How to Improve Your Chances of Winning at Blackjack?

Blackjack is undoubtedly one of the most popular casino games in both land-based and online casinos alike. The game of Blackjack is fairly simple with few rules and a straightforward two-fold premise.

As Blackjack involves the element of luck and skill, your actions affect the outcome of hands. This means that players can improve their chances of winning by making the correct decisions at the right time. So, here are some tips that can help you in increasing your odds of winning in the game of cards.

Play games with liberal playing rules

Taking the time to look for Blackjack tables with the most liberal playing rules can prove beneficial to you. Play only on tables with a 3-2 payout and avoid all games where the payoff is 6 to 5, or worse, even money. Some other liberal rules to look for are the dealer standing on soft 17, doubling after splitting is allowed, and players can double down on any two cards. And indeed, few decks are better than more decks.

Learn the basic strategy.

It’s important to note that online Blackjack is not a guessing game where sometimes you hit your sixteen against the dealer’s up card whereas other times you stand. Mathematicians have been studying the game of Blackjack for decades and they’ve proven that there’s an optimal way to play every hand dealt with you. The optimal Blackjack strategy helps players in minimizing the house edge to less than 1%. Before using the strategy, make sure you know all the rules first.

Avoid making the insurance wager

When the dealer has an Ace, it can be quite tempting to take the insurance wager just in case their next card reveals a Blackjack. But the thing is that you’ll probably lose your money most of the times. While a winning insurance wager pays out 2-1, the odds of winning are worse than that. So, in case you have a blackjack and the dealer offers you even money, decline it.

Forget about your fellow players

When playing Blackjack at a table with other players, you must only focus on your cards and overlook the decisions that your fellow players are making. The way other players play their hands don’t have any effect on your chances of winning in the long term, so don’t base your decisions on anyone else’s strategy. Also, regardless of how other players play their hands, stick to the basic strategy.

Use a strategy card

If you’re serious about playing Blackjack and winning, then it’s a good idea to buy a strategy card to ensure you’re making correct decisions on every hand dealt with you.

It’s important to note that casinos don’t allow players to place strategy cards on tables for security reasons, but you’ll be perfectly fine holding it in your hands while playing.

Don’t believe you’re about to win

Don’t raise your bets just because you feel you’re due to win. Obviously, the cards don’t know and they don’t care whether you’re in the midst of a winning or a losing streak.