Blackjack has always rivaled poker for popularity. In fact, many land-based casinos featured Blackjack over poker. Some casinos in the not so distant past even closed their poker rooms for lack of activity.
Since the advent of televised poker tournaments, like the World Poker Tour, and the World Series of Poker, in particular, replete with celebrity players and fabulous amounts of prize money awarded the tournament champions, poker has taken the world by storm.
Although Blackjack remained highly popular, the game was surely being overshadowed by the multitude of high-profile poker tournaments. Not any more. The Ultimate Blackjack Tour for example, may be hot on the heels of the WSOP tour's popularity, since the UBT will feature not only the best Blackjack players, but championship-level poker players as well.
Although the basic principle of Blackjack is simple; card values are added in an attempt to reach twenty-one without going over, the game is not purely one of luck, as there are numerous strategies that can be employed to increase one's chances of winning.
Although various card games similar to what we now know as Blackjack had been played in other countries for many years, Blackjack did not make an appearance in American casinos until a few years prior to WW I. Played as a private game until around 1915, Blackjack was known by it's French name of "Vingt-Un, (twenty-one). The game became "Blackjack" when the casinos established bonus payouts if a player's first two cards dealt were a Black Jack (spades or clubs), and an Ace of Spades.
In the early 1930's Blackjack had increased it's popularity among gamblers to the point that it was now the third most popular game played, second only to Roulette and Craps. Shortly after the end of WW II Blackjack's popularity soared, and the game was second in popularity only to Craps, it's rise largely attributed to returning American soldiers, who played the game most frequently as a diversion from the strife of the War years. By the early Fifties, Blackjack had become the most popular card game in the U.S.
Blackjack has evolved in the casinos, and having a "black" Jack and an Ace of Spades is no longer the sole means of getting Blackjack. Now, any ten-value card ( ten or face card ), and an Ace of any color gives one a "Blackjack".
Blackjack was hugely popular in the illegal casinos and card rooms of the U.S., but the game reached it's zenith when the State of Nevada legalized gambling within its borders in 1931. It was then that the game could be played by locals and visitors, as well as the professional gamblers that were once only able to ply their trade illegally.
A Brief Blackjack Glossary For The Beginner:
- Blackjack - Ten value card and an Ace
- Broke or Bust - Hand card value over 21
- Hit or Draw - Request for additional cards
- Splitting Pairs - Two of the same value cards "split" into separate hands
- Double-Down - Both cards turned face-up. One extra card dealt only.
- Stand/Stay/Stick - No additional cards requested
- Push - Player and dealer have the same value hand - no winner
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Playing Blackjack - How to Finish as Winner
When playing blackjack there are going to be times when you can do no wrong. Your 16's draw out into 20's and 21's, every double down is a winner, blackjacks are coming like you are an ace magnet, and the dealer busts every time you need him to. You are feeling like a genius and the chips are piling up.
Times like these will not last forever. That is why you must play smart. Playing smart will ensure that you walk away a winner. You can do that by following these two proven method:
Maximize your winnings and Minimize your losses.
Maximize your winnings:
1) When you are winning, the most important thing to do is walk away a winner.
The worst possible feeling is to leave the table a loser after you have been up a lot of money.
When you are up by twenty units, put aside 10 units and play with the other ten units. Then if you get hit by a losing streak and lose the 10 units, you still walk away a winner. A unit = the amount that you art betting. 10 units x $5 = $50
2) Don't set a limit on your winning sessions.
If your winning streak continues, just keep putting aside your winnings. When you have lost your ten unit buffer, you will be able to walk away a winner, a big winner.
When you are on a winning streak and want to go for larger wins, you can increase the size of your bet. Just make sure not to go overboard and put your winnings at risk with a couple of big losses. Make moderate increases in the size of your bet.
One thing that you should not forget is, just because you have won four hands or more in a row, does not mean you will win the next hand. Only the odds of the game determine player's chances of winning a hand and not the outcome of the previous hand.
Minimize your losses:
The following guidelines will help save you money, a lot of money.
1) Limit your table losses to 20 units.
Say if you are betting $5 on every game then you should limit your loss to no more than $100 in any session. If you limit your losses and resist the temptation to chase your losses then you will avoid walking away a big loser. Do not be afraid to take a break and come back later.
2) Always keep your bet range within your bankroll.
Simply put, bet within your means. If you are a $5 player then don't start betting $25 chips and put your bankroll at risk.
3) Do not increase the size of your bet to try and break even. Just because you increase the size of your bets does not mean you will improve your chances of winning. Instead, you will put yourself at risk of losing even more money.
