Blackjack is a game that combines both luck and skill. While you can’t control what cards you are dealt, there are strategies you can learn to tilt the odds in your favor against the dealer. Before trying to implement advanced techniques, you first need to understand the fundamentals of blackjack:
How the Game Works
- The goal is to beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21
- Face cards count as 10 points, aces count as 1 or 11, other cards count their number value
- You compete only against the dealer, not other players
- The dealer must hit on 16 or under and stand on 17 or more
Basic Blackjack Strategy
- Whether to hit, stand, split or double down depending on your hand’s value and the dealer’s visible card
- Reduces the house edge and boosts your expected return to play
- Crucial foundation before attempting to count cards
Learning basic charts and strategies should be the first step for any blackjack player after their Royal Casino login. Once you have these mastered, then you can consider advancing to skills that involve deeper math and memory skills.
Counting Cards to Shift the Odds
Card counting utilizes memory, focus and math skills to track the relative value of cards left in the deck. The goal is to determine when the remaining deck is skewed towards mostly high or low cards. This allows you to bet more when the odds tilt in your favor.
How Card Counting Works
- Assigns numerical values to every card
- Keep a “running count” as each card is played
- Positive counts favor the player, negative counts favor the dealer
- Vary bets based on true count
Challenges of Counting Cards
- Requires intense focus to accurately track counts
- Must know when to vary bets without detection
- Casinos have countermeasures to spot card counters
There is no foolproof system, but dedicated practice of proven count strategies combined with understanding when to shift bets can give you an extra edge against the dealer. Just don’t expect to become the next Rain Man!
Improving Your Skills with Custom Blackjack Drills
Target Key Areas
Consider creating custom blackjack drills to improve skills in key areas:
- Memorizing perfect basic strategy
- Increasing speed of basic strategy decision-making
- Accurately counting multiple decks of cards
- Calculating true count on the fly to know optimal bet amounts
- Practicing covert signaling of bet changes when counting
Make Drills Progressively More Difficult
Start slowly with a minimal number of decks, then progressively increase the difficulty:
- Add more decks to count at once
- Speed up the rate of dealing cards
- Randomly remove cards already dealt from view
- Have distractions going on during the drills
Challenging yourself is the only way to improve mental stamina, calculation speed, memory and decision-making under pressure.
Monitor Your Progress
See how many hands in a row you can count accurately under increasingly difficult conditions. Or time how long it takes to discern the proper basic strategy decisions for random hands dealt.
Set goals, track your metrics and chart your progress over time. Identifying weak spots in your game keeps your practice focused on the right areas.
Balancing Card Counting with Basic Strategy
Becoming an expert card counter doesn’t eliminate the need to know basic strategy like the back of your hand. During certain count values, the optimal play is still to follow basic blackjack strategy.
When Card Counting Dictates Deviating from Basic Strategy
- Very high positive counts
- Very low negative counts
- Significant bet spreads may be required
Just because the count favors the player does not mean every hand calls for huge bets and long shot plays. You may still make the standard basic strategy play, but at twice your original wager.
Trust Basic Strategy for All Other Hands
Straying beyond basic strategy when the count doesn’t heavily favor it is an easy way to flush your profits down the drain. Trust the odds and percentages dictated by basic strategy for the majority of hands:
- Makes card counting easier when basic strategy is automatic
- Don’t overthink hands where the count doesn’t justify it
If you ever find yourself questioning the proper play, it likely means basic strategy should prevail.
Dedication and Practice Are Key
While games like blackjack always involve luck, players willing to master blackjack fundamentals and learn card counting strategies can gain a consistent edge against the house.
Just don’t expect instant success. Learning to play perfect basic strategy takes dedication and practice. Accurately counting multiple decks while placing optimal bets requires even more complete mastery of blackjack math principles.
But for blackjack devotees willing to put in the work, the payoff of having both luck and skill on your side can lead to long-term profits. Just remember to keep expectations reasonable, manage your bankroll smartly and always keep basic blackjack strategy as your failsafe.
