21 Blackjack Casinos

When you play at different casinos, or even different tables, the one thing you will surely notice is the difference in required etiquettes. Different casinos may play their games differently although the nature of the games remains unchanged — it is just a matter of customs and traditions. The same thing happens at blackjack tables. I was unfortunate enough not understanding the right etiquettes at one point; I touched the cards dealt to me when the cards are actually dealt face up. This may seems to be a simple mistake, but it can be quite embarrassing when you play at big casinos with lots of players.

Never give your money to the dealer; they are not allowed to take money directly from your hand in most circumstances. If you want to buy in, place your money on the table and announce that you are buying in.

To avoid looking like a complete beginner and making small, unnecessary, mistakes, let us take a look at common blackjack etiquettes often used in different casinos. Just as I mentioned earlier, you should never touch cards dealt to you face up; only the dealer can touch the cards in such situation. If the cards are dealt face down, you can take a look at them; don’t make too much gestures or movements though, since you will be considered rude by other players. Simply take a peek at the cards, without lifting the cards off the table if possible, while covering them with your hands.

The dealer will then deal with each player in order, so wait for your turn without making a scene. Once the dealer asks you for your move, tap on the table twice and say “hit” to add a card or simply wave your hand in front of you to signal a stand.

It is obvious that blackjack is a game involving some degrees of gambling when played. You are indeed placing bets based on possibilities and chances, and there is not one strategy that can help you secure a 100% win at any blackjack table. The best thing you can do to minimize losses and risks involved is by placing your bets carefully. You need to calculate scenarios and stakes you can afford in order to keep the game pleasant and profitable at the same time.

When you place your wager, make sure the stake is nothing higher than 5% of your gambling capital, at most! The best rule of thumb is to find blackjack tables allowing you to wager a minimum amount equal to 1% of your gambling capital; you will have 100 hands to play before you have to leave the table, assuming you lost every single hand. Since the game is based on chances, the dealer you are playing against is also affected by the game’s nature — you can rest assured you will not lose 100 hands without a fight.

When you take actions such as doubling down or splitting hands, make sure you know exactly what you are doing before making your decision. Study the blackjack matrix and simulate different strategies to enable you to make quick decisions when needed. There is nothing wrong with doubling down or splitting pairs at all; in fact, it can be quite profitable when done with proper calculations.

The one thing you should avoid is taking insurance. Many professional blackjack players with years of experiences think that insurance is a waste of your gambling money, and they are most certainly correct. When the dealer’s open card is showing an Ace, simply surrender to the situation instead of increasing your stake over fear.

There are several strategies you can use when you play blackjack. Understanding the basic nature of this game can help you enjoy more winnings at blackjack tables, and the topic of this article is probably one of the most important basic blackjack strategies you must know. There are times when your starting hands are a pair and you enjoy the option of splitting the pair to get two starting hands. This means you also place another equally denominated bet for the new starting hand. When done correctly, you can actually win a lot of money by splitting pairs.

The strategies of splitting pairs are actually quite complicated, so to make this discussion simple we are going to take a look at when to split only. To get your started right away, let us take a look at the pairs. You should split a pair of 2 when the dealer’s open card is a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7. The same rule applies to pair of 3 as well. Pair of 4s and pair of 5s should never be split since the hand is actually quite strong as starting hand on their own. With pair of 6s, split anytime the dealer’s open card is showing a 6 or lower.

Higher pairs can actually be handled easily since the best moves are actually quite obvious. With a pair of 7 as your starting hand, observe the dealer’s open card and split whenever the card is a 7 or less. With pair of 8s, always split no matter what the dealer’s open card is, with one exception: you should simply stand if the dealers open card is either a 10 or one of the face cards. Split pair of 9s if the dealer’s open card is not 7, 10/face card, or an Ace. To end our discussion, always split pair of Aces and never split pair of 10s.

