Casino Blackjack Tips And Strategies

• Best Blackjack Strategies
• New Blackjack Strategies
• Basic Blackjack Strategies
• Casino Blackjack Tips And Tricks
• Online Blackjack Tips

Most of the time when you’re playing online real money Blackjack at Ignition Casino, you’ll place your bet, the cards will come out, and you’ll either hit or stand - no strategy required. But every once in a while, your hole cards will be so good, you’ll want to double your bet. The blackjack double down (or just “double” for short) strategy is one of the most powerful moves in. What is Blackjack Strategy? Although there is no foolproof way to ensure yourself a win, using a well-practiced strategy can massively increase your chances of winning in a game. This can be done. The first thing to get to grips with is ‘basic strategy’ which is probably the most essential ingredient of blackjack strategy. The basic strategy detailed below is based on blackjack games played with 4 or more decks. Essentially, the basic strategy is a template which shows you the best course of action to take based on the cards dealt.

Table Of Contents

Are you looking for the best blackjack strategy to maximise your winning odds when you play online? You'll love these tips.

Finding a way to get higher chances to win at blackjack shouldn't be so hard.

The basic strategy is the best way to play blackjack — and when you combine it with some strategy tips on bankroll management and what to do after you win, you have really reached the maximum you can.

In other words, if you are looking for the best blackjack betting strategy to increase your chances to win, you'll love this guide.

In the parts that follow you will find:

• And lots more

We also put together a collection of the best bonuses to play online. This way, you can use those freebies to test the blackjack basic strategy and all the tips in this article.

Register a FREE account and claim your bonus to play online blackjack!

What this guide is NOT

• A collection of tips to win at blackjack
• A list of systems that promise to make blackjack profitable
• The illusion that you can beat the game

Blackjack is a gambling game where the casino has an advantage. It doesn't matter what approach you take or what blackjack strategy you follow. In the long run, the casino always wins.

Why Follow a Blackjack Betting Strategy?

Let's face it - we have all been there. We have all looked for the best and the most effective strategy to win at blackjack after we lost our first hands online.

With the right blackjack strategy it's possible to increase your winning chances, and that's because blackjack isn't a gambling game like roulette, video poker, or slots.

If you follow the basic betting strategy and you learn how to use the information you have at your disposal, you can reach optimal play giving yourself the best chances to win include in the game.

Professional players have worked hard to 'solve' the game of blackjack and find how to play each hand to get the best winning odds.

They analysed how the number of decks in play affects your chances to win and how you can make the best decision based on the cards you see on the table.

• That's what they call the 'blackjack basic strategy. A list of dos and don'ts where you find exactly how you are supposed to play each and every hand you are dealt.

This is the best strategy for blackjack.

The goal of the blackjack basic strategy isn't to help you win at blackjack every time you play. That's impossible. Instead, it is to help you maximize your winning chances and to minimize your losses.

That's also the goal of this guide. We don't list all the strategies for blackjack out there. Instead, we focus only on the best blackjack strategies that are known to work and should help you get better results when you play.

Starting from the tips and tricks included in our cheat-sheet.

READ ALSO: How to play online blackjack with friends.

Best Blackjack Strategies

What Is the Blackjack Basic Strategy?

Knowing how to manage your money is as important in blackjack as it is in all gambling games. A correct 'bankroll management' is essential when you play — regardless of the blackjack strategies you apply to your games.

Knowing how to bet (and how much) and how to select the right game when you play online blackjack for real money is extremely important.

Once you have those basics covered, you can move into the basic blackjack strategy and learn how you are supposed to invest your money once the dealer gives you the initial two cards.

As soon as the cards reach you and the dealer opens one of their cards, you have to make your first choice. In a game of blackjack, that means you need to pick one of these options:

• Stand
• Hit
• Double
• Split
• Surrender

Do you know why the basic blackjack strategy is also considered to be the best way to discover how to win at blackjack? Because it uses basic logic.

Would you hit if your first two cards gave you 20 points? Of course not.

Would you stand if your starting hand was worth five points? Not a chance.

While these choices are very simple on hands like the ones I use in my example, things get (a lot) more complicated with different cards on the table.

Let me give you a few examples.

• How do you play soft 17 in blackjack?
• When do you hit on a 16?
• What to do with 15 in blackjack?

This is where the basic blackjack strategy comes in to help you get the best chances to win.

This collection of tips shows you the optimal play for every blackjack hands, calculating your winning odds in combination with the dealer's open card.

The basic strategy to win at blackjack has nothing to do with concepts like card counting or any of those tricks some 'clever' players adopt to beat the house.