The truth is you can't win all the time. It just doesn't happen. But what you can ensure is, when you do lose, lose as little as possible. When you do win, win as much as possible. When you are successful at maximizing your winnings and minimizing your losses, you will be a consistent winner.
Times like these will not last forever. That is why you must play smart. Playing smart will ensure that you walk away a winner. You can do that by following these two proven method:
Maximize your winnings and Minimize your losses.
Maximize your winnings:
1) When you are winning, the most important thing to do is walk away a winner.
The worst possible feeling is to leave the table a loser after you have been up a lot of money.
When you are up by twenty units, put aside 10 units and play with the other ten units. Then if you get hit by a losing streak and lose the 10 units, you still walk away a winner. A unit = the amount that you art betting. 10 units x $5 = $50
2) Don't set a limit on your winning sessions.
If your winning streak continues, just keep putting aside your winnings. When you have lost your ten unit buffer, you will be able to walk away a winner, a big winner.
When you are on a winning streak and want to go for larger wins, you can increase the size of your bet. Just make sure not to go overboard and put your winnings at risk with a couple of big losses. Make moderate increases in the size of your bet.
One thing that you should not forget is, just because you have won four hands or more in a row, does not mean you will win the next hand. Only the odds of the game determine player's chances of winning a hand and not the outcome of the previous hand.
Minimize your losses:
The following guidelines will help save you money, a lot of money.
1) Limit your table losses to 20 units.
Say if you are betting $5 on every game then you should limit your loss to no more than $100 in any session. If you limit your losses and resist the temptation to chase your losses then you will avoid walking away a big loser. Do not be afraid to take a break and come back later.
2) Always keep your bet range within your bankroll.
Simply put, bet within your means. If you are a $5 player then don't start betting $25 chips and put your bankroll at risk.
3) Do not increase the size of your bet to try and break even. Just because you increase the size of your bets does not mean you will improve your chances of winning. Instead, you will put yourself at risk of losing even more money.
The truth is you can't win all the time. It just doesn't happen. But what you can ensure is, when you do lose, lose as little as possible. When you do win, win as much as possible. When you are successful at maximizing your winnings and minimizing your losses, you will be a consistent winner.
The Way To Win Blackjack Will Always Remain
One of the best ways of foreseeing the future is to understand the human nature. Our needs, hopes, problems and dreams are often the basis for our future making. The nature of the human being is one of the most important ingredients in a complicated gambling business. Each of the parties - a casino and a gambler, long to win money from each other. And the growing strain will determine the future of the game.
Blackjack before 1962:
Before publication of the classic book "Beat The Dealer" by Edward O. Thorp in 1962 no single player had ever suspected of such a thing as the Basic Strategy. Everyone used one's own mixture of superstitions concerning the way in which one or the other hand had to play. Plus, some experience gained while playing at home in the kitchen. Excluding a small number of professional card-players who intuitively presupposed that their overbalance would be more if there were more bowers left in a pack, practically none won in blackjack. Naturally, casinos felt quite comfortable under such conditions. Till 1962 blackjack was not very popular, though percentagewise the profit rate was exclusively high.
The next decade: from 1962 till 1972:
After publication of the book by Thorp the situation changed radically. When the book mounted the peak of sales, became a bestseller, and the professor Thorp became an internationally famous personality, casinos were terrified that thus everyone could learn the system of Thorp and would start beating casinos winning huge amounts of money.
The results of this panic are well-known. The majority of casinos cardinally changed the blackjack rules creating even a larger overbalance in comparison with the previous set of rules. These introductions were effective a few weeks only as the majority of casinos' clients simply refused to play a game with such bad rules. Subordinating to the law of supply and demand casinos had to quickly restore traditional rules for all. After this gamblers started immediately to play again, more than that in considerably larger quantities.
The popularity of Thorp's book played into the hands of casinos. Blackjack started to attract crowds of people who thought they could "beat a dealer" only after they had read one book.
But the fact remained that casinos' visitors continued to lose the same amounts of money while playing blackjack as before. Only the number of gamblers increased a hundred times. The majority of those who had read the book simply didn't understand the way the calculation of tens given in the book worked, and those who got to the bottom didn't take enough pains so as to master the system of calculation from A to Z. Casinos observed in surprise the incredibly increased profits.
Reedition of the book in 1966 gave a reader a simpler calculation system. Over that period of time a number of books on blackjack were published. The game gathered pace. Casinos were setting more and more tables. Blackjack was becoming the most popular game in casinos having outrun the previous leader craps.
