17 Blackjack Tips for Beginners

Casino blackjack is an easy game to learn, but if you want to have the best chance to win you need to play the game a certain way.

These 17 blackjack tips for beginners are designed to take you from a complete beginner to a seasoned pro at the 21 tables.

Just follow these simple tips and you’ll be able to find the best games and know exactly what to do on every hand. By playing every hand the correct way you keep the house edge as low as possible.

This gives you the best chance to win any playing session and reduces your losses when luck isn’t going your way.

Even if you’ve played blackjack before, these tips can be your refresher guide before your next trip to the casino.

You never know when one thing you learn can save you a ton of money, so the few minutes you invest reading this page may be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars to you over the many years of blackjack play ahead of you.

1 – Does Blackjack Pay 3 to 2 or 6 to 5?

Most blackjack games pay 3 to 2 on a blackjack. But more and more are being offered where you only get 6 to 5 on a blackjack.

This first tip is simple.

Never play blackjack where you get less than 3 to 2 for a blackjack.

It doesn’t matter how good the other rules are, the house has such a large edge when they only pay 6 to 5 or worse that you can’t overcome it.

You can find a few games loosely based on blackjack that might have different payouts for a blackjack that offer a low house edge, but they’re few and far between. The safest thing to do is not play any game that looks like blackjack that pays less than 3 to 2.

One of the tricks casinos use is offering a single deck blackjack game that only pays 6 to 5 for a blackjack. Players learn that a single deck game offers the best chance to beat the casino so the casino uses this against them.

They also often open low minimum bet tables with these rules to take advantage of the low rollers. The casino might have a minimum bet of $25 on their tables that pay 3 to 2 for blackjack but accept bets as low as $5 on a table that pays 6 to 5.

Even a single deck game with perfect rules that pay 6 to 5 is worse than almost any regular game paying 3 to 2.

One of the things that makes blackjack such a great game to play is that it has a low house edge. This means that you have a better chance to win than when you play most other casino games. One of the reasons the edge is so low is because you get a bonus payout on your blackjacks.

Instead of getting $10 back on a $10 bet you get $15. This extra $5 is a big part of the low house edge. Without it, you’ll find blackjack much more difficult to beat.

2 – Soft Hands

In blackjack, you can use an ace as 11 or one. When you have a hand that includes an ace where you can use it as 11 or one it’s called a soft ha.nd

I realize that the two sentences above make it sound like the same thing, but the difference is if you have three or more cards sometimes you won’t be able to use the ace as an 11 without going over 21.

The reason soft hands are important is that sometimes it’s more advantageous to hit with a soft hand than stand.

In order to play blackjack with the best possible chance to win you need to take advantage of every situation where you can improve your odds.

In a section later on this page I discuss using a basic strategy card. These cards have a special section for soft hands that help you make the best play every time.

3 – Does the Dealer Hit or Stand on Soft 17?

When you pick a blackjack table the standard rules are usually listed on the table or on a card at the table. One of the common rules listed on the felt is whether or not the dealer hits or stands on a soft 17.

Your odds are slightly better when the dealer stands on a soft 17.

If all of the other table rules are the same you should play at the one where the dealer stands on a soft 17.

This rule alone doesn’t change your odds enough to not play, but when combined with other rules that change the odds it can add up. Other rules that change the odds are which hands and how often you can split and which hands you can double down on.

4 – Doubling Down

When you double down you make a second bet equal to your original card and receive one additional card. This is your final card and ends your hand.

Just like being paid extra for a natural blackjack, being able to double your bet in advantageous situations helps keep the house edge as low as possible.

When you have a hard total of 11 you should double down against any dealer up card except an ace.

With a hard total of 10, you should double down against any dealer up card except an ace or 10 value card.

If you have a hard total of nine you should double down against a dealer three, four, five, and six.

With a soft 13 or 14 total, you should double down against a dealer five or six.

If you have a soft total of 15 or 16 you should double down against a dealer four, five, or six.

When you have a soft 17 or 18 you should double down against a dealer three, four, five, or six.

