Ask any professional player and they will agree that Blackjack is a game of mathematics. It has a fixed set of rules that can be taken advantage of in certain situations.
If you are new to the game of online Blackjack, it is imperative that you learn the basic Blackjack strategy. Most of the novice players make the mistake of jumping into advanced strategies without getting used to the basic one. So, why is it so essential to get acquainted with the basic Blackjack strategy? This is because it shows the most appropriate way to use every hand when you have only the information about the upcard of the dealer and your card. The Blackjack basic strategy is mathematically optimal and helps a player to decrease his losing amount and increase his winning money over the course of the game. Without much ado, let us dive into the three most popular Blackjack strategies that are used by seasoned as well as novice Live Blackjack players.
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Surrender is one of the many benefits that casinos offer to players and so, no doubt they can be found in top casino reviews referred as the best Blackjack strategy.
In certain situations, using Surrender is a perfect Blackjack strategy instead of standing or hitting. After you receive the initial two hand cards and consider the upward of the dealer, if you think that your winning chances are very slim, you can give up or surrender and forfeit half of the amount of your wager. In certain casinos, you have to verbally announce “surrender.” to let the dealer known about your intentions. In other casinos, hand signals such as drawing an imaginary line from left to right with the index finger on the felt are acknowledged for the surrender option. After that, the dealer takes away your cards, placing them in the discard pile and removes half your bet.
If you observe that the chance of your winning is less than 1 out of 4 hands then, it is a good play to surrender your hands. In other words, the chance of you winning the round is around 255 while the chance of losing is around 75%. What will you prefer? Sometimes, it is a good play to surrender your hands. It has its fair share of benefits. Using the Surrender Blackjack strategy helps the player to stabilise his bankroll. In other words, it will allow the player to stabilise the fluctuations in his bankroll.
There are two types of surrender: Early Blackjack Surrender and Late Blackjack Surrender.
Early Surrender is very popular in the Asian and European casinos. Until and unless all the players have acted upon their cards, the dealers are not allowed to take a hole card. This is known as the European no-hole-card rule. In early surrender, before the dealer checks whether or not he has an Ace, the players can surrender their cards to the dealer’s ten-value upcard or Ace. This is much more favoured over late surrender. The reason is simple. With early surrender, you gain 0.39% against an Ace and 0.24% against a 1 which brings the total value to a staggering 0.635 for a 6 deck card game.
Keep in mind that in some casinos early surrender is not allowed for a dealer’s Ace but for a dealer’s 10. If a player offers early surrender, make sure that you surrender the following hands:
Late Surrender is popular in many casinos all around the world. Make sure that you ask the dealer whether or not this option is allowed for particular Blackjack games. Often times, dealers won’t emphasize that late surrender is available in a game. With late surrender, you have to sacrifice half of your original bet, but unlike early surrender, the dealer gets to check if he has got a Blackjack or not. If the dealer ends up with a Blackjack, then, you lose your entire bet and won’t be allowed to surrender. Unlike the early surrender, late surrender does not help in lowering the house edge as much but it is still advantageous to use it.
Always opt for late surrender if you have a total hand of 15 and the dealer shows a 10 value card or an Ace. If you have a total of 15 and the dealer shows a 10 value card or an Ace, it is also advisable to go for late surrender. Another situation when late surrender is advantageous is when you have a hand total of 17 and the dealer shows an Ace.
For single-deck Blackjack game featured in a live casino, do not opt for late surrender if:
The pair splitting Blackjack strategy was devised to reduce the house edge of the casinos but most players try to use this strategy without having the deep knowledge about when to use this. Keep in mind that if you are planning to split your cards you should do it before doubling down or choosing a card.
No matter what card the dealer is showing you, there are certain situations where splitting is ideal.
You will start with a value of 12 if you play your two Aces as one hand. You will only get 21 if you receive a 9. You will be forced to use the second Ace if a face card or 10 cards is applied to bring 12. But if you split your Aces, you will have four ways (through 10, J, Q, or K) to achieve the count of 21 in each hand.
