Blackjack is a card game that requires strategic thinking and the ability to make smart decisions based on your hand and the dealer’s up-card. The odds of winning can be very good for players who follow basic strategy.
The first thing you need to do is find the right blackjack table. Ideally, you should play at a table that allows players to split and double down. This will improve your odds and reduce the house edge from about 2% to about 0.5 percent.
Once you find a suitable blackjack table, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules and etiquette of the game. The best place to do this is by playing for free at an online casino. This will allow you to practice the game and learn the nuances before playing for real money. In addition, you will get the chance to test out different strategies and see which ones work for you.
You should memorize the correct way to hit, stand, and split your cards. If you can do this, the house edge will be cut from about 2 percent to 0.5 percent, according to gambling expert John Marchell. In general, you should stand when your hand is 12-16 against a dealer’s 2, 3, 4, or 5. If you have a hand that is 17-20 against the dealer’s 6, you should hit.
Another important rule is to avoid taking insurance on your blackjack hands. Insurance is a side bet that pays if the dealer has blackjack. However, it can be costly if you don’t. The house edge on insurance is nearly 10 percent. Moreover, it’s much better to simply lose the bet than win it and then lose your original stake back.
The most common mistakes beginners make in blackjack are not hitting enough and standing too long. The latter mistake can be extremely costly because it leaves you vulnerable to the dealer’s up-card. It’s also important to remember that you should hit when your cards total 11 or less. This is because you will be unlikely to bust at this point and your chances of beating the dealer are much higher than if you stood on a 16.
Blackjack is a game of chance, but you can improve your chances by following a strategy that has been proven to work by experts. If you stick to basic strategy, you’ll almost always make the right decision and your mistakes won’t cost you too much. Moreover, you can even take advantage of the many online casinos that offer this game to test out different strategies before you head to a land-based casino.