To use basic strategy plus, you need not become an expert player, nor do you need to become an amazing card counter.  Simply memorize the basic strategy plus rules, and keep track of the hi-lo card count and make decisions based on the rules and the count.  With basic strategy plus, you will increase your odds of winning blackjack games consistently without memorizing a ton of situational rules.

Typically, a table of blackjack sits seven players, as well as the dealer.  If you are looking at the table from the perspective of facing the dealer, the player on the far right is known as first base, while the player on the extreme left is known as third base.  Each player at the table has their own area, which includes a space to place bets and play the game.  The dealer has a tray for chips, which is located in front of him and is where the dealer uses to pay out the players, as well as to collect losing bets and make change.  The shoe, which is where the dealer draws and deals cards from sits to his left, while the table stakes sign sits next to the shoe.  This sign explains the table stakes (minimum and maximum bets allowed at the table).  To the dealer’s right sits the drop slot and the dealer drops any bills that are in play after exchanging the money for chips.  Next to the drop slot is the discard tray, which is where cards that are used are held until the shuffle.

When the game begins, the dealer shuffles the deck or decks and offers a cut via the cut card.  After the shuffle, the dealer loads the shoe, burns a card and begins dealing after the players place their wager or bet into the betting area.  After the players have placed their bets, the dealer deals out two cards to each player and two cards to himself.  The player’s cards are dealt face up, while the dealer gets one facing down and the other facing up.  When assessing a value to the cards, each face card (K, Q, J) is worth ten points.  Numbered cards are valued at their face (I.e. – nines are valued at nine), and an ace can be either one or eleven.

Action begins with first base and each player acts in turn.  Third base acts last and right before the dealer’s turn.  Should you want a hit, you can either tap your finger to the felt or brush the cards against the table twice.  When requesting a hit, the dealer gives you another card.  If you wish to stand or stay, simply wave your hand above your cards from left to right.

When it is the dealer’s turn to play, he must take a hit if he has less than seventeen.  Some casinos require the dealers to hit if they have a soft seventeen (a hand valued at 17 that contains an ace is known as a soft seventeen as the ace can change in value).  Others require the dealers to stand on soft seventeens.

The dealer has to play by preset rules, while players are free to decide what they want to do in each hand.  Players can decide to double down, which means they get one more card, but have to double their stakes.  Additionally, players who are dealt two of the same card (I.e. – a pair of fours) may split their hand if they so choose.  When splitting a pair, each of the cards gets their own bets and the hand plays like two separate, independent hands.  If the player is dealt a blackjack (Ace and ten/face card), they win the hand and are often paid at a higher rate than even money.

When you use a blackjack calculator to determine the house edge, simply input the rules that are used at the tables. Once the rules have been programmed into the house edge calculator, you will know exactly how much of an edge or advantage the house possesses over you. Use the calculator on a single table or compare the results for a few different sets of rules to find the games that you should avoid and those that give you the best chance of winning.

There are several systems by which to count cards in blackjack.  Among the more popular and effective ways to count cards are the hi-lo system, the KO counting system, and the Hi-Opt card counting system.  Each advanced card counting system has a set of rules and values for counting the cards.

The hi-lo system is a way to count cards that is balanced.  Should you use this method of counting on an entire deck, your count would end at 0.  The other methods of advanced card counting mentioned are not balanced, thus one would not end up at zero when counting an entire deck of blackjack cards.

Regardless of the method of card counting you choose, whether it be one of the systems listed here or another means of advanced blackjack card counting, using a system for counting cards will give you an edge because you will know when the shoe is more likely to produce a bust card, when you can hit with the greatest chances of success, and when you should adjust your bets upward or downward.  By having insight to this information at the tables, you stand a far better chance of turning your session of blackjack into a profitable one.

When you play blackjack, the game uses anywhere from a single deck to eight decks of cards. The game is played with a dealer, who acts on behalf of the house. The dealer is responsible for keeping the game playing smoothly within the rules and their hand is the benchmark for whether players win or lose. One can deduce that the dealer actually participates in the game, as each player is competing against the dealer to make the hand closest to twenty-one without going over.

