How To Win Big On Online Blackjack
Blackjack is the most popular casino table game of all drawing in countless numbers of hungry players both in the brick and mortar casino, and in online casinos.
- Stick to the basic guide, relentlessly. You can win with just using the basics, and you won’t lose more than it hurts. Search “blackjack basic strategy chart” to learn it, or see below.
- Claim: The average person can make a living off of blackjack.
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Are you a player who is knowledgeable about blackjack strategy? In this article, we detail the basic blackjack strategy charts and provide you with other handy tips to give you the best possible chance of leaving the casino – physical or virtual – in profit.
Basic Blackjack Terms
As with every classic casino table game, there is a lot of lingo thrown about which might sound double Dutch to novice blackjack players. What on earth does it all mean?
Ultimately, you will become more familiar with all the blackjack lingo as you develop your game, whether that is in the brick and mortar casino or at an online casino.
Nonetheless, we have listed some handy basic blackjack terminology below:
How to Win at Blackjack. When gambling, luck shines on only a few people. Blackjack, however, is one of the only casino games where you as a player have a fair shot against the house. To win, and win big, a player should practice some important concepts of mind. Learn to deal with variance At the very best of times, playing blackjack is like riding a roller coaster.
- Stand. The player stays with the cards they were dealt
- Hit. The player is dealt another card, and they can be dealt more if they wish. If the total of the cards exceeds 21 at any point, the player is bust and loses the hand
- Surrender. This is where the player gives up half his bet to forfeit the hand
- Double down. The player doubles their original bet and is dealt one more card, and it can only be one
- Split. If a player is dealt a pair (two 4s for example), or two ten-valued cards, such as a queen and a king, the player can split those cards into two different hands. The player is then dealt another card to each hand. The player must make a second bet of equal value to the first to use the split
- Hard hand. A hand without an ace
- Soft hand. A hand with an ace
Blackjack Strategy Chart
The first thing to get to grips with is ‘basic strategy’ which is probably the most essential ingredient of blackjack strategy.
The basic strategy detailed below is based on blackjack games played with 4 or more decks. Essentially, the basic strategy is a template which shows you the best course of action to take based on the cards dealt.
The below chart: Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart
More Blackjack Tips
The tables above are based on the standard blackjack rulesets. However, there are many different variations of blackjack both in physical casinos and in the online casino landscape.
These variations have different rulesets, so be mindful of the fact that some of the strategies above may not directly apply to the particular blackjack game you are playing.
In fact, the most useful thing you can do is check the specific ruleset of the blackjack game you are playing as soon as you sit down at the table.
Here are some general pointers and questions to keep in mind when playing your particular game of blackjack:
- How many decks are used?
- Are surrenders permitted and are they early or late ones?
- Are there any restrictions on double downs?
- Are there rules regarding splits?
- Is the dealer obliged to hit on a soft 17?
Here are some extra tips which relate to any blackjack game:
- Do not take on any side bets
- Don’t take insurance. This is a side bet which can be placed if the dealer’s face card is an Ace to ‘insure’ you against the dealer having a blackjack. In reality, the odds are stacked against you and it is not worth taking this bet up
- If it is not possible to split your pair, treat your pair as a hard hand
Basic Blackjack Strategy Guide
The charts above may look a bit intimidating and confusing if you are seeking a simple strategy to take to the blackjack table. However, there is a simpler method you can use to memorise the general points of the blackjack strategy above.
Also, you won’t be surprised to hear that in brick and mortar casinos you won’t exactly be welcomed with open arms into a casino if you rock up with these charts in hand.
The majority of casinos simply won’t allow you to enter with these kinds of guides. So, here are simplified guides of the charts above:
Player’s Hand Dealer’s Upfacing Card
HARD | 2 – 6 | 7 – A |
4 – 8 | H | H |
9 | D | H |
10 – 11 | D with more than dealer | D with more than dealer |
12 – 16 | S | H |
17 – 21 | S | S |
Player’s Hand Dealer’s Upfacing Card
SOFT | 2 – 6 | 7 – A |
13 – 15 | H | H |
16 – 18 | D | H |
19 – 21 | D | S |
Player’s Hand Dealer’s Upfacing Card
SPLITS | 2 – 6 | 7 – A |
22, 33, 66, 77, 99 | Split | Don’t split |
88, A | Split | Split |
44, 55, 1010 | Don’t Split | Don’t Split |
Extra tips:
- Surrender 16 when the dealer has a 10
- If strategy says to double but it’s not permitted, hit. If you have a soft 18, stand
How To Play Blackjack And Win
Are You Ready To Master Blackjack?
