Blackjack is undoubtedly one of the world’s best and most popular card games and it’s no surprise to see that it’s featured in many great movies but there also countless books about blackjack and here we take a look at some of the best. Blackjack’s glamour has made it a great subject for fictional movies but when it comes to books, our focus is much more on non-fiction: if you like playing blackjack in the casino, check these books out!

Beat the Dealer by Edward O Thorp

Whilst there have subsequently been better books published, this is a must-read because this was really where it all began. Thorp’s book was the first to go public with the concept of card counting and it remains an absolute blackjack classic, both for its historical significance and in its own right.

Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich

Having said the focus here was primarily non-fiction, this is the one book that perhaps blurs the lines somewhat, with there being no doubt that much of Mezrich’s romping tale has certainly been subject to at least a little poetic license. That said, this book, full title Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, is enough to encourage almost anyone that reads it to give card counting at least a superficial try and is a fabulously entertaining read. The film 21 was an adaptation of this book and there is no doubt that the tale of the MIT kids who took Vegas for a not-so-small fortune is must-read material.

Blackjack Wisdom by Arnold Snyder

Another that blurs the lines a little, this book is a collection of magazine pieces by Snyder covering a range of blackjack topics that isn’t too heavy and is a great book to dip in and out of.

Hollywood Blackjack by “Hollywood” Dave Stann

If you like cussing in books, this may be the read for you, with larger-than-life Stann talking about his life in blackjack and offering practical advice about the game, counting and the math behind it. A good book for a beginner with a nice blend of blackjack information, if you intend to take your counting skills into the casino this could well be the blackjack book for you.

Anyone even half serious about playing online blackjack should have at least heard of basic strategy and if not then sadly you’ve been throwing money away. Basic strategy is a mathematically proven method of playing blackjack that tells you precisely what call to make in any given situation. Basic strategy varies slightly according to the version of the rules the game you are playing employs but the principle is the same regardless – basic strategy reduces the house edge to the lowest level that is possible without resorting to card counting or cheating.

So, to answer the question that names this article, the answer is a simple and resounding yes; yes you should use basic strategy whenever you play blackjack. You can see from our basic strategy chart that no matter what cards you have and no matter what card the dealer has there is a precise decision that will deliver the best results in the long term.

At the more obvious end of the scale are decisions that should be second nature to all but beginners, for example staying on 17 and up, never splitting 10s or always splitting eights. However some decisions are more complex, for example should you hit or stand on 12 to a dealer’s three or should you double on 11 against a face card?

This is where the table comes in handy – all the answers are right there and when playing blackjack online it takes only a second to refer to the chart. If you’re playing standard online blackjack you can take all the time you need but even if you happen to be playing live dealer blackjack you should still have the opportunity to consult your chart.

However, despite the fact that basic strategy is THE ONLY way to give yourself the best chance of success by ensuring a house edge of somewhere around 0.5% (depending on the blackjack variant/rules), some people still insist on playing to their own strategies.

Any other method, be it playing on instinct, chancing your luck, copying the dealer (that is to say hit on 16 and below, stand on 17) or adopting a no-bust tactic (standing on 12 upwards) only serves to increase the casino’s advantage over you. So, plain and simple, if you’re playing blackjack in an online casino and you like winning, you know what to do.

There are many options when it comes to playing blackjack, from going head to head with buddies, visiting a real casino or playing online but one of the newest options is to play live dealer blackjack. Here we take a look at what it is, how you play it and what the pros and cons (compared to standard online blackjack) are.

Live dealer blackjack is a form of online blackjack offered by some of the best online casinos and blackjack sites. While “regular” online blackjack is an automated game that relies on RNG (Random Number Generator) software to simulate games, live dealer blackjack uses – as the name suggests – a real life dealer and real cards, with the game being played out live in real time.

Optical recognition software allows you to interact with the casino just as you would in real life, whilst you can also chat to your dealer and fellow players too. The dealers – invariably good-looking young women in revealing dresses – are situated either in a custom-designed studios or, sometimes, in genuine casinos (though in dedicated rooms rather than at public tables). The games are transmitted live and provide a more authentic casino experience and, due to improvements in technology and reducing costs, they are growing in popularity.

Play is identical to standard online blackjack, as are the rules, although there are some differences which we highlight below as we take a look at the pros and cons of playing live dealer blackjack.

Pros

–          For those who question the fairness, randomness and honesty of online casinos, live dealer variants offer improved transparency

–          The games offer more atmosphere than RNG games

–          Some online casinos have extra bonuses for live dealer blackjack

–          The pace of the games is more like in a land-based casino, meaning your money can last longer

Cons

–          Because live dealer games are “real” games, they require a dealer and a table, meaning there are not unlimited places at the blackjack table. You may have to wait for a place to become free, especially at lower stakes tables.

–          Whilst the pace is more realistic, if you’re trying to wager through a large blackjack bonus quickly this is a negative.

Blackjack is a hugely popular casino game, both to play online or to play at “real” casinos. However, whilst we normally talk about strategies and tips, blackjack bonuses or ways to try and make money playing blackjack, here we’re having a lighter look at blackjack and how this great game has been portrayed in some classic movies.

