Blackjack Tips for Casual Players of the Game

A Players Question

" I mostly play slots. I'd like to play blackjack but I'm afraid I'll make mistakes. Can you give me any help?"

Henrys Answer

I think I can. Let's start with the basic rules and then I'll show you simplified playing tips and a blackjack strategy that's easy to use.

The objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand by either having your hand total higher than the dealer's hand or by not going over a total of 21 when the dealer does.

The cards in blackjack count their face value. All picture cards count as 10 and the ace can count as either 1 or 11. The highest hand is a blackjack, which occurs when the first two cards dealt to you total 11 (i.e. an ace and ten-value card).

If you get a blackjack and the dealer doesn't, you get paid 1.5 times your bet (bet $5 and win $7.50). Otherwise all winning hands are paid at even odds and if your hand has the same total as the dealer's hand, that's a tie and you don't lose your bet (known as a push).

If you are dealt a pair, you can split them into two hands. To do this, you would place another bet on the layout next to your original bet (same amount). Splitting 8's is a good move because a 16 is a poor hand.

To understand the simplified playing strategy that follows, you must be able to recognize a soft hand and hard hand. A hard hand is any hand that either doesn't have an ace, or if it does the ace counts as 1 (e.g. 10-7 and 10-6-ace are hard 17 hands). A soft hand in blackjack contains an ace counted as 11 (e.g.. Ace-6 is soft 17).

I suggest you learn the following 8 simplified rules to get you started.

For pair splitting
Always split 8's and aces

For doubling down
With 10 or 11, double down if your total is greater than the dealer's upcard

For hard hands
With 17 or more, always stand
With 12 through 16, hit against a dealer's upcard of 7 or more, otherwise stand
With 11 or less, always hit (unless doubling)

For soft hands
With soft 18 or more, always stand. With soft 17 or less, always hit.

As far as betting, I would keep it simple and only bet the minimum.

Now for some don'ts. Don't drink a lot when you play, don't use any kind of 'double up after a loss' betting system and don't chase your losses. Set a goal to win about 25% of your bankroll and be happy if you achieve it. If you want to play longer, then set a goal to win another 25% but if the tide turns be ready to take your profits and run from the table.

If this is you

If you are a casual players then you might like to take a look at our Blackjack Tutorial. You can use it to not only learn to play but also practice Henry's advice. It's free and you can use it for along as you like. Once you are confident with your game, then visit one of our top online casinos and start playing for real money.