Posts Tagged ‘cards’

« Older Entries

Blackjack -ญ Decks and Player Positions

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009








Today, we’re going to take a look at a couple key components to the game of Blackjack in the casino-decks and player positions.

Decks

Blackjack can be played with any number of decks. As the number of decks increase, the game becomes better for the house (casino). In the old days, the game was single-deck Blackjack. Eventually, casinos figured out that they could improve their odds by adding one more deck.

Today, single-deck Blackjack in the real world can be hard to find-unless you want to play $25+ per hand. Usually, the lower limit tables (under $25 per hand) are multi-deck games. Most of those use 4,6 or 8 decks.

Don’t be fooled by online casinos. Yes, they may use a single deck, but the deck is shuffled after each hand (unless specified). This isn’t the same as a single-deck game in the real world, because those games aren’t shuffled after each hand. It makes a difference. Real world single deck games are better for you.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t play Blackjack online. Just be aware of the differences. For instance, since the online casinos shuffle after each hand, counting cards is of no use to you.

Player Positioning

If you’re playing Blackjack by yourself, this section won’t matter. But, if you’re playing with others, it pays to know the order of play.

The order of play starts with the player position to the left of the dealer. This position is known as first base. The order of play continues in a clockwise direction. The last player position to play is to the immediate right of the deal. This position is known as third base and it’s a coveted position to be in.

If you’re walking up to a table and you’re newer to Blackjack, don’t sit in the third base position. If you make a playing mistake, the rest of the table might suffer and they’ll be mad at you. However, if you’re an experienced Blackjack player, the third base position is one that you’ll most likely want.

Some players are superstitious and will only sit in certain spots. In reality, it’s all luck of the draw. The only true constant is that a poor player sitting at third base can wreck a table. For instance, the dealer might have a 6 showing and the poor player hits on 15, gets a face card and busts. The dealer then turns over a face card, gets a 3 and stands on 19-perhaps wiping everyone out.

If you’re that player and that situation happens, you’ll cease to have fun. Players will be staring you down and you won’t enjoy your “fun” time. Newer players might want to sit at first base if possible. This is the first position to act each hand and it’s right next to the dealer. It’s a great spot if you think you’ll need some playing assistance.








Tags: , , , ,
Posted in BlackJack | No Comments »

Basic Strategy For Blackjack

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Rushmore Online Casino - Get $888 Free Bonus

The basic strategy for Blackjack is to compare your hand to that of the dealer’s showing card. The basic card values are straightforward enough, but when you pull a soft-hand or can double down you are in a position to make a strong play if you know what you are doing.

A soft-hand is an ace and any other card below the value of ten. This hand gets its name because the ace can be either one or eleven as necessary. The big advantage to a soft hand is that you can take hits with less risk of busing. But that doesn’t mean you can be carefree about how you play your hand. Take a look at the dealers’ showing card and play your cards as follows:

If you have an ace with an 8 or higher then hold your hand and don’t take a hit. By playing the ace as 11 you have 19, which is a hand you should always stand on.

If you have an ace with 7 take a hit if the dealer’s showing card is 9 or better.

If you have an ace with six or less then you should always take a bit. Even though this means you are taking a risky hit on 17 you can always bail yourself out if you bust by using the ace as a 1.

Doubling down is another situation you need to master if you want to win at Blackjack. Doubling down allows you to double you initial bet in certain circumstances. If played correctly you can offset the house advantage and that is an opportunity not to be missed! Bear in mind though that casinos have different rules as to when you can double down.

You should double down according to following rules:

If your have card values of 9 to 11 then double down. Statistically you have great chance to win because there are so many cards with a value of 10 to draw.
However, if you have a 9 then only double down if the dealer is showing a weak card of 3 to 6. This is because the dealer as likely to bust if he/she is showing any other card.
When holding a soft hand you should double down only when you can exploit a weak dealer card. The way to play an soft hand for doubling down is as follows;

If you have an ace with 8-9, just stand. This is a strong hand so don’t double down.
If you have an ace with 6.-7 then double down and take a hit if the dealer is showing a weak 3-6, and especially 4.-6.
If you have an ace with 4.-5 only double down if the dealer is holding a weak 4.-6.
If you have an ace with 2-3 then only double down if the dealer is showing a 5-6.

By knowing how to play these strategies you can take advantage of favorable hands when they come you way.

rushmore_standard_468x60_us

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in BlackJack | No Comments »

Always Split Aces and Eights

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

468x60 Animated Banner

There are some basics in blackjack. Splitting aces and eights only makes senses since a hand equaling 2 or 12 compared to having two hands of 11 is a no brainer. Even though you only receive one card to your ace, the chances of getting 21 or a relatively decent hand are good.

Splitting eights all the time is a bit riskier. Some blackjack studs say not to split eights if the dealer is showing a nine or a ten. For me, it depends on how the cards are flowing that day whether I will split the eights all the time or just when it feels right against that dealer nine or ten.

Probably the most important strategy for wining blackjack is to always play the dealer for a ten in the hole. This will be the basis of your winning strategy. If the dealer is showing a ten, you play him as if he has twenty and hit or stay accordingly. The same rule applies if the dealer is showing a six or any other bust combination (12, 13, 14, or 15). You always have to play as if you had x-ray vision and could see the dealer’s hole card.

Playing hunches will kill you. You have to have a plan and stick to it. And your plan should follow the basic rules. Granted there will plenty of times that the dealer doesn’t have that ten in the hole, but you have to stick to your guns and play it that way.

