Blackjack Training

Blackjack training can give players an edge over the house by providing insight into specific aspects of the game. Training also gives you skills that give you an advantage when playing against live dealers.

Below is a complete guide on blackjack training to help you determine why it is worth your time and money.

Purpose Of Blackjack Training

Blackjack is a popular game due to how most players can easily understand its rules and be able to participate right away. Why should you think about blackjack training if the game is easy to play?

Unlike other casino games, blackjack is considered a skill game. There is significant information and enough options for players to improve their winnings and decrease their chances of losing. Beginners will have no idea how to assess their hole cards and the dealer's revealed card, turning blackjack into a game of luck.

Training provides players with first-hand experience playing sure hands against the dealer, allowing them to know how to handle specific situations and get the edge over the house. Players also follow a training method to gain a skill that helps them gather information from the cards drawn. This information is used to adjust their wagers and take advantage of upcoming cards.

Besides learning new skills, training is a way for players to understand various aspects of blackjack. While everyone is familiar with the "hit" and "stay" options, there are some who are unclear about the "double" and "split" options. Other parts of blackjack that will surprise most players are the many side bets available for the game. Training will help you know if an option or side bet can help you make money from blackjack.

What To Train For In Blackjack

Below are three training programs for blackjack that will help your game.

Blackjack Chart Memorization

Memorizing a single blackjack chart takes effort. While casinos allow you to take out your blackjack cheat sheet, you may find yourself taking too much time on your turn reading the chart. Imagine memorizing three to six of them. Training makes it easy to memorize numerous blackjack charts, helping you follow a basic strategy when playing on live tables or online.

A basic blackjack strategy helps players bring down the house edge to 0.5%, which results in a very high return for the player. Using a strategy allows players to maximize their potential wins and decrease losses during difficult situations.

A basic strategy involves using blackjack charts that offer a visual guide on the different hands and recommended actions for them. Each chart consists of the player's hand on one side and the dealer's revealed card. Within the charts are the best actions to take, such as H for hit and S for stay.

Note that there are multiple blackjack charts for different scenarios. There is a chart specifically for soft hands, which are hole cards that contains an ace card. Blackjack pairs also have their charts. You will also find variant blackjack charts that consider the number of decks used by a table and if there is an option to surrender. Fortunately, we have a blackjack chart generator to help you make a sheet for a table you want to play in.

Blackjack Card Counting

Training helps a player use a card-counting method on any table. Despite what they show in movies, card counting does not involve crunching the total number of cards drawn in each game with a complicated math equation. However, it takes practice to keep the running account after several games and there are many ways to train yourself at counting cards, including software.

Card counting in blackjack involves making a tally of the cards drawn from the shoe to create a running count. Players can accurately predict the next set of cards based on the running count. The information available to card counters allows them to raise their bets when favorable cards come out of the shoe or decrease them when required.

There are different types of card-counting methods made by various experts. For anyone interested in card counting, the Hi-Lo count is the most straightforward and most commonly used counting method. Experts even have a specific method for sure blackjack side bets, such as lucky ladies, since the running count lets them know if a paying hand is about to come out of the shoe.

The high-low count involves adding one to the score for every 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 cards drawn from the deck and decreases one from the score for every 10♠, jacks, queens, kings, & aces card drawn. You can ignore all other cards since they do not count. A high running count is a signal to increase your bet since most high-valued cards, specifically ones that will bust your hand in one draw, have been drawn.

Blackjack Side Bets

There are blackjack tables and online variants that include one or more side bets. Each side bet has its payout conditions, which can make players hesitate to put chips down on these curious wagers. Fortunately, you can see how to make money from side bets through various blackjack training.

Blackjack side bets are wagers on the combination of your hole cards and the dealer's revealed card. Popular side bets such as 21+3 add an element of poker by using poker rankings to determine your winning. Other popular payouts include Perfect Pairs, Super 7's, Over/Under 13, and Royal Matches.

What makes side bets interesting is their payout potential. In a regular blackjack game, the highest possible payout you can achieve is six times your original stake. You can get 25 times your stake in perfect pairs if you get two cards with the same value and suit, such as A♦A♦. For Super 7's, you get 5,000 times your stake when you and the dealer get three suited sevens.

Blackjack Training Tools

Below are five helpful blackjack training tools to help you obtain a new skill or learn about side bets.

Blackjack Apprenticeship Trainer

Blackjack Apprenticeship is a training program from Colin Jones, a leader of a successful blackjack team. His training program teaches members card counting and how to practice this skill.

Video lessons are part of the , which Colin Jones himself hosts. There are more than 70s videos of Colin teaching various aspects of card counting and blackjack to members, such as managing one's career and counting cards without getting noticed by security.

Another highlight of the Blackjack Apprenticeship Training program is its interactive drills. The program has blackjack drills on basic strategy and card counting. The blackjack basic strategy drill provides various scenarios during any blackjack game, and members are tasked to choose suitable options. The card counting drill has players tally the cards dealt and keep a running count of the deck. While there are free drills for both basic strategy and card counting, members can access premium blackjack drills. These drills find the true count in card counting when the dealer uses multiple decks in their shoe.

Apart from the membership program, there is also a Blackjack Apprenticeship Private Training program where you will receive a 1-on-1 training session with Colins. The program lets you have your lessons provided in Las Vegas, at your office, at home, or anywhere else.

Blackjack Trainer 21

From Hornet Ventures GmbH, Blackjack Trainer 21 is an all-in-one training app on the basic blackjack strategy for . The base game is a free app that simulates a standard blackjack game. Users receive feedback on their decisions and what they could have done should they make a mistake. The iPhone app also contains customizable blackjack charts based on the blackjack table rules.

The app has various in-app services, such as a soft hand training mode and custom table settings. There is also an ALL PRO subscription service that adds other valuable features to help users with their blackjack training.

Card Counter

is a blackjack card counting trainer from . You can practice keeping the running count through the trainer's interactive game, where you tally the cards dealt in each session. Points are given for the correct running count and will save your score. Card values can be changed in the settings, allowing you to practice various card counting systems.  

The app provides a database that teaches you about card counting as well as the different systems available. Card Counter can teach you Hi-Lo, Hi-Opt I, Hi-Opt II, KISS III, KO, Omega II, Red 7, Silver Fox, & Zen Count. A card tutorial demo will also show you how to count cards.

Blackjack Strategy Practice

WFT LLC's Blackjack Strategy Practice is a portable learning tool on the basic strategy. This tests your knowledge of the basic strategy with interactive quizzes where you select the appropriate actions based on the dealt cards. Each scenario explains its answers to help you understand why you should hit, stand, double, split, or surrender at that time.

This blackjack basic strategy trainer also comes with various educational resources such as a blackjack chart and a database on the various hands. An option for setting the table rules can help you simulate specific casino tables.

Blackjack All-In-One Trainer

From card counting training to playing blackjack on a custom-rules table, from AdvPlyr has everything you need to improve your game. This app's blackjack game has a play, train, and simulation mode, allowing you to practice the basic strategy or have fun with a few rounds.

Apart from the game, the blackjack training app is rich in valuable resources, such as guides on card counting and basic strategy. A built-in card-counting simulation is also included to fortify your card-counting capabilities.

FAQ

Blackjack training can improve your chances of getting rich from playing the game by helping you learn about basic strategy and card counting. There are numerous online blackjack training programs and mobile software to improve your game.