Soft 17 against an upcard

A lot of players who get a soft 17 ( a hand that makes use of Ace as 11 and a 6) commit the error of standing. The common notion is that like on a hard 17, the strategy will be to stand since there is a good risk of busting in case the dealer has an upcard. But if the dealer will not have a 3 thru 6 then the chances of raking in with a 17 is very slim. So it is always a better move to hit or even double down when you have a soft 17 to up your chances of winning.

Soft 18 against Ace,, 9 or 10

Another commonly misplayed hand is a soft 18 versus an upcard Ace, 10, or 9 of the dealer. Most players tand when they get a soft or hard 18. Look at the probability though and the chances of winning against the dealer’s upcard Ace, 9, or 10 is very slim. It is true that you have a good risk of busting when you hit after getting a hard 18 but when you have soft 18 , you should always ask for more cards and try to get more than 18 .

Splitting pairs

A lot of blackjack players are not sure what to do with their pairs. Most will split their Aces and then stand when they get 10s. How about a pair of 9 or 8?

A pair of 8 is 16 so it is really risky to hit but you know that this is not good enough to win unless your dealer will go busted. So the wises move is to split the 8s when the dealer gets anything beside bust cards. Splitting 9s is also the best move when the dealer has an Ace, 10, or 9.

The brain and its food

Your brain is just about 2% of your total body weight but it consumes about 20% of the total energy. It makes use of energy more than your liver, your kidney, your heart, and the other organs you can think of.

The body makes most of the energy it derives from all the carbohydrates that we consume. And so loading up carbos is essential for our cognitive functions. The brain however makes use of the glucose which is the end product of the processed carbohydrates in our body. The brain does not have big reserve of glucose so it depends on a steady in flow of glucose. Lack glucose and in card game terms you will have poor reads, bad decisions, and of course no chips in the end.

The truth about carbohydrates

So, it will be best to eat and drink carbos while playing blackjack or poker. Wrong! Since these are fast acting carbohydrates which floods your blood stream with sugar causing your body to react and level everything off by releasing a huge amount of insulin. So you end up with a dropping blood sugar.

You need to pick carbohydrates which are low on the GI or Glycemic Index. This group will release sugar in small amounts to your blood stream, causing a steady flow of supply for your brain. Examples of low GI’s are vegetables, grains, and fruits.  So this healthy bunch is your perfect poker or blackjack food.

Energy drink

The energy drinks, just to emphasize, contain fast acting carbohydrates which is actually detrimental to your game. Drink a can and your body will compensate to lower the sugar in your blood stream and your brain ending up hungry for glucose as it calls and folds.

The key is to eat healthy and have a balance of carbohydrates which will help with your attention, focus, and overall mental well-being.

The hand signals in blackjack will be different if you are playing a game where the cards are dealt facing up or facing down.

When you are playing a face up blackjack game here are some tips you can follow to signal the dealer what you want to do:

• Point at your cards if you like another card or a hit
• If you feel like standing then wave you hands over your cards, parallel to the game table
• If you want to split your card or maybe double down, place your 2^nd bet just near your original bet and never atop your original bet

Let’s say you are playing a face down Blackjack, here are some common signals you need to learn:

• Lightly scrape your cards on the table if you want a hit
• Place your cards under your bet and the dealer will understand that you want to stand
• Doubling down or splitting? Turn the hand face up and then put your 2^nd bet near your original bet

Click on the video below to learn how it is properly done.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The “If win, press your bets. If you lose, bet less.” is basicly playing the Parlay system.

More info on these betting systems can be found in my post titled “Blackjack Betting Systems: a Method to my Madness“.

Good luck at the tables!

I’ll keep you posted of how I do NOT playing — I hope I can post here again in January telling you I’m still “clean”.

Pray for me, will you?

I suppose I haven’t conquered my gambling addiction just yet. I only played 5 days, but the days I played — were hefty…

Hang in there with me.

Blackjack is an all-time favorite poker game that involves using 52 cards, betting, and so forth. In order to win at blackjack or 21, players often take time to choose the best tables fit for their level of expertise.

By choosing the right table, the player can join in the games without getting in too deep. In other words, an expert player will join the expert tables rather than the beginner tables so that he fits into the structure of his or her knowledge and expertise well.

Most professional players buy chips ahead of game play so that the player does not have to stop and buy chips throughout the game.

Once the player chooses the most fitting table to sit in on blackjack, and purchases his or her chips, the player then considers betting. The bets are usually considered based on what the other players around the tables are holding. For instance, if one player has a king face up, and another card down, the other player considers the king. The player could very well be holding an Ace in his hand facing down. Bet wisely by considering the face cards on the table.

Cash in is considered as well as the premises of the game. Card value, how the cards are dealt, how the dealer plays, hits, stands, double down, split pairs, and other notions are considered during blackjack rounds.

The overall objective of blackjack is to create a 21 hand. Anyone with 21 (E.g. Ace and King = 21) wins the game. However, if the dealer has 21, and another player has 21, then the player must replay the dealer to see who wins the game.

Pretty pic too!

I have allowed ONE exception — I’m allowed to keep playing if the deck is hot, but quit when it drops below my collercount.

Wish me luck everyone!