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Blackjack basic strategy will optimize your long term returns in blackjack.  In fact, the mathematical house edge in blackjack where the player uses solid basic strategy will be reduced to well below 1%.  Set out below is a basic strategy matrix that shows you the basic strategy move for all deal situations in the most common forms of blackjack.

The basic strategy play is the move at the intersection of the dealer’s card and your hand.

You might want to print this page out for reference during future play.

H =    Hit
S =    Stand
D =    Double down
P =    Split
H/R = Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit
H/P = Split if allowed to double after a split, otherwise hit
NOTE: Your hand less than 8 = always hit

Counting Cards

Its important to note from the outset, that you can’t count cards playing online.  Why?  Because even if you know how to count cards, each new deal in blackjack (or any card game for that matter) at online casinos, is from a full shuffled deck/shoe.  Otherwise online casinos would be basically giving money away to smart players…and we know this would never happen.  Nevertheless, if you are also a keen terrestrial gambler, or are just interested in how the pros beat the casinos, then here’s a brief summary of how to count.

By counting cards, a player can ascertain whether, at a given point during a game, he/she has an edge over the house.  The key to knowing whether or not the player has an edge over the house, is having an idea of whether the remaining cards in the deck/shoe are predominantly high, or predominantly low, as a high card rich deck swings the odds of winning in favor of the player.

Reasons for this are as follows:

• An abundance of high cards increases the likelihood of blackjack being dealt to both the dealer…but blackjack to the player pays 3 to 2.

• The dealer has to hit on a stiff hand (12 to 16), while the player doesn’t, and when the deck is high card rich, a stiff hand hit is more likely to bust.

• The probability or winning from double down and split plays also increases when the deck is high card rich..

So if you know the remaining deck is high card rich, you know that you have an edge over the house – and to do this you need to track the cards already dealt.  But don’t worry, because this doesn’t necessitate memorizing every card that has been dealt, but rather tracking the cards by assigning a tag to the cards and keeping a running count of the tags.  Tags are as follows:

• low cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) have the tag +1;

• high cards (10,s, pictures and Aces) have a tag of -1;

• the rest (7, 8, 9) have a tag of 0

The count before the first deal is 0.  As cards are dealt, you simply add the tags of every card dealt so that at any time during the game you have a running count that may be positive, negative or 0.  Now, if during the game, your count is positive, this means more low cards have been dealt than high cards, and as a result, the remaining shoe is high card rich.  At this point, your odds of winning are greater than at when the game first started…and if the count is significantly positive well into the shoe, then you may even have a significant edge over the house.

You can practice you counting at home by dealing a deck to yourself and counting as you go.  If your count is 0 when when the whole pack has been dealt, then you got it right.  Your counting really needs to be automatic before you can actually count successfully in a real game situation, because remember that you still have to think about how to play your hand, well as deal with general casino distractions.

Now you know how to count, you need to know how to bet based on the count. In simple terms, you play basic strategy, and up the ante when the count is positive, and lower the ante or sit out when the count is negative.

Super Fun 21, usually referred to simply as Super 21, is an exciting variation on the game of Blackjack. In many ways, Super 21 is played exactly like Blackjack, making it an easy game for beginners to learn. The interesting pay-tables for Super 21 adds a nice twist to the game and provides an element of excitement that is not found in traditional Blackjack.

Just as with Blackjack, the object of Super 21 is to build a hand that has more points than the dealer’s hand, without going over 21 points. Aces count as either 1 or 11 points in Super 21, while face cards (Jack, Queen, King) count as 10 points each. All other cards count as the numerical value of the card (2-10).

Although the player can choose to make any move they wish, whether it makes sense or not, the Super 21 Dealer is subject to specific rules that govern how the dealer will play their hand. The typical rules for Super 21 are:

• Dealer must hit on “Soft” 17
• Blackjack Pays Even Money (1 to 1)
• Player may hit or double down after splitting aces and receiving a card
• Player may double down on any number of cards (e.g. double down on 4th card)
• Late surrender and surrendering after a double down (double down rescue) is allowed

Note that even though these rules are standard for Super 21, they may vary slightly from one location to the next. Be sure to consult the local house rules before you play.

People who are accustomed to playing Blackjack may be initially put off by only being paid 1 to 1 for a Blackjack hand in Super 21. The soon realize that the excitement adds up, however, by getting paid larger amounts for hands that do not count as anything extra in normal Blackjack. For example, in Super 21, a 2-card blackjack where both cards are the suit of diamonds pays 2 to 1, which is much better than the 3 to 2 odds the same hand would receive in regular blackjack.

