Blackjack Games Powered by the Microgaming Software

Blackjack is one of the few games of chance you will find in a casino that doesn't rely on chance alone. Blackjack is more a game of skill and decision making rather than luck or fortune. Because you can make decisions that influence the outcome of the game your odds of winning are greater than in any other casino game.

Using basic strategy will increase those odds significantly and lower the house edge to less than 1%. Basic strategy will help you make the most profitable decision. You are not guaranteed to win every hand, but it is the best strategy to use for the long run. The biggest payouts you will see in a casino are mostly at the blackjack table. So if you haven't paid any attention to blackjack so far, maybe now is the time to start.

Variables

The house advantage is not constant. It increases or decreases according to some variables. These variables are:

• The number of decks used in the game. More decks mean an advantage for the house. Fewer decks mean an advantage for the player;
• Must the dealer stand on all 17's, or is he allowed to hit on soft 17;
• Is the player allowed to split his hand, and if so, how many times;
• Is the player allowed to double down. Is he allowed to double a split hand;
• Is the player allowed to surrender.

Basic Strategy Rules

The rules presented here will apply to any blackjack version.

General Rules:

• Do not hit if you have a card total of 17 or higher;
• If the dealer's face up card is a 7 or higher and your card total is between 12 and 16 you should hit;
• If you have a card total of 8 or less you should definitely hit.

Doubling Down Rules:

• Doubling on a hand of 11 is always advisable;
• If the dealer's face up card is a 9 or lower and your card total is 10 then you should double down;
• If the dealer's face up card is a 6 or lower and your card total is 9 then you should double down.

Soft Hands Rules

• If you have a soft 19 or 20 then stand;
• If you have a soft 13 to 18 and the dealer's face up card is a 4, a 5 or a 6 you should double down.

Splitting Rules

• Pairs of 8's and pairs of Aces must always be split;
• If you have a pair of 5's or a pair of Face cards never split them.
• If the dealer's face up cards are 4, 5, 6, or 7 and you have 2's and 3's then you should split.

Casinos powered by the Microgaming software (like Jackpot City, Lucky Nugget) provide its players with up to 10 different variations of Blackjack including:

1. Atlantic City Blackjack
2. European Blackjack
3. Double Exposure
4. Multi-Hand Blackjack
5. Progressive Blackjack
6. Spanish 21
7. Triple Sevens Blackjack
8. Vegas Downtown
9. Vegas Strip.