The story of a game that has survived the ups and downs, but has not lost its intellectual charm. Simple rules that help players improve their chances of winning in blackjack. Basic strategy: math combinations and try «catch luck by the tail». 

Black Jack — is a card game for intellectuals, mathematicians and anyone who likes to try their luck. However, one of the most striking examples of how his existence takes place is the rise and fall, how the attitude towards the game can change it…

Blackjack began to be played in the middle of the 18th century. Like many other gambling games, blackjack originated in France. The Americans later gave it a slightly different form, and it is in this form that we observe the game in modern realities.

Game history

For two hundred years, the game of blackjack has been «reserve player» in the casino. In the 1950s, the most popular entertainment in Las Vegas gambling houses was dice. It was a social game: if the dice were supportive and the player won, — throw a party if you lose, — sad together. Blackjack, on the other hand, distanced one player from another and placed them on opposite sides of the barricades..

In 1956, a quartet of mathematicians in the US Armed Forces, which entered the annals of blackjack as Baldwin’s group, published an article in the journal of the American Statistical Association. For the first time, the material described a mathematically correct set of actions for the game. This approach is later known as the basic strategy.

Then in 1962 Ed Thorpe published Beat the Dealer — the best-selling paperback book that explained to the general public that by counting the cards (keeping track of how many high-value cards are left in the game) players can have a statistical advantage over the casino in the dealer.

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Following this, smart and disciplined gamblers became casino regulars. Blackjack quickly became the most popular game of chance. The managers’ initial panic softened to apprehension as they realized that not all players are as smart as they would like..

The popularity of blackjack since the 1960s is instructive: nothing about the game itself has changed. The casinos, for their part, did not try to popularize it, there were no new strategies for one hundred percent winning. However, blackjack evolved as players realized that it was possible to win, albeit occasionally..

For decades, blackjack remained the king of the tables. 2008 film «Twenty one», Based on real events and narrating the exploits of the MIT counting team, introduced the game to a new generation. But nothing lasts forever under the moon. At least recently, blackjack has become the second violin and gave the palm to baccarat.

However, competition from baccarat, slots and other games is not the only problem with blackjack. Many casino managers who have always been set by the potential of blackjack for players have deviated a bit from the rules to make the game more profitable..

The essence of the game

Blackjack is also known as 21. The essence of the game is simple: score 21 points or more than in the dealer’s hands, but in no case more than 21. If the player collects more than 21, he «burns out». In case of a tie, the player and the dealer remain with their.

The meaning of the cards

In blackjack, the price of the cards does not change during the game. goal — score 21 points using as few cards as possible. The cards have the following price values:

• Number Cards: Price — number on the card.
• Pictures: price — 10 points.
• Ace — 1 or 11. As a rule, the price of an ace is 11 points, but if in this calculation the total of points is higher than 21, then the price of the card becomes 1.

So blackjack with the smallest cards — ace and any card with a picture or ten.

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Blackjack rules

It is important to know some basic gestures when playing casino. To get a card, tap on the table with your finger or scrape the table with the edge of the cards. «Enough» means to put chips on the cards (face down). For a split, you need to add another bet and spread the cards to the sides, to double — place another bet on the corresponding field.

1. Rules for every gambling establishment. As a rule, the dealer always stands at 17. In some casinos he can get at 17. «soft 17» (ace and 6). Most quickly, the subtleties of understanding come directly at the table. Insurance, Split and Doubling rules vary based on local casino rules.
2. Read all the rules of insurance, splits and doubling before starting the game. Shouldn’t forget..
3. Counting cards. Some players «count the deck», that is, they count how many aces, tens and pictures are left in the game. If there are still many such cards in the deck, then the bet can be increased to collect «good hand».
4. Basic winning strategies: always stop at solid 17 and above, never speak «enough is enough» on soft 17, double «soft hand» ace + 2 or ace + 3 vs 5–6, ace +4 ace +5 vs 4–6, ace + 7 vs 3–6

Basic Blackjack Strategy

In blackjack, in order to reduce the likelihood of losing (busting), many players follow the most basic rules. For example, if a player already has 12 points in his hands, it is better not to take risks, since 10 points are likely to be dropped as the most common value to cart. This strategy is not profitable over the long haul. This is because using such rules, the player reduces the likelihood of his victory by 4%.

All options have already been calculated for the player, the advantages of the gambling establishment are 0.5%. This means that following the strategy outlined in the diagram, the probability of a casino client — 49.75%.