Should you always play by the book in Blackjack?

I've started playing Blackjack recently, and have seen lots of sites on the internet advising when to hit and when to stand

sometimes when I'm playing, I don't feel right about certain plays, like if I have a 6, and the dealer has 7-10 I still have that feeling I'll go bust and I don't hit

but I'm just wondering, in the long run, will playing by the book give you an advantage because it goes by which play gives you the better odds of winning (or not losing in some cases)?

although I suppose at the end of the day it's still just luck and this question is probably irrelevant, but I'm just curious if anybody here has played Blackjack for a long time, and as to whether they bothered playing by the book or not?

Yes, playing by the book gives you the best chance and minimizes the house edge.

All the numbers have been crunched and standard play blackjack chart is readily available.

example

Just plays craps. House edge is very low. You can win over long haul if you can find a rythm roller/sharp shooter.

As a former BlackJack Dealer my first advice is not to play at all unless you don't mind slowly losing your money. If you're just playing for recreation you should ALWAYS hit a Soft 17 no matter what the dealer has. Also, are you playing online or at a Casino? If you are playing at a real Casino there are things you can do to increase your edge.

If you are looking to make money playing BlackJack try this experiment first... find a site online where you can play for free. Get a copy of the chart that Yisman suggested. Play by it. You'll have the chart memorized in no time. Play at least a 1000 hands. Flat bet the same amount every hand. See if you are ahead or down after 1000 hands. If you are ahead I would be shocked. In fact I predict that you will win around 42% of your hands. Double Downs and and BlackJacks(1 out every 21 hands approximately) will make up for this a little bit but you'll still be down more than likely. You'll save yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars doing it this way first.

i always play by the book when i used to play blackjack in the casino. i didnt care what it was. My last 500.00 dollars to my name. if i had 16 and the dealer had 10 up i hit. playing on hunch will win you a hand here and there but over the long haul playing BJ by the book i think is the only way to go. that being said. casino games are for suckers. you cant win. it is 100% impossible. That is how they build those skyscrapers in vegas. off casino games. thats why i stopped playing them.

100% no , in live casino play. i hit maybe 6 or 8 hands outa 100 , i play 1st or 2nd and stand , stand, stand on bust hands , 40 % or better of the time the dealer dont have a face card under the face card try it :cheers:

By the book= mathematical chance of winning. Any other way= theoretical way of winning

Yes unless you are counting cards, why give the casino a bigger house edge.

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Originally Posted by sweethook

100% no , in live casino play. i hit maybe 6 or 8 hands outa 100 , i play 1st or 2nd and stand , stand, stand on bust hands , 40 % or better of the time the dealer dont have a face card under the face card try it :cheers:

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My objective is to get a no brainer or let the dealer bust. The dealer will bust as many times as the player, but you will never know if you bust out first. I have been playing for years and have my own system, but it only works right when others are playing by the book.

#1 I only play double deck BJ 3:2 on BJ and try to find a table with deep penetration.

I usually hit 12, or 13 vs 17 or better

50/50 on 14 vs 17 or better

and probably 20/80 on 15 or 16 vs 17 or better.

A lot depends on the shoe. I don't count cards so to speak but I pay real close attention.



One other thing if playing on 6:5 BJ

When I BJ against a dealer 5 or 6 showing I will double down. Some say crazy, but my philosophy is if I had 11 vs dealer 5 or 6 I would double down 100% of the time. I will take a chance for 2:1 payout in this situation vs 6:5. Again it depends on the shoe. It's a calculated risk.

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Originally Posted by Sawyer

Just plays craps. House edge is very low. You can win over long haul if you can find a rythm roller/sharp shooter.

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Hahahahahaha. Yeah, dice is easy just find a hot shooter. That usually beats the math.

i'd like someone smarter than me to figure out the odds of a dealer bust with 7-up vs. my 16. i'm convinced your chances of winning the hand are just as good standing on 16 but then again i'm usually shitfaced when i'm playing :cheers:

Statistically - If you stand on 16 vs 7 you will will the hand 26 percent of the time, if you hit you will win 27 percent of the time

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Originally Posted by philswin

Statistically - If you stand on 16 vs 7 you will will the hand 26 percent of the time, if you hit you will win 27 percent of the time

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well at least i was close :bowdown:

it feels like 8% vs 9%

I play very similar to this and have for 14 years with a lot of success. I think the main thing is play consistent otherwise you are always taking a hit or staying at the wrong time. One thing I have noticed is automatic shufflers = greater house edge imo.

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Originally Posted by harlee71

My objective is to get a no brainer or let the dealer bust. The dealer will bust as many times as the player, but you will never know if you bust out first. I have been playing for years and have my own system, but it only works right when others are playing by the book.

#1 I only play double deck BJ 3:2 on BJ and try to find a table with deep penetration.

I usually hit 12, or 13 vs 17 or better

50/50 on 14 vs 17 or better

and probably 20/80 on 15 or 16 vs 17 or better.

A lot depends on the shoe. I don't count cards so to speak but I pay real close attention.



One other thing if playing on 6:5 BJ

When I BJ against a dealer 5 or 6 showing I will double down. Some say crazy, but my philosophy is if I had 11 vs dealer 5 or 6 I would double down 100% of the time. I will take a chance for 2:1 payout in this situation vs 6:5. Again it depends on the shoe. It's a calculated risk.