Blackjack of the 70s:
The classic book "Playing Blackjack as a Business" by Lawrence Revere is responsible for further increase in popularity of the game in the 70s to a great extent. Revere published a shortened version of his systems at the beginning of 1969, but by 1972 already thousands of copies of the book were sold out. Revere republished an extended version of the book offering his simple and effective systems of the game which increased blackjack popularity even more.
Also the book "Winning Blackjack" by Stanley Roberts, was in the right place at the right time, in addition the author appeared in a number of radio and TV-shows. Roberts invested a considerable amount of money into advertising of his book making a splash.
Casinos were once again overcome by the fit of paranoia. They started to suspect that the systems developed with the help of research methods could considerably influence their profits. Casinos started to introduce a multi-pack blackjack instead of a one-pack blackjack to struggle against the system game.
At the beginning of the 70s a lot of scientists, mathematicians, university professors and other "intellectuals" started to write books about blackjack. Some of them developed their own cards' calculation systems. One of the most popular and effective systems - Hi-Opt I, was developed in 1974 with the help of computer programs created by Julian Brown with participation of an anonymous postgraduate of a large Canadian university.
A lot of professional gamblers transferred from the Revere system to the Hi-Opt I system because of the relative simplicity and effectiveness of the latter one. A lot of ordinary gamblers started to use the system together with the basic strategy. These two systems evidently made the biggest impact upon casinos' profits because of their use by professionals. Roberts' systems were more often used by amateurs.
Kenneth Uston, teams and Great Horror:
Kenneth Uston noticed sometime at the end of 1976 that he was amazed by the way how effective the simplest systems of Hi-Opt I type could be. In Uston's book "Big Player"the way how Uston and his companions won together more than a million of dollars playing blackjack is described. Later on his teams transferred from very complicated systems to the simplest of Hi-Opt I type. Uston was thrown out of a few big casinos of Las Vegas, and he filed lawsuit against them for a total amount of 80 million dollars.
With the arrival of Uston the whole new era of blackjack began. Casinos were once again frightened that teams could win huge amounts of money in blackjack. Nearly at once some casinos did away with a one- and two-pack blackjack transferring to 4-, 6- and 8-pack ones. For an average gambler blackjack became too difficult. Plus, casinos started to cut most cards out of play - to two packs. As has been mentioned by Roberts in one of his articles, such practice was at the very least doubtful. By the way, the fact itself of availability of cards which didn't enter the game caused new kinds of crooked gambling connected with withdrawal and addition of cards.
Casinos up to now change the number of packs and the extent of cutting, and compare levels of profits, thus balancing rules. In any case, rules are extremely difficult for gamblers in the USA, especially beginners.
The nightmare continues:
The funniest thing is that gamblers' thoughts are not rigid. Uston's teams were followed by Keith Taft with his pocket computer for blackjack which played better than any profs in the world. The court of Nevada State broke the record of the USA on the quickness of adoption of statute on use of computers in casinos. Up to five years with confiscation in the current situation, though Taft and his advocates were sure of the unconstitutionality of that law.
Forbade the computer? There appeared Tommy Hyland and his most complicated systems of tracking. A new headache for casinos... To worsen the cutting, introduce more packs and make the procedure of riffle even longer. To invent shuffle-machines!
Stanford Wong was the first to outwit these shuffle-machines. The most important thing was to know how they worked. Poor casinos didn't know what to do. These machines cost rather a lot.
Perhaps new varieties would help? Spanish 21, Super-fan 21, 6:5 blackjack, "Open" blackjack, Blackjack-switch, Pontoon... With every introduction there was one problem: either no one played it at all or profs immediately found the way to beat it. Tournaments? Old Wong created teams especially for tournament struggle. Every new rule was calculated and intensively looked into a week in advance. The development of the Internet caused quick information distribution.
Further on the whole pleiad of gamblers of the contemporary generation came on stage. Wong, Sneider, Anderson, Dogerty, Shlesinger and heaps of people who were occupied with theory and practical aspects of the game. Mathematical models of the game were worked out. Texts on Blackjack were published in scientific reviews.
Finally, up to the present moment a small number of professionals still win in blackjack. And will win in the future. Some profs transfer to more complicated systems which are plentiful (let's say, Hi-Opt II was published as far back as 1976). New methods and techniques are being developed.
There is no doubt that it will get still more and more difficult to win in blackjack. However, there difficulties only make gambling wits work harder and harder. Right away new game systems are being worked out in many heads and at many computers of the world.
