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If you or the dealer goes over 21 it’s a bust. The suits of the cards have no meaning in blackjack, only their values. If you and the dealer both have a two card blackjack, it’s a tie. If you have a two card natural blackjack, while the dealer has a blackjack with more than 2 cards, you win with a 3 to 2 payoff. Learn The Rules Of Blackjack should click the MegaSlot registration button on the upper right side of the homepage. Then you can enter your email and password. You can then select your preferred currency and country of residence. On the next page, Learn The Rules Of Blackjack you can enter your full name, date of birth, and gender. Blackjack is a game of incomplete information. Players act based on their own two cards and the single dealer up-card. Players must risk busting in many situations, even though the decisions are mathematically correct. Small cards are the enemy of blackjack players. Blackjack is a casino table game in which players try to make hands which score as close to 21 points without going over. In order to win, players must make a better hand than the dealer.

Blackjack is a casino game with the most favorable odds and lowest house edge. It is also the most popular table game. A typical house edge in a blackjack game is around 1% more or less, with some variations going little over one percent and some going as low as 0.4% edge edge. This is if you play in a disciplined manner and sticking to the basics. On the other hand, if you learn some more advanced strategy, you will be able to eliminate that house edge and make some nice cash. It’s as easy as that.

It’s amazing that there are players that are apparently too lazy to spend a minute or two and go the extra mile to learn a proper blackjack strategy, one that can bring them steady profit on the long run. It’s like throwing money away, when you can do the opposite.

In blackjack the rules are very easy to follow. There are a couple of logical options that you can take advantage of in order to beat the dealer’s hand, and you can read about them further in this article. We are certain that you will have no problems in learning this fast-paced and exciting casino game.

Blackjack Rules

Below are the basic rules that you will need to know if you want to properly learn how to play blackjack. They are used across different blackjack variations as the basis, with some minor altered features that make the variation unique in itself.

• Blackjack games are usually played with multiple decks up to 8, although there are single deck blackjack variations. All use 52 card decks.
• To win you need to have a higher ranking hand than the dealer as closest to 21 without exceeding 21. If the dealer busts, all remaining players at the table win.
• At most blackjack variations the dealer hits on soft 17s.
• The standard payout for hitting a blackjack is 3 to 2.
• Cards are valued according to their face values. King, Queen and Jack and Ten are valued ten.
• Aces are valued either 1 or 11, whatever benefits the player presently.
• Winning hands are paid 1 to 1 (wager $5, win $5).
• Splitting is allowed only with up to 3 hands.
• If you or the dealer goes over 21 it’s a bust.
• The suits of the cards have no meaning in blackjack, only their values.
• If you and the dealer both have a two card blackjack, it’s a tie.
• If you have a two card natural blackjack, while the dealer has a blackjack with more than 2 cards, you win with a 3 to 2 payoff.

The Basics of Blackjack

Objective of the Game

All blackjack variations have the same objective, to beat the dealer’s hand either by hitting a blackjack or having a better hand. You have to draw cards until you can safely decide that you are as close as you can get to 21. You cannot go over 21 or you will lose.

If there are other players at the table like in playing at live online casinos, you don’t have to compete against them. Your only opponent is the dealer, and the dealer plays against all players at the same time. The great thing with the different variations is that they include an additional twist to the game regarding the blackjack or some other added feature.

Card Values

All cards in blackjack are valued according to their face value. So, cards from 2 to 9 are valued accordingly, while 10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings are valued 10. Aces have two values, 1 or 11, and you can use whichever you like according to your hand.

When to Split

When you have two identical cards, for example, two 8s, you can choose to split them into two separate hands that will be counted as additional wagers. This is useful with identical cards that make a risky hand like with the 8s (8 + 8 = 16, a difficult and unfavorable hand).

When to Stand

So, let’s say you’ve been dealt your hand, and the cards dealt are 10 and 2, which makes a total value of 12. This is a risky hand, but you will need to take an additional card in order to get closer to 21. If your third card is anything below 9, including 9, the obvious choice would be to stand and not request a fourth card.

Surrender

Surrender is an option found in Blackjack Surrender and is given to you if the dealer has been dealt an Ace. The Ace would be the face up card. In a situation like this you can surrender half of your bet and lose without risking the entire bet by going against the dealer with the risk of him having a blackjack.

Double Down

Also, you can double down your bet by pressing the ‘double’ button. This option is used when you want another card at the risk of doubling your bet with the hope that you will have a strong hand with the additional card.

