Strategy plays a fundamental role in a blackjack game. Any player of a certain level will have their own tricks, and we are not talking about counting cards or similar but about being clear about when to ask for a card, when it is time to stand, if you have to double or divide the bet, manage the bets of insurance and the rule is surrender when available… A cool head and not getting carried away by emotions is key mamak slot, but if you want a good strategy to win at blackjack be sure to follow these 10 tips.
Difference between hard and soft cards
The first trick any blackjack player should know is the difference between hard and soft cards. If you have an Ace in your hand, we are talking about soft cards; If you don’t have an Ace, they are tough cards. From here, we can follow the basic strategy table, where all the combinations you can have appear, the dealer’s card and the most recommended action. Another interesting distinction is hard cards versus weak cards: 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace are strong cards, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are weak cards.
Stand with 17 or more
Although it is a rule that applies to banking, you should also follow it: with 17 or more you have to stand since the risk exceeding 21 with the new card is very high and you have a good chance of beating the dealer. The exception comes when reaching 17 with an Ace, when the double value of the Ace comes into play. You can risk looking for a higher combination, making the Ace worth 1 if with 11 we go over 21, or settle for what you have.
Look for the bank to pass
We play with the advantage that the dealer is obliged to ask for a card with 16 points or less, so when the dealer shows a 4, 5 or 6 you only have to ask for one card if we have a soft hand. Although with a single card we obtain a low score, below 16, the double value of the Ace works in our favor since the dealer is obliged to ask for a card, increasing the options of being pass. In this situation we have to be conservative, and if we can we will split the hand.
Never accept an insurance bet
At first glance, covering yourself with an Ace from the dealer may seem like a good option, especially knowing that there are 16 cards with a value of 10 per deck in the deck, but when a player asks for insurance increases the banker’s advantage. Only with a blackjack will you recover that bet with insurance. Insurance bets should only be accepted by players who count cards – we will talk about this blackjack trick later – when the circumstances that recommend it occur.
Always divide with 8 or Ace
In other combinations like 9-9 or 7-7 you have a lot to lose, not to mention the division with low cards, but with 8-8 or A-A you have a lot to win by dividing. 16 of the 52 cards are worth 10 points, so we have a high percentage chance of getting a combination of 18, 19 or 21. We will never separate with two 10s, a hand of 20 is very good and the options to improve are slim. If the dealer has a weak card (2 to 6) you can split except with pairs of 4, 5 or 10.
When should you double the bet?
With hard cards we will double with 9, 10 or 11 points and the dealer with a weak card, although if the banker’s card is an Ace we will not double with 11. a>: with 13 or 14, if the dealer has a 5 or 6; with 15 or 16, if the bank plays with 4, 5 or 6; with 17 or 18 soft, if he has 3, 4, 5 or 6. In the basic strategy table we have all the combinations clearly detailed.
Surrender only in exceptional situations (Blackjack surrender)
When you play with the surrender rule you must be clear that there are only two situations where we will surrender, even if it does not have blackjack. In the rest of the possible scenarios, we must continue playing according to the rules of the basic strategy, asking for a card or standing as appropriate. Remember that by giving up you lose half of the bet, and you must make this decision before making any other move.if your cards total 16 and the house has 9, 10 or Ace; the other, with 15 in your hand and 10 in the croupier’s, recovering half of the bet.
Specific tricks for European blackjack
Although all these tricks apply to both the American and European versions, it is true that there are a series of tricks for European blackjack that we cannot include in our American blackjack strategy due to the differences between both versions but that you should not lose sight of:
Do not double with 11 against the dealer’s 10, you can get an Ace and get blackjack. Ask for a letter.
Do not separate 8-8 against the dealer’s 10 or Ace for the same reason. You have to ask for a letter.
Do not separate Ace-Ace against the dealer’s Ace, we have many numbers to lose. Ask for a letter.
Do not count cards in online blackjack
Many blackjack strategies and systems are based on card counting, but in online blackjack they are sterile since, although they are used several decks, the cards are shuffled and dealt after each game, so that the same card can appear in several games in a row. Counting cards in blackjack is a trick that can be useful in a physical casino as long as the cards are shuffled by hand. If the dealer has a shuffling machine or all the cards are shuffled, it will not help us either. The key to this trick is that the cards used do not return to the deck.
Test your blackjack strategy in demo mode
There are quite a few online casinos that offer us to play in their rooms in demo mode. It is a free game, where we cannot win money but we do not lose it either while we practice the different blackjack tricks and perfect our strategy. These rooms are the ideal setting for making mistakes that will later cost us dearly, so take advantage of this opportunity to practice and practice until you master the tricks to win at blackjack before starting to play with real money.