Making the Best Bet in Blackjack

On 07.20.11, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Do you know when that is? A lot of blackjack players both online and off think they do, but they may not be right. Especially if they are not playing with any blackjack strategy. For players who are looking to make money from playing blackjack online or off, strategy is a must.

Strategy can tell a player when the best time to bet is in blackjack and what the best plays are given the cards being held and what the dealer is showing. Normally this means knowing the math and probability of the game. Unfortunately most blackjack players do not want to take the time to go that deep into the game. Generally only professional gamblers will go that deep into the game.

However, there is nothing wrong with wanting to make some serious extra money and that is where knowing the best times and best plays comes in. For players that want to make that serious real money on the side but do not want to do the math there is another way to know when and what the best bets in blackjack are: basic strategy.

In basic strategy the math and the probability has already been calculated and put into an easy to use chart. This chart is not only the best strategy tool for both online blackjack and casino players, it also has another benefit: it is free. It costs nothing to obtain a basic strategy chart and it does not require any extra investment other than what you would normally be wagering in a game of blackjack.

Basic strategy is a char that gives the best play for each combination of dealer up card and player starting hand. Playing according to basic strategy can open a player’s eyes up to more double down options, which in turn opens players up to more winning opportunities and more opportunities to increase their own edge. Playing according to basic strategy can drop the house edge to 0.5%.

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Do You Know When to Hit or Stand?

On 04.14.11, In Blackjack Tips, By Vivi

While seasoned blackjack players may not get this, there are many novice players who feel a bit intimidated or pressured when it comes to playing blackjack online. The pressure surprisingly comes from the objective of the game: beat the dealer without going over 21. It is the “without going over 21” part that seems to be the cause.

There is such a fear of failure and losing that beginning blackjack players hem and haw over whether to hit or stand. If their first two cards are a low total then the answer is easy: hit. It is the higher hands, the ones that put a player over half way to 21 that seem to be the problem.

But then if you stop and think about it, that is really quite understandable. After all the hands that are more than halfway to 21 just so happen to also be the stiff hands. So no real surprise.

A lot of what determines the decision to hit or stand comes from what cards the player has compared to the dealer’s up card. As a rule of thumb if the dealer has a 7 or more, it is in the player’s best interest to hit; and if the dealer has 6 or less it would be time to stand. The only hand that is different is the hard 12. Naturally, there would be a difficult one.

If the player has a hard 12 and the dealer has a 2 or 3 showing, the player should hit instead of stand. The reason is because with only a 12, the player still has some room to work with when the dealer is also showing a small card.

Figuring out how to play stiff hands and other hands in blackjack—both online blackjack and casino blackjack—can be found on a basic strategy chart. That chart is a legal strategy that gives the best statistical play for every hand.

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Splitting Pairs as a Part of Your Blackjack Strategy

On 09.17.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Once a novice player becomes comfortable working with hard and soft hands in blackjack, the next part of their blackjack strategy to work on is pair splitting.

Kind of like how soft hands require a little extra thought to play at first, so too do pairs in blackjack. The biggest trap in dealing with a pair is the just knowing that it is a pair, and that you have an extra playing option that is not available with hands that are not pairs.

Because of having this extra playing option to split a pair into two new hands and possibly win twice as much in a single round, players make the mistake of splitting every pair. Unfortunately this is not good blackjack strategy.

Just because it is a power and the player has the power to split it does not mean that every pair should be split.

For example a pair of 5s and a pair of 10s should not be split. The pair of 5s can be played like a hard 10 and be doubled down on. Doubling on a pair of 5s has better odds of winning and making a profit than splitting the 5s does. Likewise, a pair of 10s is stronger as a hard 20 than split. This is because there are only two hands with which the dealer can beat you with: hitting to 21 or having a natural blackjack.

But then there are pairs that should always be split simply because the player has a better chance of building two stronger hands than beating the dealer by standing on the pairs. Those two pairs are a pair of Aces and a pair of 8s. It is more advantageous to split those two pairs.

Basic strategy is a good pair splitting strategy tool. It should be used as the base of your blackjack strategy because it tells players the most advantageous play to make.

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Odds of Winning Insurance Bets and Why Not to Include it in Your Blackjack Strategy

On 09.10.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Insurance is the one play in a regular game of online blackjack that needs to be talked about a lot. Many players truly do not understand why insurance is so bad for their blackjack odds and why they should not include it in their blackjack strategy.

In their eyes they are not losing money if the dealer does have a natural blackjack since they are getting the amount of their original wager back. Yes, with insurance you do break even, but the dealer has to have a 10 for a hole card in order for that to happen. And the odds are actually not in the house’s favor to have a 10 hole card.

There are thirteen different types of cards in a deck, with four of each type. Of those thirteen cards only four are worth 10 in blackjack and could create a natural blackjack when the dealer is showing an Ace: 10, Jack, Queen and King. So that is four out of thirteen cards, or a 31% chance of the dealer getting that natural blackjack.

On the other hand the other nine cards would keep the dealer from having a natural, which would cause you to lose your insurance bet, which is a 69% chance of losing the insurance bet.

