Blackjack — What You Need to Know Before Playing

Blackjack is a popular casino game loved by many. The game is straightforward, the rules are clear, and it pits the player against the house.

There are different versions of blackjack, including European Blackjack, American Blackjack, Vegas Strip Blackjack, and Blackjack Switch.

The biggest hurdle for some people is learning how to play the game. But if you’ve mastered how to play blackjack, you can win at any blackjack table.

Important Things to Know Before Playing Blackjack

In addition to learning how to play, there are some things you need to know to win. You should adhere to the rules, research to study the game better, and understand the following:

1. Rules Can Shift House Edge

There are basic rules which don’t change, but the game decides secondary rules.

Some of the rules you should note are: the dealer can stand on a soft 17; blackjack pays three to two, nothing less or more; you can split aces more than four times; you can split other pairs more than four times; you can double after the split; you can double any two cards of your choice; it’s best to have fewer decks, and you can surrender.

Rules that the casino enjoys include: blackjack pays 6 to 5 or any other worse deals; dealer hits (not stand) on a soft 17, you can split to only two or three hands; you can only double on totals of nine to 11 or more; no double after splitting; and no surrender.

2. Get a Dealer Who Favors You

This rarely happens, but it’s great to have a dealer who helps you win. A dealer can tell you how to play your hands. Most casinos don’t allow a process of insurance offers. So, a dealer who peeks into the down card and tells you to take insurance has your best interest at heart.

Although it can get the dealer into trouble, taking the insurance afterward could be the best decision you’ll make on the table. However, not all dealers are friendly.

3. You Can’t Count Your Cards

While playing, you can raise your bet when high cards are more than low cards on the deck. You can even swing the overall edge without obviously counting your cards. While this is difficult, counting your cards individually could lead to the end of your game.

You can only count in your head as casinos consider themselves a private business that exists on the rules of the house.

4. Don’t Play Less than 3 to 2 Blackjack Payouts

This is rare, but many casinos offer 6 to 5 payouts, which increases their edge by 1.39%. With the rules, this is a ridiculous increase that could easily result in a bad game for you. Aside from the bad payouts, it requires different strategies to win, and the rules can be a little bit different from the regular blackjack.

5. Be a Master of Camouflage

You shouldn’t count your cards. But if you do, no one should be able to figure it out. When the count is in your favor, casinos will know you’re counting your cards if you raise your bets. There are computer programs casinos use to watch this.

If you want to earn from counting, betting much more is an advantage. You should, however, be careful as you can’t go from a small bet to a large one as this will easily attract attention.

6. Forget Insurance

You shouldn’t take insurance except the cards are in your favor. When your dealer has an ace facing up, it’s a trap to get a player to take insurance that will half the bet.

If your dealer has a 10-value card facing down, your insurance bet pays two to one, which means you’ll lose your original bets and be paid double your insurance bet even if you win the game. This is because when your dealer has 10-value cards, you’ve won. More of them means you lose.

Final Notes

You should also know that the experience of live blackjack and online blackjack are different. Live blackjack’s social environment could be more inspiring, but online blackjack has little or no distractions.

Aside from this, what’s meant by house edge is the percentage the casino has on you while you play. The advantage could even be in the long-term. That means, instead of losing money, they can make money on you.