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Basic Blackjack
Strategy
The companion index cards summarize the "basic
strategy" for playing blackjack. This strategy will give you your
best chances of winning short of card counting. (Note: Unless your
are very good at card counting you will likely get caught, and
getting caught means getting banned from the casino. For my money,
games are supposed to be fun. Card counting is too much like work.)
These color-coded index cards cover every
possible hand that can be dealt, separated by the player (that's
you) having a hard total, a soft total (i.e. one of the cards dealt
is an Ace which can have a value of either 1 or 11), or a "pair".
On the index cards:
-
The numbers in the Player column indicate
your card total
-
The numbers in the Dealer column indicate the
dealer's single up-card
-
A "---" by itself in the Dealer column means
it doesn't matter what the dealer's single up-card is
-
"10v" means a 10-value card - 10, Jack,
Queen, or King
-
When two numbers are separated by a dash (-)
it means all numbers in that range inclusively. Ex: "3 - 6"
means 3, 4, 5, and 6.
-
When two or more numbers are separated by
commas (,) it means only those individual numbers, no in-between
numbers. Ex: "2, 7" means only 2 or 7. It does not include 3, 4,
5, and 6.
Some gambling books say that you cannot refer to
written material while playing. Because of this, these index cards
serve as "flash-cards" to ease memorizing the information. However,
dealers have told me that it is perfectly acceptable to have written
material, as long as you don't delay the game referring to it. (This
is at the individual casino's discretion so ask the dealer.)
The most common mistake people make playing this
strategy is not playing the strategy. In other words, they won't hit
when the strategy says to hit, etc. Don't deviate from the strategy.
While it doesn't guarantee you'll be a winner, it has been proven to
offer you your best odds of winning.
Blackjack Notes
It's helpful to take a chair that is farther to
the left (dealer's right). This will give you time to total up your
cards, look at the dealer's up-card, and recall the appropriate play
to make (or review the flash-cards if allowed) while the other
players are playing their hands. Whichever chair you take, don't
feel rushed. Take your time and if you can't remember the
appropriate play to make, ask the dealer. They're more than willing
to help.
After taking a seat, lay your cash down on the
table in front of you and ask the dealer for "red" ($5 chips) or
"green" ($25 chips). Never try to hand your cash to the dealer
directly. If it's a low-limit table where the minimum bet (as
indicated on the placard in the back corner of the table) is between
$1 and $4, you can also ask the dealer for "dollars" ($1 chips). The
dealer will put your chips on the table layout in front of you and
put your cash in the "drop box" (a slot in the table-top). Place
your bet (chips) in your bet area on the table layout, which is
usually indicated by a small circle or square directly in front of
you. Placing a bet in this area indicates to the dealer that you
want to participate in the upcoming "hand".
A new "hand" begins with the dealer dealing each
player, and themselves, two cards. Both of the players' cards are
dealt face up while one of the dealer's cards is dealt face down
(the "hole card"). The dealer then goes in a clock-wise direction
around the table, basically playing one-on-one with each player
until they decide to stand or bust. Once all of the players have
played their hands, the dealer flips over their hole card and stands
if their two cards total 17 or more, or hits (and hopefully busts)
trying to get to 17 or more.
Multi-deck Blackjack (Three or more decks)
6-deck blackjack is the most common game in
casinos and is easy to spot because the dealer deals the cards out
of a plastic "shoe". In these games the players' cards are dealt
face-up and the players never touch the cards. The dealer deals and
collects the cards. When the dealer indicates it is your play, use
the following hand signals to indicate what you want to do:
-
Indicate you want a "hit" by tapping your
fingers on the table
-
Indicate you want to "stand" by waving your
hand horizontally over your cards
-
Indicate you want to double-down or split a
pair by placing an equal bet to the left of your current bet
If taking a hit causes you to bust, the dealer
will take your cards and your bet.
Single-Deck and Double-deck Blackjack
The more decks the dealers use the higher the
house edge. You can improve your odds of winning somewhat by playing
"single-deck" (hard to find these games) or "double-deck" blackjack.
It's easy to spot these games because the dealers deal the cards out
of their hands rather than using a shoe. In addition, players' cards
are dealt face-down and the players handle their cards (although I
have seen a couple single-deck tables where the cards were dealt
face-up like a multi-deck game). When the dealer indicates that it
is your play, use the following signals to indicate what you want to
do:
-
Indicate you want a "hit" by dragging the
edge of your cards on the table in a sweeping motion towards you
-
Indicate you want to "stand" by sliding your
cards, face down, under your chips
-
Indicate you want to double-down or split a
pair by placing an equal bet to the left of your current bet
If taking a hit causes you to bust, lay your
cards down face up next to your chips.
