Blackjack Strategy
After dealing, the dealer asks the players from left to right, requesting them to take action. Your understanding and skill can improve your odds of beating the dealer. Contrary to other casino games, blackjack is not based entirely on luck. Strategy and skill play a big role in who will win at the blackjack games - and part of the challenge and fun is weighing the various choices you may use in a hand.
Depending on the dealer’s upcard and your hand, you have a few options to consider. The charm of blackjack lies in the various decisions available to a player, and every hand presents diverse choices.
Two most common choices are:
• Standing: Refusing the offer for another card if you are satisfied with the total card value you already have.
• Hitting: accepting another card to improve your hand.
These are other options you can do:
• Holding 21
If the first two cards have a total value of 21 (an ace and a face card or a 10), you are the proud holder of a natural, also called as a blackjack. A blackjack is as effective as it gets - you do not have agonizing decisions on whether you need to hit or stand.
• Staying put when the total is high: Stand and Deliver
If you do not have 21, but the total is still pretty high - 18 or more - the best strategy generally is to stand.
Communicate that you are standing by tucking your cards softly under your bet during the face-down games or by moving your hand on the top of your cards at face-up games.
• Asking for more card
If you do not get a natural, and the hand total is really low - say a 3 and a 2 for a total of 5, you need to hit. Even if you receive a 10, you will not bust, so you are safe to request another card. Signal you are hitting either by scratching the cards behind your bet, on the felt, during the face-down games or by indicating with your finger during the face-up games.
If your hand totals 13 or higher, you have a risk in adding more card. If you get a face card as the hit card, your hand now goes past 21 and you lose the game, no matter what happens with the dealer’s hand.
• Splitting pairs: Get two for one
If you get two cards with equal value - like two 7s - you have the chance of splitting, or creating two separate hands from a pair. With this strategy, you must match the original bet. In a few words, if you bet $5, you increase your bet by $5 more for that new hand. You then own two separate hands; each is started with of 7 cards. You play those two hands out, one after another, with the normal options of hitting, splitting, doubling down or standing. Splitting is one of the opportunities you have to change your bet at the middle of a hand.
• Increasing the Bet
Doubling down is an alternative that allows a player to double his original bet. The trade-off is that you get only a card, which the dealer usually deals face-down. Many casinos allow doubling down for any of the first two cards.
Novice players have a couple of major goals in their early sessions of blackjack: win the prize and try to avoid looking like a vulnerable cub in the game. However, to become a productive blackjack player, you should master the rationales of basic strategy. And relying on rabbit’s foot or Lady Luck isn’t a good strategy that works in blackjack.
These six tactics can help you decrease the house edge to roughly 1 percent.
1. Hard hand strategy
A hard hand does not have an ace, but if the hand has one, the ace is considered as 1 instead of 11. Use these strategies for hard hands:
• For 11 or less, you must hit. (However, if your first two cards have a total of 10 or 11, then double down options have higher precedence over hitting
• For 12 through 16, hit if your dealer’s upcard is a 7 through an ace; otherwise stand. If the dealer’s upcard is lower, you should stand.
• For 17 or higher, always stand.
2. Soft hand strategy
In soft hand, an ace is valued as 11 rather than 1. Always remember these two basic tactics for soft hands:
• For 17 or less, always hit
• For 18 or more, always stand.
3. Double downs strategy
Doubling down allows you to double the original bet but limits you to receiving only one more card:
• For 10, double, if a 2 through 9 is shown as the dealer’s upcard, otherwise hit. If you get a starting total of 10 or 11, then it is a good time to double down since you have roughly a thirty percent chance of getting a 10 or a face card.
• For 11, double, if a 2 through 10 is shown as the dealer’s upcard; otherwise hit.
4. Pair splits strategy
Keep these strategies in mind:
• Always split 8s and aces. Aces are good to split due to the higher chance to get 21; you need to split 8s to lower your chance of being beaten (16 is a bad starting hand).
• Don’t split 10s or 5s. Never split 10s and 5s because their totals (20 and 10, respectively) are good starting hands.
5. Stiff hands strategy
Stiff hands have a total of 12 through 16. Stiff hands are clearly your worst nightmare because a 10 easily busts your hand. Use these strategies, when you get stiff hands:
• Hit if the dealer is strong (7 through ace upcard).
• Stand if the dealer is weak (2 through 6 upcard).
6. Pat hands strategy
Pat hands have a total value of 17 through 21. As a high starting hand, pat hands give most of your winnings. Stand, if you have a 17 hard hand.
