Rookie hits Black Hawk casino, takes a crack at blackjack

As a beginner, it’s not hard to see why blackjack is the most popular casino game in the world – it’s because the game is actually very simple. Even The Rookie has some idea about the basics of blackjack. You want to get 21, you “hit,” you “stand,” there’s something called a “double down,” something about “splitting a pair,” having “soft hands” and “burning” or “lighting the cards on fire?” Sounds dangerous really; but I have to say, the aloe lotion I bought really smells nice.

OK, maybe it was a good idea to head up the hill recently to get a quick lesson.
After tackling the complications (albeit rewarding ones) of the craps table my first time out (you can find it here on this site, too), I was relieved to be sitting at the easier-to-navigate blackjack table across from dealer Jim Peters and vice president of marketing Kelly Ireland at Fitzgeralds in Black Hawk, who gave me a refresher course of the basics (including using your hand signals – I kept forgetting!) as well as a few new inside tips.

Peters informed me that the most important thing for a newbie to blackjack to know is that you should always be consistent. That is to say, if you decide that you’re going to hit on a 13, you should always hit on a 13. Don’t try and second-guess the deck. If you’re betting the same it’ll come around eventually.

Beginners should play “first base,” or the right side of the table. You can get away with the middle, but you want more advanced players at third base – or the left side – to get the last card dealt before the dealer. That way the more experienced person is making the decision on the deck and what could be the dealer’s card. You really want someone with more experience doing that. Just as in baseball, it’s the hot corner.
It’s also important to note, when you find yourself on a losing streak you might want to move to another table or take a break, grab a drink and some fresh air. When you’re on a hot streak, you might want to buckle down and raise your bets – it just might pay off!

It’s in the charts

There are charts available to beginners (both in print and online) on how to bet basic strategy against the dealer’s hand, whether showing a soft hand, which it turns out is any hand showing an ace (valued 1 or 11), a pair or a hard hand. These can often be used as a guide. Again, never guess when you aren’t sure what to play – don’t be afraid to clip out a chart and study it or even take it with you. This can help you reduce the house odds to less than 1 percent.

Know that the dealer will stand on a 17, and depending upon location, you may have to hit on a soft 17. Blackjack (21) pays out at 1½ and other bets pay 1 to 1. And sage advice, from the horse’s mouth: insurance is a sucker’s bet – more often than not you’re going to lose ½ your bet.

It’s you against the house. Not really you against the dealer, but against the shoe or the six decks within the shoe. A more advanced player will keep track of which cards they’ve seen come out of there: for example, know how many face cards have been played and hit or stand based on this knowledge. For beginners such as you and me, we should rely on the basics, our chart and the frequently offered help by friendly players sitting next to you at the table.

Other bets a beginner can try

Doubling down – adding a second bet of equal value or less to your original. It is best to do this when your first two cards equal 10 or 11 and the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6. You only get one card on the hit but you’re betting on the dealer to bust.

Splitting a pair – putting a bet on each card to create two hands – is best to do when dealer showing a 7 or less. Otherwise, you risk losing twice as much money. Most advanced players will say always split aces and 8s. Whether that’s a certain win or not remains to be seen, but it’s often worth the shot.

So with this (and your chart) in hand, you can bet on the basics to get you started and maybe even walk away a winner. Remember it’s all in the fun of learning something new. And may all of your hits be good ones!

~by Michael Behrenhausen