Be careful! Some casinos are now offering
single-deck blackjack games that have a reduced payout of 6:5 rather
than the usual 3:2 which is a ripoff for blackjack players. Given
that a 3:2 multi-deck game is better than a 6:5 single-deck game,
there's no reason to ever play 6:5 single-deck blackjack.
Special Plays
A "double-down" simply means you want to double
your bet because your initial two cards have given you a favorable
hand against the house. The casino allows you to double your bet in
this fashion but there's a catch. When you do double-down you only
get one hit so you're hoping for a 10-value card.
For example, let's say you're dealt an 8 and
a 3 (total of 11). If you were to double down and the dealer
hits you with a 10-value card, you've got a card total of 21.
The only way you wouldn't win is if the dealer's cards also
totaled 21. (If both you and the dealer have the same card total
it's a tie, called a "push", and no money is exchanged.) Note
that getting a card total of 21 is not a "blackjack". A
"blackjack", also called a "natural", is getting a card total of
21 on the first two cards dealt, which requires an Ace and a
10-value card.
When you are dealt a "pair" (two 6s, two queens,
etc.) "splitting" allows you to split the two cards into two
separate hands. If the value of an individual card in your pair
gives you a favorable hand against the house, splitting lets you
play that advantage twice. Unlike a double-down, you can take as
many hits as you like on each hand.
Insurance and Even Money
When the dealer's up-card is an Ace, they will
ask you if you want "insurance". I won't go into what an insurance
bet is because every blackjack book I've ever read says the same
thing; Never take insurance (unless you're card counting and the
deck is 10-heavy). In other words, just say "no".
When you are dealt a "natural" (blackjack) and
the dealer's up-card is an Ace, they will ask you if you "want even
money". This is taking an even money payout as insurance against the
dealer also having a natural, in which case you'd "push" (tie) and
get nothing. The strategy says don't take even money. Over
time you'll win more than you'll lose by not taking even money.
Again, just say "no".
See the Tips page for information on ways to tip
a blackjack dealer. You may also want to take a look at the "Good
Software" section back on the Gaming page to see a screen-shot from
the Cardoza blackjack game.
Using The Flash
Cards
Whether using the flash cards at the table, or
while practicing with the Avery Cardoza computer game, the following
sequence will help you narrow down the correct play quickly. When
your cards are dealt:
-
Do you have a pair ? - go to the SPLIT
card
-
Not pairs of 4s, 5s, or 10-value cards ?
- Split according to the SPLIT card.
After splitting, use the HARD or SOFT card as
appropriate to play both hands
-
Is there an Ace in your hand ? - go to the
SOFT card
-
Is your non-Ace card 8 or 9 ? - Stand.
-
Is your non-Ace card 6 or less ? - Hit,
checking the SOFT card to see if you should double-down
-
Is your non-Ace card a 7 ? - Play
according to the dealer's hand
-
If no Pair or Aces - go to the HARD card
-
Do your cards total 17 or more ? - Stand
-
Do your cards total 11 or less ? - Hit,
checking the HARD card to see if you should double-down
-
Do your cards total 12 through 16 ? -
Play according to the dealer's up-card
To summarize:
-
Pair ? - SPLIT card
-
Ace ? - SOFT card
-
Non-Ace an 8 or 9 ? - Stand
-
Non-Ace 6 or less ? - Hit (possible
double-down)
-
Non-Ace a 7 ? - Play according to the
dealer's hand
-
Else - HARD card
As mentioned earlier, most casinos will allow you
to refer to the cards while at the table as long as you're quick
about it. However, with a little practice it's not that hard to
memorize the plays on the cards.
Strategy Basis
The "basic strategy" is based on two simple
facts:
You're assuming that:
Naturally this won't be the case a lot of times,
but the basic strategy has been tested through millions of computer
simulations and has been proven to give you your best odds of
winning. (So much so that it caused the casinos to change their
rules when it was developed back in the late '50s.)
Given the above two facts the flash-cards start
to make sense. If the dealer's up-card is 6 or less, they're going
to have to take at least one hit to get to 17 making it more likely
they will bust. That's why the flash-cards indicate that even if
your cards only total up to 12, you don't want to hit if the
dealer's up-card is 6 or less. If you hit and get a 10-value card
that's 22 and you bust. Better to sit tight with your 12 and hope
the dealer busts. |