This is a simple-to-use guideline that shows you exactly how you are supposed to play every possible hand of blackjack. Use it to know when it is recommended to hit, to stand, or to do something else.

Key:
S = Stand
H = Hit
Dh = Double (if not allowed, then hit)
Ds = Double (if not allowed, then stand)
SP = Split
SU = Surrender (if not allowed, then hit)

A Blackjack Cheat Sheet

To make things even easier for you and help you follow the best betting strategy whenever you play blackjack, we created a quick cheat-sheet with the basic strategy explained in full.

Download the blackjack cheat-sheet (it's free) and print it or save it on your mobile phone to keep it always with you when you play.

The blackjack basic strategy cheat-sheet is 100% legal and you can use it both when you play online and at a brick-and-mortar casino.

A Conservative Blackjack Strategy

Don't play high-stakes games unless you feel ready for them and you have enough money to spend on online games.

If you are reading this blackjack strategy guide and you are a beginner, you should be afraid of high-stakes games.

When you spend too much money on your games, you risk getting the opposite of what you want. You play to have fun and to find out how to get more chances to win at blackjack - and you end broke and frustrated.

The best way to play blackjack is to start with what I call a conservative approach. Because finding the right way top handle betting in blackjack is key to long-term fun.

Like many blackjack strategies suggest, you should increase the stakes only when things go well and any potential losses are compensated by the money you have already won, not the one you might win if you get lucky.

In other words, raise your bet every time you win.

Many players believe wins and losses come in streaks. They think you might lose five or six times in a row — but when you win…you are not going to do it just once.

Obviously, that's not true.

Blackjack is a gambling game and there are no patterns for you to exploit or streaks that you can use to win more money every time you play.

There are, however, smart betting strategies like the basic blackjack strategy that can help you increase the chances of a victory.

With that in mind, a conservative blackjack strategy works like this:

• Start from the lowest bet (e.g. $1)
• Increase your bet by 1 unit only after you win
• Go back to the original bet after you lose

When you use this blackjack strategy, you need to go back to the original bet as soon as you lose one hand. This is the best way to be in control of your money and end a gaming session in the black.

All you need to do is to make the right choices (use the basic strategy) and raise your stakes little by little - but only when you win.

READ ALSO: Bets sites to play live dealer blackjack online.

An Aggressive Approach to Blackjack: the Martingale Strategy

The Martingale betting strategy sits at the opposite side of the spectrum. This is the perfect blackjack strategy for those players who:

• Play blackjack to win a lot of money
• Can afford to lose a lot of money
• Don't fear the swing of big losses

In other words, this is the perfect blackjack strategy for big spenders but isn't one that you should try if you are still a beginner who is looking for ways to learn how to play blackjack.

The Martingale blackjack strategy is expensive. This is a blackjack system that will help you win often - but only when I have a lot of money to invest on your games.

If you can't spend at least $500 on your games - the Martingale is not the best blackjack strategy for you.

But if you do — continue reading to discover how to use this betting strategy to increase your chances to win.

In short:

The Martingale strategy is the exact opposite of the conservative approach to betting in blackjack we have just seen.

When you follow this strategy, you need to double your bet every time you lose. Which, in case of a losing streak, can become very expensive very quickly.

The rationale of this audacious blackjack betting strategy is that you will need only one win to go back to square one and recoup all your losses in one hand.

New Blackjack Strategies

The caveat is: your bankroll needs to be deep enough for you to play and play until that one win comes.

Again, this isn't a betting strategy for beginners. If you decide to try it, make sure your bankroll covers at least 10 consecutive losses from the hand #1.

1-3-2-6 Blackjack Betting System

The 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting strategy is not as exciting as the Martingale strategy, and that's a good thing. This betting strategy doesn't require a huge bankroll and is a lot more suitable for players looking for a way to have better chances to win at blackjack without investing a fortune in the game.

The numbers in the strategy's name indicate the way you should bet after you win a hand of blackjack.

You first winning is the trigger that starts the sequence while your first losing hand is the one that ends everything.

This blackjack betting strategy is built to get the most value out of winning streaks. If you are lucky enough to use it at the beginning of a four-hand winning streak, you are in for a treat.

READ ALSO: How to play blackjack for beginners.

How to Win More Often at Blackjack: A Few Important Tips

We all want to win at blackjack every time we play, but we also know that's impossible.

What is possible, however, is to maximise your chances to win and get better winning odds when you play blackjack online. All it takes a few simple tips.

Follow them carefully, as these blackjack tips are as important as the best blackjack betting strategy.

