Blackjack takes both luck and skill: Luck because you need to get closer to 21 than the Dealer without busting, and skill because you have to learn when it is in your best interest to hit and when it's preferable to stand. Unlike some others, Blackjack is a game where the Player's decisions matter, so getting started with a review of a few Blackjack tips is a good idea. As usual, Blackjack odds slightly favor the Dealer but, on the positive side, the house edge for Blackjack is one of the lowest among the casino card games. That said, you have better odds of winning at blackjack if you play at a table where the dealer stands on soft 17. Here are a few Blackjack tips to help you get started: Among Blackjack players, there is something known as basic strategy. Basic strategy suggests a specific move for any given hand dealt. Remember, the Dealer's plays are predetermined—Blackjack's specific rules determine when the Dealer hits or stands. So that is the foremost of Blackjack tips: The player can really benefit from memorizing basic strategy. You can find various websites offering mathematically-based charts and Blackjack tips that advise the player exactly when to hit and when to stand, when to split and when to double. They also specify different rules for soft versus hard hands, so you need to remember that a soft hand is one that includes an Ace, which can be counted as 1 or 11. A few more specific Blackjack tips follow below. Keep in mind that the Dealer must hit on any hand of 16 or less, so you cannot win with less than 17 unless the Dealer busts. Always hit on a hard 8 or lower. Always stand on a hard 17 or higher. Always stand on soft 18 or higher. You can really increase your winnings by taking advantage of "doubling down" when you're confident that your hand can beat the Dealer's. Hands of hard 9 through hard 11 have good potential for doubling down. You can also improve your odds by splitting cards – this doubles your bet and allows you to play two hands. You're allowed to split when you receive a pair of the same value. Always split Aces. Never split 10's, 5's or face cards. Split 7's and 8's if the Dealer has a hand of equal or lesser value. Note that if you're able to count cards, this can give you a slight advantage, but with multiple decks in use in most Blackjack games, this gets complicated. | 
