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Strong Hand
Although two pairs are the most common hands that come up in Pai Gow there are mistakes made even with some of the more lucrative hands. Drawing three pairs is always a pleasant surprise and usually the best way to play this is by two-carding the highest pair, which means to use the high pair for you two-card hand. By doing this you make the most of your two card hand while retaining a hard-to beat five card hand. Don’t forget – to win (or lose) requires winning both the five card and the two card hand.
Three of a kind is a hand that is often misplayed by inexperienced players. The idea is to make the most of you two-card hand while still winning the five-card hand. This all depends on the three of a kind that you have. If you have three aces split off a pair for the two-card hand and keep the third for you five-card. You now have a very strong two-hand and an ace in the five-card is always useful too. If you have three kings the also two-card a pair of kings unless you also have a single ace, a queen, or a 10-Jack combination as well. If you have three queens or less then always five-card your three of a kind.
A straight of course should always be kept together because it is such a strong hand to play. If you have a lucky six-card straight then two-card the highest card in the straight to strengthen your two hand. Likewise, keep a flush together and if you draw a six or seven card flush (I wish) then two-card the highest cards of the flush without ruining the five-card flush that remains.
A dilemma arises if you draw a straight and a pair where one of the pair cards is required for the straight. Now what? Contrary to what you might think you should split a straight that runs from 10-ace if the pair you can make is 10s or higher. However, the trick is to five-card the pair and put your two highest other cards for your two hand. If however you have any other lowers straight then keep the straight in the five hand and play the next best cards for your two hand.
As mentioned above you almost never want to break up a flush to make a pair because the flush is such a strong hand. There is however a justifiable cause for breaking up a flush under the right circumstances. If you can form a pair of 9s or better and an ace-jack combination or better by breaking up the flush then do it. Keep the pair for the five hand and two-card the high combination. This gives you stronger hands overall instead of concentrating all of you strength into just the five hand (by playing the flush there).
Tags: Ace, Aces, Best Cards, Pai Gow, Pair Of Kings, Queen, Strong Hand, Three Kings, Three Queens, Two Pairs
Categories: Card Games, Poker, Strategies, Systems
There are certain circumstances that arise in Blackjack that can catch a player by surprise and present them with a crucial choice of what to do next. Making the right or wrong decision is not always obvious so here is a guide to some of the more unusual plays you might have to make.
You drew a pair and split and now you’ve drawn another card that completes a pair again! Should you split? Yes, why not? If it was a good idea to split in the first place then do it again.
Some casinos let you double-down after a split. You should apply the usual doubling-down strategies if you can especially if after a split you take a hit that brings one of your hands to 11. This is a very strong hand to be on and well worth the chance of doubling down on. If you can do it, then play it!
Surrendering is a course of action that can pull you out of trouble if you know when to use it. Surrendering means you turn in your cards before you have taken a hit and when the dealer doesn’t have blackjack. You will lose half you bet by doing this but it is better to lose half a bet than all of it. So when to surrender? If you have a weak hand that will most likely bust and the dealer is showing a strong upcard.
The classic weak hands are 14-16 as these have the greatest chance of taking you over 21 if you take a hit.If you have 16 you surrender if the dealer’s upcard is 6 to Ace. The dealer is likely to finish on 19-21 and you will lose your bet anyway or bust if you take a hit.When holding 15 you should surrender only if the dealer is showing an upcard with a value of 10. However, if the upcard is an ace then play the hand. Look at it like this. The dealer is showing an ace but hasn’t declared Blackjack which the dealer must do, then it means he/she doesn’t have a ten-card with the ace. You have a good chance of beating a dealer’s ace when it is paired with something other than a 10. Finally, if you have 14 then keep going and play the hand. Although there is a chance you might bust there are plenty of cards that will take you up to 21 rather than over it so try your luck.
One last bit of advice concerning buying insurance against a dealer’s blackjack. When the dealer is showing an ace upcard he/she must ask the players if they want to buy insurance against Blackjack. This costs half your original bet and pays off 2:1. The dealer then checks for Blackjack which beats all other hands. Generally, unless you suspect that there are a very lot of ten-value cards remaining in the pack insurance is not worth the bet.
Tags: Ace, Bet, Blackjack, Blackjack Dealer, Bust, Cards, Casinos, Playing Blackjack, Strong Hand, Upcard
Categories: Blackjack, Card Games, Strategies, Systems
All the traditional means of figuring out one’s opponent disappeared with the invention of online gaming; you can no longer look for the poker face, detect a twitch or a side wards glance, or perceive a subtle smile. What therefore do we have, in order to understand our faceless opponents?
I would suggest that there are two main ways of being able to gain the information that one would have once gotten through a visual clocking of your opponent’s face. The first is more traditional, and is to do with reading betting tactics and habits; the second is more to do with using the tools at your disposal, particularly the chat facility of a casino site.
Not everyone uses chat, however if you do find yourself at a table where chat is supported you may be able to use it to your advantage. If for example you come across a player who complains regularly, who feels he’s constantly drawing bad hands, this might be some-one who is easy to bluff; after all, if he thinks his cards are rubbish, it shouldn’t take much to convince him that yours are good. Equally, a few sly comments on your behalf may indicate to your opponents that you have a weak hand; an impression that could be very easily twisted to your advantage. Don’t forget though that this is all manipulation, and if you don’t want to be caught out you must not become predictable.
