How to Improve your Chances at Online Blackjack
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Blackjack is one of the world’s most popular card games and more people than ever are trying their luck thanks to the rise of online casinos. Blackjack is a relatively straightforward game which pits players against the dealer. The objective of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand without going over twenty-one.
Online blackjack works in the same way, only the dealer you’re playing against is controlled by a computer and the cards are dealt based on a random number generator. It’s possible to win real money playing blackjack online, although it does come with risk. To consistently beat the dealer and win, you’ll need to not only understand the rules but also know how to use strategy.
If you’ve ever played blackjack before, you’ll know that while the rules are simple, there’s a considerable amount of depth to the strategy involved. If you want to have the most success, you need to know when to stand or hit based on not only your hand but also the dealer’s up-facing card. You can find the best blackjack strategies in this guide, and we’ve summarised some of them below.
Understanding House Edge
All casino games favour the casino, giving them a slight advantage over the player. This advantage is known as the house edge, and it’s unavoidable no matter which game you play. However, some games have a lower house edge than others. A high house edge means you’ll have to get very lucky to win consistently, while a lower house edge means you have a higher chance of winning.
Blackjack has perhaps the lowest house edge of any casino game, although this can vary depending on the version you play. Before you start playing, it’s always a good idea to check the game information to see the return to player rate and work out if it’s worth the risk. Higher return to player rates mean a lower house edge and more favourable odds, and these are the ones you should be playing if you want to improve your chances of winning.
The key to improving your odds is playing with optimal strategy, which means making the decisions that give you the best chance of winning. Blackjack is different from a lot of other casino games in that you can affect your odds of winning by the choices you make. After the cards are dealt at the beginning of the game, you can see your hand and one of the dealer’s cards. This will give you an idea of which action to choose.
You can stand, hit, split, or double down depending on the cards you have. If you want to play with optimal strategy, you should look for a basic blackjack strategy card which will tell you exactly which decision you should make. Following this strategy won’t guarantee you’ll win, but it will improve your chances and lower the house edge as much as possible.
Avoiding Side Bets
A lot of versions of blackjack will offer side bets that allow you to bet on outcomes other than a win. These can be tempting to bet on, especially if they offer large potential pay-outs. However, it’s important to know that most side bets have a really high house edge and are, therefore, not worth betting on.
Perhaps the most common type of side bet is insurance, which is offered if the dealer’s up-facing card is an ace. If you take this bet, you’ll bet half your original stake on the dealer having blackjack. If the
dealer’s second card is revealed as a face card, you’ll lose your first bet but win the insurance, meaning your net losses are zero. While this is tempting, it’s always a bad move to take insurance, as the probability of a dealer blackjack is low, and the payout isn’t great.
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