Live blackjack tips

Blackjack is not one of the most popular casino games for nothing. It is one of the few casino games in which the player can turn the edge against the house. Through basic blackjack strategy, he can dramatically reduce the house edge and through various card counting methods, he can even turn it against the house.
Live blackjack offers a bunch of opportunities for card counting and for securing an edge through table selection, keen observation, etc. It is kind of like poker where skill and perks like rakeback offer players positive expected value.
Here are a few pointers to help you better your live blackjack play:
First thing’s first: get rid of distractions. As soon as you walk into a casino, you’ll be bombarded with all sorts of lights, sounds and out of the ordinary actions. Every casino is conceived this way: it is meant to capture attention through everything it does. Flashing lights, mesmerizing sounds, it’s all there to draw your attention away from what you went there to accomplish: to hit the blackjack tables, to make some money and then to be gone with that money.
Besides drawing your attention away from your objective, the general casino atmosphere puts pressure on you as well. Everything tells you to get to playing as soon as possible: the lights, the sounds, the personnel, the other players, the general bustle etc. Don’t hurry. Remember, the casino is a place meant to provide entertainment, so don’t let it put pressure on you. Take your time. Walk around for a while and soak in the atmosphere. Once you’ve gotten used to it, and you feel comfortable, choose a table and get to playing.

Table selection is the second important issue when it comes to live blackjack. Most players walk into casino and they come under direct stress. They then sit down to the very first table they find an open seat at and begin gambling asap. That is not how you want to do it though. What you want is a table that maximizes your odds through a variety of factors, and don’t you believe it for a second that one table is like another in live blackjack. There are several factors that determine a good table (experts point to 21 such factors), some of which are more important than the others. One of the most important factors is proof that the players already at the table are actually winning. You have to look for stacks of chips in front of them to find out how they’re doing.
Also, look for the way people bet. If there are several players at the table who tend to bet more than the minimum bet, it may mean they’re well in the black because people do tend to increase their bets when they’re winning.
Though infrequently, every casino features so called “Dumping tables”. At such tables – for whatever reason – the dealer is breaking hand after hand, effectively dumping chips to the players. Needless to say: you want to sit at a table like this. If you notice a seat free up at one of these dumping tables, don’t worry about looking cool, just rush over and grab it. The factor you need to look for when searching for a dumping table is chips. Chips leave a telltale trail of clues: they’re stacked up high in front of the winning players, they’re readily handed to the dealer in the shape of tips and they’re bet generously. These are all signs that the table is hot and that you need to get yourself a seat at that table.

Players’ attitude is also saying a lot about the action at the table. If people are morose and they place minimal bets, they’re obviously losing. Such tables are the ones you have to avoid.
Also make sure you play in a casino where you earn some sort of a rakeback like compensation through a comp points setup. These comp points serve to further diminish the house edge. In poker, the equivalent of the comp point setup is called rakeback. Rakeback deals like the Betfair rakeback or the Entraction rakeback offer you 30-40% of your rake back.