If you want to be a successful blackjack player you will need to learn basic strategy. Most players start learning by referring to a basic strategy chart.The strategy chart shows you how to play your first two cards based on the dealers up card.

Referring back to the Blackjack 101 article, you know that the house gains its edge by the fact that the player must act first. Since the basic strategy chart only deals with the first two cards, you will also need to learn what decisions to make after taking a hit. Translate the Chart
The best way to do this is to translate the basic strategy chart into plain English that explains how to play a hand with three or more cards. Let’s look at an example:

If your first two cards are and a 5 and a 3 you have a total of eight. The chart tells you to hit. You draw another 3, which gives you a total of eleven. The chart tells you to double on 11 but you can only double on your first two cards. Therefore you must hit.

When we translate the strategy chart into plain English, we use the word “otherwise” when dealing with situations that are different because of multiple cards. If we were to write out the example above it would be: If you have 11 - double, otherwise hit.

I have written out how to handle multi card decisions for hard hands, soft hands and split pairs. I have placed this information into three “How to Play” pages that you can link to below. Here is how to play basic strategy when there are more than two cards involved written out in plain English.

How to Play Hard Hands: -A hard hand is two starting cards that do not contain an ace.

If you have eight or less, always hit.
If you have Nine: Double if the dealer has 3 thru 6 - otherwise hit.
If you have Ten : Double if the dealer has 2 thru 9 - otherwise hit.
If you have Eleven: Double if the dealer has 2 thru 10, Hit if dealer has Ace.
If you have Twelve: Hit if the dealer has 2 or 3, Stand if the dealer has 4 thru 6, otherwise hit.
If you have 13- 16: Stand if the dealer has2 thru 6, otherwise hit.
If you have 17 - 21: Always Stand.

How to Play Soft Hands: - A soft hand is when one of your starting hands contains an ace.

If you have Ace 2 or Ace 3: Double if the dealer has 5 or 6 - otherwise hit.
If you have Ace 4 or Ace 5: Double if the dealer has 4 thru 6 - otherwise hit.
If you have Ace 6: Double if the dealer has 3 thru 6 - otherwise hit.
If you have Ace 7: Stand if the dealer has 2, 7 or 8. Double 3 -thru 6 - otherwise hit.
If you have Ace 8 or Ace 9: Always Stand.

How to Play Pairs

If you have a pair of Aces or Eights: Always split.
If you have a pair of twos or threes: Split if the dealer has 2 - 7, otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of fours: Split if the dealer has 4 or 5 - otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of fives: Double if the dealer has 2 thru 9 - otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of sixes: Split if the dealer has 2 thru 6 - otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of sevens: Split 2 thru 7 - otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of nines: Split 2 thru 6, and 8 or 9. Stand if the dealer has 7, 10 or Ace.
If you have a pair of tens: Always Stand.

Translating the Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart into plain English makes it a lot easier to memorize. You can even make up flash cards to help you learn.

Blackjack however is a game based on dependent events. This means that as each card is dealt the make up of the cards remaining in the deck changes. Big cards left in the deck favor the player and small cards favor the dealer. The advantage shifts back and forth from player to dealer. This is the basis behind card counting. A card counter will bet more when he has the advantage and less when it favors the dealer. The subject of card counting will be left for another time. You don’t have to learn card counting to bring the house edge down less than one percent.

Because blackjack has a fixed set of rules which must be followed by the dealer a mathematically correct strategy can be derived insure optimum play. This known as basic strategy and was refined by Julian Braun who worked for IBM and ran millions of hands through a main frame computer decades ago before the advent of the personal computer. Utilizing basic strategy a player will decide how to play his hand depending on the dealer exposed (up) card. A player will stand, hit, double or split his cards to give him the best chance of winning the hand.

The object of blackjack is to beat the dealer not to try to get close to twenty-one. Because the player must act first it is sometimes the player’s advantage to stand on a hand that has the potential going over 21 when the dealer also has card that can bust him. If the player and the dealer both bust the player loses the hand. That is why it is important that the player learn to play his hand correctly to insure the best outcome based on the mathematically correct strategy.

Blackjack is a great game with a low house advantage that is fun to play. It is not difficult to learn to play correctly. Many casinos will even let you use a basic strategy chart at the table for reference but with a little effort on your part you will soon be able to make the correct decisions without one.

They might blame bad luck, rotten cards, the dealer or even other players at the table. Other than at live poker, this happens the most at the Blackjack table. At a Blackjack table the seat closest to the dealer that gets dealt to first is known as first Base. The seat of the player that receives the last cards before the dealer is known as third base. The other seats really are not designated in any way. The seat that concerns players the most is third base. This is because the player in this seat is the last to act before the dealer and the decisions that this player makes receive the most scrutiny.