• Don't spend money on the 'insurance'. The insurance bet is a money-draining option created to confuse beginners. All the best blackjack strategies fail to mention is for one simple reason: no real blackjack player will ever spend their money on it.

• Think about the house edge. Like we said when we went through some of the game's best betting strategies, you can't expect to win at blackjack every time you play.

  Like all other casino games, the house edge is what makes sure that the casino has an advantage over the players in the long run. With that in mind, the next of our blackjack tips is one that can make a great difference for you.

• Set a budget and abide to that. Experienced blackjack players know that you need to set a losing and a winning limit before the first hand is dealt.

  Stop playing as soon as you hit one of them. If you lose and hit your lower limit, take a break and end your session.

  If you win and you hit your highest limit, collects your winnings and leave the table. You can continue to play if you want, but you'll need to set a new bankroll and establish new limits first.

• Don't miss the rules sheet. Trust me, there are more blackjack variations that you will ever play. All of them are based on the same core gameplay — but adopt rules that could break you if you aren't ready for them

  One of the best parts of playing online is that the rules are always available at the table. If you are not sure you know everything about the game you want to play, click on the 'info' icon and read the rules.

• Choose 3:2 over 6:5 payout. Different casinos have different payout policies - and not all of them are great for you.

  Make sure you read the payout table before you begin to play a hand of real money blackjack and always choose the games with the 'regular' 3:2 payout. These are a much smarter choice compared to the 6:5 payout blackjack games you find at some online casino sites.

Use Bonuses to Find Your Favourite Blackjack Strategy

Now that you know what are the best blackjack strategies, there is only one thing left: play a few games online to find out which one works best for you.

Here's what you should fo to get the best results:

1. Base all your decisions on the basic blackjack strategy
2. Pick the betting strategy that suits your bankroll
3. Follow all the blackjack strategy tips above to maximise your chances to win

To help you find the right games and the right betting strategy, we created a list of the best blackjack bonuses on the market.

All the sites you find in the list are licensed, pay winnings fast, and offer lots of blackjack games. Pick the ones with the best offers, register an account (it's always free), and sit at the blackjack table to start an epic battle with the dealer!

The purpose of this page is to provide an introduction to
blackjack strategy. It’s aimed at beginners who are intimidated
by those bizarrely colored strategy cards. The simple strategy
suggested on this page isn’t perfect. But it provides you with
better odds against the casino than just playing your hunches.

Basic Blackjack Strategies

Use the strategy on this page, and the house edge will average
about 1.5%. That’s way better than the 4% you’d face if you just
winged it. Playing your hunches is a terrible blackjack strategy.

Get comfortable with the simple strategy on this page. Then move on to memorize the full basic strategy.
You’ll cut the house edge by an additional 0.5%-1%.

What Is Basic Strategy

First, let’s talk about what blackjack players mean by “basic strategy”. This is simply a phrase that refers to the
mathematically correct way to play every situation.

That sounds like a really big and scary undertaking, but there are fewer possible situations than you might
think in blackjack.

For one thing, the dealer is only going to have one of ten possible up cards.

Your hands can be divided into one of the following three categories:

• Ten possible hard hands
• Seven possible soft hands
• Nine possible pairs

Once you know how to play each and every hand versus the dealer’s ten possible up cards, you’ve mastered
basic strategy.

Splitting Hands

The first decision you’ll look at is whether or not you can split your cards. You can only split your hand if you’re
holding a pair. If you’re not holding a pair, you move on to the decisions for hard or soft hands.

If you are holding a pair, you want to remember these rules for whether or not to split,

• Never split fours, fives, or tens.
• Always split aces and eights.
• Split any other pair if the dealer has a 2 – 6 showing.

That’s it. Memorize those three rules for splitting, and you’re 1/3 of the way finished with learning a
simplified version of basic strategy.

Hard Hands Versus Soft Hands

Your next step is to decide whether you have a hard hand or a soft hand. A hard hand is a hand with no aces.
Hands where aces must count as one in order to avoid going bust are also considered hard hands.

Here are some examples of hard hands.

Soft hands are those in which the ace might count as a one or it might count as an 11. Here are some
examples of soft hands.

In general, you’ll play your soft hands a little more aggressively than your hard hands. After all, you have a
lower chance of busting a soft hand.

Here’s how to play the specific totals.

Hard Totals

You’ll play your hard totals according to the following strategy.

• You’ll always stand on any hard total of 17+.
• You’ll always hit any hard total of 8 or less.
• If you have a hard total of between 12 and 16:
  • You’ll stand if the dealer has a 2-6 showing
  • Otherwise, you’ll hit.
• If you have a hard total of 10 or 11, you’ll always double down.
• If you have a hard total of 9:
  • You’ll double down if the dealer has a 2-6.
  • Otherwise, you’ll just hit.

