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Gambling Strategies

An introduction to the very general area of gambling strategies may be a tough task. The goal of gambling strategies is to play each game in a way that reduces the house edge as much as possible in general situations. Casino games usually have one or two strategies that you could employ. Most of the time there is a basic strategy that can be followed, and a more advanced strategy to play in specific situations that could not all be considered in a basic strategy.

You will easily find basic blackjack strategy on the Internet. And it is a perfect example of how gambling strategies work in general. In blackjack the odds can be lowered significantly by playing the same way in the same situations consistently over time. Consistency is key in these gambling strategies. All are calculated to only lower the house edge over a certain number of hands. With blackjack and other similar games it is often easier to express the strategies in a chart form. Easy to follow charts like the one shown below are available all over the net.

 

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Ace

8

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

9

H

D

D

D

D

H

H

H

H

H

10

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

H

H

11

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

H

12

H

H

S

S

S

H

H

H

H

H

13

S

S

S

S

S

H

H

H

H

H

14

S

S

S

S

S

H

H

H

H

H

15

S

S

S

S

S

H

H

H

SU

H

16

S

S

S

S

S

H

H

SU

SU

SU

17

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S



There are four letters or letter combos within the body of the chart. These represent the appropriate action given the combination of which row and which column your in. Across the top are values of the card the dealer shows, since you only get to see one as you make your decision. H stands for hit, S for stand, and D for double. The SU you see stands for surrender, a slightly more complicated rule that is not always offered at the blackjack table. In order to work surrender into your blackjack strategy you should be familiar with when to hit and stay. So if the dealer shows a 7 while you have a 12. Hit. This chart is an example of basic strategies for blackjack on hard totals. Soft totals need to be seen differently (soft in blackjack has to do with the Ace being worth either 1 or 11 depending on which is more advantageous to your hand).

So you can see, even with basic gambling strategies, your not always dealing with very basic things. Not to worry, casino games can be intimidating and complex at first but always seem to become easy before the end of the night. Pay a lot of attention to the people around you, especially if they seem to know what they are doing. And in a land based casino, you can always ask the dealers at the table what the basic gambling strategy is for your situation, they will either look it up or know off the top of their heads.

The term gambling strategies is often interchanged with the term gambling systems. Generally a system is a gambling strategy that has been copyrighted. An individual found what they consider to be a good systematic method for playing a game. Often, systems are found by mathematicians who work out the most statistically elegant way to deal with each situation a game presents.

For novice gamblers, its important to get your head around the basic strategies for the games you want to play, and as you progress and become more comfortable with the game, to take a look into something deeper, try out a system or two and see if its for you. A good number of people find that there is more enjoyment in gambling for them if they don't pay too much attention to fine details of a system or always following the basic strategy. The spontaneity of going with your gut is appealing and can certainly make for a more emotional experience, but not one that's good in a monetary sense quite as often.

More basic and advanced gambling strategies are available at about.com.
Specific Game Strategies - Baccarat Strategy | Keno Strategy | Blackjack Strategy | Roulette Strategy.
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