Blackjack is still one of the world’s most popular card games for gamblers and you can find all the best sites to play it at TopLiveCasinos.com.
There are blackjack players and there are successful blackjack players. What makes the difference? Experience plays a part, but the main factor is strategy. If you aren’t using any kind of strategy for playing blackjack you’re decreasing your chances of winning.
Blackjack Strategy
The odds of winning a hand of blackjack vary, depending on the two cards you are dealt and the card you can see in front of the dealer. That much should be obvious. But do you know the odds for each combination? There’s a good chance you don’t as there are far too many combinations to remember.
It’s not always a case of blindly saying “I should hit because I have 12.” In this case if the dealer is showing a 4 or 5 there’s a good chance you can beat him even if you stand.
You should familiarise yourself with blackjack strategy where the best action for each combination is outlined and you should also be aware of the odds of winning with each combination.
You can develop your own strategy if you think it works, as long as you stick with it. Some changes can be made to traditional strategy. For example, it states you should never split 10s. Why would you anyway? It’s 20 and will probably be a winning hand. But if the dealer has a 5 or 6, for instance, you might think you can beat him by splitting your 10s. It can be risky, but sometimes it might just pay off.
Staking Strategy
Playing for level stakes is what most players will do constantly but given that you can expect to win only 50% o the time it means that over time you will break even and not turn a profit.
There are a couple of ways to form a staking plan. One is by starting with an initial base stake of say $1. You double up every time you lose and drop back down to your base stake after a win. This can soon become costly as the stake doubles, particularly if you are unlucky enough to manage 8 losing hands in a row.
A variation on this staking plan is to start at $1 and then increase to $2, $3 and so on, basically increase the stake by 1 x your base stake after a loss. Following a winning hand, you drop down 1 x your base stake. Some players have cited success with this method.
Other Blackjack Pointers
One thing to avoid in blackjack is the insurance bet. Sure, the dealer is showing an ace and he might have blackjack, but he might not. Betting on a ‘what if’ just to safeguard your original stake is quite foolish and you can easily find yourself losing both the insurance bet and your initial bet.
It is best to play blackjack alone. If you sit at a casino table next to someone who is playing badly, their poor choices can affect your hand. Try to always play in a one-on-one situation with the dealer.
You should also beware of any blackjack games offering increased odds for different outcomes. One variation of the game pays large odds for a 21 achieved with three 7s. If you have drawn two 7s you might find it tempting, but what does the dealer have? Sometimes standing on 14 is good enough to win. Try not to be drawn in by big odds offers and always stick to your staking plan.