There are some basics in blackjack. Splitting aces and eights only makes senses since a hand equaling 2 or 12 compared to having two hands of 11 is a no brainer. Even though you only receive one card to your ace, the chances of getting 21 or a relatively decent hand are good.

Splitting eights all the time is a bit riskier. Some blackjack studs say not to split eights if the dealer is showing a nine or a ten. For me, it depends on how the cards are flowing that day whether I will split the eights all the time or just when it feels right against that dealer nine or ten.

Probably the most important strategy for wining blackjack is to always play the dealer for a ten in the hole. This will be the basis of your winning strategy. If the dealer is showing a ten, you play him as if he has twenty and hit or stay accordingly. The same rule applies if the dealer is showing a six or any other bust combination (12, 13, 14, or 15). You always have to play as if you had x-ray vision and could see the dealer’s hole card.

Playing hunches will kill you. You have to have a plan and stick to it. And your plan should follow the basic rules. Granted there will plenty of times that the dealer doesn’t have that ten in the hole, but you have to stick to your guns and play it that way.

One mistake that I see a lot of novices make is splitting tens or face cards. They will do this mostly when the dealer is showing a bust card. They think they will be able to double their money hitting each one of their tens. This is ridiculous. Who splits the second best hand in blackjack? Definitely not me.

Besides doubling down on tens and elevens, if the house allows it, I love to double on soft 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 if the dealer is showing a 3, 4, 5 or 6. There is a good chance the dealer will bust, and also a good chance you will improve your hand, or get a ten and it remains the same.

I have always held if I had twelve and the dealer showed a bust card. But, recently I read that you should hit a 12 against the dealer when he shows a 2. I was a bit hesitant to do this since there was a chance that I would bust. But, playing this way, I have found out that I have won more than I have lost. This strategy you will have to decide for yourself if it right for you.

These are some of the basic blackjack strategies that you can apply. The key is to remain consistent even when the cards are against you. If you hit a bad run, get up from the table and take a break. Don’t keep throwing your money away when a dealer is hot.

Baccarat used to be a game for millionaires. In the casinos, it was played in special roped-off or secluded rooms and you usually didn’t walk in until you had at least $100,000 to pony up.

Eventually, mini-baccarat came to the scene. It’s the same game, but without all the ceremonious moves. The game is conducted on a Blackjack-style table with one dealer and a shoe. The shoe holds multiple decks of cards.

The game itself is incredibly easy to play, which is surprising considering how low the house advantage is. In fact, Baccarat is one of the best casino plays around.

In a nutshell, the game consists of two hands-Banker and Player. Each hand is dealt two cards. Depending on the value, each hand may take one additional card. The hand then ends and a winner is declared. Face cards are worth 0 (or 10 if you rather) and the object is to get as close to 9 as possible.

So, a hand of a King and a 4 has a value of four. A hand of a 9 and 4 has the value of three, because ten equals zero and the count restarts.

When you first walk up to a table, you’ll notice that there are three betting areas. There’s the Player wager spot, the Bank wager spot and the Tie wager spot. For each hand you play, you’ll need to select something to wager on. There are three possible outcomes to each hand. If it’s not a tie, which is rare, the Bank or the Player wins.

It’s important to note that the Bank has a slight edge-since it goes last in the playing sequence. Because of this, there’s a 5% vig to pay for each winning wager you place on the Bank.

If you love holding the cards and getting into the game, Baccarat isn’t for you-unless you can play the high-roller version. In the mini-Baccarat version, the dealer performs all the action. You just place your wagers as desired.

When you win with the Bank or Player, you’ll be paid even money. Ties are paid 9 for 1, which is the same as a saying they pay 8 to 1. The vig from bank wins can be paid at anytime. Usually, you’ll want to pay it whenever it equals your normal betting unit.

For instance, let’s say you’re betting $5 units. Each Bank win will cost you 25 cents. It would be more convenient to let it accumulate until it hits $5.

If you’re playing in the real world, there should be a hand tracker sheet and a writing instrument at the table. Most Baccarat players track the hands to look for trends, which is part of the strategy we’ll go into in another article.

Online players can just use whatever they have around the house-unless the online casino tracks hands for you.

That’s all there is to this simple game. In another article, we’ll talk about the hands and the rules that determines if the Player and Bank stand or take a card.