem to be relaxed and having fun.

More importantly, though, scout for tables with good rules. The house edge varies based on which rules variations are in effect at the casino.

You can find a survey of blackjack rules in Las Vegas here.

Las Vegas Blackjack Tables and Their Rules

The games with the lowest house edge can be found on the Las Vegas Strip, but you need to be willing to play for reasonably high stakes. The minimum bet on most of these games is $100, although the Bellagio has a minimum bet of $50.

The rules for these games give the house a tiny edge of just 0.26%. The rules in effect include dealing from just 2 decks. (You can’t really find a single deck blackjack game on the Strip in Las Vegas.) The dealers in these casinos stand on a soft 17, which is also favorable to the player.

They also allow doubling after splitting, which is also favorable to the player.

Other casinos and tables might have the dealer hit a soft 17, which increases the house edge. A lot of casinos are restrictive about when you’re allowed to double and/or split.

And of course, the more decks in use, the higher the house edge.

4- The 2nd-Most Important of All Blackjack Tips: Manage Your Blackjack Bankroll


You can’t win at blackjack if you’re playing with scared money. You’ll make bad decisions just because you don’t have a big enough bankroll to cover the kinds of bets you need to be making.

What’s a bankroll?

It’s money that you’ve set aside from all your other funds specifically for the purposes of gambling. It’s money you don’t need for food, rent, or child support. This cash is pure entertainment money that you won’t miss if you lose it.

How big a bankroll do you need?

If you’re a basic strategy player, you just need enough money to cover the buy-in at the table where you want to play. Since the house has an edge, you’re going to lose your money anyway — if you play long enough.

If you’re a card counter, though, you need a big enough bankroll to minimize your risk of ruin. The bigger your bankroll is compared to the amount of your lowest bet, the less likely you are to go broke before your edge kicks in.

Blackjack Apprenticeship suggests that you have a bankroll of at least 200 units.

1000 units are enough to reduce your risk of ruin is only about 1%.

5- Treat Your Dealer Right


Your dealer works for minimum wage (or close to it) plus tips. If your dealer is polite and friendly, you should tip her. One of the fun things about blackjack is the way you can tip the dealer.

Some players just give the dealer a $5 chip once or twice per hour.

But there’s a more entertaining way to tip your dealer than that:

Place an extra bet for them on your next blackjack hand.

If you win, the dealer gets twice as much money for a tip.

And if you hit a blackjack, that $5 tip turns into $12.50.

This is not to say that you should tip a dealer who’s been rude to you or who’s provided poor service. I’ve dealt with some dealers who were downright surly. At this stage in my gambling career, not only do I refuse to tip such dealers, I complain to the floorman and/or the pit boss.

Tipping the dealer is a great example of the Golden Rule in action, though. Do unto others as you would done unto you. I’m sure if you were dealing blackjack, you’d want to get appropriate sized tips–especially if you’re trying to be polite and kind.

6- Stay Away from Betting Systems


People who offer you betting systems are offering you lousy blackjack tips.

Just to clarify, betting systems don’t include counting cards. When you count cards, you raise the size of your bets based on the composition of the deck. It’s data and math driven.

That’s not how most betting systems work.

Some people, for example, will try to use progressive betting systems to either raise or lower their bets based on whether they’re winning or losing.

The classic example of this is the Martingale System, which requires you to double your bet sizes after each loss. If you bet $10 on a hand, lose, then bet $20 on the next hand and win, you’ve won back your previous loss and made a $10 profit.

If you lose twice in a row, you’d bet $10 the first bet, $20 the second bet, and $40 on the 3rd bet. And if that 3rd bet wins, you’ve recouped your $30 in losses.

The problem with the Martingale is that it assumes your losing streaks will be short. It doesn’t take a very long losing streak before it’s impossible to make the next bet in the progression. You’ll either run out of bankroll or bump into the table limits.

The Martingale Systems Breaks at the Blackjack Table: An Example

Here’s an example:

A lot of casinos offer blackjack where the minimum bet is $100 and the maximum bet is $1000. How many times in a row would you have to lose before you bump into the table max?

  1. $100
  2. $200
  3. $400
  4. $800
  5. $1600

You can only lose 4 bets in a row before it becomes impossible to make the next bet in the progression.

And even if you could make the next bet in the progression, you’d be risking $1600 for a net profit of only $10.

Yes, in the short term, systems like the Martingale might help you win some small amounts here and there. Those small profits are inevitably going to be eaten up by later devastating losses, though.

Other betting systems involve hare-brained schemes like starting out with larger size bets and lowering the amounts as you lose. The idea is to bet big when you’re on a winning streak and bet small when you’re not.

The problem with that kind of system is that it’s impossible to predict a winning or losing streak. They both happen, but only in hindsight. Every hand of blackjack is more or less independent of the previous one in this respect. (I say more or less because the composition of the deck does change, but the only way to take advantage of that is to count cards.)

7- Play Online but Forget about the Signup Bonuses


When you play blackjack online, you’re usually playing a game with superior rules conditions than you’d see at a land-based casino. The house edge for most online blackjack games, even those at low stakes, is well below 1% if you use basic strategy.

