Blackjack For Beginners

A lot of blackjack tips pages don’t account for the skill level of the reader. You’ll find people suggesting that you learn to count cards or that you practice shuffle tracking.

  • What You Need To Know Before Blowing Your Money At The Blackjack Table Play basic strategy. Memorizing the right way to hit, stand, split and double down your hand is a must, says gambling. Don't play insurance. Unless you're counting cards don't make this dumb move, which is essentially another.
  • One of those games that deserve your attention is Blackjack. However, beginners won’t have a chance to earn money because of their lack of gambling experience. You need to use different methods of knowledge improvement to become a pro. Fortunately, you came to the right place. A Few Words about Blackjack Img source: huntscanoes.com.
Such advice is fine, for the most part, but it’s not suitable for most blackjack beginners.

This post consists of my seven best blackjack tips for beginners. To become a better blackjack player, keep reading below and start applying the following strategies and tips.

When asked how to play Blackjack for beginners, gambling expert John Marchell spilt the following pearls of wisdom: 'When your hand is 12-16 and the dealer shows 2-6, stand. In the same situation. Blackjack is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The face cards – Jack, Queen and King, amount to 10, values between 2-10 stick to their respective values, while the aces amount to either 1 or 11. The objective is simple – beat the dealer. Place your bets and form a hand that does not exceed the number 21.

1. Master Basic Strategy

Honestly, if you ignored all the other tips on this list and just mastered basic strategy, you’d be way ahead of most other blackjack players.

What’s basic strategy? Well, it’s the mathematically optimal play in every blackjack situation.

You have the following information during each blackjack hand:

  1. You know what total you have.
  2. You know one of the dealer’s two cards.

Blackjack Betting Strategy For Beginners Understanding Blackjack Betting. Before one begins to play blackjack online for real money it is important to understand. Splitting, Doubling, and Insurance Blackjack Bets. Let’s take a look at all of the different types of blackjack bets.

A basic strategy table compares your total with the dealer’s face-up card to give you the mathematically best play.

In some situations, the mathematically correct decision is the one that loses the least amount of money over time. In others, the mathematically correct decision is the one that wins the most money over time.

Basic strategy doesn’t change based on your gut feelings, either. If you use basic strategy when you play blackjack, you face a house edge of between 0.5% and 1%—assuming you’re not playing in a game with a terrible set of rules (like a 6/5 game, for example).

If you ignore basic strategy, you’re probably dealing with a house edge of 3% to 4%. That’s a lot of money to lose just because you didn’t want to memorize basic strategy.

You can find basic strategy tables on hundreds of sites on the internet, but you can also find text explanations for how to play each hand correctly. You can even buy a plastic laminated basic strategy card in the gift shop at the casino.

2. Never Take Insurance

The only time that taking insurance is mathematically correct is if you’re counting cards. Since this is a list of blackjack tips for the beginner, that doesn’t apply to you.

Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has a 10 in the hole. It pays off at 2:1. The casino calls it “even money,” but the truth is, the house has a high edge on the insurance bet.

Let’s assume you’re playing in a single-deck game, and the dealer has an ace showing. You have two cards, too, and neither of them is a 10. This means you have 49 cards that aren’t accounted for in the deck. Of those, 16 of them are worth 10—all the jacks, queens, kings, and 10s.

So, you have 33 ways to lose the insurance bet compared to 16 ways to win. The bet pays off at 2:1, which is the same as 32:16. That’s one extra way that the casino has to win means that the casino has an edge, but how much of an edge?

Let’s say you bet $100 on insurance 49 times. You’d win $200 on 16 of those bets, for total winnings of $3,200. But you’d also lose $100 on 33 of those bets, for total losses of $,3300.

That’s a net loss of $100 on 49 bets, or an average loss of $2.04 per hand. This means the house edge for the insurance bet is at least 2.04%. And that edge goes up if you have a card worth 10 in your hand, because you have more ways to lose.

It’s crazy to make a bet with a house edge of 2% in a game where the house edge is only 0.5%. Insurance is a sucker bet. Just don’t take it.

3. Play in the Good Blackjack Games

The rules from one blackjack game to another vary. You should play in the game with the best rules you can find.

What kinds of rules variations should you look for?

  • Probably the best variation is a game played from a single deck. Always find the game being dealt from the fewest number of decks.
  • If you can find a single deck game or even a game dealt from two decks, go for that game (everything else being equal).
  • Next, look for games where the dealer must stand on ANY total of 17. If the dealer hits a soft 17, the house edge goes up.

It’s beyond the scope of this post to cover all the possible rules variations, but those are two of the biggest to look for: the number of decks and whether the dealer hits a soft 17 or not.

4. Don’t Mess With Counting Cards

It isn’t as hard as you think to learn how to count cards, but if you’re a beginner, you should focus on mastering basic strategy. If you can’t play with perfect basic strategy on every hand, counting cards won’t help you much anyway.

