One Blackjack

We all know that there are several card counting techniques associated with the game of Blackjack. The most popular one would have to be the Hi Lo system, also known as the balanced system. Although this particular card counting technique can be quite hard to master, the system can help you be that much more profitable at Blackjack tables.

The system is generally used to determine the ratio of high cards to low cards remaining in the deck. By knowing the right ratio, you can easily make your decisions properly. Combine the Hi Lo system with basic Blackjack matrix, and you have one solid formula in winning Blackjack games.

Low cards — two, three, four, five and six — are assigned a value of plus one. You need to keep in mind that low cards are considered beneficial to the dealer, since they have to hit whenever their hand is under 17. High cards — ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace — are assigned value of minus one. They are less beneficial to the dealer, yet can be quite helping for you. For any card in between — seven, eight and nine or known as the neutral cards — no points are assigned.

These are the basics of Hi Lo system. As the game progresses, you can easily determine the ratio of high cards to low cards based on your counts and place your bets accordingly. It would be best to practice the count as much as possible before using it, since this technique is quite hard to master.

Card counting is a very popular strategy in the game of Blackjack, especially because the technique does work in lowering the house advantage substantially. However, a lot of casinos don’t really accept players that use card counting at their Blackjack tables. The one thing you should do to overcome the situation is to stay realistic and see the game as fun and enjoyable.

A lot of card counters make the colossal mistake of jumping bets between rounds as they count their odds differently. This is definitely good if you are on the run and you need to make big bucks quickly, but the pit boss will stop you from playing any more rounds at some point because of your erratic behavior.

Being able to count cards doesn’t mean you can forget other basic strategies such as risk management and bankroll management. Card counting doesn’t justify you playing with more money that you can afford as well. The best way to play Blackjack is to bet a certain amount of money — usually a small percentage of your gambling bankroll, so that the risks are generally low — constantly throughout the game, with one or two rounds of bigger bets just in case you are feeling lucky.

Consider every angle of the game, and make sure you are fully aware of your risks. You can be an expert in card counting, but there will be times when your technique doesn’t work as effectively or you are just not in the zone.

A hard hand in Blackjack is a hand without an Ace. This type of hand can be quite tricky to play, but the standard basic Blackjack strategy can help you deal with hard hands and increase your profitability. Check out these couple of moves to help you play and win with Blackjack hard hands.

The first rule is to always hit whenever you have an 8 or less, no matter what the dealer’s open card or up card is. Any hand that is worth 8 or less is far from being strong enough to compete with the dealer’s hand, so hitting is always the best way to go.

If you have a 9, you should double when the dealer has 3 to 6, otherwise hit. With a hand worth 10, you should double if the healer has 2 to 9 and otherwise hit. The same rule applies when you have an 11, with the addition of doubling down when the dealer’s open card is a 10.

A hard hand of 12 is a bit tricky; hit if the dealer has a 2 or 3, stand if the dealer’s card is a 4, 5, or 6, and otherwise hit. With a hard hand of 13 to 16, stand if the dealer has 2 to 6, otherwise hit. When your hard hand is worth 17 to 21, opting for no more cards is the best way to go. Now you know how to deal with hard hands, you can easily increase your profitability at the Blackjack table.