5 Blackjack Questions for Beginners

I love playing blackjack because the rules are simple, and I can use proper strategy to increase my chances of winning. And you can use card counting strategies to actually win more than you lose.

As a beginning gambler, blackjack is a good option because once you learn a little bit about the rules and how to use strategy, you can play with a lower house edge than anyone else in the casino. And that’s even if you don’t count cards.

The answers to the five questions on this page are a great place to start for every blackjack beginner. You’re going to learn about the important rules, strategy, how much you should bet, and the difference between online and land-based blackjack.

1 – What Rules Are Important?

Blackjack has a limited number of rules that run how each game is played, with some rules being the same at all tables and other rules varying from table to table.

The basic rules deal with how the cards and hands are scored, and these aren’t important other than simply understanding how they work. The important rules concern whether the dealer stands or hits on a soft 17, doubling down, the pay out for a blackjack, and splitting.

The first rule is one that you can’t ever break. If a blackjack doesn’t pay at least 3:2, you shouldn’t play the game.

Other than this, it’s best if the dealer stands on a soft 17, and it’s best if you can split and double down on more hands. This is a general overview of the important blackjack rules. You can dig into the exact rules more. But as a blackjack beginner, the more of these good rules a table has, the better.

Side wagers are always bad, including insurance. I mentioned that the unbreakable rule was never playing with less than a 3:2 payout for a blackjack, but another important rule is to never place side wagers like insurance bets. Side bets are designed to increase how much you wager and increase the house edge.

Every rule influences the overall house edge, so the more good rules a table has, the lower the house edge. And the worse rules a table has, the higher the house edge. As a beginner, you don’t need to get too caught up in the rules. But as you gain experience, learn which tables have the best rules combinations and play at these tables.

2 – How Much Should I Bet?

This seems like a simple question, and it is for most blackjack players. But the answer is also a little bit complicated when you gain more experience.

The simple answer is that you should always bet the smallest amount that you can. This is the table minimum wherever you’re playing. You can play online blackjack with a much smaller table minimum wager than when you play in a land-based casino.

The reason why most blackjack players need to stick with minimum wagers is because even though you’re playing with a low house edge, you’re still playing a losing game.

When you bet less, you lose less over time. This is the strategy you should use when you play any casino game with a house edge.

However, once you learn how to use certain strategies for playing blackjack for real money, you actually have a chance to play with an edge. I cover how you can do this in the last section on the page. The reason why I mention this is because once you learn how to get an edge, the only way to do it is to change the size of your wagers based on the cards that have been played.

This is the only reason why you’re ever going to bet anything other than the table minimum playing blackjack.

3 – Can I Use Strategy?

Not only can you use strategy to play blackjack, you need to use it every time you play. Every hand in blackjack has a strategy for playing it, and if you don’t use the strategy, it’s going to cost you money. And the good news is that using blackjack strategy isn’t even hard.

You can print out a blackjack strategy chart and use it when you play, or you can buy a strategy card and use it.

Once you have a blackjack strategy chart, simply find the card the dealer has along the top and your hand down the left hand side. Where the column and row meet, it will show you the best play to make.

I recommend memorizing blackjack strategy, but you don’t have to memorize it to start playing. Use your chart or card as you play until you have the best plays memorized. It won’t take long to memorize strategy while you’re playing.

You can even use free online blackjack games to practice your strategy while not risking any money.

4 – Differences Between Online Blackjack and Land-Based Blackjack?

The truth is that there aren’t many differences between playing blackjack in land-based casinos and playing online. The rules are the same, but as I mentioned above, the table minimums are usually much lower when you play online blackjack.

You also might be able to find a bonus when you play real money blackjack online. But most blackjack bonuses have such strict requirements that they don’t really help you win in the long run.

In the next section, you’re going to learn about counting cards. When you learn how to count cards, you’re going to have to play blackjack in land-based casinos. You can practice your skills playing online, but you can’t get an edge playing online blackjack.

Card counting requires a deck or shoe of cards that aren’t shuffled often. The way online casinos deal blackjack, the cards are basically shuffled after each deal. This makes profiting from card counting impossible when you play online.

No matter where you play blackjack, you need to see if there’s a player’s reward club available. You can earn comps when you play, and you should always take advantage of them when you can. These clubs are more common in land-based casinos, but some online casinos offer them as well.

5 – What Is Card Counting and Can I Do It?

Card counting is a way that blackjack players can win playing the game, and yes, you can do it. But it’s not a strategy for beginning players, and you shouldn’t worry about card counting until you master the basic rules and strategy.

If you’re ready to learn how to count cards, all you have to do is learn how it works and why it works, then practice. Everyone can learn how to count cards if they’re willing to put in the work. It’s not that difficult.

You use a system, like the Hi-Lo or Knockout, and track how many high and low cards are dealt. This gives you information about the remaining cards which you use to raise or lower your bets.

You wager more when you have an advantage and less when you don’t. This way, you can win more than you lose. It’s not always easy, but you can do it! Just don’t give up.

Conclusion

If you’re a beginning gambler, blackjack is the best game to start with. It might be the only gambling game you ever play once you learn how easy it is to find good tables and use strategy.

The truth is that there are only a few rules that are important, and it’s easy to use strategy. You don’t even have to memorize the best strategy because you can use a card while you play.

Always make the lowest possible wager until you learn how to count cards, then use your skills to beat the casinos. The answers on this page will get you started, and your experience is going to take you over the top.