Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards.
The cards are ranked from high to low in the following order: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
Aces are always high.
Aces are worth more than Kings which are worth more than Queens which are worth more than Jack, and so on.Each player has dealt five cards. You have to end up with the highest-valued hand. Hands are ranked in the following order:
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pair
- One Pair
- High Card
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.
There are no windows or clocks inside casinos.
This makes it very difficult to tell the time…
The bankroll you should allocate should equal to 40 even-money bets.
If you make $5 bets, your bankroll should be $200.
You should aim to win 1.5 times your bankroll. If you have $200, aim to win $500 in winnings.
Set a time limit for play – 2 to 3 hours is plenty.
It is very difficult to maintain a high level of concentration for more than 2 to 3 hours.