“Blackjack: Beyond the Basics”

While most articles on Blackjack tips and strategies contain more than enough useful information to get you started playing at a table with sufficient confidence, there are a few pointers that are often left out, but which are worth learning. The following couple of paragraphs provide a brief look at these often over-looked pointers.

First, remember that many online Blackjack games, as well as the European version of Blackjack, play according to the “no-peek” rule. With “no-peek” Blackjack, the dealer does not peek at his hand after he has dealt out the cards to see if he has Blackjack. Instead, the dealer checks his hand for Blackjack after the players have played their hands. If it turns out that the dealer does have Blackjack, then all of the players automatically lose their full bet, unless any of them have Blackjack too. Naturally, any additional bets that the players may have wagered during the course of the game, such as additional bets made because of a split or a double, are also lost.

Second, as a general rule, always decline insurance even if you have Blackjack. If you are really adept at card counting and the deck happens to be stacked with tens, then you might be able to come out on top if you buy insurance, otherwise you should always avoid it, and even more so if you aren’t good a good card counter.

Third, on occasion, casinos offer the option to surrender. The surrender option allows a player to walk away from the game without playing the rest of his hand. Surrender is usually only offered if at least six decks of cards are in use and the player who surrenders must agree to forfeit half of his original wager. Surrender should only be used when a player has a really abysmal hand and expects that his net return will be less than fifty percent. Late surrender, where the player surrenders just after the dealer has checked to see whether he has Blackjack, is the most typical type of surrender but, because of the “no-peek” rule cannot be used in European versions of Blackjack or with the online Blackjack games that also use the “no-peek” rule.

Fourth and finally, many newcomers to Blackjack are unaware of the “Five-Card-Charlie” hand. This hand, as the name implies, is a hand composed of five cards. The total value of these five cards, however, must not exceed 21. Unless the dealer has Blackjack, a “Five-Card-Charlie” hand is an automatic win for the player. Of course, once you’ve split your hand, the “Five-Card-Charlie” hand no longer applies.