Beat the House with this Supabets Blackjack Strategy

By Kent Clarke
 

In the game of blackjack, the final hand you hold can only be one of the following - a blackjack, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16 or less, or bust. If you bust, you have lost, whereas if you hold blackjack the worse case scenario is a tie with the dealer with the best case scenario being you get paid a bonus of 1.5 times your stake. You probably realize that the chances of winning if you stand on your 17 - 21 are very important, so what are they? Not as good as you might like!

Here's an example stand on 17 in a 6 deck game (the dealer must stand on 17). You are probably thinking that's a good hand and are happy to happy to have 17. The statistics prove though, that you will lose more often than win if the dealer shows any face card except a 6. The most money is lost in this scenario when the dealer shows a 9, the least when the dealer shows a 4 or a 5. Make a mental note - you only stand a fighting chance when the dealer has a 6 showing. Only in THIS case will you have a statistical chance of winning money in the long run. You will now be wondering how you can make money, given these facts. You can't. If you hit a hard 17 you will experience mounting losses, so the wise course of action is simply to stand. Of course, often you can stand on 17 and still win a hand but the numbers add up inexorably - over time you will end up losing more money than you win UNLESS the dealer shows a 6. Standing on 17 is not a good idea!

Now you know that 17 is actually not a good hand, you have probably already realized you should never stand on soft 17 (instead you should either hit or double down). There is a further disadvantage too, when the dealer hits soft 17, as follows. Imagine you stand with 18. This has GOT to be better than standing on 17, right? Yes, but the improvement in your odds might surprise you. With an 18, and over the long run you are going to make money when the dealer shows a 2 to 8 face card. You will still actually LOSE money when the dealer's showing a 9, 10 or Ace. For this reason you should never stand, but should always hit a soft 18 if the dealer shows a 9, 10, or Ace.

If we run statistical 'Monte Carlo' analysis of Black Jack, we find that in the imaginary case of you ALWAYS having 18, the surprising fact is that you would LOSE an average of about 65 cents for every $100 you bet. 18 ain't such a great hand! Human psychology is what makes us think the opposite - 18 is 'nearly 19', and 19, or course, is 'nearly 20'. An 18, in the subconscious mind, is therefore 'nearly 21'!! What about 19? Can we regularly stand on 19 and win money in the long run? 19 MUST be a winning hand! The answer is... Yes, except if the dealer shows a 10 or Ace. If that is the case, your 19 will still cause you to lose money in the long run. Hard to believe, huh? When you get up to 20 you are basically in the money. This hand will make you money in the long run whatever the dealer holds, even including an Ace. As 20 is such a phenomenally strong hand, NEVER split it 10 10 (and likewise an Ace 9 should never be doubled). It's a winning hand - and if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

This brings us to the statistical realization that over 2 thirds of your blackjack winnings at will come from these 2 hands (Ace 10 and 10 10). Further down the chain, the bulk of the rest of your winnings will come from only 5 more hands - 11, 10 9, 10, Ace 9, and Ace 8. That's why you must burn in the strategies for these hands because they are the ones that will make you money. If we are talking multiple decks always double down on 11 if the dealer is showing 10 or less. The general case - always double 10 if the dealer is showing 9 or less. Always stand on hard and soft 19. Always stand on soft 18, except if the dealer is showing a 3 through 6, where you should double down. Always hit when the dealer is showing a 9, 10 or Ace but stand on 2, 7, and 8.

Now the bad news - the following hands are responsible for the vast majority (almost 85%!) of your losses. Beware of hard 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. The hard 12 through 16 hands are long term losing hands whatever strategy you adopt. The overall message? Gear the basic playing strategy into your head so you can play it without thinking - know what to do when the winning hands appear. Use money management to supplement this - bet more when the deck is still heavy in tens and Aces (card counting per se is frowned on, of course, but you should always have some grasp on what's already been played!). This is the simplest way to turn the blackjack odds in your favor, and ensure you leave the casino with more money than you went in with! Good luck!

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Kent Clarke writes gaming articles for www.supabets.com . You may
reproduce this article in full, including the courtesy notice.

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Eazy BlackJack Card Counting Secrets
by T McBroom  

If you are like the average, recreational Blackjack participant, you may play Blackjack in a casino a few times per year and you want to play in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and have fun.

But at the same time, you don't want to play a game where the chances are greatly against you and you want a good chance of beating the house on any given day. And you're willing to invest a reasonable amount of time learning to play properly.

Does this describe you? If so, you are not alone. If you invest the few hours it takes to lean Basic Methodology and good money management you will reduce the casino's edge down to about a half p.c. This is the closest to playing even with the house that you'll find in any game in the casino.

However, for those of you for whom playing nearly even with the house is not good enough and you want the edge, you must become a card counter.

It is an irrefutable fact that you can have an advantage over the casino in Blackjack by counting cards. There are dozens of books this subject and card counting has been mathematically proven - literally thousands of times - as a method to more accurately determine the odds that your next hand will have favorable cards.

The long-term advantage gained by card counting is about 1%, versus the one half percent disadvantage from simply playing Basic Methodology.

So why isn't everyone a card counter and why are casino Blackjack profits at an all- time high and climbing?

Two reasons: * Casinos have made the playing conditions very hard for card counters. * Becoming an expert card counter requires hundreds of hours of practice and a monstrous bankroll. Even then, a tiny lapse in concentration at the table will wipe out the miniscule advantage gained by counting.

This does not mean there aren't professional Blackjack counters who make a living playing Blackjack - there are.

However, to be able to make a full time living by counting cards, you'll need to be able to do the following:

* Spend hundreds of hours, and play thousands of hands, to learn to count cards expertly, plus learn the many subtle variations to hitting and standing that vary with the count.

* Play 100 hours plus per month of actual table time, with average bets of $50 - $100. You can doubtless double this amount of time - or more - to allow for breaks, finding good tables, changing boards and casinos frequently, travel, etc.

* Learn how to constantly conceal your card counting skills when playing, to avoid being asked to leave.

* Change boards and casinos frequently, to avoid being detected.

* Have a very great bankroll. This translates to a working bankroll of about $30,000 - $50,000, based on average gambles of $50 - $100, which is what you'll need to earn a full time living. This will give a very low edge against you of about one half of one per 100, while still providing the chance to come away a winner in the short term.

Learning perfect Blackjack Basic Methodology takes only a few hours and can be mastered by virtually everyone. In fact, the Pit Bosses will welcome you with open arms. You'll still have the lowest chances against you of any pit game in the casino and you'll have a fighting chance of beating the casino with a good run of cards.

This is the best way to play for casual, recreational punters who want to have fun but not lose their shirts.

However, for the recreational punter, Blackjack should be easy to learn and fun. With Basic Methodology, it is. .
 

Eazy BlackJack Card Counting Secrets 

http://www.blackjack-for-everyone.com/
This article courtesy of http://www.SupaBets.com . You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

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