In cases where a dealer would show an Ace, an option to play insurance games would be offered to players. This is offered in case it turns out that the other card of the dealer would be a face card which would mean an automatic blackjack and loss for the players on hand. However, the decision lies on the players to decide on. They can choose not to if they are that daring and sure that it is not a face card.

If players are indeed aware of how blackjack is played, they would well be aware of the advantages an Ace has. It can be valued at 1 or 11. If it appears in the initial deal, players only need to check the second card before proceeding. If it shows a value less than 10, then they can continue to be hit. However, they should be careful that it does not go over 21 since it would mean a bust for them meaning automatically losing the hand.

So it can be seen that an Ace will always be beneficial, but players should note that there are only four Aces in deck and unless the cards are cut again, the chances of another blackjack may not be too appealing. Hence, it still remains to keep track of the cards being dealt, both before and after each hand is shown. It may be additional work for the thinking minds but it is for the benefit of players who take blackjack very seriously.

This is only one of the many strategies that blackjack players can resort to. There are far many strategies to consider and for sure, many have their own approach towards the game. Whatever strategy they would use, it will surely be something worth learning and watching primarily. There is no better way to master the game other than to watch the professionals in the history of card games such as blackjack and poker.

All players need to experience a loss at times, but not all losses means that this will be forever. Rather they help as initial investments and then become a means for recall the next time blackjack players are up and about.

Ante Up 21 is the creation of Michael Forster and according to him combines the best of both worlds. Ante Up 21 rules is a real mish mash of the two great games. The game starts by having the dealer deal a basic blackjack hand to the players. The players then can choose to bet on the poker outcome of their cards by placing a bet on the “Ante” and “Bet” portions of the game. The rest of the cards are then dealt the blackjack way and the players place their blackjack wagers. After this the player’s best 2 cards are then compared with the dealer’s best 2 cards to determine the winner of the blackjack part of the game. If a player busts or losses the blackjack part of the game he still has a chance to win the poker part by using any 2 of his/her cards to come up with his best poker hand. Of course if even his/her best hand isn’t the best in the table then the player loses again. Just like in poker you’ll need the best poker hand to win the poker pot.

The game might sound a bit confusing but if you already know the basics of both games it is quite easy to get the hang of Ante Up 21. The question is whether it will be easy to become good at it. The game, which will surely offer much fun and excitement, may be easy to learn but is pretty hard to master. To be good at it you of course need to be good at blackjack AND poker. Mastering one of them is difficult enough let alone mastering both. And with the added complication of having to make decisions on the outcome of your hand based on both blackjack and poker principles can be quite nerve wracking. Though this is a fun game you can be sure that it is definitely a “thinking man’s game” as Forster put it. So if you want to keep things simple I suggest you stick with our old yet beloved blackjack. But if you want to add spice in your game and want to exercise your grey matter a bit more then you should definitely opt to play Ante Up 21.

Technorati Tags: Blackjack Variant, Blackjack News, Blackjack Game, Poker Variant, Poker Game, Poker News, Michael Forster, Ante Up 21

60 Minutes to Winning Blackjack
This video contains the secrets of the famous MIT students who “Brought DOwn the House” as they won millions of dollars from playing blackjack.  The video was directed by Elliot Brodsky and is hosted by Mike Aponte. Mike Aponte is one of the MIT students and is the 2004 World Series of Blackjack Champion. The DVD teaches beginners the basics of blackjack and more seasoned players the art of card counting plus other betting strategies. The video also includes interactive practice chapters to help you train.

Blackjack Science Counting and Betting Techniques with Semyon Dukach
This video is also from a famous MIT student. Semyon Dukach was an MIT Team Leader. This is the first video that Seymon Dukach put out. It runs for 50 minutes. The video uses live footage from his Blackjack Science card counting seminer in New York City. The video quality is not the best since it features live footage and the audio is not the clearest but the content is what makes this video great. A very straighforward video where you can learn lots of new stuff. Seymon teaches his card counting  theories and techniques in a manner that can be easily understood.

