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Edited by Ritu77 at 23-12-2023 05:34 PM
Never buy Insurance, even if you have a blackjack. All the blackjack books will tell you that buying it is not in your favor. The reason is, when the dealer has an Ace, it's very hard to beat them even if they don't have a blackjack. If you buy it, you usually end up losing more money. Statistically, when you buy it, the house has over a 5% edge (even higher with more decks).
At the blackjack table, it's a team game. If you don't follow basic strategy, you might annoy the other players ('Why did you hit? The dealer would have busted!'). If you're a beginner, especially in a crowded game, it's best not to sit at the last position. While how you play is your business, it's not very considerate to disrupt others.
If surrender is allowed, always surrender when you have 15 or 16 points, and the dealer shows an Ace or a 10. In these cases, you have less than a 30% chance of winning. Surrendering means you only lose half your bet, which isn't too bad.
Many people are too lazy to remember the strategy and just play blackjack like the dealer – hit if below 17, stand on 17 or above, no splitting, no doubling. It seems fine, but it reduces your return by about 5%.
You might have heard of a betting system where you double your bet after each loss – 1 unit, then 2 units, then 4 units, and so on until you win. Please don't! First, there are table limits in casinos (like $5-$5000), so you can hit the limit quickly. Second, remember that casinos are in business to make money, and this kind of betting system increases your average bet per hand, so you'll lose more quickly.
Finally, a word about card counting. If you know a bit about blackjack, you've probably heard of it, and I used to be fascinated by it too. However, my experience over the years and the articles I've read have led me to believe that card counting doesn't help much. So I won't go into the details of card counting here, but I'll share why it doesn't significantly increase your chances of winning:
Counting cards is tough. I tried for a long time and never could consistently remember my count between shuffles. Even if you have a group of people counting together, the fast pace of the casino makes communication challenging.
Statistically, card counting might only increase your return by 0.5% to 1%, but your bankroll can fluctuate significantly. Finding a game with better rules or memorizing basic strategy is a simpler approach.
Most of the time, people who count cards still play according to basic strategy.
Casinos are now using a lot of cut cards, about one in four decks. With four decks, that means they're cutting off a whole deck. This makes it more likely that the good cards you want are 'hidden' in the cut portion.
Most casinos consider card counting a form of semi-cheating. You can't use devices, paper, or anything else to aid you; it has to be done mentally. If the dealer suspects you're counting cards, they can shuffle more frequently when you increase your bets, or even ask you to leave. So all your effort would be in vain. |
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Post time 1-10-2023 18:49:11