These plays are the most profitable and should always be made if the rules allow. When you start using a strategy card, which I discuss below, it will show these plays so you don’t have to memorize them before you start playing.

5 – Splitting

Another favorable rule that helps improve your chances of winning is being able to split hands when you receive a pair. Some blackjack games even let you split and then double down after splitting if you want, which is even better for you.

When you receive a pair and want to split you place another bet equal to your first one and split the two cards apart face up on the table.

The first rule of splitting is that you always split a pair of eights and a pair of aces. If you split and get another pair you need to split as many times as the casino allows.

The second rule is to never split a pair of 10 valued cards. You always stand on a total of 20.

Many other hands should be split, as you’ll see on your strategy card.

6 – Basic Strategy Card

As a beginning blackjack player, the most important thing you can do is get a basic strategy card and use it while playing. You should use it to make every single decision until you learn all of the correct plays.

A basic strategy card has been designed using a mathematical program that has determined the best play for every situation. This can be done because a program can be designed to consider every possible outcome for each individual situation that ever comes up at the blackjack table.

The program can run the hands millions of times to find out which play wins the most or loses the least.

Some hands that you play lose no matter what you do, but if you play them a certain way they lose less than any other way. This is important because you need to conserve as many chips as possible to be able to double down and split when it’s profitable.

Other hands are always profitable in the long run but are more profitable if you play them a certain way.

You can buy a basic strategy card in most casino gift shops, but you can print this one for free.

Here’s how to use the strategy chart:

Find your hand down the left-hand side of the chart or card. The card has three sections: hard, soft, and split.

Next, find the dealer’s up card along the top of the card.

Now find where your hand and the dealer’s card intersect on the card to see the correct play.

Here are a few examples using the strategy card at the link above:

If you have a pair of sixes and the dealer has a five you should split. You look down the left-hand side to the split section, find your hand of 6 – 6, and then find the dealer card 5. The spot where the two intersect has a P, which if you look at the key below the chart, means split.

If you have a soft 17, consisting of an ace and a six, and the dealer has a three, you should double down. You find your hand, A – 7, in the soft section, and the dealer’s 3 on the top. The intersection has a D, which stands for double down.

If you have a hard 17 and the dealer has an ace you stand. When you find your hard 17 in the hard section you see that you stand against every dealer card.

It’s easy to quickly see the best play using a strategy card and you’ll start remembering the best plays as you gain experience.

But remember that you should never play a hand a different way than listed on the strategy card, because each time you do it costs you money.

7 – Strict Budget

When you use the tips on this page you have a chance to win whenever you play blackjack, but in the long run you’re going to lose more money than you win. The casino has an advantage and over time it adds up so the casino makes money.

This means it’s important that you have a strict budget for your blackjack play and that you stick to it at all times.

You may be familiar with the term bankroll, and your bankroll can include your budget, but they’re two different things.

Your bankroll is the total amount you have set aside to play blackjack. But your budget is the amount you’re willing to lose during a single playing session.

You should decide exactly how much you’re willing to lose before you stop playing. It doesn’t matter how much it is; just set a limit.

It’s also helpful to set a win limit, but it’s not required.

Here’s an example:

You’re going to the casino today to play blackjack. Your casino offers a $10 minimum bet table with decent rules so you decide that the most you’re willing to lose for the trip is $300 and if you get up by $100 at any time you’re going to quit and take the $100 as profit.

You’ll probably end up playing for as long as you want without hitting ether limit, but by having the set limits you have total control over your finances.

Occasionally you’ll hit your $100 win limit so when you do you can put your $300 back to play the next time. You can either add the $100 win to your bankroll or use it for something else.

Most recreational blackjack players take money from their job or somewhere else to play with. This is fine if this is how you decide to do it, but I recommend setting aside a set amount each week or month for your blackjack bankroll. Even if it’s only $50 or $100 you’ll be able to build your bankroll so you can keep playing.

Remember that your bankroll will go down over time because of the house edge, so you need to keep adding to it or you’ll run out of money and won’t be able to play.

