How to Win at Blackjack

How to Win at Blackjack

If you have a head for math and a little patience, blackjack is one of the more profitable games in any casino. Using books and strategy guides to improve your skills increases your chances at turning a profit playing blackjack. Here are ten tips that will help you win at blackjack.

1. Forget About (Most) Blackjack Betting Strategies

"Blackjack betting strategies" that tell you to increase or decrease your bets based on past performance will not work in the long run, and steer you away from playing with proper blackjack strategy. The only blackjack betting strategy that works is card counting. More on that later.

2. Memorize Basic Blackjack Strategy

Smarter gamblers than you have put together a basic strategy for playing blackjack that gives you the best possible play for every combination of your hand and the dealer's up card. Learn one of these charts and practice it.

3. Know the Rules of the Game

In casinos outside of Atlantic City, blackjack games may have very different rules. The most common rule variation is a 6:5 payoff for blackjack, which gives the casino an even bigger advantage than they already have. Know the rules of a game before you sit down to play.

4. Understand Your Advantages as a Player

The dealer is at a disadvantage because he has to play by the rules. You are at an advantage because you can use strategy better than the dealer. You are also at an advantage because you control your bets. You are also at an advantage when there are higher value cards in the deck--meaning after a lot of small cards have come into play.

5. Learn to Count Cards

You'll win more often at blackjack if you learn even the most basic card counting method. Counting cards is a way to inform your bets. Card counters know when a shoe is made up of cards that are more likely to result in losses for the dealer, and tailor their bets accordingly. You can learn a basic card counting system in about forty hours of study and practice, and you don't have to be an MIT grad or suffer from autism to use card counting to inform your bets.

6. Read (Good) Blackjack Books

There's lots of good writing on the game of blackjack out there; the key is to read books written by smart people. "Blackjack Secrets" by Stanford Wong is a great place to start. Pick up a copy of "Blackjack: The Real Deal" by J. Phillip Vogel for further reading once you master the basics. Any book by Stanford Wong is valuable to the blackjack player, though his book "Basic Blackjack" is a little outdated, focusing on rule variations that you just don't find anymore.

7. Play Blackjack in Atlantic City

Blackjack rules in Atlantic City are regulated by the state of New Jersey, and are the same for all tables in the state. Because of some rule differences between Atlantic City games and those found in Vegas, the player actually has better odds against the casino. Hit the Jersey shore for the best odds in the game--the casinos in Atlantic City have a 0.4% advantage over the player that knows basic strategy, as opposed to a 0.5% advantage for the casinos in Vegas and elsewhere in America. Even though it is only a 0.1% difference, you should take every advantage you can get.

8. Tip the Dealer

Dealers make minimum wage. Tipping your dealer at least $5 an hour will make your life less miserable. Consider it an entertainment expense--you'd spend more than $5 an hour at the bar, right? Let the dealer in on your luck.

9. Don't Get Drunk

There's no way you are a better gambler when you're impaired. You may feel like the king of the world, but your bankroll will disappear faster if you've had a few too many drinks. Why do you think casinos give away free drinks?

10. Know When to Quit

You will have ups and downs during a blackjack session, so your bankroll needs to be big enough to handle a few losses and a little bad luck. Part of this is knowing when to quit, when you've lost too much to continue playing at an acceptable bet level.

If you can follow all of these tips, you'll find yourself winning more often at the blackjack table. Learning basic strategy, card counting, and becoming familiar with game strategy by reading and practicing blackjack will make your time in the casino more profitable and more fun.