When playing blackjack there are things you can do to make sure you optimise your chances of walking away from the table a winner. Mainly these optimisation skills are to do with decisions you make under certain circumstance. The blackjack strategy chart is a tool which can guide a player into making the decisions which give you the best odds of tasting success when playing 21.
When Dr. Edward O. Thorp first published Beat the Dealer, online blackjack did not exist so his optimal play strategies weren’t created with the Internet in mind. Lucky for us, players all around the globe who have been connected via the world wide web have created and shared strategy charts that have been tested by computers to ensure optimal play for standard blackjack titles.
Optimal Blackjack Strategy The rules of play 1. The number of players. At most blackjack tables, there is one dealer and from one to six players. The player to the dealer’s left receives his cards rst, and is said to be on rst base.' The nal player on the dealer’s right is the last to get his cards, and is said to be on third base.' The 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system is an interesting strategy. With this system you are risking a small amount to win a much larger amount, if you complete the betting cycle. You can lose 6 times at the worst level, the second bet, and still completely cover yourself by winning all 4 bets of the cycle one time. It limits the risk imposed on players’ bankrolls, and further allows them to maneuver their bet sizes. All in all, wonging is all about benefits from practicing betting strategies right. Card counting as part of this proper strategy, is made all the more easier, even though it doesn’t require any special know-how in general.
The most important key when using a blackjack strategy chart is you are reading it correctly as it tells you when to hit, stand, split, double, or surrender and if you mix these actions up and perform them at the wrong time you could lose when you potentially could’ve won.
Good strategy charts for blackjack are colour coded with letters standing for the action with a key to match. For example H stands for hit, S represents stand, P stands for split and so on. These could vary depending on what chart you’re using so read the key carefully.
The dealer’s card is generally along the horizontal axis while the player’s hand is along the vertical axis. There are sections dedicated to hard hands, soft hands, and splits. Each move recommended based on the player’s hand and the dealer’s hand has been created by statistics, but obviously there is still an element of luck.
There are two strategy charts, one for when the dealer hits on a soft 17 and one for when a dealer hits on a hard 17. It is imperative you know which rule variation you are playing when using these charts as there are moves that differ from one another depending on what the dealer does. There are also charts for other variations of blackjack, however these are less common.
If you are playing at a land-based casino where you can’t set the pace of the game, it might be best to memorise key moves instead of the entire chart, to keep it simple in your head. For example, players should hit if you have from five to eight for a hard hand and on 12 to 15 for a soft hand; double on a 10 if the dealer has two to nine with a hard hand and on 18 if the dealer has two to six on a soft hand; and finally never split fives, or 10s. These aren’t specific rules you need to learn, but it is better to take some moves from the chart than none if you can’t memorise them all.
While the strategy chart does not guarantee you will win if you choose to do the move it does mean you are playing at your best in terms of statistics. We mentioned above a few rules to possibly remember which are examples of optimal play, however we will give more depth to the following examples.
If the dealer has anything from a two to an Ace, players should hit when they have anything from a four to an eight with a hard hand. When a player has a nine they should hit on any card the dealer may have but double down if they have a three to six if possible. These are just some of the possible examples of playing at your optimum when you have a hard hand. Again, the moves vary between the two charts.
With a soft hand it is recommended to stand for more possible combinations when the dealer hits on a soft 17, and less when the dealer stands on a soft 17. An example of this is when a dealer has a six and the player has a soft 19, with the rules that the dealer has to hit on a soft 17, it is recommended players double down if available. When the dealer stands on a soft 17 it is recommended the player stands. There are a few combinations where this occurs so it is important to know which chart you need.
As mentioned above it is suggested never to split fives or 10s. Splitting Aces and eights is a prime example of optimal blackjack play. It is also suggested to only split fours when the rule that you can split after doubling is in place but this only applies when the dealer has a four or a five.
This isn’t all of the examples possible, rather it is just a select few so it is best you view the chart and try it out for yourself.
All our recommended online casinos offer a free play mode so players can open up the strategy chart in a tab and try out the moves. Once you are ready to play with real money just change modes, make a deposit and you can get going. The best thing about playing online whether you are in free mode or not is that you can take your time. At land-based casinos and live dealer versions, there is a set pace, and a set amount of time to make bets. When you are first learning to use the strategy chart, it is best to take your time so we believe playing online is the best option.
When you’re looking for a real money website to play 21 games at it is important to take several factors into consideration. It’s also very important to play at online casinos which are governed in a trusted location like the United Kingdom, Malta or Curacao, which are two of the online licensing bodies with strong reputations.
Generally casinos we endorse to international players are approved by eCOGRA which is an independent auditing organisation, based out of the UK.
If you visit a casino and there are not many deposit options, you should steer clear of playing there because there are better options available, catering to several currencies and payment methods.
Since blackjack is the one casino game where skill truly matters, it’s important for players to test different strategies and start incorporating them into their gameplay. But before you test any of the blackjack systems out there, there’s a simple truth you must realise – every valid blackjack strategy is based on logic and maths. Therefore, the best strategy you can adopt right away would be to leave your superstitions behind, forget about your ‘winning rituals’ and trust only the numbers. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a look at the best tactics you can adopt to help you win at online blackjack every time you play.