Blackjack strategy is all about being mindful of the best action to take. If you memorise the main points of the charts above, you will be well on your way to mastering the wonderful world of blackjack.
There are advanced techniques which you can use, chief of which is blackjack card counting, which is essentially a method of tracking the cards which are dealt. However, this technique will not work with online blackjack games, as the virtual deck is shuffled for every single hand.
The best thing you can do to begin is to be fully aware of the specific ruleset relating to the blackjack game you are playing.
That being said, the majority, if not all, of the information in the charts will be applicable to any blackjack game. We are confident in saying that you will be thanking us for these magical blackjack charts!
Are you a blackjack buff? Are there any specific strategies which you use at the blackjack table? Comment below and let us know!
The famous card game known as blackjack has rocked the gambling world for centuries. Surely, people have lost a lot over it, but there were a lot of lucky winners over the years as well. The reality of it all is that probably some of the biggest wins haven’t been made public and will forever remain a secret between the player and the dealer, especially big wins from previous decades when there was no internet, no smartphones and no ever present media.
But just for fun, what are the biggest wins known in blackjack and who were the lucky players? Here are the top five.
No.5: Shoeless Joe
We have a mysterious case of a winner whose identity was never revealed. As is turns out, it was an elderly man known as the Blackjack bum or Shoeless Joe (not related to Chicago White Sox player). He was believed to be kicked out of the house by his wife and was evidently not taking care of his personal hygiene for a while.
He came into the Treasure Island casino in 1995, without any shoes on his feet, and sat at a blackjack table after cashing in his $400 social security check. The man was ignorant to basic blackjack strategy, splitting 10s and doubling down on hard 12s and hard 13s, but that week he managed to win around $1.5 million. However, it must have triggered his unpleasant side, as he became aggressively annoying, which gave casino management reason to rejoice when he finally lost and was thrown out of the casino.
No.4: Ken Uston
Blackjack Hall of Fame member Ken Uston was a complete opposite from our previous winner. Relyig on Edward Thorp’s Beat the Dealer book, he based his play on strategy, rather than pure luck, mastered the mathematical elements of the game and applied them on team play.
He is referred as the creator of blackjack card counting teams, early predecessor of the notorious MIT team.
Between 1975 and 1981, Ken Uston and his team of card counters accumulated winnings resulting in a sum worth more than $4.5 million, running the impressive streak across multiple tables and numerous casino venues across the United States. Check our Blackjack History Infographics for more info.
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No.3: Kerry Packer
Our next contestant is the famous Aussie millionaire Kerry Packer. He was a media magnate, with a reputation of a passionate gambler – and was always considered one of the highest rollers in casinos worldwide. In 1991 he was sitting at a public blackjack table of the Las Vegas Hilton casino. It didn’t take him much to win $7 million for that one night. Apparently, the Hilton had a special private room made for him after that. When he came back the next year, he reportedly gave back $10 million to the casino, but he probably didn’t regret the loss all that much.
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No.2: Don Johnson
One of the wins that set on fire the gambling world was certainly Don Johnson’s accomplishment in 2011. No, we are not talking about the famous ‘Nash Bridges’ Don Johnson, but it was also a pretty resourceful man, a CEO of Heritage Development LLC company. He had an unbelievable winning streak from December 2010 to April 2011, earning a total of $15.1 million playing in several major Atlantic City casinos.
The successful blackjack player first won $4.23 million at Caesars Atlantic City, then $998,000 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa the same month. After a while, his luck struck again, big time. He won $1.8 million at Borgata again, and in two nights another $2.25 million. And lastly, he won $5.8 million at Tropicana Casino.
As he claims, he didn’t count cards apply any other technique. He simply took advantage of every favorable house rule there is, and won more as he played more. According to some interviews, he managed to negotiate a certain discount on his loses in order to keep playing, and it certainly paid off.
No.1: Kerry Packer
It’s not a mistake. We simply have to mention Kerry Packer once again. Not just because we want to, but because the man has had an extraordinary gambling career.
After becoming a regular at Las Vegas whenever he had time off or was on holiday, he came back for another round in 1995. Packer was reported to have played up to 8 hands simultaneously at multiple blackjack tables at Las Vegas MGM Grand this time. He placed bets of $250,000 per hand, and 20 times in a row there were only winning hands for him.
Within 40 minutes he finished his blackjack session cashing out $20 million. Allegedly, he renounced $1 million in favor of the dealers, leaving it behind as a tip!
The world of blackjack is truly inspirational, wouldn’t you say?