Blackjack Science: Advanced Techniques
Also by Seymon Dukach this DVD is for seasoned players and those that are familiar already with the basic card counting theories used by Dukach. In this video you will learn more advanced techniques like Cut Card placement techniques, Key Card Sequencing, and Shuffle Tracking. The techniques you’ll learn here are actual techniques that Dukach’s MIT team used to win big money in casinos.

Beating Blackjack with Andy Bloch
Directed by Michael Keller and hosted by Andy Bloch himself this video is a sure winner. Ansy Bloch is considered to be one of the world’s best players and is in fact included in the “Griffin List” of card counters. His techniques are so good and his mastery of them more so that he’s band from using those techniques when playing in a casino.

The Hot Hand Advantage DVD and Practice Game
Featuring another blackjack great. This DVD teaches you about Bret “the Mechanic” Graanstaff’s aggressive system of card counting and hot-hand advantage. Like Bloch, Brett is one of the great one who are banned by casinos from using their own techniques. Banned as they are you can benefit from their techniques. Beginners and experienced players will both benefit from watching this video.

Winning Strategies Series, The Blackjack (1997)
This video is based on Frank Scoblete’s writing. In the last post Franks Scoblete’s book was recommended for experienced players who wish to pick up a trick ot two. This video though based on Scoblete’s writing is recommended for those who need a quick course on blackjack and does not hold much for more experienced players. The series is hosted by James Coburn. Coburn dishes out basic blackjack strategies and tips to help improve your chances of winning big.

Technorati Tags: Blackjack Resources, Blackjack Videos, Blackjack DVD, Blackjack Techniques, Blackjack Strategy,   Basic Strategy,   Card Counting, MIT strategy, Andy Bloch, Brett Graanstaff, The Mechanic, Seymons Dukach, Frank Scoblete, Mike Aponte

Quite frankly, if you play a bad game, changing the way you bet won’t help you in any way. Luck can only get you so far, and staying at the tables waiting for another lucky streak is a guaranteed way of seeing your savings go to the casinos. This has got to be the simplest and most commonsensical thing you’ll ever hear but you’d be amazed at how many people think that betting more will “buy” them a win. Their philosophy? “I’ll be lucky this time. No? Maybe this time. No? Well, I’ve been here long enough, why quit now? I’ve lost so many times I’m bound to win this round.”

News flash: no matter how you bet, you will still lose if you don’t know the game, whether you lose ten dollars’ worth, or ten thousand dollars’ worth. So for “money management strategies”, your first and only rule is play a good game. No blind bets will ever make you rich, whatever game you pay. Horse racing, sports betting, roulette. A fool and his money are soon parted, and hopefully, you will have a little left over from that losing streak to buy a decent blackjack strategy book, and read it! It may be the smartest thing you’ll ever do, and your banker will thank you for it.

The only time “money management” works is in a tournament. There, learning how to “stake” opponents will help you stay longer in the game (depending on your position, of course). In these cases, sometimes just playing steadily and conservatively will let you survive long enough to get into the finals. The strategy here is that you let the fools eliminate themselves by virtue of stupidity.

Yes, that sounds harsh, but there are many people who join tournaments that they’re not ready for. Many are reckless, too erratic, too impulsive. As blackjack masters will tell you, this is a very strategic game, and you’ve got to keep your concentration. But for long blackjack tournaments, those that take days, you don’t want to burn yourself out. So it may be good to start slow, but stay safe, before breaking out the big gun strategy, while other people do something silly like bet their entire bankroll. You’re not there to outbet them, you’re there to stay alive. Don’t cave in and enter a contest of who can make the most reckless bet. However, you won’t win it by staying conservative. At some point, when your weaker opponents have since been disqualified, you have to switch to a more aggressive gameplay. Once again, the best money management trick is a smart game.

After all of the cards have been dealt, the dealer can act on each of the hands. The dealer will point to each one of the players when it is their turn to act on their hand. If a player wants to get another card, he indicates his desire to do so by scratching the table with his hand. The hand signal must be given by the player because the security cameras must be able to record the actions or moves in the game.