One mistake that I see a lot of novices make is splitting tens or face cards. They will do this mostly when the dealer is showing a bust card. They think they will be able to double their money hitting each one of their tens. This is ridiculous. Who splits the second best hand in blackjack? Definitely not me.

Besides doubling down on tens and elevens, if the house allows it, I love to double on soft 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 if the dealer is showing a 3, 4, 5 or 6. There is a good chance the dealer will bust, and also a good chance you will improve your hand, or get a ten and it remains the same.

I have always held if I had twelve and the dealer showed a bust card. But, recently I read that you should hit a 12 against the dealer when he shows a 2. I was a bit hesitant to do this since there was a chance that I would bust. But, playing this way, I have found out that I have won more than I have lost. This strategy you will have to decide for yourself if it right for you.

These are some of the basic blackjack strategies that you can apply. The key is to remain consistent even when the cards are against you. If you hit a bad run, get up from the table and take a break. Don’t keep throwing your money away when a dealer is hot.

Visit Free Blackjack to try out your blackjack for free with no sign up!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in BlackJack | No Comments »

Play Pai Gow

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

200% bonus + 100% 2nd deposit

Pai Gow is a fun Westernized version of an old Chinese dominos game. The basic game play is straightforward enough and it is popular in casinos because the relaxed atmosphere of the game gives players a chance to get to know each other.

Each of the seven players places a bet and are then dealt seven cards each. In addition to the 52 cards in the pack there is a joker that can be used either as an ace or to complete a straight or a flush. Players must form the cards into two hands, a five card hand and a two card hand. The hands themselves are almost exactly the same as those in poker. One player acts as banker although often the default is the dealer. Incidentally, seven hands are always dealt out even if there are less players at the table.

The object of the game is to beat both the banker’s five card hand and two card hand. If you only beat one of the banker’s hands then it is a tie, called a copy, and the banker wins the hand. In many online casino’s the casino is always the banker, but you should check this and always try to be banker if possible because of course it means you can win any copy hands.

The real strategy in Pai Gow is knowing how best to arrange your cards so that you have the strongest hand. Putting cards into your five card hand is known as ‘five-carding’ and likewise, putting cards into your two card hand is called ‘two-carding’.

You do not always want to put all of your strongest cards into either your five-hand or your two-hand if it means weakening the other hand too much. Most of the time it should be apparent what is the best way to arrange your cards but there are some common mistakes made.

The most frequent mistakes occur when players have two pairs. The best way to divide up or unite your pairs depends on the cards that you have. You will usually want to split the pairs by two-carding the lower pair if you have a paid of aces or your lower pair is made up of cards worth 10 or more.

There are however exceptions to this rule and here are some of the more notable circumstances when you want to play your pairs together in the five-hand:If your high pair is 3s to 6s and you have an ace, kind, or queen, then five-card your pairs play the high single card in your two-hand.

If your pairs are 6s to 9s and you have an ace or a king then you should also five-card your pairs.Finally, if your high pair is 10s to queens and you have an ace then you should also five-card your pairs and two card your ace.In all other circumstances you should five-card you high pair and play the low pair in your two-hand.

New Exciting games 480x188

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Table Poker | No Comments »

Blackjack – Splitting Cards

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Test your blackjack skill at this fantastic Free Blackjack site.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of playing Blackjack is that of splitting a pair of cards. Understanding when to split, and when to stay with what you have is crucial to your play. As ever, a lot depends on what cards you have and what the dealer’s upcard is showing. A key aspect is to remember there are more cards with a value of ten in the pack than any other value.

For a start, never split a pair of face cards or a pair of tens! With these cards you have a very strong hand of 20 and there is no point in ruining it by splitting. By contrast, always split a pair of aces. A single ace with another card is a much stronger hand than two aces and by splitting your chances of finishing with a high hand or even 21 are very good.

A pair of 9s are best split if the dealer is showing a weak card of 2 to 6. If the dealer is showing an 8 you should also. Likewise, if the dealer is showing a 9 you should split because if the dealer has gets 19 it will beat your current hand of 18. If the dealer is showing a 7 then you should stand. Always split 8s even if the dealer is showing an ace. Your hand now stands at 16, which is very likely loser. You are better off taking a chance and splitting.

A pair of 7s should be split if the dealer’s upcard is 7 or less. A hand of 14 is a weak hand but by splitting there is a good chance you will convert that into a pair of 17s. If the dealer is showing an 8 there is a good stay with what you’ve got and be prepared to lose the hand. You are better off just losing the one hand against an 18 than losing two hands of 17 against a dealer’s 18. Split a pair of 6s if the dealer is showing a 6 or less. It is risky to split 6s because you might end up with two hands of 16 so only do it if the dealer is showing a weak hand of below 6 that may lead to the dealer busting.

Never ever split a pair of fives. Your hand is now a very strong ten. Keep the fives and take a hit. Do not split fours either unless the dealer is showing a 5 or 6. If you split a pair of 4s you are likely to hit a difficult 14. 5 or 6 for the dealer however is likely to give the dealer a difficult 15 or 16 so it is worth your while splitting.

You should split 2s or 3s if the dealer is showing a weak upcard of below 7.
By knowing when to split and when to take a hit with what you’ve got you can add decisive strategy to your Blackjack play.

Test your blackjack skill at this fantastic Free Blackjack site.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in BlackJack | No Comments »

« Older Entries