BASIC BLACK JACK STRATEGY
by G-index

Correct Black Jack play must take into account the underlying mathematics of the cards as Black Jack is NOT a true fixed odds form of gambling like roulette or slots. It all revolves around the probability of the next card(s) to be dealt from the shoe. Hundreds of books have been written on the subject but the average player plays primarily on gut instincts. Reading is greatly undervalued in today's visual society!

There are ways of improving the odds in your favour. It takes a lot of practice and mental memory techniques and mathematical ability. Many of you have heard about card counting and how casinos have attempted to ban card counters. It is far too complicated for this article but if you are interested in how to improve your odds, then read "Beat The Dealer" by Professor Thorp'. Please note that card counting is merely a way of reducing the house edge or even slightly tilt the odds in the favour of the player. IT IS NOT A GUARANTEED WINNING SYSTEM!

Playing basic strategy correctly is often enough to get a basically even game, however to achieve a long term advantage for the player, card counting techniques must be used. There is no point in trying to learn how to count cards without first knowing the basic strategy correctly, so make sure you first know the basics before attempting to learn advanced techniques.

Most people think that card counting means that you have to memorize every card as it's played. Fortunately, there is a much simpler way. It requires no memorization at all, just some very simple arithmetic. The key is to assign a plus or minus value to each card in the deck, then to total these values as each card is dealt. To learn more, read our article on CARD COUNTING.

But by following the simple charts below, you can reduce the house edge to a fraction of a percent! The charts below are for blackjack games using four to eight decks. The dealer stands on soft 17.

Action:

HARD TOTALS

SOFT TOTALS