Master the Odds and Choose a System that Suits You - How to Win at
Blackjack
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Blackjack has been one of the most
popular casino games on the planet for many years, and although there are
numerous adaptations of the game, the traditional version is still the most
played. In fact, after slot games which are head and shoulders above the rest
of casino offerings, with
61% of all casino visitors playing them, blackjack comes in
second, with 19% of gamblers favoring the card game over roulette, poker, and
craps. Other research has backed this up, with 16% of US casino visitors in
2014 opting to play blackjack, compared to 5% on roulette. Playing blackjack is
relatively easy to get to grips with, but mastering it and knowing exactly what
to do and when can take years of practice.
How Did The Game We
Know And Love Come About?
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To understand the game of blackjack, it is
important to know its history, and how it has stood the test of time to remain
as one of the best-loved casino games on the planet. There is no definitive
answer as to where the game originated from or who invented it, as written
accounts of the game can be traced as far back to 17th century Spain and the
novels of the author Miguel de Cervantes who is well-known for having written
Don Quixote. In Cervantes’s work, Novelas Ejemplares, two of the
characters play a card game that follows similar rules as blackjack. This game
was called Twenty-One, and could have come about around 1601 or
earlier.
It was when the card game travelled to America that it started
to become known as blackjack. When Twenty-One reached the States, and
particularly Nevada in 1931, gambling houses offered special odds to try to
attract new players to the game. One example of these enhanced odds was when
the player’s hand consisted of one of the black Jacks paired with the Ace
of spades. For this supreme hand, some casinos would pay out a 10-to-1 return
on the initial stake. The hand was called a “blackjack”, and although
the game was withdrawn soon after, people continue to refer to the card game as
such.
Know What to Do in
Every Situation
Every blackjack player
hoping to succeed at the game needs to familiarise themselves with basic
blackjack strategy, and even consider reading some specialist books on the
subject. When playing blackjack
the game involves
calculating your odds in order to make informed decisions in every possible
situation. You need to have encyclopedic knowledge of when you should hit,
stand, double, or split depending on what cards you are dealt and what the
dealer’s card is. For instance, a popular school of thought is that if you
are dealt cards that add up to 10 or 11, and the dealer’s card is lower
than 10, you should always double. Another example is that if your hand equals
17 and the dealer is showing a 7 or higher, you should always draw another
card.
Building on this, players should always know what to do when they
have their two starting cards and have seen the dealer’s card. But they
should also consider their odds after they have hit another card. For instance,
if you find yourself on 17 after a third card has been dealt to your hand, and
the dealer is showing an ace, you know you need to hit to give yourself a
better chance of winning. But experts say that you need to take into account
the value of the cards already in your hand. You need a four or a three to
bring you closer to 21, but if you already have those cards in your hand, that
decreases the odds of you being dealt the card you need.
Know the Different
Betting Techniques
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Once you have mastered
the odds, or got accustomed to quickly referencing basic strategy charts while
playing, you can move onto some more general strategies in terms of how to bet.
One of the most popular, and simplest forms of betting on blackjack and some
other
games like roulette is the Martingale System. This requires you to double
your bet every time your hand loses, so that the next time you win you have
covered all your losses up to that point. Some players think that this is quite
a risky system, though, as it requires you to have a lot of money to bet with.
Imagine if you start with a $100 bet and lose, and your next bet is $200. If
you find yourself on an unlucky streak, you would be staking $1600 by the sixth
hand. If you have the money to spend, and there is no table limit, this method
is fairly safe, though.
One problem with the Martingale system is that
it does have the potential to lead players to risk high stakes. This is a
negative progression, and it works by players increasing their bets when they
lose. This is fine if you have unlimited funds, but it might not work for
everyone. Another option would be to use a positive progression, which would
work by increasing your bets when you are winning to capitalize on a winning
streak. A happy medium could be to go for a high-low betting strategy. An
example of this would be to start with a $100 bet, and then increase it to $200
if you win. While winning, bet $200 each time, then go back to $100 if you
lose. Each system has its merits, and players may like to choose one and stick
to it, or operate with a combination of them depending on the
scenario.
There are many more methods out there to consider
incorporating, such as deciding whether to take insurance. Once you get used to
the odds and what to do in certain situations, your game is bound to
improve.
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