Blackjack Strategy Tips

Blackjack players, whether professional or amateur, learn quickly that one of the advantages to blackjack is that the house edge is different for each player, depending on his or her skill level.

A “newbie” who simply sits down to play without any knowledge of basic strategy contends with a house advantage of -2 to -3 percent per hand, depending on the conditions of play. This means that a new blackjack player can expect to lose $2 to $3 for every $100 wagered.

The house begins with such a big advantage because the players complete their hands before the dealer finishes. In addition, if both the dealer and a player go bust, the dealer wins. Therefore, once a player learns the basics of playing blackjack, it’s time to learn about blackjack strategy.

Understand what affects your odds of winning in blackjack

There are many ways to improve the player’s advantage. For instance, as mentioned in our  article on gambling odds, a player should always know the expected win rate of the game he or she is playing. That’s the percentage of the total amount of money wagered that a player can expect to win or lose over a period of time.

In addition, new Blackjack players can improve their odds slightly if they sit in on games where the dealers deal the cards slowly. This is especially true for trainee dealers, who also are learning the game.

At a minimum, learn basic blackjack strategy

Experienced blackjack players who develop an ability to count cards can nearly eliminate the house edge when they’re armed with information and a clear understanding of the playing conditions. A novice player who employs basic strategy in blackjack can expect to break even. If the house conditions are favorable, a newbie player using good strategy might even come out ahead.

Basic strategy doesn’t ensure that you’ll win every time, or that you’ll win big payouts. Winning, along with the size of the return, depend entirely on how well the player plays the game, and how much is wagered. However, using basic blackjack strategy does boost your player advantage as you continue to play and put basic strategy into practice. Gaining some edge over the house, as well as winning more hands, is a pretty good success for any casino player.

Learn which blackjack conditions are favorable

A first step in perfecting your skill at judging house conditions is to learn how variations in the game from house to house affect your win rate. That’s your advantage as a player – how much you can expect to lose or win, as opposed to the house edge. The way to determine your expected win rate is to learn the rules of the game and to watch how many decks are shuffled together.

Depending on the casino, some variations in Blackjack rules favor the players, while others favor the house. For example, playing with a single deck gives you a 0.3 percent better advantage than playing with two decks. Playing with two decks gives you a 0.2 better expected win rate than playing with four or more decks. A game that uses four decks shuffled together gives you a 0.5 percent worse chance of winning.

Under certain conditions, you can get even against the house using basic strategy. For instance, in a single-deck game, if the dealer stands on a soft 17, you’re permitted to double-down on any two cards, but you’re not allowed to split a pair, your naturals will win 3 to 2 and you won’t be offered surrender. With these conditions as the base, you can level the playing field between you and the house using basic strategy.

In order to gain a better player advantage, look at the following table, which outlines the conditions in which rule variations combined with basic strategy will raise your chances.

Conditions that improve expected win rate with basic strategy

Promotions involving 2 to 1 payoffs on naturals are the most common Blackjack game that you can beat with basic strategy (without counting cards). Getting 2 to 1 on naturals gains your 2.3 percent. That’s a lot more than you’d lose going from a single deck to multiple decks, so get into any 2-to-1 games you find. Get into such games fast, because these promotions lose money quickly for the casino. Consequently 2-to-1 payoff games don’t happen often and don’t last too long.

Learn the unfavorable blackjack conditions too

It’s getting more and more difficult these days to find a single-deck game, or many of the favorable conditions listed in the preceding table. However, even in less-than-perfect gaming conditions, basic strategy can still help players improve their chances.

In situations where you can’t find the basic conditions listed previously, then subject the percentages given in the following table from your expected 0.0 win rate at Blackjack. That little bit of math can tell you how much damage the unfavorable condition might do to your pocketbook. Avoid games where too many unfavorable conditions stack the odds against you.

How Unfavorable Conditions Affect Your Expected Win Rate with Basic Strategy

Practice blackjack online free or even play for real money

If you want to become a good blackjack player as quickly as possible, the best way is by playing real money blackjack online. Land based casinos are more intimidating for new players, plus it costs more to play blackjack. Casino blackjack usually runs a minimum of $5 or $10 per hand. Online blackjack at sites like Bodog Casino can be played for as little as $1 per hand. That’s a big difference if you’re gambling on a budget!

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