Blackjack Tips to Play Online

Blackjack is a game where the player can gain a good edge without cheating or counting cards. Some tips are fundamental, and others will focus on specific hands. As a player, you will not earn better odds than the house, but these can improve them.

Basic Bankroll

A big part of betting right is knowing the size of your wagers and when to quit if you aim to make a profit, which it should. If this is your first time with Blackjack, then begin with the lowest limit bets possible. In most casinos, this would be $15 or $10, depending on the time of day—$ 5 used to be a thing in the past but rare to find nowadays.Blackjack online might offer lower limits than $15, and it is a great place to practice before hitting a casino table in your city where other more experienced players might press for a faster game-play. Online you can also play with fake money and even claim a bonus to play with real money awarded by the casino.

When to Quit

Two basic rules to quit playing.

#1 – If you begin with a nasty streak, then quit for the time being. The situation starts to affect you emotionally and can produce some bad calls instead of keeping it cool. Plus, it’s no fun.

#2 – Quit when you are winning. Do not over-extend your good streaks. Set yourself a profit limit that can be 3x your initial bankroll and quit once achieved.

Bonus tip: Drinking while playing is fun, and you can allow yourself that unless you are in the full-professional mode, but watch your level of intoxication so it does no affect your calls.

Learn the Basic Strategy Charts

There are strategy charts for different types of variants. The most basic game is single-deck blackjack. Here are some tips:

Do not claim the insurance bet as it raises the house edge by 5.9%.

If you cannot re-split a hand, treat it as a challenging total and follow the strategy for that hand in the table.

Consider the rule if the dealer stands or hits on a hard 17 or soft 17.

Consider the types of totals a player has for the rest of the hand (hard, soft, or pairs).

  • H: Hit
  • S: Stand
  • P: Split
  • DH: Double down if permitted, else Hit
  • DS: Double down if permitted, else Stand
  • PH: Split if doubling down is permitted after splitting, else Hit
  • PD: Split if doubling down is allowed after splitting, else double down
  • RH: Surrender if the option is available, else Hit
  • RS: Surrender if the option is available, else Stand

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chart2

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Strategy when the dealer stands on soft 17:

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chart5

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Watch the Odds & Decks

Do not play a game that pays 6:5. Play games that pay 3:2, even if it is an eight-deck. That said, fewer decks are better than more but always watch the rules. If all deck variants have the same rules, then stick to one deck or lower possible.

A casino, both online and actual, offers tables with different rules. Search for one where the dealer stands on soft 17. With six decks and eight decks, you want to play the variant where surrender is allowed.

Betting Systems

Betting systems do more harm than good.

Martingale is the most famous one for blackjack. The system is simple. It requires to double the bet size every time you lose. In this game, you will have multiple and extended losing hands, so martingale is a quick way to burn your bankroll.

Lower stake tables are not always the best option in terms of earnings. Do play low limit when your pocket requires it, by all means, but playing $20 per hand on a 6:5 table will give you a 2% disadvantage with an expected loss of 40 cents per hand. If you play a $100 bet on a high-limit 6-deck table, your disadvantage lowers to .26%, and that is huge. Your odds improve the higher the limit.

Insurance?

Never take insurance. Only 4 of 13 possible cards will give the dealer a blackjack under the ace. That is only 30.8% for blackjack. So just stay away from the insurance. The odds are in your favor in this scenario.

Beware Dealers With 5 or 6

This might look like an excellent opportunity to double your bet, but the dealer has a better chance of making a hand than fail in this situation.

Never Stand on Soft 17

This hand cannot bust and can only push with a dealer 17 if you stand. The option is to hit or double.

These are the essential tips that can make you win more often. Have fun learning them.