Players often ignore this all-important step, so I decided to start precisely with it. I cannot emphasise enough how big of a factor picking a good casino site is for your future success at beating the game. And that process is not even that hard – the trick is to pick a reputable, well-known casino that features a lot of blackjack games and generous bonuses that you can use on them. Here are three stellar examples:
Blackjack Site | Rating | Highlights | Welcome Bonus | Trusted Site | Terms and Conditions |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
888 Casino | 7 RNG Games , 36 Live Tables | Up to £100 + £88 | Get Bonus! | Full T&Cs apply. 1st deposit only • £20 min deposit with code • Valid for selected games only • Bonus wins capped at £500 • 30x wagering – req. vary by game - in 90 days • UK - deposit balance available for withdrawal at any time • Withdrawal terms & T&Cs apply. | |
Ladbrokes Casino | 15 RNG Games, 10 Live Tables | £50 Welcome Bonus | Get Bonus! | Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New Casino players only. Deposit required. Min stake £10 on qualifying games. 40x wager reqs (bonus only) on selected games. 24hrs to accept. Bonus valid for 48hrs. Certain deposit types excluded. Bets covering >70% of Roulette table excluded. | |
Betway | 17 RNG Games, 30 Live Tables | 100% up to £250 | Get Bonus! | Full T&Cs apply. * New customers only. Opt-in required. 100% Match Bonus up to £250 on 1st deposit of £20+. 50x bonus wagering applies as do weighting requirements. Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Irregular gameplay may invalidate your bonus. This offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered. |
But how in fact does your choice of casino impact your winning chances? Truth is that not all online casinos are safe and trustworthy. Moreover, even if you have won fair and square, some of them might refuse to pay out your winnings. By choosing a licensed and regulated casino, such as the ones we recommend, you secure yourself a fair chance at winning and, most importantly, guaranteed payouts.
Picking the right game variant is yet another important part of an all-encompassing blackjack strategy. The most important detail about each game is undoubtedly the house edge – the lower it is, the better. Here is a comparison between the house edges of some of the most popular online blackjack games in the UK:
As you can see, the house edge of these games is already quite low (just for reference, most slot games have a house edge of 4%-6%). Still, this is the first thing you should check before trying a new blackjack game. There are, in fact, some online blackjack games that have a house edge over 1% and even over 2%. If your goal is to win and not just to have fun, then you should definitely stay clear of those.
Not all blackjack games are made from the same mold. In fact, there are hardly any two blackjack variations that have exactly the same rules. Therefore, applying the same basic strategy for different games simply won’t work. Every little detail about the game matters as it affects the house edge. You can learn about the specific rules of each variant from the help section of the game. Here is what information you should be looking for if you want to find the best blackjack strategy for the game you’ve chosen.
Another particularity you should be aware of when searching for a suitable online blackjack strategy is that there are some blackjack games that bear the same name but have different rules and, consequently, different house edge. This is due to the fact that the games are provided by different software developers. For example, Classic Blackjack by Microgaming has a house edge of merely 0.13% while the game of the same name developed by NetEnt has a house edge of 0.35%. A big difference, indeed.
Hopefully, you’ve followed our tips for playing blackjack and have already chosen a specific game to play, where to play it and you’ve familiarised yourself with all its rules. Now it’s time to find a basic blackjack strategy card specific to your game of choice which will help you make the right decision in any situation.
Below, you can see an example of a strategy card that’s especially created for Playtech’s Blackjack Pro. The image clearly shows how you should play against any given dealer upcard according to the hand you’re holding. The complete strategy chart for each different blackjack variation should consist of three parts – one for hard hands, one for soft hands and one for pairs.
The easiest way to find an optimal blackjack strategy chart for the game you want to try is to generate it yourself using one of the many blackjack basic strategy calculators you can find online. Using these strategy cards is very suitable for beginners since they are extremely easy to read and at the same time they are math-based. Still, there are some things that these cards don’t cover. They don’t tell you what to do with the side bets, how much to bet and whether card counting could help you. Those are exactly the topics that we’re going to cover next.
As we have already established in the previous paragraphs, strategy cards can be very useful when playing most blackjack games, especially for the beginners. Yet, as you may have noticed, they don’t cover any side bets whatsoever. After all, the perfect blackjack strategy is the one that takes into account all aspects of the game and this includes whether or not to place bonus bets and if yes – how much to bet.
The truth is that blackjack is a casino game with an extremely low house edge. On top of that, skilled players are able to reduce this minimal advantage even further by adopting various blackjack strategies. This is why, in the hopes to increase the house edge and, consequently, the revenues, the casinos started adding extra decks to the different blackjack variations and came up with different side bets. And while these side bets definitely add fun and variety to te game, they make players lose money, slowly but surely.
So, it’s easy to see that the best strategy for blackjack side bets is actually not to place any! Just stick to the strategy cards until you’ve gained enough experience to start testing more advanced tactics.
