How to Increase Your Chances of Winning at Live Blackjack

Like most other casino games, live blackjack is a game that relies a lot on luck. No matter how much of an expert you are at playing live blackjack, if you are having a bad day, you might end up losing every game you play that day. 

With that said, you should always try to make use of strategies that improve your chances of winning. If you play a game of Blackjack willy-nilly without thinking about your moves, you will definitely lose more often. To help you with that, here is our take on the best strategies you can use to increase your chances of winning at live blackjack. 

Blackjack Refresher

Before we jump into all the tips we have for you, let's take a refresher on some of the main terms used in Blackjack.

• Hit: Hit means asking for another card.
• Stand: Stand means that you decide to take no more cards.
• Double Down: You double down when you double the amount of your bet while taking an extra card or deciding not to take any more cards. 
• Split: This is a bit complicated. Essentially, you can split your cards into two separate hands if you have two cards of the same value. 
• Surrender: You surrender when you think you will lose your hand. You lose half of your bet when you surrender.

Follow the Basic Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack is one of the most popular gambling games. You may have seen blackjack being played in a movie or somewhere else on TV. If you have seen a game of Blackjack on TV or in person at a casino, you might have noticed that it is a relatively fast game. 

Each player on the blackjack table might seem to know their next move, and they execute without thinking twice about it. There is a reason for this speed. Players actually know what their next move is because they follow the "basic Blackjack strategy."

The basic Blackjack strategy is a mathematical strategy that spits out your move based on what your hand is and what the up-card of the dealer is. Many people consider Blackjack a "solved" game because of this strategy. Despite that, a ton of players make the mistake of completely ignoring this strategy. 

If you want to improve your chances of winning, you must follow the basic Blackjack strategy. The strategy is based on math. You can not go wrong with it, nor is there a better or simpler strategy. Take your time to learn the basic Blackjack strategy (It's not that difficult) and use it in your next game of Live Blackjack.

Use Your Computer To Your Advantage

The great thing about live blackjack is that you do it in the comfort of your own home. When you play live blackjack on your computer using your browser, you can open as many extra browser tabs or other windows as you want. Since you have this ability, you should use it for your benefit and improve your chances of winning the game. 

The Blackjack Cheat Sheet

While the basic blackjack strategy is simple to understand, it is hard to memorize. The basic blackjack strategy requires you to perform certain moves based on the cards you have and the dealer's card. However, each combination of your cards and the dealer's up-card has a different move according to the strategy. It is not easy to remember all of those combinations. 

The good news is that you can get access to a cheat sheet. This cheat sheet tells you the precise moves you must use in a game of blackjack. All you have to do is find your cards and the dealer's card on the sheet and see what move is suggested for that particular combination. 

Opening a Cheat Sheet During a Game of Blackjack

What you would be surprised to learn is that even physical casinos allow players to bring a cheat sheet with them and then use it while playing blackjack. Some may not allow it, but it's a small minority. 

If you are having trouble memorizing the basic Blackjack strategy, you can always pull up an image from the cheat sheet in a new window right next to the browser window you are playing a game of Live Blackjack on. With a cheat sheet next to you, you will significantly improve your chances of winning. 

Stay Focused on the Cards & the Table

When you play a game of blackjack, you have two key pieces of information at your disposal. It includes the two cards you are holding in your hand and the up-card in the hands of the dealer. All other cards and information stay hidden from you. However, those two pieces of information are precisely what the basic blackjack strategy is based on.

If you have looked at the basic blackjack strategy, you probably know how important it is to keep an eye on your cards and the up card. It is also important to keep an eye on the table. However, it is surprisingly common for people to take their eyes off both of those things. 

While playing live blackjack, keep your attention on the cards and the table. It is not only required for you to use the basic blackjack strategy, but you will have much better odds of winning than if you don't pay attention to the game.

Find the Best Table

When you enter an online live casino and search for live blackjack, you will see a ton of games (tables) available for you to choose from. The best part is that you don't have to look around like you would need to at an actual casino. All you need to do is scroll a bit, and you will find other live blackjack games.

The thing about different tables for live blackjack at an online casino is that they will have different rules most of the time. One of the most important rules you need to look into is the house odds or the payouts. Most Live Blackjack games offer payouts of 3:2. However, some tables have payouts of 6:5. 

To the untrained eye, the odds of 6:5 might seem great because 6 is a larger number than 3. However, the odds of 3:2 will give you $300 for betting $200 and winning or $750 for betting $500. On the other hand, odds of 6:5 will get you only $600 for winning and betting $500. While playing Live Blackjack, you should always look for tables with the best payouts. 

Avoid Tables with Gimmicks

It is clear that tables for live blackjack at an online casino have different rules. Another thing you should know is that tables have unique gimmicks as well to attract players. For example, one of the most popular gimmicks you will see at Live Blackjack tables is that they show both the cards that the dealer has. 

You might be thinking that gimmicks would be great for players. Since you get to see all the dealer's cards, you should have an advantage. However, the problem with these gimmicks is that while they do appear to provide you with some advantage, they compensate by changing some other rules of the game which you probably won't notice while joining the game. For this reason, if you want to get better results from a game of Live Blackjack, avoid the tables that have gimmicks.

Keep Your Head Clear

When your money is on the line, the levels of stress are higher than if your money wasn't on the line. You are much more careful in your decisions. However, a mistake that a lot of people make in these situations is that they start to overthink stuff. If you are playing a game like Blackjack, where intense focus is required, overthinking is not something that will help you. 

When you start overthinking, you start making decisions that don't seem rational. You think of multiple unnecessary possibilities despite the decision being very clear. If you want to improve your chances of winning a Live Blackjack game, you should always enter the game with a clear head. If you start to overthink everything, you will reduce your chances of winning.

Avoid Side Bets

A lot of times, certain Live Blackjack tables will offer some extra bets you can place. Some of the most common side bets include Lucky Ladies, Super Sevens, and Insurance. The thing about these side bets is that they usually offer some insane returns. However, this is a blatant red flag suggesting that the probability of you winning these side bets is quite slim. 

When you place a wager on top of the bets you are making while playing Live Blackjack, you are actually reducing the overall probability of the game resulting in a positive outcome for you. 

For example, getting heads on one coin might be easy because it's a fifty-fifty chance. However, getting heads on two coins is a completely different story. If you want to improve your chances of getting a positive outcome from a game of Live Blackjack, always avoid side bets.

Avoid Distractions

Currently, casinos have tons of distractions you have to deal with. Other games of Blackjack or Roulette might be running near you, or distracting music might be playing inside the casino. Maybe a sports game might be running on the TV. The benefit of Live Blackjack is that you don't have to deal with any of that. 

However, a lot of people play Live Blackjack while sitting in a busy location. If you do that, then you will have to deal with the same, if not more, amount of distractions that you would have dealt with while playing in an actual casino. 

These distractions can influence your decisions a lot, which may lead you to making some moves that cost you the entire game. Always make sure that you are playing Live Blackjack in a place with the least amount of distractions.