Blackjack

The first steps to a basic strategy by Elizabeth Tudor

The game is one of the simplest ever invented. The rules are few and there's no physical effort involved in playing it. You just sit, look at a few cards and make your bets. That's probably why it's become one of the most popular casino games of all time. Of course everyone knows the House has an edge. That's how it pays all the expenses for running the casino. Remember it makes no difference whether this is a casino in the real world or online. You still need people and a base. So common sense tells you that no-one beats the House unless they invest some effort. Put another way: if everyone could beat the House without breaking sweat, the casino would go out of business in a day. This produces the headline: no pain, no gain. You have to put in some study time to master the basic strategy.

So what is this strategy? Over the years, some serious math types did all the work for you. They calculated the best way to play all the card combinations and wrote them down in simple charts. If you were going to play in a real casino, you would have to learn all these rules. That saves you having to pause before every decision to check the charts. Not only would the other players around the table be less than impressed, the casino would probably suggest you leave. But playing online changes all that. You can consult the charts as often as you like before deciding which card to play. It may be slow but, if you get the strategy right for every hand, you just shifted the odds in your favor.

So what are these charts? The first gives you the rules on when to split a pair. The strategy changes depending on the value of the cards dealt to you and the value of the card you can see the Dealer holding. So it starts with the rule that you split a pair of aces no matter what the Dealer holds, and goes down to the choices when you hold a pair of 2s. The other two charts deal with hard hands and soft hands. A hard hand is when neither card is an ace and the strategy changes significantly depending on the card held by the Dealer and the table rules on when the Dealer must stand or draw. A soft hand contains an ace and is easier to play because you can always draw one more card without busting - this takes some of the pressure off the play. I started off by saying blackjack is an easy game but, like all games, you can play for fun or you can take it seriously and play to win. In this case, you are more likely to win if you learn the charts and can play the strategy without thinking. To really take on the House edge, you also have to become a card counter but that's a whole new story because it does not work in a virtual casino. For now, focus on the basic strategy and start your winning blackjack career.

About the Author

With over 10 years working as a professional journalist Elizabeth Tudor has contributed many interesting materials to http://www.blackjackencyclopedia.com/library/the-first-steps-to-a-basic-strategy.html that many users around the globe regard as a benchmark for professional writing.

Football Betting

Football Betting - Learn How To Bet And Become A Winner Today!

The field of football betting is very dangerous and unpredictable considering the fact that most people use the wrong information when placing bets. This can easily lead to losses of large proportions. Winning in football bets can be attained through consistency which is the most important criteria that should be observed. This can be done through what is called as consistent tight betting which is the simplest and most effective means of betting possible. Basically, one person should stick to betting on a couple of teams only since this would minimize their efforts in monitoring the teams' performance and the tendencies each player of these teams. This would also allow them to have mastery and gain all the necessary knowledge on that specific group of players. By sticking to just two to three teams, the person betting can have a high probability of predicting the direction of the game correctly.

The game of football is one of the hardest yet widely used games in betting. This is because the way people establish their loyalties on their teams is very concrete. There are hundreds of leagues in any given country which caters to the game of football. This is what makes football special and what sets it apart from other sports. The issue lies on the unpredictability of the players involved. Basically, the direction of football can change in a split second since many things are involved. At any given time, all eleven players can excel and improve their passing and intercepting percentages which could set the trend of the game. Once this has been done, the game can go in a direction that is initially improbable. That is why betting should take into account all the possible scenarios which can occur.

The field of football betting is very hard to tackle and that is why hundreds of websites and internet sources have been set up to deal with the factors and variables involved. Successful betting has been achieved by many people due to their practical and well placed use of information. Another way to succeed here is by seeking the help of betting experts which have spent countless hours in analyzing data and information regarding a certain player and a team. This gives them the capability to look at the tendencies of the team and other factors that can easily change and can influence the game. There are betting companies that offer a 24 hour chat service to give answers to people who would want to establish their thoughts and all the information they have gathered about the team they want to bet on.

Winning in football betting can be achieved if the right factors are addressed. This cannot be done by merely going with instincts. You should be intellectual when deciding which team would win depending on the probability and chances derived from the data and information coming from the past games. Hundreds of people betting have achieved success by constantly using the information that would matter in making their decisions. Betting on football should constantly use information that would have a great bearing on the result. This is the most significant factor that would allow people to win.

By: Chris Grisham