Many Blackjack players who have learned basic strategy feel that since they took the time to learn it, everyone else at the table should also “know how to play.” If a player at third base makes a decision that goes against basic strategy, the other basic strategy players at the table get very upset. If the player takes a hit on a hand he should have stood on and takes the card that would have busted the dealer, and the dealer then wins the hand, watch out. The rest of the players at the table will blame the player at third base for their loss. I have seen some heated arguments, discussions, name calling or worse occur when this happens.

The reality is that the only player that can affect your game in the long run is the player sitting in YOUR seat. Players tend to have selective amnesia. They remember the times that the third base player takes a card which results in a loss, however they forget about all the times that the “mistake” by the third base player actually saves the table.

Another situation that the “Basic Strategy Experts” fail to consider is that the player at third base may indeed be a card counter. A card counter will make decisions that go against basic strategy based on the relationship of the high and low cards left in the deck. So what looks like an idiot play by the player at third base in the eyes of the basic strategy player, may actually be the correct play for somebody who is counting cards.

But the players have no way of knowing this and the card counter is surely not going to defend the play to the others by telling them that the count justified the decision for doing it.

Don’t blame other players for their play. In the long run it will all even out for the basic strategy player. Remember the other player is playing with HIS money not yours. He has as much right to play the way he wants as you do. If you don’t like how someone plays at your table, you are free to get up and move to another table. If the player is new to the game you just might frighten them away. If there are no new players are learning the game there will be fewer players and the casinos will replace the blackjack tables with other games or slot machines. A trip to the casino is entertainment and should be fun for everyone. Don’t make it a bad experience by criticizing other players.

The Wheel
There are two different roulette wheels. The European wheel has 37 slots numbered 0-36. The house edge is 2.63. The American wheel has 38 numbers because the added a double zero (00). The addition of the extra number increases the house edge to 5.26 percent.

The Layout
The game of Roulette originated in France. The modern day layout we find in the casino dates back to 1842. Roulette layouts have two betting areas. The inside betting area contains the individual numbers on the layout. The outside betting area has boxes for the columns, red/black and odd/even and different groups of numbers.

The numbers on the inside are arranged in 12 rows of three numbers making forming three vertical columns. The 0 and 00 are at the top of the columns.

Buying In
You must purchase special roulette chips when you sit down to play. To avoid disputes each player receives a different color chip. These chips are good for that table only and you must cash them in when you get done playing. You will them be given regular casino chips to take to the cage. You cannot cash in the roulette table chips at the cage.

Each roulette table has a minimum and maximum bet. You can’t combine your inside and outside bets to meet the table minimum. If the minimum bet is five dollars you have to bet $5 on the inside and $5 on the outside. You can’t bet $3 inside and $2 outside.

Inside Bets
There are several inside bets that you can make. You can bet a number straight up or straddle the line between numbers to select a combination of numbers. The payouts are as follows.
Straight Up bet is a wager on a single number. It pays 35 to 1.
Split Bet is a wager on two numbers and it pays 17 to 1. You make this bet by placing your chip so it straddles the line between any two numbers.
Street bets or line bet and it pays 11 to 1. You make this bet by placing your chip on the vertical line separating the outside and inside betting areas. The chip straddles the first number in the row.
Corner bet or Quad bet pays 8 to 1. You make this bet by placing a chip so it is touching the four corners of the numbers you are betting.
Basket bet is a five number bet on zero – double zero and numbers-1-2-3 which pays 6 to 1. On the double zero wheel it has a house edge of 7.89 percent making it the worst bet in Roulette.
Double Street bet is a wager on six numbers and pays 5 to 1. You place your chip on the line separating the outside and inside area as you do for the street bet but let it also straddles the row above or below.

Outside Bets
The outside bets are any of the bets made in the boxes surrounding the numbers.
Red Black Odd and Even are all even money bets. You place your chips in the boxes on the layout.
The Dozens bet are made on the 12 consecutive numbers. You place your wager in the boxes marked 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36. These bets pay 2 to 1. If the zero or double zero comes up you lose.
Column bets are also 12 number bets. Instead of 12 consecutive numbers they consist of the numbers in one of the three vertical columns and are made in the boxes at the bottom of the layout. These bets pay 2 to 1 as well. The Dealer
Dealers are required to keep the wheel moving at all times, even between spins. They spin the ball in the opposite in the opposite direction of the wheel. This causes the ball to jump and spin before landing on a number.

The dealer marks the winning number with a marker. You are not allowed to place your bet for the next spin until the dealer removes the marker from the previous winning number. Make sure you wait for them to pick it up before putting down your chips.

