answers to The most Frequently Asked Questions about blackjack
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It’s a card game between a player and a dealer where each card has a point value.
Players bet before any cards are dealt and sometimes have the option of multiplying their bet.
The player or dealer who gets closest to 21 without going over 21 wins the bet.
“Blackjack” is also the name of a hand in the game which has 21 points in the first two cards.
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Players make a bet then the dealer gives them two cards both face up.
The dealer deals himself two cards, one face down and one face up.
Players makes a decision to stand, hit, double split, and sometimes surrender.
Any player (or dealer) who exceeds 21 loses.
After all payers have made their decisions, the dealer draws cards according to the table’s rules.
The player who is closer to 21 than the dealer takes back his bet and wins an amount equal to his bet.
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It is the decision to hit, stand, double, split, or surrender that is most likely to result in the player winning the hand.
The factors affecting the decision are the player’s and the dealer’s specific cards and their point total.
Basic strategy is usually communicated as a decision table addressing all possible hands which is based on the blackjack table’s specific rules (which can vary some).
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Blackjack is played in every casino in the world that offers table game (some don’t).
Just find a table, buy some chips from the dealer, and make a bet.
Dealers love new players and are happy to answer questions and give advice.
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Don’t make sucker bets.
Learn basic strategy.
Bring enough cash to the table.
Leave the game with a profit.
Don’t hedge when you’re losing.
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Bets where the house has a large advantage (edge) over the player relative to the game’s other bets.
This includes Insurance.
And “even money”…when the blackjack payoff is 3 to 2.
And Side bets.
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Use visualization — picturing the basic strategy decision chart in your mind.
Use a wallet card while learning.
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One that’s 33 times the average bet.
This rule-of-33 will allow you to weather the game’s normal ups and downs…
Making the chance of going broke in a 3-hour game only 5%.
Any game longer than 3 hours, and any amount less than 33x increases the player’s chance of going broke.
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Our suggestion: when you have won 33 times your average bet in a 3-hour period.
The chance of winning this much in 3 hours is 5%.
We think that’s a reasonable goal and target.
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Never hedge (reduce) your bet or fail to double or split when you’re losing!
Always bet the maximum allowed when you have an advantage over the house.
“Streaks” start and end on a random basis…don’t make decisions based on streaks.
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It’s the difference between what the house wins and what the player wins.
For example, with a 5% house edge, the house will win on average $55 for “every $100 bet.”
“Every $100 bet” means $50 from the player and $50 from the house…the house is matching the player’s bet even though only the player’s money is physically on the table.
The house edge for blackjack is typically 0.5% ($0.50 for every $100 bet).
It shoots up to almost 2% if the blackjack payoff is 6:5.
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It’s what a better expects to win or lose on a bet when the risk of winning or losing is factored into the calculation.
EV = (Payoff x Probability of Winning) - (Bet x Probability of Losing)
The more bets, the more the average winnings or loses will approach the expected value.
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It just doesn’t pay enough with a 2 to 1 return.
The odds against winning the insurance bet are 2.25 to 1.
This means the house has an 11.1% edge over the player.
Even when risk is factored in using the expected value calculation, the house still has an edge of 8%.
The house edge for the game as a whole is usually about 1/2 of 1%.
Since the payoff never changes, taking insurance when there’s a large bet on the table is also a bad idea.
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Sometimes, depending on the blackjack payoff.
For example, if the blackjack payoff is 3 for 2, the house get a 4% edge when the player accepts even money.
If the blackjack payoff is 6 for 5, however. the player gets a 20% edge if he accepts even money.
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Not if you are playing the odds.
The house edge with side bets is typically 4% to 12% depending on the type of side bet.
If you like making lottery-like bets, however, you might enjoy side bets as they usually have a big payoff when you win.
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It’s a way to tell if the cards remaining in the deck have a higher than normal proportion of 10-point cards.
10-point cards are bad for the dealer since the dealer must always hit on 16 or less and has a higher chance of going over 21 if there are lots of 10-point cards.
When it’s in his advantage, the card counter increases his bet.
Most systems for counting cards require the player to keep a tally of points based on the cards that have been dealt.
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Not if you are playing for fun.
It’s boring and stressful.
And you are likely to get caught when you increase your bet.
It’s not illegal, but the casino will probably ask you to leave and not come back.
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A betting system is a method of increasing or decreasing a bet based on prior losses or wins.
For example, with the popular Martingale system, players halve their bet when they win and double it when they lose.
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They appear to allow the player to avoid going broke, but they don’t.
Luck is the determining factor in winning or losing, not the bet amount based on a past event(s).
What happens with betting systems is that players often hit the table minimum or maximum limits or they don’t have the bankroll to sustain the bets required.
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Because it’s more predictable based on statistics than other casino games.
The decisions in basic strategy, for example, are all based on probability
The house edge is determined by averaging the frequency and the expected value of each possible hand
Even the amount a player wins or loses due to luck can be predicted with a certain probability using standard deviation
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No.
It helps if you can add quickly, but the only real need is to know what to do when (basic strategy).
The game’s rules are easy to learn and remember.
Nowadays, most casinos use the same rules: dealer stands on 17 or more, but hits on soft 17, no surrender, 3 hands can be split and doubled, dealer peeks.
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Never take insurance.
Never take even money when the blackjack payoff is 3:2.
Never make side bets.
Bring 33x the average bet as a bankroll.
Leave the game when you have won 33x the average bet.
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Yes, for most people.
Nowadays the lowest table minimum for the 3:2 game is $15 or more, sometimes $25 or more.
This means you need a bankroll of $495 ($15) or $895 ($25) to play for 3 hours with a reasonable (95%) chance of NOT going broke.
Depending on your luck and how long you play, it’s easy to lose.
But it’s just as easy to win.
Don’t play if you don’t have the required bankroll or if you cannot afford to lose it.
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Over the long run, a player who knows basic strategy should only lose the house edge (0.5% in most games) of the total amount bet.
In the short term, players can win or lose a lot of money depending on luck as the house edge is tiny.
On average, player’s should break even less the amount they spend on the house edge, which most players view as an entertainment expense.
Calculate the total amount bet correctly…it’s the average bet / hand x the rate of play x the total time played.
In three hours, a $20 player can easily bet $3.300 and 0.5% of this is $16.50.
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It’s random…it works the same for the player and the casino.
Streaks happen, but no one can predict when they will start or end.
Nothing that happened in the past is going to affect the future (the Gambler’s Fallacy).
Blackjack has a relatively narrow range statistically between the amount a player might win or lose.
The casino wins small but steadily; the player wins big but rarely…have patience.
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Most experts say NO as the house edge goes from .5% to about 2%.
However, if the table minimum is relatively low ($5, $10, or even $15), and you can play perfect basic strategy, and there’s not another blackjack game offered, we say go for it.
Why? Because luck is still the major determinant on whether you will win or lose.
Why deny yourself the fun of playing a short-term game for a small difference in the house edge?