Blackjack Rules That Will Lead You to Success

Here you can find the rules of the game and learn how to use them in your advantage. Learning the rules of the game is a must if you want to understand the Blackjack strategies that help you to win.

After you have been dealt your first two cards it is decision time. You can hit, stand, split or double down your hand. With all these decisions to choose from, beginners may become confused and won't know what to do. If you are in a land based casino you can always ask the dealer. Playing Blackjack is supposed to be for entertainment and part of that is a helpful and entertaining dealer. If the dealer refuses to help you out, refuse to play at that table in return. You are there to have fun and enjoy yourself, and the casino should provide you entertainment.

Different casinos have different rules for Blackjack. These rules influence your advantage or edge over the house. Blackjack is different from other casino games because the decisions you make directly influence the outcome of the game. Making good decisions means that your advantage over the house increases. But making bad ones means that you give up your edge in favor of the house. The better you play, the higher your chances of winning. This is why we strongly advice you to use basic strategy. It has been developed with computer aid and is the best mathematically.

The cards in the deck all have different values in Blackjack. Cards from 2 to 10 are valued as indicated. Jacks, Queens and Kings are all valued at ten. Aces have a double value. They are either 1 or 11, as it's best for the player.

In Blackjack there are soft totals and hard totals. Hard totals do not change. For example a 4 and a 5 add up to a hard total of 9. But a 4 and an Ace add up to a total of 5 if you count the Ace as 1, or they add up to 15 if you count the Ace as 11. This is called a soft total.

In Blackjack you must always think ahead. Do not ask for a hit without first considering what card you might get. Since ten valued cards make up for 30.8% of the deck, it is safe to assume that the next card will be a ten valued one. This is the main idea behind basic strategy, but always thinking that the next card is a ten is oversimplifying things. Use this simplification only when learning proper basic strategy decisions. The rest of the time remember that there are plenty of other value cards in the deck that can help you beat the dealer and not bust.

The simplest way to win at Blackjack is to be dealt an Ace and a ten valued card as your initial two cards. This is called "Blackjack", "natural Blackjack" or just "natural". You win automatically and get paid at a ratio of 3-to-2. For a bet of $50 you will get $100. A normal win would only have paid at a ratio of 1-to-1, that is another $50 on your initial bet of $50. But if the dealer also gets Blackjack the game is pushed. You win nothing, you only get your bet back.

Part of being on top of your game is knowing when to bet high and when to bet low. Remember that the outcome of the game depends on your decisions. One of these decisions is knowing when to increase your bet. Many players forget that they can increase their advantage over the house by making the right decision at the right time and one of these forgotten decisions is doubling down.

Doubling down means that you can increase your bet if you are confident you will win. You can bring the house advantage lower than 1% if you know when to double down. But a lot of players refuse to double down when it is advisable to do so and face a house advantage as high as 5% in consequence. They refuse to follow basic strategy. Their chain of thoughts in my opinion is as follows. "If basic strategy suggests doubling down then I will surely win. Why take a chance? I'm happy just by winning this hand". They do not think of the long run and do not realize that they are giving up their advantage over the house. The only way to make sure that the house edge doesn't get too high is to stick to basic strategy and double down when it is advisable to do so. This game may be about entertainment, but any gambler wants to walk away with a profit.

The table etiquette when doubling down is as follows. Wait until you have been dealt your first two cards. Then place another bet which can be as large as your initial one, not larger. Make sure to place your double down chips next not on top of your initial ones. Always remember that after doubling down the dealer will give you one more card, and that's it. You have to stand and see of you beat the dealer. Doubling down bets pay at a ratio of 1-to-1.