Information about Blackjack Strategy
Basic blackjack strategy is pretty simple to learn. If you want to perfect your blackjack playing, it will take a lot more work and probably involve some sort of card counting. However, the purpose of this section is to get you familiar with basic strategy. If you want to learn more about card counting, I recommend you check your local library to find a good book about this topic.
In blackjack, your move frequently depends on what card the dealer shows. The reason therefore is that the dealer is more likely to bust if he holds certain cards. Therefore, you want to be less aggressive in these situations. The following tables will present you with the best strategy to follow:
Hitting / Standing
When dealer shows 2 or 3, you should stand when
having 13 or more.
When dealer shows 4, 5 or 6, you should stand when
having 12 or more.
When dealer shows 7, 8, 9, 10 or Ace, you should hit
until you have 17 or more.
When you have an Ace and a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and the
dealer has a 7, 8, 9, 10 or Ace, you should hit.
When you have Ace - 7 and the dealer shows 9, 10 or
Ace, you should hit.
When you have Ace and 8 or 9, you should always
stand.
Splitting Pairs
Splitting pairs is possible when you hold a pair
of any value. Some casinos even allow you to split a
hand of jack / king, etc because both cards have a
value of 10. However, not all do, and as you'll read
below, you should never split a pair of 10s anyway.
The thing you have to know about splitting pairs is
that you'll have to place another bet, which has to
have the same value as your original bet, which
means you can win twice as much, but also lose twice
as much, compared to the beginning of the hand. This
is the best strategy for splitting pairs:
Split a pair of 2s or 3s when the dealer shows 3, 4,
5, 6 or 7.
Split a pair of 4s when the dealer shows 5 or 6.
Never split a pair of 5s.
Split a pair of 6s, unless the dealer has 7, 8, 9,
10 or Ace.
Split a pair of 7s, unless the dealer shows 8, 9, 10
or Ace.
Split a pair of 9s, unless the dealer shows 7, 10 or
Ace.
Never split a pair of 10s.
Always slit a pair of 8s and Aces.
Doubling Down
Doubling down is a very strong move that allows
you to double your bet, which means you'll either
win or lose twice as much as when the hand began.
Doubling down means that you'll only get 1 more card
and you'll then have to beat the dealer. You also
can only double down with your 3rd card. The
following is the best strategy for doubling down:
Double down on 9, unless dealer has 7, 8, 9, 10 or
Ace.
Double down on 10, unless dealer shows 10 or Ace.
Always double down when you have 11.
Double down when you have Ace and 6 or 7 and the
dealer shows 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
Double down when you have Ace and 4 or 5 when dealer
has 4, 5 or 6.
Insurance
In the basic rules section, I shortly introduced
insurance. You are allowed to take insurance when
the dealer shows an Ace. However, I never recommend
taking insurance. The edge of the house is way too
big on this bet. So, don't take insurance and just
hope that the dealer doesn't have a 10 to complete
the blackjack. :)
Now, you know the basic strategy for blackjack. So, go out, play and enjoy yourself. However, please make sure that you only gamble with money you can afford to lose. Even though you have now learned basic strategy, the casino still has an edge over you and will win in the long run. Las Vegas wasn't build by the casino losing money to the players.