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Blackjack Tips and Advice

 

When you are following Basic Strategy, you are playing essentially a break-even game with the house. There is no room to play hunches, because even one mistake per hour could ruin your break-even game.

Always split Aces and eights. Anything else would be foolish.

Do not take insurance. It is a mathematically unsound bet. That's because it pays off at 2-to-1 odds, but there is a 2.18-to-1 chance against you winning it.

Always sit down and review your Basic Strategy before sitting down to play. When you play online, you can have a Basic Strategy card or chart next to you, so don't hesitate to refer to it if you must. However, if you really want to be a good player, you should memorize it and be able to make the plays virtually without thinking.

When you cannot exercise certain options, such as re-splitting or doubling down on any two cards, it is going to take away from what you can do at a blackjack table. So when you are shopping for a game, take all of this into consideration. If you can avoid so-called "standard" games that take these options away, do so. Surrender is an option that is not found in every blackjack game, but if you can scout for games that have the option, this is very useful to have at your disposal.

Do not raise your bet at the blackjack table, unless it is in conjunction with an increased bankroll. You don't have any reason to raise your bet unless you are a card counter, and counting cards in the online version of the game is a virtual impossibility. Do not chase your losses with increased bets. Do not engage in "Martingale" betting strategies that require larger and larger bets when you lose, because you could conceivably exceed the house limit without winning any wagers.

You can check out different variations of blackjack, such as Spanish 21, Double Exposure or Blackjack Switch, but you must understand that what the house gives you in terms of additional options, they compensate for in the way of concessions you must make to the house.

Never bet with money you cannot afford to lose. While Basic Strategy should, at the very least, prolong your playing session, you are sometimes going to have bad luck at the table. As a safeguard, budget a certain amount of money before every session, and do not go beyond that figure.