Learn Blackjack Fast

Follow this five step blackjack strategy guide to learn the skills you need to have more fun and keep from losing your hard earned money!

Did you know that blackjack only has the lowest house edge when you use proper blackjack strategy?

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Players who only follow general guidelines or their gut instincts when playing blackjack lose much more money in the long run compared to individuals who show up with little or no training.

Although the house generally wins over the long-term, players can reduce the casino's odds dramatically by using simple strategy rules. Blackjack tables typically turn between 50 and 100 games every sixty minutes, which means that even a conservative player betting $10 per hand is cycling through up to $1,000 in wagers per hour. Decreasing the house edge from 3% to 1% for example can result in $20 in savings during that limited amount of time. Since bet sizes and lengths of stay at the casino can vary substantially, savings can add up quickly. Using blackjack strategy to reduce the house edge can mean the difference between having a great trip or a lousy vacation and the difference between dining in the cheap buffet and savoring a meal in the five star steakhouse at the end of the night.

Step 1

USE BASIC STRATEGY

Basic strategy is the only reason that blackjack has the lowest house edge of any casino game. Decades ago, some savvy mathematicians used computers to figure out which moves were statistically most effective for every card combination in blackjack. After simulating hundreds of thousands of hands, they finally came up with a list of the best possible in-game actions. There were slight variations in which moves were ideal for certain types of games and rules, but most of them were the same. Those charts of ideal moves became known as the basic strategy, BS or just basic.

Using perfect play, you can lower the house edge to anywhere from just less than 1 percent in eight-deck games to 0.13 percent in single-deck games. A house edge that low means that a good player has almost the same chance of winning during a sitting of blackjack as he or she does of winning a coin toss.

Unfortunately, many players fail to learn that the house only has such a small edge when the player is flat betting (betting the same amount each time) and playing basic strategy over many hands. Depending on which mistakes you make, you can lose more money more quickly in blackjack than in a game like a slot machine. In order to be a smart player, stick to the basic strategy moves and use flat or conservative bets that are appropriately sized for your bankroll.

How Basic Strategy Works

As noted above, basic strategy is simply the set of statistically correct blackjack moves for each possible combination of dealer and player hands that will minimize the casino's edge over the long-term. Each basic strategy action can be broken down into one of three categories: offensive, defensive, and neutral.

Offensive strategies are designed to ensure that players make the most of situations where the odds of winning are in the player's favor. For example, consider a player that has a soft 19 versus a dealer's 6. In this situation, the player already has a winning hand – the dealer has a high likelihood of busting and the player has a strong point total. If the player were simply to stand (a neutral move), he would likely win the round. However, in this situation, basic strategy usually dictates that a player should double down. While doubling opens the player up to the possibility of drawing a card that could make the current 19 weaker, it also enables him or her to put more money in play and take maximum advantage when the dealer is weak.

Defensive strategies, alternatively, are meant to blunt the effect of disadvantageous situations. For example, a player with a pair of 8s has a total of 16, which is expected to lose against nearly every dealer up card. In order to give the player an opportunity to improve his hand, basicstrategy instructions say to split, thus turning the one poor hand into two new ones. By splitting, the player is defensively retreating out of a position of weakness with the hopes that the combination of the resulting two hands will be better than the original.

Basic Strategy Charts and Flashcards

Basic strategy is typically learned using charts or flashcards. Strategy charts are grid-like systems that show each individual move based on the intersection of rows and columns that represent player and dealer hands. Whereas strategy charts can be complicated to comprehend, flashcards have the same information as the charts, but are designed to teach players in a simpler, and more familiar process that also more closely resembles game play in the actual casino environment.

Just like you shouldn't try to cram everything the night before a big test, you shouldn't try to learn all of basic strategy in one day. While it is possible to learn quickly, you will retain the information and understand how everything fits together better if you pace yourself. For example, you might spend one day doing flash cards for situations in which you must decide whether to hit or stand. The next day, you might work on splitting pairs. If you make your own flashcards, make personal notes about certain hands so that you can remember them later.

