Creating an effective blackjack strategy is somewhat complicated due to the fact that different casinos have different rules and regulations. The basic principles of a successful blackjack game, however, remain the same pretty much worldwide.

The most basic distinction between the different blackjack games is online and land casino blackjack. They are, for the most part, very similar, although experienced players have been known to minimize and devalue online blackjack games for the decreased thrill factor. For the purposes of this site we will be focusing on land casino blackjack.

Land casino blackjack can be played with several variations. There’s basic blackjack, Las Vegas strip blackjack, pontoon blackjack, progressive blackjack, and super fun 21 blackjack. It can also be played with anywhere from one to eight decks of cards, depending on your skill level and the type of blackjack game that you are playing. Be aware that playing blackjack with fewer decks of cards will give you a stronger advantage – if you draw a ten, increasing the quantity of decks that you are playing with will also decrease your odds of drawing an ace. If you decide to play single deck blackjack, casinos will often compensate in other ways. (That having been said, single deck blackjack still gives the player the highest statistical advantage; the house advantage only increases with the quantity of decks used.)

There are some basic blackjack terms and definitions that you will need to know if you hope to understand the game. These include:

• Hit – asking the dealer for another card (synonymous with “draw”)
• Stand – refusing another card
• Hole card – a card that is face-down
• Bust – to reach a sum that is more than 21, causing the player to automatically lose
• Early surrender – when the player withdraws before the dealer turns over his hole card, retaining 50% of his bet.
• Hard hand – a hand in which the ace equals as 1 instead of 11
• Soft hand – a hand in which the ace equals 11 instead of 1

This site offers an in-depth tutorial of each of the variations and methods. Learn more about each blackjack strategy on this site.