The best blackjack strategy – learn how to win at a game of blackjack

June 1, 2020August 3, 2020

Learn how to win blackjack

First, since blackjack is one of the casino games where skill truly matters, it’s also important for players to test different strategies and start incorporating them into their gameplay. But before you proceed to test any of the blackjack systems out there, there’s a straightforward truth that you must realize – every valid blackjack strategy is based on simple logic and maths. With this in mind, the best strategy you can adopt right away would be to leave your superstitions behind, forget about your so-called “winning ritual” and only trust only the numbers. Now let’s take a look at the best tactics that you can adopt to help you win at a game of online blackjack every time you play.

Tip 1: Choose the right casino

Players often ignore this all-important step, so I’ve decided to start precisely with it. Moreover, I cannot emphasize enough on how big of a factor in choosing a casino site is for your own success at beating the game and it isn’t that hard. The trick is to choose a prestigious, well-known casino that features a lot of blackjack games and generous bonuses that you can use on them. An example of a reputable online casino in Malaysia is mega888 which is well known for providing good service and received much positive feedback from many players.

However, how does your choice of casino impact your winning chances? Well, the truth is that not all online casinos are safe and trustworthy. Moreover, even if you have won fair and square, some of them would refuse to pay off your winnings. So by choosing a licensed and monitored casino, such as the ones that we recommended, you secure yourself a fair chance at winning and, most importantly, guaranteed payouts.

Tip 2: Choosing the right blackjack variant

Picking the right game variant is yet another one of the important parts of an all-encompassing blackjack strategy. Besides, the most important detail about each game is undoubtedly the house edge – the lower it is, the better. Here is a breakdown between the house edges of some of the popular online blackjack games in the UK:

House edge of the popular blackjack variants

Blackjack switch – 0.17%
Pontoon by Playtech – 0.36%
Blackjack surrender – 0.39%
Perfect blackjack – 0.42%
Blackjack Pro – 0.47%
Double attack blackjack – 0.47%
Progressive blackjack – 0.47%
Blackjack Peek – 0.58%
21 duel blackjack – 0.62%

As you can see, the house edge of these games is already pretty low (just for reference, most slot games have a house edge of 4%-6%). Still, this is the first thing that you should check before trying a new blackjack game. There are, in fact, some online blackjack games available that have a house edge over 1% and even over 2%. If your goal is to win and your objective is not to have fun, then you should stay clear of those.

Tip 3: Know your game inside out

In general, not all blackjack games are made from the same mold. There are barely two blackjack variations that have precisely the same rules. Nevertheless, applying the same basic strategy for different games simply won’t work. Every little feature about the game carries weight as it affects the house edge, you can learn the specific rules of each variant from the help section of the game. Here are some of the facts that you should be looking for if you want to find the best blackjack strategy for the game you’ve chosen.

How much does a blackjack pay?
How many decks are in the shoe?
Can you double on any two cards or only with a specific total?
When are you allowed to split your hand and up to how many times?
Are you allowed to double even after splitting a hand?
Are you allowed to hit split aces?
Do you have the option to surrender and if so in which cases?
Does the dealer hit a soft seventeen?
Is there a 5-, 6- or a 7- Charlie?

Furthermore, another uniqueness that you should be aware of when looking for a suitable online blackjack strategy is that some blackjack games bear the same name but have completely different rules and, consequently different house edge. This is because the games are invented by different software developers. For instance, Classic Blackjack invented by Microgaming has a house edge of merely 0.13% while the game of the same name invented by NetEnt has a house edge of 0.35%, A big difference indeed.

Tip 4: Use a basic blackjack strategy card

If, you’ve followed our tips by playing and have already chosen a specific game to play, where to play it and you’ve familiarized yourself with all its rules. Now it’s finally time to use the fundamental blackjack strategy card that’s specific to your game of choice which will greatly help you to make the right choice in any circumstances.

The easiest way to find an ideal blackjack strategy chart for the game that you’re interested in is to generate it yourself using one of the many blackjack basic strategy calculators that you can find online. Using these strategies 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 matters that these cards don’t cover. They don’t tell you what to do with the side bets, how much to bet, and whether or not card counting could assist you. Those are exactly the topics that we are about to cover next.

The perfect blackjack strategy for side bets.

As we’ve already stated within the previous paragraphs, strategy cards are often very useful when playing most blackjack games, especially for the beginners. Yet, as you might have already noticed, they don’t cover any side bets whatsoever. After all, the right blackjack strategy is that when one takes into account all aspects of the game, this also includes whether or not to place bonus bets and if yes – how much to bet.

The truth is blackjack is a casino game with an extremely low house edge. Besides, skilled players can reduce this minimal advantage even more by utilizing various blackjack strategies. This is why, with the hopes to boost the house edge and the revenues, the casinos started adding extra decks to the different blackjack varieties and came up with different side bets. While these side bets add some fun and variety to the game, they make players lose money, slowly.

So, it’s easy to see that the best strategy for blackjack side bets is not to place any. Just hold onto the strategy cards until you’ve gained more experience to start testing different advanced tactics.

What about card counting?

Whenever new players hear the words “blackjack strategies”, they instantly 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 infeasible in online casinos where the deck of cards is rearranged after each hand. The only exception to this rule is a live dealer blackjack. So, if you’re keen to try some card counting techniques while playing online, your only option is to play live blackjack games.

However, what is card counting, and can it help you to beat the casino? Card counting is a blackjack technique that favors you to 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 which will 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 add one point and for each high card (10, J, Q, K) you deduct one. The higher the count the more the probability to get 10-valued cards, which generally are considered “good” for the player (and bad for the dealer)

Tip 5: Test in Demo mode

Some of the main benefits of playing online vs playing at land-based casinos are surely the generous bonus opportunities that online casinos offer. Even if the casino features a slight advantage in any given game, playing with extra cash that isn’t yours and being allowed to keep the winnings surely gives the players some edge. Besides, when it comes to blackjack game, combining the low house edge of the game with a solid math-based strategy and a suitable bonus is the most assured way to beat the casino. Of course, every bonus comes with its terms and conditions that are sometimes favorable but other times – not so much.

First, there’s always a wagering requirement that you have to fulfill before you can withdraw the winnings generated from the bonus. This demand in most cases is set at 20 to 40 times the bonus plus the stored amount. Moreover, it’s important to take into account the fact blackjack games don’t contribute at 100% towards the wagering requirement because they have a pretty low house edge and give the players great winnings odds. Usually, the wagering contribution for the game is set anywhere between 5% and 10%, the steeper it is, the better. Some important details you should take into account are that the validity period of the bonus and the minimum deposit required to claim it.

Final thoughts and advice for long-term success

In conclusion, the greatest blackjack strategy that you can adopt is the one that fully matches the game variation that you’ve chosen to play. However, be careful only to use the game plan that has been created for the particular type of blackjack you’re playing, or else you won’t be able to score the results that you expect.

Beginners, find yourselves a strategy card for the variation you play and stick to it. Joined with a good bonus and you can expect a moderate return. Your main priority should be to practice and learn. The more skilled players, on the other hand, can test their card counting skills against some clueless dealer at a live casino of their choice – remember you can see them but they cannot see you.

Lastly, the main purpose is to have fun playing blackjack. After all, it’s just a game and its main purpose is to amuse you. Not getting too stressed about winning is a good tactic as it will help you to keep a cool head and make better decisions while playing.

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