Big Book of Blackjack

by Arnold Snyder

Snyder shows beginning and advanced players everything they need to know to beat the game of casino blackjack. From the rules of the game to advanced professional strategies, his guidance and advice runs the gamut of strategies needed to successfully beat the casino-with the odds. Snyder has been a professional player and the guru for serious players for more than 25 years. One of the most fascinating sections, rarely covered in any previous book in depth, is the history of the game and how it evolved, including profiles of some of the great players, some of them pioneers..

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How to Beat Internet Casinos and Poker Rooms

by Arnold Snyder

Who better to teach you how to beat the online casino and poker room than a man who has been beating land-based casinos (at blackjack) for decades? Snyder reveals how you can make money olnline without any special skills, mathematical ability, super memory, difficult systems to work or eve a big bankroll. Looking at this as easy money, he explains methods of play that can multiplay your bankroll many times with little risk. The 2/3 of the book cover all the major games and promotions while the last third focuses on poker.

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Blackjack Rules - Beyond the Basics

There are a number of situations in blackjack where you can make a decision beyond whether or not you want to hit or stand. Depending on the first two cards, you can double down, split pairs, and in some cases, surrender. This article will explain the differences in the rules for each of these situations.

Double Down – You will be able to double down after your first two cards providing you meet the casino's rule for doubling down. Most casinos will allow you to double down on any two cards (DOA). Some casinos limit your doubling to hands that total ten or eleven. When you double down, you will be allowed to double your bet, and you will receive one card from the dealer. Show your cards to the dealer, announce that you are doubling down and match your current bet with chips from your stack. Your card will be given to you face down.

The obvious question with doubling down is why should you do it? If you have a hand such as a 9, 10 or 11, and if the dealer has a weak hand showing, the odds are greatly in your favor to win.

Here's a table of when to double down:

*When to Double Down* Dealer's Upcard
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Player's Hand
5-5	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db
Soft 18		Db	Db	Db	Db
Soft 17		Db	Db	Db	Db
Soft 16			Db	Db	Db
Soft 15			Db	Db	Db
Soft 14				Db	Db
Soft 13					Db
11	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db
10	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db	Db
9		Db	Db	Db	Db

Splitting Pairs

When you are dealt a pair, you have the option of splitting those cards into two separate hands. You must bet an equal amount to your original hand. You would then play those hands as you would a normal hand. However, if you split aces, you will only receive one additional card.

Splitting cards provides the player with the same advantage as doubling down. The player has the opportunity to increase his wager when he sees the dealer has a weak hand.

*When to Split Pairs* Dealer's Upcard
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Player's Hand
A-A	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp
9-9	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp		Sp	Sp
8-8	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp
7-7	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp
6-6		Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp
3-3			Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp
2-2			Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp

Insurance

When a dealer is showing an ace, the player has the option, in most cases, to take insurance (see blackjack insurance). This bet is offered to give the player a chance to break even on their hand if the dealer has a blackjack. To take insurance, you make an additional bet worth half of your original bet. If the dealer has twenty-one or blackjack, you win double your insurance bet, but unless you have a blackjack yourself, you will lose your original, so you'll wind up even.

Now let's say you have a blackjack, and the dealer shows an ace. If you take insurance, and the dealer has blackjack, you'll win insurance and push on your hand, giving you even money. If the dealer doesn't have a natural, and you take insurance, you win 3 to 2 on your blackjack, but lose your insurance -- even money again.

The complications of insurance shouldn't bother you too much because it's a bet you should avoid. The real bet you are making is whether or not the dealer has a natural if the first card is an ace. The odds of this happening are predicated on how many 10 point cards are still in the deck. If you are playing single deck blackjack and you know there are a lot of face cards and tens left in the deck, the edge might be in your favor. But, if you are a casual player playing against a multi-deck shoe, the house edge on insurance is up to 8%, regardless of your hand. This is much worse than sticking to basic strategy.

Surrender

If you're at a table that offers this option, you can forfeit half of your bet if your hand feels like a loser. If the casino allows you to take back half your bet even if the dealer's hand is a natural, this is called early surrender. Casinos most often limit this bet to when the dealer doesn't have a natural. This is known as late surrender. There are very few occasions that you should take this option. Here's a short table to show you those times.

*When to Late Surrender* Dealer's Upcard
Player's Hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Hard 17										Sr
Hard 16								Sr	Sr	Sr
Hard 15									Sr	Sr

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