How to Play Blackjack Like a Pro and Win Big

Blackjack is a very well-liked casino card game. This game of skill is gaining popularity with the onset of many online casinos. Online casinos offer you the benefit of playing Blackjack at your own sweet will and time. Nevertheless, whether you play at an online casino or a land-based casino, a basic knowledge of the game with its rules, strategies, and game odds help you play the game of Blackjack like a pro. Although certain rules differ from casino to casino, overall game play remains the same at every casino.

Game Table Outlay

A typical Blackjack table consists of a dealer and seven players. The first seat to the left of the dealer is the first base and the first seat to the right of the dealer is third base. The chip tray is in front of the dealer while the shoe or the deck is to his left.

You can locate the minimum bet by the side of the shoe. This is the minimum amount of your wager for being eligible to play at this Blackjack table. A betting square printed in felt is in front of each player. There is a money drop slot to the right of the dealer. You deposit your cash and chips into this slot. The discard tray is by the side of the drop slot.

Start of the Game

The game starts with the dealer shuffling game cards. One of the players uses a marker card to cut the card deck. Dealer burns or throws away the marker card after cutting. You now have to make your bets in cash or chips in the betting box according to casino rules. After placing of bets by all players, dealer deals two cards to each player starting from left to right.
Most casinos deal both the players' cards face down. Some casinos deal the players' cards face up, in which case do not touch the cards. This could amount to cheating. Thereafter, the dealer deals himself two cards-one face up and the other face down.

Cards

Card values in a game of Black Jack game are face values for number cards from two to 10, face cards like King, Queen, and Jack have the value 10, and Ace can take the value of either 1 or 11, whichever proves more beneficial to you. A game of Blackjack is normally with one to eight card decks. 

Game Rules

The main aim of the game is to win over the dealer by having a card total of more than 21 without busting. If your first two dealt cards are a 10 and an Ace, it is a natural blackjack as Ace here counts as 11. You win all the bets in 3:2 ratio and the game ends here. 

You should never split pairs of tens and other ten value cards like King, Queen, and Jack. However, always split pairs of eights and Aces. Stand on a total of 17 or more and hit on a total of 11 or less. Stand means to forego a chance. You can indicate by a horizontal shake of your head in a land casino while you can use the stand button in an online casino. Hit is to ask for one more card. Gently tap your face down cards or point your finger at the face up cards to indicate a hit at land casinos.

You should play your game of Blackjack following the basic strategy chart. This basic strategy chart available at most casinos tells you what step to adopt with every type of card combinations. This proves to be a guideline for most players. However, never emulate the game pattern of the dealer.

Dealer has to hit on 16 and stand on 17, which is the converse of your game play. If you follow the same game pattern as that of the dealer, you place yourself on equal footing with the dealer. Therefore, if both you and dealer bust or cross the total of 21, it is the dealer who wins the game and receives all bets. You do not take delivery of anything.

If one of the dealers' face up card is an Ace, dealer asks players if you want insurance before checking the hole card. Insurance protects your bets if the dealer has a blackjack. Normally, if dealer has a blackjack, he wins all your bets and you get nothing. However, if you have insurance, you lose your initial bet but win insurance bet with payouts of 2:1. Nevertheless, if the dealer does not have a blackjack, you lose your insurance bet.

Surrender option is available at very few casinos as it is not a profitable option for the casino. Surrender means you are willing to give back your cards and get back your bets. Surrender could be early surrender or late surrender. Early surrender is before dealer checks for blackjack and late surrender is after dealer checks for online blackjack.

You can double on card totals of 9, 10, or 11. You have to place equal number of chips as your initial bet and you get a new card. Normal payouts in a game of blackjack are 1:1.

Mental Game

Keep your cool throughout your game of Blackjack. Do not panic and keep your emotions under control. This helps you win over all game odds in your Blackjack game. You can assess your wins at a blackjack game only in the end. There are many variations in the short term and your wins or losses in a single game do not matter much.

Play your blackjack game with dogged concentration. Do not allow any distractions or drink while playing your game of Blackjack. Play according to predetermined bankroll. Never go beyond the amount. If you win big, quit the game immediately. Do not put back the winnings into the game. Increase your bets while on a winning spree. Never increase your bet if you are losing thinking that you can get back all your losses through a big single win.

About the Author:

Hi I am Jiya James, a free lance writer of online slot machines and some of the best blackjack & slot games. I like to play slot casino gambling free virtual online casino games.