It is important to understand that gamblers always have a hope. They can change games. They can finally read a textbook on the theory of probability. They can read the same books themselves. They can spend even more money on the newest technologies. However, I assure You, there will always be a way to beat them.
Blackjack before 1962:
Before publication of the classic book "Beat The Dealer" by Edward O. Thorp in 1962 no single player had ever suspected of such a thing as the Basic Strategy. Everyone used one's own mixture of superstitions concerning the way in which one or the other hand had to play. Plus, some experience gained while playing at home in the kitchen. Excluding a small number of professional card-players who intuitively presupposed that their overbalance would be more if there were more bowers left in a pack, practically none won in blackjack. Naturally, casinos felt quite comfortable under such conditions. Till 1962 blackjack was not very popular, though percentagewise the profit rate was exclusively high.
The next decade: from 1962 till 1972:
After publication of the book by Thorp the situation changed radically. When the book mounted the peak of sales, became a bestseller, and the professor Thorp became an internationally famous personality, casinos were terrified that thus everyone could learn the system of Thorp and would start beating casinos winning huge amounts of money.
The results of this panic are well-known. The majority of casinos cardinally changed the blackjack rules creating even a larger overbalance in comparison with the previous set of rules. These introductions were effective a few weeks only as the majority of casinos' clients simply refused to play a game with such bad rules. Subordinating to the law of supply and demand casinos had to quickly restore traditional rules for all. After this gamblers started immediately to play again, more than that in considerably larger quantities.
The popularity of Thorp's book played into the hands of casinos. Blackjack started to attract crowds of people who thought they could "beat a dealer" only after they had read one book.
But the fact remained that casinos' visitors continued to lose the same amounts of money while playing blackjack as before. Only the number of gamblers increased a hundred times. The majority of those who had read the book simply didn't understand the way the calculation of tens given in the book worked, and those who got to the bottom didn't take enough pains so as to master the system of calculation from A to Z. Casinos observed in surprise the incredibly increased profits.
Reedition of the book in 1966 gave a reader a simpler calculation system. Over that period of time a number of books on blackjack were published. The game gathered pace. Casinos were setting more and more tables. Blackjack was becoming the most popular game in casinos having outrun the previous leader craps.
Blackjack of the 70s:
The classic book "Playing Blackjack as a Business" by Lawrence Revere is responsible for further increase in popularity of the game in the 70s to a great extent. Revere published a shortened version of his systems at the beginning of 1969, but by 1972 already thousands of copies of the book were sold out. Revere republished an extended version of the book offering his simple and effective systems of the game which increased blackjack popularity even more.
Also the book "Winning Blackjack" by Stanley Roberts, was in the right place at the right time, in addition the author appeared in a number of radio and TV-shows. Roberts invested a considerable amount of money into advertising of his book making a splash.
Casinos were once again overcome by the fit of paranoia. They started to suspect that the systems developed with the help of research methods could considerably influence their profits. Casinos started to introduce a multi-pack blackjack instead of a one-pack blackjack to struggle against the system game.
At the beginning of the 70s a lot of scientists, mathematicians, university professors and other "intellectuals" started to write books about blackjack. Some of them developed their own cards' calculation systems. One of the most popular and effective systems - Hi-Opt I, was developed in 1974 with the help of computer programs created by Julian Brown with participation of an anonymous postgraduate of a large Canadian university.
A lot of professional gamblers transferred from the Revere system to the Hi-Opt I system because of the relative simplicity and effectiveness of the latter one. A lot of ordinary gamblers started to use the system together with the basic strategy. These two systems evidently made the biggest impact upon casinos' profits because of their use by professionals. Roberts' systems were more often used by amateurs.
Kenneth Uston, teams and Great Horror:
Kenneth Uston noticed sometime at the end of 1976 that he was amazed by the way how effective the simplest systems of Hi-Opt I type could be. In Uston's book "Big Player"the way how Uston and his companions won together more than a million of dollars playing blackjack is described. Later on his teams transferred from very complicated systems to the simplest of Hi-Opt I type. Uston was thrown out of a few big casinos of Las Vegas, and he filed lawsuit against them for a total amount of 80 million dollars.
With the arrival of Uston the whole new era of blackjack began. Casinos were once again frightened that teams could win huge amounts of money in blackjack. Nearly at once some casinos did away with a one- and two-pack blackjack transferring to 4-, 6- and 8-pack ones. For an average gambler blackjack became too difficult. Plus, casinos started to cut most cards out of play - to two packs. As has been mentioned by Roberts in one of his articles, such practice was at the very least doubtful. By the way, the fact itself of availability of cards which didn't enter the game caused new kinds of crooked gambling connected with withdrawal and addition of cards.
