AN EASY WAY TO PLAY BLACKJACK WELL



Learning to play the game of casino Blackjack reasonably

well is not rocket science, regardless of what the dozens of

books on the subject would have you believe.



Playing professionally at the expert level, as is true of

any game, is indeed complex and takes years to perfect. But

anyone can become a good recreational player and have a

fighting chance against the casino simply by learning some

very easy rules.



So, if you're tired of throwing all your money away on

brain-numbing slot machines, read on!



Blackjack can be as simple or as complex as you want to make

it. Using card counting and advanced techniques, you can

actually have a slight advantage over the house in certain

conditions. That is, if you are willing to spend hundreds of

hours learning and practicing, plus hundreds of hours each

year playing!



Only a few of us have this kind of dedication.



The "beginner strategy" described below is designed for

those of you who have never played Blackjack before or have

played only a few times (and are tired of losing!). It

requires that you learn only four simple rules. You can

memorize these rules in 30 minutes or less.



Well, actually, much less!



You may have heard of the term "Blackjack basic strategy".

The Blackjack basic strategy is a set of betting and

hit/stand rules to statistically maximize your chances of

winning. While not complex, it will still take some time

and quite a bit of practice to learn and apply

consistently.



For beginners, or very occasional players who don't want to

spend hours practicing the Blackjack basic strategy, here is

a Beginner Strategy that won't give you a headache trying to

learn.



While this will not give you the same low odds against you

as the true Blackjack Basic Strategy (about .5%), it

produces a low 1.5% or so edge for the casino, still one of

the best odds you'll find in any casino game.



You won't lose your shirt and you'll have a fighting chance

of winning if you encounter a favorable run of cards.



It should only take a few minutes to learn these four simple

Blackjack rules, though you should practice for a couple of

hours to get comfortable with them before actually playing

in a casino game.



FIRST, A SHORT AND EASY LESSON ON THE GAME RULES



If you already know how to play Blackjack, you can skip this

section. Otherwise, it will only take a few minutes to

learn the simple playing rules.



CARD VALUES

Tens and face cards count as 10, Aces count as either 1 or

11 (your choice), and all other cards have a count equal to

their face value.



THE PLAY

All players play against the dealer, not against one

another. Each player makes their bet and the dealer starts

out by dealing two cards to each player and two cards to

himself. The dealer's second card is dealt face-up for all

players to see. If the dealer has a "Blackjack" (and Ace

and a ten or face card), he will turn it over and

automatically wins all bets, unless a player also has a

Blackjack, in which case it's a tie.



Then, starting with the player to the dealer's left, each

player has the choice of standing (not drawing any more

cards) or being dealt additional cards. Play continues with

that player until the player stands or "busts" (gets a card

count that totals more than 21). After all players have

made their decisions (or busted), the dealer draws

additional cards to either reach a total of 17 or higher

(when they must automatically stop), or bust. If the dealer

doesn't bust, all remaining player's hands with a higher

card total win, and those with a lower card total lose.



One very critical point to remember is this: you goal is not

to get a card count as close to 21 as possible, but to get

closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over. The goal

is to beat the dealer! Thus, your decisions on whether or

not draw additional cards are based on the value of the

dealer's up card.



DOUBLING DOWN, SPLITTING PAIRS AND INSURANCE

There are three special bets you can make after the first

two cards are dealt. Doubling down means you can double

your original bet after you receive your first two cards.

You then receive one - and only one - additional card.



Splitting pairs means that when you receive any pair on your

first two cards, you can split them into two separate hands

and play each one independently (of course, you must place

an additional bet equal to your first bet on the second

hand).



Taking insurance means that if the dealer's up card is an

Ace, you can wager an additional amount equal to half your

original bet as "insurance" in case the dealer has a

blackjack. If the dealer has a blackjack, you lose your

original bet but your insurance bet is paid at 2 to 1, so

you break even.





"HARD HANDS" VERSUS "SOFT HANDS"

In order to understand and apply any Blackjack strategy, you

need to learn the difference between "hard" and "soft"

hands. This is because the strategies for various plays are

different depending on whether you have a soft hand or a

hard hand.



A "soft" hand is one that has an Ace which is counted as 11

(remember: Aces can be counted as either one or 11). For

example, a hand composed of an Ace and a 4 is called a soft

15.



A hand that either contains no Aces or the Ace is counted as

a 1 is called a "hard" hand. For example, a hand composed of

a 6 and a 9 is a hard 15. A hand with an Ace and 4 is

called a soft 15 (11 plus 4), but if you then draw an 8 you

have to count the Ace as 1 instead of 11, giving you a hard

13 (because counting it as 11 would give you a "bust" hand

of 23).



FOUR SIMPLE RULES



Here are four Blackjack basic strategy rules that anyone can

easily remember. Always adhere to them exactly and you will

be playing better then the majority of people who sit down

at a blackjack table.



While these four rules do not represent "perfect" Blackjack

basic strategy, they give you a great deal of the advantage

of a perfect basic strategy and are very simple to memorize.





1. If the dealer's up card is 7 or higher, continue to draw

cards until you have a hard count of at least 17 or higher,

or a soft count of 18 or higher.



2. If the dealer's up card is 6 or lower, draw cards until

you have at least 12. Stop when you have 12 or higher.



3. Double down when your first two cards total 10 or 11, IF

the dealer has a 9 or lower.



4. Always split aces and eights. Do not split any other

pairs.



And that's it! These four simple rules will take you out of

the "sucker" category, keep you out of serious trouble and

ensure that the house edge is around 1.5% or so - some of

the best odds you'll get in a casino.



Once you've mastered this easy system, learn the full

Blackjack Basic Strategy and you'll whittle that house edge

down to almost zero. Good luck!

About the Author

About the Author: Tom McBroom is the webmaster for the http://www.blackjack-for-everyone.comwebsite, which is dedicated to the beginning through serious recreational Blackjack player. Visit his site for complete Blackjack instructions, advice, strategies and the best online and Las Vegas casinos for Blackjack.