Dealer Tells and Hole Carding in Mines Games Tips Blackjack
Hole carding in blackjack can be a tricky skill to master. If you can reliably use this advantage play method, though, then you will have a major edge over the casino. You can also gain an edge by taking advantage of dealer tells.
Relying on hole carding and dealer tells can be difficult to do at the top blackjack sites. Computers are not prone to the same errors as human dealers. But, as long as you stick to live dealer games, then these skills can still be used during online games.
Keep reading to learn how to use hole carding and dealer tells to your advantage in blackjack. Mastering these techniques will take time, but the payoffs will be worth the effort.
What Is Hole Carding in Blackjack?
Hole carding is arguably the hardest advantage play method to use consistently. Like all advantage play techniques, the aim of hole carding is to gain an edge over the casino. However, this method does not rely on math or memorization like other techniques.
Instead, hole carding relies on your ability to see the dealer’s face-down card. Since you cannot see through cards, your best bet for this method is to catch a glimpse of the card when it is dealt.
If you are too obvious about your attempt to peak at the dealer’s card, then you will get caught. While it may not be strictly illegal to look at the dealer’s card, the casino will likely kick you out. You may even be banned from that casino if you are caught trying to use this sneaky blackjack strategy.
When you do successfully see the dealer’s hole card, then you will know their entire starting hand. This knowledge, combined with what you know about your own hand, will give you an advantage. You will know how aggressively to play the hand, whether to take the insurance bet, and more.
More Dealer Tells to Look For
Hole carding works best with a sloppy dealer who is not careful about hiding the cards they are dealing. Catching a peak of the dealer’s hole card is not the only way to take advantage of their mistakes. Here are three other dealer tells you can look for when playing blackjack.
Fidgeting With Cards
Every dealer is different, and most casinos train their staff not to show any tells. But one sign that your dealer may have a good hand is if they are constantly fidgeting with their cards.
For example, many players who look for tells argue that frequently checking their hand could be a sign the dealer has a high card. There is not a lot of scientific evidence to back this theory up. However, if you notice that your dealer touches their cards more when they have a high hand, it could be a tell.
Smiling When Looking at Cards
As I mentioned above, dealers are usually trained not to have any reaction to the cards in their hands. It can still be hard sometimes, though, not to react when you have a strong hand, especially if you have a natural blackjack. Inexperienced dealers are more likely to have this issue.
Once again, physical tells, like smiling at a good hole card, will vary from one dealer to another. Any facial reaction, good or bad, could be the sign that you need. Watch your dealer for these reactions and look for a pattern based on the hands that follow them.
Placement of Cards After Checking Them
Last but not least, some players believe that where your dealer puts their hole card after seeing it could be a tell. Placing their hole card slightly to the right could be a sign that the dealer is planning to hit when given the chance.
Noticing small changes in card placement can take practice. But the chances are that you will be watching the dealer’s hands anyway, especially if you are using hole carding techniques. Watching for tells based on card placement after trying to see the dealer’s hole card could help you kill two birds with one stone.
Other Forms of Advantage Play in Blackjack
Hole carding and looking for dealer tells are not the only ways to gain an advantage in blackjack. Other common advantage play methods include shuffle tracking, card counting, and edge sorting.
Shuffle Tracking
Many blackjack advantage play strategies require you to pay close attention to the deck itself. No strategy embodies this concept more than shuffle tracking. The goal of this method is to try and track cards’ positions in the deck.
You do not need to know the exact position of all 52 cards in the deck. But, if you know in general where most of the high-value cards are, then you could have an advantage. When more high-value cards are near the top of the deck, advantage play strategies say you should increase your stake amount.
Card Counting
Counting cards is the most infamous advantage play method in blackjack. This strategy can be difficult to do if you are playing a blackjack game that uses multiple decks.
Simply put, your goal in counting cards is to determine when the ratio of high-value to low-value cards is favorable to bet on. You are more likely to get a natural blackjack when the ratio of high-value cards is in your favor. Increasing your stake amounts during these periods can lead to bigger wins.
Edge Sorting
Another method for players with keen observational skills is edge sorting. This advantage play strategy requires you to pay close attention to the cards themselves. You want to spot any physical imperfections that will allow you to identify the card.
Armed with this information, you can guess the dealer’s hand without needing to see the face of their hole card. This is hard to do, though, as casinos frequently switch out their decks. Also, it can take a while for damaged cards to be sued again in multi-deck blackjack games.
More Online Blackjack Tips
Using hole carding, dealer tells, and other advantage play methods can help you be a more successful blackjack player. Here are three more tips for winning money from online blackjack games.
Practice With Free Blackjack Games
This tip may sound counterintuitive at first. After all, you cannot typically win money from free casino games. But being a winning blackjack player requires practice, and a lot of it.
Practicing your blackjack skills is necessary, but it can also become expensive. Luckily, many of the best real money casinos, including Ignition Casino, have free versions of their blackjack games available. You can use free games to practice new strategies before you risk any money on them.
One important note about free games is that they are usually limited to random number generator (RNG) style games. You will not find free-to-play live dealer games online. You may not be able to practice advantage play methods for free, but you can master other strategies and practice your bankroll management skills.
Use Blackjack Bonuses
Another great tip for players who want to be successful at online blackjack is to take advantage of casino bonuses. Specifically, look for casinos that offer bonuses exclusively for blackjack players.
BetUS, for example, has a special weekly cashback offer for blackjack players. During Blackjack Mondays, you can get up to $500 in cashback. Your total bonus will depend on how much you lost during the previous week.
Since this is a weekly bonus, you can claim it every Monday as long as you had $50 or more in losses the previous week. Offers like this can help you keep your blackjack bankroll well-funded.
Play on Your Mobile Devices
A third and final tip for players who want to improve their blackjack skills is to play on mobile blackjack apps. The best way to improve as a blackjack player is to play as many hands as possible. By using your mobile device, you can play blackjack from anywhere.
Depending on the casino you choose, you may even be eligible for exclusive mobile bonuses. These can give you even more funds for practicing blackjack.
The convenience and potential bonus options of mobile apps both lead to one thing, the potential for playing more hands. Your skills and potential winnings will both depend on playing as many hands as possible. The right mobile app can help you with both,
Have You Ever Tried Hole Carding in Blackjack?
Hole carding in blackjack is tricky to master, but it can pay huge dividends when done correctly. Other advantage play methods, like looking for dealer tells, can also be extremely helpful. Check out the blog above to see how to use these blackjack strategies to your advantage.