How to Play Blackjack

If you’ve ever been to a casino or checked out an online casino, one of the headliner games that you’ve probably seen is Blackjack. The game of Blackjack is definitely the most popular table game that you can find in a casino, and the idea behind it is very simple. You not only want to get your two cards as close to the number 21 as you can, but most importantly you just want to beat the dealer. While you may be playing against other players at your table, none of their hands matter, as you get paid out on your bet if you end up beating the dealer’s hand. There is quite a bit of strategy behind Blackjack, but also many things that you need to pay attention to in order to make the correct plays so that you can be profitable. We will look at the things like doubling, splitting, and when to stand and hit based on the dealers up card.

Watching the Dealer’s Card

One of the first and most overlooked things by Blackjack players out there is the dealer’s one up card that you can see. You should be basing many of the decisions on your hand about what your dealer’s up card is. When you see that card, you should be assuming that the under card is always a ten, and then making your decisions from there. This means that if the dealer has a six, that they are sitting in a very awful spot, because they have a ton of bust cards if they have a ten underneath. With that being said, you don’t want to risk busting in that situation if you have a hand like a 12-16. Anything higher than that you aren’t going to be taking hits on anyways. On the other side of things though, if the dealer has a nine showing and you have a 13, then you should be taking the hit in order to better your hand. Always keep an eye on the dealers hand and make sure that your decisions are based off of that card and not just off of your hand.

When to Double in Blackjack

Doubling is a crucial part of playing Blackjack, as it gives you the opportunity to put down another bet of the same size or smaller, and you can win BOTH bets in order to pick up big payouts for one hand. It’s important to know WHEN you should be doubling though, as the only times you should really be looking at this option is when the dealer has a fair weak hand (specifically not a ten showing), and you have either a nine, ten, or eleven. If the dealer is showing a nine and you have a nine, you probably will not want to double though. The best spots to double your bet are when you have between a nine and eleven, and the dealer is showing a four, five, or six. These are spots where the dealer is in a great spot to bust, and you are in a great spot to end up close to a 20 or 21 even. Be careful about doubling when the dealer has a hand like an eight or nine showing though because you have to remember that you are assuming they have a ten underneath.

Splitting Your Hand in Blackjack

The only times that you are able to split your hand when playing Blackjack is when you have two of the same numbers. So that means anything from 2/2 all the way up to A/A. There are obviously times where splitting is better and other times when you should completely avoid it. The first and most important thing that is worth pointing out is that you should NEVER split two ten’s (a 20). Splitting this is just asking for a disaster and they always say to never split a winning hand (which is almost always true). A huge part of splitting your hand though has to do with what the dealer is showing. You should always be splitting 8′s, but you should leave 9′s without being split as this is considered a winning hand. From there, the lower cards will depend a lot on if the dealer has a hand between a 7 to ace showing, or if they have a 2 or 3. Two’s and three’s are considered “wild cards” for the dealer typically, which we will explain more below. While splitting your cards is a great way to have two bets out there once again, be careful about the decision of whether to split a hand like 5/5 or to double it. Doubling it is the better decision and will give you the best chance to take down the hand!

As you can tell from the different situations listed above, a very large number of your Blackjack decisions will have to do with what the dealer is showing. Remember, the game of Blackjack isn’t simply about getting as close to 21 as you possibly can, it’s about playing against the dealer and simply making the smartest plays so that you can beat the dealer’s hand and win your bet! Never get too crazy with your doubling and splitting though, because the smarter that you play then the more profitable you will be.

One last pointer that should be mentioned is the standard money management that comes along with gambling. You should set a standard bet sizing throughout until you start going on a bit of a hot streak, and then bump your bet up just a bit. If your run does not continue, then you should step your bet back down and continue to grind it out until you get on a roll once again. Blackjack is a very up and down game, so just be careful with your bet sizing and make sure that you leave the table when you have a solid profit or if you are running very bad. If you have solid money management you’ll find that you can be very profitable when playing Blackjack, so just stick with what you know about gambling money management!