Quote Originally Posted by knightwalker
Without doing any math, I think I can answer this one. Side bets = Suckers bets. The casino's always give the player a large -EV on the side bets.

Play solid Blackjack double up everytime you should, not just on 11. How many people double down when the dealer has a 5 and you hold A6? You should. Knowing when to split and double down will give you the best chance to win. Unless you know how to count.
Basic strategy narrows the house edge to ~0.5%, Counting increases the the players edge to about 1-2% I think. Imagine taking your AK against 22 all day, or imagine you have 22 against the casinos AK.