26 Jul 2024 studying A-game Most casino visitors prefer slot machines, where the average return is 96% (RTP). In online casinos it can increase even to 99.5% — thanks to blackjack. Moreover, knowing the strategy, in land-based establishments it is realistic to stay on the plus side all your life. This is the reason to learn the rules of blackjack for beginners. They are not simple at all, and it will take a few days to master the strategy. But the effort is definitely worth it — especially when you’re playing against the casino with 50/50 odds. Learning Blackjack – brief history of the game Back in the late 17th century in France, in the first legal casinos, the card game Twenty-One (Vingt-et-Un) appeared. Its rules were very similar to modern Blackjack. The main difference was the decision-making of the dealer at the set of cards. A similar game existed in England. In Spain and Italy it was called Thirty-one or Trente et un and was extremely popular in the XX century. There is no reliable information about how blackjack developed. But it is known for sure that in the XVIII-XIX centuries and Twenty-One got to the south of the United States with French emigrants. In fact, the history of blackjack began in 1930, when Nevada legalized casinos for the second time. It was then that the name of the discipline came into existence. Literally, Black Jack is the black jack of spades or clubs. If you add an ace of the same suit, you get a Blackjack combination. It was originally set to have an increased payout of 1 in 10. Since the 1930s, the rules have remained almost unchanged — we have two classic variations. In one, the dealer deals himself two cards. Before the players make a move, there is a check to see if the blackjack combination has taken place. This is how they play "American-style". Other rules are conventionally called "European". Here’s no check, as the dealer has only one card (at the beginning of the round). In the USA, the most popular table disciplines are craps (dice) and blackjack. In Europe, roulette is in the lead. In the world as a whole, it is the third in demand after poker against casino and roulette. Gambling entertainment on a set of 21 points appeared on the Internet at the beginning of the XXI century. On large websites in the lobby (games catalog) there’s no less than 20 titles of different blackjack slots. Also there are many unusual rules on the Internet — up to 15. It is possible to play both: via online or with real dealers. Bets start from 10 cents on blackjack machines and from $1 with live croupiers. Basic blackjack rules The casino discipline under consideration is on the set of points. Without it, no land-based institution can do without it. Among table disciplines, only roulette is more popular. Along with poker against the casino, blackjack is considered a game of skill. There are no rules where the return is worse than 99% with error-free decisions on the basic strategy (BS). Without its knowledge, the result on the distance will be like on slots — 94-96%. 85% of titles on the Internet and up to 100% of tables in land-based establishments are two classic variations of European and American. They have only one difference in rules (additional dealer card) and only five differences in strategy. BJ is a common designation for the combination and the game itself. Game objective The player's purpose in blackjack is to defeat the dealer. It can be done in one of three ways: Get more points; Forcing the dealer to exceed 22 points (overcall); Get a BJ provided the dealer does not have the same combination. Approximately 15% of hands end in a draw, which means the bet is returned. This situation is called a push. If you win on points, you get 1 bet. The payout for a Blackjack combination is 3 to 2. Cards and their value Is Blackjack easy? Let’s find out! Here cards are stacked in a special box — Shoe. Several mixed decks without jokers are involved. There are 52 sheets in each. There are 6 or 8 decks in a Shoe, much rarer — 4. One deck is played in land-based casinos in the USA. Single deck blackjack is available in every online casino. Individual denominations have no precedence. The suits are also not played. The point value of the cards is as follows: Card Points Ace 11 or 1 depending on the situation (*) Any face card 10 2 to 10 Face value An ace goes for one if the player's current points are 11 or more. With 10 points or less, an ace goes for 11. Simple Blackjack Terminology Land-based establishments have developed a special gaming slang. It will be a ridiculous situation if a newcomer doesn’t know about them, trying to use his own expressions. Also, knowledge of terminology is necessary to understand the messages of other players in online casino chat boxes. Let's list the main ones: Term or Concept Meaning Dealer, Croupier Casino employee who deals cards Box The area of the table for cards and placing bets Deal Receiving cards from the dealer Hand Cards held by the player or dealer Shoe Box for dealing decks of cards Shuffle Shuffling the decks, as well as the decks in the shoe Cutting Card Plastic rectangle used to divide the shuffled cards Spread Difference between the minimum and maximum bet Count Ratio of high to low cards in the shuffle Betting Terms Term or Concept Meaning Blackjack, BJ An ace plus a card worth 10 points — an unbeatable combination Soft hand A hand with an ace counted as 11 and points from 3 to 20 Hard hand A hand without an ace Bust 22 points or more Push A tie in points — the bet is returned Stand, Stay Not taking a card Hit Taking a card Double Doubling the initial bet with the receipt of only one more card Split Creating two separate hands from two cards of the same value Surrender Giving up a bad hand and losing half the bet Insurance An additional bet that wins when the dealer