Blackjack - Increase Your Odds With Basic Strategy Plus

Blackjack Basic Strategy, played perfectly in a game with favorable rules, will reduce the edge against you to about one half of one percent, the best odds of any game in the casino.

But still - it's a negative edge. While you can win in the short term on any given day, in the long term that one half percent edge against you will eventually grind you down if you play long enough and frequently enough.

An advanced basic strategy - or what we call Basic Strategy Plus - is necessary for you to step up from being a casual player to being a serious recreational player who has a better chance of winning over the long term.

To reduce the small edge against you with Basic Strategy even further, and at times even turn it into a positive edge in your favor, you simply must pay attention to the cards on the table and develop some sense of the proportion of high cards versus low cards remaining in the deck. This is exactly what a card counter does.

But you don't have to spend the hundreds of hours it takes to become a proficient card counter. You can get a general sense of the proportion of high versus low cards by doing something called "counting the table". Counting the table simply means that in any given hand, you look at the exposed cards for all hands on the table (including the dealer's hand). Do a quick count of all the high cards (tens, jacks, queens, kings) and all the low cards (2 - 5). There are an equal number of these high and low cards.

If there are a much larger number of low cards showing than high cards (at least 6 more low cards than high cards in a six deck game), chances are that the deck now is slightly richer in high cards, which is favorable for the player. Conversely, if there are many more high cards showing than low cards (again, at least six more), chances are the deck is now slightly richer in low cards, which is bad for the player.

Armed with the information gained from this quick table count, you can now adjust your play accordingly and thus be playing a little more like a professional.

For example, there are some basic strategy moves that are so close that they could go either way. If you are doing a table count, you have additional information that may indicate a change in what basic strategy says to do in certain of these close call situations.

To illustrate, let's take the example of one of the most dreaded hands in Blackjack: your 16 count versus the dealers 10 up card. Basic strategy says to hit your 16 against a dealer's 10, but this is an extremely close call. You very badly need a 4 or 5 in order to tie or win if the dealer also has a 10 card down.

So, using the table count, here's what you do. If the table count shows at least 6 more lows than highs, then stand on your 16 against a 10. A disproportionate amount of low cards have been dealt and this lowers your odds of getting a low card to point where you should now stand with your 16.

There are several more close calls with Basic Strategy that can be refined further with Basic Strategy Plus, as well as other decisions that can now be made more intelligently and these are explained in detail on the author's web site.

Mike Thorn
Casino Online Reviews

---

Beat the Casinos

Do you have what it takes to become a successful... Read More

Heres an Easy Exercise to Improve Your Texas Holdem Play

Many beginning Texas Holdem players develop a playing style that... Read More

Horse Racing Betting, The Risk Free Way

You may or may not of heard of all this... Read More

A Beginners Strategy Guide to Online Micro Limit Hold Em

It's hard to miss the fact that the last two... Read More

Gambling Interesting Facts

SoccerbettingIs there such thing as "kangtao" or surewin tips?I have... Read More

Land Casinos Vs. Online Casinos

Since the emergence of a few online casinos in 1996,... Read More

Do You Want to Discover the Three Hidden Secrets of the Poker Playing Professional?

What's the difference between an amateur and a professional when... Read More

Video Poker - Tips to Remember

Video poker is an easy game to learn to play... Read More

Types of Online Roulette

Roulette ? American and EuropeanAs many casino-savvy players already know,... Read More

Fantasy Football Offers Gamblers a Unique Kind of Fun

If you are a gambler, and you enjoy sports, chances... Read More

Las Vegas Dining and Drinks as Cheap as it Gets

Las Vegas, my favorite destination doesn't have to cost a... Read More

TOP 10 Biggest Betting-Gambling Mistakes

Our aim here is to highlight these common areas of... Read More

Do the Laundry or Win the Lottery

On the Friday afternoon drive home, I'm relieved the weekend... Read More

Stop Compulsive Gambling Addiction With Education

Through proper education, society can develop programs to stop compulsive... Read More

Types of Poker Players

Most poker players fall into one of four categories, and... Read More

5s in Blackjack

Counting cards in blackjack is a way to increase your... Read More

Gambling Stories 101

A win at a gambling table can be fun narrating.... Read More

Beating The NFL: A Guide To Smart Sports Betting.

Well folks, here we are. It's August 13 as I... Read More

Blackjack Basics

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games after... Read More

States Lottery Basics

For those who dream of quitting their jobs and being... Read More

Online Poker Gambling Sees Tremendous Growth

Online poker gambling at casinos and poker rooms is one... Read More

Short Hand Texas Holdem Poker

Short Hand Texas Poker refers poker games that have less... Read More

Roulette System: How you can win Roulette easily and automatically

In this article, we will discuss on "A personal interview... Read More

Internet Poker - 13 Rules to Follow

Add bad poker players to your buddy listPlaying poker is... Read More

Roulette basics

James bond plays it and so does a large part... Read More

Why You Should Never Buy an Online Slot Machine System!

Playing online slot machines has become increasingly popular, as online... Read More

Craps

There is no longer a need to fly all the... Read More

Why Use an Internet Sports Book to Make Wagers?

Although I started using online sportsbooks almost ten years ago,... Read More

Roulette System: Chaos Theory

This article is going to discuss how Chaos Theory applies... Read More

Take Your Online Poker Game to the Next Level

Playing Poker online can be quite satisfying, and financially rewarding,... Read More

Online Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most loved casino games out... Read More

Dice Games 101

Dice games are the oldest and one of the simplest... Read More

How to Handicap Football Like The Pros

Hello my name is Chris Liput professional handicapper with Fast... Read More