Blackjack by DC

Don’t say anything, please.

I haven’t been a good boy. Really — I haven’t. I was going to really cut back, yet this week I ended up in a casino twice playing blackjack. The good thing is I won twice, but that really doesn’t matter too much to me at the moment. I felt ok coming out, but once I stepped into my car I kinda felt sick and both times — realizing these wins are worth absolutely nothing when my real goal is seriously cutting back on my gambling.

Anyway, bankroll got helped out a little which puts me close to even for ‘08 — but I’m sticking to my plan to tune down the gambling… Bare with me…

I’ve been doing pretty ok in March, but I did have a little slip-up at the casino when I flipped a coin about whether to take a trip to city A without a casino or city B with a casino. Faith landed on city B which to me was a green light to sit down at a blackjack table.

I did good until at a certain point I lost 13 hands in a row which obviously cripled me. I felt bad but as I’m doing great in the business side of my life the impact on my finances was close to none which is good considering some of the losses I sustained before…

Anyway, trying to get my act together, hickups along the way…

I’ve been doing anything but gambling for over two weeks now, and I’m still ok. Been holding out quite a lot, and actually even drove past a casino and NOT WENT IN. It’s always tough for me to drive past one and just keep driving — it’s almost like my body wants me to move into the direction of the shiny lights…

Anyway, still doing ok. Playing some low-stakes poker home games amongst friends as the only form of gambling — and seeing as that’s in a game I pretty much beat on a 75% win-session basis I feel pretty confident that’s not gambling.

Oh well — wish me luck, hope not to gamble in March at all — we’ll see how long I hang in there.

There are several betting systems floating around to help you maximise your profits from playing Blackjack. Here we look at the good the bad and the ugly.

Lets start with the most well known; the Double-Up. It is actually known as the Martingale system. You start with a one unit bet ($1 if you are me or $1000000 if you are the Sultan of Brunei – you base your unit amount on your bankroll). If you win you make the same bet. If you lose you double the previous bet continuing to double until you win. When you win you start again with one unit. This betting system is madness and you have to have a huge bankroll to make it work. It is not uncommon to lose 8 hands in a row, by which time you will be betting with 128 units! In the long run you will not make money this way. Your bankroll will be broken in no time at all –unless of course you are the Sultan of Brunei.

The Paroli betting system is the opposite of the Martingale system. This time you double up when you win. To use this system you need to decide how many you times you double up before you start again. This system can be effective as it is simple to use and easy to remember. You also don’t need a large bankroll to play in this way and it can make a lot without risking too much.

The Parlay betting system is comparable to the Paroli system. It is simple and easy to remember. You base your bets on your profit, so you make a bet where your original bet plus your original winnings are used for your next bets. To use this system, you simply start by making a bet of any size. If you win with this initial bet, you use the original bet and part of the profit to place your next bet with. For example you bet £10 and win, for your next bet you use the original bet, $10 and part of the profit say $5 to make the next bet (Total $15). This way you are not always risking your profit. As with Paroli you need to decide how many times you will do this before you start again. Although you won’t make as much profit as with Paroli you will be risking less of your profit.

The Parlay betting system takes a little thought before you hit the tables but in the long run it can be a good option for beginners and seasoned players alike.

We have all played 21 as kids and so the rules of blackjack shouldn’t be too daunting. Before you play for money you should learn the lingo and the rules to look out for.

The object of blackjack make the highest total you can without going over 21 (going bust). Simple.

Each numbered card 10 and under, has a value equal to the number on the card. All the face cards count as 10. This leaves the magic Ace which can count either as 1 or 11, depending on what helps your hand the most. A hand that is 21 is called ‘blackjack’. If you are dealt blackjack you are paid immediately (and you get to do a little dance).

There are 2 ways to win. Either you have the highest total or the dealer goes bust. You can play with other players at the table but you are only trying to beat the dealer. If the dealer gets a blackjack, the players automatically lose unless they have a blackjack too.

Each player receives 2 cards (usually face up) on the table. The dealer receives 1 card face up and 1 card face down.

The player has the following options while playing blackjack:

• Hit Taking another card
• Stand You have made your best hand
• Double Down Doubling your bet and taking one more card
• Split Splitting your pair into two separate hands
• Surrender Surrendering half of your bet and giving up your hand right then

You have the option of taking as many hits as you want as long as you don’t go over 21.

The dealer must play his hand according to the house rules. Usually the dealer must hit until he has a total of 17 or higher. If the dealer starts with a total of 17, he stands.

See simple. This seemingly easy game has driven grown man too tears with joy and despair. Try it and see how you fair.

Isn’t always the way? With blackjack your bankroll needs to be sufficient to bear up under the normal fluctuations that happen during blackjack. You need to understand that you will not always win, even if you stick to the Basic Strategy charts. I’ll say it again, you will not always win. Sticking to the Strategy only increases the likelihood of you winning.

Only Play with Money that you don’t need
Never gamble with money you can not afford to lose. Gambling with rent, bills or food money is bad. If you are doing that, you might want to consider taking a break from gambling for a while. If money in your bankroll has an emotional attachment you will make bad decisions. Bad decisions lead to losing play. You need to think of you gambling bankroll as units to play with, not as the amount of stuff it can buy you.

You need to have enough
You need a bankroll large enough to sustain the short swings of bad luck that you will encounter at the blackjack tables. You still need money to keep playing and ride out the short swings. You need to have at least 30 times the amount you bet at the table and the same again in your bankroll for reloading. So if you bet in $1 bets then you need at least $30 at the table, if you bet in $20 bets than you need $600 at the table.

Don’t Bet Too Much
Don’t double up or triple up to try an regain your losses. You will lose more money and then you will be grumpy. Stick to your betting system. Have a fixed amount that you will lose in a session and when you reach it WALK AWAY. Write yourself out some little guidelines and stick to them. Many players will accept 20 times the amount they bet at as a loss but no more. Set up reloading limits if you play online. Many sites will help you restrict the amount you can reload in 24 hours.

If you are winning, put aside some of your spoils to use another day. Have guidelines about what to do with your winnings and stick to them. Don’t use a winning streak as an excuse to increase your betting: you will regret it.