One of the most accessible games to play in brick and mortar casinos and online casinos is Black Jack. The basic idea of the game is to get as close to the number 21 as possible without going over. It is easy and can be overwhelming if someone doesn’t know what they are getting into when they get started.
With that said, this article will cover 15 tips on how to tip the odds in your favour.
1- Pick up a book
What would you give to get someone to sit in front of you and give you all their years of trial and errors to make you a better person? Lucky for you, there are several books out there written by some of the best BlackJack players. They are giving you their knowledge on their mistakes and errors so you can shorten your learning curve.
2- Practice Makes Perfect
Before stepping up to the tables where they are playing with real money, pick one of the countless sites you can play with fake money. Keep playing and playing until you get the hang of it. It is also a safe way to test a game strategy before walking up the table. When loosing with fake money, the only thing you have lost is the time you invest in playing. Maybe hopefully, you walked away from the table wiser.
3- Know Your Losses
When you start playing the game, the best thing to do is to let the computer make the decisions and learn from the computer. Maybe take some notes to see if you can see a pattern. Also, another source to teach you is checking out what it says in the help menu.
4- To Hit or Not to Hit
It’s not a hard game concept to grasp. The idea is to either hit and get more cards and get closer to 21. Or stand, and take no more cards and let the chips fall where they will fail. For example, if you have 4 or 8 and the dealer has a lower card, you need to hit! Always hit!
But if you have a number between 14 or 18, you should stand, and the chances are high that the dealer will either miss the mark or bust.
An excellent suggestion to hit if you have a starting hand between 13 and 16 is if the dealer has a face card. Get as close to 21 as possible. You want to have the idea that the other card is an ace, and they will win instantly.
5- Double or Go Home
Suppose your opening hand is either 10 or 11. You should always double down! If you are sitting at an actual table, and you have onlookers, people will expect you to double down. When you double down, another card is given to you, just one. Then your move is to get as close to 20 or 21 as possible, especially if the dealer has 2 – 6. Most of the time, they will bust.
6- Cheat Sheet
Using a cheat sheet will only work on online casinos. There are spreadsheets created that help leads you to the chance of winning more likely. You can only use the cheat sheets when playing online because you cannot use the sheets when sitting at an actual table.

7- No Insurance
Don’t ever take the insurance! As tempting as the thought to buy into the insurance. You are better off taking the chance of a loose, then pay in to protect yourself from the dealer getting 21.
8- Change your Betting Amounts
It is silly to keep putting the same amount down if you are winning or losing. If you are in a winning streak, raise your bets and increase your winnings. But if you are in the middle of a losing streak, then put as little money as possible down and keep playing until things change.
By doing this, it will stretch your bank out and give you a chance to play longer. In theory, the longer you play, the more likely you will hit a winning streak and walk away.
9- Don’t Count
As tempting as it is to try to. It is not worth it to count your cards. You are dealing with people who know all the signs of counting. So no matter what you try, you will never be able to fool them forever.
If you try to count, and your fail, the casinos will put your face up and send it to all their friend casinos, and they will then share your face with their friends. Casinos are in the business of making money; if you are trying to get a foot up, they don’t want you.
10- Split Aces and 8s
When you get Aces and 8s, and your bank can handle it, you should split your hand. By splitting your hand, you are playing two hands. Yes, there is a higher chance of losing more of your bank with both hands, but you are more likely to win at least one of the hands against the dealer. If you take the challenge, you could see your bank grow, and more time to win a play the game.
11- PLay through the Hard Times
In a hard hand, Ace is never 11. Instead, it is 1. When this happens, and the other card is a 9, double down! Especially if the dealer has a value of 3-6.
12- Play The Soft Times
If you have a soft hand, that is when Ace does count as 11. It is best to double down. You do that if the dealer has a 5 or a 6.
13- Keep at it
If you are looking for a quick win game, Blackjack is not the game for you. Blackjack is a game where you want to be able to stretch it out and keep playing. The longer your play, things change in the player’s favour.
14- Keep going up
A system that some people have tried doing as they play the game is positive progressive. With this system, what people will do is, as long as you are winning, you keep putting more money down. Once you lose, then you start over at the lower betting amount and try again and again. As you gradually increase your winnings, it should also make your bank last longer to play longer. If you can do that, the chances of walking away a winner goes up a lot.
15- True Winners
Of course, if you want a sure-fire way to be a winner when it comes to a blackjack table. The real winners of the system are the ones who never sit down in the first place. Or the people who sit back and watch other people play are the winners. They showed up to watch a game and then walk away with entertainment. Not playing is echoed by a lot of the best blackjack players.