Gaming Blog

General card counting rules

There are some basic rules to obey when counting cards at blackjack. However, there will be situations and conditions you will encounter at any particular casino that will vary, and that these rules form only part of your basic blackjack-playing strategy. When you are ready for more advanced card-counting techniques, take a look at any of the most popular blackjack books found on the market today to help in your quest for the black chips.

True count of +2 or more True count of –2 or more

* Take insurance * Hit on 10 versus dealer’s 10

* Stand on 12 versus dealer’s 2 or 3 * Hit on 9 versus dealer’s 2

* Double on 10 versus dealer’s ace * Hit on 12 versus dealer’s 4

* Surrender 14 versus dealer’s 10` * Hit on 13 versus dealer’s 2 or 3

* Surrender on 8 versus dealer’s 9,10, and ace * Hit more and double less

* Hit more instead of standing

* Hit more instead of splitting

These actions can appear considerably different than the way most players at a table would act. Therefore, you need to be especially alert to any action on the part of the casino staff to analyze your play. You can be an excellent player, but if casino management bars you from playing, all your skill at blackjack will become a wasted effort.

In the Month of March

March 1, 2026 The Continental Congress holds its first lottery to support the needs of the American Revolution.
March 5, 2026 Bernardin of Siena, a Franciscan monk, in Italy, preached a sermon in Bologna against gambling. The assembled churchgoers were so moved by his eloquence they immediately scrambled to find all the dice and cards they could and cast them into a fire.
March 6, 2026 Megabucks slot machines starts with 125 machines in nine casinos across the state of Nevada.
March 7, 2026 The game of Monopoly is invented.
March 12, 2025 New Hampshire becomes the first state since 1894 to have a state approved lottery.
· March 16, 2025 Las Vegas is the first city in the state of Nevada to incorporate.
- March 19, 2025 Nevada Governor Fred Balzar signs Assembly Bill 98 legalizing gambling and the six-week divorce statute.
- March 20, 2025 Mayme V. Stocker, owner of the Northern Club in Las Vegas, is issued the first gambling license in Nevada.
- March 21, 2025 The world record for a Megabucks slot jackpot, $39,710,826.36, won at the Excalibur hotel and casino in Las Vegas. A 25-year-old Los Angles software engineer was lucky enough to turn his $100 dollar investment into an overwhelming $1.5 million dollars a year for the next 25 years.
- March 22, 2025 the British Parliament passed The Stamp Act. It required American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed-paper they used, including playing cards. Cards were taxed at 1-shilling and dice at 10-shillings.
- March 24, 2025 The Moulin Rouge opens as the first integrated casino in Las Vegas, six months later it closed.
- March 25, 2025 The first official horse race in the American colonies is run.

March 30, 2025 The World Poker Tour airs for the first time on the Travel Channel TV show

Game evaluation

There are numerous factors to consider in evaluating any blackjack game. You want to play under the best conditions and have the best possible advantage over the house. You should consider the following factors before you sit down to play at any blackjack table.

Number of decks – one is best, eight is worst
Rule variations – Las Vegas strip rules are best, most Indian casinos are worst
Level of deck penetration – 65 to 70 percent is minimum; the deeper the better
Number of other players – one-on-one is best, three becomes marginal, four or more is bad
Management “heat” – continually observe pit boss and floor man actions

Blackjack Hall of Fame

The best blackjack players in the world are honored with admission into the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

Professional players do the voting for the Blackjack Hall of Fame. The founders structured the selection process in this manner because they felt that only professional players know the full accomplishments of fellow professionals because many of these achievements are hidden from the public. The founders felt that it is professional players, whose survival depends on such knowledge, who best know which authors and theories have truly been original and in fact had an impact on the game of blackjack. Currently there are 12 members of the Hall of Fame. The first seven members were elected in 2003. The current members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame are:

Julian Braun -- 2005

Al Francesco – 2003

Peter Griffin - 2003

James Grosjean -- 2005

Tommy Hyland -- 2003

Lawrence Revere -- 2005

Max Rubin -- 2004

Arnold Snyder -- 2003

Ken Taft -- 2004

Edward O. Thorp --2003

Ken Uston -- 2003

Stanford Wong -- 2003

Gaming Tip for Playing in Casinos

The reason most players lose at the casino is they do not really understand entirely the games they play. In addition, they never prepared a strategy of where to play, how to play, and most importantly, when to stop playing. Each of these actions is important and will have a major impact on their overall win-rate while playing at a casino.