This makes online blackjack a better deal for most players. You’ll still lose in the long run, but you’ll get a lot of play for your money.

One marketing gimmick that a lot of online casinos use, though, is the signup bonus. This is where you deposit a certain amount of money, and then the casino awards you bonus chips of 100% or 200% so you’ll have more money to play with.

Most casinos don’t count wagers on blackjack toward their wagering requirements for these bonuses. Since a savvy advantage gambler could create a positive expectation for himself by claiming bonuses and then cashing out after doing minimal amounts of wagers, casinos have specific rules about how much gambling you have to do before cashing out.

One of the most important blackjack tips I can offer is to be sure you understand the differences between online blackjack and brick and mortar blackjack.

8- Don’t Take Insurance Unless You’re Counting Cards


You can’t have a list of blackjack tips that doesn’t warn you about taking insurance.

Here’s how insurance works in blackjack:

It’s a side bet that the dealer has a blackjack, and its size is limited to half the size of your original bet.

If the dealer DOES have blackjack, the insurance bet pays off at 2 to 1 — which is just enough to cover your losses on your original bet.

The insurance bet is only available when the dealer has an ace for her upcard.

To look at why this is a bad bet, you just need to compare the odds of winning the bet with the payout odds.

Since you know that the ace is out there, you have 51 more cards in the deck — 16 of those are worth 10.

This means the probability of the dealer having blackjack is 16/51, or 2.18 to 1.

The payout is 2 to 1.

That extra 0.18 is where the house gets its edge on this bed.

But there’s an exception:

If you’re counting cards, and the count is positive, insurance can sometimes offer you an edge over the casino. Unless you’re counting cards, though, you’re better off just skipping the insurance bet every time.

In fact, it’s part of basic strategy:

Never take insurance.

9- Join the Players Club and Ask to Get Rated


Most people think of the players club as the department in the casino that gives you the card to insert when you’re playing slot machines and video poker.

They’re right about this, of course.

But you’re also eligible to get comps from the casino when you’re playing table games, too.

All you need to do is present your players club card and ask to be rated.

They’ll look at the average amount of your bet and credit your account based on that.

Also, the casinos assume that your hourly loss rate is based on the average player. By using basic strategy, you’re reducing your house edge to a point where you might even see a profit in the long run.

But it all starts with joining the players club and getting rated.

10- Don’t Drink and Play Blackjack


Everyone knows you shouldn’t drink and drive.

But for some reason, everyone thinks that because the drinks are “free,” it’s okay to drink and gamble.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The #1 faculty that’s affected by drinking alcohol is your judgment.

And that’s what will destroy your blackjack bankroll faster than anything — bad judgment.

Just say no to the free drinks.

Think about it. Would the casinos offer these free drinks if they weren’t making a profit from them?

Where do you think that profit comes from?

I’ll tell you:

They come from your mistakes.

11- Don’t Succumb to the Gambler’s Fallacy


The Gambler’s Fallacy is the idea that you’re due to win because you’ve been on a losing streak.

It’s the idea that the odds will eventually even out to what they’re expected to be.

People who buy into the Gambler’s Fallacy might lose 7 hands in a row and decide to raise the size of their next bet because they think they’re unlikely to lose 8 times in a row.

But you’re not betting on losing 8 times in a row.

You’re betting on losing the next hand.

The previous hands don’t matter unless you’re counting cards.

Don’t fall for it.

Remember when I talked about the Martingale System earlier?

It’s based on the Gambler’s Fallacy, too.

12- Avoid First Base, but Not for the Reasons You Might Think


First base is the first player to get cards at the blackjack table. If you’re standing behind the players at the table, the first base player is the one on the far right.

(Third base is the person who gets his cards last.)

Blackjack Tips Og Tricks To Play

Some people might think playing from first base is just bad luck.

Others think that they’re more likely to make decisions that affect the other players’ outcomes from first base.

Blackjack Tips Og Tricks Tips

The truth is that there’s no such thing as bad luck, and nothing you do affects the other players’ odds.

You should avoid first base because you need some time to think about your cards and what you want to do. If you’re in a rush because you’re the first player to act, you’ll make more mistakes.

13- Set a Win Goal and a Loss Limit

A win goal is just an amount you hope to win while you’re at the table. Once you’ve won that amount, it’s time to quit for that session.

A loss limit is the same thing but in reverse. It’s the amount of money you’re willing to lose at the table. Once you’ve lost that amount, it’s time to quit for that session.

Some gambling writers hate money management techniques because some uneducated gamblers think they can affect the odds of winning just by setting win goals and loss limits.

They’re right about that, but this doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to have a strategy for sometimes quitting while you’re ahead.

Win goals and loss limits can be helpful when you’re trying to develop self-discipline.

Finally – Quick Blackjack Tips and Tricks You Can Use to Win, Summarized

Blackjack Tips Og Tricks For Beginners

Blackjack is one of the best games in the casino. If you use perfect basic strategy, you face the lowest house edge of any table game. If you learn how to count cards, you can get a mathematical edge over the house.

But don’t make silly mistakes like taking insurance, using betting systems, or thinking you’ll be able to profit from online casino bonuses at the blackjack table. Those strategies don’t work.

Those are really the only quick blackjack tips and tricks you need.