Casinos up to now change the number of packs and the extent of cutting, and compare levels of profits, thus balancing rules. In any case, rules are extremely difficult for gamblers in the USA, especially beginners.
The nightmare continues:
The funniest thing is that gamblers' thoughts are not rigid. Uston's teams were followed by Keith Taft with his pocket computer for blackjack which played better than any profs in the world. The court of Nevada State broke the record of the USA on the quickness of adoption of statute on use of computers in casinos. Up to five years with confiscation in the current situation, though Taft and his advocates were sure of the unconstitutionality of that law.
Forbade the computer? There appeared Tommy Hyland and his most complicated systems of tracking. A new headache for casinos... To worsen the cutting, introduce more packs and make the procedure of riffle even longer. To invent shuffle-machines!
Stanford Wong was the first to outwit these shuffle-machines. The most important thing was to know how they worked. Poor casinos didn't know what to do. These machines cost rather a lot.
Perhaps new varieties would help? Spanish 21, Super-fan 21, 6:5 blackjack, "Open" blackjack, Blackjack-switch, Pontoon... With every introduction there was one problem: either no one played it at all or profs immediately found the way to beat it. Tournaments? Old Wong created teams especially for tournament struggle. Every new rule was calculated and intensively looked into a week in advance. The development of the Internet caused quick information distribution.
Further on the whole pleiad of gamblers of the contemporary generation came on stage. Wong, Sneider, Anderson, Dogerty, Shlesinger and heaps of people who were occupied with theory and practical aspects of the game. Mathematical models of the game were worked out. Texts on Blackjack were published in scientific reviews.
Finally, up to the present moment a small number of professionals still win in blackjack. And will win in the future. Some profs transfer to more complicated systems which are plentiful (let's say, Hi-Opt II was published as far back as 1976). New methods and techniques are being developed.
There is no doubt that it will get still more and more difficult to win in blackjack. However, there difficulties only make gambling wits work harder and harder. Right away new game systems are being worked out in many heads and at many computers of the world.
It is important to understand that gamblers always have a hope. They can change games. They can finally read a textbook on the theory of probability. They can read the same books themselves. They can spend even more money on the newest technologies. However, I assure You, there will always be a way to beat them.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Playing Blackjack With Bad Players
The great majority of blackjack players simply hate playing with bad players. They hate playing with players who draw when they should stand or stand when they should draw. They especially hate it when the results of the poor player's decision cause their own hand to lose. So what is the best way to handle playing with bad players?
I frequently hear this complaint from players who describe how much money they lost because of the bad players at their blackjack table.
For some blackjack players, nothing is more annoying than sitting on the table with a 16 against the dealer's 5, and watching with horror as the third baseman draws on his own 14 - as opposed to standing and busts out with a 10. Meanwhile, the dealer flops over a 9 for a 14, and rather than drawing the 10 taken by the inept third baseman, proceeds instead to draw for a perfect 21, busting out the whole table and causing a rippling of mumbling and anger from the other players.
It is bad enough for the player holding the 15, how about the other player who holds a 20!
But you know what? It doesn't matter what any player does or how bad they are. It makes absolutely no difference to your chances of winning. Absolutely none. I personally couldn't care less if I was playing with a bunch of monkeys. And you should not care either!
In the long run, whether you have a good fundamentals blackjack player behind you or the village idiot who turns every hand into an adventure, the truth is that mathematically, this player has no effect on your winning or losing chances. This is a very important point and it needs repeating. Poor blackjack players have absolutely no effect on your chances of winning or losing.
Yes, you will always remember the bad decisions by a player that cost you money at the table. But do you remember the times when a player's poor decision making helped you to win a big hand? Most likely, you probably never even noticed when they helped you to win.
The truth is that it all equals out in the long run. The decisions made by the really bad players will help you out just as often as those decisions hurt you. You should just stop worrying about them. How could you possibly know what card they will take?
Your focus should be on following sound basic blackjack strategy. That is it. Block out what the other player does.
However, if you find that a really bad player disturbs your enjoyment of the game or your concentration then move to another table. If you are more worried about someone else's play than your own, obviously a change of scenery is in order.
I frequently hear this complaint from players who describe how much money they lost because of the bad players at their blackjack table.