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Very small difference if you are going to go against the book, this is a hand to do it on. If you do hit 5 of the 13 cards will improve your hand and put you in a position to usually win.

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Originally Posted by InTheDrink

i'd like someone smarter than me to figure out the odds of a dealer bust with 7-up vs. my 16. i'm convinced your chances of winning the hand are just as good standing on 16 but then again i'm usually shitfaced when i'm playing :cheers:

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Again, I am all for letting the dealer bust. Also, I only play double deck so it is very easy to keep an eye on the card count. That makes the decision to hit or stay a little easier to guess.

I look at it this way. The dealer will have to hit if the under card is anything except ace or face A,j,q,k, and the only cards that can help me are A,2,3,4,5 and 6,7,8,9,10,j,q,k and I bust. The smart gamble here is to risk the dealer not having A or face.

I usually do fairly well at BJ. I don't count cards but I do keep an eye out on the amount of face cards are on the table. If there's been deals with alot of low cards I'll increase my bet. I also believe in letting the dealer beat me rather than beating myself by busting. If dealer shows 3-6 and I have 13-17 I'll stand. I also increase by bet size until I lose a hand, then start over. It also helps to play at a table where people know how to play. If you have someone hitting when they shouldn't be, it screws up the deck IMO. It may just be suspicion on my part but it's how I play. I also sit on the corners always.

i never hit on 16 ever, and alot of times won't hit on 15

yeah 16 vs. 7 I've always been hesitant to hit on. I do it because the chart says so, but I figured with the chances of bust being so high and with the dealer having a decent chance at busting...

turns out it's basically the same thing.

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Originally Posted by JohnGalt2341

As a former BlackJack Dealer my first advice is not to play at all unless you don't mind slowly losing your money. If you're just playing for recreation you should ALWAYS hit a Soft 17 no matter what the dealer has. Also, are you playing online or at a Casino? If you are playing at a real Casino there are things you can do to increase your edge.

If you are looking to make money playing BlackJack try this experiment first... find a site online where you can play for free. Get a copy of the chart that Yisman suggested. Play by it. You'll have the chart memorized in no time. Play at least a 1000 hands. Flat bet the same amount every hand. See if you are ahead or down after 1000 hands. If you are ahead I would be shocked. In fact I predict that you will win around 42% of your hands. Double Downs and and BlackJacks(1 out every 21 hands approximately) will make up for this a little bit but you'll still be down more than likely. You'll save yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars doing it this way first.

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very true... I wish i never got started playing to begin with

i think the rule applies more to live dealer play, with online casinos I have seen weird things happen too many times

It always upsets the other players but every now and then it's fun (and sometimes profitable) to play "no bust" BJ. That is you NEVER hit a breaking hand no matter what the dealer up card is. The dealer breaks like 28% of the time so if you are betting progressively and you make the dealer beat you it's possible to have a winning session every now and then. Again though, get ready to hear the wrath of other players when you don't hit when you should and the dealer gets that baby card that should have been yours.

I can tell you how to double your money quick with online blackjack in 3 easy steps.

1) Hold your money in your hand.
2) Fold your money over in half.
3) Put it back in your pocket.

play by the the book always, alter strategy if counting, but that is still playing by the book ( the card counter's book).
Hitting a 16 vs. a ten is a wash. Slightly better to hit if not counting. If counting hit if negative, stand if positive.

The specific situations brought up so far are the ones that are so close it doesn't much matter. You can't stand on stuff like 12 vs. a ten for fear of busting, you just have to trust the book.

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Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

Hahahahahaha. Yeah, dice is easy just find a hot shooter. That usually beats the math.

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If your being sarcastic, you are wrong. Dice influence is real. I've made plenty of people into believers when I routinely have 17 roll hands, hitting the six and eight 4 times each.

Ive played countless hours of blackjack and I can tell you right now this is a tricky question...

If you are going to play by the book, you will lose a little bit. If you don't play by the book, you may lose even more, or win a little bit, you gotta be lucky..

Its possible to win playing blackjack playing by the book in the short run. But eventually the house edge and being the slight underdog in every hand (mainly because you have to hit first) will catch up with you

i play blackjack everyday in vegas. its a big money maker. so fast and clean. fuk everything else. .

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Originally Posted by ttwarrior1

i never hit on 16 ever, and alot of times won't hit on 15

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:surrender: i hope. if u play like that.

believe it or not, I have entertained the notion that never hitting on 16 may be +EV

look at it this way.... you hit on 16 you are hoping for a 5 or less

why not just hope the dealer has a 6 or less under, and then they have to hit

But of course yes a lot of times I do hit 16 when the dealer is showing a card capable of pillaging me

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Originally Posted by ttwarrior1

i never hit on 16 ever, and alot of times won't hit on 15

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have you ever lost 15 to a 16? if its six card max deal. ? :tongue0015:

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Originally Posted by warriorfan707

believe it or not, I have entertained the notion that never hitting on 16 may be +EV

look at it this way.... you hit on 16 you are hoping for a 5 or less

why not just hope the dealer has a 6 or less under, and then they have to hit

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100% :grrr:

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Originally Posted by warriorfan707

Its possible to win playing blackjack playing by the book in the short run. But eventually the house edge and being the slight underdog in every hand (mainly because you have to hit first) will catch up with you

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You can play however you like and eventually the house edge will catch up with you. Playing by the book minimizes what you will lose in the long run.

Having to decide first is a huge disadvantage.

someone said they never hit on a 16?! what if the dealer shows a 7?