Online blackjack has increased in popularity in recent years thanks to the ease with which the games can be played and understood. But the vast majority of players around the world appear to neither understand the game nor play it sensibly, that is to give themselves the best chance of actually winning. While some high-rolling superstars might not care one way or the other whether they win or lose, for most of us the very point of playing is to go after a profit. So read on to find out how to increase your chances of winning when playing USA online blackjack.
One of the main appeals of the game of blackjack is that players have the power to decide what they do, in terms of whether they hit, stand, split or double. Knowing when to do each of these things to optimize your chances of beating the dealer is complicated as the rules vary between online casinos and indeed between the various versions of blackjack many of them offer. The number of decks used, whether the dealer must stand or hit on a soft 17, whether doubling up is allowed after splitting cards and other factors affect what your optimum strategy should be.
If all this sounds like far too much hassle to calculate, fear not: the Blackjack Basic Strategy is there to help you cut through the probabilities and permutations and give you the answers you seek. This strategy will minimize the house edge the casino gets from online blackjack, giving you the best mathematical chance of success. The casino will almost always retain an edge, meaning they will always win over the long term, but you can give yourself the best chance of short term gains this way.
Following the Basic Strategy, for instance, when two packs are used, the dealer stands on a soft 17, doubling after splits is allowed and surrenders are not, you would always stand on hard 17 and above, and would also stand after hitting as low as a hard 12 if the dealer card is a four, five or six. You would also hit on a soft 18 (against the instinct of many players) if the dealer’s card is a nine, 10 (including picture cards) or ace.
There are tables published on many casino sites for literally thousands of variation of rules, so the key to following the Basic Blackjack Strategy effectively is to know the rules of the particular online blackjack game you are playing. Oh, and be sure to make use of the all the bonuses and promotions you can get your hands on.
USA Online Blackjack