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I've spent a lot of time on the Internet over the last 5 years. One thing I never tire of seeing online is nonsense, especially unbelievable nonsense. And when it comes to gambling subjects, nonsense is even more plentiful online than with other subjects.
How To Win Blackjack In A Casino
Honestly, most of what you'll find in any kind of search for gambling strategy related information is poorly written, poorly thought out, and flat-out incorrect information about how to play. What's remarkable about this phony gambling strategy information is the level of enthusiasm with which it's promoted.
The more cards you have, the more chances to win you’ll have. That’s a simple formula, but it works. In fact, it’s one of the only things that works. Look for discounts. Some bingo halls offer bingo cards in bulk at a discount. Any time you can buy a bingo card at a discount, you’re increasing your expected return.
Most of these bogus gambling system/gambling strategy salesmen share a theme. This theme is that the author of the gambling system that's being sold is in on some kind of inside information that isn't available to the general public. If it's a site about slot machines, then the author of the book is a slot machine technician. If it's a site about roulette, then the author of the book is a former roulette dealer. And if it's about blackjack, then the author of the book is either a former blackjack dealer or a card counter.
Secret Blackjack Sales Pitches
Here's how some of their pitches look:
How To Make a Killing Playing Blackjack with our Secret Blackjack System
Our Blackjack Secrets will enable you to leave the table with several hundred dollars in winnings every time you play
I've spent years developing my brand new 'Blackjack Secrets' system, where you double your bets at appropriate times in order to guarantee that you leave the blackjack table a winner. A knowledgeable blackjack player (one who has studied my 'blackjack secrets') is one of the only gamblers in the casino who can gain an edge over the house with skilled play.
And what's more...
My blackjack secrets are so effective that you can be a guaranteed blackjack winner without counting cards!
Tricks To Win Blackjack
The first step to learning my secret blackjack strategy is memorizing basic blackjack strategy. When you learn basic strategy, you'll know when to stand, when to hit, when to double down, and when to split. You'll even know when to surrender.
The second step to learning my secret blackjack strategy is to learn an effective money management system. You can learn basic strategy almost anywhere, but my secret blackjack money management system is the key to being a guaranteed blackjack winner every time you play!
Blackjack Secret Testimonials
The sales page will also include several testimonials from people you've never heard of. These people will invariably be thrilled with their new blackjack secret knowledge. But you won't be able to find or contact these people to verify their experience with the product, ever.
These testimonials for these 'blackjack secrets' products usually look something like this:
'The blackjack secrets revealed in Mort X's system make up the most powerful winning strategies for blackjack in the business. Mort's sure-fire blackjack tips and techniques have helped me win an average of $400 every time I visit the casino to play blackjack.'
John Keene, Omaha, Nebraska
Here's another example of what you might see:
'Mort X's secret blackjack strategy is the best secret weapon a gambler could have in his arsenal. I have never lost a blackjack session since I started using his secret blackjack system. Anyone foolish enough to not try his system deserves to lose at blackjack!'
Sally Castle, Arlington, Texas
And my favorite testimonials are the ones with the most outlandish claims, like this one:
'The blackjack dealer was getting pissed that I was winning EVERY HAND!'
Richard Graham, The Phillipines
But after you've read all of the hype and the nonsense and the testimonials, you'll find nothing but more hype, nonsense, and claims. You won't find any verifiable evidence that these blackjack secrets and secret blackjack strategies actually work. No computer research, no scientific explanations of WHY these blackjack betting systems work, and in fact, no real information about the 'blackjack secrets' at all.
When you do see statistics, they'll be equally unbelievable:
I win at least $2000 playing blackjack every time I visit Vegas.
I win at least $400 playing blackjack every time I visit the riverboat.
I win between $100 and $300 playing blackjack every weekend in Reno.
I win between $500 and $1000 playing blackjack in Biloxi.
The reason for the vagueness is simple. The owners of these sites want you to send them $39 for this life-changing information. If they gave you specifics instead of empty promises, you would never shell over $39 for their product.
But you will get lots of promises like these:
Six blackjack strategy secrets that we guarantee you've never seen anywhere before.
The number one most overlooked blackjack secret tip that almost no one uses.
Three secret blackjack tips that will help you win immediately the next time you visit the casino.
Two more blackjack secrets that will leave the casinos reeling. They won't know what hit them!
A dozen ways to win at blackjack that don't involve counting cards at all.
13 other secret gambling systems for other games, each of which is a $99 value, absolutely free with the purchase of our unbelievable blackjack secrets package.