Basic Strategy Trainers

Most habitual players learn the rudiments of basic strategy, but few actually take the time to learn all of the moves. For instance, most people know not to hit a 16 vs. a 6, but some may not know that you hit A,7 vs. a dealer's 9. Hitting your 12 against a 3 in a multi-deck game is another action that most people do not know to make. These small mistakes add up over the long term, and they undermine your ability to play an even game against the house.

Blackjack is a fast-paced casino game. You may not be the only one at the table, and the dealer may get in trouble if he or she is not dealing enough hands per hour. Players and dealers alike may get annoyed with you if you take too long while deciding on your moves, placing your bets and so forth. As such, it is important that you memorize all of the right moves before sitting down to play at a real table with real money. As stated previously, the house edge is only low when you play perfectly, so it is definitely worth your while to learn basic strategy thoroughly, or, at a minimum, to memorize at least a handful of playing decisions.

Although we recommend using flashcards to learn basic strategy, we have included several basic strategy charts in the appendix to help you get started learning right away. The charts cover eight variations including basic strategies for typical games styles found in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Single and Double Deck games. Each is shown with and without surrender.

Step 2

OPTIMIZE YOUR BANKROLL

Unless you are counting cards, the house has the advantage over the long term. You may have big swings of luck, but it is nearly impossible to win more hands over time than you lose. Taking that into account, it is important to determine how large your bankroll should be and what your maximum wager size should be if you want to keep from running out of money.

For a normal sitting, most infrequent players should expect to sit down with 20 times their average bet. So a player with a betting spread of between $5 and $10 using basic strategy can sit down with $200 and expect to probably not lose all of his or her money in that sitting—he or she might even triple that amount. The reason you want such a large bankroll in proportion to your wagers is so that you can avoid losing all of your money before it can go back up due to variance. Also having an appropriately sized bankroll helps ensure the ability to perform multiple splits, double downs, etc. (all situations that are good for the player). Forfeiting these opportunities as a result of not having enough money can significantly reduce your odds. In layman's terms, an appropriate bankroll affords players elbowroom to take advantage of opportunities and withstand the inherent ups and downs of the game.

Step 3

KNOW WHERE TO PLAY

In addition to your own individual play (how well you invoke basic strategy), several environmental factors can significantly impact your overall odds and enjoyment. At a minimum, you should be aware of how the general casino environment, individual table rules, and side bet options can influence your game.

Pick The Right Casino

One of the primary rules of blackjack strategy is to always play at the best possible venue. You want to find somewhere that has playing conditions, rules, dealers, and minimums that are in your favor. If you plan on staying for a while, you should also look for favorable comp plans so that you can win free massages, meals, hotel rooms, and other bonuses. Unless you plan on playing online, which requires extensive research, you will need to find the right casino.

Scout out the venues before you play. If you are going to be in a city for a weekend or a week, you should take a few hours to check out all of the venues that offer blackjack before you sit down to play anywhere. If you fail to properly check out all of the casinos in an area, you might miss a very good game with great rules and the limits that you are looking for. When you walk around, you can get a feel for what the other players are like, if there is cigarette smoke everywhere, how fast the dealers are, what the rules are, how high the table minimums are, and so forth. Taking a few notes on each of the places is a good idea because you might not remember everything the first time around.

Regardless of how high the stakes, it is always a good idea to talk to the dealers and their managers (the pit bosses) to build good rapport. You can ask pit bosses about the games and whether the limits or conditions change during peak hours. Most casinos run on three eight-hour shifts, so you can usually expect to see the same dealers and pit bosses at the same time every day. If you befriend the dealers and pit bosses early, you are more likely to receive comps, bonus offers, and other preferential treatment later.

Find a place with minimums that you can afford. Some casinos raise their rates in the evenings and on the weekends in order to make tables less crowded and to get people to bet more. Tables usually have signs that will tell you what the minimums are, but they get changed frequently. Some casinos may give you private tables if you are willing to bet enough at a time. Setting up a private table is typically at the discretion of the pit bosses or managers on duty, so you can ask them what their policies are during your initial scouting trip.

