“Overlooked Pointers for the Blackjack Player”

If you’re just starting out as a Blackjack player you’ve probably read up on basic tips and strategies for playing. But some pointers and little-known facts are often overlooked, to the player’s detriment. Read on, as it will be well worth your while to learn these things.

The no-peek rule. It would behoove you to check whether the online blackjack game you’re playing in abides by the “no-peek” rule. This rule, which also applies to the European version of blackjack, stipulates that the dealer doesn’t check his hand for a blackjack after dealing out the cards. He checks it only after the players have played. If the dealer does indeed have a blackjack, all of the players lose their full bet, unless any of the players also has a blackjack. And of course any other bets – wagered during the course of play because of a split or double – will also be lost.

Insurance. Generally speaking, it is best not to take insurance, even if you have a blackjack. In certain circumstances a player might do well to buy insurance (i.e., if the player is a very good card counter, and if the deck is stacked with tens), but as a general rule, players should avoid it.

The surrender option. If you want to walk away from a game without playing out your hand, you would choose this option, something offered at certain casinos. In general, surrendering is only an option in games involving at least six decks of cards. Because the “cost” of surrendering is the player’s agreement to forfeit half of his original wager, it is an option that should be taken only when the player’s hand is so bad that it’s clear his net return will be less than fifty percent. Something called “late surrender,” an option which is not available in European versions of the game or online blackjack because of the no-peek rule, enables the player to surrender just after the dealer has checked to see if he has a blackjack.

Five-Card-Charlie. A hand made up of five cards is called a Five-Card-Charlie hand, but the total value of those five cards must not go over 21. A five-card-Charlie hand automatically wins for the player unless the dealer has a blackjack. Naturally, it ceases to be five-card-Charlie once the player has split his hand.