The concept behind counting cards is probably easy to understand. The idea is that the ratio of high cards to low cards changes because of the random nature of the game. Sometimes, the remaining cards in the deck are mostly high cards, and sometimes they’re mostly low cards.

High cards are 10s and aces, and they’re important because they increase your probability of getting a natural.

What should you do if you have a better chance of getting a blackjack? Obviously, you should bet more.

Counting cards doesn’t mean memorizing which cards have been played so that you know which cards are still in the deck. You just assign a score to each card, usually +1 or -1, and keep a running count.

But if you’re a beginner, focus on mastering basic strategy first. You can learn to count cards when you become an intermediate player.

5. Skip 6/5 Blackjack Games

A recent trend in Vegas blackjack is to offer games where the payoff for a natural is 6:5 instead of 3:2. Some casinos even brag about it as if it’s a boon to the player.

The idea is that six is a bigger number than three, so unsophisticated gamblers (beginners) will think 6/5 blackjack is a better deal. But it’s not.

It’s a terrible deal and adds 1.5% or so to the house edge. A 3:2 payout on a $100 bet is a $150 payout. A 6:5 payout on that same $100 bet is a $120 payout.

Sure, you’ll only get a blackjack once out of every 20 hands or so, but why would you want to give up $30 per hand? That $30, averaged over 20 hands, is an additional loss of $1.50 per hand.

Let supply and demand send 6/5 blackjack to the graveyard where it belongs.

6. Skip Video Blackjack

Video blackjack games vary widely. Some of them only offer even-money payouts on a natural. Obviously, you should avoid those games.

Video blackjack games generally deal from eight decks that are shuffled after every hand. The rules are usually worse than the rules at any of the table versions of blackjack.

On top of all that, video blackjack is twice as fast as playing at a table with a dealer, which means you’ll put twice as much money into action per hour.

Blackjack has the lowest edge in the casino, but it’s still an edge for the casino, NOT the player. The more money you put into action per hour, on average, the more money you lose, on average.

Suppose you see 100 hands of blackjack per hour at a standard table, and you play for $5 per hand. That’s $500 in action. With a house edge of 0.5%, the house expects to win $2.50 per hour from you.

Double the number of hands per hour on a video blackjack game, and even if you’re facing the same rules, you’ll lose $5 per hand.

Why lose more money per hour playing blackjack than you have to? Just say no to video blackjack.

7. Practice Online

One of the greatest things about the internet is the availability of free games at real money online casinos. Beginners can get a feel for how the actions work in a blackjack game without having to leave their homes or taking as much risk.

You can plop down in front of your laptop and play some of the free games at any of the casinos or gambling sites recommended on this site. You don’t have to wager a single dollar at these sites ever. If you do decide you want to play online blackjack for real money, you can do so after having practiced and getting the hang of all the actions.

Of course, knowing how to double down and split will come in handy when you play for the first time in a live casino, too.

Conclusion

This page on blackjack tips for beginners was meant to offer advice specifically to those who are just getting started. That’s why I didn’t go into detail about how to count cards or about the specifics of basic strategy.

I hope you found it helpful. If you’d like to learn more about blackjack strategies and tips on how to become a better gambler, this site offers plenty of information for you to utilize. Good luck at the tables!

Blackjack tips for beginners

Blackjack is an extremely popular and iconic casino card game. Tracing its roots to the early 17th century, the blackjack is a gambling classic favored by players of all ages throughout the world. Today, there are thousands of venues that off both offline and online blackjack. Blackjack is a game that is easy to learn, but it can take many years (or even decades) to master. Read our ultimate guide to blackjack to find out absolutely everything you need to know to start playing blackjack today!

Blackjack Rules for Beginners: Rules & Basics

The Game’s Objective

The goal of each round is scoring higher than the dealer, while, at the same time, not going over a score of 21 points. If you go over twenty-one, you immediately lose the round (in blackjack, this situation is known as going bust).

Card Values

The point values of cards are straightforward and aren’t hard to remember:

  • Cards from 2 to 10 have a worth equivalent to the value shown on their face.
  • Jacks (J), queens (Q), as well as kings (K) are each worth ten points.
  • An ace (A) can be worth either one or eleven points, depending on what you choose.

Blackjack for Beginners: How Can I Win A Round?

There are three main ways of winning a round of blackjack: being dealt a natural blackjack, getting a score that is higher than that of the dealer, or having the dealer go bust. If you score the same as the dealer, the round is declared a draw and you will get your bet back (in blackjack, this situation is known as a push).

Natural Blackjack

A “natural” blackjack occurs when one gets 21 points with their first 2 cards. Such a situation can only happen with the following opening hands: (A 10), (A J), (A Q), (A K). When this happens, you automatically win the round and are awarded a 3:2 payout. For example, if you had bet $20, you would win $50, instead of the $40 you would win otherwise.

Natural blackjack will win you the round regardless of how much the dealer scores. The only exception to this is when the dealer also gets a “natural” blackjack. In this scenario, it will be a push and your wager will be refunded.