For some blackjack players, nothing is more annoying than sitting on the table with a 16 against the dealer's 5, and watching with horror as the third baseman draws on his own 14 - as opposed to standing and busts out with a 10. Meanwhile, the dealer flops over a 9 for a 14, and rather than drawing the 10 taken by the inept third baseman, proceeds instead to draw for a perfect 21, busting out the whole table and causing a rippling of mumbling and anger from the other players.
It is bad enough for the player holding the 15, how about the other player who holds a 20!
But you know what? It doesn't matter what any player does or how bad they are. It makes absolutely no difference to your chances of winning. Absolutely none. I personally couldn't care less if I was playing with a bunch of monkeys. And you should not care either!
In the long run, whether you have a good fundamentals blackjack player behind you or the village idiot who turns every hand into an adventure, the truth is that mathematically, this player has no effect on your winning or losing chances. This is a very important point and it needs repeating. Poor blackjack players have absolutely no effect on your chances of winning or losing.
Yes, you will always remember the bad decisions by a player that cost you money at the table. But do you remember the times when a player's poor decision making helped you to win a big hand? Most likely, you probably never even noticed when they helped you to win.
The truth is that it all equals out in the long run. The decisions made by the really bad players will help you out just as often as those decisions hurt you. You should just stop worrying about them. How could you possibly know what card they will take?
Your focus should be on following sound basic blackjack strategy. That is it. Block out what the other player does.
However, if you find that a really bad player disturbs your enjoyment of the game or your concentration then move to another table. If you are more worried about someone else's play than your own, obviously a change of scenery is in order.
About Online Blackjack Odds
Blackjack is one of the most popular card games played in casinos worldwide. It's no wonder that the game of Blackjack has been studied by many gambling professionals. Through this intense study methods have been revealed which allow players to subtly increase their odds while playing the game of Blackjack. Many people think that Blackjack is just another game of chance, like a slot machine or roulette, but this simply isn't the case. If you compare the odds of blackjack to other casino games that you will run into, you will find that the odds of blackjack are much better.
The blackjack card game is very popular worldwide, and some speculate that it may just be the most popular card game ever. Blackjack is enjoyed by people in nearly every casino worldwide, and even played by many religiously online. Blackjack websites have grown in number over the years, and can offer a convenient place to play or just go for a few practice hands.
What has made blackjack such a popular card game? One of the main reasons is that when blackjack is played properly, the house has an edge of a little less than 1%. When you compare this number to other table games at the casino, you can see that the odds of winning with Blackjack are much higher than anything else.
With these kinds of odds, why are casinos still making money with Blackjack and not losing it? Basically, it´s because most players who play Blackjack don´t play the game properly or well enough to make a good living off of it. It´s a shame that most players give up such a great advantage just with lazy playing.
The fact of the matter is that as a player, you can affect the odds of your Blackjack playing. Unlike real games of chance like roulette, the decisions you make during the game of Blackjack ultimately affects your odds and how many times you will end up winning your hands. It would be smart to research more about how to increase your odds at Blackjack. People have been increasing their odds in Blackjack for years, and thus their pocketbooks, too. Casinos try to spot out these Blackjack professionals, but it's not like they can completely stop them since what they do is completely legal - it isn't cheating in any way shape or form.
In Blackjack, instead of the game being based on a chance set of independent events, it is dependent on the cards that have been previously played. This is the main reason why it isn't cheating, you're simply making smart decisions based on the cards that you've already seen.
In a nutshell, the large cards left in the deck, yet to be played, favor the player. The smaller cards yet to be dealt favor the dealer. This is the main reason why card counting is important in Blackjack, and will increase your odds of winning more often than not. There's many places with free information online that will help your Blackjack game. Take advantage of this advice, it can't hurt.
The blackjack card game is very popular worldwide, and some speculate that it may just be the most popular card game ever. Blackjack is enjoyed by people in nearly every casino worldwide, and even played by many religiously online. Blackjack websites have grown in number over the years, and can offer a convenient place to play or just go for a few practice hands.
What has made blackjack such a popular card game? One of the main reasons is that when blackjack is played properly, the house has an edge of a little less than 1%. When you compare this number to other table games at the casino, you can see that the odds of winning with Blackjack are much higher than anything else.
With these kinds of odds, why are casinos still making money with Blackjack and not losing it? Basically, it´s because most players who play Blackjack don´t play the game properly or well enough to make a good living off of it. It´s a shame that most players give up such a great advantage just with lazy playing.