If the player does not want to get another card he must indicate this by waving his hand with the palm down. This same signal is also used as a way of indicating that he has decided to stop accepting any more cards.

In the blackjack games wherein the players are given the opportunity to hold the cards, scraping the table with the edge of the cards is the way in which it is indicated that the player wants another card. When the player is satisfied with his hand, the player must slide the cards under the chips in the betting circle.

If the total number of the player’s hand goes over 21 he will automatically lose and the dealer will remove the cards and the player’s chips. When playing the hand held game, the cards are required to be turned over immediately if the player has gone over 21.

At the end of the hand, the totals of the card will be compared, and the player who is closest to 21 will win. If the dealer’s hand is closer to 21 than the player’s hand then the player will lose. In the case of a tie, otherwise known as a push, the no one will win or lose. If the dealer has not bused his hand, then he is required to pay the winners and remove the loser’s chips.

It is quite fortunate that there are a growing number of available resources that are free both on and off the internet that only has one aim – to teach beginner players the various intricacies of the game. Blackjack is very deceptive, when you look at it, it seems like such a very easy game to learn but when you start studying it, you will find out how complex the game really is. It is interesting to note that there is actually a statistically proven way of playing every possible card combination in blackjack but then it is not humanly possible for any one player to actually have the capacity to memorize all of these combinations. The key is to actually find a betting strategy that you can use and then combine it with a good sense and intuition. Intuition and gut instinct can actually be very valuable to the beginning and experience gambler. This is most often a great idea to follow what your gut instinct is actually telling you.

Another good move is for the beginning blackjack player to actually start out small. There are so many blackjack tables that have very low minimum bets and these tables are quite a good place to start for the beginning player. In addition to this, the experience blackjack players can often use the low minimum tables in order to try out a new and unproven betting strategy or system for counting cards. By playing on the low roller (low betting) tables, it will actually help new players build their confidence while at the same time not putting too much of a strain on their bankroll. As the level of their competence and confidence increases, they can always move up to the bigger blackjack tables.

In every single one of the suggested ways of getting a good and winning blackjack strategy one thing should also be consistently stressed. Confidence in your playing style, whatever it is, is going to have a beneficial effect on whether you win or lose a lot of hands. You should always remember to also improve your self confidence in order to have that edge.

Another way of maximizing your earnings is by choosing which blackjack table offers the best odds. A very crucial fact when it comes to card counting and blackjack odds is that higher value cards (the 10s in the deck) help the player’s odds while the lower valued cards hurt the player. The reason for this is simple: the dealer must hit to a 17 or higher. With more higher cards in the deck there is a greater possibility that the dealer will bust more often and thus, the player will win. Because of this you must remember to only play in tables that offer fewer decks. Avoid tables that employ six decks and always play tables that offer one or two decks.

Another good suggestion is by not increasing your bet because you have a gut feel. Only increase your bet in a definite situation that is the most advantageous to you. And there is a way to do this without resorting to card counting. The trick is to monitor cards. If you have noticed that a big majority of cards that have been dealt on the last hand were of low value. Increase your bet on the next hand. This strategy can be most effective in a game with just a single deck or a double deck of cards. Remember though that you will not win every single time so do not go crazy with the bets that you will make. A little prudence is still important. But at the same time, be assured that you will be seeing positive results in the long run (the longer that you play the game in that table).

But don’t get too much “action” without looking at your “bankroll”. This is the money you have and plan on betting during a game. With luck your bankroll will have a few “black chips” which are worth a hundred dollars. Wouldn’t you love to have a pile of that? More common, however, are “green chips” worth about twenty five dollars.

“Blackjack” is not just the name of the game, but the name of a hand: when the 1st two cards dealt are an Ace and either a 10, Jack, Queen or King card. “Face Cards” are Jacks, Queens and Kings of the four suits.

