- The key blackjack terms to know To play blackjack at your best, you absolutely need to know the blackjack terminology inside and out. This will help you navigate any situation, understand the players around you, and interact with the dealers you face. Blackjack Glossary: Terms Meanings Hit Requesting an additional card from the dealer Stay Stopping and keeping your current blackjack hand Split Separating a pair of cards with the same value into two different hands, doubling the initial bet Double Down Doubling your bet after receiving your first two cards. The dealer will give you just one additional card, making this a risk Soft A blackjack hand that includes an Ace and another card, offering two possible values for the player Hard A blackjack hand without an Ace, or an Ace valued at 1, where the player must stick to the value Insurance If the dealer has an Ace on the initial draw, you can pay half your bet to be partially reimbursed if the dealer gets blackjack Push A tie between the player and the dealer. Both have the same hand value, so bets are returned and no one wins Bust Going over the total score limit of 21. The first to bust, whether player or dealer, loses the game If you know all these blackjack terms, you’re already off to a great start! We recommend reading them thoroughly and practicing in free modes. You’ll encounter them throughout your blackjack playing journey. In our view, it’s crucial to know them to stand a chance against the dealers. Basic blackjack strategies you should know Looking to learn the best blackjack strategy for playing at a table? The experts at Casinos Arabic are familiar with many techniques you can use in this classic casino game. With its special rules and math-based probabilities, players have plenty of options such as counting cards ! However, the basic strategy defined by Edward O. Thorp is by far the most widely used. Here are the main rules of blackjack strategy. Basic blackjack strategies: Don’t draw a card after 17: this is fundamental for all players! When you have a hand of 17, no matter what the dealer has, don’t be tempted to draw another card. It’s too risky, and you’re likely to bust and lose your entire bet; Never split two 10s: we’ve noticed many of our readers tend to split their cards when they get two 10s. This is a mistake! Focus on this excellent hand (20) to win the round against the dealer; Double down between 9 and 11: only double down if your hand is between 9 and 11. This is the ideal hand to receive an Ace, Jack, Queen, King, or 10! You have a good chance of scoring well and walking away with winnings; Never take insurance: this option is clearly offered by casinos to make you lose more money. Adding half your bet isn’t profitable enough to cover against a potential blackjack. Clearly, this is a very simplified version of basic blackjack strategy. By following these few essential rules, you avoid making the biggest mistakes that give the house an extra edge. Maximize your chances by playing based solely on probabilities, which is more profitable in the long term. Memorize the blackjack chart: Basic strategy
- Blackjack probabilities
Are you an online blackjack player looking to improve your game and maximize your chances of winning? You’ve landed on the right article. Here, the experts at Casinos Arabic aim to help you increase your winning odds by providing you with essential new knowledge. Blackjack charts, terminology, strategies we’re sure you’ll find it useful.
The key blackjack terms to know
To play blackjack at your best, you absolutely need to know the blackjack terminology inside and out. This will help you navigate any situation, understand the players around you, and interact with the dealers you face.
Blackjack Glossary:
| Terms | Meanings |
| Hit | Requesting an additional card from the dealer |
| Stay | Stopping and keeping your current blackjack hand |
| Split | Separating a pair of cards with the same value into two different hands, doubling the initial bet |
| Double Down | Doubling your bet after receiving your first two cards. The dealer will give you just one additional card, making this a risk |
| Soft | A blackjack hand that includes an Ace and another card, offering two possible values for the player |
| Hard | A blackjack hand without an Ace, or an Ace valued at 1, where the player must stick to the value |
| Insurance | If the dealer has an Ace on the initial draw, you can pay half your bet to be partially reimbursed if the dealer gets blackjack |
| Push | A tie between the player and the dealer. Both have the same hand value, so bets are returned and no one wins |
| Bust | Going over the total score limit of 21. The first to bust, whether player or dealer, loses the game |
If you know all these blackjack terms, you’re already off to a great start! We recommend reading them thoroughly and practicing in free modes. You’ll encounter them throughout your blackjack playing journey. In our view, it’s crucial to know them to stand a chance against the dealers.
Basic blackjack strategies you should know
Basic blackjack strategies:
- Don’t draw a card after 17: this is fundamental for all players! When you have a hand of 17, no matter what the dealer has, don’t be tempted to draw another card. It’s too risky, and you’re likely to bust and lose your entire bet;
- Never split two 10s: we’ve noticed many of our readers tend to split their cards when they get two 10s. This is a mistake! Focus on this excellent hand (20) to win the round against the dealer;
- Double down between 9 and 11: only double down if your hand is between 9 and 11. This is the ideal hand to receive an Ace, Jack, Queen, King, or 10! You have a good chance of scoring well and walking away with winnings;
- Never take insurance: this option is clearly offered by casinos to make you lose more money. Adding half your bet isn’t profitable enough to cover against a potential blackjack.
Clearly, this is a very simplified version of basic blackjack strategy. By following these few essential rules, you avoid making the biggest mistakes that give the house an extra edge. Maximize your chances by playing based solely on probabilities, which is more profitable in the long term.
Memorize the blackjack chart: Basic strategy
The blackjack chart is a great tool for players! It’s a clear action plan based on your hand and the dealer’s. The chart is simply developed according to the real blackjack probabilities, minimizing the casino’s advantage. By following it, you’ll make the best possible choices (mathematically).
Blackjack strategy chart:
Want to learn how to read it? It’s quite simple, don’t worry. Vertically, you’ll see your hands (from 21 down to Ace-2), and horizontally, the dealer’s first card (from 2 to Ace). Based on your points, you’ll find the possible actions within the blackjack chart.
Possible actions in the blackjack chart:
- S: Stop;
- H: Hit;
- D: Do a split;
- SP: Double;
- T: Draw a new card.
If, for example, the dealer draws a 6 and you have a pair of 4s, you should Split! Then, just follow the basic blackjack rules to maximize your chances. We strongly recommend keeping the chart in front of you when you start playing online blackjack. Over time, you’ll memorize it!
Blackjack probabilities
Many of our Arabic readers want to know blackjack probabilities. It’s a great question, because these figures can help you understand the full potential of the game, as well as the riskiest bets you can make against the dealer. Let us reveal the key probabilities in a blackjack game.
Dealer’s final hand values:
| Dealer’s hand value | Probabilities |
| Blackjack | 4.85 % |
| 21 | 7.36 % |
| 20 | 17.58 % |
| 19 | 13.48 % |
| 18 | 13.81 % |
| 17 | 14.58 % |
| 16 | 28.36 % |
As you know, whether in Las Vegas or Malta, a dealer must draw cards up to 16 and stop at 17. With these different probabilities, you can expect a dealer to draw cards with an average value of 18.84. This is quite a high score, revealing a significant house edge!
Player’s advantage against the dealer’s visible card:
| Dealer’s first card | Player’s advantage |
| 2 | 10.207 % |
| 3 | 13.869 % |
| 4 | 18.573 % |
| 5 | 23.852 % |
| 6 | 24.375 % |
| 7 | 14.695 % |
| 8 | 5.48 % |
| 9 | -4.367 % |
| 10 | -17.072 % |
| A | -36.02 % |
As you can see, the best probabilities for winning against a dealer occur when they draw cards between 4 and 6. That’s the moment to perfectly use the basic strategy and blackjack chart to maximize your advantage. By leveraging these probabilities, you can improve your chances of winning in blackjack.
Sherif Saeed - Copywriter
Last modified on : October 29, 2024
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