Just looking at the odds you can see that the odds are in favor of the player losing their insurance bet, which is what casinos and online casinos want since insurance is a money-maker for them.

And speaking of money, let’s turn those odds into money so that you can see what a player stands to lose blackjack odds-wise from insurance.

If you were wagering $10 game of online blackjack, insurance would cost $5. Based on the odds, you stand to win $10 (insurance pays 2-1) four times for a total amount of $40 won. But you would have odds of losing your insurance wager nine times, which totals for a $45 loss.

Even if you won insurance four times and then lost it nine times, you still would not break even—you would still lose money. Which is exactly why insurance should not be a part of any players blackjack strategy. The odds are designed for the player to lose.

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Surrender as a Part of Your Blackjack Strategy

On 09.03.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Eventually novice blackjack players will come upon surrender. This is a play that is not always available in blackjack games, although it is available more often in blackjack games in brick and mortar casinos than it is in online blackjack.

Surrender is a blackjack play that should be a part of your blackjack strategy, ready in the wings should you find yourself in a blackjack game that allows for it. In a basic definition, surrender is when a player gives up half of their wager to give up playing out the round. It is similar to folding in poker, only your entire wager is not lost.

There are two types of surrender in blackjack: late and early.

Late surrender is only possible after the dealer has checked to see if he has a natural blackjack. If he does not, then players can surrender if they would like. But if the dealer does have a natural blackjack surrender then there is no surrender, and chances are you are going to lose the round. When made at advantageous moments, late surrender can hit the house’s edge for 0.08%.

On the other hand there is early surrender. This type of surrender differs from late surrender in that players can choose to surrender before the dealer checks to see if he has a natural blackjack. Even if he is showing an Ace and your hand is one that basic strategy says to surrender, you can still surrender and keep half of your wager. And you have the satisfaction of hitting the house edge for 0.6% as well.

And speaking of basic strategy and knowing when to surrender, those times are as follows:

Hard 15 versus a dealer 10
Hard 16 versus a dealer 9, 10 or Ace

The important thing to understand about surrender and your blackjack strategy is that you should only surrender when it is advantageous to do so. Surrendering just because you do not like the cards you have been dealt is not a reason to do so. Keep it in your blackjack strategy to only surrender when those four hands and dealer up card combinations are on the table.

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The Importance of Doubling Down in Blackjack

On 08.27.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Unfortunately many novice blackjack player—both online blackjack players and blackjack in a brick and mortar casino—tend to stick to basic plays, limiting themselves to hitting or standing. This is like learning to swim and then never leaving the shallow end of the pool.

But there are other blackjack plays out in there and they do offer benefits that basic plays do not. Again, this is like how you can dive for diving sticks in the deep end of the pool when you really cannot in the shallow end.

One of those other blackjack plays is called double down. With this play, a player doubles that amount of his original wager. So if you were playing blackjack online and were wagering $10 on a hand and wanted to double down, your wager would increase to $20.

Once the wager has been doubled the player only receives one more card before having to stand. There is no more hitting after you double down. It is a play to end your turn.

But it is not a bad play. In fact, it is highly advantageous to use when used at the right moments. And such moments are not difficult to know. All a blackjack player needs to do is look on a basic strategy chart to know when the best times to double down are.

What makes doubling down so advantageous is that when you win you receive the same amount that you would receive if you had won two rounds. This is because your payout is based on that $20 and not the $10, even though you only have one hand on the table.

Because you are making more money in the payout than you would normally have made, the house’s edge is hit harder. Doubling down at the right moments will knock 1.6% off of the house edge. That is how important this play is.

Follow a basic strategy chart to know the best times to double down, and enjoy receiving a larger payout and knowing that you have knocked the house’s edge down. So do not be afraid of the deep end of the pool, swim out and start doubling down

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About Online Blackjack Games and Variations

On 08.13.10, In Blackjack Rules, Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Those who play online blackjack are bound to see blackjack variations from time to time. They crop up everywhere, in the majority of online casinos. They are out there—Face Up 21, Super Fun 21, Blackjack Switch and more. The problem is that not all novice online blackjack players truly understand these blackjack variations and the impact their rules have on their blackjack odds.

One of the biggest hits to a player’s blackjack odds comes from the payouts offered by these blackjack variations. Whereas in regular online blackjack games, a natural blackjack receives a 3-2 payout, in the majority of variations the blackjack payout is an even money payout.

And an even money blackjack game will take 2.27% off of a player’s blackjack odds. If you are playing according to basic strategy, the house’s edge will go from 0.5% back up to 2.77%. Playing in a game with an even money payout like that is only handing your edge right back to the house.

Another common rule found in blackjack variations pertains to doubling down. Many variations only allow players to double down on 9s, 10s or 11s. This impacts the player’s blackjack odds in a negative way again, taking 0.18% away from the player’s odds.

Typically doubling down can take 1.6% from the house’s edge. That is a big hit to their edge. And that is why many blackjack variations will only allow doubling down on 9s, 10s and 11s only.