The fact of the matter is that as a player, you can affect the odds of your Blackjack playing. Unlike real games of chance like roulette, the decisions you make during the game of Blackjack ultimately affects your odds and how many times you will end up winning your hands. It would be smart to research more about how to increase your odds at Blackjack. People have been increasing their odds in Blackjack for years, and thus their pocketbooks, too. Casinos try to spot out these Blackjack professionals, but it's not like they can completely stop them since what they do is completely legal - it isn't cheating in any way shape or form.
In Blackjack, instead of the game being based on a chance set of independent events, it is dependent on the cards that have been previously played. This is the main reason why it isn't cheating, you're simply making smart decisions based on the cards that you've already seen.
In a nutshell, the large cards left in the deck, yet to be played, favor the player. The smaller cards yet to be dealt favor the dealer. This is the main reason why card counting is important in Blackjack, and will increase your odds of winning more often than not. There's many places with free information online that will help your Blackjack game. Take advantage of this advice, it can't hurt.
What Makes the Pro in Blackjack?
A good blackjack player with a solid foundation of basic strategy can actually affect the odds in this interesting game of chance, just by using his head. Blackjack, in fact, is the best way to use your know-how to tilt the odds in your favor.
There is a lot of good information out there for getting a good blackjack strategy that works. You could, in fact, spend years learning it all, but a little goes a long way, as they say. Even players who don't count cards can pick up enough strategy to bring an advantage to the table.
The first thing a serious-minded blackjack player must do is memorize strategy charts for both single deck blackjack and multiple deck blackjack. These tables chart the best decisions for every possible contingency, giving you the highest probability to win in every situation. They are always first and foremost in any successful long-term blackjack player's bag of tricks.
Another widely-employed blackjack strategy is card counting. This is a way to track all the cards so you more or less know which cards are left in the deck. It allows you to predict the likelihood of receiving the card you need.
Card counting is complicated and demanding, which explains why most players just don't bother. It requires months, even years, to master, even with continuous practice. On top of that, it's frowned upon (to say the least), so the player who counts cards must also find ways to seem to be just a casual player.
There are several card counting systems, but in every one the goal is to get a positive count, which means mostly low cards have been played, leaving the deck with a high percentage of large cards. Such a player finds himself with a definite mathematical advantage and will lean into the bets at that point.
Other items in your basic blackjack strategy bag of tricks might include learning dealer tells, such as tics, facial expressions or gestures that enable you to "read" the dealer"s mind, shuffle tracking (which is like card counting, but even harder to master), learning how to scout out the good tables and players to your advantage (eg., not surrounding yourself with a bunch of drunks and slow card players), wise money management at the table (eg., don't play at a table with a 5% larger minimum than your own total), tipping the dealer (always a good practice), developing an honest awareness about your own strengths and weaknesses, and dedication to the game over a long period of time.
Time, dedication, a willingness to study and especially practice and experience are all invaluable tools to toss into the mix. Without them, and a good deal of plain old stubbornness as well. you'll never be an expert blackjack player, only an aficionado.
There is a lot of good information out there for getting a good blackjack strategy that works. You could, in fact, spend years learning it all, but a little goes a long way, as they say. Even players who don't count cards can pick up enough strategy to bring an advantage to the table.
The first thing a serious-minded blackjack player must do is memorize strategy charts for both single deck blackjack and multiple deck blackjack. These tables chart the best decisions for every possible contingency, giving you the highest probability to win in every situation. They are always first and foremost in any successful long-term blackjack player's bag of tricks.
Another widely-employed blackjack strategy is card counting. This is a way to track all the cards so you more or less know which cards are left in the deck. It allows you to predict the likelihood of receiving the card you need.
Card counting is complicated and demanding, which explains why most players just don't bother. It requires months, even years, to master, even with continuous practice. On top of that, it's frowned upon (to say the least), so the player who counts cards must also find ways to seem to be just a casual player.
There are several card counting systems, but in every one the goal is to get a positive count, which means mostly low cards have been played, leaving the deck with a high percentage of large cards. Such a player finds himself with a definite mathematical advantage and will lean into the bets at that point.
Other items in your basic blackjack strategy bag of tricks might include learning dealer tells, such as tics, facial expressions or gestures that enable you to "read" the dealer"s mind, shuffle tracking (which is like card counting, but even harder to master), learning how to scout out the good tables and players to your advantage (eg., not surrounding yourself with a bunch of drunks and slow card players), wise money management at the table (eg., don't play at a table with a 5% larger minimum than your own total), tipping the dealer (always a good practice), developing an honest awareness about your own strengths and weaknesses, and dedication to the game over a long period of time.