8 – Player’s Club

Most casinos have a player’s club that offers rewards or comps based on your play. This is a way to get free things just for playing.

Sign up for the player’s club before you start playing. If you don’t know where the club sign up area is located ask one of the casino employees about it.

You’ll receive a card that you present every time you play. The casino tracks your play and you earn points you can use towards things like free play, free meals, or other things. If they don’t use a points system you still earn free stuff. Ask how the system works when you sign up.

You also will start receiving special offers just for being a member of the club at most casinos.

If you play blackjack online many of the casinos also have a rewards system or player’s club. Take a look at the casino site where you plan to play to find out more. If you don’t see any information about it, contact the support department.

In the event they don’t offer a program you might consider playing at an online casino that does offer one.

The player’s club is a great way to get some of the money back that you lose playing. The usually don’t give cash back, but if you get something paid for that would’ve otherwise cost money out of your pocket it’s the same as getting money for free.

If you’re going to be playing any way you might as well get as many benefits as possible.

9 – Avoid Side Bets

Some blackjack games have side bets available.

Here are a few you might see:

• Royal Match
• Blackjack Match
• Over / Under 13
• Super Sevens
• 21 + 3
• Lucky Ladies
• Bonus Blackjack
• Crazy Sevens
• Progressive Blackjack
• Perfect Pairs

The common theme of side bets is they almost always offer a higher house edge than the simple blackjack game. For this reason you should simply avoid playing any side bet offered while you’re playing blackjack.

Here’s something about side bets that beginning players may find odd. Many times the other players at the table will be playing the side bets and try to get you to play them as well. It doesn’t make sense because whether or not you play the side bet doesn’t change anything for them, but don’t be surprised when it happens to you.

It’s a waste of time to try to explain why you don’t play side bets, but you can play any way you like. So don’t let peer pressure make you play a bet that costs you more money.

10 – Don’t Play Drunk

Gambling and overindulging in alcohol never mix because when you get drunk you don’t make good decisions.

Why do you think casinos give gamblers free drinks?

They give free drinks because they know that the more you drink the more you’ll gamble. This leads to enough extra profit to pay for the drinks and still have money left over.

Blackjack is a tough game to beat if you’re thinking clearly, but it becomes even harder when you start making mistakes.

If you enjoy a few drinks while gambling it’s fine. Just don’t overdo it. If you start drinking too much stop playing.

If you simply refuse to stop drinking and playing blackjack at the same time make sure you have a set limit for losses and stick to it no matter what. You can only take the cash that you can stand losing to the table and don’t bring any more.

Or you can set a time limit for playing and travel over to the bar to drink when you’re finished.

It doesn’t matter how you do it, just don’t play blackjack when you’re drunk. It rarely ends in a good way for your bankroll.

11 – Ignore All Advice from Dealers and Other Players

I touched on this in the section about side bets, but don’t listen to advice from the dealer or other players. If you use the tips on this page you’re already playing the best way.

Any advice you receive contrary to what you’ve learned will cost you more money in the long run.

Some players and dealers honestly think that they’re helping you, but any play that’s different than what’s included on your basic strategy card is wrong.

A common complaint by uninformed players at the blackjack table is when you act right before the dealer and take a card that would bust the dealer. Sometimes a player will even tell you how you screwed up the hand for everyone at the table.

To be polite, the player who thinks you took the dealer’s bust card doesn’t understand how probability works. To be less than polite, but honest, the player is an idiot.

The odds of the dealer drawing a bust card are the same no matter what you so. Even if the player who doesn’t know what they’re talking about was somewhat right, the truth is that you take the card that leads to the dealer busting just as often as you take the bust card.

But the truth is that it doesn’t matter what you do. So you need to always follow your strategy card and ignore the other players and dealer.

If another player is being rude and bothering you your options are playing at a different table, asking the floor person or pit boss to deal with them, or ignore them.

The only case where you should consider listening to advice is when the dealer tells you something that may be a mistake. If you place a bet incorrectly or do something against the house rules the dealer ma inform you so you don’t make a mistake again.

