You think you are are you ready play Blackjack?

Do you want to check how well you know blackjack? True or False? Answer this quiz then check. Give yourself one point for each correct answer.

1. The casino edge in blackjack is the result of that fact that a player does not know how to play his hands properly.

2. If you get a 10-2 and the dealer’s upcard is a 10, and if the surrender is allowed by the casino, you ought to surrender your hand.

3. You ought to hit a hard 16 when the dealer has a 10 showing.

4. Bad players at your table do you harm.

5. Progressive blackjack betting systems can eliminate the casino edge in blackjack.

6. The casino edge increases when a continuous shuffling machine or CSM is used in a casino.

7. The casino edge at a 6-to-5 single deck blackjack is the same that is at a 6-deck blackjack dealt from a shoe.

8. Blackjack side bets offer high payouts therefore they are a better bet.

9. The blackjack odds keep changing since every card is withdrawn from the shoe.

10. When the dealer’s face up card is an ace you get even money if you make the insurance bet on your blackjack hand.

11. There isn’t any example when you ought to double an 11 if the dealer’s upcard is an ace.

12. When according to the rules the dealer hits a soft 17 the casino edge goes up nearly 0.2%.

13. Card counting in blackjack is illegal.

14. Players are allowed to use the blackjack basic strategy when they play at the casinos.

15. Many slot players are afraid of playing blackjack because they think that if they make a mistake it would result in some other player to lose.

16. The player should press his bets every time the dealer is cold.

17. Hit an Ace-7 every time the dealer has a 10 showing.

18. Blackjack is the best casino game for a player.

Answers

1. False. The casino has a built-in edge since if the player busts and the dealer busts his hand in the same round, the player loses.
2. False. You’d better play out your hand than surrender.
3. False. If three or even more cards create your 16, you must stand.
4. False. The way other players play out their hands does not influence on your chances of losing or winning at blackjack in the long run. It is a widespread fiction among players.
5. False. There is no betting system that can change the casino edge in favour of a blackjack player. They just make the player bet more and as the result he would have a higher theoretical loss than if he bet the same amount on all hands.
6. False. In fact the casino edge is a bit lower when a CSM is used because more aces and tens are dealt with a CSM on average in comparison with a usually shuffled shoe. More high cards are favour of the player, this decreases the casino edge a bit. But with a CSM a casino deals 20% more hands per hour causing a higher loss for a player and thereby more than compensating for the lower casino edge.
7. False. A 6-to-5 game increases the casino edge about 1.4%. The majority of 6-deck games feature a casino edge below 1%.
8. False. The majority of blackjack side bets such as Pair Square, Royal Match, and others have a casino edge more than 2%. The side bet has an alluring high payout but this thing doesn’t make it a great bet.
9. True. This differs blackjack from other casinos games. An experienced player who can keep tracking the cards knows exactly when the odds have changed in his favour and wagers more.
10. True. The dealer in most casinos will offer “even money” to you before he looks at his pocket card. Many prefer to take the sure even money. It is a mistake. You’d better refuse the even money as on average you will win more than even money in the long run.
11. False. In single and double deck blackjack games you ought to double an 11 against an ace. And you should double down in six and eight deck games if the dealer can hit a soft 17.
12. True. Therefore you’d better play the games where the dealer must stand on all 17’s.
13. False. It is not illegal to use your skills and keep track of played cards at blackjack.
14. True. Why not? Why do not more players take the answers with them to blackjack?
15. True. It is a pity because a player should understand that the way he plays his hand doesn’t influence on the odds of other players losing or winning their hands.
16. False. It does not matter what bet you make since you cannot predict that the dealer will stay ‘cold.’
17. True. A soft 18 is not sufficiently good to stand when the dealer’s face up card is a 10 thereby hitting is your better decision.
18. True. If you learn the blackjack basic strategy you can almost eliminate the house edge and if you are smart enough to master a simple card counting system such as Speed Count, the edge will favour you (but you should remember that card counting systems do not help you if you are playing online blackjack since the deck is shuffled after each hand).

Congratulations if you have 17-18 points. You know blackjack well.

If you have 16 or less, you’d better mug up before you start to play.