Tips
In informal blackjack games, the last player to have a Blackjack is the dealer. This may seem unfair, but here's why: The dealer might lose to multiple player at one time. He is risking far more per play, and he has to stay within the boundaries of when he must hit and stand.
A good place to double down is at 11.
"Stand" on hard 17+. Most casinos will not allow the dealer to take a "hit" if there is 17 showing in the dealer's hand, so it is usually "safe" to stand on 17.
Forget card counting unless you will put a whole year of effort into it. It converts the casino's .36% advantage to a .5% advantage for you. Which means if you make $1000 total bets over an hour, you will win $5 on average, if you don't screw up! Such strategies break down when many players are at a table. Card counters are notoriously easy to pick out. If you are playing at a table by yourself, you will be even more obvious. Better idea: Go and have a good time playing basic strategy, if you are careful, you might even win some.
If the dealer is showing a face card or an ace (especially an ace), consider if you should surrender. If you are holding 15 or 16, the chances are you will bust (more likely than not). If the dealer is showing an ace, no matter how bad his first draw is (if he needs to), he will always be able to draw again. This is a tremendous advantage to the house.
A common misunderstanding of the rules is that, on a push (a tie), the dealer wins. This is only true in a bad party (informal) game. At the casino a "push" means no one loses money and the dealer does not win.
Try not to take another "hit" when you have 12 showing. You will usually go over (30% chance) and lose the round, especially if the dealer is showing 4-6.
Learn the basic blackjack playing strategy. The casinos only have a 0.36% advantage if you use it. They would have a 0.2% if you played according to your individual cards too.[citation needed]
If you don't have enough money to double or split, hand some cash for the chips. The edge for the house goes up 1.9%.