Become a decent blackjack player

It is relatively easy to learn how to play blackjack well enough to make money in both land based and online casinos. There are many books on how to become a professional blackjack player and they get pretty complicated. If you want to be a professional player it will take many years of practice and a real understanding of the game. Anyone can become a decent player and have a good shot at making money at a casino if you follow a few simple rules.

There are techniques, such as card counting, that can actually give you a slight advantage over the casino in blackjack. The problem is that you will have to spend many hours learning and perfecting these techniques and then you will have to play many hours a week in order to realize any real profit. In other words you can make it a career if you have the dedication and the bank roll.

First you need to know the basic game play. In blackjack tens and face cards count as 10, Aces count as your choice of either 10 or 11, and all other cards have a count equal to their face value. Players play against the dealer not each another. Each player bets before the hand starts and then the dealer deals two cards to each player and two cards to himself. His second card is dealt up so the players can see it. If the dealer has an ace and a face card or 10 this is blackjack and he will turn it over and wins all bets except against another blackjack. In that case it is a tie or push.

Going clockwise from the dealers left each player has the choice of standing or being dealt additional cards. Play continues with that player until the player stands or gets a card count that totals more than 21. After all players have gone, the dealer draws additional cards to either reach a total of 17 or bust. If the dealer doesn't bust, any player with a higher total count than the dealer without going over wins. Remember your goal is to beat the dealer not to get 21. Therefore your decisions need to be based on beating the dealer.

After the first two cards are dealt there are three special bets you can make. Doubling down means you can double your bet after you receive your first two cards. You then receive one, and only one more card. Splitting pairs is another special bet. If you receive a pair on your first two cards you can split them into two separate hands and play each hand separately. You do need to match your original bet in order to do this. The final special bet is insurance. This means that when the dealers up card is an ace you can wager an addition half of your original bet as insurance that the dealer does not have blackjack. This bet pays 2 to 1, which means you get your money back if the dealer has blackjack.

The basic blackjack strategy card simply tells you when to hit or stand using mathematical probabilities. It does take some time to memorize so here is an abridged version that will work almost as well. If the dealers up card is seven or higher continue to hit until you have 17 or better. If the dealers up card is 6 or lower, hit until you have at least a 12 and then stop. Double down when your first 2 cards total 10 or 11, and always split aces and eights. All of these strategies assume that the next card drawn will always be a ten. If you follow these 4 rules will always be making good bets and you will not be the sucker at the table.