How to play Blackjack: A Beginners Strategy Guide
Are you a blackjack beginner? Blackjack can be intimidating for the beginner, but it’s a pretty simple game, so most beginners should pick blackjack up quickly. This guide will show you how to play, transforming you from a beginner to a strategic blackjack player!
Beginner’s Guide: How to Play Blackjack
First, you decide how much to wager. You bet by putting your chips into a little circle on the blackjack table called the betting circle.
Then you get 2 cards and the dealer gets 2 cards. The goal is to see who can get closer to 21 without going over. Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever works better for you.
You get to see one of the dealer’s cards, and then decide if you want to take another card (called a hit), or if you have enough already (stay or stand). To signal that you want a hit, tap the table. To signal you want to stand, wave your hand once over your cards. Your being filmed to make sure there aren’t any disputes, so you have to use hand signals instead of words.
If you hit, you get another card, and then are confronted with the same choice. You can get as many cards as you want, but it won’t take many to put you over 21, making you the loser. Once you stand, the dealer shows his cards.
The blackjack dealer has certain rules he has to follow. If his two cards total 16 or less, he has to take a hit. If they total 17 or more, he has to stay.
Whoever comes closest to 21 without going over wins. If you tie (called a push), no money is exchanged. If you both go over 21 (that’s called a bust), you lose. That’s just about all there is to blackjack!
Black Jack Strategy
Here’s the blackjack strategy. Naturally, your cards matter. But the dealers one card showing may matter even more. Here’s why. There are 13 different card types (2 to Ace). 4 of them are worth 10. So any time you don’t know what a card is, there’s about a 1 in 3 chance that the card is worth 10. That gives you a lot of information. Does the dealer have an ace showing? That’s very bad, since that means there’s a 1 in 3 chance of the dealer having 21 without even taking a hit (this is called a blackjack).
So there’s a lot of strategic information in that one little card that the dealer has to show. If it’s a 6, then there’s a 1 in 3 chance that his next card is 10, giving him 16. Remember, the rules say he has to take another hit at 16. Since there’s still an almost 1 in 3 chance that his next card is also a 10, there’s a good chance he’ll go over 21. So you see, just by seeing the dealer’s 6, you know there’s a good chance that he’ll go over 21.
Let’s say the dealer has a 6 showing, and you have 12. How do you decide what to do? You’d normally think that 12 isn’t enough to win a game where you’re trying to get close to 21. But that’s not really the issue. If you take a hit, there’s a 1 in 3 chance that you’ll get a 10, giving you a total of 22 and losing. It’s a counterintuitive strategy, but you actually stand in this situation.
Alternatively, if the dealer shows 7 or higher, there is a 1 in 3 chance that he has 17 or higher. So you will want to take more hits. If the dealer shows 7 and you have 16, how do you decide what to do? Well there’s a 1 in 3 chance the dealer has 17, and will beat you. If you take a hit, there’s about a 5 in 12 chance that you’ll get a hand that will help you tie or win (A2345). It’s a bad situation to be in, but I say the best strategy is to take the hit.
The general blackjack strategy: If the dealer shows 6 or lower, be very passive (take fewer hits) since the dealer has a weak hand and there’s a good chance he’ll bust. If the dealer shows 7 or above, take more hits since the dealer has a strong hand.
Advanced Blackjack Options
There are a couple advanced blackjack options you can use also. Even the beginner can use some of them.
Split
If your two cards are the same number, you can split them into two separate hands. You also have to double your bet though. You then play each of these hands against the dealer. You could win them both, win one and lose one, or lose them both. If you have 2 aces, you always split them. The aces together are very weak (worth 12), but once split, there’s a decent chance both will become blackjacks (21). You turn a bad blackjack hand into two good ones. Also, 8’s are well known as a good hand to split.
Double Down
While you only have two cards, you also have the option to double down. This means you double your bet and get one hit. You also don’t get the option of taking a second hit.
Generally you’ll want to double down when you have 10 or 11 (because there’s a 1 in 3 chance you’ll end up with 20 or 21) and the dealer has 6 or less (because there’s a good chance he’ll bust.
There you have it! You’re no longer a beginner. Now that you have blackjack strategy down, with a little blackjack experience, you’ll be an expert!