gets a blackjack Even Money A type of insurance when the player has a blackjack Hole Card The dealer's second card Peek Checking the dealer's box in American blackjack Charlie Several cards without busting (from 5 to 7 cards) Basic rules of blackjack There is a concept of "standard" for American blackjack. It includes about 15 key rules. For the European variety they are the same, but there is no check on the dealer's BJ. Also, the standard of rules is called the Vegas Strip, which is the main street of Las Vegas. These are the rules played in most establishments in the world. The Vegas Strip standard will be on about 60% of blackjack machines on the internet: BJ hits any 21. The croupier must take on 16 and stand on 17. There are no limits for the player. Winning on points is paid 1 to 1, BJ — 3 to 2. In case of a draw, the bet is refunded. Overcall is an instant loss to both player and dealer. Insurance is paid 2 to 1. The value of this additional bet is 1⁄2 of the initial bet. Splitting the same denominations a maximum of three times — up to four hands. Splitting Aces a maximum of one time. Only one card is dealt for each Ace, and BJs are not possible. Doubling on the first two cards of any denomination. Doubling after splitting is allowed. Surrender for half the bet is prohibited. In the twenty-first century, many varieties of games have been created for casinos on the internet. Almost every one of the given rules can be changed. The most frequent changes to the Vegas Strip are standard: Dealer takes on soft 17s. Increased payout on single-max blackjack. Any amount of insurance. Prohibition of doubling down after splitting. No doubling on a soft hand. Surrender allowed (but never against an Ace). Side bets Another name is side bets or "on bonus" bets. They are offered on about 20 percent of online slots. Two or three sevens and three-card poker combinations (pair, straight, flush, three of a kind) held on the player's first two cards, taking into account the dealer's card, are paid. The chips are placed on a separate box. If a bonus combination falls out, it is paid instantly. The casino advantage on side bets is from 3 to 10%. Bonus Combination Payout Two sevens From 1:1 to 5:1 Three sevens From 3:1 to 7:1 Pair 5:1 Pair of the same color 12:1 or 10:1 Pair of the same suit 25:1 Flush with the player's initial hand and the dealer's upcard 5:1 Same scenario with a straight 10:1 Same scenario with three of a kind 30:1 Blackjack varieties In a land-based institution, the visitor will find only some classic varieties — American or European. Sometimes side bets can be offered. This is the end of the variety. Another matter are online casinos. Here the blackjack game is found in 20+ variants. A list of unusual rules that can be found at almost any website: BJ Switch — when it’s possible to switch cards between boxes. BJ is paid 1 to 1. Double Exposure — the dealer shows two cards. Pontoon or British Blackjack — improved double conditions, but all draws are in favour of the casino. Spanish 21, as well as Pirate 21 — doubling on any cards, increased payouts on 7-7-7 and 6-7-8, but the nominal 10 has been removed from the deck. BJ Burn — with the option to replace the starting hand card for half the bet. Lightning BJ (Evolution Gaming) and Quantum BJ (Playtech) with random increased payouts. Unusual rules will have to be learnt again. In addition, the strategy is always more complicated. Ultimate Blackjack strategy guide Between 1945 and 1960, independent calculations were made by different mathematicians. The result was the Basic Strategy (BS). It is impossible to get a return below 99.5 per cent on almost any rule over the long distance. Learn blackjack basic strategy How to play blackjack is intuitive in most situations. But in about 20% of hands, the solution will not be obvious. You can read the basic strategy here. In the meantime, the basic techniques, having mastered which, a beginner will immediately be able to reach a return of 98.5%. Playing against a small card Memorize that numbers from deuce to six are considered "overcards". The main mistake against them is to take them with points 12 or 13. You have to stand. Another serious leak in the bankroll is not to double with a soft hand. You should play a double on A-2, A-3 against 5 and 6. Also the correct move is to double A-6, A-7 against anything small but 2. Playing against a high card When there is a ten on the casino box, the most likely points are 20. The main mistake against cards above a six is not to take 15 and 16, hoping for an overcall from the dealer. The Surrender option, which allows you to surrender for half the bet on bad points, is rarely seen online. Another mistake against a ten is to stand with your soft points 17 (A-6) and 18 (A-7). The correct move is to take. Split The general principle of split: divide everything but tens against small denominations of croupiers (2-6). Fives are never split — BJ a double is played against them. Three non-obvious cases are considered in the screenshot: 4-4, 5-5 and 9-9 when the dealer has a three. Doubling A double with 10 points is played against everything except 10 and A. At 11 in European blackjack it's just take, in American blackjack it's double. With 9 points act almost the same as with 10, but there is no double against a dealer's deuce. How to count cards If a land-based establishment uses a manual shuffle (without a shuffle machine), the game of blackjack becomes profitable for the visitor. To do this, you need to know the ratio of high and low denominations in the shuffle in each hand. The more tens and aces left, the higher the mathematical advantage of the player. The principles of calculation are as follows: Tens and aces are assigned a value of -1, denominations from deuce to seven are +1, sevens, eights and nines