I feel sure that many of our first introductions to Blackjack, was in some meaningless, friendly game – maybe in college, or with some neighbors or friends and probably not in an actual casino.  If your exposure to it is through this kind of experience, the rich tapestry of chance and skill may not be immediately apparent.  It might have seemed back in those less competitive days that Blackjack was a game that owed more to chance than to strategy and thought.  I am not just talking about card counting, which, if a croupier, a security card or a security camera catches you doing in an actual casino will lead to your being both thrown out and banned.

Strategies needn’t be particularly fancy, but that doesn’t mean that makes them any less effective. Some players will have a hard and fast rule that they when they draw 17 and up, they will hold, which is a reasonable strategy.   Others will gamble when they have 16 or fewer, figuring that there is as good a chance to get nearer to 21 as there is busting over it.

Blackjack is a beautifully simple game, it’s just that it takes a lifetime to master.  Play it today and see what I mean.