Secret Blackjack Secrets are the Key To Winning at Blackjack!
With any luck, the contempt that I hold for these 'blackjack secrets' salesmen is obvious in the above post, which drips with irony. Please don't spend your money on such an obvious scam. There are no blackjack secrets. You can find legitimate blackjack strategy information at any number of legitimate websites for free, and there are several real blackjack books available for far less than the $39 you'd pay for some 'blackjack secrets' ebook that MIGHT have all of 40 pages in it.
If you want to read a real book about blackjack which reveals real blackjack secrets, consider Beat The Dealer instead.
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Millions of players have heard the message that of all the casino table games, blackjack is the one that it is possible to beat. A practical system for counting cards in blackjack to gain an edge over the casino was made available to the public in the early 1960s. As it happened, few players ever really learned to beat the dealer. Furthermore, playing conditions have changed since then. Some tables use more than one deck at a time or cut a percentage of the cards out of play so that a card counter never sees them.
Even though most players don't have the skill to win consistently, the belief that blackjack can be beaten was enough to spark a boom in the game. Blackjack is by far the most popular casino table game in the United States, with more players than craps, roulette, and baccarat combined.
A lot of people don't have either the patience, persistence, and concentration necessary for card counting or the bankroll to make it effective. But they can still narrow the house advantage to less than 1 percent in blackjack. The secret is to learn basic strategy for hitting, standing, doubling down, and splitting pairs. A little time spent learning to play well can make your money go a lot farther in the casino. In this article, you will learn the fundamentals of blackjack, as well as some strategies to increase your odds of winning. Let's get started by learning how to play the game:
Rules
Blackjack is played with one or more standard 52-card decks, with each denomination assigned a point value. The cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. Kings, queens, and jacks are each worth 10, and aces may be used as either 1 or 11. The object for the player is to draw cards totaling closer to 21, without going over, than the dealer's cards.
The best total of all is a two-card 21, or a blackjack. Blackjack pays 3-2--that is, a two-card 21 on a $5 bet will win $7.50 instead of the usual $5 even-money payoff on other winning hands. However, if the dealer also has a two-card 21, the hand pushes, or ties, and you just get your original bet back. But if the dealer goes on to draw 21 in three or more cards, your blackjack is still a winner with its 3-2 payoff.
The game is usually played at an arc-shaped table with places for up to seven players on the outside and for the dealer on the inside. At one corner of the table is a rectangular placard that tells the minimum and maximum bets at that table, as well as giving variations in common rules. For example, the sign might say, 'BLACKJACK. $5 to $2,000. Split any pair three times. Double on any two cards.' That means the minimum bet at this table is $5 and the maximum is $2,000. Pairs may be split according to the rules described below, and if more matching cards are dealt, the pairs may be split up to three times for a total of four hands. The player may double the original bet (double down) and receive just one more card on any two-card total.
Most games today use four, six, or eight decks. After being shuffled, the cards are placed in a receptacle called a shoe, from which the dealer can slide out one card at a time. Single- or double-deck games, most common in Nevada, but also popular in Mississippi and some other markets, may be dealt from the dealer's hand.
Play begins when you place a bet by stacking a chip or chips in the betting square on the table directly in front of you. After all bets have been placed, each player and the dealer are given two cards. In a shoe game, all player cards are dealt faceup, and the players are not permitted to touch their cards. In a single- or double-deck game dealt from the hand, cards are dealt facedown and players may pick them up with one hand. Either way, one of the dealer's cards is turned faceup so the players can see it.
Once the cards have been dealt, players decide in turn how to play out their hands. After all players have finished, the dealer plays according to set rules: The dealer must draw more cards to any total of 16 or less and must stand on any total of 17 or more. In some casinos, the dealer will also draw to 'soft' 17 -- a 17 including an ace or aces that could also be counted as a 7. The most common soft 17 is ace-6, but several other totals, such as ace-3-3 or ace-4-2, on up to ace-ace-ace-ace-ace-ace-ace in a multiple deck game, are soft 17s.
Hit: If you hit, you take another card or cards in hopes of getting closer to 21. If the player's total exceeds 21 after hitting, the player is said to 'bust' and loses the bet. In shoe games, the player signals a hit by pointing to his cards or scratching or waving toward himself. In facedown games, the player signals a hit by scratching the table with the cards. Verbal calls to hit are not accepted -- signals are used for the benefit of the security cameras above the table, so a taped record is on hand to settle any potential disputes.
Stand: If you stand, you elect to draw no more cards in hopes that the current total will beat the dealer. Signal a stand by holding a flattened palm over your cards in a faceup game or by sliding your cards under your bet in a facedown game.