There are a number of ways for the player to win in Super 21. Among them are:

• Any hand with more points than the dealer’s hand, without exceeding 21 points, pays 1 to 1
• Any hand of with 6 cards automatically wins, except after double down
• Any 5 card hand totaling 21 pays 2 to 1
• Any Blackjack pays 1 to 1
• Any Diamond Blackjack pays 2 to 1

These elements combine to make Super Fun 21 an exciting variation on the game of Blackjack, and one that has been widely welcomed by Blackjack players who are looking for something a little different.

The first time I heard of card counting, now many years ago, I distinctly remember how I reacted, and it wasn’t a reaction of love and acceptance. My gut essentially told me that card counting was cheating; I mean how could it not be? Or, at the very least, it has to fall into the most dubious of categories of skill or indeed fair play. As time went on however, and the phrase didn’t disappear, in fact became more common and even boasted famous fans I began to rethink my attitude.

The first thing that came to my attention when I started to research card counting was that it is really not something for the amateur. Unexpectedly I learned that card counting would be very difficult for the blackjack novice and can only really be done well be people who have played the game, enjoyed the game, and internalized basic strategy; which I can tell you is no easy feat. In short the people who card count aren’t in-for-a-quick-buck, hit and run co! n merchants, rather they have spent many hours at the blackjack tables, they have put in the time and have become experts.

The next point that I realize when reading about card counting, was that the basics of it are simply logic; if no 10s have come out half way through the deck that’s good for the player because the dealer has to hit on anything less than 17; if there are lots of big numbers, i.e. 10s he is more likely to bust. Conversely, if all the high numbers have appeared that’s bad for the player, because when the dealer does hit he will only be left with low valued numbers which are more likely to help him than make him go bust. This translates as; no 10s, bet; all low numbers don’t bet.

Having realized that it is veteran blackjack players who partake in card counting and that the basic premise is really just logic, I decided to try to uncover a little regarding how card counting actually works. I was actually inspired to delve quite a lot deepe! r into the card counting concept. Card counting, as it turns o! ut, is h arder online than when you have the cards and the dealer physically in front of you; apparently the pace is quicker than any land based casino and this will ultimately affect your ability to count. However, this is not to say by any means that it’s impossible, and the online casino provides the perfect training ground for learning the art and practicing it until you feel confident enough to try it out in a land based casino.

In order to share the next stage of my blackjack-card-counting-rollercoaster-journey, which includes a basic understanding of how it works, you will have to read part II of my blog entry: suffice to say here, that I have in fact done a 180 degree turn on the subject.

All numbered cards are worth face value, pictures cards are worth 10, and the Ace is 1 or 10 – whichever produces the most favorable outcome.  The game starts with the player placing a bet in their bet box.

Once the bet is placed, the dealer gives the player (s)  2 cards, face up, and him/her self 2 cards, one face up, one face down. The player now has a number of options, as follows:

• “Hit”: ie take another card.  You can hit as many times as you want while your hand still totals less than 21.  If your hand total goes over 21, you bust and lose your bet;

• “Stand”: ie do not take another card;

• “Double down”: You may double your bet and receive one more (one more only!) card;

• “Split” pairs. If your first two cards of the deal are the same value, you can split the cards and play two hands by placing a bet of the same value as your original bet on the second hand. So if you split a pair of 9’s you create two separate hands, each with a value of 9. Then you proceed to play out each hand as you would do normally.

• Take insurance if the dealer’s face up card is an Ace…see below

Once the player (s) have made their choices, the dealer will turn over their face down card.    If the dealer’s hand totals 17 or higher he/she must stand, they are not allowed to take additional cards. If the dealer’s hand is 16 or under he/she must hit until the hand has a value of 17 or higher.  The bust rule also applies to the dealer, so if they hit on 15 and draw a 10, they bust.

The fact that the dealer’s hand is played out last is where one of the big house advantages lies, since even if the dealer busts, players who have already gone bust still lose their bet.

Live hands are compared at the end of the deal, and all players with hands higher than the dealer’s win…all those below the dealer’s lose.  If the dealer has gone bust, all live player hands win.  If you beat the dealer with a normal hand you win even money on your bet.  If you win with Blackjack (Ace and a 10/picture) you win 3 to 2 on you bet.