Fast Blackjack
Blackjack is fun, whether you play with your buddies or in a casino setting. I’m hoping that private blackjack games start picking back up in popularity.
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The main difference between playing a private game and a casino game is that in the private game, the deal moves from one person to another. This is a major difference, as you’ll see. There are a few other minor differences, which I’ll also cover in this post.
One of the exciting things about playing in a private game, though, is that you get just as much of a chance of being the dealer as everyone else. And being the dealer is fun, because you have an edge over the other players.
On the other hand, if you’re the dealer and banking all the action from multiple other players, you can lose much more money on a single hand than usual, too.
In a private game of blackjack, you’ll have between 2 and 7 players, usually. This includes the dealer. More players than this, and the game becomes unmanageable.
You’ll use a standard 52-card deck with the addition of a joker, which substitutes for the burned card in a casino game of blackjack.
The cards have the same values as in casino blackjack. Aces are worth 1 or 11, face cards (the jack, queen, and king) are worth 10 points, and all the other cards are worth their ranking. Suit still doesn’t matter.
In most private games, you start with one player picking up the deck and shuffling the cards. The player to the right of the shuffler gets to cut the cards. Then cards are dealt one by one to each of the players until someone gets an ace.
The player to get the 1st ace gets to be the dealer 1st.
Any of these random methods for choosing a dealer work fine, though.
Once the dealer is chosen, he shuffles the cards, lets the player to his right cut the cards, and he deals the game. The joker is placed face up on the bottom of the deck to replace the burned card. This makes it impossible to see what the bottom card of the deck is.
Sometimes, the dealer gets to choose the betting limits. It’s better, though, that this decision be made in advance before the game by a consensus of the players. You might, for example, agree that you can bet between $1 and $5 on every hand. I like to use the same poker chips I use for my Thursday night home poker game for my private blackjack games. If the betting limits keep changing from hand to hand, players get confused and sometimes frustrated.
In casino blackjack, it’s customary to bet before you get your 1st card. This is how the game is played in some private games, too.
It’s also customary that a dealer can decide to double everyone’s bets after he gets his 1st card.
And the final big difference for the dealer, which is also advantageous for the dealer, is that the dealer wins ties in a home game of blackjack.
Players also get some advantages they don’t have in the casino, though. The biggest of these is the payout for a blackjack. In a casino, the payout for a “natural” (a 2-card hand totaling 21) is 3 to 2. In a home game, the payout for a natural is 2 to 1 instead.
How the Deal and the Hand Plays Out in a Home Game of Blackjack
Everyone—dealer included—gets a single card, face-down. (This is different from casino blackjack, where the dealer’s card is face-up.) In a home game, the dealer would face too great a disadvantage if he were to get his first card face-up.
Then everyone gets to look at his hole card and decide how much to bet. The dealer acts last, and he gets to decide whether everyone has to double the size of their bets.
Also, if the dealer doubles the bets, each player gets the option to redouble his bet again.
Then everyone gets their next card face-up. If the dealer has a blackjack, he announces it immediately. He gets to collect double from each player.(In casino blackjack, the dealer doesn’t get a bigger payoff when he has a blackjack.) If a player also has a blackjack, the player loses the tie, but he doesn’t have to pay double.
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Hitting and Standing in a Private Game of Blackjack
The 1st player to the dealer’s left gets to decide whether to hit or stand. A player can hit until he has a total of 22 or higher. If he does get a 22 or higher, he busts, and he loses his bet to the dealer. As in casino blackjack, he loses his bet immediately. If the dealer busts later in the hand, it doesn’t matter, because that player has already lost his bet.
Players in home games of blackjack are allowed to split pairs. They’re also allowed to re-split. And even though in most casinos, when you split aces, you only get to take one more card after splitting, in a home game, you can take more cards if you want to.
A blackjack after splitting is paid off at 2 to 1.
Most home games don’t allow doubling down, although this rule should be made clear at the beginning of the game.
It’s customary to have bonus payoffs for certain hands in a home game of blackjack. If you have 5 cards with a total of less than 21, that’s a 2 to 1 payout. And if you have 6 cards with a total of 21 or less, that’s a 4 to 1 payout. If you have 7 cards totaling 21 or less, than’s an 8 to 1 payout. With 8 cards, you get a 16 to 1 payout if you win. (It doubles for each additional card.)