James Bond: License to Kill

License to Kill was released in 1989 and was unusual for a number of reasons. It was a rare outing for Timothy Dalton, it was the first Bond movie not to be shot in the UK and it was also the first not to use the title of an Ian Fleming story. Also, unusually, it featured Bond playing blackjack, rather than his usual casino favorite baccarat (Chemin de Fer, to be a nerd about things). One thing that’s far from unusual is that Britain’s best spy wins – an impressive £250,000 ($400,000)!

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

From Britain’s sexiest spy to their silliest, Austin Powers, the comic creation of Canadian Mike Myers, isn’t quite such a hit. Unaware of the rules Powers decides to stay on five. Interesting tactic from the bad-toothed 1960s sex god. Not one that we recommend though, especially as the dealer hits 20, costing Austin Powers $10,000, as you can see below!

Rain Man

One man who did have a better grasp of numbers was Dustin Hoffman’s autistic character in the Oscar-winning movie Rainman. Hoffman’s character uses his savant math genius to win more than $80,000 counting cards in Vegas despite the casino’s use of a six deck shoe. He doesn’t quite have the same luck playing Wheel of Fortune where his call of number 20 costs Tom Cruise $3,000.

Hangover

Hangover is a great movie and whilst there are countless brilliant scenes and comic moments, for blackjack fans the one that will get them most excited is where the unruly bachelor group manage to successfully function as a card counting team and win big. If only blackjack was so easy!

21

21 just has to feature on this list, seeing as it is about the most successful group of card counters of all time, the MIT team who took down casinos all over the world counting cards at blackjack and winning millions of dollars in the process. If this movie doesn’t get you in the mood for some blackjack we don’t know what will.

Playing online blackjack is fun, period. But it’s even more fun when you’re winning and taking the casino for cold hard cash so avoid the mistakes below to give yourself the very best chance of making a decent profit.

Playing Bad Strategy

Blackjack is great in that it has a low house edge and it has a clearly and unambiguously laid out strategy of playing to ensure the best returns. Played correctly, the casino’s advantage over the player can be as little as 0.5%, or even less if you find a variant of the game with player-friendly rules. However, many players ignore basic strategy, despite it being the mathematically proven way to maximize long term returns.

Maybe you aren’t aware of basic strategy (hint – we have a guide right here on our site) or maybe you just can’t be bothered to use it. Remember, by not making the right calls on when to hit, when to stand or when to double or split, you are throwing cash in the trash!

Playing the Wrong Game

Many US friendly online casinos and blackjack sites offer a choice of slightly different blackjack variants. Some of these, those with liberal rules, will have a house edge at the low end of the aforementioned spectrum, in the region of around 0.5%. However, choose a game with extra decks, tough rules on doubles and, perhaps worst of all, short pays on blackjack, and you are massively increasing the advantage the dealer holds over you. We’ve got four words for you – cash in the trash!

Choosing the Wrong Bonus

When you join a new online casino you may be faced with a choice of casino welcome bonuses. If you dive right in and simply plump for the biggest amount or the highest percentage you may miss out if blackjack is the game you want to play.

Most of the best bonuses are reserved for slots fans, simply because whilst the house edge in blackjack is usually less than 1%, on slots it can be 10 times that or even more! Check the details of the bonus before you dive in and make sure that blackjack is allowed and, ideally, that it contributes at 100%, or at the very least a good solid percentage, towards the bonus wagering requirements.

Okay, well, we’ve got to admit to a slight bias on this one and the fact that we’re writing here at www.reviewblackjack.com is maybe something of a giveaway to our answer. As such we won’t keep you waiting – the short, sweet and simple answer is… yes, blackjack is the best game to be found in a casino, be that online or offline.

There are several reasons why we think this and they relate to the two main reasons people play casino games: to have fun and to make money. Blackjack offers both of those and that, alongside the brilliant combination of being easy to play but hard to master, is what has made it such a popular game for so many years.

Blackjack may have been around, in one form or another, for as long as 400 years or more, but today – whether played in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, or online on your desktop, tablet or cell – it remains one of, if not THE, most popular casino games around.

Low House Edge

Many people, especially those in the know, play blackjack because few, if any, casino games give the player a better chance to walk away with a profit. The house edge is the phrase used to describe the advantage the house – the casino – holds over the player and on some forms of blackjack it can be as low as 0.28%. There are so many slight rule variations with blackjack but a more reasonable figure to use, and one that you would probably find at most online casinos, is around 0.6%. Whilst that’s more than double the lowest possible figure, it still equates to a loss of just $6 from playing 100 hands at $10 and compares very favorably to slots, where the house edge can be as much as 20% and even roulette (2.70% to 5.26%) and Caribbean Stud Poker (5.22%).

Player’s Actions Matter

There is a degree of skill in blackjack that isn’t found in games such as roulette, where you have no other decision to make aside from what to bet on. With blackjack, your choices impact your success and whilst there is a proven method of play – basic strategy – you still have to make the right calls at the right time.

This, along with a very real chance to win, is why we say blackjack is, without doubt, the best game in the casino!