Everyone loves a game of poker, but when the luck is not with you, sometimes you just have to bluff. But when and how should you bluff?

Bluffing should really be avoided, because the need to indicates that you probably don’t have a very strong hand anyway. If you really must though, you must first make sure you have a strong read on the other players and that your bluff can take down the pot so you can take a quick steal.

When playing a bluff it is important to note the position you are in, that is, where you are in the game; bluff in a too early position and you run the risk of players with better hands taking you down. Playing the bluff later on gives you a chance to see how your opponents play and let you assess your bluffing strategy.

I’d like to round off the topic of blackjack by giving some sound advice and tips to complement my last few posts on the basics of blackjack to ensure you get the best possible play and enjoyment possible.

To increase your odds against the dealer, always double a hand value of 11 regardless of what the dealer has, double your 10 when the dealer has 9 or smaller, hit up to 17 against a 7 and double your 9 when the dealer has a 4, 5 or 6. Also, play your soft hand of 13-17 against the dealer’s 4, 5 or 6.

As you are slowly familiarising yourself with this exciting game, gradually start to vary your betting amounts as this is key to increasing your winnings rather than yoyo-ing up and down. When on a winning streak, you should increase your betting amount; conversely, when you lose a hand you should decrease. This is a rule that you shoud stick to but easily forgotten in the excitement of the game you’re playing.

Finally, keeping these tips to mind, I wish you the best of luck!

When you feel you are ready to visit a casino to play blackjack for real, there are a few things to consider. There are blackjack tables of varying maximum bet limits. You should choose a table that is not higher than 5% of your chosen bankroll limit. This way you will have an increased game play time.

Up until recently, casinos in the UK restricted the doubling and splitting of cards (unlike online). In the past only values 9, 10 and 11 could be doubled, and 4s, 5s and 10s could not be split – now the rules have been changed and any card combination can be doubled and split.

This is good news for the player as it is possible to double up on our bets, yet for the frivolous player, could mean losing twice as much!

The basic aim of the game some suggest is to achieve a result of 21 or as close as, but when you get more familiarised with the game, I play tactically and try and get the dealer to bust instead by not taking cards.

Until you are confident, just keep to hitting hard on cards up to 17 (depending on what the dealer has, I’ll explain more in the next tips post) and hit on soft 18 if the dealer is showing 10, otherwise, stick.

If you are playing online, then it is impossible to card count, so it’s worth taking the risk and not take insurance on your hand.

If you want to get into blackjack but are a complete newbie then here are a few good tips and ideas to help you in the right direction.

You can play blackjack either at a casino or online. As a complete starter, I would suggest you start online; there you can play for free and experiment before you take on the real thing.

Before you start, decide on your bankroll, or an amount that you are willing to spend, so you don’t lose track or get giddy.

As a general rule, always split double aces and 8’s but NEVER 10s – this is regardless of what the dealer has.

There are many ways to play the game, but to start try and get at least 17 – just make sure you don’t try and ‘beat’ the dealer otherwise you will end up busting more than you win. I will more touch on the strategy of the game at a later date.