Tuesday, December 14, 2010

How to win at Blackjack

Blackjack odds are some of the best odds in the online casino. You can improve the chances of winning by knowing a few little tricks. Blackjack is the most popular table game in the casino. This is because it is easy to understand and the player has some control. If the player plays correctly the house has a very small edge. The blackjack strategy card must be understood by any serious player. This card will tell you what to do with any hand in blackjack.

If the strategy card is followed exactly in a blackjack game with standard casino rules the edge against the player will be half a percent. These are great odds but the house still has the advantage. This means that although you can win in the short term with a few good cards, in the long run the house edge will eventually overcome.

In order to turn the online gambling casino edge into your favor you will need to understand what creates that edge. Card counting is simply keeping track of how many high cards and low cards have already been played and figuring out when you have the edge. All professional or serious blackjack players understand the math behind this.

It takes many hours of practice to become a good card counter. The more cards with a face value of ten that are in a deck the better the odds for the player. The basic principle is that you start with a count of zero. When each card with a face value of two though six is dealt, the deck has become more favorable for the player, so you add one to your count. When a card with a face value of ten or greater is dealt you subtract one from your count. There are more complex systems that give more weight to the ace, but this is a good system that will increase your odds.

A true count is achieved by dividing the count by the number of remaining decks in the shoe. Most casinos use a shoe with eight decks. In order to determine how many decks are left assume that each deck is about one inch thick. Once you’re true count has reached a total of ten or greater you have an advantage over the house. Once you understand how to count the next problem becomes knowing how to use the count.

When you are card counting you do not want to be obvious with your bets. The obvious way to bet would be to bet small until the cards are in your favor and then bet large. You need to slowly increase your bets as the count gets better and better. This system will take you hundreds of hours to master. In order to count cards without being obvious at a table with other players takes a lot of practice and concentration.