Blackjack is a card game played against the dealer where the goal is to reach 21 more quickly than they do, without busting themselves or busting others in your hand. When either you or the dealer fail to do this, the player wins their hand.
To beat the dealer at blackjack, it is necessary to understand basic blackjack rules and Insurance bets as well as when and how to split pairs and double down your hand.
Basic strategy
Blackjack basic strategy is the optimal way to approach each hand based on mathematical probabilities. Although not perfect, basic strategy will help minimize losses while increasing profits – not to mention easier memory recall than complex approaches such as card counting!
Side bets can be entertaining and provide an exciting diversion at blackjack tables, but they never result in winning bets. For instance, taking out insurance against the dealer’s ace may result in your bet being completely lost if they have a blackjack hand!
Doubling down is another bad bet, although this strategy may prove profitable if the dealer is weak. Otherwise, however, doubling down should only be attempted with totals of 11 or higher; otherwise it is best to stand.
Insurance bets
Insurance bets in blackjack are side bets with odds of 2:1, available only when the dealer’s up card is an ace. Players may place half their original wager in the insurance spot on the table to place an insurance bet; then when looking at his hole card if it contains 10s they win their insurance bet. Insurance bets can be particularly profitable for advanced card counters who keep count of how many 10 point cards exist in a deck.
Insurance bets should generally be avoided as the odds that a dealer has blackjack are less than one third. However, card counters could find even this sucker bet costs them money over time.
Splitting pairs
Splitting pairs in blackjack is a useful defensive move that can increase your odds of victory, particularly against dealers with strong up cards. But remember that splitting pairs doesn’t guarantee a more successful hand over time – in general you will lose more often than win!
When playing against weak cards from dealers, twos and threes should generally be split against them; however, splitting tens will only worsen your hand further.
Splitting pairs of fives should always be avoided as they already represent 10 points; doing so would give only lower value face cards and leave you with an insufficient total of 16; in such instances it would be better off surrendering than splitting.
Dealer’s up card
Kenny Rogers claims that to be successful at blackjack, “it is essential to understand when to hold and when to fold.” To determine this, one should rely on the dealer’s up card; when an Ace or 10 are exposed as up cards by them, stand. Conversely, when low value up cards (i.e. 2, 3, or 4) appear instead, hit soft hands.
Dealers cannot surrender or split pairs like players; instead they must continue hitting their cards until reaching a minimum total of 17. To increase your odds of success in card counting games, monitor how many high and low cards remain in the deck; however, most casinos frown upon such activity and may bar those suspected of card counting from playing further games at that casino.
Dealer’s face-down card
The dealer’s face-down card plays an essential part in how players approach their hands and determining the house edge of any game, and can impact how players make their choices and choose whether to hit (take another card), stand (end their turn without drawing new cards), double down (double their bet on one card), or split their cards into multiple hands.
Some games allow the dealer to hit on soft 17, reducing the house edge by 0.2%. Others mandate that they must stand on soft 17s.
Once all players have made their choices, the dealer will use a viewing window to inspect his hole card for any possible tens underneath it – this signifies a blackjack and any associated insurance bets will be accepted by him.