Online Blackjack 2002 -Your guide to free or real Online Blackjack

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Blackjack Strategies

In online blackjack, as opposed to many other casino games, the outcome of the game is mainly influenced by the player's actions and moves. The dealer serves as a "robot" who acts according to a set of predetermined rules, has no options and makes no personal decisions. You'll see that there are 3 main approaches & strategies which can be useful for players:

Think of blackjack as a game which depends solely on luck, and just remember to manage your money well. Do as you will, regardless of the dealer's cards are, use a fitting money management system, such as the Paroli system, and don't forget to set your winning / losing limits and stick to them.
Use the basic strategy rules. Think carefully, according to the dealers' upcard, before you decide whether to hit, stand, or choose any other action. A good system for money management in this case will be the D'Alenbert system, as will, of course, the usual limit setting.
If you choose to count cards while playing online blackjack (as much as casinos despise that strategy), always learn from the best. Buy a blackjack book or search for online blackjack tips that should assist you improve your card counting skills.

Paroli System

With the Paroli money management system for online blackjack, you put a rather conservative starting bet and increase it after winning. A betting procedure must be planned, to assist you in remembering the top value of your bet before going back to the initial bet. Another thing you should plan in advance is how often and by how much you should raise your bet after a winning hand. This of course, depends on what your odds are and what kind of game you're playing. This system's advantage is the fact that a large bankroll isn't required here - the profits run and the losses are cut short. In many ways, the Paroli system is the opposite of the Martingale system.

D'Alenbert System

The D'Alenbert system is a mixture of two money management systems - the Insurance and Martingale systems. After a losing round, the bet is raised by one predetermined betting unit. After a winning hand, it is lowered by one betting unit.

Basic Strategy

Some of the most favorable odds found in any casino game can be found in Blackjack. However, these odds diminish greatly as the gambler strays from what we call "basic strategy” which is a chart that an individual player follows and it tells he or she exactly when to hit, stand, split, or double down. The chart follows the outline basic strategy for a game that contains two decks, and one that forces the dealer to stay on a soft 17. If you follow this strategy your chances of a successful round of Blackjack will increase significantly. When played closely, the Basic Strategy can reduce the House's edge in Blackjack to 0.5% or less, depending on the rule variations in effect.

Basic Strategy - Single Deck

Your Hand	vs	Dealer's Upcard
8		Double on 5 to 6. Otherwise hit.
9		Double on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
10		Double on 2 to 9. Otherwise hit.
11		Always Double.
12		Stand on 4 to 6. Otherwise hit.
13 to 16		Stand on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
17 to 21		Always Stand.
A,2 to A,5		Double on 4 to 6. Otherwise hit.
A,6		Double on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
A,7		Double on 3 to 6. Stand on 2,7,8 or A. hit on 9 or 10.
A,8		Double on 6. Otherwise stand.
A,9		Always stand.
A,A		Always split.
2,2		split on 3 to 7. Otherwise hit.
3,3		split on 4 to 7. Otherwise hit.
4,4		Same as 8 above.
5,5		Same as 10 above.
6,6		split on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
7,7		split on 2 to 7. Stand on 10. Otherwise hit.
8,8		Always split.
9,9		split on 2 to 9 except 7. Stand on 7,10 or A.
10,10		Always stand.

The upper chart assumes the casino doesn't allow doubling down after pair splitting. If the casino allows doubling down after pair splitting then use the following pair splitting rules.

Your Hand	vs	Dealer's Upcard
2,2		split on 2 to 7.Otherwise hit.
3,3		split on 2 to 7.Otherwise hit.
4,4		split on 4,5 or 6. Otherwise hit.
6,6		split on 2 to 7. Otherwise hit.
7,7		split on 2 to 8. Stand on 10. Otherwise hit.

Basic Strategy - Four, Six, Eight Deck

Your Hand	vs	Dealer's Upcard
5 to 8		Always hit.
9		Double on 3 to 6. Otherwise hit.
10		Double on 2 to 9. hit on 10, A.
11		Double on 2 to 10. hit on A.
12		Stand on 4 to 6. Otherwise hit.
13		Stand on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
14		Stand on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
15		Stand on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
16		Stand on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
17		Always stand.
18		Always stand.
A,2		Double on 5,6. Otherwise hit.
A,3		Double on 5,6. Otherwise hit.
A,4		Double on 4 to 6. Otherwise hit.
A,5		Double on 4 to 6. Otherwise hit.
A,6		Double on 3 to 6. Otherwise hit.
A,7		Double on 3 to 6. Stand on 2,7 or 8. Hit on 9,10 or A.
A,8 to A,10		Always stand.
A,A		Always split.
2,2		split on 2 to 7, Otherwise hit.
3,3		split on 2 to 7. Otherwise hit.
4,4		split on 5,6. Otherwise hit.
5,5		Never split. Treat as 10 above.
6,6		split on 2 to 6. Otherwise hit.
7,7		split on 2 to 7. Otherwise hit.
8,8		Always split.
9,9		split on 2 to 6, 8 or 9. Stand on 7,10, or A.
10,10		Always stand.

