Basic Winning Strategies

This section and the one on card counting are the keys to winning at blackjack. But card counting will be useless without a full knowledge of correct play. Unless you can make the right plays in blackjack, you won't have any advantage over the casino.

To master these strategies, you should study them over and over again, playing out sample hands at home, by dealing to yourself. When decisions have to be made, consult this section. Only when you know this section thoroughly and then know how to count cards should you attempt to play casino blackjack for real money.

But once you've mastered these two sections, you'll have a constant edge over the house. You'll be a player the casino will fear, and you should, with proper money management and self-control, end up a big winner.

Hard Totals-Strategy for Hitting or Standing

To facilitate the learning process, many of the principles will be shown in illustrative charts. The first chart deals with hitting vs. standing with hard totals.