Playing Blackjack to Win

Playing Blackjack to Win.

Many books and articles have been written about "how to," on gambling, whether it’s winning at blackjack, roulette, or craps and so on. Many of these offerings are "how not too," in my estimation. I am not the end all or been all regarding blackjack or 7-card stud; however, I’ve played these games since my teens and honed as well as adapted basic knowledge and strategy to enhance my probability of winning. I do win at blackjack and 7-card stud. No, I don’t win all the time, and yes I do make a profit playing either of these two games. The good Lord blessed me with an excellent memory; and when you are playing cards, once you see them, if you can remember exactly (or close to) what was dealt, you have a great starting point! Gambling on cards is different than betting on professional sports, when you wager on a sports contest, you make you bet before you can see any game pattern develop. With cards, you can watch the results unfold and seize the moment. This article on blackjack will, at the very least reduce your loses. If you bring the right team to the table you will greatly enhance your chances to win at blackjack. I "did okay" and "I broke about even" should no longer be a part of your vocabulary.

One situation I have never understood as a full time gambler is the honorarium approach or the expected - obligatory donation. How many times have you head this quote after a return trip from Vegas?

"We brought $ 500.00 along to gamble with and that’s all the Mrs. and I lost, so when we factored in the cost of our trip Vs all the "freebies," it was more than acceptable." Admitting or accepting defeat before you begin to gamble just doesn’t sit well with me. It doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion that you will lose when going to Vegas or when gambling at one of the many licensed state or provincial casinos.

Discipline is a word that is often associated with gambling. And yes, discipline is important with regards to your bankroll but discipline won’t save you when playing blackjack. Why? Quite simply, you can’t control bad decisions by other players at your blackjack table.

The Team.

Before I start, if you’re dealt16 and won’t take a card (hit) Vs a dealers 7, 8, 9, face or Ace, don’t read any further!

Okay, the first order of business is to eliminate all the other players at the table. How do you accomplish this? You bring your "team" with you. The team, consisting of 4 players, doesn’t have to pool dollars, but must play as a team. Each player must simply know when to and when not to! Splitting and doubling down is your edge against a weak card held by the dealer. You must make the right decisions and try to double your earnings with these opportunities.

You must not split or double down at the wrong time and further increase the hold for the house.

Our Team.

Our team is a league of nations! It consists of Japanese Tim, Chinese Jim and myself Gambling Greg, plus a pick-up player. The three of us will occupy 6 out of the 7 playing positions and our pick-up, (an educated player,) will fill the 7th spot. I sit at the head of the table, playing positions one and two and observe the cards that are dealt. Tim plays squares 3 and 4, the pick-up player occupies square 5 and Jim plays squares 6 & 7, with 7 being the anchor position. We sit at a $ 5.00 minimum table and must wager at least $ 10.00 per square since the three of us are playing two hands apiece. The wagers will vary from a minimum of ten dollars per square to a maximum of one hundred dollars per square.

Counting Cards.

Much has been written about the ability of professional gamblers to count cards. A blackjack acquaintance of mine used a very simple method. He would use dollar chips and add one chip to a stack each time an Ace was dealt. One of his team members would track the 5 and 6’s, the two worst cards for the dealer. Another would track the face cards while the last member of their team would follow the 2’s. The problem area here is accurately tracking the cards due to the fact that most casinos use a minimum of 4 decks and the house cuts off approximately one deck, after one of the players has cut the cards. With close to a deck not in play at the end of every shoe, how many key cards were remaining when the dealer reshuffled? It’s a relatively simple process to track the Aces and faces. If approximately 25 cards were in play at the conclusion of one hand and there were only 3 or 4 face cards, one would assume that the players should have an edge the next hand.

Las Vegas and Nevada in the 1970’s.

I remember individually playing all 7 squares at the old Silverbird/Thunderbird on the Vegas strip in the late 1970’s. On Labor Day weekend many of the casinos would increase the casino’s edge by adding two additional decks. Six rather than four decks would be in play. I didn’t feel pressured due to the fact that I was playing the entire table. Any bad decisions that were made were made by yours truly!

One night I played from dusk to dawn at Harvey’s Casino in Lake Tahoe. That was one of my most profitable evenings ever, I played one on one against the dealer with a single deck. When morning came, I took a cab out of Tahoe for Reno as the airport was fogged in. I left with my profit intact. I learned that lesson of quitting while you’re ahead, the hard way. On another occasion I bought in with $ 200.00 and was up over five thousand in about 5 hours. You guessed it; I gave it all back plus an additional $ 300.00. That’s a $ 5,500.00 swing. That’s the only time this ever happened to me, I learned my lesson with "learned" being the operative word.

Splitting Pairs.