Blackjack Variations

Online casinos offer various blackjack variations to choose from, and sometimes you come to the point when you are hesitant about which game is best for you. These blackjack games are all unique variations designed by big software providers like Playtech, known for its Blackjack Surrender, Blackjack Switch, Progressive Blackjack etc., Microgaming, Betsoft, Rival, RTG and other. All of them have their own variations.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter what blackjack variation you find since all of them are exciting. The most important thing is for the game to have low house edge and for you to find the appropriate strategy for that variation.

A Simple Strategy to Use

The basic goal is not to exceed 21 by busting, and to precisely weigh the dangers if you hit or stand. Therefore, if your first two cards form a value of between 12 and 16, then you have to be careful with hitting because these hands are most commonly a bust when third card is requested. These hands are called stiff. If the face up card in the dealer’s hand is between 2 and 6, then the dealer has a stiff hand too with the possibility for a bust.

If you have a hand of 17 or higher, than you should stand, because there is extremely little chance to hit 1, 2 or 3. This is called a pat hand. The dealers pat hand is consisted of Ace and a seven. So, the strategy is to stand if you and the dealer have stiff hands, and to hit if you have a stiff hand and the dealer has a pat.

This one is only to get you started. There are many other strategies that you will need to use if you would like to advance in your blackjack skills. Blackjack has the lowest house edge and it would be a shame not to try and bust it with strategic playing. There are strategies intended for single deck blackjack games and games with more decks, but mostly for variations played with 4 to 8 decks.

Summary

Blackjack is a game that has remained unchanged for 4 centuries since it was invented in France and Spain. The reason behind this longevity of blackjack is precisely the format of the game. It can be learned in just five minutes but it can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

You can browse through the different online casinos here and check out their available blackjack games. Find if some variation suits you best, maybe Playtech’s Blackjack Switch where you can play with two hands at one time and switch the top facing cards between them in order to get a better hand. Or try Microgaming’s Gold blackjack series variations with high payouts. There are both single and multi-hand games.

Also, we would like to give you a quick tip that you should always first read about the particular blackjack game that you want to play, and that is done by reading reviews or players’ opinions. Then learn its rules and apply some strategy by practicing it in free play mode. This will be valuable for your rate of success, because practice makes it perfect.

Useful Blackjack Glossary

– Hard hand: This a hand that contains an Ace, but the Ace is not counter as 11 in the hand.

– Insurance: Insurance is a wager placed when the dealer is dealt his hand, one card is showing and the other is upside down. If the showing card is an Ace, the player is presented with the opportunity to put insurance wager that will help him profit if the dealer has a two card blackjack. In such case the insurance wager pays 2 to 1 and the wager amount is half of the original bet. If the player has a blackjack too, the bet is pushed.

– Rebet: The ‘rebet’ button is used when you want to repeat the same wager without having to go through the same procedure of choosing a chip and placing the bet.

– Surrender: This an option available in Blackjack Surrender, and some other variants, and is used if the player thinks he doesn’t stand a chance of winning the round by surrendering half of the wager in order to receive the other half back.

Visit our Blackjack Glossary page for more more terms and phrases here.

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Card counting is a system that experienced blackjack players use to get a profitable advantage over the casino. There are many individual “counts” or systems. Many of them are named after colorful professional gamblers from times past.

The 2008 movie “21” bought card counting to the attention of the general public. It followed the true story of members of the MIT blackjack team as they won millions from casinos in LasVegas. This movie also highlighted the key challenge faced by card counters. To make a profit using these systems, you need to bet significantly more when the odds turn in your favor. Casinos are aware of this — and will quickly ban players they believe are counting cards.

This page has everything you need to know to get started with card counting. Below you will find the basics of how it works. Famoussystems, the ideal games for counters and how online blackjack can help you learn to count are also covered below.

How to count cards in blackjack

Blackjack is a game of incomplete information. Players act based on their own two cards and the single dealer up-card. Players must risk busting in many situations, even though the decisions are mathematically correct.

Small cards are the enemy of blackjack players. Values of two through six can make for the trickiest decisions. In fact, if you remove any significant number of small cards from the shoe, blackjack not only becomes easier, the player gets a mathematical edge over the house.

This is where card counting comes in.

Counters track the proportion of small cards to face cards and aces. At a certain point, the deck turns “positive.” The higher proportion of face cards means every hand played will generate long term profit for the player — not the house. This is because profit comes from doubling, splitting and hitting blackjack (natural21). All of these are more frequent when there are more high cards in the shoe.