But whatever hand you have, you have one goal: to avoid the “break” (to go over 21 and bust) which is also called “the bust”. Given this situation you may be temped to just opt for “Early Surrender” – giving up in the middle of the game, and losing just 50% of your bet. Hey, at least you cut your losses! Another safety net is to ask for “Insurance”. This occurs when a dealer’s second card is an Ace. You are then given a chance to take a second side bet, so if he gets a ten, you can protect yourself and only loss 50% of the bet. Consider this is you have a “ stiff Hand”, a hand with a small chance of winning.

Nor for the betting. You can opt for a flat bet, where you always wager the same number of chips, or you can go all in. Ready for the game to start? You can go “head on” which means that you will play blackjack with the dealer at a table.

So this is how it goes. The dealer may also use a shoe, a shoe shaped device from he draws out the cards before dealing them. He will “shuffle up” or prematurely shuffle the cards, to make card counting more difficult. The “house” or casino can be very vigilant about card counters.

Now the game begins. The dealer will bring out a hole card, the first card which he places face down. You can ask for a “hit”. No, not a punch (although you may get one if they catch you cheating!) This is to ask for another card from the dealer. You can also get a “push”, again not an act of physical violence—just the situation where you and the dealer tie.

There are some ways of making the game more exciting. If your first two cards have the same value, you can ask for a “split hand”: dividing the the hand into two and playing them separately.

If you won a large amount and enjoyed the game immensely, don’t forget to leave a “toke”. This is a tip to the dealer.

You will often hear about card counting in blackjack. Do an internet search on this topic and you will find thousands of books and articles, as well as success stories of people who have tried it, mastered it, and become millionaires because of it.

However card counting is very difficult and many casinos have found a way to identify card counters and stop them. In some cases they may ban card counters from playing. Plus it takes a lot of hours of practice to master card counting and a big enough bankroll to support this kind of “training”. You also need high levels of concentration to pull it off correctly and just a short lapse in concentration at the table will destroy your advantage.

Besides, realistically, who has thousands of hours, and thousands of dollars, to invest in this kind of process? You ask a card counter and he will admit that he played about 100 hours plus per month of actual table time, with average bets of fifty to a hundred dollars. They may even have had a working bankroll of about thirty to fifty thousand dollars.

And you need to learn two skills – card counting itself, and concealing card counting from vigilant dealers and casino managers. You may even have to play at odd hours, in the wee hours of the night, because it’s best to play one-on-one with the dealer or with as few other players as possible at the table. You may have to shift from one table, and one casino, to another, just so they don’t notice your playing style.

This is just way too much investment for recreational players, who may not have the time, money nor inclination for that kind of preparation. So the best alternative is basic blackjack strategy. It does not have the same edge as card counting but it is much simpler. You can play any table, any time, for as long as you like, without having to think about whether or not the Pit Boss is about to throw you out of the game.

The dealer shuffles the cards, and then cuts it with a piece of plastic that is the same size as the cards. This is slid between the deck of cards, lifting the cards that fall above the plastic and then placing them below the deck. Keep a careful eye on how the dealer does this, so you know you aren’t being cheated. The dealer then inserts a colored card about a third way from the bottom of the deck and places another card at the bottom of the deck.

To join the game, you ask for chips. You have to make a bet. Tables have minimum bets but as long as you meet that requirement you can choose how much risk you want to take: go all in, or place small bets. It is advisable that you don’t blow all your money on one bet. Manage your bankroll wisely.

The dealer then distributes cards to all the players, and the goal is to hit 21 but not exceed it. The person who comes closest to 21 wins. However, if the dealer and the player both habe the same value card then there is a stand off.

Different casinos have different pay off ratios. They can also incorporate different betting process like insurance, which let you get part of your bet back if you lose. Be sure to read the rules to know what the casino’s particular blackjack policies are.

There are many books and strategies on blackjack. Some people have made millions of money through card counting and well orchestrated blackjack teams that help identify which tables are “hot”. They have studied the casino system and thus have set up a way of beating them at their own game.

Blackjack may seem like a game of chance but it is really a very mathematical process. You need to study the odds, practice the techniques, and learn to make quick decisions with confidence. It may be one of the oldest games in America’s history but the strategies and techniques make it anything but antiquated. It is very exciting and challenging and can be very profitable if you take the time to learn it.