These payouts might seem to put the dealer at a disadvantage, but a lot of times, players will try to improve their hand to get a bonus payout and bust instead.
The dealer, by the way, is not eligible for these bonus payments.
Auctioning Off the Bank
Obviously, one of the biggest differences between casino blackjack and private blackjack games is the opportunity to play as the dealer. I’ve already discussed one way for the dealer position to change—anytime a player gets a blackjack, he takes over as the dealer.
But there’s another way for the dealer position to change.
Sometimes a dealer might be running out of money after a streak of losses. In that case, he can decide he doesn’t want to deal anymore. In that case, the dealer role is auctioned off, and he gets the money. In this case, the dealer cannot reject the auction winner’s bid.
Finally, if no one is willing to bid on the auction, the player to the immediate left of the dealer gets to deal next. But he also has the option of rejecting the deal, in which case the position rotates again, to that player’s left.
Some strategy advice for home blackjack games ought to be obvious.
Here’s an example:
Since you get to see one card before making your bet, you should always bet the max when your 1st card is an ace or a 10. The probability of getting that 2 to 1 payoff on a blackjack is just too good to ignore in that situation.
If you’re the dealer and you get an ace or a 10, you should force all the players to double their bets. Your odds are just too good here to not get more money into action.
Basic strategy changes based on the situations in private blackjack, especially depending on the dealer’s tendencies. In poker you have tight players and loose players, passive players and aggressive players. You’ll face the same phenomenon in home blackjack games.
You can use your knowledge of the dealer’s tendencies to inform your decisions about hitting and standing. Paying attention to what the other players have is also smart, because that can affect both the dealer’s decisions and what your decisions should be.
If you’re the dealer, you should make your decisions based on the players’ tendencies, too.
Private games of blackjack have a lot of notable differences from casino blackjack games. Just to summarize the most important of these:
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- The dealer is one of the players at the table.
- The dealer doesn’t have to follow a prescribed strategy.
- You don’t place your bet until after you’ve seen your 1st card.
- The dealer can force everyone to double their bets.
- The dealer wins all ties.
- There are bonus payoffs for hands with 5+ cards that don’t bust.
- A natural (or blackjack) pays off at 2 to 1.
- If a player gets a blackjack, and it’s not a tie with the dealer, the player gets to be the next dealer.
- The dealer can sell the role of dealer.
- The dealer can also step aside, in which case there’s an auction to be the next dealer.
- Basic strategy doesn’t really apply, as the dealer’s behavior is a major factor in deciding what you should do.
- Counting cards isn’t frowned on by the casino staff—as there is no casino staff.
- Changing the amount you bet based on the 1st card you’re dealt is a major strategy factor.
If you’re an expert blackjack player, it might be worth your while to host a private blackjack game with these rules. Of course, rules like these are just options, just like the rules of poker are, and your home game can adjust or modify any of these based on what the players there are willing to agree to.
Just be sure to have a large enough bankroll to handle being the dealer if you need to be. It’s a profitable role to play in the game, but only if you can afford the swings up and down. There’s a big difference between playing heads-up with a dealer in the casino and having to pay off 5 or 6 other players when you go bust.
Most people recognize that unlike many casino games, blackjack is a game of strategy. It’s immediately obvious when you sit down to play a little blackjack; players have to make a large number of decisions on almost every hand, and the choices you make often make the difference between winning and losing.
Blackjack strategy can be broken down into two major components: basic strategy and card counting. Basic strategy comprises all of the playing decisions a player should make in order to keep the house edge as low as possible. In other words, a basic strategy chart would tell you the mathematically best play in every possible situation you might encounter during the course of play.
Every good blackjack strategy starts with a full understanding of basic strategy. Without that foundation, other, more advanced strategies – namely, card counting strategies – will fail, as players will simply make too many basic mistakes to overcome. On the other hand, learning just basic strategy will allow you to go into any good blackjack game getting excellent odds, sometimes good enough that you’ll show a profit with the help of comps and other rewards programs. With that in mind, it’s always better to focus on learning basic strategy first, until you feel completely comfortable with it.
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Blackjack Basic Strategy
A full basic strategy is quite complex since there are countless situations you could face during a blackjack hand that must be accounted for. There are several factors the player must take into account on each hand:
- The rules of the blackjack game they are playing;
- The score of their hand;
- The dealer’s up card;
- Whether they have the option to split and/or double.
