The Four Cardinal Rules of Blackjack

Beginners in blackjack ought to study basic strategies in winning at blackjack. Among the lessons in basic blackjack are the four cardinal rules that give beginners some winning edge against the dealer.

Rule 1. Keep drawing blackjack cards until the hand is at least a hard 17 or a soft 18, or higher hands of either, when the blackjack dealer's face-up card is a 7 or something higher.

Rule 2. If the blackjack dealer's face-up card is a 6 or something lower than it, the hand must at least be a 12. Anything lower needs draws. When the blackjack hand is more than 12 or anything higher, don't draw cards anymore.

Rule 3. When the blackjack hand (first two cards) is 10 or 11, remember to double down when the blackjack dealer shows a nine or something lower than that.

Rule 4. Eights and aces are best to be split, no matter how the other players seem to react in blackjack. Don't spilt any other pairs. These four cardinal rules for beginners ought to put them in better situations, especially when a first-timer among veteran blackjack players. These blackjack rules may even make them look poker-smart and bluff their way to blackjack wins.

The cardinal rules above are far from making us masters or expert players in blackjack. It takes years of learning and actual practice to have advanced rules and strategies working automatically in blackjack sessions. The cardinal blackjack rules above, for example, must be memorized daily and practiced during actual blackjack plays to master. Basic strategies, like the above poker cardinal rules, are aimed at maximizing winning chances of a player especially against the dealer. Basic poker strategies minimize the casino's chance of winning by as low as 1.5 percent.

Remember that all blackjack players play against the dealer, not against themselves. If there are four players, that's four strategies working against the dealer. Basically, blackjack players have the option to either stand or continue drawing cards. The routine only stops once the blackjack players either stand or bust. The dealer must be careful not to bust to get a chance to win something. At the end of the game, players with higher hands than the dealer's win, and all hands lower lose.

Blackjack has cardinal rules for beginners, basically to make them look good, and to somehow have a winning chance at blackjack. The rules must be memorized to be effective in blackjack sessions.