In rare cases, you may find a dealer who tries to get you to take insurance but doesn’t do it all of the time. This is tricky and if the casino finds out that the dealer is doing it they’ll put a stop to it.

If a dealer likes you, when they check for a blackjack when they have an ace up they may quickly pass you when they ask for insurance when they don’t have a blackjack and pause longer when they ask you if you want insurance when they do have a blackjack.

This is rare, but if you find this happening with a certain dealer you can take insurance when they pause to see if this is happening. If it does happen you need to tip the dealer extra, but not make it look like you’re doing anything different than normal.

I cover why insurance is a bad bet in another section, but this is the only situation you should ever consider taking it. And as I already mentioned, this is a rare situation because the dealer is taking a chance of losing their job if they try to help you in this way.

So unless you’re sure something is going on you should not take insurance.

12 – Watch for Dealer Mistakes on Pay Outs

Most payouts at the blackjack table are one to one. This means that if you bet $20 and win you get $20 plus your original wager back.

When you split cards and double down you increase the amount of money on the table so you need to always make sure the dealer pays you the right amount.

You also need to keep a close eye on what you receive when you hit a blackjack. Because you get 3 to 2 on natural blackjacks you should know exactly how much you get back when you hit one.

Remember you always get back your original bet plus the 3 to 2 payout.

Here’s the amount you should get back for many common bets.

Man players avoid placing bets that don’t pay out in whole dollar amounts on a blackjack to avoid confusion, so they don’t bet $5 or $25. Different casinos handle non whole dollar amounts differently. Some have 50 cent tokens or 50 cent pieces that they use. I’ve also seen special tokens that they give that can be turned in two for a dollar; effectively the same as 50 cent chips.

When you see a payoff that you don’t think is correct, don’t touch anything and politely ask the dealer to check the payout. If you still think the payment is incorrect, call for the floor person or pit boss.

If you touch the chips before you ask for assistance your chances of getting it corrected go down because sometimes players try to cheat the casino by taking a chip and claiming an incorrect payout. When you touch the chips the cameras can’t always see what happens.

By not touching the chips the pit boss can ask the surveillance room to verify the incorrect payout and hopefully fix the issue.

It’s also possible that you thought a payout was incorrect when it wasn’t. This is why it’s important to be polite any time this situation comes up. Listen to the dealer when you ask them to check the payout. The great majority of dealers aren’t trying to cheat you. They want you to be treated fairly because if you’re happy they get more tips.

If you see that the dealer pays you too much it’s up to you to decide what to do. Most players say you should keep your mouth shut and keep the extra money. I don’t have a problem with this because the casino has an edge and it’s their responsibility to have trained dealers. But you have to play the way you feel comfortable with so if you want to give the extra money back it’s acceptable also.

13 – First Base and Third Base

The positions where the players sit around the table have names. The first person sitting to the left of the dealer is sitting at first base and the player to the dealer’s right is sitting at the third base.

The best place to sit when you’re a beginning player is third base because it gives you more time to make a decision. If you’re using a basic strategy card as I recommend you’ll have time to look up the proper play while the other players are taking care of their hands.

If you can’t sit at third base when you start playing, sit as close to it as possible.

But even if you’re sitting at first base use your card and make the best play. Other players may grumble if you take too long, but you have the right to use the card. Once you get comfortable it only takes a second or two to find the best play, so do it as quickly as you can while maintaining 100% accuracy.

If a player is too vocal about it you can tell them that you’re a beginner and offer to switch seats with them. Or you can ignore them and play the way you want.

14 – How Many Decks

Blackjack is offered in single deck, double deck, four decks, six decks, and eight deck games. Most single and double deck games are called hand dealt games, and the others are dealt from a shoe.

The difference in your expected return is small, but overall the fewer the number of decks the better for you. This might not make a great deal of sense, but the mathematicians have run all of the numbers and it’s true.

But the change is so small that you don’t need to worry too much about it. If the other rules are the same you should play at the game with fewer decks.