The rules are particularly important because even small changes in the rules being used can noticeably change proper basic strategy. For instance, the right plays against a dealer that must stand on all 17s are not the right plays against a dealer who hits on soft 17. The number of decks, the ability to surrender (as well as when surrendering is offered) and other factors can also affect basic strategy.
With this in mind, it is very hard to suggest a single basic strategy that will work in any situation, especially in the scope of this article. Not only is basic strategy rather complex, but there are also countless versions of the rules which affect what basic strategy you should choose. Full basic strategy charts are available at my casinos (which don’t mind you playing basic strategy, since the casino will still hold a small edge), as well as in many great blackjack books and on some gambling websites.
Simplified Blackjack Strategy
On the other hand, it is fairly easy to suggest a simplified strategy that can help you get started in just about any typical blackjack game. This easy to memorize strategy won’t get you exactly the same odds as a full basic strategy chart, but you won’t be giving much up; the difference in the house edge until typical rules should be .2% or less when compared to perfect, optimal play. To give credit where it is due, this strategy is heavily based on one suggested at wizardofodds.com, an excellent gambling information site. Simply follow the few rules below, and you’ll avoid ever making any major blackjack mistakes!
- Double down if you have a 10 or 11 and the dealer has an up card that is worth less than your hand. Also double down with 9 if the dealer up card is a 3, 4, 5 or 6. In all cases, if you cannot double down, hit instead.
- With all other hands of 11 or less, hit.
- With hard hands of 17-21, always stand.
- With hard hands of 12-16, stand if the dealer is showing a six or lower, except hit hard 12 against the dealer’s 2 or 3. Hit if the dealer is showing a 7 or higher.
- With soft hands of 15 or lower, always hit.
- With soft hands of 19 or higher, always stand.
- With soft hands of 16-18, hit against a seven or higher, and double down if the dealer is showing a six or lower. If you cannot double down, hit instead.
- Always split eights or aces.
- Never split fours, fives, or tens.
- With all other pairs, split if the dealer is showing a six or lower, otherwise, play the hand according to the rules above, depending on your hand’s value.
- Never take insurance or “even money” on blackjacks – it is a sucker bet for the basic strategy player.
There you go! Eleven simple rules that will have you playing blackjack like a pro – or at least, close to it. This is a perfect strategy for anyone looking to quickly learn how to play blackjack very well, without taking the time to memorize an entire basic strategy. In addition, the simplicity of this system means you’re not likely to make mistakes at the table because you forget the correct play.
Card Counting
Many players aren’t content with simply minimizing the house edge. Instead, they want to have the edge for themselves! In blackjack, this is actually possible thanks to card counting.
Card counting works by tracking which cards have come out of the shoe. Because there are a limited number of cards available, it is often the case that the remaining cards in the shoe don’t actually resemble a random assortment. There may, for instance, be a case where very few tens come out on the first few hands of a new shoe. This tells us that the remaining shoe is very rich in tens, which is great for the player.
In general, tens and aces are the best cards for the player to have remaining in the deck, while low cards are the worst for the player. Card counters take advantage of this fact by wagering more money when they know that the deck is rich in cards that are good for the player. They also make other adjustments, such as taking insurance (normally a sucker bet) when the deck is very rich in tens, and occasionally changing their basic strategy plays based on the cards that have been seen so far. However, it is critical to have a complete understanding of basic strategy before moving on to card counting, since counting relies on your ability to make the right plays along with keeping track of the cards that have been dealt. For more information, check out our full article on card counting!
Bad Blackjack Strategy
One final word of warning: it’s often the case that you’ll get bad “advice” from other players at the blackjack table, which contradicts what you’ve read here or seen on a basic strategy chart. Most of the time, the other players will be well-intentioned, but simply don’t have a deep knowledge of blackjack. Often, these players use strategies like always assuming the dealer has a ten in the hole, which – while often pointing the player in the right direction – causes the player to lose more money than with basic strategy.
Luckily, if you use basic strategy, you won’t be making any outlandish plays, which should keep anyone at the table from getting too angry at you or commenting on your play too often. Blackjack players are often a superstitious lot, and while nobody has any idea which card is coming next, many players will still get mad at a player who takes a card that would have busted the dealer, causing the dealer to win the hand instead. If that ever happens to you, don’t let it bother you; be confident that you’ve been playing proper blackjack strategy, and that your results will prove that in the long run.