If you assume the dealer has a 10 in the hole, these decisions will make a lot of sense. Here are some
examples.

If the dealer has a 3 or 4 showing with a 10 in the hole, she’s got a hard total of 13 or 14. She’ll have to
take a hit, and a large percentage of the time, she’ll bust. There’s no point in hitting a hard total of
between 12 and 16 in a situation where you are likely to win by default when the dealer busts.

If the dealer has a 9 showing, and you assume a 10 in the hole, then the dealer has a total of 19. You’d be crazy to not try to improve your hand if you have a total lower than 16.

On the other hand, any hard total of 17 is almost certain to bust you, so at some point, you have to just go with the total you have.

Soft Hands

You’ll pay soft hands with the following strategy.

• You’ll always hit any soft hand totaling 15 or less.
• You’ll always stand on any soft hand totaling 19 or more.
• With any soft total of 17 to 18 you’ll:
  • Double down versus a dealer 2-6
  • Just hit if the dealer is showing a seven or higher.

Again, think about what the dealer is likely to have in the hole. If the dealer has a 2 through 6, the chances
she’ll bust are pretty good. That’s why you’ll double down on that soft 16 to 18.

Also, since you’re less likely to go bust, you’ll notice that you’ll hit more soft totals than you would hard totals.
That’s because you can’t bust in these situations.

Other Considerations

Insurance

You should never take insurance. It’s a sucker bet. Even when you’re using the full basic strategy, you won’t
take insurance, ever.

The only time to take insurance is if you’re counting cards and the count indicates that it’s a profitable play.
Even most card counters don’t take insurance, though, as it’s a clue to the casino that you might be counting
cards. Casinos hate card counters.

At any rate, since you’re a beginner, the simplest thing to remember about taking insurance can be summed
up in one word:

Don’t

Surrender

You’ll only surrender in one situation. If you have a hard total of 16 and the dealer has a 10 showing, you’ll
surrender.

Here’s why:

The dealer almost certainly has an ace or a ten in the hole, giving her a likely total of 20 or 21. Even if she
doesn’t, she has a good chance of having a 7 or higher in the hole, in which case you’re beat.

But hitting a hard total of 16 is almost always going to turn into a bust. It’s not worth the risk if you can help it.

And you can.

If you’re not sure what surrendering means, it’s actually pretty simple. When you surrender, it’s like folding a
hand in poker. You give up half your bet, but you get to keep half of it. In return, you agree that you have no
claim to any winnings. You basically just give up your hand.

It’s a shame the casinos don’t allow you to wave a white flag in these situations, in fact.

Where Do You Go From Here?

At this point, you can just play, confident in the knowledge that you’re almost playing the game with the best
odds in the casino. The rules I’ve outlined above are all summarized in the following chart, which makes it
even easier to know what to do and when.

H = Hit
S = Stand
P = Split
D = Double Down

* if you have a hard total of 16 versus a dealer 10. Surrender.

If you learn the exceptions to the strategy rules above, you WILL be playing the game with the lowest house
edge in the casino.In fact, that’s my recommendation for your next step. Memorize the correct basic strategy
for the game you’ll be playing. You’ll find a handful of differences in how you play certain hands.

Casino Blackjack Tips And Tricks

Online Blackjack Tips

When you have a 12, the correct strategy is to hit if the dealer has a 2 or a 3 showing. But for the sake
of simplifying the strategy, I’ve just included instructions to always stand on this hand.

The rules variations and conditions under which you’re playing will determine which strategy card you use.
You can find accurate strategy charts here on our site, or on several sites on the Internet. You can even buy
some excellent strategy cards from Ken Smith on Amazon.

You can even find a basic strategy card in the gift shop of the casino, but I’m not as confident in the accuracy
of those cards as I am the ones you can find online. I’ve never looked at them that closely, but I never trust
gambling strategy advice from a casino.

You can find more detailed information on basic strategy in the intermediate section of our blackjack guide.

Summary

Basic strategy seems hard. In fact, it is hard. You have to memorize the correct play in
almost 250 different situations.

But you can learn this introductory strategy with just a little bit of effort. It only consists of
11 different guidelines covering every possible hand you can get versus every possible
dealer up card.

Once you’ve memorized this simple strategy, you’ll be facing an extremely low house edge
at blackjack. The difference between this strategy and the full basic strategy is less than 0.5%.

And you can always move on to memorizing the exceptions to this simple strategy as your
next step in learning blackjack strategy.