Blackjack StrategyBlack jack basic betting strategy.
As any sensible player knows, winning in blackjack is hardly a matter of luck. Most of the time, it is a combination of the mastery of basic and advanced concepts. However, the most important factor concerning the game is arguably the player's strategies. The following list provides you with the most basic and most sensible time-tested strategies that have spelled success and fortune for many players.
1. Hits
You should hit when:
* Doubling is prohibited.
* You are barred from surrendering even when you have voiced out your intention.
* Your hand is 11 or less.
* Your hand is 12 and the dealer has a deuce or a three.
* You don't have a soft 18 and the dealer doesn't have an eight or less.
2. Doubles
Double when:
* You have an 11 and you're not faced with an ace.
* Your hand is a 10 and you're not against a 10 or an ace.
* With a nine and the dealer merely has three to six.
* You have a soft hand versus a five or a six.
* Your hand is 15-up opposite a four.
* You have 17-up versus a three.
* Your hand is a soft 18 opposite a deuce.
3. Stand
Hold your horses when:
* you have a 17 or greater
* you have a soft hand of 19-up
4. Surrender
Raise the white flag up when any of these happens:
* dealer shows a seven or higher.
* your hand is 15 and against the dealer's 10.
* dealer's hand reads nine, 10, or 11, against your 16.
5. Split
Remember these rules on splitting:
* Split when your hand has two hands of the same type: two deuces, two threes, etc.
* Split eight and aces; two, three, and seven versus seven or less; six versus six or less; nine versus all other cards except ace, 10, or seven; four only versus five or six.
* Do not split five - keep it as a 10 - hold tight to that 20; ten-value cards of different type.
In addition, you may want to know what are the salient characteristics of most successful card counters, players engaged in the technique called, of course, card counting. Here are some of them:
* Wear a relaxed air.
It doesn't translate to you looking like a lifeless edifice. It simply means that you ought to be as focused as you could in observing the card being dealt to keep a mental track of the flow of the game and increase your chance of winning. It won't hurt though that you look relaxed, for doing so would keep you out of the mindful watch of pit bosses and other casino personnel.
* Bet up when the deck favors you but never overdo it.
Place high wagers when you sense that you have the game in your favor, sometimes placing bets tenfolds higher. Be wily and employ a money-management system that varies your wagers to help avoid suspicion. Also, make verbal expressions that you feel like it is time that you win big bucks after a dismal loss or a meager win which are actually part of your show. Thus, when you make a huge increase in your wager, there is less suspicion on the part of the casino personnel.
* Tip.
Tipping casts off suspicion from the dealer who earns chiefly from it. It is therefore advised for you to tip the dealer from time to time to make him cast off any suspicion he may have regarding your winnings.
* Don't get drunk.
It is a big no-no for you to lose your focus on the game. As such, avoid gobbling up too much alcohol lavished by casinos as a strategy to break the players' concentration. It is best that you keep drinking in moderation to keep your mental faculties working well.
* Don't be bankroll-obsessive.
Don't be an exaggeratedly-organized fool by separating your income from your initial wager or by placing your bet sooner than the cards have been collected. Deliberately forget to place your wager or to get your winnings until the dealer reminds you. It will cast off suspicion and will give the personnel the impression that you're just a player trying to have some good, clean fun.
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