The casinos don’t always win. Depending on the rules and the skill of the players, the casino can have an edge of around -2% to +6%. For the casino to have a negative edge, the player must count. In the long run, if the player is not counting, the casino will always win. But the long run can be pretty long.
Let's be honest here. No one wants to bet real money at blackjack unless they can actually win at blackjack. This isn't charity; it's gambling. To that end, you undoubtedly want to know some winning secrets about the game. Well, we hate to break it to you, but there exist no 'secrets' in this context. There are, however, different solid principles that you can put in place to increase your odds of winning.
Principles to Help You Win at Blackjack
The following principles and concepts are core to developing a winning blackjack strategy.
Study Strategies, Practice the Game, and Develop Your Own
We understand that the term 'study strategies' seems necessarily nebulous, but it's really not. Allow us to explain. You see, there are literally hundreds of blackjack strategies you can find, none of which should be used verbatim during a game. There's so much more to an individual game beyond someone else's advice. The goal here is for you to learn and absorb different strategies that seem good to you. You want to take said information and put it to use in a game of blackjack. Find a play-money simulator and practice those strategic elements. As you run into scenarios where your strategy and the game seem to butt heads, then you'll learn how to adjust said strategy to the flow of the individual game. What this does is allow you to create your own strategy for playing. And this can only happen as you actually play more and become familiar with other scenarios. Think of football practice. Not only do players need to learn the Xs and Os; they also need to practice against other pro players to get a feel for the game's speed and to learn how to adjust.
Know Your Hands
We recommend strongly finding a blackjack hand simulator and playing with every possible combination of starting hands. The idea here is to get familiar with your hand values. By being familiar with the hand you're playing, juxtaposed against the dealer's hand, you're going to know how to proceed. For instance, you will learn what to do with those middling hands with values of 12, 13, 14 and 15. You will know when to double down, when to split, when to stay, and when to simply pack things up and prepare for another hand. To win at blackjack, you have to know how to properly play your starting hand. And were we to give you advice for every possible hand, this would stretch out to the length of an encyclopedia. The best advice we can possibly offer is to actually play the game and to simulate the hand values so that you know what to expect.
Double Bets for Wins
'Winning' is a quantifiable, measurable, objective measure in blackjack, which can be shown demonstrable through the numeric value of your chip stack. For instance, starting with $100 and ending up with $150 is objectively winning. Now, whether or not you won 10 hands or 58 hands to earn that money is irrelevant to the stack. To this end, we're looking to make sure you can win more on the 10-hand side than the 58-hand side. The reason is that the more you play, the less your odds of winning are. So, utilize the double-down feature when you have solid hands so that you can win quicker. There are two things you want to look for with a doubled bet: 1) Pay attention to what the dealer has and make sure the dealer will have to chase with hits (e.g. showing a 2-6); 2) Make sure your hand is solid enough to stay (e.g. 17 and higher). Winning doubled bets quickly brings you closer to a winning game.
Know When to Get Out
Other than suggesting you strategize and practice for any possible scenario, there's not a whole lot more more advice can offer you in terms of winning at blackjack. However, knowing when to get out of a hand is a very valuable tool. Now, this isn't like poker per se, where you can outright fold. But let's say the dealer is showing an 8 through a 10, while you have a total of 12 or 13. This type of hand is one you do not want to bet on further. Just get it over with ASAP and move on to the next. You cannot dwell on these sorts of hands. You want to get in, get out, and move on to another.
There is no surefire way to win at blackjack all the time. However, with this information above, you should be able to create some framework in which you can greatly improve your odds of winning. Create a blackjack strategy by studying and implementing other strategies; always practice; play off of the dealer; double to win more at a quicker pace; and never be afraid to abandon bad hands. Follow these principles, and winning at blackjack will become a lot easier.
If you are ready to start playing for real money, check out our list of the best legal online blackjack sites. We review the leading USA friendly online casinos that are the most reputable in the industry with most offering a special bonus just for 21 players.
It’s mathematically impossible for either the house or the player to always win at the game of blackjack if both are playing a perfect game. It also comes down to how you interpret the phrase “always win.”
Is it possible to win every hand in blackjack without cheating? No, not even if the other player makes the worst choice on every hand (hitting on anything other than a 21). If both players draw 21, the push negates any win or loss.
By that reasoning alone, a cheater would have to control the deal to prevent the other player from ever drawing a blackjack.
For the sake of reasonable discussion, I’ll interpret “always win” to mean “leave the table with more money than you took in.” I still can’t offer any guarantees, but the following strategies improve your chances of always leaving the table a winner.
1 – Set a Hard Limit on Earnings
Although card counting doesn’t perform the magic people expect, as you become more experienced at counting cards you should see some improvement in your win/loss ratios. This is why, despite all the precautions they take, casinos still pay attention to card counters.
