Win at Blackjack

Blackjack is a game of mathematics. Gut instinct, hunches, guesses and superstitions have very little, if at all, place in this game that involves math skills, even card counting. Thus, you do have to learn and master the basic play and strategy and you don't have to second-guess the math.

Know the Dealer Tells

You will need to understand the various dealer tells simply because these help in your game. These are subtle signals made by the dealer than can tell you whether to hit, stand, double down, split a pair or surrender, thereby increasing your chances of winning.

Of course, you have to remember that dealers can fake tells, too. But once you have understood the psychology of tells through constant practice and reading of books on the subject matter, you will discover that the best possible way on how to win at blackjack often boils down to combining your math skills with people-reading skills.

Know When to Make Your Move

When you have learned basic strategy, you will be able to know when to make your move depending on the cards. This is essential because the wrong move in the right strategy can and will make you lose!

You can follow these basic principles in making your moves:

* Hit when your two cards total a 9 or below; stand when it is a hard 17 or higher

* Hit when your total is 12 to 16 and the dealer's upcard is 7 or higher; reversely, stand when the dealer's upcard is a 6 or lesser

* Double down when your total is 10 or 11 and higher than the dealer's upcard; similarly, double down when your total is a 10 and the dealer has a 7

Again, you have to leave your guesses ans superstitions outside the door, or in the case of an online gaming casino, by the shredder.

Avoid Insurance Except in Certain Circumstance

This is because insurance is always weighted in favor of the dealer. You will almost always lose on this one, thus, the name sucker bet. You should never ever be a sucker for anything, least of all in a game like blackjack. The certain circumstance being referred to is in card counting. However, this is beyond the scope of this article so you might be best looking for tips from Ken Uston.

Manage Your Bankroll Wisely

This is a no-brainer. Often, the tips on how to win at blackjack will include sage advice on managing your bankroll simply because you do not win when nothing is left except the shirt upon your back.

That being said, remember never to play over your bankroll and set limits on what you will lose and earn and stick to them. You will find that winning at blackjack can be a fun thing to do!

Strategy For Blackjack

The strategy for blackjack is to compare your hand to that of the dealer's showing card. The basic card values are straightforward enough, but when you pull a soft-hand or can double down you are in a position to make a strong play if you know what you are doing.ake a look at the dealers' showing card and play your cards as follows:

The basic strategy for blackjack is to compare your hand to that of the dealer's showing card. The basic card values are straightforward enough, but when you pull a soft-hand or can double down you are in a position to make a strong play if you know what you are doing.

A soft-hand is an ace and any other card below the value of ten. This hand gets its name because the ace can be either one or eleven as necessary. The big advantage to a soft hand is that you can take hits with less risk of busing. But that doesn't mean you can be carefree about how you play your hand. Take a look at the dealers' showing card and play your cards as follows:

If you have an ace with an 8 or higher then hold your hand and don't take a hit. By playing the ace as 11 you have 19, which is a hand you should always stand on. If you have an ace with 7 take a hit if the dealer's showing card is 9 or better.

If you have an ace with six or less then you should always take a bit. Even though this means you are taking a risky hit on 17 you can always bail yourself out if you bust by using the ace as a 1.

Doubling down is another situation you need to master if you want to win at Blackjack. Doubling down allows you to double you initial bet in certain circumstances. If played correctly you can offset the house advantage and that is an opportunity not to be missed! Bear in mind though that casinos have different rules as to when you can double down.

You should double down according to following rules:

If your have card values of 9 to 11 then double down. Statistically you have great chance to win because there are so many cards with a value of 10 to draw.
However, if you have a 9 then only double down if the dealer is showing a weak card of 3 to 6. This is because the dealer as likely to bust if he/she is showing any other card.
When holding a soft hand you should double down only when you can exploit a weak dealer card. The way to play an soft hand for doubling down is as follows;

If you have an ace with 8-9, just stand. This is a strong hand so don't double down.
If you have an ace with 6.-7 then double down and take a hit if the dealer is showing a weak 3-6, and especially 4.-6.
If you have an ace with 4.-5 only double down if the dealer is holding a weak 4.-6.
If you have an ace with 2-3 then only double down if the dealer is showing a 5-6.

By knowing how to play these strategy for blackjack you can take advantage of favorable hands when they come you way.