The key thing to understand about blackjack variations is that they were created to take players’ money faster. And while they can be fun to play from time to time, they should only be played for fun in practice modes so as not to risk losing any money; or to play blackjack variations at low stakes. That is how you handle your blackjack strategy in regards to blackjack variations.

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Special Online Blackjack Bonus

On 08.04.10, In Online Blackjack, Online Casino, By Vivi

Eventually novice blackjack players feel the need to actually try out the game in a realistic environment. For some this means a trip to the local brick and mortar casino to play in at a low stakes blackjack table. For others it means finding an online casino and signing up; and if this is your choice you will have Welcome Bonuses to consider.

If you are one of those players who is gearing up to take a trip to the casino, hold on a moment and listen. Online casinos are not only an option for a place to play. They also offer a place for you to practice playing in a realistic way for free. So do not write off online blackjack just yet.

Now on to Welcome Bonuses. Because blackjack is a popular online casino game some online casinos will offer Welcome Bonuses just for blackjack players. To give you an idea we will take a look at the one that Rushmore offers its new blackjack players.

The Blackjack Special Bonus that is offered at Rushmore is a 200% match deposit bonus that is worth up to $1,000. This means that the Rushmore will match the amount of your first deposit with them at a 200% rate up to a maximum of $1,000.

If a player were to deposit $500, they would receive the maximum $1,000. If a new player were to deposit $100 they would receive $200. To figure out what your bonus amount would be, multiply the amount of your deposit by 200% and that will be the amount you receive from the online casino.

But back to the example. For new online blackjack players, there is the potential to receive $1,000. Now compare that to the standard Welcome Bonus that Rushmore offers new players who do not play online blackjack: a 100% match deposit bonus worth up to $888.

Bonuses aimed just at online blackjack players is one of the benefits to playing blackjack online.

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Differences Between Blackjack and Online Blackjack

On 07.30.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, Online Casino, By Vivi

As players learn blackjack they like to try out what they learn. You could call it practicing, which is necessary in a game of skill. Some novice blackjack players will practice in the free play modes offered by online casinos. Others will play in low stakes games at brick and mortar casinos. But there are a few differences between the two that players should be aware of so they are ready if they switch back and forth between the two.

We will start at the beginning. In a casino blackjack is played at a table with up to six other players, for a total of seven players. When playing blackjack online, you would be playing one-on-one with the dealer. This difference affects your rate of play.

Online blackjack tends to be played at a faster rate because it is just you and the dealer. In order to not let this impact your blackjack odds, slow down your rate of play—play slower and take breaks. It will have the same impact of playing with other players because in a casino, the more players there are at the blackjack table the longer a round takes and your rate of play drops.

Another difference: at some tables surrender is allowed. This is advantageous to players as they can bow out of a round losing only half of their wager rather than all of it. Surrender is not offered in online blackjack.

Because this is a house rule there really is not a way for online blackjack players to compensate for it, other than playing according to basic strategy every time.

All this sounds like there is no advantage to playing online blackjack, but it does have some. For one thing you can play for free, which you will never find in a brick and mortar casino. There is also the aspect of convenience that comes from playing on a computer; as long as you have internet access, you can play blackjack online.

Knowing the differences between playing blackjack at an online casino and a brick and mortar casino helps to avoid mistakes made from being unfamiliar with one or the other. It never hurts to keep yourself informed.

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About Single Deck Blackjack Games

On 07.23.10, In Blackjack Rules, Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

While playing blackjack online is fun—not to mention convenient—there will be times when novice blackjack players will find themselves in a brick and mortar casino. Naturally they would want to play blackjack.

Now these are good students of blackjack. They know that the more decks there are in play at a table the more the blackjack odds tip towards the dealer. Naturally these students of blackjack will seek out the single deck games that have made a comeback in brick and mortar casinos.

But they are back with a twist.

The twist is the payout. In many—not all but many—of the single deck blackjack games to be found in casinos do not offer the usual 3-2 payout. Instead many single deck blackjack games offer a 6-5 payout.

Unfortunately many novice blackjack players do not quite understand what a 6-5 payout does to their odds.

Not only does a 6-5 payout meant that the player is receiving less for his blackjack in terms of the payout, a 6-5 payout also has a negative impact on a player’s blackjack odds.

Blackjack odds are based on your opportunity to make a profit from the game. When a house rule makes it harder for the dealer to win, it increases the player’s blackjack odds because that rule decreases the dealer’s chances of winning, which conversely increases the player’s.

In the case of the 6-5 payout, players lose some of their blackjack odds simply because they are receiving less money for a natural blackjack. Less money received in a payout means that the opportunity to profit is less, hence lowering the blackjack odds of the player.

When pulling up a chair to a 6-5 blackjack game a player is lowering their blackjack odds by 1.39%. Even playing with basic strategy cannot overcome this reduction in odds because of the payout, not because of house rules or player choices in plays.

Because of the reduction of odds—not to mention the lost money—it is best to avoid playing at 6-5 payout tables. If all of the single deck games are 6-5 payouts then play at the blackjack table with the least amount of decks.

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