Is there a pattern I should be looking for when I play Blackjack?

Or is it all about being lucky when you hit? I play a Blackjack game on my Mac called Pontoon, which is straight up, free Blackjack, and I was wonding this. Care to enlighten me?
Also, is it possible to predict what cards are going to show up next?

7 Responses to “Is there a pattern I should be looking for when I play Blackjack?”

  1. carly says:
    February 12, 2010 at 4:05 pm

    Back in the day, professional card players were sometimes banned from the big casinos because it was suspected they were counting cards. Almost all casinos use two decks and constantly use new decks, so no… it’s really hard to predict cards , especially when you are at a black jack table with other people. I just hope I can split aces and eights.

  2. Digital Haruspex says:
    February 12, 2010 at 4:45 pm

    Buy the book “Knock Out Blackjack” or the original card counting system, “Beat the Dealer.”

    The first one is a fairly simple counting system but is powerful enough to be used by professional card counters. The second is the original card counting system that was developed to beat the game. It’s slightly harder to learn but it does work.

    Card counting, if done accurately and correctly, will give you somewhere around a 1-2% advantage over the house (in this case your computer), depending on the rules that the house must follow (such as always standing on 17, etc.). While 1% doesn’t sound like much, in the long term it’s enough to walk away with a substantial amount of money or, in your case of playing on the computer, a good number of wins. If you doubt that then know that the casino or computer usually has just as much of an advantage over the average player who isn’t using basic strategy or counting cards and look at the money the casinos make from Blackjack.

    One other thing you can do is learn Basic Strategy. It’s a mathematically proven method of play that is dictated by the cards in your hand vs the dealers up card. If you stick to basic strategy you’ll reduce the casino’s (or computer’s) advantage over you to about 0.2 – 0.5% and, depending on the cards you may even be able to even the odds so that neither of you has an advantage over the other.

    Check the link below for a Basic Strategy guide. Also search Google for “Basic Strategy” or “Learn Basic Strategy” to find other sites that may explain it more clearly and in depth.

    By the way, if you happen to get seriously good at counting cards and want to hit a real casino and try out your luck, make sure you’re “cover” is down so that they can’t tell you’re doing it. Pit bosses like to keep an eye on the Blackjack tables for card counters. While the activity isn’t illegal (the Supreme Court has ruled that it’s not since you’re using skill rather than a device), the casino’s take a dim view of the practice. At best they’ll “soft bar” by kindly asking you to play any game in the casino *except* Blackjack. At worst they’ll “hard bar” you which means you’ll be asked to leave the casino. If that happens, grab your chips and leave. Whatever you’ve won to that point is legally yours so don’t leave it behind just because you’re being tossed out.

    Good luck!

  3. LilShariwa says:
    February 12, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    Some people just don’t know what the heck they are talking about!!

    Yes, there are patterns you should look for
    Yes, it is possible to count cards (NOT a good practice in a casino)
    Only SOME of the Elite casinos are using two decks now, where the smaller ones are sticking to one deck to draw in the crowd.
    Some casinos have tables that use ONLY two decks, again they are the more elite ones, and some have both one and two deck tables.
    You can still count cards with a two deck table, but it is harder to do.

    Playing cards on a computer is ALOT different than playing in real life.

    First of all, the computer determines the way the cards are stacked in the deck and therefore has an un fair advantage over you.

    Second, it is illegal to stack a deck in a casino and any dealer who is caught can not only be fired, but will lose thier license to deal in ANY casino in the United States AND face fines up to $5,000 or more PLUS time in prison.

    They also incur fines for the casino they are working for if the gaming commission catches them.

    Not to mention that the casino can lose it’s license for allowing it to happen, whether they know the dealer is doing it or not, it is “ASSUMED” that they do know.

    You NEVER split A’s and 8’s, that’s 19 and you should hold. (In Poker, A’s and 8’s is called “A Dead man’s hand”; Goes back to around 1888 when a well known outlaw was killed over cheating in a card game and when they looked at his hand it was A’s and 8’s. Ever since it’s been called “Dead man’s Hand”. For many years people called it an unlucky hand because of this.)

    You want to hit on anything below 15, hold on anything above 17 (especially if the dealer has a low card high. He could get a ten and bust!!)because the dealer will most likely get a soft 17 or bust.

    If the dealer has an Ace, don’t let it scare you, odds are in your favor that they do not have 21. It is only about 3 out of 10 that the dealer will have 21.

    Anytime the dealer has a 10 or face card showing and you have 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17 -hit.

    If the dealer has a low card showing and you are holding any of the above- hold.

    If the dealer has an Ace showing and it’s NOT 21, chances are that they will have a 2, 3, or 4
    (which is 3, 4, or 5, because Aces are counted as one unless they have 6 or better then it’s counted as 11. REMEMBER- the dealer is REQUIRED to hold at a soft 16 or better.).

    If this happens they have a chance of getting “A five card Charlie”, which is when you make 21 out of five cards.

    This will kill your hand, but it won’t do much to the game one way or the other. You’ll just lose your bet. No biggie.

    NEVER EVER!!! (let me repeat that) NEVER EVER split any of the following cards:

    pair of tens or face cards
    pair of 9’s (why bother, you’re almost there with 18)

    Always split:
    2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 6’s, 7’s and 8’s

    ALWAYS (again, let me repeat that) ALWAYS double down on 10 (5/5, 6/4, 7/3 8/2 A/9) or 11 (9/2; 8/3, 7/4 and 6/5)

    One more note, “Dead man’s hand is
    VERY common and in some circles is considered to be a VERY LUCKY hand. Stick with it- in Poker.

    Good Luck and have a good game!!

  4. ray the genie says:
    February 12, 2010 at 6:30 pm

    no of course not unless your playing the same person

  5. neffer says:
    February 12, 2010 at 6:23 pm

    If you are referring to patterns such as, if 5 small cards in a row come out of the shoe the next one is going to be a big card, then no you shouldn’t be looking for patterns. The cards are shuffled which puts them in a random order so there is no way to determine a pattern or know what card is coming out next. If you are a skilled card counter you can assess the quantity of cards, high or low, are left in a deck, but not guarantee what the next card will be.

    It isn’t all about luck, it’s about knowing when the odds are in your favor to hit or stand, split or double down. Your best bet is to play basic strategy.

  6. Travel Deals says:
    December 29, 2010 at 3:05 pm

    Hi I love this post and it was so good and I am gonna save it. One thing to say the Superb analysis you have done is trully remarkable.Who goes that extra mile these days? Well Done! Just another tip you caninstall a Translator for your Global Readers …

  7. Prostate Gland Problems says:
    December 30, 2010 at 1:26 am

    Thanks for an idea, you sparked at thought from a angle I hadn’t given thoguht to yet. Now lets see if I can do something with it.

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