Blackjack would be one of the best ways to earn a living if there were an exact formula for winning every time. But chance insists on playing its role, making that scenario an impossibility. Nevertheless, it’s still one of the best casino games as you can tip the odds in your favor by employing some clever tips and strategies to minimize the house edge and give your bankroll some extra padding.
Tips And Strategies For Winning At Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the greatest Lucky Creek casino games, especially for beginners, because the house edge is usually quite low ( 0.43% – 2%.), allowing players more freedom to make decisions that affect the outcome. Even though the house edge is low, you can increase your likelihood of winning by using well-known strategies, focusing on the long game, and managing your bankroll well.
Knowing The Basic Blackjack Strategy
When you’re playing Blackjack, your opponent is the dealer, and your goal is to get a hand equal to 21 or less and not go bust. Instinct will only take you so far, and it’s to your advantage to understand the general guidelines that will prevent you from losing the round. Players must understand when to hit, stand, split, double down, and surrender.
- When the dealer has a 7 or above, ask for a hit if your hand is below a hard 8 and under a 17.
- Always stand on hard hands above 17.
- Double down when you have 11 against the dealer’s 5 or 6.
- Be wise when splitting pairs, but always split Aces and 8s.
- Never split 10s.
- On a hand of 15s and 16s, surrender if the dealer has a 10 or an Ace if the option is available.
- Hit when you have a soft 17.
These are a few guidelines that will help you reduce the house edge, but if you’re playing online, you can tip the odds in your favor by using a Blackjack strategy chart, which you can have on a second screen.
The strategy chart lists all possible situations and outcomes and provides the player with the correct/ best corresponding move, resulting in consistently positive outcomes. You won’t be allowed to work from a cheat sheet in a live gambling game, so commit those charts to memory.
Be Satisfied To Stand On Hand Of 12 Or 13
When a dealer shows a weak card, such as a 4, 5, or 6, and you have a hand valued at 12 or 13, it is always prudent to stand. The dealer is probably holding a card with a 10-value, which means his hand probably totals 14, 15, or 16. In this case, he is obliged to draw another card, more than likely making him go bust. There’s no need to risk going bust in this situation.
Never Make Insurance Bets
You may be offered an insurance bet when the dealer’s up card is an Ace. It’s an additional wager on whether their other card has a 10 value. If you win, you don’t earn extra money besides the amount of your original bet. It makes no sense to make insurance bets. Stay away.
Counting Cards
Counting cards is a useful skill in a live game as long as you fly under the radar while doing it. It’s not illegal, but casinos don’t appreciate players out-thinking them to turn the house edge on its head.
The player keeps a mental tally of specific cards as the dealer works through the deck. This gives you a clue as to which cards will likely surface in the next hand and when to increase or decrease your bets.
The simplest card-counting strategy is called the High-Low system. The player takes note of high-value cards (face cards and 10s) played and subtracts 1 from the tally. He adds 1 to the tally for low-value cards (2s – 6s) and ignores 7s – 9s.
For example, when a total sits at +3, the following cards are probably high-value, indicating an ideal opportunity to increase the bet. With a total of -2, new cards are likely low-value making it best to bet small.
Avoid Distractions
Keeping a cool head is paramount, as making your bets based on the highs of a winning round rather than on proven strategies won’t end well. Winning at Blackjack is as much about skill as luck and chance, probably more so.
Don’t Bet More Than You Can Afford
It’s common sense, yet the thrill of winning or the disappointment of a loss can spur you on to bet unwisely. The most prudent way of managing your gambling budget is to bet small amounts, usually 3 % of your bankroll.
Blackjack Betting Strategies
Using tried and tested Blackjack betting strategies online at sites like Mandarin Palace can help you reduce the house edge and turn it in your favor. Most are either negative or positive progression systems that involve upping or decreasing your bet size, depending on the previous action. These are some typical betting strategies:
- Paroli System: A positive progression system involving increasing the bet incrementally during a winning streak.
- 1–3-2-6 System: Increase bets by multiples of 1, 3, 2, and 6 while winning.
- D’Alembert System: Raises the bet after a loss and lowers it post-winning.
- Martingale System: Doubles the bet after a loss.
- Parlay System: Doubles the bet after every winning hand.
- Fibonacci System: Based on the mathematical Fibonacci number sequence where each number is equal to the sum of the two numbers before it. The betting strategy proceeds along the number sequence after a loss and stays at the number they are on if they win.
Summary
Yes, the element of uncertainty in Blackjack adds excitement to the game, but in the end, everyone wants to win and win big! So arm yourself with your strategy charts, manage your bankroll well, and be consistent with your game and betting strategies. You will soon see the dough come rolling in.