Blackjack Basic Strategy Card Below...
Learning Blackjack Basic Strategy is absolutely essential for having
a chance at evening the odds the house has over the player. Basic
strategy is generally easy to learn, and a lot of it is based on common
sense. It's also important to state that Blackjack basic strategy
is not a betting strategy: it is a strategy for playing your hand
against whatever cards the house holds. Card counters resort to basic
strategy after counting all the cards that have come from the shoe
for a given hand of blackjack, because Card Counting, unlike basic
strategy, is more of a "betting strategy" per se. See our
article "What is
Blackjack Card Counting".
Definition of Blackjack Basic Strategy: Blackjack basic strategy
is mathematically tested and verified set of rules a player must follow
given the total value of his/her hand and the dealer's upcard. Using
basic strategy helps even the odds against the house, although it
must be noted that basic strategy is not a betting strategy. It is
a strategy for playing and improving your hand. How and what amounts
you bet is an entirely different matter.
Thoughts on Basic Strategy:
1. Don't go to a casino or play online blackjack without learning
basic strategy. It is absolutely essential for your game play, and
not using it is like going to work without your pants on: you're left
exposed and vulnerable to the house edge and will lose you money much
faster. Basic strategy doesn't require any mathematical knowledge,
just the ability to memorize the Blackjack basic strategy card below.
2. When playing in a brick and mortar casino, players who don't know
basic strategy will often be ridiculed by other players at the table
for making the wrong decision. This is especially common at medium
stakes and higher tables, where there are "serious" players
who have either played blackjack for years or have thoroughly memorized
a basic strategy chart. If you don't know basic strategy at a table
full of experienced gamblers, you might be asked to leave the table
by the other players, although the house is still happy to have you
lose your money.
3. One thing to remember: some players believe that if one person
doesn't play basic strategy, it will mess up the chances of winning
for other players. In general, this sentiment is not true. There may
be anecdotal cases where a player has hit his or her hand instead
of standing, and in doing so, has taken away the dealer's "bust
card" (ie. hitting a hard 12 against a 6 upcard and getting an
8). Everyone has seen this happen once or twice, but it's effect on
the play of others at the table is minimal. One must also remember
that that same inexperienced player might draw a small card in another
similar situation, and "save" the table from what could
have been a dealer 16 drawing a 4 or 5 to make 20 or 21.
4. When playing online blackjack, use the same basic strategy you
would use in a regular casino, but make sure you know the rules of
the particular blackjack game you're playing online. There are more
variants of blackjack played online than in land based casinos, so
always be aware of the game rules, which may either increase your
odds or hamper them.
5. The rules of basic strategy don't apply to blackjack game variants
like "Spanish 21", where all the "pip 10 cards"
(the number 10 cards) are removed from the deck. This situation alters
the math behind the game, and would require its own special basic
strategy chart. In blackjack games with side pots, like "7-7-7"
blackjack, where a player can bet $1 that will produce a progressive
jackpot if he/she draws 7-7-7 off suit or same suit, it is important
to remember that basic strategy should always be used, even if you
have two 7s and the dealer is showing a 5. In this particular situation,
it would be tempting to hit your 14 hoping for another 7, but the
odds are, you will bust. This would be especially foolish, since this
is a situation that clearly favors the player because a 5 is a dealer
bust card.
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