So when do you split a pair of cards? It all depends on what "up" card the dealer has. I’ll systematically go through all the variables.

You always split a pair of 8’s and Aces, regardless of what the dealer has. You may question why would you split 8’s Vs the dealers face card or an Ace? Well, since you have two 8’s which total 16 - and I have already established the fact that we hit on 16 when the dealer has a 7 or higher, here is why you would split the 8’s. If the dealer dealt you a 3, you would have 11 and would double down against all cards except an Ace. If you were dealt a 2, you would hit again and hope for 17 or higher, you don’t double down with a total of 10 Vs a dealer’s 10 or Ace. If your total were less than 17, you would hit again. If you were dealt a 5 to go along with your first split 8, you score of 13 would still be three lower than the 16 that you originally started with. You now have an increased factor of getting dealt an 8, 7 or 6. Prior to your splitting of the pair of 8’s, those 3 cards would have broken you, or you would have exceeded the limit of 21 in that hand. If you received a face card on each 8 then your two 18’s would certainly be an improvement over that original 16. What you hope for is at least a split. If the dealer has a face card and draws a 7 or an 8, you would win or push.
Why would you not split a pair of Aces? There is no reason, period. By splitting a pair of Aces, with two face cards you would have two 21’s. Even by splitting the pair Vs a dealer’s ace, you would only surrender half your bet should the dealer get a natural 21. Once you split aces, you cannot take an additional hit or split again, should you be dealt another ace.
You never split a pair of 10’s or face cards. If you’re going to do this, you probably don’t hit on 16 and once again, shouldn’t be reading this article.
You do split a pair of 9’s Vs the dealers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9. Why would you stay with 18 against the dealers 9? By splitting those 9’s if you are able to get one face card Vs the dealer’s potential face, you have protected yourself and split, with one hand paying the other should you bust or get beaten by splitting that other 9. If the dealer has an up card that’s an 8, if you stayed with your 18 and the house pulled a face card, you would push. If you were lucky enough to get a pair of face cards each hand would total 19. Only a 20 or 21 would defeat you. You’ll notice you don’t split against a house card of 7. You already have 18 and hope for a 10 by the dealer, resulting in a win for you.
You split a pair of 7’s against the dealers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. By splitting against an 8, 9 face and ace, you are putting yourself at greater risk. If you were dealt a pair of face cards, you would have 17 with each hand and would have to hope the dealer would draw an 8 or lower and then break.
You never split a pair of 5’s, you double down against all cards except a dealer’s 10 or ace.
You never split a pair of 4’s. A face card if drawn would give you an 18, and only a 19, 20 or 21 will defeat you. Imagine splitting a pair of 4’s and drawing a 10 and then an additional face card and breaking. The same scenario could happen with your other 4.
You only split a pair of 3’s against the dealers 4, 5, 6 and 7.
You only split a pair of 2’s against the dealers 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Other Basic Strategy.

When the dealer’s face card is 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and you are sitting with 13, 14, 15 or 16, you stand pat. When you have a 12 Vs a dealer’s 2 or 3, you take a hit. This is the correct procedure! If you have seen numerous small cards dealt and feel there is a strong possibility of a face card, sometimes one might stand. Playing against a dealer’s 2 is tough. Only back to back face cards will break the house. If the dealer has a 4, 5 or 6 Vs your 12, you stand pat. You never hit a hard 17, 18 19, etc.

When to Double Down.

When you have an 11 you double down every time except when the dealer has an ace.
When you are dealt 10 (with two cards) you double down on every card except the dealer’s 10 or ace.
When you hand total’s 9, you double down against a 3, 4, 5 and 6 only. Never double down with your 9 against a 2.
Never double down with a 5, 6, 7 or 8.
When you are dealt an ace and 8 or 9, you stand.
When you are dealt an ace and 7 or soft 18, you double down Vs a 3, 4, 5 and 6 only, not against a 2.
When you are dealt an ace 6, you double against a 3, 4, 5 and 6.
When you have an ace 6 or soft 17, you only double Vs a 3, 4, 5 and 6.
When you have an ace 4 or an ace 5 you only double down Vs a 4, 5 and 6.
When you are dealt an ace 2 or an ace 3, you only double down Vs a 5 and 6.

Time and Size of bankroll.

Set a time limit for playing. Often the biggest nemesis is winning too early. If you bought in with two hundred and after one shoe of play your hold is three hundred, what are you waiting for, get out of dodge! Time is a killer, the longer you play, the harder it will be for you to stay disciplined. Fatigue or not paying proper attention, will do you in. Count the clocks in any Nevada casino, that’s right – exactly none! If your maximum buy-in is set at four hundred and you are tapped out, leave. There is always another day. Good luck, I hope this will bear fruit and you can turn the tables on the dealer!