Blackjack Tips & Tricks ♠️
For Beginners & Advanced Players

Many people think playing card games like Blackjack are simply a matter of luck. As it only depends on the cards you happen to be dealt with. In this article, we provide blackjack tips and tricks for both beginners & advanced players. So, improve your blackjack game, place your chips & play with our 8 Top Blackjack Tips!

Learn Strategies

Learn Strategy

Blackjack is at least 400 years old and in that time people have tried many different ways to teach themselves blackjack secrets hoping that they would increase their chances of winning. If you go to the table hoping to rely on natural talent or luck, you might as well just hand your money over to the casino. You need to take the time to learn some strategy and commit basic facts about the game to memory.

Basic strategy teaches you how to make the best decisions based on your hand and the card that the dealer is showing. There are seven rules in the basic strategy that will help you win more.

  • Stand on 13 if the dealer is showing a 2 or a 3
  • If dealt 12 then stand if the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6
  • Stand on 17 if the dealer is showing 7 or higher
  • Always double down on 11 if the dealer is showing 10 or less
  • Double down on 10 if the dealer is showing 9 or less
  • Always split a pair of 8s
  • Always split a pair of aces

Understand Game Variations

Blackjack is one of the oldest and most popular card games in the world. To keep punters interested casinos have created a variety of different blackjack variants that add new twists to the game. This can make things a lot more fun and exciting, however, it can also throw off your strategy. Be sure to familiarise yourself with any new rules and adjust your strategy accordingly. Below is a list of some of the most common variants and the most significant rule changes.

  • Super fun 21 – This version adds in an extra round of betting before the cards are dealt. Players can double, hit, surrender, or stand on any two cards.
  • Spanish Blackjack – Also known as Spanish 21. In this game, all 10 cards are removed. Extra payouts are available for example 7-card blackjack pays out at 3 to 1.
  • Blackjack Switch – Each player receives two hands and can switch one card. If the dealer draws 22, it is considered a push.
  • Double Attack – Players can increase their bet after seeing the dealer’s second card. You can place side bets on if the dealer will bust on their third card.
  • Perfect Pairs – You can place a side bet which you win if your first two cards are a pair.
Understand Game Variations

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Check the Number of Decks

Blackjack rules do not specify how many decks are to be used in a game. Typically, a casino will use between six to eight decks. It is important to know how many decks are in use, as this will change the odds. The more decks used the lower the chance of attaining a natural blackjack. The other benefit to the house of using a larger number of decks is that it makes card counting almost impossible unless you are a mathematical genius. Playing with just one or two decks makes it easy to keep track of which cards have been played and which ones remain in the deck.

When playing in a real-life casino you will often have no choice in the number of decks being used. On the other hand, if you are playing online, many different varieties will usually be on offer so you may be able to select single deck blackjack.

Blackjack Card Counting
Insurance

Don't Take Insurance

When the dealer is showing an ace, they will go round the table and ask each player if they would like insurance. Insurance costs half of your original bet and in effect means that if the dealer lands a natural blackjack your bet will be a push rather than a loss.

Taking out insurance sounds like a sensible way to protect your bet. However, in actual fact what you are doing is placing a side bet on whether or not the dealer will get a natural blackjack.

The odds of a dealer getting a natural blackjack are 9:4. For every four times that your insurance helps you out, you will lose an even larger amount than you otherwise would have, nine times. When it comes to insurance, the odds are never in your favour, this is a bad bet and one you should avoid at all times.

Know when to Split

When we looked at the basic strategy part of the 7 rules gave you some fundamental guidance on when to split. To further increase the likelihood of winning the hand we can start to employ perfect blackjack strategy, which builds on the rules we have already seen giving further details on when to split. As we have already seen if you have a pair of 8s or a pair of aces it is always in your best interest to split irrespective of what the dealer is showing. There are six other instances when it is in your best interests to split.

  • If you have a pair of 9s, you should split if the dealer is showing cards worth 2-9, except 7
  • A pair of 7s can be split when the dealer is showing anything between 2-7
  • A pair of 6s can be split when the dealer shows 2-6
  • 4s should be split when the dealer is showing a 5 or a 6
  • Split 3s when the dealer shows 2-7
  • Split 2s when the dealer shows 2-7
Splitting Pairs
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Know when to Double Down

Perfect blackjack strategy also extends the rules for when you should double down from the basic strategy. There can be quite a lot to learn but if you take the time to memorise these rules, then it can greatly increase your chance to beat the dealer. In basic strategy, we saw that you should double down if you had an 11 and the dealer had anything between 2-10. We also saw that you should double down on a 10 if the dealer has a card showing 2-9. Below are four further rules for when to double down.

  • If you have cards that total 9 and the dealer has 3-6 you should double down
  • If you have a 6 and a 7 and the dealer is showing 3-6, double down
  • Double down when you have a 4 and a 5 and the dealer is showing 4-6
  • If your two cards are a 2 and a 3 and the dealer is showing 5-6 then double down
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Manage your Bankroll

Using the blackjack tips and strategies we have outlined here gives you the best possible chance of winning. However, it is important to remember that no matter how well you play your hand there is no guarantee of winning. This means it is important to manage your bankroll and know how much you can afford to lose, without getting yourself into trouble. Too often people head to a casino and just start placing bets without setting a limit to their bankroll. This can quickly get you into problems as a few loses in you start to tell yourself that your luck must surely turn around soon. Or after a few wins you feel you can’t lose so start placing even larger bets.

If you want to play blackjack seriously, you should take the time to build up your bankroll first. A good rule of thumb is to set you bankroll at 50 times to minimum stake. For example, if the smallest bet you can place is £10 then the ideal bankroll would be £500.

Know when to quit

If you are looking to maximise your wins, then you also need to think about when to quit. You might feel that you are on a good run and keep making bigger and bigger bets while playing for longer than you originally intended. However, you have to know when to walk away or you can lose your money as quickly as you won it. Also, you need to know when to quit when you are losing if you always play to ruin then you can never make any money.

There are no set rules as to when to walk away but it is prudent to have set targets. When on a winning streak a good system is to stop when you have increased your bankroll by 40%. If you have set your bankroll at £500, when you get to £700 you should walk away. If the cards are not falling your way it’s best to call it quits when you have lost 50% of your bankroll, so using the above example when you are down to £250 it is time to go.

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