Let’s say that
you are betting $20 per hand. Thus, your insurance
bet will be $10. You win four times out of 13 for
a total win of eighty dollars. However, you lose
nine times for a total loss of $90. That’s
a ten dollar difference. If you divide the 13 decisions
into the 1 unit loss (or $130 bet into $10), you
get an edge for the casino of 7.69 percent! You
can expect to lose $7.69 for every $100 bet in this
situation. That is some big edge and that is why
insurance is not the way to go.
Still, here is a common
mistake that many players make. The dealer is showing
an ace and asks if you want insurance. You have
a hand composed of two ten-valued cards. You want
to make sure that you win that hand, which is the
second strongest hand in blackjack. So you insure.
Simple logic tells us that if you have two ten-valued
cards in your hand, you have increased the dealer’s
chance of not having a ten-valued card under his
ace! Yet, many players will give the casino an even
greater edge over them in this situation because
they erroneously think they are improving their
chances to win by insuring when in fact they are
increasing their chances to lose.
Not all hands are as
dramatic as the above but all hands have better
or worse results depending on how you play them.
The key is to make the right decision every time
and thus reduce the house edge. In short, the above
examples show us clearly that the decisions blackjack
players make affect their chances for success.
The best approach to
blackjack is to learn the complete basic strategy
for the games you intend to play. These can be found
in most good books on blackjack, including my own
Best Blackjack.
However, as a shortcut
that can be used by readers of this site tonight,
I have created a much simpler version of basic strategy
- called The Lucky 13 - that, if followed, will
reduce the house edge to below one percent. It is
found in the sidebar accompanying this article.
Frankly speaking, to
avoid waking up tomorrow morning feeling as if you
had been hit over the head with a blackjack, follow
my Lucky 13 simple basic strategy tonight. Then
when you have the chance, learn the complete basic
strategy. And, happy sailing, sailor!
Frank Scoblete’s
Lucky 13: A Simple Basic Strategy
Always split aces.
Always split eights.
Always stand when you have 17 or more.
Always hit your 12 through 16 when the dealer has
an upcard of 7 or more.
Always hit your 12 against a dealer upcard of 2
or 3.
Always stand on your 12 against a dealer’s
4 through 6.
Always stand on your 13 through 16 against a dealer
upcard of 2 through 6.
Always hit hand totals of 11 or less, no matter
how many cards compose them, against all dealer
upcards.
Always double on two-card totals of 11 when dealer
has upcard of 10 or lower.
Always double on two-card totals of 10 when dealer
has upcard of 9 or lower.
Always stand on your hands of A7, A8, A9 against
all dealer upcards.
Always hit on your hands of A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 against
all dealer upcards.
Never take insurance.
Visit Websites Of The Scoblete Network
www.goldentouchpoker.com
www.goldentouchcraps.com
www.goldentouchblackjack.com
www.scoblete.com
www.gscobe.blogspot.com
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