Some casinos have pamphlets at their front desks that can tell you about how their comps and bonuses for players work. Otherwise, you can ask a pit boss or find a customer service kiosk. There are almost always separate comp systems for table players and slot players. You should mostly pay attention to how the comps work for the table players. Some casinos require that you play a minimum number of hours at a certain average bet in order to qualify for their comps. Rather than betting outside your bankroll to meet a casino's comp requirements, you should find a casino that offers comps at wagering limits that you can comfortably afford.

Assuming that you are only planning on playing blackjack, the other games at the casinos shouldn't really matter. In fact, some of the smallest casinos offer the best blackjack games with the lowest table minimums. It is relatively standard for casinos to offer blackjack, so you might find some smaller places that only have slots, video poker machines, and a few blackjack tables. As such, you should make a point to check out smaller venues when you go to a new city.

If you do decide to play Blackjack online, use resources like Casino.org, which offers recommendations on reputable places to play. Another good resource for casino research is TopCasino.com.

Select A Good Table

After you find one or more casinos that have everything that you are looking for, look around for a comfortable table. There are different factors to look at when evaluating a table, and you may have to move a few times as conditions change and people sit down or leave, but you will enjoy your playing sessions more if you follow a few general guidelines.

Unless you absolutely do not know how to play a single-deck game or the dealers are very slow, you should always try to play at tables that use fewer decks. The house edge is diminished in single- and double-deck games, which allows you to play very close to an even game. However, if these tables are crowded, the minimums are too high, or you are uncomfortable with the style of play, find a different game.

Some players prefer slower dealers, and some players prefer faster dealers. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of games. The slower dealers are more likely to give you time to think out your playing decisions, which can really help if it takes you a while to remember the correct basic strategy moves. Faster dealers will deal more hands per hour, which can be great if you are winning, but a fast dealer can wipe out your bankroll during a bad streak if you aren't paying attention. Faster dealers may also rush you during your turns to act, and this can cause you to make stupid mistakes that you wouldn't otherwise make. During your practice sessions, determine whether you prefer faster or slower deals, and then take your preference into account when you look for a table.

You should generally look for tables with fewer players, but that is not always an option during busy nights. You might also enjoy the social experience of playing at crowded tables. Regardless, try to find a table that has players who look like they are there to play for a while. If you see someone with only a few chips, he or she is likely to play erratically, making moves that the crowd might perceive as costing the other players at the table their money. A good table will typically have a few players who are betting moderately, have decent-sized chip stacks, and are sitting down instead of standing—players who are standing may be prone to leave and come back, causing disruption or disjointed play at the table.

You do not always have to start playing as soon as you find a table. Some places like Atlantic City might not even allow you to start playing in the middle of the shoe. Given the way that card distribution works, a shoe can stay relatively neutral, go well in the beginning and bad in the end, or go badly in the end and well in the beginning. If you see that a shoe is mostly dealt, and all of the players say that the dealer has been winning every hand for most of the shoe, there may be a high concentration of good cards left. In a situation like this, jumping in toward the end might work in your favor. Conversely, if you see a bunch of big cards come out and players winning early in a shoe, you should wait until the decks are reshuffled before sitting down to play.

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Step 4

AVOID SIDE BETS

A side bet in blackjack is a bonus game that you can play on top of your normal blackjack hand. There are many different types, and you are likely to see at least one in every major casino. Generally, you place a side bet by putting extra chips in an area next to your primary betting circle. Some games have strict limits on how much you can bet. Others permit you to bet the table maximum in your side circle. When you sit down at a table, the dealer may tell you how the bonus game works. Alternatively, you can always ask a dealer, pit boss, or player to explain the rules to you. The general idea is that you can risk a relatively small amount of money on your side bonus in the hopes that you will see a return several times what you wagered.