Blackjack is quite popular especially after online casinos are gaining popularity, making blackjack accessible to more players around the world. The game is actually very simple and profitable as long as you are consistent with your game plan and keep making good, calculated, bets. Out of several hand combinations you may get when you play blackjack, soft hands — hands containing an Ace, other than blackjack or 21 — is definitely the trickiest to handle.

There are actually advanced strategies for dealing with soft hands. We have a total number of 8 soft hands, A-2 to A-9, excluding A-A which requires different handling and A-10 or A-Face Cards that obviously put you on the winning spot. Advanced strategies aside, let us take a look at some of the basic strategies we can use to deal with soft hands.

A-2, A-3, A-4, and A-5 can be considered equal — in terms of risks and winning chances — so the strategies used for these hands are also similar. Always hit whenever you get any of these hand combinations, with the exception of doubling down when you see the dealer’s open card is a 4, a 5, or a 6. You actually have a pretty good chance of winning the round.

With A-6, doubling down can also be done when the dealer’s open card is 2 or 3, and hitting should be your move when the dealer’s open card is 7 or above. With A-7, stand when you see the dealer’s open card is a 2. Double down when the dealer’s open card is between 3 and 6, and stand when the open card is either a 7 or an 8. The only times you need to hit is when the dealer’s open card is either a 9, a 10 or one of the face card, or an Ace. A-8 and A-9 are actually pretty strong, so it would be best to simply stand.

Blackjack is a very simple and beatable game. The house advantage is actually very low and you have great chances of pocketing a nice sum of profit whenever you play at your favorite casino. With the availability of online casinos with blackjack tables, you can even play blackjack from the comfort of your house anytime you want to. In order to play blackjack properly, you need to understand several basic strategies and moves associated with the game.

Let us assume that you are playing at tables with 3 to 2 payout on blackjack and table rule that oblige dealer to hit on hands totaling at 16 or lower and to stand when on even soft 17. With this in mind, you can simply conclude that you can never win with a 17 if the dealer doesn’t go bust; this is your basic guiding principle for playing blackjack. Always opt for another card when you get a hand of 17, specifically when the dealer’s open card is showing an Ace, K, Q, J, 10, 9, or 8. With these open cards, the dealer has fewer chances of busting, and not hitting with a 17 is a recipe of losing.

Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that you are only playing against the dealer. Several new players I know make the mistake of paying too much attention to other players’ hands and decisions, and they forgot to focus on their own plays. If you have the luxury of making your move last, you can observe other players’ moves to see the cards they are getting when they hit just to get a glimpse of what you may get when it is your time to ask for more cards; don’t let it clouds your judgments though, stick to your original game plan and you will do just fine.

Care for some profitable blackjack sessions? The first step to take if you are serious about playing blackjack, profitably that is, is to find the right table. You need to understand table rules before sitting down for a nice session, but you already know this. What I will give you in this article is several practical tips you can use when selecting blackjack tables.

Make sure the minimum bet at the table you choose is no more than 10% of your capital. If you are playing with limited budget, it would be best to lower this percentage to a cool 3-5%. This will enable you to play more hands, increasing your chances of survival and of course overall profitability while playing at that table.

Avoid tables with 6 to 5 payouts for blackjack. The common blackjack payout is 3 to 2, although finding 2 to 1 tables can be well worth the effort. 6 to 5 payouts are simply unacceptable because the house advantage is very high on such tables. You can also consider other rules — for instance, can the dealer hit on soft 17 — to calculate house advantage. In the game of blackjack, house advantage can be lowered to minimum by selecting the right table and mastering strategies.

Last but not least, know what kind of moves you should make when dealing with different hand combinations. To be able to do this, you need proper focus and emotional control while playing. Make sure you find tables with pleasant crowds and friendly dealer. Introduce yourself as you sit down at the table; give the dealer your first name and throw in a smile when you do that. This will make the dealer as well as other players appreciate you more and the overall playing experiences will be improved.