How Do You Beat The Dealer In Blackjack

  1. Beating the Dealer’s Hand There are 2 ways in which you can beat the dealer’s 21 in Pontoon Blackjack, by getting a Pontoon hand or building a 5 Card Trick. A Pontoon hand is efficiently a Twenty-one hand utilizing an Ace and any of the Face or 10 cards.
  2. What Can You Do to Beat the Dealer in Blackjack? You can see that you’re up against a lot when trying to win blackjack profits. Luckily, you can boost your chances of success by following the tips presented below. Look for Games With Favorable Rules. Casinos have slowly added more and more rules that favor themselves.
  3. When you push your money into the blackjack circle and faced off against a dealer, you are playing the best odds in the house. You can even turn the advantage to your favor. But not so fast. If you thought it was merely the cards you were battling, you have another thing coming. The combat measures began before you even sat down.
  4. Blackjack is recognised as one of the most popular casino table games. The aim of the game is to beat the dealer by acquiring a hand that reaches a value of 21. In order to win, the game is heavily dependent on optimal decision making as every hand will affect the outcome.
  1. How Do You Beat The Dealer In Blackjack Machine
  2. How To Beat The Dealer In Blackjack Rdr2

Most players stand with an A-7 (soft 18) against a dealer’s 9 upcard, reasoning that an 18 is good enough to beat the dealer. But did you know if you play an entire lifetime of blackjack and are dealt a pat 18 on every single hand, you’d die a small loser! (that is because your overall expectation is negative when you stand on 18).

How to win at Blackjack - and why most players don't!

Players who are new to Blackjack often think that the object of the game is to get a points total as close to twenty one as possible. It isn't.
Thinking like this has led many an unsuspecting gambler into losing their entire bankroll. The simple fact is that the object of Blackjack is not to get twenty one, but to beat the dealer - and you can do this with a points total of nineteen, fifteen or even twelve.

The lowest house edge

Like all casino games, the rules of Blackjack favour the house in the long run. Although the house edge in Blackjack is the lowest of all casino games (around 0.6%) it still means that the casino expects to make an overall profit from Blackjack players. Most of this will come from those trying to get twenty one!
But although it may seem that the dealer has the advantage, in certain circumstances the player has the edge.
This is because you are free to play your hands any way you like. You can decide to Hit or Stand on any points total. The dealer is not free. He has to abide by a set of house rules that dictate whether he Stands or takes another card. These rules are set up to ensure the house edge in the long run, but they don't always work in the dealer's favour in every game.
(NB There are numerous Blackjack variations, but for the purpose of this article we'll assume you're playing one of the versions that has the standard rule that the dealer must stand on seventeen.)

How to win with just 13 points

there aren't many beginners out there who would think of standing on thirteen, as if there's something shameful about winning on such a low score

Consider the situation: you have a points total of thirteen and the dealer has a five showing. You know he's going to Hit the five because the House rules dictate that. His next card is always going to leave him on a points total less than seventeen, so you know he'll have to take another card after that. Even if his next card was an eight, nine, ten (or picture card) or Ace, meaning he had a higher total than you, he couldn't stand - he'd have to take another card, increasing the chance of him going bust (over 21).

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If you thought that Blackjack was about you getting twenty one, you'd be tempted to Hit your thirteen, hoping for an eight. But you could just as easily get a nine or ten value card and go bust. Now, knowing that you just have to beat the dealer and that taking two more cards means that he has a fairly high chance of going bust, you'd Stand on thirteen.
I can guarantee there aren't many beginners out there who would think of standing on thirteen, as if there's something shameful about winning on such a low score, but I can also guarantee that there are thousands of successful Blackjack players who do!
Of course, your decisions are never going to be completely accurate as you can only see one of the dealer's cards, but basic probability and a little bit of intuition will give you an indication as to his total.

Adopt the best strategy

Winning at Blackjack, then, is a simple matter of calculated risk. Given your total and the dealer's shown card, what is the most likely result that can occur? The answer, as always, is: it depends. But in Blackjack, the variables are much less than for games such as Roulette and the best strategy can be predicted.
Numerous Blackjack strategy cards exist that show you what you should do under every possible combination of your hand and the dealer's face up card. Learning these should be your ultimate aim if you want to be a winning Blackjack player.
If you're relatively new to the game, you may find these cards a little daunting. That's why I've devised a simple 3-stage Blackjack strategy that will take you from beginner to high stakes Blackjack player with the minimum of fuss.
So forget twenty one, and remember - to win at Blackjack all you have to do is beat the dealer!

Laura Klusaite

Table Of Contents

  • American Blackjack is a variant of the classic game of Blackjack
  • It has better odds than European Blackjack

Blackjack, respectably being the most popular card game at Casinos, has plenty of variants for you to choose from.

Whether you play online or visit the brick-and-mortar Casinos, you’ll come across American Blackjack tables.

How does American Blackjack differ from other variants? Is it worth your time and money? Find out once and for all in this article.

How Do You Beat The Dealer In Blackjack Machine

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Before we start…

Let’s get one thing straight. Many online Casinos don't call American Blackjack tables 'American Blackjack'.

