Online casinos soon latched onto the popularity of this elegant card game, especially developed live and table games then hit the ground running. Here are the main pros of playing blackjack in online and traditional casinos: Online blackjack: Convenience: play at a time that suits you. Play anywhere: either at home or on your mobile.
- When it comes to online blackjack: Register with the casino and sign in to play. For real money play you must have funds in your casino account. Click the Game tab on the online casino’s home screen.
- Blackjack entices and excites millions of people all over the world as a staple at most casinos. It has also made a smooth transition into the world of blackjack online casinos, where playing blackjack online for real money becomes more popular by the day. Our guide to online blackjack.
Blackjack is the most popular casino table game of all drawing in countless numbers of hungry players both in the brick and mortar casino, and in online casinos.
Are you a player who is knowledgeable about blackjack strategy? In this article, we detail the basic blackjack strategy charts and provide you with other handy tips to give you the best possible chance of leaving the casino – physical or virtual – in profit.
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Basic Blackjack Terms
As with every classic casino table game, there is a lot of lingo thrown about which might sound double Dutch to novice blackjack players. What on earth does it all mean?
Ultimately, you will become more familiar with all the blackjack lingo as you develop your game, whether that is in the brick and mortar casino or at an online casino.
Nonetheless, we have listed some handy basic blackjack terminology below:
- Stand. The player stays with the cards they were dealt
- Hit. The player is dealt another card, and they can be dealt more if they wish. If the total of the cards exceeds 21 at any point, the player is bust and loses the hand
- Surrender. This is where the player gives up half his bet to forfeit the hand
- Double down. The player doubles their original bet and is dealt one more card, and it can only be one
- Split. If a player is dealt a pair (two 4s for example), or two ten-valued cards, such as a queen and a king, the player can split those cards into two different hands. The player is then dealt another card to each hand. The player must make a second bet of equal value to the first to use the split
- Hard hand. A hand without an ace
- Soft hand. A hand with an ace
Blackjack Strategy Chart
The first thing to get to grips with is ‘basic strategy’ which is probably the most essential ingredient of blackjack strategy.
The basic strategy detailed below is based on blackjack games played with 4 or more decks. Essentially, the basic strategy is a template which shows you the best course of action to take based on the cards dealt.
The below chart: Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart
More Blackjack Tips
The tables above are based on the standard blackjack rulesets. However, there are many different variations of blackjack both in physical casinos and in the online casino landscape.
These variations have different rulesets, so be mindful of the fact that some of the strategies above may not directly apply to the particular blackjack game you are playing.
In fact, the most useful thing you can do is check the specific ruleset of the blackjack game you are playing as soon as you sit down at the table.
Here are some general pointers and questions to keep in mind when playing your particular game of blackjack:
- How many decks are used?
- Are surrenders permitted and are they early or late ones?
- Are there any restrictions on double downs?
- Are there rules regarding splits?
- Is the dealer obliged to hit on a soft 17?
Here are some extra tips which relate to any blackjack game:
- Do not take on any side bets
- Don’t take insurance. This is a side bet which can be placed if the dealer’s face card is an Ace to ‘insure’ you against the dealer having a blackjack. In reality, the odds are stacked against you and it is not worth taking this bet up
- If it is not possible to split your pair, treat your pair as a hard hand
Basic Blackjack Strategy Guide
The charts above may look a bit intimidating and confusing if you are seeking a simple strategy to take to the blackjack table. However, there is a simpler method you can use to memorise the general points of the blackjack strategy above.
Also, you won’t be surprised to hear that in brick and mortar casinos you won’t exactly be welcomed with open arms into a casino if you rock up with these charts in hand.
The majority of casinos simply won’t allow you to enter with these kinds of guides. So, here are simplified guides of the charts above:
Player’s Hand Dealer’s Upfacing Card
HARD | 2 – 6 | 7 – A |
| 4 – 8 | H | H |
| 9 | D | H |
| 10 – 11 | D with more than dealer | D with more than dealer |
| 12 – 16 | S | H |
| 17 – 21 | S | S |
Player’s Hand Dealer’s Upfacing Card
SOFT | 2 – 6 | 7 – A |
| 13 – 15 | H | H |
| 16 – 18 | D | H |
| 19 – 21 | D | S |
Player’s Hand Dealer’s Upfacing Card
SPLITS | 2 – 6 | 7 – A |
| 22, 33, 66, 77, 99 | Split | Don’t split |
| 88, A | Split | Split |
| 44, 55, 1010 | Don’t Split | Don’t Split |
Extra tips:
- Surrender 16 when the dealer has a 10
- If strategy says to double but it’s not permitted, hit. If you have a soft 18, stand
Are You Ready To Master Blackjack?
Blackjack strategy is all about being mindful of the best action to take. If you memorise the main points of the charts above, you will be well on your way to mastering the wonderful world of blackjack.
There are advanced techniques which you can use, chief of which is blackjack card counting, which is essentially a method of tracking the cards which are dealt. However, this technique will not work with online blackjack games, as the virtual deck is shuffled for every single hand.
The best thing you can do to begin is to be fully aware of the specific ruleset relating to the blackjack game you are playing.
That being said, the majority, if not all, of the information in the charts will be applicable to any blackjack game. We are confident in saying that you will be thanking us for these magical blackjack charts!
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Are you a blackjack buff? Are there any specific strategies which you use at the blackjack table? Comment below and let us know!