An
introduction to the very general area of gambling strategies may
be a tough task. The goal of gambling strategies is to play each
game in a way that reduces the house edge as much as possible in
general situations. Casino games usually have one or two strategies
that you could employ. Most of the time there is a basic strategy
that can be followed, and a more advanced strategy to play in specific
situations that could not all be considered in a basic strategy.
You will easily find basic blackjack strategy on the Internet. And
it is a perfect example of how gambling strategies work in general.
In blackjack the odds can be lowered significantly by playing the
same way in the same situations consistently over time. Consistency
is key in these gambling strategies. All are calculated to only
lower the house edge over a certain number of hands. With blackjack
and other similar games it is often easier to express the strategies
in a chart form. Easy to follow charts like the one shown below
are available all over the net.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Ace
8
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
9
H
D
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
10
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
H
11
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
12
H
H
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
13
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
14
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
15
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
SU
H
16
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
SU
SU
SU
17
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
There are four letters or letter combos within the body of the chart.
These represent the appropriate action given the combination of
which row and which column your in. Across the top are values of
the card the dealer shows, since you only get to see one as you
make your decision. H stands for hit, S for stand, and D for double.
The SU you see stands for surrender, a slightly more complicated
rule that is not always offered at the blackjack table. In order
to work surrender into your blackjack strategy you should be familiar
with when to hit and stay. So if the dealer shows a 7 while you
have a 12. Hit. This chart is an example of basic strategies for
blackjack on hard totals. Soft totals need to be seen differently
(soft in blackjack has to do with the Ace being worth either 1 or
11 depending on which is more advantageous to your hand).
So you can see, even with basic gambling strategies, your not always
dealing with very basic things. Not to worry, casino games can be
intimidating and complex at first but always seem to become easy
before the end of the night. Pay a lot of attention to the people
around you, especially if they seem to know what they are doing.
And in a land based casino, you can always ask the dealers at the
table what the basic gambling strategy is for your situation, they
will either look it up or know off the top of their heads.
The term gambling strategies is often interchanged with the term
gambling systems. Generally a system is a gambling strategy that
has been copyrighted. An individual found what they consider to
be a good systematic method for playing a game. Often, systems are
found by mathematicians who work out the most statistically elegant
way to deal with each situation a game presents.
For novice gamblers, its important to get your head around the basic
strategies for the games you want to play, and as you progress and
become more comfortable with the game, to take a look into something
deeper, try out a system or two and see if its for you. A good number
of people find that there is more enjoyment in gambling for them
if they don't pay too much attention to fine details of a system
or always following the basic strategy. The spontaneity of going
with your gut is appealing and can certainly make for a more emotional
experience, but not one that's good in a monetary sense quite as
often.