When most new players hear the words ‘blackjack strategies’, they immediately think of card counting. While this strategy may still be possible in some brick-and-mortar casinos (although, in general, it’s against the house rules or at least it’s frowned upon), it is virtually unfeasible in online casinos where the deck is shuffled after each hand. The only exception to this rule is live dealer blackjack. So, if you want to try some card counting techniques while playing online, your only option is to play live blackjack games.
But what actually is card counting and can it really help you beat the casino? Card counting is a blackjack technique that helps you follow the number of high and low cards in the shoe thus giving you some insight as to what type of card might come next – a bit of knowledge that can, indeed, tip the scales in your direction. The easiest card counting system in blackjack is called Hi-Lo and works like this: for each low card (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) you see you add one point and for each high card (10, J, Q, K, A) you deduct one. The higher the count, the bigger the chances to get 10-valued cards, which are generally considered ‘good’ for the player (and bad for the dealer).
As we have already established, using a blackjack strategy card can help you make the right decision in any given situation, but it doesn’t answer the important question players always ask themselves ‘How much should I bet?’ As you probably already know, there are many betting systems out there, many of which claim to be a sure way to beat any online blackjack game. A huge part of those systems are progressive betting systems which are based on the idea that if you’ve lost a number of times, you’re bound to win soon. This, of course, is not true and is often referred to as gambler’s fallacy – a mistaken notion that has claimed many victims through the ages.
The plain and simple truth is that no betting system on its own can help you beat the house, but some can help you improve your odds even more when combined with other blackjack strategies. For example, when using card counting and basic strategy, you can allow yourself to increase the bet amount when the count is high, as then the strategy cards are considered to be ‘more correct’ and your chances at winning are higher. But, as we already said, this can only work if you’re playing live dealer games. The best betting strategy for RNG games, on the other hand, is to simply bet the same amount over and over again while wagering some convenient casino bonus – a topic that we’re going to discuss a little bit further down the page.
Now that you have a complete overview of an all-encompassing online blackjack strategy, you probably feel ready to finally start playing. But before you go and bet real money, it’s highly recommended that you first test your skills with play money. Going back to our example with Blackjack Pro by Playtech, we’ve prepared a demo version of the game below that you can try for free. Don’t forget to use the strategy card that we presented to you to secure yourself the best odds.
Something else that you can do while playing in demo mode is to practice your card-counting skills, even though in all RNG games the shoe is virtually shuffled after each hand. After all, there are no demo versions of live blackjack, so your only option is to practice on their computerised versions.
Some of the biggest advantages of playing on the Internet vs playing at land-based casinos are undoubtedly the generous bonus opportunities that online casinos offer. Even if the casino has a slight advantage in any given game, playing with extra money that isn’t actually yours and being allowed to keep the winnings surely gives the players some edge. When it comes to blackjack, combining the already low house edge of the game with a solid math-based strategy and a suitable bonus is the most certain way to beat the casino. Of course, every bonus comes with its terms and conditions that are sometimes favourable but other times – not so much.
First of all, there’s always a wagering requirement that you have to fulfil before you can withdraw the winnings generated from the bonus. This requirement in most cases is set at 20 to 40 times the bonus plus the deposit amount. Furthermore, it’s important to take into account the fact that blackjack games don’t contribute at 100% toward the wagering requirement due to the fact that they have a pretty low house edge and give the players great winning odds. Usually, the wagering contribution for the game is set anywhere between 5% and 10%, the higher it is, of course, the better. Other important details you should take into account are the validity period of the bonus and the minimum deposit required to claim it.
All that said, let us present to you an easy-to-claim bonus that is perfect for beginners and offered by a casino that has a great array of blackjack games with both classic and innovative variants – Ladbrokes. At the moment, they offer a 100% bonus up to £500 to all new players that make minimum deposit of £20 at the casino – a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me. If you agree with me and are ready to start playing for real money, then click the link below and you’ll be safely redirected to the official website of the operator:
Sure enough, this is not the only available bonus offer that is suitable for playing blackjack online, in fact, most UK casino sites give you the opportunity to wager bonus money on all their blackjack games. So, if you want to find more great opportunities to play blackjack with bonus money, then make sure you also check out our dedicated bonus page.
In conclusion, the best blackjack strategy you can adopt is the one that fully corresponds to the game variation you’ve chosen to play. Be careful to only use a game plan that has been created for the particular type of blackjack you’re playing. Otherwise, you won’t be able to achieve the results you expect.
Beginners, find yourselves a strategy card for the variation you play and stick with it. Combine it with a good bonus and you can expect a moderate return in the long run. Your number one priority should be to practice and learn. The more experienced players can, on the other hand, test their card counting skills against some unsuspecting dealer at a live casino of their choice – remember, you can see them, but they cannot see you! Furthermore, to make sure that you get the whole picture as to how to beat this game, you can also take a look at some game strategies analysed.
Last but not least, don’t forget to have fun! After all, it’s a game and its main purpose is to entertain you. Not getting too stressed about winning is a good tactic as it will help you keep a cool head and make better decisions while playing.