To take advantage of this edge, counting players must boost their bet size. Without this bet size boost, money spent playing while waiting for the deck to turn positive would cancel out any wins.

There are multiple factors that affect whether a specific game is a candidate for card counting. The number of decks of cards in play, the rules on splitting and doubling down, and how the dealer reacts to a soft 17 all come into play. To get the best from counting cards, you need to find the games with the lowest house edge.

Level 3 card counting systems & true count explained

Card counting systems have three levels of complexity. The simplest systems are Hi-LoCounts. You count low cards as +1 and high cards as -1. The higher the count, the bigger the proportion of high cards to low cards.

Advantage players will increase their bets once a specific count is reached. To be sure that they have an advantage, they need to translate the current total into the “true count” first. This involves dividing the count by the number of decks still in play. If the count is +10, with five decks remaining in a six-deck shoe, then the “true count” is 10/5 = 2. This means games like double-deck blackjack are better for counting. Players do not need to play through those first decks in the shoe while waiting for the true count to be positive.

Level two and level three counting systems are more accurate. They assign +2 to some cards and +1 to others. This splits the twos and sevens from cards three throughsix, with some systems also counting nines differently. There are systems with separate counts for aces. Your bet sizes need to increase in line with the positive count — for example adding a unit every time the true count increases by two points.

If you are new to cardcounting, then a simple Hi-Lo Count is the place to start. Once you have mastered keeping track of the count while playing each hand perfectly and chatting with the other players, you will be ready to move to the next level.

Examples of card counting systems

The systems below range from level one to three. These are five of hundreds of possible systems, giving you an overview of how different systems vary in their complexity.

• Hi-Lo Count: This is a balanced count and is the first system that new counters use. You add one to the total for each card value from two through six — and subtract one for 10s through aces. Seven, eight and nine are neutral. You then divide this count by the number of undealt decks and round up as needed. You should increase your bets when the count is positive — betting more the larger the positive number that you count. The advantage of the Hi-Lo system is simplicity. Compared with other blackjack counts, Hi Lo card counting does lackprecision.
• Hi-Opt1 and 2: These systems were developed by LanceHumble, though they can be traced back to the 1960s. There are many more“neutral”cards compared to the Hi-Lo Count. Hi-Opt 1 uses aces, twos, sevens, eights and nines as zero for the count. Three, four, five and six are +1, and 10s through kings are -1. This system works best for single deckgames. Hi-Opt 2 makes 10s through kings -2 on the count, with +2 for fours and fives, +1 for twos, threes, sixes and sevens. Aces, eights and nines are neutral. These are accurate systems, though with single deck games rare (and closely watched), it can be difficult to find a suitable game to use them.
• Ace-Five System: You will need to double your bet repeatedly as the count increases to make the Ace-Five System work. This is a simple count, involving only aces andfives. Every time a five is dealt, you add one, and every ace you see removes one. When the count is +2, you double your bet. Increasing it again for every +2 that gets added. If the count reverts to +1 or less, you go back to your initial bet size. The key advantage of this system is the simplicity. The always-changing bet size is likely to attract the attention of casino pit bosses.
• Uston Advanced Count: Ken Uston was a famous card counter, known for his flamboyant lifestyle. His most complex system is the “Uston Advanced Count.” Aces count as zero in this system. Fives are +3; 10s through kings are -3; nines are -1; twos and eights are +1; and threes, fours, sixes and sevens are +2. As with the other systems, you increase your bets in line with how positive the count gets — keeping the number of decks in mind. This system is designed to work best with a separate count of theaces. The complexity means that it is for experienced card counters only.
• KO Counting System: This system works like Hi-Lo, with an extra feature involving the insurance against dealer blackjack bet. It counts cards two through seven as +1, eight and nine as neutral and 10 through ace as -1. You should increase your bet at +2 or more (based on the true count). At +3 or greater, the insurance side bet becomes profitable and should be taken.

Which blackjack games are best for card counting?

Big casino resorts in Las Vegas, AtlanticCity, downtown Detroit and elsewhere run a wide selection of blackjack games. At the lowest buy-ins (typically $5 and up per hand), the rules give the casino a huge edge over theplayers. Examples include paying 6:5 instead of 3:2 for blackjack, limiting doubles after splits and having the dealer hit on soft 17. These unfavorable rules can easily boost the house edge to 3% or even more. With six or eight decks, getting a true count can be difficult.

