Recognizing blackjack dealer 'tells' is actually a great poker skill. You can sometimes read the dealer and determine what kinds of cards he may be holding because of subconscious actions or by facial movements. Reading the dealer at a blackjack table can in fact be extremely easy compared to poker players because the dealer himself wouldn't be the one losing money. Whereas a poker player is trying to guard his own cards and money, a dealer doesn't have to be as careful.

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How to Read the Dealer

Dealer tells really do work and they can actually increase your edge over the casino if you have enough skill in reading these tells. A great way to read the dealer is to try playing with the same one for awhile and pick up on what he or she does throughout a game. It is well known that a good poker player who can read other players can use these same skills to become great blackjack players.

Read the Dealer Hole Card

The most valuable tells are finding out what the hole card or face down card is. Sometimes dealers give away tells that are almost like seeing their hole card and would be like almost legal cheating. It is fair because reading these tells is just like poker and it is an acquired skill.

1. A card counter does this for each card that comes out of the shoe: card after card and round after round until the dealer shuffles the cards again. Back in the days of single deck blackjack, this information.
2. How to count cards in Blackjack. Blackjack is unique in that it can be legally beaten. It is the only game in the casino where past outcomes can influence future outcomes. If you think that betting on red after five black numbers in Roulette is smart, please stop reading.

How to Exploit a Blackjack Dealer Tell. If you can read a dealer’s tells, you can tell if the dealer’s hole card is high or low. That means you can predict a bust or pat hand, and act accordingly, with greater insight than the traditional blackjack strategy chart. In most casinos, the dealer won’t check her hole card.

There are two major things to look for in blackjack tells. First, pay attention to how long the dealer looks at the hole card. Second, look at the how much the he bends the card when he is looking at it. These two variables can hold a lot of information.

How to Tell When the Dealer has a Stiff Card

A stiff card is one that is bad for the dealer such as one with the number 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 points. The dealer may have to bend the card up a little higher to see these numbers. Some dealers are trying to count the symbols and try to make sure they aren't holding aces, especially when they have a 4 card, where the number '4' sometimes looks like an 'A' and commonly gets confused.

How to Tell When the Dealer has a Face Card

A face card is sometimes known as a 'paint card'. Since all face cards count as 10 points, all the dealer has to do is lift it just enough to see the painted pictures on the card. So it may be safe to assume that if the dealer glances quickly at the card or it doesn't take that long to view the under card, then it may be a 10.

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