Author: blackjackhero

The Thing with Soft Hands

Blackjack is one of the easiest games to play in the realm of casino games. Essentially if you can add up to 21 then you can play blackjack.

The strategy available for blackjack is also very simple. Basic strategy is the easiest strategy to use and have such a significant impact on the house edge.

So with both of those considered how is it that blackjack players keep misplaying soft hands?

To put the answer simply, since this is blackjack after all, is that players are misplaying their hands. Specifically soft hands.

I

Making the Most of a Double Down

Splitting pairs and doubling down are two of the blackjack plays deemed to be favorites. Mostly because they offer the opportunity to get a little more in one round than the average round. But of the two, double down is the preferred of the two plays. It has the ability to win more money on one hand, whereas with a split pair you might lose one hand and win the other, creating a draw. And that applies to blackjack online as well as in a casino.

But in order to take the most advantage of a double down you need to know the best times in blackjack to double down. Sure you can look on a basic strategy chart and see when those times are, but why at those times? Knowing the why can help enforce when to double down and can keep you doubling down when it

Blackjack Betting System No-No

A good number of blackjack players are tempted by betting systems. And most will try at least one at some point in time over the time that they play blackjack. I will admit to having tried one very early in my time of playing blackjack. I fell victim to the Martingale method.

What is the Martingale method? It is a betting system that is unfortunately used in blackjack. The way it works is to double your wager each time you lose. You only return to your original betting amount when you win.

For example, if you wager $10 and lose, the next round you would bet $20. Then $40. Then $80. Then $160. And that only covers five rounds of blackjack which you can do in less than half an hour. You can see how it adds up and how it can spin out of control.

The problem with this blackjack betting system is that eventually you are going to hit the table maximum for betting. It also requires a rather large bankroll in order for you to keep using it.

But the biggest problem, and this applies to every blackjack betting system out there, is that hands of blackjack aren

Dealing with Splitting Aces

It seems that come casinos will take one approach to what happens when a blackjack player splits Aces. Some will go with a more greedy approach in that they will only allow players to receive one more card after splitting a pair of Aces. In other words they treat it like a double down.

Then you have casinos that are on the more enlightened side of blackjack. They will allow blackjack players to hit for more cards after splitting Aces. This difference, while it sounds small, can actually make an impact on the house edge to the tune of 0.14% off their edge, which improves your own blackjack odds.

So why is this house rule such a big deal?

First off splitting Aces is not a double down and it shouldn