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Casinos> Gambling Articles > How to Make a Living at Blackjack
How to Make a Living at Blackjack
I dealt Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat out in Las Vegas
for ten years. Before that, I dealt
Blackjack and Roulette in Spain at a casino in the “Spanish Riviera” as it is
called, on the island of Ibiza. My first
words of advice to any gamblers are: NEVER play blackjack in Spain, and NEVER
play roulette in America.
The games are set up differently. Blackjack in Spain is really the game of 21 –
an entirely different animal. First, the
croupier does not deal his hand, so you do not get to see his card before you
decide whether to hit or not. The second
worst bet in their version of this game is that ties go to the house. And lastly, and this is the worst of them
all, you’re not allowed to double down in most Spanish casinos, or split your
pairs.
These are the ONLY three things that gamblers have on their
side in the game of Blackjack. One – you
get to see one of the dealer’s cards before playing your hand. Two – you get to keep your money on a
tie. Three – you get to DOUBLE your
money AFTER you’ve seen both your hand and the dealer’s first card - this is
the best bet in the house.
I want to go over each of these three points with you. Today, I’m going to focus on HOW to play, and
give you some very easy to remember rules that should increase your chances of
winning at Blackjack. In fact, just
these simple tips make you EVEN with the House; since you can get up and walk
away any time you want, and the casino has to keep playing until you bust them
out, being EVEN means you WILL win sooner or later, just using these simple
“hit or stand” rules. Want to win
BIG? Once you know how to use the double
and the split, and when to lay the baby bets and when to pull out the BIG wad from
your pocket, you should have every Pit Boss in Las Vegas trying to comp you to
a room, or pay for a return trip should he discover you’re leaving tomorrow.
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME OF BLACKJACK – ONE EASY RULE:
The dealer shows you one of his cards, and hides the second
one underneath. PLAY against that card.
You do not play to make your best hand in this game – you ONLY play to beat the
dealer. The deck has 24 “small” cards (6
or less points) and 16 “big” cards (10 point value). In addition, there are the 7’s 8’s and 9’s
(we’ll get to the Aces later). A very
easy way for you to remember HOW to play – PRETEND THAT THE DEALER ALWAYS HAS A
TEN UNDER AND IS ALWAYS GOING TO DRAW A TEN.
It’s that easy. The
dealer HAS to stand on 17, and HAS to draw on 16. You can do whatever you want. You don’t have to draw on a 16, but if the dealer
is showing a 7 or better, you WANT to draw – because you’re going to win most
of the time if you do, and lose most of the time if you don’t.
You don’t have to stand on a 16, but if the dealer is
showing a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 you WANT to stand on ANY hand that might go
bust. ANY hand – do you HEAR me? If you have a 12 and the dealer shows a 6 –
STAND – for God’s sake STAND! Otherwise,
you’re going to draw the dealer’s 10, go bust and make everyone else at the
table angry with you.
So to recap, if the dealer is showing 7, 8, 9, or any 10
point card – it means he has a good hand, and you are going to have to make 17
or better (never EVER – are you listening?
NEVER hit past 17). If the dealer
is showing a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, it means he is going to BUST and you are going
to STAND on ANY hand that can bust (12 or more.)
The ACES are special cards, and you play them depending on
how the casino plays them. Some casinos
(usually on the Strip) make the dealer stop on a “soft” seventeen (an Ace and
6). This is a GOOD bet for you. Seventeen is a crappy hand, and the more
often the dealer has to keep it, the better for you. However, if you play in a house where the
dealer stands on a ‘soft’ seventeen, you are going to play the ACE like it was
your enemy; you’re going to hit until you make 17 or better. If you are in a casino that makes dealers hit
until they have a hard seventeen – you are going to play the ACE like the
dealer is going to bust out. That is –
you’re going to stand on any ‘bustable’ hand, EXCEPT and this is the only time
the rule is broken – you ARE going to HIT the 12. NOT the 13, 14, 15 or 16 – GOT IT? JUST the 12.
That’s it – now you’re even.
The next two articles deal with how and when to double your money; and a
very easy way to keep track of the cards so that you can make your big bets at
the RIGHT time – this should give you the edge you need to quit your job and
become a professional Blackjack player.
Well, be sure to read all the articles BEFORE you quit the job!
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