FIVE BLACKJACK TIPS

Blackjack has one of the lowest house odds of any casino game- meaning the player has a greater chance of winning than at most games. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize this and go in blind, therefore giving a greater advantage to the casino. But with a little practiced of the following tips, you can make sure you keep that advantage down to a minimum:

Have a plan: Know how much you are willing to spend, and how much you are going to wager on each hand. If you have $100 to spend on Blackjack and want to play lots of hands, go to a table with a minimum bet of one to five dollars. If you want to try to increase your money quickly, then play at a table with a higher limit, like ten to twenty dollars per hand. No matter what your strategy is, the important thing is to make sure you have one and stick to it.

Never chase losses: This is good advice for any game, but especially Blackjack. Chasing losses means you get beat on a hand and lose a chunk of money, then play overly aggressive on the next hands to ‘make up for it’. This can only lead to bad decision making, and therefore more losses. If you lose a big hand and continue to play, play like nothing happened at all, and you will not fall into the trap of chasing losses.

Play variation rules, if possible: A good example of this would be the ‘surrender’ rules that some casinos offer. This means that a player can surrender their hand and only lose half their wager under certain conditions. Of course, this means less intake for the casino, so very few offer it. But if they do, be sure to take advantage of the situation. You may also want to look for the rare tables where the dealer has to stand on 16 instead of 17, which helps decrease the house advantage.

Check your bonus rules: This is a tip that is unique to online casinos. At an online casino, there will be a wagering requirement for any bonus that you may accept, and there are usually some games that are restricted as a part of this requirement. Unfortunately, Blackjack is more often than not one of those games. If you signed up at a casino where this is the case and wish to play all or mostly Blackjack, you will want to contact customer service about your options, which include having the bonus removed if need be.

Practice, practice, practice: Practice makes perfect. And although there is some luck involved in a game like Blackjack, it is also one of the few gambling games where skill plays just as big a part as luck. So it is in your best interest to practice. Since bluffing or having a ‘poker face’ is not needed, it matters not whether you practice online or at home with friends and family. As long as you get some playing time in. A good place to go is the online casinos- many offer free, no-wager games that you can use to practice without losing the shirt off your back- so take advantage of this and good luck!