TIPS FOR THE NOVICE & EXPERIENCED PLAYER

By Henry Tamburin*

 

Novice

If you are new to blackjack don't fret. All of us were at one time were novice players. I know you might be intimidated by the dealer and other players and afraid that you might make a playing mistake that will cause your fellow players to get upset with you. We all felt that way the first time we played blackjack. The best way to get over the hump and gain the confidence to give blackjack a try is to first learn the basic rules and then a simple playing strategy to get you started.

The easiest way to learn how the game is played is to take a free lesson offered by most strip casinos. Call the casino to find out when they will be offering free blackjack lessons (the one at Caesars Palace is very good). You'll learn the basic rules and protocols in short order by attending one of these classes.

Your next task is to learn how to play your hands correctly. There is a basic playing strategy for blackjack but my partner Dan Pronovost developed a simplified basic playing strategy that you can learn in 10 minutes. It's not as powerful as the full basic strategy but for starters it will cut the house edge in most games to about 0.7% which is a much better deal than playing the slots and most table games.

Simplified Basic Strategy Rules

1.  Dealer rules: Draw on 16 or less, stand on 17 or greater. Exception: hit soft 17. Never take insurance or even money.

2.  Easy splits: Always split aces and 8s.

3.  Easy stands: Versus dealer 2 to 6, stand on hard 12 to 16.

4.  Easy doubles: Double on 10 or 11 when your total is higher than the dealer's up card.

5.  Soft doubles: double all 18 and less soft hands against dealer 4 to 6.

    6.  More splits: split all pairs (except 4s, 5s, and 10s) against dealer 2 to 7.

It’s important that you understand the difference between a soft and a hard hand. A soft hand is any hand that contains an ace that is counted as 11. For example, ace-6 is a soft 17, so is ace-2-4. A hard hand is any hand that either does NOT contain an ace (e.g., 10- 7 is hard 17) or contains an ace that counts as 1 (e.g., 9-7-ace is hard 17).

The first playing rule in the simplified basic strategy rules is equivalent to the dealers rule in casinos except you should always hit soft 17. Rules 2 through 6 are just exceptions to the first rule. So for any hand, start with the action recommended by rule #1 then modify your strategy only if one of the other rules triggers.

For example, suppose you were dealt 5-5 and the dealer’s upcard is a 4. Rule #4 would trigger and you should double down on the hand. Likewise suppose you were dealt a pair of 2’s and the dealer’s upcard is a 5. Rule 6 comes into play and you should split. What if you were dealt an ace-7 hand and the dealer shows a 6 upcard? According to rule #5 you should double down. Just remember that if rules 2 through 6 are NOT triggered, then follow rule #1 (e.g., you are dealt ace-5 (soft 16) and dealer shows a 7, you would draw).

No matter what hand you are dealt, you will find the correct play in one of the 6 rules. Just start with rule number 1 and work your way down till it matches the specific hand that you have. If your hand isn't covered by rules #2 through rule #6, the fall back rule is #1.

Try these sample hands for practice. The correct play according to the simplified rules are listed below.

 

1.                  8-6 against dealer’s 7

2.                  8-8 against dealer 9

3.                  ace-3 against dealer 5

4.                  7-4 against dealer 10

5.                  3-3 against dealer 6

6.                  10-6 against dealer 7

7.                  ace-10 against dealer ace. Take even money?

As far as how to bet, as a beginner I would suggest you just bet the same amount on every hand. Progressive betting systems might be fun but they won't change the odds against you in blackjack. If you feel daring and want to increase your bet, do so after you've seen a lot of small cards on the table (small meaning 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6's).

Experienced Players

First, avoid all single deck blackjack games that pay either 6 to 5 for a blackjack or even money (e.g. SuperFun 21). These games have worse odds than the traditional blackjack games that pay 3 to 2 for a blackjack. Second, do not play in shoe dealt games that use a continuous shuffling machine. These devices don’t change the odds of the game but they speed up the game so that on an hourly basis you’ll bet more and stand to lose more.

There are still plenty of good blackjack games in Las Vegas. Only you’ll have to be more selective where you play.

At the minimum, learn the full basic playing strategy before you play. It’s the mathematically correct way to play your hand and the strategy is readily available in blackjack books. You should also consider bringing a strategy card with you when you play. I recommend the Blackjack 678 basic strategy cards because the strategy is color coded on easy to read tables (for information on these cards go to www.bjinsider.com).

Armed with the basic playing strategy, here are the casinos that offer the best games.

1.      On the strip you’ll find shoe games where dealer stands on soft 17 (s17) and players can double after pair splitting, surrender, and resplit aces (house edge only 0.26%): Luxor, MGM Grand, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, Caesar’s Palace, Golden Nugget, and Mirage.

2.      If you happen to be a high stakes player ($100 min.), you’ll also find good double deck games where dealer stands on soft 17 and a player can double after pair splitting (house edge 0.19%) at  Bellagio, Luxor, Mirage, Palms, NYNY, Treasure Island, and the Venetian. Caesar’s Palace also offer late surrender (house edge only 0.14%).

3.      If you are a card counter, these casinos offer good penetration and profitable games: Lady Luck (1 deck), Palms (2 deck), Bally’s (6 deck, s17), Mandalay Bay (2 deck), Bellagio (6-deck), MGM Grand (6-deck, s17) and Treasure Island (6 deck, s17).

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*Dr. Henry Tamburin is a resident of SCA and teaches workshops and seminars on blackjack and video poker at SCA.  He is a well-known blackjack expert, author of the best selling book, Blackjack: Take The Money and editor of the Blackjack Insider newsletter. You can find more advice on blackjack by visiting his web site www.bjinsider.com.