The best and worst of all scenarios comes with the natural draw of an 8 or 9. And, naturally, it all works out if you have bet that side, and doesn't if you haven't. As soon as the Player side, which opens first, draws a 9, the best the Banker side can hope for is to pull another 9 and thus tie or push. In this case, there are no winners or losers as far as Player/Banker goes. The winner here would be the person who bet Tie.Naturally,the worst thing that can happen is to draw a lovely 8 and a face card,only to have the Banker pull a 9 and a face. That is what we call a bad beat.Failing a natural 8 or 9 on the first draw, things get a little trickier, butthey aren't that difficult to figure.First let's look at the card values: Aces=1 (not 1 or 11 as in blackjack)Cards with denominations of 2-9 are equal to their face values.Tens and face cards (the royals, Jack, Queen, King)=0 (baccarat!)Naturals can consist of any combination of cards making 8 or 9, ex. Ace + 7=8;4 + 5=9, etc.Lacking a natural on any draw, there are third card draw rules which are strictlyadhered which offer no options or possibilities of drawing and standing by theplayer on either side. The following rules help give the game its simplicity: On the Player's Side First Two Card Totals Player side must:1,2,3,4,5,10 = Draw6,7 = Stand8,9 = Natural (No draw, Banker cannot draw) On the Banker's Side First Two Card Totals Banker must draw if player shows: Banker does not draw when Player draws:3 = 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10 84 = 2,3,4,5,6,7 1,8,9,105 = 4,5,6.7 1,2,3,8,9,106 = 6,7 1,2,3,4,5,8,9,107 = always stands always stands8,9 = Natural (Player cannot draw) These rules contain one exception: if player takes no card (stands on 6,7), then the banker stands on 6. One thing should be obvious from these hard and fast rules: the Banker has a great deal more options than Player. This translates into a 1.8% advantage for betting Banker, but the casinos, in their infinite search for profits, round this figure off to a full 5%.These commissions are maintained by the dealers and each player is held accountableby the end of play on each shoe, unless previous arrangements have been made.

There are four different situations or possibilities in an original or two-card blackjack hand. The strategies for dealing with each comes from more than 40 years of research done by mathematicians, probability experts, and professional gamblers. Julian Braun, Dr. Edward Thorp, Lawrence Revere, Stanford Wong, Arnold Snyder, Peter Griffin, and Don Schlesinger, represent some of the most important theorists and innovators of blackjack over the last half-century, and their legacy provides the foundation and framework for current blackjack philosophy and practice. On the ground floor of the blackjack high rise, are those who play the game, but don't put any effort into learning much about it, so they guess or go by hunches or "feelings." This player can only rely on the luck of the draw hoping for a chance to win.The next level of player cares about learning the game enough so that he or sheis willing to absorb what is termed a "basic strategy." By learning basic strategy,the player elevates his or her level of play and greatly enhances the possibilityof winning,The third level of player assigns numerical values to each card in an attemptto separate the cards that have been played in an attempt to determine the remainingcards along with the mathematical odds of winning all remaining hands. This procedureis called card counting and there are numerous methods to consider. All of the strategies listed begin with two separate factors: your two cards compared to the dealer's single exposed card. Those three cards represent the known values in the equation to figure the possibilities. How you react is directly related to those two dynamics. One note: the basic strategies discussed and noted here are for multiple decks, rather that single or double as there are many more of the former than the latter group. It is quite frustrating to sit at a blackjack table knowing you are playing Basic Strategy to the letter and are losing while other players are making foolish decisions and winning. The math of the game states you are playing at a .05 disadvantage given a reasonable set of rules. That is one-half of one percent, as close to 50-50 as you'll find, and about the best set of odds in the modern casino. Yet there are no guarantees you'll get "good" cards. Probability theory views events from a long-term basis, rather than isolated cases. That is why the game favors disciplined players who have patience. If you play long enough, you will encounter sessions where you know you did the right thing but lost hand after hand. The only satisfaction you can take home is the knowledge that things will turn the other way, sooner or later. Those who are winning by playing foolishly may smile, but it will be a temporary situation and one which can get them into deep trouble.