Do Not Insure You Blackjack

On 06.25.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

In blackjack you will sometimes hear of players who insist on insuring their blackjack against a dealer’s Ace. They perceive it as guaranteeing that they will receive a payout, that in that they are saving money and their blackjack odds.

However, they will lose money and take a hit to their blackjack odds in the long run. And it is all in the math.

Part of what helps a player’s basic blackjack odds is that they receive a 3-2 payout when they are dealt a natural blackjack, while the dealer does not receive a payout when he is dealt a natural blackjack. Blackjack odds are based on a player’s opportunities to make money. The better the opportunity the more it improves your blackjack odds.

This is why receiving a 3-2 payout is so important. It is always why players should avoid blackjack games and variations that do not offer a 3-2 payout.

When you take insurance on your blackjack against a dealer’s Ace you are giving up your chance of receiving that 3-2 payout for the guaranteed even money. Players who believe in taking that even money just to make sure they are getting money feel that if they are receiving some money so they must be doing good. After all, receiving money is good right?

Actually in this case it is wrong. Taking even money, a 1-1 payout, for a natural blackjack can have a big negative impact on your blackjack odds. How big? A 1-1 payout for a blackjack hits your odds for 2.27%.

So you have a choice. You can take the even money and the 2.27% hit to your blackjack odds, or you can decline insurance and take the chance at the 3-2 payout and keep a hold of your odds.

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What to do with a Hard 12

On 06.18.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Of the hard hands, the stiff hands are the most difficult to play in blackjack because it feels like you are already going to lose before you have even really started the round. In such instances the best you can do is minimalize your potential losses. In terms of blackjack strategy it means making the play with the least possible chances of losing, even if the difference of losing between two plays is not great, it will impact your overall blackjack odds.

In most cases novice blackjack players will stand on a hard 12 if the dealer has a 2 through 6. This is done most likely because all of the other hard hands will stand against those dealer up cards.

But a hard 12 is a little bit different from the other stiff hands. When the dealer shows a 2 or a 3 you should hit.

Standing against a 2 or 3 with a hard 12 will cause you to lose 65% of the time and win 35% of the time. But if you were to hit against those two up cards, then you would have a 63% shot of losing and a 37% shot of winning.

Even though there is only a 2% difference, losing 63% of the time is better for your blackjack odds overall than losing 65% of the time. If you want to look at it in a more positive light then think of your blackjack odds in these terms: if you stand you will only win 35% of the time, and if you hit you will win 37% of the time.

Think of hitting a hard 12 against a 2 or 3 as a way of improving your blackjack odds on a stiff hand, even if it is only a little improvement—some is better than none.

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Why You Should Double Down

On 06.11.10, In Blackjack Rules, Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

A lot of the time novice blackjack players are nervous or hesitant about making a double down play in blackjack. It does not matter whether they are playing online blackjack or blackjack in a casino, they still get nervous about it.

The cause behind this is because the blackjack player has to put out more money, he has to double his wager. If he has wagered $10 on a hand and wants to double down, he has to increase his wager to $20. And not all novice blackjack players are comfortable with this right away.

But they need to become comfortable with this play because it can definitely benefit their blackjack odds. Doubling down in blackjack at opportune times can increase a player’s blackjack odds by 0.9%. That is quite the boost to one’s blackjack odds for one type of play.

The reason for this is because the player benefits when the house has to pay them for winning. When the house wins they do not receive a payout. Every time the house pays you, your blackjack odds go up. And if they have to pay you twice as much, it increases you odds even more.

But you only increase your blackjack odds with a double down if you are making the play at the most advantageous times. And when are those?

It all comes back to basic strategy. A basic strategy chart can tell you when the most opportune times to double down are. Usually it is when you have a 9, 10 or 11 as follows:

9 vs. dealer’s 3-6
10 vs. dealer’s 2-9
11 vs. dealer’s 2-10

If you are still learning your basic strategy, take a chart with you or have it open in a window next to the online casino’s window. Utilizing blackjack tips that go along with basic strategy can help increase your blackjack odds.

Make the most of your bankroll and increase you blackjack odds by knowing when to double down and making a double down when basic strategy tells you to.

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What a Dealer Hitting Soft 17 Means to You

On 06.04.10, In Blackjack Rules, Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

In the majority of online blackjack games that a player would encounter will have the dealer standing on all 17 hands, regardless of whether there is an Ace in the hand or not. However there are some online blackjack games and some blackjack variations in which the dealer is allowed to hit on a soft 17.

On the surface, a dealer hitting on a soft 17 does not sound like too bad of a house rule. In theory a dealer who has to hit on a soft 17 because the house rule makes me would be more likely to bust. But that is why it is a theory.

In reality the dealer is actually less likely to bust overall. The reason for this is that Ace. The Ace that is a friend to a blackjack player can also hurt when the dealer can hit on a soft 17. The dealer can reduce an Ace from 11 to 1 just as a blackjack player can. And because of that, the dealer has the chance to rebuild his hand to a stronger one.

For example, if the dealer has an Ace/6 he would have to hit. Let’s say that he hits and gets an 8. The Ace has to be reduced to 1, and he now has a hard 15, which he hits. If he receives anything less than a 7 he is still in the game. And there are more cards less than 7 than there are greater than.

It is because of the dealer’s increased chances of rebuilding his hand to be a stronger one that the house’s rule of a dealer hitting a soft 17 increases the house’s edge by 0.2%. That is a decent sized increase to the house’s edge. Which is why you should avoid any online blackjack games that allow the dealer to hit on a soft 17.

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