The Gambling Weblog

Never forget. In blackjack, if you want to succeed, you need to have a strategy. One of the most famous strategies is counting the cards as you can see in the movie Las Vegas 21. An amazing movie!

The smartest mathematicians thought about creating strategies to make players beat casinos!!!!!

Let’s start by giving these strategies to suceed when you play blackjack…

Hit: you take another card. To hit, you tap the table or you point at your cards.

Stand: you stop. To stand, you wave your hand, palm down.

Double down: you increase the wager to a maximum of double the original bet and take exactly one more card. To double down, you place the new chips next to the original bet.

Split: you double the wager and have each card be the first card in a new hand. To split, you place the new chips next to the original bet.

Surrender: you forfeit half the bet and give up the hands.

Recently, several numbers of blackjack variations have come out: Spanish 21, Super Fun 21, Blackjack Switch, Double Exposure,…

For example, Spanish 21:
- Four to eight decks dealt from a shoe
- 48-card Spanish decks (52-card decks with the 4 ten-spot cards removed). All cards have the same values as in blackjack.

However, most blackjack variants have to be avoided by experienced players.

Never forget the game objective.
Never make the mistake to think that you need to approach as close to 21 as possible.
You need to have hands higher than the dealer. That’s the key.
You win if your hand totals 21 or less when the dealer busts (hand exceeds 21).

You win if:
Your hand totals 20 and the dealer’s hand is 18 you win, if you bet $2, you get $2
You have anything under 21 and the dealer busts
You lose if:
You have 19 and the dealer has 20.

You play against the dealer. The dealer is your enemy. Cards from other players does not matter. Focus on your hand and the value dealer’s cards.

As cards are removed from the shoe, the odds change to favor either the player or the dealer. You have to increase bets when the odds favor you and decrease them when the odds favor the dealer.

Mathematical studies show that 10s and Aces favor players, 2s through to 6s favor the dealer while 7s, 8s and 9s are neutral. You will realize whether there are more high-value or low-value cards left in the shoe. Then, you adjust your bets accordingly.

In blackjack, shoes can hold up to 6 decks of cards. The more decks of cards in a shoe, the harder it is to successfuly count cards. To trick players, some casinos place cut cards inside the shoe. These cards indicate to the dealer to re-shuffle the deck.

For blackjack players, it is advisable that you buy your own shoe and cut cards. It is a lot better to simulate the casinos and play under real conditions as close as possible.

1:1

Winning hands are paid at even money (1:1). For example, a $10 wager will pay $10 in addition to the $10 already wagered. That is, the player profits by $10.

2:1

A winning insurance bet shall be paid at odds of 2:1.

3:2

Blackjack (a 10-value card with an ace) is paid at the rate of 3:2.

If the dealer’s first card is an ace, the player can place an insurance bet. An insurance bet will win if the dealer’s hole card is a King, Queen, Jack or 10.

Also known as 21, or blackjack, is when a player or dealer’s hand consists of 2 cards with a point total of 21. This is only possible with and ace and 10, jack, queen or king card. This is an automatic win for the player unless the dealer also has a point total of 21, in which case a push would occur. A natural usually pay 3:2 on the player’s bet.