Casinos use side bets in their blackjack games for a number of reasons. One big reason is that side bets add variety to a game that is otherwise played almost the same way no matter where you go. Another obvious reason that casinos offer side bets is that they typically put players at a greater disadvantage. Playing most side bets is like playing the slots. Losing a few dollars on the side every few hands might not seem like much when you are betting $15 per hand, but those incremental losses make casinos a lot of money.

Step 5

UNDERSTAND BLACKJACK RULE VARIATION

In blackjack, the house's hypothetical edge is affected by small changes in its rules. What may seem like small differences in games may actually be taking a toll on how much you win or lose in an hour. Many casinos take advantage of the fact that few people know how certain rules affect gameplay. Some rules are in place simply to make money; others are there to protect games from professional card counters. Different regions have accepted rule standards that are important to know before you play.

Good vs. Bad Rules

Most people know that games with fewer decks give the house a lower house edge. With perfect basic strategy and very liberal rules, you can get the house edge down to roughly 0.13 percent in a single-deck game. Realistically, you will never see rules that liberal in a single-deck game. Since most games have six decks, your objective should typically be to play games that have house edges closer to 0.6 percent than 1 percent. As a general rule, you should avoid playing games that pay out diminished blackjacks instead of those that pay out at 150 percent (3 to 2) of your bet. While it would be nice if all casinos offered surrender in their blackjack games, most do not.

Card Counting Systems > Speed Count

Dan Pronovost, gambling teacher and creator of several gambling tactics, came up with Speed Count as an answer to a friendly question. When asked if there was an easier way for the average gambler to count cards and gain an edge over the casino, Dan came up with Speed Count.

Dan and his friend noticed that most gamblers needed as much as 80 hours of training before learning even the most basic High-Low counting system, and that in reality only a small percentage of gamblers could put a High-Low count into practice effectively. The Speed Count method was Dan’s answer to this problem.

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The Basics of the Speed Count

Blackjack writers tell us that the average hand of blackjack is 2.7 cards, meaning more people take three cards than two. Since there are just 5 “small” cards for every 13 “big” cards in a 52-card deck, we get an average of 1.03 “small” cards for every hand of blackjack played–about one card per hand, regardless of how many people are playing, how many decks are in play, etc.

Using this number, you have all you need to build the Speed Count method. Simply count all the “small” cards on the table as “+1” and at the end of each round, subtract the total number of hands dealt. This includes split hands. As your count gets higher, there are fewer “small” cards in the deck, giving you an advantage.

How Much of an Edge does the Speed Count Offer?

According to an independent audit by the University of Massachusetts, the Speed Count produced a player edge of just over 1% over the course of a billion rounds of blackjack. This is about three times better than the expectation afforded blackjack players who play according to perfect strategy, and the method is even easier to implement than basic blackjack strategy.

Speed Count requires an understanding of basic blackjack strategy so that you know how to properly play most gaming situations, but since casinos allow you to carry your strategy card with you to the blackjack table, the creators of the Speed Count method seem to put little emphasis on learning this strategy. Instead, they encourage people who want to learn Speed Count to shell out hundreds of bucks for a two-day seminar, and if red flags are going up for you, you’re not alone.

The fact that you have to take a seminar to learn the ins and outs of Speed Count mean that most people won’t both. If I have to buy a book or take a high-priced seminar to learn something, I’d rather not learn it at all.

The inventors of Speed Count have done a great job keeping the details of this method secret. But from the presentation of an independent audit and a few details of the counting system, it looks like it would work to some degree. The inventor of the Speed Count has admitted openly that more complex counting systems, like KO, offer a better advantage, but suggests that most people won’t ever be able to learn these more difficult systems, so a system like Speed Count is ideal for people without 80 or 120 hours to learn harder card counting methods.

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Speed Count is one of many new card counting methods aimed at people who’ve had trouble memorizing card counting tactics in the past. If you want to learn more about Speed Count, you’ll have to contact the company that owns the license. Be careful paying for any card counting method that doesn’t reveal more details than a few cursory lessons and a mathematical audit–you may serve yourself better learning one of the higher level counting systems that take a little bit of time to perfect.

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