Outscoring the Dealer

The most common way of winning in blackjack is by outscoring the dealer. As the dealer is required to hit until they get a score of 17 or above, you can only win this way by scoring 18 points or more.

Free Blackjack For Beginners

The Dealer Busts

Just like you or any other player at the blackjack table, the dealer busts when they go over 21. Whenever this happens, all of the players who have played (and haven’t busted) win the round.

Need to revise the basics of playing Blackjack as a beginner? Check out this video for the most essential info:

Blackjack for Beginners: Bets and Chances of Winning

How Big Are the Bets?

Each blackjack table has its own minimum and maximum bets. This is true in both offline and online blackjack. In most physical casinos, minimum bets range from $5 to $15. In online blackjack, bets can start at $1 (or even less).

Many online casinos offer practice modes for blackjack beginners. This is a perfect option for people who aren’t comfortable betting real money yet. This is why we recommend online blackjack for beginners who are just learning the game. Try playing blackjack and other table games for free HERE.

How Much Can I Win?

Normally, whenever you win a round of blackjack, you will win double your original bet. For example, if you bet 10$ and win the round, you will get $20. This figure includes your original $10 and $10 from the casino. If you win via a natural blackjack, the casino’s payout ratio increases to 3:2. This means that the same $10 bet will earn you $25 instead of $20.

What Is My Chance of Winning?

Blackjack is a game of skill (and some luck). A blackjack player’s chances of winning are based on their knowledge of basic strategy and skill at counting cards. This being said, the house edge of a typical blackjack game ranges between 0.17% and 0.70%, depending on the number of decks in the game. Because of this low house edge, blackjack is known as one of the fairest casino games.

Blackjack for Beginners: Game Flow

Now that you are familiar with blackjack rules, know how to win at blackjack, and are familiar with bets and your chances of winning, let’s look at how a typical round of blackjack is played.

Betting

At the start of the round, you place your bet. You can bet as much, or as little, as you want, but only within the limits set by the blackjack table. If you want to wager less than the minimum bet or more than the maximum bet, you should switch to a different blackjack table.

Hit or Stand

After the betting phase is complete, each blackjack player receives two cards. The dealer places these cards face-up on the table. The dealer also places one of their own cards face-up, while the other remains face-down.

During your turn, you add up the values of your hand. After that, you have two choices. You can request an extra card (hit) or play your hand as it is (stand). You can hit as many times as you want until you get a score you’re satisfied with.

A table that describes the strategy for hitting or standing in Blackjack, for both hard and soft hands.

Dealer’s Turn

After the players finish their turns, the dealer puts their second card face-up. The dealer will then proceed to hit until they get a score of 17 or above. Once there, the dealer will stand.

There is one possible exception to this — the soft 17 rule. A soft hand is a hand with at least one ace. Some casinos require dealers to stand on a soft 17, while others require the dealers to hit on a soft 17.

End of the Round

Blackjack For Beginners App

Once the dealer stands, the round is over and one of the following three scenarios occurs:

  • You win if you get a natural blackjack (and the dealer doesn’t), have a higher score than the dealer, or if the dealer goes bust.
  • The dealer wins if they get a natural blackjack (and you don’t), have a higher score than you, or if you bust.
  • If you and the dealer score the same amount, it is a push and you get your money back.

Tips for Blackjack Beginners: Betting Options

In this last section of our beginner’s guide to blackjack, we’d like to talk about additional betting options. After you are dealt your hand, you have three betting options: doubling down, splitting, and insurance.

Blackjack Rules For Beginners Pdf

Doubling down

If you feel confident in your hand, you can double your bet. This is known as doubling down. Listed below are the three opening hands during which blackjack experts recommend doubling down:

  • Hard 9, ascore of 9, with neither of the cards being an ace.
  • Hard 10 or 11, scores of 10 or 11, with neither of the cards being an ace.
  • Soft 16 to 18, a hand containing an ace and a 5/6/7. It’s recommended to double down on this hand if the dealer’s first card is a 6 or lower.

A table that shows how much the player could make per dollar when doubling down.

Splitting

Splitting gives you the option to play your two cards separately. To split, you move your original bet to one of the cards and make an equal bet on the second one. The dealer will then deal you an extra card on top of each of these cards, essentially giving you two hands. From then on, you play the two hands separately. Experts recommend splitting an opening hand containing two aces (A A) or two eights (8 8).

Blackjack For Beginners Videos

A simple table that describes when splitting in Blackjack can help.

Insurance Bet

If the dealer’s face-up card is an ace, you can place an insurance bet. Such a bet protects you from a natural blackjack by the dealer. The insurance bet is equal to 50% of your original wager. If a natural blackjack does not occur, you lose your insurance bet. If the dealer has a blackjack, you still lose your original bet, but you win your insurance bet. This essentially gives you your money back.

Need more advanced information? Then check out our list of strategies, tips, and techniques to win at blackjack.

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