How to Learn Blackjack Basic Strategy
General Memory Aids
As we stated earlier, memorizing the Basic Strategy can be a dauting
task. The following is a guide to assist you in your learning.
1. Basic Strategy Deck Drill
Using a single-deck of cards, place one card faceup in front of you;
this is the dealer's upcard. Now flip over two cards at a time. Each of
these two-card pairs is your hand. Make a Basic Strategy decision for
each hand against this same upcard. Deal through the entire deck. Now
shuffle the deck, change the upcard and repeat the drill. Choose upcards
that may be giving you memory problems.
Do not play out the dealer's hand in this drill.
An alternative procedure for this drill is to deal three cards at a
time: an up-card and your two-card hand. Play against a different
up-card for each two-card hand dealt.
This drill can be varied to work on various aspects of basic strategy.
For example, to practice pair splits, set up a special training deck
loaded with extra twos, threes, fours, fives, sixes, and sevens. To
practice doubling on nine, ten, and eleven, load up a training deck with
extra fours, fives, and sixes.
To practice playing stiff hands, load up a training deck with extra
ten-value cards and remove all neutral cards (sevens, eights, and
nines). This drill is limited only by your imagination.
2. Basic Strategy Soft-Hand Drill
To practice soft hands, give yourself a hand consisting of A, two and
play out the hand after giving the dealer an upcard. After playing each
hand, push the upcard and the cards dealt to the A, two aside and start
over, dealing a new upcard and playing from the A, two as your first two
cards.
3. Three-Card-Hand Drill
To practice multicard hands, deal yourself a hand consisting of three,
two and play out your hand after dealing the dealer his upcard. You can
change the upcard for each hand or keep it constant until the shuffle.
To practice playing stiff hands, start with a ten, three instead of a
three, two.
4. Basic Strategy Test
On a plain piece of 81/2 X 11 paper, write down the basic strategy
rules. Start with hitting and standing rules for hard and soft hands;
then write down doubling-down rules for hard and soft hands; finally,
write down pair-split rules. Check your answers against the Basic Strategy tables.
5. Flash Cards
Flash cards are an excellent learning aid. You can make up your own by
purchasing some light cardboard stock at your local stationery store.
Cut the stock into one- or two-inch squares. Write down each hand on one
side and the correct Basic Strategy play for that hand on the reverse.
Use the flash cards to test yourself on each hand. For instance, suppose
your flash card shows a thirteen as the hand to be played. Recite the
correct play for thirteen before turning the flash card over to check
yourself. stand on a dealer upcard two-six; hit on dealer up-card of
seven or higher.
Next... Basic Strategy Variations
