Keep your emotions under control. The dealer is only
the messenger of fate. Don't take you're losses out
on him.
Always remember you can win. You didn't bring $100 to
a casino to play with and lose. If you are losing at
a particular table, set a three-losses-and-you-move
routine.
Focus on the dealer and his up card, not your neighbor's
cards. If other players at the table are upsetting you
with their playing strategies, you can move.
Drinking and gambling do not mix. Players have been
known to lose thousands waiting for their free drink.
You must have discipline, so set loss limits and win
goals.
Only bet what you can afford to lose. Rent, car payments
and other day-to-day expenses have no place in a casino.
Even the small blackjack player deserves to be rewarded
for her play. There is nothing wrong with asking for
a free breakfast, lunch or something smaller like a
deck of cards or a pair of dice. But since pit personnel
are most likely not tracking your play, you will need
to ask.
Most players don't even consider the rules before they
sit down and play. If you don't know the rules or any
of the playing strategies of blackjack, learn the game
on a 25-cent video blackjack machine. A five-dollar
blackjack game should not be your classroom.
When you feel tired, it's time to call it quits, or
at least take a break and rest for an hour or two.
Compared to a single deck, a two-deck game handicaps
your play -0.35%, four decks, -0.48%, six decks, -0.54%
and eight decks -0.58%. As you can see, it is always
to your advantage to play on a game that offers the
fewest decks. Also note, the house edge goes up substantially
when you go from one deck to two, but the change is
less dramatic as you add more decks. How much is this
costing you in dollars and cents? If you were to play
100 hands per hour at $5 per hand, each -0.1% would
cost you approximately 50¢ per hour. Playing on
a game with two decks versus one deck will cost you
$1.75 per hour, with each additional deck costing you
increasingly more.
Smart blackjack players always play in a casino that
offers the best rules. To avoid hostile playing conditions
in blackjack, look for the following combination of
rules that are favorable to the player:
a
single deck game
surrender, both early and late
double down allowed on any two cards
double down allowed after splitting pairs
multiple pair splitting allowed, plus resplitting aces
dealer stands on a soft 17
deep deck penetration
