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“Blackjack: Beyond the Basics”

Four little-known rules to help you win at Blackjack

Here are some long-forgotten pointers which are not usually included in the standard list of strategies and tips offered to blackjack players. They are worth learning and the new information should provide the player with that little bit of extra confidence when he sits down at the blackjack table to play.

One, remember that the “no peek” rule applies in most online blackjack games. What this means is that dealer is not allowed to peek at his cards after he has dealt in order to see if he has dealt himself a blackjack. He may only look at his own cards after the players have played their hands. Should he in fact be holding a blackjack hand, then all the players automatically lose their full bets, except for any others who may be holding blackjack too. They will ‘push’. It also stands to reason that all bets placed during the course of the game, because of a split or a double, will also lose.

Two, the surrender option. This is offered by casinos and lets a player leave the game without playing what’s left of his hand. The surrender option is usually only offered when at least 6 decks of cards are being used and the player has to forfeit half of his original bet. The surrender option is normally only used when a player considers that he is holding the worst of hands and expects that his return will be less than half of his bet.

The most usual form of late surrender is right after the dealer has looked at his cards to see whether he is holding a blackjack, but because the commonly used “no peek” rule disallows the dealer from looking his cards, the late surrender possibility falls away.

Three, the “Five-Card-Charlie” hand. Most players, especially new players, are completely unaware that the “Five-Card-Charlie” hand, a hand of five cards which totals less than 21 points, is an automatic win for the player, except when the dealer is holding blackjack. The “Five-Card-Charlie” hand does not apply after a hand has been split.

Four, and this is a pretty general rule that should be followed, never take the insurance offered even when you have blackjack. If you are a card counter and the deck is loaded with tens, then you may possibly benefit and come out ahead if you have insurance, but otherwise, forget it, especially if you are not a good card counter.

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