The above multiple deck basic strategy is valid if the players are allowed to double down after pair splitting. If doubling down is not allowed after pair splitting, then use the following pair splitting rules.

Your Hand	vs	Dealer's Upcard
2,2		split on 4 to 7.Otherwise hit.
3,3		split on 4 to 7. Otherwise hit.
4,4		Never split. Always hit.
6,6		split on 3 to 6. Otherwise hit.

splitting pairs

This table shows when you should split identical pairs. (A "T" in the Pairs column represents any pair of ten-valued cards). A "Y" means you should split when you have the indicated pair, and the Dealers shows the indicated upcard.

	Dealer's Upcard
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T	A
(A,A)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
(T,T)	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
(9,9)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N
(8,8)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
(7,7)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N
(6,6)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
(5,5)	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
(4,4)	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N
(3,3)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
(2,2)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N

Key:

Y = Yes, split the pair
N = No, don't split the pair

Soft Totals

A "soft" hand is one that includes an Ace, which can be counted as 1 or as 11. The general rule of thumb is that you can always improve a soft hand with a total of 17 or less by hitting. Only hit a soft 18 when the Dealer shows a 9 or better.

	Dealer's Upcard
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T	A
(A,9)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
(A,8)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
(A,7)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H
(A,6)	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
(A,5)	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
(A,4)	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
(A,3)	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
(A,2)	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H

Key:

H = hit
S = Stand

Hard Totals

A "hard" hand does not include an Ace. This table is the core of the Basic Strategy. A "D" in this table means you should Double in those situations.

	Dealer's Upcard
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T	A
17	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
16	S	S	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	D
15	S	S	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	D
14	S	S	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	D
13	S	S	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	D
12	H	H	S	S	S	D	D	D	D	D
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
9	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
8	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H

Key:

H = Hit
S = Stand
D = Double; if unable, Hit

Card Counting

The technique of card counting allows the player to take note of changing probabilities and by altering playing and betting strategies accordingly, they can gain a statistical advantage over the casino. Learning the skill of card counting is relatively simple, and no - you don't need to have a photographic memory or a freakish mathematical ability. The card counting system described below is designed only as a rough guide to give you an idea how card counting is done. It is not recommended that it be put to use in a practical sense. It is intended only to give an Idea of how card counting is done, and is not recommended for actual practice. For single deck games:

Start the count at -4 when the deck is shuffled.
Count -2 for 10, J, Q, K.
Count +1 for everything else (including Aces).
Bet low when the count is negative, high when the count is positive (actually, simulations show that you can bet high for a count of -2 or above).
Take insurance when the count is positive.
Play basic strategy at all times.

A note about card counting
The principle behind card counting is that a deck of cards rich is tens and Aces is favorable to the player, whereas a deck rich in small cards is favorable to the dealer. A deck rich in tens and Aces is likely to bust the dealer more often.

To gauge the richness of the deck in high cards or lack of them, the player needs to keep track of the cards that are already played and assign a point value to each card. The calculation is quite complex, but basically the card counter will give a plus point each time the deck of cards becomes more favorable and a minus point each time it becomes less favorable. Basically, the high cards have a -1 point and the low cards a +1 point and the in between 0 point.

The counter then counts by adding and subtracting points according to the cards played and keeps a running total of the count called 'running count'. Then he also needs to divide the running count by the proportion of the size of the deck of cards left to get the 'true count'. Now he knows the relative richness of high cards in the remaining deck.

A positive count is good and a high positive count is best and the card counter will assess his hand, the dealer's up card, weigh up his options and intensify his betting accordingly.
To be a successful card counter you need to have a powerful memory and fast reaction while amassing information as you play. What for? If everything works out well, you will be looking at a slow and tedious 1% average profit. If you wager large sums of money to make the 1% worthwhile, you are likely to be noticed by the pit boss and prompt frequent shuffling of the cards. Card counting is hard, not liked by the casinos and is not as rewarding as it may seem.

You'll need to make some plans about your money management systems.Some blackjack betting systems work by raising your bet after each win, while others work by raising your bet after each loss.

The concept of Blackjack Shuffle Tracking appears to have resulted from bored mathematician's research and computer simulation of shuffling cards.

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