What you’ll find most of the time is that the other rules aren’t the same, so you should play the game with the best rules before considering the number of decks.

As I mentioned earlier, many casinos offer a single deck game, but only pay 6 to 5 for a blackjack. Never play this game. An eight deck shoe is still better paying 3 to 2 than a single deck game paying 6 to 5.

15 – Tipping the Dealer

Every time you tip the dealer it increases your losses. You tip the dealer out of the money you have to play, so every tip is the same as losing the money on a hand.

But this doesn’t mean you should avoid tipping the dealer. You need to decide if and when you tip.

I tip for good service. This is the same way I tip in a restaurant or other service-based situation.

If a dealer is doing a good job and makes my playing experience better I tip them from time to time. It doesn’t matter if I’m winning or losing if they’re doing a good job I give them tips.

On the other hand, if a dealer is rude, mean, not doing a good job, or otherwise making my experience less enjoyable I don’t tip them.

You can do the same or decide on your own system.

16 – Never Take Insurance

I mentioned insurance in an earlier section but wanted to give it a more complete discussion here. Many beginning blackjack players are confused about what an insurance bet really is.

Many players call it two for one or even money and make it seem like if the dealer has a blackjack that you break even.

When the dealer is showing an ace they offer insurance that pays 2 to 1 when you place a bet equal to your original wager. If the dealer has a blackjack you lose your original bet but get paid 2 to 1 on the insurance bet, so you break even on the hand.

But when the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack you lose the insurance bet and then play your original hand normally.

This makes it sound like the insurance bet is in some way connected to your original bet. But it’s not connected in any way.

An insurance bet is a separate wager making a bet on whether or not the dealer’s down card is a 10 point card.

You can use a simple mathematical process to see why you should never take insurance.

Insurance pays 2 to 1, so for it to be a good bet you need the odds of the dealer having a card valued at 10 as their down card to be 2 to 1 or better. The good news is it’s easy to figure out the odds.

The deck has four cards worth 10, the ten, jack, queen, and king. It also has nine cards that aren’t valued at 10. These cards are the ace, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.

This means that the ratio or odds of non 10 cards to 10 cards is 9 to 4. If the odds matched the payout of 2 to 1 they’d be 8 to 4, not 9 to 4.

Since 9 to 4 is worse than 2 to 1 it means the insurance bet is not a good option.

This is why you should never take insurance at the blackjack table.

17 – Coupons and Promotions

Sometimes casinos offer special coupons or promotions to get players to try their games. Common blackjack coupons include a free ace or a 2 to 1 blackjack.

The way a free ace works is you place the coupon down with your first bet and the dealer uses the coupon as an ace and you only receive one card to go with it. This is a strong advantage for you on the hand because any hand where you have an ace is one where you have an edge against the casino.

A 2 to 1 blackjack coupon means that if you hit a blackjack you get paid 2 to 1 instead of the normal 3 to 2. These coupons can work one of two ways. Many of them are only good for your first hand so if you don’t hit a blackjack on the first hand you lose the coupon. Occasionally you might be able to find one that’s good on your first blackjack, so you don’t lose it until you get your first blackjack.

The best places to find coupons and promotions are through the player’s club and in casino fun books, often distributed around casinos.

As you get to know other blackjack players talk to them about finding coupons and promotions. As you build a network of friends who play you can start helping each other learn about new deals and opportunities.

If you play online blackjack you can find bonuses at some casinos that match a percentage of your deposit to expand your bankroll. Most online bonuses are only for slots, so make sure the bonus says it can specifically be used for playing blackjack before making a deposit.

Conclusion

Blackjack is a fun game that offers a low house edge which means if you play the right way you can win more often and play longer on the same bankroll. Using the 17 blackjack tips for beginners on this page makes you play the best way every time.

Make sure you always use your basic strategy card, never take insurance, never play at a table that offers less than a 3 to 2 payout for a blackjack, and find the best rules.

By following these simple tips you’ll do everything in your power to beat casino blackjack.