Three Important Blackjack Fundamentals

What separates winning Blackjack players from losing ones? Is it all luck? No. Winning Blackjack players adhere to a set of rules that gives them the best opportunity to walk away from the Blackjack table as a winner.

Today, I will share three such Blackjack fundamentals with you. Put on your thinking caps and commit these to memory. If you already know them, you're ahead of the game.

Blackjack Fundamental One: Don't Always Double Down on Eleven

What? You can't be serious. I know, I know. We've all heard the catchphrase "Always double down on eleven." But, there are situations where doubling down on eleven makes no sense.

Let's say you have eleven and the dealer is showing a face card. Why would you double down? Think about this for a moment. You're risking twice the money for a possible 4 out of 13 chance to win.

In each suit, there are 13 cards (A - 10, J, Q, K). Let's imagine that the dealer has a 20. Only three cards in each suit can produce a win. One card will produce a tie and nine cards a loss.

The odds are not in your favor.

Blackjack Fundamental Two: Dealer Shows Six, Let it Fly

For me there's one time when I get ultra-aggressive on the Blackjack table and that's when the dealer is showing a six. There are so many possibilities for the dealer to bust.

This is the time when I like to double down on hands totaling seven to eleven or anything soft, such as a soft 18.

And I always stand on any hard hands that total twelve or above.

Blackjack Fundamental Three: Don't Chase Wins

Streaks come and go. Steer clear of any playing strategy or system that increases the betting amount after a loss. It's counterproductive.

Instead, you want to increase your wagers after a win-if at all.

Far too often I see players betting some losing progression system that has them losing more and more each hand. Personally, I stay away from any preset betting strategy and just bet up or down as the hands fly.

You just never know when a hot or cold streak is coming. If you're an astute Blackjack player, you can probably gauge how a deck is going and what's likely left. And that's how you want to determine your bet size and not some preset up and down scheme.

Start with these three fundamentals and you'll be on your way to playing better Blackjack.