are not counted. The initial balance is zero. As the cards are dealt, the score changes. It is called the current score. Next, the value of the exact count is displayed. It is necessary to divide the current score by the number of remaining decks. If the exact score is positive, the bet is increased and the basic strategy is changed. If it is negative — play with minimal investment or leave the table. Counters are quickly detected. They are usually allowed to stay at the table if they do not increase the bet. At any raise and the current positive result, blackjack for such types of players is banned. If the counter has a large bankroll and the ability to increase the bet 20-30 times, there will be a nightmare for the casino. The situation is truthfully shown in the movie "Rain Man". Indexes The rules for changing the underlying strategy depending on the exact count are called indexes. These are several tables of 10-15 rows each. If you play in a land-based casino without raising the bet, indexes allow you to have a small plus on the distance — up to +1%. Changing the BS also works on electronic blackjack models if there are four decks or less in play and four to seven boxes are allowed to be bet on. What is shuffle tracking of cards in a deck Shuffle tracking is the memorisation of shuffle spots with a high concentration of aces and tens. The technique is based on two features of a land-based casino: Shuffle decks are shuffled literally 70 cm from the player's face; All actions of the dealer during the shuffle are strictly regulated. After a few practice sessions it is realistic to understand in which place of the new shuffle will be located the right cards that have gone to the rebound. For example, in a hand four aces are simultaneously dealt — to players and dealers. Now an experienced player will be able to remember the place in the new shuffle, where there will be at least two of them. This is enough to gain an advantage over the casino. Rebound is a metal vertical corner on the table, where the played cards are stacked. Strategies to increase the bet In online casinos, the described methods will not help. Several winning sessions in a row is realistic to get, using one of two schemes to increase the bet: After each loss, add a chip. With a successful hand — remove one. This system is named after the French mathematician Jean d’Alambert; Wait for a loss of a certain amount. For example, -10 bets and act according to the same scheme; Doubling in blackjack will lead to a quick loss of the bankroll, as the probability of winning a hand is not 50%, but about 45%. Simple Blackjack tips for beginners Here’s some recommendations about online casinos: Register at websites with a number of providers from 70. It will almost always be possible to find a return of 99.7%. Play at a fast pace. This is necessary to get out of the minus at an increased rate. Electronic blackjack with a fast pace will be found at providers Pragmatic Play, Betsoft, Netent. Start playing on a single box. Add new hands when there is already a profit to be made. Close the table when there are a series of 4-5 unsuccessful hands in a row. It is noticed that if you do not leave, the unfavourable trend will continue. When using strategies on the rise to take into account the difference between the minimum and maximum of the table. In a land-based establishment things are different. There will almost always be participants at the table. The speed of distribution is many times less than in online blackjack. For offline, the recommendations are as follows: Collect tickets. Experienced players have noticed that promotions give more than 50% of the profile on blackjack. When there are a lot of visitors, it is better to sit on the last 7th box. This way, a lot of the cards that have come out will be visible, allowing you to adjust your strategy. Make minor mistakes if someone in charge is at the table. Do not advise your opponents, even if they ask for it, and do not demonstrate knowledge of strategy. Try to play with manual shuffle rather than automatic (shuffle machines). Frequently Asked Questions on Learning Black Jack What is the expected spread of results when playing one hand without a raise? With knowledge of the BS and rules with a casino advantage of 0.25% per 1000 hands. The player will not get out of the ±30 betting range in 19 series out of 20. Can the dealer in the "Live" section make a mistake in calculating the payout or points? The croupier does not make calculations "in his head". He announces the result of the round, which he reads on the monitor, and the user's winnings are calculated automatically. Does it make sense to count cards with a live dealer? If, according to the rules, the casino outweighs 0.45%, it is quite possible to reduce it to zero. It is important to choose tables where three decks of eight are cutted (more are not given in the game). Does counting work on electronic tables? In two varieties of the game it is possible to get a mathematical advantage against the casino +0.25%: with Surrender rule for 5+ hands and single deck for three boxes without worsening the conditions of doubling and splitting. How many hands are possible to get in an hour? Against croupiers — from 40 to 120 with different numbers of players at the table. On blackjack machines — 200-300 and up to 600 in turbo mode. What's the worst rule change? When the dealer hits on soft 17 and doubles only on 10 and 11. Both deviations worsen the payoff by more than 0.2%. Are there any changes to the normal rules that benefit the player? Surrender and set on split aces. Both changes give a boost to RTP of about 0.25%. How important are tenths of a percent? 1000 hands are played in about 2 hours. A difference of 0.5% means that an additional 5 bets will be won or, on the contrary, lost.