Unlock the Secrets & Player Advantages of Blackjack

Now, this isn't truly a secret, but it is something that most Blackjack players don't know, or at least understand. When playing at almost any casino, you can regularly hear players complain how other players at the table 'messed up' the table by playing their hand incorrectly. You are probably thinking to yourself, "How can you win at Blackjack when idiots at the table hit on 13 against a 6?" or something to that effect.
But, it doesn't matter how others play their hand. That's the secret!

Why This Blackjack Tip Matters

Sure, a player can make an 'incorrect' play, and the table will lose as a result. But, those same actions will help you as much as they hurt you. It's just that we remember when a bad play hurts us and tend to forget when a bad play helps us. Why is that? It's because most players would rather blame the player at third base for their losses than to admit that they, themselves, don't know how to play proper basic strategy. With all the other things a card counter has to worry about at the table, how others play their hands shouldn’t be one of them.

How To Use This Tip To Your Advantage

A good way to try and make money at Blackjack is primarily at the single-table Blackjack tournaments because the casino doesn't care who wins. They collect a fee ($1 per player; 5 players per table in the $15+$1.00 matches), which run as "Sit & Go" (SNG) tournaments. The $75 collected from the five players forms a prize pool that offers the winner $50, with 2nd place earning $25; all the losers of the tournament get nothing. While there are higher-level SnGs available, probably 95% or more of the action is in the $16 version. A player must develop some skill at blackjack play to do well at these, but it's not that difficult to master.

When Card Counting Matters

Understanding the rules gives players an advantage over opponents. Again, a casino has no interest in who wins the match, so they deal out a minimum of 75% of the cards before shuffling the six used decks. Counting cards can give a huge advantage if done correctly. Some players will say card counting doesn’t have any advantages. However, if an opponent is as equally skilled, but the deck is highly plus or minus, the option of adjustments on a bet as well as the play of your hand, may give an edge.
There are some basic strategy variations are more important than others, like 16 vs. a dealer's 10. If the running card count is more than zero, players should stand, and if it's less than zero, we should hit; what you do when the running count is zero doesn't matter. Hit or stand , the expectation is the same.

Managing the Pieces

Keeping accurate and detailed records of wins, losses and what you have as a bankroll is very important. To be a responsible player you should never kid yourself on whether or not you have a profit from your time playing blackjack. While the casino does do show the discard rack filling up with used cards, it's true that using the data offered is imprecise, at best. There are two solutions. The first is to use an "unbalanced" count like the KO or Red Seven count, for which you do not need to make a True Count conversion.

Utilizing Insurance in Blackjack

Another useful basic strategy variation is an insurance bet. Utilizing insurance betting will make quite a difference in a tournament situation. There will be times when you take Insurance simply because one of your opponents does. So, you are just matching their bet. But on other occasions, it might be the move that'll give you the lead in the game. Whether to split or double can be determined by the count if what you do doesn't matter at that point of the match; or, you might want to make a different play because of what your opponents have done. At least by knowing the exact count, other options are available to you as a player.