Online Blackjack Tips

Unlike most games it may be possible to forge an edge over the house when playing blackjack, but you won’t last long if you are only relying upon luck. Instead, you need to perfect your strategy and follow a strict set of rules to give yourself a fighting chance. Read on to discover our top blackjack tips and learn how to take your game to the next level with blackjack card counting!

Of course, using the basic strategy charts to fine tune your game is a great way to start improving your odds, but it can only do so much. Even if you follow the appropriate blackjack table (yes, there are different tables depending on how many decks are in play) you still leave a small, 0.50% edge in the house’s favor. It’s not much, but it is still statistically significant. If you want to really have an advantage over the house, you will have to delve into the world of card counting.

So What Is Card Counting?

Card counting has been glamorized by pop culture but it is actually quite tedious. Basically, you are looking at all of the visible cards and determining if they are mostly high cards or low cards. Based on this, you can reasonably deduce whether the deck is mostly filled with high or low cards. The higher the cards, the more likely the dealer is to bust and the more likely you are to ultimately win. This is a good time to mention that you still have to play with perfect basic strategy while counting cards to take advantage of any of the benefits.

There are a few different specific ways to count cards, but the specifics go beyond the scope of this article. Instead of worrying about the details, let’s look at what you can reasonably expect to gain from card counting. At best, most card counters hope to create a 1% statistical edge over the house. This is relatively small (though significant) and it only applies over the long run. It is still possible to catch a run of bad luck, even when playing perfectly. You have to be particularly dedicated to keep playing when you are losing consistently.

Do You Have What It Takes?

The fact is, even though card counting can be effective, many casinos have stopped tracking card counters completely. This is because so many card counters still consistently lose tons of money at the blackjack tables. Lots of them give up and walk away after going on a losing streak, and even more are simply not playing well enough. Even making one mistake per hour could totally destroy your mathematical advantage! The only players that really succeed in the long run are those that take card counting 100% seriously. It has to become your passion and you need to be willing to spend a ton of time practicing. You don’t have to be Rain Man, but without complete dedication, card counting is not particularly useful. So, do you have what it takes?