The route to 21 is a long and winding road filled with unexpected swerves and big rewards, but only if you know what you're doing at the felt. Blackjack is a game held at the mercy of mistress luck and the way to win isn't always clear. In fact, doing the "right thing" doesn't always yield the right result.
You can't look at any move in isolation when you're playing blackjack casino online games because luck, or variance, will impact your outcome. You can factor in the expectation equation, or the belief in that the more correct moves you make, the greater your chances of securing an overall profit will be.
If you find yourself swerving around on 'route 21' you'll want to pay close attention because you're going to learn:
Now that we've established that online blackjack is a beatable game if you acquire a certain amount of knowledge and skills, it's time to outline some of these skills. Not only that, but we've augmented our look at winning blackjack casino online strategies with some of the common mistakes players make at the felt. Indeed, by knowing what you shouldn't be doing, you should always have an idea of what you should be doing in the heat of battle.
So, without any further delay, here's a look at some basic blackjack skills you'll need to master if you want to become a long-term winner:
Now that we've handed you some of the basic blackjack skills you'll need to move towards a profit. The next step on your journey is card counting. Seen as one of the most advanced blackjack strategies in the game, this technique basically involves tracking the dynamics of the deck in order to ascertain when it's best to stand and when it's best to hit.
Although not infallible, the card counting system has been shown to reduce the casino's edge by around 3% which means the game becomes much more of a 50/50 proposition (instead of a 47/53 dynamic).
On a basic level, card counting is used as a way of gauging the consistency of the deck to the point where you can reduce the casino's edge to zero. In order to count cards, the first thing you need to do is assign a value of +1, 0, and -1 to cards of certain values.
Whenever you see a card with a value between 2 and 6 you should add 1 to your running count. Any time a card with a value between 10 and ace is dealt you should subtract 1 from your running count and any time a 7, 8 or 9 passes across the table you do nothing.
After a number of hands this count will move within a predetermined range and it is at this point you need to divide your running total by the number of decks left in the dealer's shoe. This process gives you a true count and it's this number that will tell you whether the deck is in your favour or not.
The deck is deemed in your favour if there are more tens in it than low cards. In contrast, if there are more low cards than cards with a value of ten, the deck is said to be in the dealer's favour. When the deck is working for you, it's time to increase your bets because this is the point in which you can win more money. When the deck isn't on your side, you should slash your bet size and minimise your losses.
We know blackjack is the most popular casino online game in the world and that there's a raft of strategies you can use to increase your chances of success, but what about the mistakes? Like virtually every casino game in the world, blackjack is full of pitfalls. If you aren't able to avoid them, no amount of considered betting will dig you out of a financial hole.
Fortunately, we've been around the game long enough to know the biggest mistakes novice players can make at the table which is why we've compiled the top three blackjack blunders:
A common mistake in blackjack is copying the dealer. Although it seems as though this is a case of "what's good for the goose is good for the gander", the reality of the situation is that it's an unprofitable way to play. Essentially copying the dealer involves always drawing up to 17 and sticking on anything above this amount. Moreover, it means never splitting or doubling. This strategy is wrong for a number of reasons, and under statistical analysis it shows the house gains a 5.48% edge when a player gambles in this way.
When the dealer is weak it's almost always a bad idea to hit; especially when the dealer is holding a 4. In this situation it's certain that the dealer will have to draw at least one more card from the deck and whenever they are in this situation they are vulnerable. Thus, when the dealer is showing a 4 the best move is to always stand and put the pressure on them.
Although you may feel like hitting on 16, it will result in a loss. The reality of the situation is that you're likely to lose even if you stand. The reason being is the dealer is strong when showing a 10. You are the underdog and the best thing you can do is ride your luck and take another card. In the majority of situations you'll go bust, but it's often better to go out fighting than stand with your fingers crossed.
Casino online blackjack is a great way to make money if you're aware of two things: the road to riches is fraught with danger and you'll need to grind through a lot of hands in order to let your skill shine through.
Although we can't guarantee that you'll win money every time you sit down to play online blackjack in Canada, we can assure you that the strategies outlined in this article will help increase your overall EV.
Does this mean you'll win every hand you play? No. However, it does mean you'll win a lot more money in the long run if you adhere to the skills and avoid the mistakes we've so graciously highlighted for you.