Double down: You may elect to double your original bet and receive only one more card regardless of its denomination. Some casinos restrict doubling down to hands in which your first two cards total 10 or 11. Others allow you to double on any two cards. Double down by taking a chip or chips equal to the amount of your original bet and placing them next to your bet. In a facedown game, at this point you also need to turn your original two cards faceup.
Split: If your first two cards are of the same denomination, you may elect to make a second bet equal to your first and split the pair, using each card as the first card in a separate hand. For example, if you are dealt two 8s, you may slide a second bet equal to the first to your betting box. The dealer will separate the 8s, then put a second card on the first 8. You play that hand out in normal fashion until you either stand or bust; then the dealer puts a second card on the second 8, and you play that hand out.
Insurance: If the dealer's faceup card is an ace, you may take 'insurance,' which essentially is a bet that the dealer has a 10-value card down to complete a blackjack. Insurance, which may be taken for half the original bet, pays 2-1 if the dealer has blackjack. The net effect is that if you win the insurance bet and lose the hand, you come out even. For example, the player has 18 with a $10 bet down. The dealer has an ace up. The player takes a $5 insurance bet. If the dealer has blackjack, the player loses the $10 bet on the hand but wins $10 with the 2-1 payoff on the $5 insurance bet.
Many dealers will advise players to take insurance if the player has a blackjack. This can be done by simply calling out, 'Even money' -- because if the dealer does have blackjack, the player gets a payoff equal to the player's bet instead of the 3-2 normally paid on blackjack.
These are the steps involved: Player bets $10 and draws a blackjack. Dealer has an ace up. Player makes a $5 insurance bet. Dealer has blackjack. The player's blackjack ties the dealer's, so no money changes hands on the original bet. But the $5 insurance bet wins $10 on the 2-1 payoff -- the same as if the original $10 bet had won an even-money payoff.
As it happens, dealers who suggest this play are giving bad advice. Insurance would be an even bet if the dealer showing an ace completed a blackjack one-third (33.3 percent) of the time. But only 30.8 percent of cards have 10-values. Taking insurance is a bad percentage play, no matter what the player total, unless the player is a card counter who knows that an unusually large concentration of 10-value cards remains to be played.
Variations
Not all blackjack games are created equal. Some variations in the rules are good for the player, and some are bad. The shifts in the house edge may look small, but they make large differences in a game in which the total house edge is less than 1 percent against a basic strategy player. Here are some common variations and their effect on the house advantage:
Double downs after splitting pairs permitted: A very good rule for the player, it cuts the house advantage by 0.13 percent. In areas where several casinos are within reasonable distance, the player should choose games in which doubling after splits is allowed.
Resplitting of aces permitted: At most casinos, the player who splits aces receives only one more card on each ace. But if the player receives another ace, some casinos allow the resulting pair to be resplit. This option cuts the house edge by 0.03 percent. It is rare to find a game that goes even further by allowing the player to draw more than one card to a split ace, an option that cuts the house edge by 0.14 percent.
Early surrender: When the dealer's faceup card is an ace, the dealer checks to see if the down-card is a 10 to complete a blackjack before proceeding with play. If the house allows the player to surrender half the original bet instead of playing the hand before the dealer checks for blackjack, that is early surrender. A great rule for the player, and one that is rarely found, early surrender cuts the house edge by 0.624 percent. Surrender can easily be misused by beginners who haven't mastered basic strategy.
Late surrender: Found more often than early surrender, but still not commonplace, late surrender allows the player to give up half the bet rather than playing the hand after the dealer checks for blackjack. This decreases the house edge by 0.07 percent in a multiple-deck game, 0.02 percent in a single-deck game.
Double-downs limited to hard 11 and hard 10: Some casinos do not allow the player to double on totals of less than 10 or on soft hands. The net is a 0.28-percent increase in the house edge.
Dealer hits soft 17: If, instead of standing on all 17s, the dealer hits hands including an ace or aces that can be totaled as either 7 or 17, the house edge is increased by 0.2 percent.
Blackjack pays 6-5: Common on single-deck games on the Las Vegas Strip, this game is a bankroll breaker for players. For example, a two-card 21 pays only $6 for a $5 bet instead of the usual $7.50, which adds 1.4 percent edge to the house--more than the usual house edge against the basic strategy of seasoned players in nearly all games with the normal 3-2 return.
Now that you know how to play, let's explore some of the finer points of the game. In the next section, you will learn the etiquette and strategy of blackjack.