Mia's Online Casino Journey

It’s been a great gaming week!

Happy Friday night (or whenever you might read this)! I hope your week has gone great. Mine has been pretty good so far, especially for my gaming journey goals.  I’ve been playing online blackjack (for real this time) and have also had a lot of fun playing the casino games I was keen to try this month (I think I may have even found my favourite…but the jury is still out on that one 😂).

Most importantly though, I’ve also been using a blackjack strategy chart for the first time. Gotta say, I’m sorry I waited so long to use one.

I took off the training wheels and played online blackjack for realsies.

When I tried online blackjack for the first time back in May (you can read about my experience here if you haven’t already 😉), I was only experimenting with the game in a demo mode using the basic rules that I already knew and a couple of tips from my husband.

This week, I decided to finally play for real money, which inspired me to find a blackjack strategy chart that would be straightforward and easy for me to understand as a beginner player. I came across one that covered the basics for single deck blackjack and used that.  

It’s as easy as conducting a web browser search to find lots of free blackjack strategy charts online that you can use and print out. That said, to show you what a basic chart looks like, I decided to make one and I’ve included it below. The chart and the legend that goes with it is just like the blackjack strategy chart that I use* only with Mia-preferred colours and style.😁

You’re welcome to use it or print it. Just remember that this is only one type of chart. Real blackjack pros have way better and more detailed charts and strategies than this one.

*Note: this chart shows the basic strategy that is best used in blackjack games when the dealer must Stand on a “Soft 17” (soft 17 means that an ace in the dealer’s hand is counted as an 11 – e.g., ace – 6 is a soft 17). The game I’m currently playing is American Blackjack in which the dealer must Stand on 17. As such, this particular strategy chart makes sense to the game I’m playing.

It’s totally legit to use an online blackjack strategy chart when you play.  

In case you didn’t now that, it’s true! Using a blackjack strategy chart when you play blackjack online is 100% not cheating. The chart can help you make better odds-based choices but following it doesn’t guarantee a winning result.

Using a chart isn’t the same as using a software program that counts cards for you. Software programs that count cards is often a no-no at most casinos, so is counting cards when playing live dealer blackjack games (or so I’ve heard). Personally, I have no interest in counting cards. That sounds like a lot of math and effort to me. 😝

With that said, here are a couple of the results I had when employing the advice of the basic strategy chart when I played GVG’s American Online Blackjack ($1 – $100).

• I was dealt Q – 8 (total of 18).
• The dealer had a 3 showing.
• According to the chart I follow I should “Stand”.

• I did.
• The dealer ended up with a total of 23 and went bust.
• I won!

But, following the chart doesn’t always work out, as in the case below:

• I was dealt 4 – 4 (total of 8).
• The dealer had a 3 showing.
• According to the chart I followed I should “Hit”.

• I did and got a 7 for a total of 15.
• The chart says if I have 15 and the dealer has 3 showing I should “Stand”.
• I did.
• The dealer ended up with a total of 20.
• I lost.

As I said before, using the chart doesn’t guarantee a win. It’s simply a basic strategy devised by the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” that was created in the 1950s and then refined over the years through computer and combinatorial analysis that, when followed, loses the least money to the casino in the long term.

Personally, I like the blackjack strategy chart and have found it very useful in helping me to understand how to play online blackjack. I know that by continuing to use it and furthering my knowledge of the rules and the terms that apply to the game, I can become a confident player.

Eventually, I plan to work my way up to playing live dealer blackjack, but for now the traditional RNG online blackjack games are fine with me. I like being able to take the time to study the chart and contemplate the action I want to take. I’m not ready for the added pressure of faster play that comes from sitting at a live dealer table with other players.

What about you? Do you use blackjack strategy chart(s) when you play online blackjack?

Until next time, good luck and have fun!

Mia 👩‍💻

**All links and images in this post are for information purposes only.