Playing Tips
Roulette has a high house edge but if you play at a full table you will only get about 30 spins an hour which slows down the time your money is exposed to the house edge. It will also increase your comp time.

If the number you want to bet is covered is already covered with chips, don’t worry. It is permissible to stack you chips on top of the other chips. This is another reason why each player has their own color chips.

You are allowed to place bets after the dealer spins the ball. The dealer will tell you when to stop. As the ball slows down the dealer will wave their hand over the table and call out “No More Bets.”

Some people claim that they have a sure fire system for winning at Roulette. The truth is there is no system that will change the house edge. Don’t waste your money buying a Roulette system.

The Dealer
Since the casino supplies a dealer one player must be the designated dealer who will act last during the betting rounds. A disk or “Button” is used to identify the dealer and this is rotated to the left after each hand. Unlike stud, all the players do not ante each round. Blind bets are posted to generate a starting pot just the way that they are in Texas Hold’em.

The Start
To start a new hand two “Blind” bets are put up or “Posted.” The player immediately to the left of the player with the dealer button puts up or “posts” the small blind which is approximately half the minimum bet. The small blind for the $2/4 game is one dollar. The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind which is equal to the minimum bet which is three dollars for this game. The rest of the players do not put up any money to start the hand. Because the button rotates around the table, each player will eventually act as the big blind, small blind and dealer. It will cost you three dollars every time the deal makes a complete rotation around the table.

The Opening
After the blinds are posted each player is dealt four cards face down with the player on the small blind receiving the first card and the player with the dealer button getting the last card. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind either putting in two dollars to “Call” the blind bet, or putting in four dollars to “raise” the big blind or folding his hand. The betting goes around the table in order until it reaches the player who posted the small blind. That player can call the bet by putting in one dollar since a dollar bet was already posted. The last person to act is the big blind. If no one has raised, the dealer will ask if they would like the option. This means the big blind has the option to raise or just “check.”

The Flop
e cards are dealt and turned face up in the middle of the table. This is known as the “Flop.” These are community cards used by all the players. Another betting round begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer button. The minimum bet for this round is also three dollars.

The Turn
When the betting round after the flop is completed, the dealer burns another card and turns a fourth card face up in the middle of the table. This is referred to as the “Turn.” The minimum bet after the turn is now six dollars and begins again with the first active player to the left of the button.

The River
Following the betting round for the turn, the dealer will burn another card and turn a fifth and final card face up. This is called the “river,” and the final betting round begins with six dollars being the minimum bet. There is usually a three or four raise maximum during all betting rounds except if the play becomes heads up with two players. Then the raises are unlimited.

The Showdown
To determine the winner, the players MUST use two of his hole cards and three cards from the “Board” to form the highest five-card hand. In some cases two players will tie which happens quite often in Omaha Hi/Lo. In that case the players will split the pot. A sixth card is never used to break a tie.

There are 2,598,960 hands that can be produced with a 52-card deck. The RNG (random number generator) in a video poker machines is set to simulate the probabilities of drawing any one of the combinations of hands. Because this is a set probability the casino gets its edge by adjusting the pay table of the machines. By knowing how to read a pay table you can make sure you are playing the machine with the best return. I have seen two identical looking machines next to each other with different pay tables. Let’s take a look at standard Jacks or Better draw poker game. The pay table is shown below. The Royal Flush pays 250 per coin with a bonus 4,000 coin pay out when you play the maximum five coins. This is shown as 250/4000. The bonus for the royal flush is figured in to the overall return. The key to the Jacks or Better game is the pay out for the Full House (9) and the Flush (6). Note also that it pays two coins for two pairs. A machine with this pay table in the first column is referred to as a 9/6 machine and has an ER of 99.5 percent.

The casinos lower the pay out by reducing the coins paid for the full house and the flush. If you take a look at the two other examples in the chart you will see that when they lower the payout of the Full House and Flush to 8/5 the return drops to 97.30 percent. When the payout for these hands is lowered to 6/5 the payout drops down to 95 percent. A quick rule of thumb is that the pay out will be reduced by 1.1% for each coin taken away from either of these hands.

Although video poker machines may look a like they are quite different. It is up to you to read the pay table before you sit down and make sure you are choosing the machine that will offer the best return. Any Video Poker machine can be analyzed to determine the Expected Return. Many times a casino will put two machines with different pay tables next to each other. I have often seen this happen and noticed that a player is sitting at the machine with the lower return. This tells me that they are not very knowledgeable about video poker. Once you pick the best game make sure you are using the correct strategy for that game. If you are unsure you can bring a strategy chart with you to help you make the correct decisions.