But you can find American Blackjack tables by other names, for example, Atlantic City Blackjack or Vegas Strip / Vegas Downtown / Vegas Single Hand Blackjack.

The biggest difference between American Blackjack rules and other variants is how the cards are dealt for the dealer. And all of the mentioned games are dealt the same way as American Blackjack is.

American Blackjack vs European Blackjack

In European Blackjack, the dealer gets only one card and the second one comes only after the players make their moves.

In American Blackjack, the dealer gets both cards right away: one card face up and one (hole card) face down.

Let’s be honest now.

It seems like a minor thing to consider in the game of Blackjack. You may not even notice the dealing unless you really pay attention to it.

But it makes a difference in the house edge and the rules.

American Blackjack House Edge

Many things affect the Blackjack odds. It starts with the number of decks used, blackjack (a combination of + , or aka a natural) payouts, specific rules of when the dealer stands, and more.

The card dealing also makes a difference.

When the dealer gets an Ace or 10-value card as a face-up card, they can peek at their second card to see if it makes a natural (a two-card hand of 21 points in value).

If it does, unless you have a natural blackjack, too, you lose your wager before you decide whether to hit or stand on your dealt cards.

If it doesn’t, the game goes on as usual.

However, when it comes to the European Blackjack table, the dealer wouldn’t have a card to peek at.

So, you would make your move, perhaps double down and increase your wager, just to end up losing anyway against the dealer’s natural.

This small difference - option to avoid increasing wager in case of the dealer having a natural - counts for the 0.05 percent lower house edge in American Blackjack games.

While the house edge still depends on other factors, American Blackjack tables therefore usually have only 0.31-0.35 percent edge.

How to Play American Blackjack

One thing that doesn’t change much among Blackjack games is the basic rules.

No matter which variant of Blackjack you play, your goal is to beat the dealer. You can do so by having a higher-in-value hand while not going over 21.

You start American Blackjack game by making your bets. Like with most table games, they usually start at $1.

Both you and the dealer get two cards each.

You see your hand and its value. Also, one of the dealer’s cards. Based on this information you need to make your move:

Possible MoveMeaning
HitTo ask for one more card. The total bet stays the same
StandTo play with the current hand without asking for more cards. The total bet stays the same
Double DownTo ask for one more but last card. The total bet is doubled
SplitTo split cards of the same value into two hands. The total bet is doubled
Take InsuranceIn case the dealer has an Ace, to place a side bet which is won if the dealer has a natural. The total bet is increased by 0.5 of the original wager
SurrenderTo give up before seeing how the game plays out. The total bet is reduced by 0.5 of the original wager
How Do You Beat The Dealer In Blackjack

Unless you surrender, after you make your last move, you see the dealer’s hole card. Then the dealer plays out their hand.

There are three outcomes of the game:

Possible OutcomeMeaning
Your hand beats the dealer’sYou win and get the payout
The dealer’s hand beats yoursYou lose your wager
Both you and the dealer has the same value handIt's a push. In this case, you may get your wager back or lose it nevertheless (specific tables may have different rules regarding the push)

American Blackjack Payouts

There are three types of Blackjack payouts: a natural win payout, other wins payouts, and insurance payout.

The same ones are available at American Blackjack tables, too:

  • a natural (blackjack) pays 3 to 2
  • insurance pays 2 to 1
  • beating the dealer other way pays 1 to 1
Book

How to Win at American Blackjack

I've written it many times before and I’ll write it many times again: following the basic strategy is the best way to play Blackjack.

American Blackjack is no exception.

Whether you play American or European Blackjack, you see your cards and you see the dealer’s face-up card.

How To Beat The Dealer In Blackjack Rdr2

It’s enough to base your moves according to the basic strategy. Read more about the basic strategy here or download a pdf of printable basic strategy chart here.

Another thing that increases your chances of winning at Blackjack is card counting.

It’s a lot easier to learn than it sounds and you can use this card counting guide to do it like a pro.

Blackjack

However, card counters may find different Blackjack variants more convenient.

In American Blackjack online, the dealer uses up to eight decks of cards at the same time. In European Blackjack often only two while you can find Classic Blackjack games where only one deck of cards is used.

With fewer decks, it's easier to count cards. Especially when you’re a beginner.

American Blackjack Games Online

Now that you know how to play American Blackjack and how to beat the dealer at the game, are you ready to play?

If so, online Casinos are heaven for American Blackjack players.

As mentioned before, don’t look for games called exactly American Blackjack.

The developers tend to give Blackjack games various names but you’ll be able to recognize Blackjack that follows American Blackjack rules from the very beginning.

Read the info section of the game or place your first bet to see how the cards are dealt.

At many online Casinos (e.g. here) you can do it completely for free.

Of course, when you play for free you can’t win real money. But it’s a great way to practice online Blackjack basic strategy or the art of card counting.

Once you’re ready to play for real money (and win real money, obviously), top up your Casino account and place real money wagers.

After all, Blackjack is the best game you can play for real money. And once you’ll start playing American Blackjack, it won’t be long until you see why.

Spoiler alert: It has everything to do with Blackjack odds.

Good luck!

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