With the movie 21 going strong at the box office, everyone’s thoughts are on the card game 21, also known as blackjack.  So I thought it would be a good time to ask Jerry Needleman, our resident online blackjack expert, for a tip I could pass along to you.  Here’s what he said:

“Hey, David, thanks for asking.  And by the way, congratulations on your promotion, Mr. Vice President.

The best blackjack tip I could pass along to your readers would be to always remember what is the object of the game of blackjack.  Many people will tell you that the object is to get as close to 21 as possible, but that is not true.  The real object of the game is to beat the dealer.  There is a big difference between the two, and I’ll give you an example to show you what I mean.

Suppose you have cards totaling 12, and the dealer is showing a 6.  If the object were to get as close as possible to 21, you would hit.  But since the real object is to beat the dealer, you would be better off standing and letting the dealer go ahead and lose.

How is the dealer going to lose?  Remember, there are more 10-value cards than any other card in the deck.  So if the dealer is showing a 6, there is a good chance that he has a 10-card in the hole for a total of 16.  Now, the rules of blackjack say that the dealer must hit on 16, whether he wants to or not.  And when he hits on 16, there is a very good chance that he will get a 6 or higher and bust, and your 12 will win the game.

Some people might say a win with 12 is not a pretty win.  I say a win is a win, and I’ll take it any way I can get it.  Pretty or ugly, the important thing is to beat the dealer.  That’s what blackjack is all about”.

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One Response to “A Tip for Blackjack Players”

1. Al Says:
   May 29th, 2008 at 2:20 am

   Isn’t microgaming supposed to have released blackjack tournament games this month? If not, when is it going to happen?

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