The dealer distributes or deals two cards to each player that are facing up, so that everyone can see each of the player’s cards. The dealer receives two cards; however, one of those cards is dealt face down. Each player acts in turn on their hand, and players can hit (ask for an additional card) or stand (refuse the offer of further cards). Additionally, players may sometimes choose to split their hands when they are dealt a pair, as well as double down in situations they choose to do so. After each player acts on their hand, the dealer takes their turn. The dealer must act using specific rules that predetermine how they will play their hand. Those players who beat the dealer are paid out, while the losing players lose their bet.

The cards in the blackjack game each possess values ranging from one to eleven. Each numbered card is assigned face value, which means a card that has a four on it is valued at four points. Likewise, a ten is valued at ten. Face cards (K, Q, J) receive a value of ten, and aces are flexible or soft, as they can be valued as a one or an eleven. Should a player exceed a combined hand value of 21, they bust and automatically lose. Should the dealer bust, any player who has not busted previously in the current round is paid out as a winner. If a player is dealt exactly 21, they are often paid out at a higher rate for getting blackjack, unless the dealer is also dealt blackjack.

Blackjack - A face card or a ten with an ace (off the deal) is known as blackjack or twenty-one.

Bust - Exceeding a card count of 21 in blackjack is known as a bust or busting.

Card Counting – Keeping track of the cards that have been seen in a shoe of blackjack cards is known as card counting.

Dealer - The dealer acts on behalf of the house in the blackjack game. Dealers must play by predefined rules. They also are responsible for paying/collecting bets, shuffling cards into the blackjack shoe, as well as distributing cards in the blackjack game.

Double Down – Doubling down is the act of increasing your bet times two in exchange for one more card, which puts twice as much money at stake.

Early Surrender – When a blackjack game allows for early surrenders, the players may give up one-half of their bet before the hand starts, meaning one must declare their desire to surrender before the dealer checks for blackjack. When you surrender, you draw a line on the table with your finger.

First Baseman – The first player to act after the hand has been dealt is known as first base or the first baseman.

High Roller – In blackjack, a high roller is one who bets a lot of money in each hand of blackjack.

Hit – When you hit in blackjack, you are asking the dealer for one more card. One signals for a hit by tapping their finger on the table.

Hole Card – The down card that the dealer holds.

House – The casino who backs the game of blackjack is known as the house.

Insurance - When the dealer shows an Ace, insurance is often offered. This protects the player against the dealer having blackjack.

Late Surrender – The act of giving up one-half of a bet after the dealer checks for blackjack is known as surrendering late.

Multiple Deck Blackjack – When a blackjack game uses more than one deck of cards in their shoe, it is known as multiple-deck blackjack.

Natural - A natural is the act of being dealt 21 (face card or ten and an Ace) right off the bat.

Penetration - Penetration refers to the number of cards dealt prior to the dealer shuffling the deck of cards back into the shoe.

Push - When the player and dealer tie in a hand of blackjack, it is known as a push. No money changes hands in a push.

Round - One complete round of blackjack is when every player and the dealer all have acted on their hands.

Shoe - The shoe is the container the playing cards are held in. The dealer issues these cards one at a time to the players and to himself.

Shuffle - The mixing of the cards prior to loading the shoe and playing a round of blackjack.

Single Deck Blackjack – A blackjack game that is played with one deck of cards.

Soft Count – A hand is said to have a soft count if it contains an Ace, as the ace can be counted as 1 or eleven. A hand that does not contain an ace is said to have a hard count.

Split - The act of dividing a paired hand into two separate hands, each one playing independently of one another and requiring its own bet.

Stand - When a player is satisfied that they do not want anymore cards, they are standing. Standing is signaled by moving one’s hand side to side.

Third Baseman – The last player to act before the dealer acts is known as the anchor or third baseman.

Tip - A show of appreciation or gratuity given by a player to the dealer.

Twenty-One – Another name for the game of blackjack.

Unit - A unit is another name for a bet, which is most often used when talking blackjack theory or strategy.

Up Card – The up card is the card that the dealer shows face up on the deal.