To be honest, it is very difficult to get a good hand if you play your 8s as one hand. But if you check the situation mathematically, it is always favourable to split your 8s. If you play the 8s as one hand, then, you start at 16. It is very risky to hit at this point. You will bust of you get anything above 5. But if you split the 8s, you won’t get busted easily as now you have a chance of getting a more favourable hand.
As soon as you split, the dealer gives you two additional cards. If you get another pair, then split the pairs again! Keep in mind that you have to triple your original bet at this point of time.
There are also some situations when splitting is not ideal. Most of the beginners tend to make this mistake, so keep this in mind before heading over to a Blackjack table.
If you have a pair of 5, don’t think about splitting them and instead treat them as a single 10. By splitting, you give the chance of having a strong hand for something that is marginally better. You cannot bust out with a pair of 5s and have a chance of getting a hand of 21 on the first hit. So, don’t split the 5s as you will be left with a weaker hand.
If you hit on a pair of 4s it is impossible to bust out as the maximum you can reach is 19 with an Ace. If you slit the 4s, you are either left with a less valuable hand or a hand that is very easy to bust if you go for a hit.
A lot of rookies usually make this mistake. You have a value of 20 with a pair of 10. If you split them, you are either going to wind up in a situation where you have to get an Ace to improve your stance or you end up with a less valuable hand.
You can split 10 but only in certain situations. If you are into card counting and you know that there are a lot of 10s in the shoe, it is ideal to split the 10s when the dealer is showing a weaker hand( 4,5 or 6).
Here are some other ideal situations when you should use the online Blackjack card splitting strategy.
If you are using the doubling down strategy in online Blackjack, keep in mind that with this strategy, you basically forfeit your chance of drawing more than one card throughout the game. When you double down, you double your initial bet and get only one card in return. Generally, players are more likely to double down on hard 11, 10, 9 and soft 13. Some casinos allow players to double down on specific cards like hard 10 and 11 while others allow their players to bet on any two-card hand. To understand this Blackjack strategy in-depth, you need to make sure that you have the proper knowledge of the dealer’s upcard and your total hand count.
Doubling down allows players to double their wager. When the situation looks optimistic, players risk more to win more. The best part of this online Blackjack strategy is that you can control the outcome, hence this powerful tool is used by several prominent Blackjack players out there.
No. You are not allowed to hit and then double down in a game of Blackjack. This strategy can be utilised only after the two initial cards have been given. If a player wants to double down, he or she has to use the strategy at this point in time of the game.
Always double down on 11. It is a good strategy to double down on 11 when the dealer is showing a card that is lower than 10. No matter what the dealer’s upcard is, you should always double down on 11 if the casino rules state that the dealer has to hit soft 17.
There are three ideal situations where doubling down won’t make you go bust but will help you to finish with a high hand count. These strategies have been made by keeping in mind that the dealer is likely going to lose his hand.
Check out this Basic Blackjack strategy chart which shows you when to Hit, Fold, Hold and more according to mathematical probabilities. If you are a beginner, you can use this Blackjack strategy chart initially to understand the online Blackjack gameplay.
Keep this chart handy whenever you are near a Blackjack table!
Note: The next time you play online Blackjack, open this chart beside you to stay at your peak performance! You can always get a printout or bookmark our page!
Now, there are some online Blackjack players who are pretty decent at the game but want to learn more about the advanced Blackjack strategies out there. Well, you’re in luck! Our experts have devised some basic strategies and tips which you can use at a Blackjack table.
If the dealer is showing a high hand (Ace,10 or 9), always hit A-7 or soft 18.
Now, that you know everything about online Blackjack strategies, use these at a real-life scenario! Head over to a brick and mortar casino or log into your favourite online casino, and start playing like a seasoned player today! Keep in mind there are no excuses for practising! So, practice these Blackjack strategies regularly to elevate your gameplay! And like always, gamble responsibly and enjoy!
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