Best way to learn basic strategy?

[nyc344]

I've seen tables for basic strategy all over the place. What would people recommend as a good way to memorize all of this information? While I understand that learning methodologies are different for different people, I'd be curious how experienced players initially got over this hump. Did you print out a sheet and just spend hours memorizing it? Did you print out a sheet and play hundreds of practice hands with a real deck, checking the sheet every hand for the correct play? Thanks for your help!

[BlackDog]

Hi,

I just spent the better part of the past four months getting BS and counting down. The only way I learn is by doing it. Every chance I have I play. My wife will deal...my son or daughter will deal...I will deal. You get the idea. I would just always have a chart handy and after a while it became habit and I no longer needed the chart. If you go slow and pay attention to the hands you can kind of get an idea as to why each hand should be played the way that it is played.

Hope this helps at least a little bit...

[Mikeaber]

NYC344, Blackdog is on the mark. It will not take you that long "hands on" so to speak. You will quickly learn the action to take on 90% of the hands you will ever play (basic hit/stand hands). That cut's down the amount that you actually have to memorize and even those will begin to make sense as being logical after you've seen the results of a few thousand hands (joking, sort of).

I would suggest though that you save time and get a simulation to play on your computer. Masque has a pretty good one for both card counting drills and also for Basic Strategy. I think I gave under $20 for mine At Best Buy or CompUSA. You can get in a lot more hands with the simulated games than you can by dealing cards. I've done it both ways. But if you go the hand dealt way of practicing, I suggest that you slip into a casino gift shop and buy a bucket load of used cards for a dollar or less a deck!

One other thing...I'd learn the Strategy for 6-deck since that is the most common variety of game you'll find at the lower table minimums. The differences are very minor between 6-deck and double deck and when you are ready to vary your choice of tables, double deck differences are very easy to make.

[BlackDog]

Found this on Stanford Wong's site bj21.com Thought it might help if you want to practice BS without dealing cards...

http://bj21.com/gamemaster/gamemasterclassics1.shtml

[mdw]

I use the blackjack strategy trainer on this website. I will vary up the number of decks either using 6 decks or 2. I now use the quick play which moves through quite a few hands. If I make a mistake, the software will prompt me about the mistake. I then take the time to understand why my decision is wrong. Sometimes I still will ignor the basic strategy recommendation which I know is a bad habit, but it is gambling and after loosing a bunch of hands in a row I may double or split when the BS would say not to. I would keep a bs chart handy, but honestly after so many hands I usually know what to do. Another thing that seems to help is the blackjack tournaments on the gsn network. Tournament play will waiver from bs at times, but the commentators are always watching the play and will let you know when a player deviates from bs and why. Practice, Practice, Practice.

[SoBu Mike]

I had never seen a chart until about a month ago. Almost everything on the chart I already knew except for some doubles with soft hands. I learned it by the old rule they tell you. Assume the undercard is a 10. THat will teach you 80% of the card. I don't follow the card anyway. I double 10 against a 10 almost all the time. And I still can't seem to figure out why not.

Mike