Tips to Improve your Blackjack Game

By Simon Skinner

Blackjack lends itself easily to certain rules and principles which can help increase the odds in your favor if you follow them. Use these tips and best practices to improve the way you play Blackjack, whether at a casino or online.

Every gambling game comes with a house advantage, which is how much the odds are stacked in their favor. If you pay attention to certain factors however you can systematically reduce that edge, allowing you more opportunity to win.

Anything less than a nine in Blackjack and you automatically hit, because you can't bust. With a 10 or 11 you should double down, because if you get a ten or an Ace on top of that you have 21 and you win. However you may not want to double down when the dealer also shows a 10 or 11.

When holding between 12 and 16 you should only hit when the dealer is showing a seven or higher. This is because you need to try to beat his high card and likely high outcome. However, if you have 17 or more you should stand since the likelihood is high that you will bust.

Of course there are a few additional rules to consider if you are holding an Ace and therefore have a soft hand. This means that your Ace can count towards 11 or one in value, giving you increased flexibility in your choices.

If you have an Ace and your high value is between 13 and 18, double down if the dealer has a five or a six. If you have seventeen or less you should always hit with an Ace, and eighteen can be hit if the dealer has six or more.

When the dealer is showing a seven or higher you should stand, as you should when you have seventeen or more. There are also additional rules concerning pairs.

Some pairs you always want to split, such as Aces and eights, while some pairs you never want to split, such as tens, fours and fives.

These are some basic guidelines that can help increase your odds of winning every hand. You should also keep in mind that to improve your experience you should be looking for a game where you can play without interruption and the game is moving quickly and easily.

Never play when there's an obvious drunk person at the table, since it can throw you off your game and you may also want to avoid slow players who hinder the action.

Insurance is really a sucker's bet unless you have been counting cards and know the likelihood of a situation. Always be sure to keep stock of your chips and don't bet recklessly.

You should only play at a table that has a minimum bet equal to or less than 1/20th of your bankroll. This is a tolerable level of risk and will allow you to go on losing streaks without losing all of your money. As in any situation, treat the fellow players as well as the dealer with respect.