By William Westerlund.
There is no strategy that allows players to ensure 100% that they are going to win blackjack in the casino – be it online or in-play dealer option – that is impossible when chance also counts. Nevertheless, you can draw up a strategy to maximize profits. Below, we will walk you through the five basic but mandatory tips for playing a live variant of the classic game.
Manage your Budget Appropriately
First of all, managing your bankroll is essential to increase your longevity in a game. Blackjack live casino games have betting limits that show the minimum and maximum bets allowed. Keep in mind, however, that the betting limits may depend on the casino and the title you are playing.
To top it all up, in betting games that involve an element of skill, it is recommended that you make some smaller bets to “warm up” and evaluate what the situation is like at the table. A dealer who is on a winning streak can ruin your night, so make sure you test things before diving into bigger bets.
Double the Bet in Live Blackjack
Doubling the bet is, basically, asking for one more card (only one) by doubling the initial bet. This way, if we win, we will also win twice as much. This action can bring us benefits when we have a strong starting hand, such as 9, 10 or 11 and the dealer has an unfavorable card upside down, for example, from 2 to 6.
Of course, it must be taken into account that not all blackjack tables allow doubling, and some only when we have a hand that goes from 9 to 11. What’s more, some do not allow you to double the bet when we have already made a division. For all these reasons, it is better to look at the rules, and what is allowed and what is not, before playing.
Never Divide 10s, 4s, and 5s
A couple of 10s is self-explanatory. It’s practically the strongest second hand after blackjack, so you won’t want to split it. Dividing a couple of 4s is considered a bad idea because you will never spend time with them.1)In a game that allows double after splitting, the basic strategy for a pair of 4s is to split (divide) them if the dealer shows a 5 or 6 up-card. A pair of 5s means that you have 10, which means that the only thing you have to worry about is whether the dealer has a nine, a 10 or an ace.
With that being said, there are three conditions under which the division is influenced by the dealer’s face-up card (the card that the dealer receives face up and visible to all players):
- If you have two, three or seven, and the dealer’s face-down card is two to seven.
- If you have a pair of nines while the dealer has an upside-down card from two to six, or eight or nine.
- If you have a pair of sixes, while the dealer has a card face up between two and six.
While it is possible to find more details about why this is the case, at the end of the day, it is about you improving your chances of putting together a winning hand.
Know Basic Options to Manage Your Hand
When you play blackjack, you have basic options to manage your hand: hit, stand, divide or double.2)And in some casinos, surrender! If the surrender option is offered, you can forfeit your initial 2-card hand and receive half of your bet back. While choosing your next move can be fun, you should not hit, stand, divide or double spontaneously or randomly.
There are three boxes where, depending on the hand that the user has and the hand of the dealer, it is recommended to do one thing or another. Well, they are recommendations yes, but empirically proven, that is, they always work in the long term.
Each of the tables of blackjack basic strategy are designed for a specific game type. They are broken down into single, double and multi-deck and each table has options for whether the dealer hits or stands on a soft-17.
Ideally, you must know the viable circumstances to opt for these movements. However, it is true that it may take you a long time to memorize all the variables, so you have two options. Or always have them nearby until you automate your movements or memorize only the really important parts.
Take a Good Look at the Rules
Last but definitely not least, in online gambling portals you can find several types of in-play blackjack in which the rules can be quite different from each other. Even in the same modality, casinos can have such different rules that it is always good to know them before so as not to be surprised.
And the problem is not that players don’t know how to play well in casinos with specific rules, since everything can be learned, the real problem is that, objectively speaking, there are rules that benefit the gambler more and other rules that harm them.
That’s the reason why practicing for a while is always advisable if you want to be more likely to win the game. You need to familiarize yourself with the game before going on to play money.
IMAGE CREDIT: Pixabay.com
IMAGE CREDIT: Pixabay.com
IMAGE CREDIT: Pixabay.com
Footnotes
↑1 | In a game that allows double after splitting, the basic strategy for a pair of 4s is to split (divide) them if the dealer shows a 5 or 6 up-card. |
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↑2 | And in some casinos, surrender! If the surrender option is offered, you can forfeit your initial 2-card hand and receive half of your bet back. |