Blackjack is a game of chance, but there are certain things you can do to improve your chances of winning. The first thing is to learn basic strategy. While this is simple, most players don’t take the time to do it correctly. This will give you the best chance of making smart decisions during your session.
Another thing you should do is to avoid side bets. These bets usually come with high house edges and can quickly drain your bankroll. Aside from that, you should always play with a pre-determined bankroll and never chase losses. It is also important to stay sober during your session and not make any decisions while you are under the influence.
You should also know when to stand. If you have a hard total of 12 or higher and the dealer shows a face card or ace, then it’s a good idea to stand. This will increase your odds of getting the small card you need to break the dealer’s hand. In contrast, if you have a hard total of 16 or lower and the dealer shows a five or six, then hitting is your best option.
The next thing to remember is that the dealer’s ace is a good opportunity to get even money on your blackjack bet. However, you should only do this if you have a good understanding of probability. Basically, there are sixteen cards in every 52-card deck worth ten, so it is more likely that the dealer has a ten than any other card. A player with a two-card blackjack (ace plus a ten-value card) is usually paid 3:2 by the casino.
Aside from knowing basic strategy, you should also try to learn card counting. This is a difficult skill to master and casinos have made it more difficult for players to count cards recently, but it can help you win more often. The way it works is that you keep track of how many high-value cards are left in the deck and then adjust your betting pattern accordingly. Essentially, you raise your bet when the count is positive and decrease it when the count is negative.
If you aren’t comfortable with card counting, you can still try to increase your wins by using a negative progression strategy. However, this approach can be expensive, so it’s not recommended unless you have a large bankroll.
Insurance is a bad bet for the player because it gives the dealer a significant advantage. This is because the dealer’s ace can only be beat by a blackjack, and it pays 2:1, while the true odds of a dealer having a blackjack are closer to 9:4 or more.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the playing decisions of other players at your table will have no effect on the odds for your hands. The same applies to your own streaks. You should continue to follow your basic strategy regardless of how long you’ve been losing or winning.