Reading your opponent’s bets is not so far from traditional poker instinct; it simply got promoted to primary importance with the eradication of other means of reading your opponents; this eradication has also made bet reading more difficult because suddenly your assessment of a bet is based on itself and its timing alone, rather than any body language that may once have accompanied it. However, here’s some possible tells to watch out for. If someone instantly calls your bet they probably have a weak hand, but are trying to show you they have a strong hand; a pause before a check may indicate that they want you to think they have a strong hand and therefore you won’t bet. A pause before a bet may be indicative of a strong hand, and the pause is either genuine or a ploy to make you think it’s weak and so will stay in. A bet on the flop almost certainly indicates a strong hand, and may be used in order to pretend a bluff, or as a genuine means of increasing the pot.
With the exception of using chat and reading the bets there is little that one can do to duplicate the advantage that comes with a game involving human interaction. Having said that, if you play on a site with a private room facility, or indeed if you see the same player time and time again at a table you may be able to learn something about individual’s playing methods.
Tags: Bet, Bets, Cards, Opponent, Opponents, Poker Face, Strong Hand
Categories: Card Games, Online Casinos, Poker
One of the most misunderstood aspects of playing Blackjack is that of splitting a pair of cards. Understanding when to split, and when to stay with what you have is crucial to your play. As ever, a lot depends on what cards you have and what the dealer’s upcard is showing. A key aspect is to remember there are more cards with a value of ten in the pack than any other value.
For a start, never split a pair of face cards or a pair of tens! With these cards you have a very strong hand of 20 and there is no point in ruining it by splitting. By contrast, always split a pair of aces. A single ace with another card is a much stronger hand than two aces and by splitting your chances of finishing with a high hand or even 21 are very good.
A pair of 9s are best split if the dealer is showing a weak card of 2 to 6. If the dealer is showing an 8 you should also. Likewise, if the dealer is showing a 9 you should split because if the dealer has gets 19 it will beat your current hand of 18. If the dealer is showing a 7 then you should stand. Always split 8s even if the dealer is showing an ace. Your hand now stands at 16, which is very likely loser. You are better off taking a chance and splitting.
A pair of 7s should be split if the dealer’s upcard is 7 or less. A hand of 14 is a weak hand but by splitting there is a good chance you will convert that into a pair of 17s. If the dealer is showing an 8 there is a good stay with what you’ve got and be prepared to lose the hand. You are better off just losing the one hand against an 18 than losing two hands of 17 against a dealer’s 18. Split a pair of 6s if the dealer is showing a 6 or less. It is risky to split 6s because you might end up with two hands of 16 so only do it if the dealer is showing a weak hand of below 6 that may lead to the dealer busting.
Never ever split a pair of fives. Your hand is now a very strong ten. Keep the fives and take a hit. Do not split fours either unless the dealer is showing a 5 or 6. If you split a pair of 4s you are likely to hit a difficult 14. 5 or 6 for the dealer however is likely to give the dealer a difficult 15 or 16 so it is worth your while splitting.
You should split 2s or 3s if the dealer is showing a weak upcard of below 7.
By knowing when to split and when to take a hit with what you’ve got you can add decisive strategy to your Blackjack play.
Tags: Ace, Blackjack, Face Cards, Pair Of Aces, Playing Blackjack, Strong Hand, Tens, Two Hands
Categories: Blackjack, Card Games, Strategies, Systems
From the name of the game itself to a Tie bet, we are going to cover some general baccarat terms to get you started and sounding like a pro, whatever your experience.
Baccarat or Baccara – basically this means “zero” and refers to the value of face and 10 cards during play. The aim of the game is to get a hand which totals 9, or at least get closer than the dealer.
Bank Bet – this bet bets against the player, in favour of the bank.
Banker – the banker can be a player or the dealer. How refreshing! It is the name given to the person who deals the cards and monitor the table. OK, so it’s usually the dealer, but some casinos are generous!
Bankroll – this is the same as always; the amount of money to be gambled with. The bit that you want to grow.
Basic Strategy – all games have a basic strategy that suggests when to stand or take another card. The idea is that if followed strictly, it will provide the best possible return. Don’t forget the money management side though!
Croupier – the name of the person with the grand job of being in charge of the Baccarat table. There are variations; the croupier doesn’t deal in American baccarat, unlike with mini and online versions.
Dealer – obviously the person who deal the cards but in mini and online baccarat, this job falls to the croupier. In American baccarat it is the banker that deals the cards, with secondary dealers at the ends of the table handling the bets.
Face Card – important cards in any game. Jacks, Queens and Kings all have a value of zero and enable a strong hand including a natural.
Ladderman – only found in live casinos but a cool name and job! The person that oversees the baccarat game from a chair that sits above the table.
Loss Bet – a bet which bets against the bank. So a player bet would be a loss bet as it needs the bank to lose.
Mini-baccarat – A miniature version of the game with a smaller table and fewer seats. Much more up close and personal.
Natural – the best possible hand which totals 8 or 9 and is dealt immediately.
Player Bet – this bets against the banker, in the player´s favour.
Push – a different name for a tie between the player and the dealer: the player’s stake is returned. So if both got a total of 7, the player doesn’t lose out. Bets on the dealer or player lose, but a tie bet will pay out.
Tie Bet – a bet that predicts the player and the dealer will get the same result. More popular than you might first imagine.
Tags: Baccara, Baccarat Game, Baccarat Table, Bet, Bets, Croupier, Ladderman, Mini Baccarat, Money Management, Online Baccarat, Strong Hand
Categories: Baccarat
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