When using a blackjack calculator, it will tell you when the time is right to act and when the chips are stacked against you. The calculators allow you to put in as much information as you have and they will run simulations of scenarios, so that you can see for yourself how likely you are to profit. When the calculator’s expectation returns a value of less than 0, the odds are against you and the expectation is negative. When the calculator returns a positive value, it means the advantage is yours. By knowing the valuable information provided from blackjack calculators, you can dodge bullets and exploit profitable situations all day long at the blackjack tables.

In 2004, two more members were inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame and the ball participants assumed the responsibility of inducting members into the hall of fame. The Blackjack Hall of Fame consists of the following members:

Founding Class of 2002
Francesco, Al – Founded the team blackjack concept,

Griffin, Peter – Authored the book “The Theory of Blackjack”,

Hyland, Tommy – Managed one of the longest running blackjack teams.

Snyder, Arnold – Professional blackjack player,

Thorp, Edward O. – Authored the book “Beat the Dealer”, which was amongst the first blackjack strategy books ever written and is still considered highly relevant today.

Uston, Ken – Sued Atlantic City casinos on behalf of card counters and won. Ken was a professional blackjack player who innovated team blackjack play. Uston often had to resort to playing blackjack while disguised, as he was banned from several casinos due to his team card counting tactics.

Wong, Stanford – Blackjack author and strategist.

Blackjack Hall of Fame Class of 2004

Rubin, Max – Host of the annual Blackjack Ball and best known for devising a strategy to maximize the collection and use of comps that casinos issue,

Taft, Keith – Invented hidden computer devised to help blackjack players count cards.

Blackjack Hall of Fame Class of 2005

Braun, Julian – Blackjack author who used computers to assist in analysis in blackjack stats,

Revere, Lawrence – Blackjack author and instructor who penned the book “Playing Blackjack as a Business”

Blackjack Hall of Fame Class of 2006 and Beyond

Chang, John – Managed the MIT Blackjack team,

Grosjean, James – Authored the blackjack book “Beyond Counting”,

The Four Horsemen of Aberdeen (Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, James McDermott) – Members of the United States Army who published the first accurate and accepted blackjack strategy model using nothing more than a desk calculator. This strategy was published in the Journal of the American Statistical Association.

There are many books that have been published on card counting tactics. Dr. Edward Thorp, a math professor, wrote the original book on card counting. In 1960, Dr. Thorp penned “Beat the Dealer” and the book proved that one could use the power of math to beat the dealer in blackjack games.

When one counts cards in blackjack, they are implementing a system of card counting that keeps score of whether high cards or low cards are abundantly present in the remaining shoe of cards. The counter simply keeps score based on the cards he sees dealt to the players and to the dealer. There are different card counting systems that are regarded as valid and profitable card counting techniques. Amongst the different ways to count cards in blackjack, the Hi-Lo card counting system is the most widely used. In this system, low cards (2 through 6) increase the count by one, while tens reduce the count by one. Sevens, eights, and nines do not impact the card count in the Hi-Lo methodology of card counting.

The objective of blackjack is simply to beat the dealer. More accurately, blackjack players try to come closer to 21 than that of the dealer‘s hand, without exceeding 21, which is known as busting.

More specifically diving into the general blackjack rules, all players and the dealer each receive two cards. For the players, the cards are dealt face up, while the dealer receives one card facing upwards and one that faces down. Any player who has a card count that is less than 21 may choose to hit or stand. If they choose to hit, then they are requesting additional cards (one at a time). The players may continue hitting until they reach 21, are satisfied with their hand count, or they bust. Players are free to play their hand as they see fit, but the dealers are forced to play by set rules. Often, the dealer may not hit if their hand totals 17 or more.

While the general blackjack rules are similar for most blackjack games, each casino typically has their own special set of house rules. These rules slightly affect how the game is played, as well as the edge that the house has over the players. Such variations in rules may address the number of decks that are in play, the payout for getting blackjack (21 on the deal), or even when a player may double down. Players are sometimes able to reduce the edge the house has over them by implementing tactics such as card counting or using various betting systems, or even subscribing to some of the optimal blackjack tactics and strategies that are designed to help players play the game optimally.