The 2009 winner Mon Mome ran home at odds of 100/1, which is frankly amazing. I think the main reason people love this race is it’s unpredictable nature. Anyone one of the forty horse running could win, I just checked the Grand National website and found out that the 2010 race is on the 10th of April, so there’s still plenty of time to check out the runners, jockeys and trainers. I normally don’t bother looking at the racing form, I’m old school and pick my horse by sticking a pin in the newspaper on the morning of the race!

If you’re new to the game of blackjack then there are a couple of important things to remember before you go hell for leather at the table. Blackjack isn’t a game of luck; knowing how to play the game, using developed strategies and tips will all give you an advantage over the house. 

The casino or house has a 2%-3% advantage at the Blackjack table which believe it or not is pretty good given the house advantage over some of the other casino games. But, despite this low advantage, blackjack tables are the second highest source of revenue for casinos. This seems a little strange – how exactly does a game with such good odds for players bring in so much revenue for the casino?

The answer is simple – players make too many mistakes, through arrogance, ignorance or plain errors. Because the odds are in the players favour, many tend to go out with a ‘beat the house’ attitude and end up losing instead. When enough people play this way the errors mount up and so does the casino revenue!

As a beginner you do not want to fall into this trap so remember these tips:

• Find a table whose minimum is no more than 5% of you total stash – if you have £20 to play with then make sure that the minimum you can play with is £1 per hand.
• Since the dealer has to hit (take a card) on any hand 16 or lower, you’ll never win with less than 17 unless the dealer busts.
• Take a hit on your hand below 17 when the dealer shows Ace, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 or 7
• If you are dealt two cards of the same value, you may “split” them, doubling your bet and playing two hands.
• Never split 10′s or 5′s.
• Always split 8′s or 7′s against a dealer’s card of equal or lower value.

These are only meant as basic beginner tips – if you’ve already gotten a handle on the game you should move on to more advance tips, also available in this section.

So when do you double down?
It’s easy just double down on the following hands:

 
Just remember that you’re betting on the dealer going bust because of the number of potential cards he will have to deal himself due to the low up card. The greater the number of cards he has to deal, the greater the chance he will go over 21 and you will win.

Doubling down enables you to double your money in an advantageous position but it will cost you twice your bet so choose your hands well to minimise your losses.