How to Sharpen Your Blackjack Technique

Is it you or the cards? Why do you keep going bust? Blackjack appears to be a simple game, but to become a true expert you will need to pay your figurative and literal dues. Fortunately, you can also study and practice at home. The following simple strategy, developed by Michael Shackleford, the Wizard of Odds, will help you deal with most hands while allowing the house an edge of only 0.93 percent under standard Las Vegas rules.

Things You'll Need

• One Or More Playing Partners
• Deck Of Cards
• Deck of cards

Instructions

1. Familiarize yourself with the game. If you're a first-timer, find a table that is friendly to beginners and has a low minimum bet.

2. If your hand (with no aces) totals any number between 12 and 16 and the dealer's exposed card is a 2 through 6, always stay. In blackjack shorthand, this can be summarized as: Stand on hard 12-16 against dealer 2-6. A hand with an ace in it is a "soft" hand because the ace can be counted as either a 1 or an 11. "Hard" therefore refers to a hand with no aces.

3. Always "double down" if you have a total of 10 or 11 against a dealer's exposed card of 2-9. To double down means to double your bet while agreeing to take only one more card. This is a valid tactic only when you are confident you have a strong hand relative to the dealer's hand.

4. Always "split" 8s, 9s and aces. When both cards in your hand are the same, you can elect to split. This is to play each individual card as a separate hand. For example, if you had two 8s, you would split them and take hits on the first 8 until you either went over 21 or decided to stand. Then you would move on to the other card and do the same. This tactic essentially gives you two chances to beat the dealer.

5. Always stay on soft 18 or higher. If your cards, including one ace, total 18 or more, do not take a hit.

6. Always stay on hard 17 or higher. If your cards, with no aces, total 17 or more, do not take a hit.

7. If the situations in steps 2 through 6 do not apply, then take a hit. Never bother to take insurance against a dealer blackjack. Insurance is an option whenever the dealer's exposed card is an ace. As a long-term strategy, insurance does not pay.

8. Summarize these rules in your mind and practice them.

9. Practice before you travel to vegas. Try out this Online Blackjack Tutorial and hone your skills for the big day.

Tips & Warnings

• Before playing, decide on a maximum amount of money that you can afford to lose. If you reach this amount, stop playing.

• Avoid the temptation to recoup previous losses with one big bet. Over time, this leads to sloppy play and large losses.