Time, dedication, a willingness to study and especially practice and experience are all invaluable tools to toss into the mix. Without them, and a good deal of plain old stubbornness as well. you'll never be an expert blackjack player, only an aficionado.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Simple Three Stage Blackjack Strategy
I love Blackjack, but if I'm honest, I get a little frustrated having to constantly consult the strategy cards.
I know why the strategy cards exist - to lower the house edge (put simply, the house edge is the percentage of money bet that the casino expects to win) to as close as 1% as possible.
But because the ultimate strategy must cover every possible combination of your cards and the dealer's cards, I find them too complex to memorize exactly. The result is that I'm taking time away from the game to pore over the charts to see what the optimal move is. All of which reduces my enjoyment of the game.
And of course, this is only possible when I'm playing Blackjack online. If I were playing it at a real bricks and mortar casino, I'd be politely asked to leave before I'd made half a dozen bets!
The ideal Blackjack strategy would be easy to remember and apply, and result in a house edge of 1%. Of course, that ideal can't exist, so all Blackjack strategies are a compromise between those two goals - simplicity and accuracy.
Any strategy is going to be more or less inclined towards one of these extremes. When choosing a strategy, your decision comes down to which end of the scale you want to be at - do you want an easy strategy with a lower chance of winning, or a complex one that means that the last 0.01% has been shaved off the house edge?
Personally, my ideal is one that is smack in the middle - a strategy that has an acceptable house edge, but which is so straightforward that I can just get on with playing and enjoying the game.
After studying the available strategy cards, I've devised a strategy that is intended to take players from beginner to high roller in 3 easy stages.
The beauty of this is that as you master each stage, you add on the next one when you feel ready, but you can always step back down again when you don't!
The house edge is a little over the optimal, but the accuracy (ie the percentage of times it makes the right call) is around 98%. But what's important is that it's really simple to remember (even the third stage.)
Although not complex, it's easier to present the strategy in tabular form. My website Fortune Palace (see link in the resource box below) is designed to provide strategies for popular gambling games aimed at all risk levels and styles of play. On my simple 3 stage Blackjack strategy page, I explain everything clearly and simply.
You'll also find a straightforward guide to the rules and bets of Blackjack and - perhaps best of all! - you'll get the chance to play Blackjack for free. I'm very confident of the effectiveness of my system. Once you've tried it, I hope you'll agree that it's the best of all possible strategies - it gives you a great chance of winning without having to remember endless charts.
And best of all - it keeps Blackjack fun! Happy playing.
I know why the strategy cards exist - to lower the house edge (put simply, the house edge is the percentage of money bet that the casino expects to win) to as close as 1% as possible.
But because the ultimate strategy must cover every possible combination of your cards and the dealer's cards, I find them too complex to memorize exactly. The result is that I'm taking time away from the game to pore over the charts to see what the optimal move is. All of which reduces my enjoyment of the game.
And of course, this is only possible when I'm playing Blackjack online. If I were playing it at a real bricks and mortar casino, I'd be politely asked to leave before I'd made half a dozen bets!
The ideal Blackjack strategy would be easy to remember and apply, and result in a house edge of 1%. Of course, that ideal can't exist, so all Blackjack strategies are a compromise between those two goals - simplicity and accuracy.
Any strategy is going to be more or less inclined towards one of these extremes. When choosing a strategy, your decision comes down to which end of the scale you want to be at - do you want an easy strategy with a lower chance of winning, or a complex one that means that the last 0.01% has been shaved off the house edge?
Personally, my ideal is one that is smack in the middle - a strategy that has an acceptable house edge, but which is so straightforward that I can just get on with playing and enjoying the game.
After studying the available strategy cards, I've devised a strategy that is intended to take players from beginner to high roller in 3 easy stages.
The beauty of this is that as you master each stage, you add on the next one when you feel ready, but you can always step back down again when you don't!
The house edge is a little over the optimal, but the accuracy (ie the percentage of times it makes the right call) is around 98%. But what's important is that it's really simple to remember (even the third stage.)
Although not complex, it's easier to present the strategy in tabular form. My website Fortune Palace (see link in the resource box below) is designed to provide strategies for popular gambling games aimed at all risk levels and styles of play. On my simple 3 stage Blackjack strategy page, I explain everything clearly and simply.
You'll also find a straightforward guide to the rules and bets of Blackjack and - perhaps best of all! - you'll get the chance to play Blackjack for free. I'm very confident of the effectiveness of my system. Once you've tried it, I hope you'll agree that it's the best of all possible strategies - it gives you a great chance of winning without having to remember endless charts.
And best of all - it keeps Blackjack fun! Happy playing.
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