While the Arizona Charlie’s on Boulder Highway removed its table games, you will still find these at its sister casino on Decatur on the west side of Las Vegas. It spreads $5 3:2 double deck and six-deck blackjack and ten times craps. In most versions of Blackjack, when you are dealt a pair (two of the same card), you have the option to split them into two new hands. You are dealt two more cards (one for each new hand) and your bet is doubled. You play each hand normally — you get two chances to beat the dealer (or lose).
One of the best things about mobile and online blackjack is that you can play free games, as well as real money games. While in contrast, when you head to a real casino you can only play blackjack for real money. However, with a free mobile or online blackjack game you can play for fun, to learn and to improve your skills.
Free blackjack is played by the same rules as blackjack played for real money. The game is played against a dealer with the objective of obtaining a hand that beat’s that of the dealer without breaking a total of 21. When you play for free you still place bets, but you play with “fun money.” See how much fun money you can win and enjoy the thrill of the game without risking your own money.
When you play free blackjack online you can play against a computer alone, or you can play alongside other real players from around the globe at the same table. Playing free games with other real players is a great way to make the experience of online blackjack more social and fun as you see the decisions other players make and how you measure up.
If you want to play blackjack for real money, trying out the software at different online casinos and mobile blackjack sites is a great way to find the game that’s right for you. Try out different interfaces and choose one with graphics, sounds and experience that you enjoy.
Playing free blackjack is great for beginning blackjack players who want to learn the rules of the game, as well as for players who want to learn new strategies and get good at the game before playing for real money. Nearly all online casinos offer free games. All you have to do is download a blackjack software and you can begin playing-no deposit necessary.
I overhear a lot of bad gambling advice in the casinos. Perhaps the most frequent is this one, 'The object of blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible, without going over.' No! The object of blackjack is to beat the dealer. To beat the dealer the player must first not bust (go over 21) and second either outscore the dealer or have the dealer bust. Here are the full rules of the game.
I've been preaching for years that to play blackjack properly requires memorizing the basic strategy. However, after pitching the basic strategy for 20 years, I've learned that few people have the will to memorize it. In my book, Gambling 102, I presented a 'Simple Strategy,' which is seven simple rules to playing blackjack. The cost due to incorrect plays with the Simple Strategy is 0.53%, under liberal Vegas Strip rules.
Ever since my book was published it has bothered me that the cost in errors to my Simple Strategy was too high. So in September 2009 I developed the following 'Wizard's Strategy.' The cost due to imperfect plays is 0.14% only, relative to liberal Vegas Strip rules. That is the cost of one hand for about every 12 hours of play. Compared to the 250 cells in the Basic Strategy, the Wizard's Strategy has only 21, as follows.
Let me be perfectly clear that this strategy is not right 100% of the time. I continue to get Emails saying that when this strategy was used with my practice game, the player was corrected for following it. For example, my simple strategy says to stand on 12 against a 2, when it is mathematically better to hit. If you want to learn a strategy that is correct all the time you should use the appropriate basic strategy for the set of rules you are playing.
Here are some comments of clarification.
A reader named Jeff provided another table of my simple strategy, with exceptions in small print. Details about the Wizard's Simple Strategy can be found in my Blackjack appendix 21.
See my Blackjack House Edge Calculator to determine the house edge under 6,912 possible rule combinations.
Following is a list of some common rule variations and the effect on the player's expected return compared to standard U.S. rules (8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed).
Rule | Effect |
---|---|
Single deck | 0.48% |
Early surrender against ten | 0.24% |
Player may double on any number of cards | 0.23% |
Double deck | 0.19% |
Player may draw to split aces | 0.19% |
Six-card Charlie | 0.16% |
Player may resplit aces | 0.08% |
Late surrender | 0.08% |
Four decks | 0.06% |
Five decks | 0.03% |
Six decks | 0.02% |
Split to only 3 hands | -0.01% |
Player may double on 9-11 only | -0.09% |
Split to only 2 hands | -0.10% |
European no hole card | -0.11% |
Player may not double after splitting | -0.14% |
Player may double on 10,11 only | -0.18% |
Dealer hits on soft 17 | -0.22% |
Blackjack pays 7-5 | -0.45% |
Blackjack pays 6-5 | -1.39% |
Blackjacks pay 1 to 1 | -2.27% |
More and more tables are showing up that pay less than the full 3 to 2 on a blackjack. Most of these tables pay 6 to 5, but some even money and 7 to 5 tables are known to exist. I would estimate that 10% of '21' tables in Las Vegas now pay less than 3 to 2. In my opinion, only games that pay 3 to 2 deserve to be called 'blackjack,' the rest fall under '21' games, including Super Fun 21 and Spanish 21. Regardless of the other rules, you should demand nothing less than 3 to 2 blackjack. You should always check the felt to be sure, and if the felt doesn't say, look for a sign. If nothing says the win on a blackjack, then ask.
Articles about 6-5 Blackjack:Three popular bad strategies encountered at the blackjack table are: never bust, mimic the dealer, and always assume the dealer has a ten in the hole. All three are very bad strategies. Following are my specific comments on each of them, including the house edge under Atlantic City rules (dealer stands on soft 17, split up to 4 hands, double after split, double any two cards) of 0.43%.
Never bust: For my analysis of this strategy I assumed the player would never hit a hard 12 or more. All other decisions were according to correct basic strategy. This 'never bust' strategy results in a house edge of 3.91%.
Mimic the dealer: For my analysis of this strategy I assumed the player would always hit 16 or less and stand on17 or more, including a soft 17. The player never doubled or split, since the dealer is not allowed to do so. This 'mimic the dealer' strategy results in a house edge of 5.48%.
Assume a ten in the hole: For this strategy I first figured out the optimal basic strategy under this assumption. If the dealer had an ace up, then I reverted to proper basic strategy, because the dealer would have peeked for blackjack, making a 10 impossible. This 'assume a ten' strategy results in a house edge of 10.03%.
Practice your blackjack game using my two training tools.
Practice Basis Strategy | Practice Card Counting |