A basic blackjack strategy

Blackjack is widely considered one of the most popular games at land-based and online casinos. Many gamblers prefer this form of entertainment for their free time. However, you should be aware that playing blackjack isn’t just a matter of getting lucky on a roll of an ace and a ten. In order to win, you’ll need to learn basic strategy and tactics that will help you gain the upper hand.

How to win with a basic strategy

Professional blackjack players don’t just rely on their intuition to know when to draw another card and when not. They also make extensive use of basic strategy techniques that take into account all possible scenarios in the game and help guide one through them.

Does basic strategy really help me win?

It’s worth understanding that basic strategy does not guarantee that a player will win right away. It is only effective when used over a long period of time. That’s why some beginners may find basic strategy decisions flawed.

But in fact, the strategy is based on a precise mathematical calculation and gives a very small margin of error. With its help, the player can get even a small, but still an advantage over the casino. This is only available in blackjack.

How to use a basic strategy

The basic strategy is actually very easy to follow. It’s all laid out in a spreadsheet, which is best printed out and ready to hand. The way to use it is as follows:

1. At the top there are columns showing the cards that may be the dealer’s first. On the side of the line are all the possible combinations available to the player. The letters S and H stand for soft and hard combinations. The first one indicates that there is an ace among the cards, the value of which can be 1 or 11.
2. In the table itself, the intersection of the rows and columns indicates what exactly to do in a particular situation. The player can keep two cards or take more. In addition, situations when to double up and when to split are indicated.

As you can see, the table is easy to understand. It will help you make quick decisions as the game progresses. After all, the table has all the possible outcomes. That’s why you should always have it handy.

What mistakes should you avoid?

It is important not only to memorize the table, but also to learn how to avoid making basic mistakes. It’s worth remembering right away that there are several versions of blackjack. The basic rules are the same, but there are some differences:

1. Payout ratio. The bet can be paid out at a ratio of 3 to 2 or 6 to 5. The first option looks more attractive.
2. In addition, one should pay attention to the “dealer stops at any 17” rule. This means that when the dealer has 17 points, he can no longer draw an additional card.
3. An opportunity to surrender. Useful for players and found in several versions of Blackjack.
4. It would also be useful to have a rule about the player being able to double up after splitting. If this is forbidden, one cannot make full use of the principles of basic strategy.

Thus, in order to play blackjack competently, you need to memorize or have at hand a table of basic strategy and choose the correct version of the game. All of this will help you win a lot more often if you play blackjack on a regular basis.