Blackjack is simply one of the easiest yet competitive casino games you can participate in. Even relatively new players can participate once they’re ready to take chances. Due to its good payouts, many players eventually try out this casino game.
To play blackjack, you only have to score more than the dealers but not exceed the total hand of 21, or else you bust your hand. Simple enough? Now that you understand how this works, you can start improving your blackjack gaming skills and your chances of winning.
Find a Suitable Online Casino
The first step in improving your winning chances is to find the most suitable online casino. You can start by listing the features you want an online casino to possess. You can consider their payment method, registration process, or security measures. Remember that you’ll play the blackjack games, so your comfort is the top priority.
Once you figure that out, you can begin your search by initially looking into popular casino sites and checking their websites yourself. Do they match with what you’re looking for? Does the site load seamlessly? If it ticks off everything from your checklist, you can write it down on a separate note and head on to the following site. Don’t settle with the list of sites you see; first, try to collect more prospects.
The process might take time, but patience is a virtue and will be worth it in the end.
Refrain From Placing Side Bets
Side bets are the type of bets that players place on top of their initial bets. This type of bet doesn’t affect the primary bets and is usually played to earn extra money or for fun.
As good as it sounds, if you want to know how to play blackjack better and improve your chances of winnings, experts suggest refraining from placing side bets instead. This might be confusing, but you need to hear them out. One of their reasons includes the unfair advantage of the house or casino.
For instance, with an insurance bet (one of the most popular blackjack side bets), the house advantage runs up to 5.8%. Although you would want to secure your winnings when the dealer wins, you might want to understand that you’ll not earn additional money despite the wager you placed. Instead, you’ll only earn the amount you initially bet. In the end, rather than earning anything, you’ll instead lose more.
Be Familiar With Strategy Charts
Blackjack might be a game of chance, but you’ll be surprised to hear that it does have a few strategies that players also utilize. So, if you want to improve your chances of winning, you might want to be familiar with the following:
- Card Counting. This system or strategy allows you to keep track of who has the better advantage the next hand through statistics. It has various types, and the most popular one is the Hi-Lo or the High-Low strategy. Some players make cheat sheets for this to better assist themselves when playing blackjack.
- Strategy Charts. Unlike card counting, strategy charts involve charts that have a series of possible scenarios and decisions you should make to help you win. You can easily access the strategy charts online and take your time familiarizing each table or print out your own cheat sheet.
However, note that not all casino houses allow players to bring their cheat sheets, making playing online more disadvantageous. The reason for this is that there’s no way the casino site masters will know what you have near you, given the online situation.
Moreover, it’s best to remember that these are merely “strategies” that could help you improve your chances. As such, it doesn’t give you the definite result of winning because there are still other factors that you must consider, such as the dealer’s abilities, your concentration, and the cards.
Always Be Mindful of the Dealer’s Card
As mentioned, it’s easy to get lost at the moment when playing blackjack, which makes it one of your major concerns when playing. Not only that, but since you’re eager to win, it’s only natural to focus mainly on what you have on your hand, but this can be one of the most common rookie mistakes you can make.
Instead, you should always check the dealer’s card that is faced up and then check yours. Are they holding a bad or a good card? Then, proceed to analyze your next moves.
Carefully Decide When Placing Hit or Stand
If you’re a relatively new blackjack player, it’s easy to let loose or just “follow the flow” when playing. However, this carelessness might put your finances at risk. Thus, when playing blackjack, you must always be conscious and aware of all the moves you will make.
Although the outcomes are usually determined by chance, you can turn the chances into probability and compare the past outcomes based on your experience. You can usually call for a Hit for cards below 8 and 17. Meanwhile, hands with 17 and above usually stand. Still, you must carefully think about your strategy and analysis.
Final Thoughts
Blackjack is a very popular casino game for a reason, and winning every game in this casino game gives you bragging rights and the money. You can try to remember all the tips mentioned here, but you should still be open-minded about the other possibilities that could happen. With that in mind, you should continue practicing and accumulate experience!