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Guide to Gambling
> Blackjack
Introduction
When most people think of a casino, they think
of Blackjack, which is also known as "21". Blackjack
is -- by far -- the most popular "table" game
in the casino. People play Blackjack because it is easy
to learn, and they feel they have some control over their
destiny, i.e., by good play they can actually "beat"
the casino. Indeed, more books have been written about Blackjack
than any other casino game, and on a Friday or Saturday
night it is often difficult to wedge into a seat at any
of the relatively low-dollar Blackjack tables.
And in the background, there is a feeling
that Blackjack is the game that the average person can play
to really whack the casino for the big pile of gold. After
all, it is well known that people "count cards"
in Blackjack, and that the casinos are so worried about
card counting that they take elaborate measures to prevent
the practice, and even bar players for life from
playing Blackjack in their casinos.
Even if you can't -- or won't -- count cards,
there is a feeling that if you just learn the "basic
game" that you can pretty much play the casino even
long through the night. Long enough, that is, until the
casino showers you with free comps.
Sounds good? Sure . . . but just look at all
the scams we talk about on our website. They sound
good too. The truth is something else entirely.
In the next few pages, we'll show you the
casino odds, and how the casino employs some very subtle
tactics to entice you to make bad bets. We'll show you the
true "basic game" and discuss why probably
less than 1/2 of 1% of Blackjack players know the "Basic
Game" well enough to do any real damages. We'll even
teach you how to count cards, but explain to you why it
isn't the Big Advantage that it is made out to be (hint:
The casinos actually love card counting because the
aurora that Blackjack is beatable causes lots and lots of
people to play and lose more than the card counters could
ever hope to make).
And, in the end, we'll show you some practical
tips and things which will give you a higher likelihood
of holding your own against the casino at everyone's favorite
game.
So, have a seat, put down a chip . . . and
let's play Blackjack!
The Rules
The Rules for Blackjack are pretty simple.
Face cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) are worth
10. Other cards are worth their stated value, except for
the Ace, which can be worth either 1 or 11.
First, you make your bet by placing your chips
in a round circle on the table in front of your seat. Once
you have made this bet, you cannot take it back off the
table. You can bet any amount you like, subject to the table
minimums.
Second, you get a card face up, but the Dealer
gets a card face down. Then you get another card face up,
and the Dealer also gets another card, but this one is face
up. So, you each have two cards, both of yours exposed for
all to see, and the dealer with one exposed card and one
card which is face down so you don't know what it is.
Next, you make a decision -- based upon your
two cards and the one card of the Dealer which is showing
-- whether or not you want another card. If so, you move
your index finger towards you, and the Dealer gives you
another card face up. You then get to decide whether to
take another card, and so forth and so on. You can take
as many cards as you want, until you move your hand right
and left to signify no more cards (called "stay"),
or until the face value of your cards exceeds 21 ("goes
bust").
If you stop short of 21, then the Dealer flips
over the face down card, exposing its value. If the total
of the dealer's two cards does not reach 17, then the Dealer
must take another card (and another and so forth) until
the Dealer either reaches at least 17 or goes Bust by exceeding
21.
If you lose, the Dealer simply takes all the
chips you have bet, and then you bet again and another hand
is played. If you win, the Dealer returns to you your original
bet plus an equal amount, i.e., if you bet $5 then you get
$10 back, for a $5 profit to you.
Blackjack, 21 or Natural
If the first two cards you draw are an ace
and a face card or a ten (and thus equal 21), then you have
what is known as a "Blackjack". If the Dealer
doesn't also have a Blackjack, then the Dealer will return
to you your original bet plus 1 and 1/2 times your original
bet, i.e., if you be $10 then you get $25 back, for a $15
profit.
If the dealer draws a Blackjack in two cards,
then you automatically lose unless you too have a Blackjack
(in which case you have a "Push", see below).
Push
If after the Dealer had drawn (and not busted),
and your hand equals that of the Dealer (for example, you
both have 17), then the situation is known as a "Push".
In a Push, you simply get your original bet back, and neither
you nor the Dealer wins.
Splits
If you are dealt a "Pair", i.e.,
two "8" cards, almost every casino will allow
you to "split" the hand by making two separate
bets. To do this, you say "split" and put down
an additional bet, equal to the original bet. With the two
8 cards, for example, you have a terrible hand at
16. However, you can split the two 8s and have a chance
of having two good hands (or at least one good hand and
one bad hand) as opposed to the terrible 16.
Knowing when to split pairs is critically
important in playing the casino close. More on splitting
is discussed on our Splitting, Doubling
Down, and Surrender page.
Doubling Down
After you and the dealer have each received
two cards, you have the option of doubling your bet by placing
more chips on the table equal to your original bet. The
dealer will then deal you one more card (and only one more
card -- you can't ask for more cards).
Knowing when to double down is critically
important in playing the casino close. More on splitting
is discussed on our Splitting, Doubling
Down, and Surrender page.
Surrender
Some casinos will let you "surrender"
after both you and the dealer have been dealt two cards,
meaning that you get to take half your bet back off the
table, and you lose the other half of your bet.
Knowing when to surrender is critically important
in playing the casino close. More on splitting is discussed
on our Splitting, Doubling Down,
and Surrender page.
Insurance
If the dealer is showing an ace, you will
be asked if you desire "insurance". Insurance
is sort of a side bet that the dealer's other card which
is face down is not a face card or a 10.
Insurance is statistically a lousy bet (a/k/a
a "Sucker Bet"), so don't ever buy insurance (unless
you are counting cards and have kept a good "ace count").
Variations in Rules
Every casino has slightly different
Blackjack rules. Before you play Blackjack at any casino,
you should first ask one of the Blackjack supervisors or
pit bosses for the Blackjack rules (they are positively
glad to provide these to gamblers as they help prevent
later misunderstandings about the rules.
Note that the variations in the rules can
substantially impact your long term gambling return.
A casino which allows you to double down after splitting
is giving you slightly better odds than a casino which doesn't
-- and that "slightly better" can be very important
over the long haul.
THE THREE COLD HARD TRUTHS
There are three Cold Hard Truths about Blackjack
that even experienced Blackjack players don't know, or are
unwilling to come to grips with. These three Cold Hard Truths
absolutely must be addressed if you expect to become a truly
sophisticated Blackjack player:
The
Cold Hard Truth About Blackjack #1
You probably do NOT understand the Basic
Game,
even though you think you do.
Ask anybody who has ever played Blackjack if
they understand the "Basic Game", and they will
say Yes. Ask any of the "high rollers" (i.e., those
who regularly get comp'd in advance by the casinos) if they
understand the "Basic Game" and they will also say
Yes.
The "Basic Game" is NOT simply knowing
the rules and playing in a sensible fashion. It is instead
knowing all the precise combinations of plays to make,
and applying them with robotic consistency, without any heed
to whether the cards seem "hot" or "cold"
or any other factors.
While everybody claims to know the "Basic
Game" probably only about one-half of one percent (less
than 1 in 200 players) even understand that there is a mathematical
"Basic Game" or play anything close to it.
And if you don't play the "Basic Game",
then you shouldn't play Blackjack at all, because the odds
are tremendously in the House's favor and you have very little
chance of winning.
The
Cold Hard Truth About Blackjack #2
Card counting is the greatest thing
for the CASINO.
The
Cold Hard Truth About Blackjack #3
If your play is too good, the CASINO
will cheat against you.
Our Other Pages on Blackjack
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