Counting Cards in Black Jack
Blackjack is a card game where players try to beat the dealer by getting a hand with a total higher than their opponent. There are three possible outcomes in a blackjack hand: winning, losing, or pushing. The player who makes the highest hand wins and the other players’ bets are returned.
The cards in a blackjack deck are numbered from 1 to 10 and can be worth varying amounts, depending on what the dealer says. Aces can be worth either 1 or 11 points, and Jacks, Queens, and Kings are all worth 10 points.
Each player is dealt two cards and must decide if they want to ‘HIT’ (stand) or ‘STAND’ (hit). The player can also double down, by placing a second bet on top of their initial wager and taking an extra card facedown.
Once all players have decided to play, the dealer begins their turn. They can ‘HIT’ or ‘STAND’, and they will draw new cards until they reach 21, the minimum score for a valid hand.
When the dealer’s up-card is an ace, they will offer a side bet called insurance. This is a bet of up to half the player’s original bet, that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has a ten underneath their hole card.
This is a sneaky way for casinos to entice people to place a big bet, and it isn’t recommended for anyone playing without experience or a good strategy. However, if you do make an insurance bet, it is important to remember that the dealer will check her hole card before anyone plays their hands. If she doesn’t have a ten, then she is just going to push any player’s blackjacks and take their original bets.
Some casinos have changed the rules of blackjack to reduce the payout for a winning hand down to 6 to 5. This means that the house edge goes up by about 3%, which is bad news for players.
Counting Cards:
A good way to improve your chances of winning is to learn how to count the cards in the deck. It takes a lot of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to identify when the deck is balanced and when it is not. You can even use a program like Excel to calculate the average of your cards.
Basic Strategy:
The best way to play a hand of blackjack is to follow the rules of basic strategy. This is a mathematically optimal strategy that was developed by computer programs and is the preferred method for most players. It was created using a large database of millions of hands and takes the guesswork out of the decision making process.
Rules for splitting and doubling:
The general rule is that the player cannot split or double against their own ace, but they can if the dealer has an ace up-card. Some games allow resplitting aces and some don’t, so it’s important to know the rules of your particular casino.