The basic idea in good gambling practice is to only risk losing money you don’t mind losing. If you really want to get ahead, then your thinking should become more conservative as you accumulate more money.
Rather than change your playing strategy, which is why you’re ahead, just call it quits before you’ve won too much.
How much is too much? If the pit boss is paying unusual attention to your table, that could be a sign you should take a break.
2 – Practice Every Chance You Get
Some of the best blackjack experts in the world say they ran through memory exercises for months before taking on the Vegas casinos.
You need to memorize two things to be successful in blackjack—the rules of the game (including table rules) and the best blackjack strategies for each card you’re dealt.
The basic rules of the game are easy to learn. Casinos add their own rules to limit players’ chances of success or to limit their winnings. The change from 3:2 payouts to 6:5 payouts is an example of how casinos are limiting winnings.
You need to react instinctively to the cards on the table. You need to know what you can do and what you should do in every situation.
You won’t get there by losing your money for months or years on end.
3 – Pick Your Tables Carefully
Because casinos have changed many of the old school blackjack rules, standard advice that people followed 10, 15, or 20 years ago doesn’t always apply any more. The old classic blackjack strategy books were great resources in their days, but the world has changed.
Choosing the best blackjack table may be easy. You could walk into a casino that still offers the basic game. You may have to visit a few casinos in your area to find the best game.
How To Win Money At Blackjack Casino
Because finding a good table is so hard, some players now prefer playing online blackjack games. They can choose from a variety of casinos, and because of the competition, online casinos offer a lot of different blackjack variations.
When you know the table rules you want to play by, they become part of your strategy as much as part of the house’s strategy.
How To Win At The Casino
4 – Bet in Consistent Patterns
Standard card counting technique says you should increase your bets when the deck is favorable. Because everyone shares this advice in books, video tutorials, and articles, it’s not a secret to the casinos.
Varying your bets when the cards are favorable may lead to the unfavorable reaction by the casino—they shuffle the cards.
Although many card counters still swear by the practice, they concede it’s much harder to win this way than in years past. The solo player is less likely to win much money over all than a team.
Instead of trying to win as much as a team wins, be more consistent in your betting. A little bit of subtlety in your patterns may give you the psychological boost you need to keep playing.
How can you be consistent and subtle?
5 – Only Play When the Crowd Is Small
This is more a matter of personal preference. But having spent some time at the blackjack tables, I find it disruptive when people constantly come and go.
That is the exact reason why I stopped trying to count cards.
If you want to socialize, then chat away if the other players are willing to do that. But if your goal is to win, then treat the game like it’s your job. Do the work when you have the fewest distractions.
If you’re a regular high roller, you might be able to request a private table. And this is another reason why some people prefer to play online blackjack over a game in a casino. Whether it’s a live dealer table or a computer game, if you have the table to yourself, you can play without distractions.
6 – Ignore the Extras in the Game
You might be tempted to play a progressive blackjack game or to take insurance. I’ve done both, but in the long run, these game options just suck your money away from you.
The casino throws in extra options to make the game more interesting, but they’re also after your money.
Surrendering is a borderline practice. If you have the option of surrendering, some experts recommend you only do this when the cards are clearly against you.
Some casinos require late surrender, meaning you must wait for the dealer to check for a blackjack in her hand. Some games allow early surrender where you can forfeit based on the cards you see in your hand and the dealer’s face card.
Some surrender articles speak in terms of probabilities.
Your decision to surrender preserves capital. You should take into consideration what the face up cards show, what the table’s rule for dealer stands is (soft 17 or not), and the number of decks in the shoe (4 to 8).
Players usually surrender on a hard 16 if the dealer shows a 9, 10, or ace. They usually surrender on a hard 15 if the dealer shows a 10 or ace.
Some players criticize a player who surrenders. It’s your decision, not theirs.
Conclusion
How To Win At Casino Blackjack
As a player you want to enjoy what you’re doing even if you’re there to win. It’s hard to concentrate when you feel like every hand is against you. The psychological side of the game is important.
It’s just like going to work every morning, do you love your job or not?
How To Win At Blackjack Every Time
Unless you’re there as part of a team, you don’t have to keep playing if the game isn’t fun anymore. Choosing to play only when you have a good time builds your confidence.
Confidence doesn’t contribute directly to winning, but you’re more likely to trust your choices when you’re confident. Winning makes you confident but winning can be the result of random chance.
Your job begins before you make the first bet. Study the rules, practice good strategy, and set a goal of achieving perfect play through instinct and experience.
How To Beat Online Casino
Whether you count cards or not, the better you play the game, the more likely you’ll leave the table a winner.