Learn The Rules Of Blackjack

Contrast this with the best games. An ideal setup is a single deck game, with liberal splitting/doubling rules, dealer standing on soft 17, late surrender and 3:2 for blackjack. With a house edge of 0.5% orless, these games are restricted to the high-limit rooms. This type of game is most likely to be closely monitored. Suddenly increasing your bet would be an instant trigger for experienced casino staff to watch closely.

Successful counters look for games with the lowest natural houseedge. They know the basic blackjack card counting strategy perfectly, so as not to give any edge back to the casino in the form of mistakes. If you do not know how to adapt blackjack strategy to subtle differences in the rules, then you are not yet ready to learn card counting techniques.

Is counting cards illegal in the US?

Counting cards is legal, unless you are using a mechanical or electronic device to help you keep track of the cards. Casinos do not want card counters in their games. People who are suspected of counting will be asked to leave the casino. Repeat offenses can see players banned — with trespass laws coming into effect if they attempt to return.

In 1979, Ken Uston took a casino in Atlantic City to court, challenging its right to ban “skilled” players. The court found in his favor. Rather than banning players, AC casinos now implement measures to stop card counting from working. They include regularshuffling, limiting players to flat bet sizes on each shoe and not allowing players to join a game mid-shoe.

Learn The Rules Of Blackjack Cheat

Elsewhere, casinos will quickly ban players caught counting. This was the reason that the MIT team played in pairs. One player (betting small) would keep count, then signal to the big bet player when the count was positive. This player could then join the table, betting big amounts, while the original counter continued with smaller bets.

Card counting in other casino games

Very few casino games use a shoe containing several decks of cards. Casino poker variations like Caribbean stud or Ultimate Texas Hold ’em have a continual shuffle system, where a fresh shuffled deck is used for each hand. Baccarat does use a shoe, though it is not suitable for counting due to the complex scoring rules. Edge sorting is used in baccarat, though it is considered illegal in many jurisdictions.

This leaves blackjack variations like Spanish 21 and Free Bet Blackjack as the only candidates for card counting systems. Many variations of blackjack have a higher house edge than the main game. Spanish 21 removes 10s from the deck — starting the count on a negative.

Experienced advantage players use card counting to beat optional side bets. This requires a separate understanding of how each side bet works, with a counting system developed separately. Separate aces counts in blackjack can determine when the insurance against dealer blackjack bet becomes profitable.

Is it possible to count cards online?

Learn The Rules Of Blackjack 2

Online casinos in regulated states have both live dealer and software-based blackjack options. They also have a range of games with different rules and side bets. Add in the game variations based on the 21 concept — and you will find a wide array of choices.

Advantage play through card counting is not possible at online casinos. Software based games use random number generator software to shuffle the cards for every hand. This means no count is possible. Live dealer games that are dealt in real time use eight deck shoes. What they do differently from brick and mortar casinos is reshuffle after around half of the cards are dealt. This makes it hard to spot situations where there is a positive true count. Add to this software that will instantly detect the bet sizing changes associated with counting.

What you can effectively do online is practice your counting skills. There are live dealer rooms at many of the biggest online casino brands, including Golden Nugget and BetMGM. You can enjoy a game and learn to keep score of the count while you play. Starting with simple systems like Ace-Five and Hi-Lo is ideal — you can move on to the more advanced systems as you gain experience.

If you live in a state with legal online casinos, make sure you keep a close eye on the casino bonus and promotion offers. You never know when a bonus aimed at blackjack players will become available.

Wrapping up: Card counting in blackjack

Card counting has been a part of blackjack since the1960s. Famous players including Humble and Uston published books on beating the house. Many of them are now considered among the classics of gambling literature.

Official Rules Of Blackjack

Counting cards in blackjack gives you an edge over the house when there are relatively more high cards in the deck. This takes advantage of the player’s option to split, double down and to take insurance against dealer blackjack. Counting systems are graded into three levels, depending on their complexity. More complex systems are more accurate — though harder to use.

Basic Rules Of Blackjack

There is an Achilles’ heel for card counters. To make your knowledge of the count profitable, you need to significantly boost your bet sizes when the odds are in your favor. These bet size increases are a flag to casino staff to watch your play closely — which leads to card counters being banned. Card counting is not illegal, unless you use a device to help you keep track.

Simple Blackjack Rules

Online casinos are the perfect place to practice your card counting skills. You will not be able to get an advantage from them — as safeguards are in place. Live dealer casinos show a real table, making this the ideal way to find the right card counting system for you ahead of your next visit to a brick and mortar casino.