Free Online Casino Games

Archive for June, 2009

Now that I've given you all the standard rules, and some variations of mine that have served me well, let's show it all in action, with chips in play.

You're at a blackjack table, the only player. It is a "No Mid-Entry" table—nobody can enter the game until the shoe is finished. You are betting $10 on just one hand. (Casinos will let you play two hands. Some will even allow three.) You're dealt two 8's, and the Dealer has a 6 showing, the worst card-up he could have. You immediately split your 8's, placing a second $10 bet next to the second 8. Now you're dealt two more cards—and one is another 8. The other dealt card is a King. You "stand" on your King/8, as you have a playable total of 18. You now split the third 8, putting another $10 bet next to it. Again, the Dealer deals you two more cards, one each for the two 8's. You get a 3 and an Ace. Now you have a total of 11 (8 + 3) on one hand, and you "double-down," placing an additional $10 on it. As for the other half of the second split, it now shows a total of 9 or 19, Player's choice (remember, the Ace can be 1 or 11). With the dealer showing a 6, you promptly "double-down" again on the 8/Ace hand—you play it now as a total of 9—and place still another $10 bet on the cloth next to it.

Okay, time out. Let's rehash that last paragraph and see exactly what happened, and what the wagering was, on what started out as an ordinary pair of 8's and one simple $10 bet.
You started with that lone $10 bet. Upon splitting the 8's you added a second $10 wager, for a total of $20 on the table. Of the two new cards dealt, one was a King, which gave you a comfortable King/8 total of 18, with which you stood. The other card was yet a third 8, which enabled you to split yet again, so you put down another $10 bet. Your bets down now totaled $30.

Two new cards were dealt to you; one was a 3 and the other an Ace. With an 8/3 count of 11 you doubled-down, and bet still another $10 on the hand. Total bets down now: $40. Here's that last (and controversial) move, your doubling-down on the 8/Ace count—normally a comfortable 19—gambling on the dealer going bust with that deadly 6 as his up-card.
With this last $10 bet you now have parlayed your original $10 wager to an impressive $50—on a table situation where the odds are in your favor. Here you have the dealer sitting with the worst possible up-card a blackjack dealer can have.

This is a perfect example of taking advantage of every opportunity you are dealt. The strong odds were in your favor, with the dealer's deadly 6 as his show card. Of course there is no iron-clad guarantee that you would win the hands, but you must always keep in mind that in gambling you always must take full advantage when the odds are in your favor. If you expect to leave the casino with their money, pal, that's the only way you can come out ahead in the long run.

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The bare rule-of-thumb basic strategy in the game is for the player to hit if his total is 16 or less when the dealer shows a 7, 8, 9, or 10 value card, or an Ace. With eight decks there are lots of 10 value cards in the shoe, so the player has to assume a 10 or a picture card as the dealer's hole card. On the other hand, if the dealer shows a 4, 5, or a 6, basic strategy is for the player to "stand," and to let the dealer draw and possibly bust.
When the dealer shows a 2 or a 3, you face a choice. Here's where I differ from many so-called blackjack experts. When single or double decks were more common years ago, I'd stand on the dealer's 2 or 3. Now, with the 8-deck shoe, I have to swim against the current of the prevailing wisdom mentioned above—to consider the dealer's hole card a 10 spot. With all the cards that can help the dealer's total on a 2 showing, I always hit my 12 or 13 count.

As for insurance, surrender, and "Let It Ride," forget it. All three are bad, bad bets. If you want more details about these three sucker bets you are welcome to read all about them in another blackjack book. I won't waste time on these shams.

While the dealer is rigidly constricted by his options, the player is allowed splendid leeway which, if managed properly, can be a decided advantage to him in the game.
First, there is the player's option of splitting pairs. When the player is dealt two identical cards, he may separate them, making them the first cards of two separate hands.

Sometimes it's an advantage and sometimes it isn't. The only hard-and-set rule for splitting pairs is with Aces and 8's, which the player should almost always split. Exception: Where the dealer shows an Ace, an 8, 9, or a 10 point card, I don't split 8's. If the dealer shows a 5 or a 6, it is advantageous for the player to split all pairs—I even split 10 point pairs in this case, which can be construed as either daring or lunatic. (Many times I shake up the pit boss when I split 10 pointers,- it's done so infrequently that they are often rattled by my move.) In some casinos you can split a third time (except with aces), and if the same card shows up a fourth time, some casinos will even let you split it still again. In the next section I will give you graphic examples of what can and does happen with multiple splittings.

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