If you’re new to the game of blackjack, it can be hard to hold your own against more experienced players. Although on the surface, blackjack is deceptively simple, strategies have developed over the years to help players minimize their losses and effectively reduce the house edge. The essential principles are known as basic strategy, and this is often summarized as a series of rules and options known as a blackjack cheat sheet.
What is a cheat sheet?
Using a blackjack cheat sheet isn’t really cheating. It’s just a reminder of basic strategy that more experienced players will already have memorized and be following anyway. The cheat sheet is based on mathematical probability, and tells you whether to stand, hit, or split your cards in any given situation. As with all casino games, the house always wins in the long run, but using a cheat sheet to follow basic strategy will definitely help you win more often in the short term.
Are cheat sheets suitable for beginners?
A blackjack cheat sheet is ideal for beginners. Whether you’re playing face-to-face at home or in a club, or whether you’ve selected blackjack at an NJ online casino, it can help level the playing field so that someone who is new to the game has as good a chance of winning as more experienced players.
Of course, there’s no substitute for practice and committing this blackjack knowledge to memory, as well as understanding exactly why you should follow the recommendations on the cheat sheet. However, having these rules to hand will help you play like a pro while you’re learning. That way, you won’t have blown all your money by the time you’re a natural blackjack player who no longer needs to have a cheat sheet.
How closely should you stick to basic strategy?
There may be times when the recommendations on the cheat sheet run counter to what your head or your heart tells you is the best move to make. In this situation, should you go with your gut instinct to stand or hit, even if it goes against basic strategy?
The short answer is no. Cheat sheets are popular for a reason. Following the strategy given in them doesn’t mean that you’ll never lose – in a game of chance such asblackjack, this is impossible. What the cheat sheet does is give you the best mathematical odds of coming out ahead if you always follow the recommendations on it.
Is ignoring the cheat sheet a mistake?
Technically, going against basic strategy is always a mistake. You might get lucky and win, but it was still a mistake, just as you can still be unlucky and lose by playing the right tactic. The only exception to this is if you are counting cards and this tells you that you should ignore basic strategy when you stand or hit. In this case, you’re taking a calculated risk. However, card counting isn’t recommended for blackjack beginners.
With experience, you can follow your instincts more often, but as a newbie, stick to the cheat sheet. It’s easy to get your mental calculations wrong under pressure, and while it can be more fun to freestyle, you will lose quicker! Cheat sheets are the easiest way to improve your game.
