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Online Gambling Tips: Beat the House with a Basic Blackjack Strategy
We often share rather advanced online gambling tips at Springbok Casino. Whether it’s to give players a deeper understanding of more complex strategies to play blackjack, video poker – or any other game of skill – we delve deep into gameplay methods that can increase your chances of winning.
Sometimes going back to basics is a fundamental part of learning how to play a game with success, and as such, we’ve decided to take another look at the basic blackjack strategy. This strategy applies to all blackjack variants, to an extent, and it’s enough for you to make the most of your online gambling experience.
Unlike games of chance like slots, roulette, scratch cards and keno, blackjack is on the list of games where you can use your knowledge and decisions to influence the outcome. You’ll find that blackjack is surprisingly easy to play, which makes this one of the most popular and rewarding games in online gambling!
What is Blackjack and How Do You Play It?
Blackjack is a very popular card game at Springbok Casino where you essentially play against the dealer – although the ‘dealer’ is our RNG-powered software. The goal is to end up with a hand value that is as close to 21 as possible, without going bust (which means exceeding 21).
You start with two cards, and you can choose to either hit (get another card) or stand (keep your current hand). As with the player, the dealer gets two cards – but only one of them is visible to you. You can further choose to split (divide your hand into two separate hands), double down (double your bet and get one more card), or surrender (give up half your bet and end the round).
The dealer must abide by certain game rules, such as taking another card when their hand value is 16 or lower – and keeping their hand when it is 17 or higher. If your hand value is higher than the dealer’s, you win. If it is lower, you lose. If it is equal, it is a tie (similarly called a push) and you get your bet back.
What Makes Blackjack One of the Best Games in Online Gambling
Blackjack is one of the best online gambling games for several reasons. First of all, it has a very low house edge, which means that the casino has a very small advantage over the player. Depending on the rules and your strategy, the house edge can be as low as 0.5%, which means that for every R100 you bet, you can expect to lose only R0.50 on average.
The low edge makes blackjack one of the most profitable casino games in the long run. In addition to that, blackjack is a game of skill and strategy, which means that you can improve your chances of winning by learning and applying the optimal way to play each hand.
Blackjack is moreover a fun and exciting game that moves quickly with fast rounds. It furthermore offers a lot of options in terms of variations. At Springbok Casino, we offer three different versions of blackjack: Blackjack, Blackjack + Perfect Pairs, and Suit 'Em Up Blackjack. Each version has its own rules and features.
How to Beat the House with a Basic Blackjack Strategy
A basic blackjack strategy is a set of rules that tell you how to play each hand based on your cards, and the dealer’s visible card, or up card. By following a basic blackjack strategy, you can reduce the house edge to a minimum.
A basic blackjack strategy is easy to learn and use, and it can make a big difference in your online gambling results. Here are some examples of how to use a basic blackjack strategy:
If you have a hard hand (a hand without an ace or an ace that counts as 1), follow these strategic rules:
- Always hit when your hand value is 8 or less.
- When your hand value is 9, double down if the dealer has 3 to 6. Hit in any other case.
- When your hand value is 10, double down if the dealer has 2 to 9 – otherwise, hit.
- When your hand value is 11, double down if the dealer has 2 to 10. If not, hit.
- Stand when your hand value is 12 and the dealer has 4 to 6. Hit if otherwise.
- Stand when your hand value is 13 to 16 and the dealer has 2 to 6; hit if not.
- Always stand when your hand value is 17 or more.
If you have a soft hand (a hand with an ace that counts as 11), these are the strategically correct rules to follow:
- Always hit if your hand value is 13 to 15.
- If your hand value is 16 or 17, double down if the dealer has 2 to 6 – hit otherwise.
- If your hand value is 18, double down if the dealer has 2 to 6 or 8 and 9. Stand if the dealer has 7 or 10 and ace… Otherwise, hit.
- Always stand if your hand value is 19 or more.
If you have a pair (two cards of the same rank), stick with these basic blackjack strategy rules:
- Always split aces and eights.
- Never split fours, fives, or tens.
- Split twos and threes if the dealer has 2 to 7; hit otherwise.
- Split sixes if the dealer has 2 to 6; hit otherwise.
- Split sevens if the dealer has 2 to 7; stand if the dealer has 10 or ace; hit otherwise.
- Split nines if the dealer has 2 to 6 or 8 and 9; stand if the dealer has 7 or 10 and ace.
These are the basic rules of a basic blackjack strategy. You should however also be aware that different versions of blackjack may have different rules and features that affect your strategy.
For example, in Blackjack + Perfect Pairs, you can place a side bet on whether your first two cards will form a pair. This adds an extra element of excitement and reward to your online gambling experience.
In Suit 'Em Up Blackjack, you can place a side bet on whether your first two cards will be of the same suit. This gives you another way to win and enjoy online gambling. You should always check the rules and features of each version of blackjack before you play and adjust your strategy accordingly.
How to Practice and Improve Your Basic Blackjack Strategy
The best way to practice and improve your basic blackjack strategy is to play online blackjack at Springbok Casino. We offer you a safe, secure and fair online gambling environment where you can play blackjack for fun with our ‘Try It’ feature – or for real money.
By playing online blackjack at Springbok Casino, you will be able to apply your basic blackjack strategy in real situations and learn from your mistakes and successes. Plus, if you’re new to the game, you’ll soon understand why blackjack is one of the best games in online gambling.
Now that you’re armed with the fundamentals to play blackjack skillfully, enjoy online gambling at Springbok Casino and see if you can beat the house with knowledge and strategy!
