Blackjack is one of the very few casino-banked card games where the decisions players make have a direct impact on their long-term chances of winning and preserving their bankrolls. Whether you make the correct plays or not will ultimately determine whether you emerge as a long-term winner or loser.
When you join a blackjack table, the two most fundamental playing decisions you are facing are whether to hit or stand on your hand. Ironically, these two decisions rank last in the order of plays you can exercise at the blackjack table.
The reason for this is simple – unlike surrendering, splitting, and doubling, you can hit or stand on hands that comprise any number of cards whereas the other moves are possible only on two-card totals. Both plays are accompanied by specific hand gestures which differ depending on whether you join a shoe-dealt table or a pitch game.
Longer answer: The main reason is whether the Basic Strategy Chart is based off of a dealer Hitting a Soft 17, known as an “H17 game” or Standing on a Soft 17, known as an “S17 game.”.
The great thing about blackjack is that the game combines elements of luck, skill, and strategy. There is no need to rely on gut feelings in order to make the correct move. All you have to do is memorize basic blackjack strategy. It gives you the foundation of becoming a successful blackjack player by telling you when to hit your hand and when to stand.
Hitting a Hand in Blackjack
Multi-Deck Blackjack: Dealer Stands Soft 17 Multi-deck blackjack is played with 4+ decks and this Basic Blackjack Strategy Chart below is where the dealer stands on a soft 17. The rules and conditions of multi-deck blackjack may vary from one casino to another. These forced dealer rules vary depending on the gambling hall and the blackjack table you play at, but are generally classified into two main groups. The dealer is either required to draw to 16 and force-stand on all totals of 17 or must draw to 16, stand on hard 17 and hit soft 17. According to basic strategy, blackjack players should always stand on hard 12 when the dealer’s up card is 4-6. Standing is also encouraged on hard 13-16 when the dealer’s up card is 2 through 6. These may seem like defensive plays, but any 10 or face card would force the dealer to hit, and quite likely bust.
A new round at the blackjack table starts with everyone receiving two cards that comprise their starting hands. This includes the dealer who normally receives their first card up while their second card is dealt face-down. The players would either receive their two cards face-up in shoe-dealt blackjack or face-down in pitch games where only one or two decks are in play.
At this point, each player takes a good look at their initial two-card hand, checks the dealer’s exposed card, and decides whether to take a hit or not. Hitting is the first most common decision one makes at the blackjack table. It involves the player requesting additional cards on their initial hand.
In multiple-deck games dealt out of a shoe, the player indicates they want to hit either with a beckoning gesture with their finger or by tapping the felt next to their two cards. In pitch games where you receive your cards face down, a hit is indicated by lightly scraping the felt with your two cards.
Players are allowed to take as many hits as they like unless the last card drawn to their hand causes it to break, i.e. go over 21. You can hit any total, with the exception of pat blackjacks which automatically stand.
The main reason for drawing additional cards is to try and improve the value of your hand. Your hitting decisions are influenced by two factors – the current total of your hand and the upcard the dealer is showing.
Blackjack Basic Strategy Engine
Standing on a Hand in Blackjack
Standing on a hand is practically the opposite of hitting. The player is satisfied with their current hand value and declines additional cards from the dealer. Similarly to hitting, this decision must be designated with a physical gesture for the purpose of hindering cheaters and preventing misunderstandings on behalf of the dealer and surveillance.
This physical motion involves waving your palm horizontally over your two cards in shoe-dealt games. The gesture is different in single-deck and double-deck games where standing is indicated by sliding the corners of your cards under the chips you have originally placed in your betting box.
Forced Standing Rules for Dealers and Their Variations
Unlike blackjack players, the house representative who deals the cards does not make any decisions when playing out their hand. Instead, blackjack dealers draw cards or stand on their hands according to the forced rules specified by the gambling establishments.
These forced dealer rules vary depending on the gambling hall and the blackjack table you play at, but are generally classified into two main groups. The dealer is either required to draw to 16 and force-stand on all totals of 17 or must draw to 16, stand on hard 17 and hit soft 17. The dealer standing rule is printed on the layout, which makes it easy for players to distinguish what table they are playing.
Basic Strategy Blackjack Game
Which of the two dealer rules is better from the perspective of the player, though? To answer this question, we must first explain what a soft 17 is. This is a hand that contains an Ace whose value is flexible, i.e. it can be either 1 or 11, like in the following two examples – A-6 and A-2-4. Due to the fluctuating value of the Ace, one such soft hand practically has two totals, 7 and 17.
The dealer forced standing rules should be always taken into consideration because they have a direct impact on basic strategy as well as on the house edge. A total of 17 is not strong enough in blackjack where the average winning hand totals 18.5. A dealer who hits soft 17 is less susceptible to exceeding 21 and thus, losing because of the flexible value of the Ace.
If a higher-ranking card is drawn, the dealer’s Ace will count as 1. This practically makes it impossible for them to bust by taking one more card. However, if they happen to catch a small card like a deuce on the next hit, it gets them into the safe zone and they can outdraw the player, who always stands on hard 17 according to basic strategy.
A dealer who hits soft 17 (H17) increases the house edge by 0.22%. This may seem like a small increase in the casino’s advantage but nevertheless, it leads to higher hourly losses in the long term for the basic strategy player.
Assuming you play at a full table where you flat bet at the minimum of $5 and go through 60 hands per hour on average, you will lose roughly ($5 x 60 x 0.22)/100 = $0.66 per hour due to the soft 17 rule alone.
Of course, these figures apply only over the long run where thousands of hands are involved. Nevertheless, a smart blackjack player always favors tables where the dealer stands on all 17 over those where they hit soft 17.
Key Basic Strategy Plays for Hitting and Standing
Basic strategy tells blackjack players when it is the correct time to hit and when they should stand, among other things. The decision is based on the upcard of the dealer and the player’s hand total. Basic strategy is proven to reduce the house edge, but some of the hitting and standing decisions it suggests also aim at minimizing the long-term losses players incur in unfavorable situations. With that said, you cannot overcome the house edge entirely with basic strategy alone.
The correct plays are influenced by a variety of factors which include the above-mentioned dealer forced rules, the number of decks incorporated into the game, and the possible rule variations at different blackjack tables.
The strategy is normally presented in a table format. Here are several of the most important standing and hitting decisions recommended by basic strategy for multiple-deck games where the dealer force-stands on all 17s:
- Always hit totals 4 through 8 regardless of what card the dealer shows
- Stand on hard totals of 12 if the dealer exposes small cards 4 through 6 and hit your hard 12 against all other dealer cards
- Hit 16 against a dealer with a ten-value card or Ace, otherwise surrender if allowed
- Always hit soft totals 13 through 17 and stand on soft 19
- Stand on soft totals of 18 unless the dealer is showing high cards like 9, 10, and Ace. If so, hit your soft 18.
- Stand on all hard totals of 17 or higher
Deviations from Basic-Strategy Hitting and Standing Decisions
Learning basic strategy is an absolute must for anyone who insists on becoming a winning blackjack player. With that said, basic strategy relies on limited information. It tells you the optimal plays you can make in any given situation after you have received your first two cards and have seen the dealer’s exposed card.
However, it does not take into account the way the composition of the deck or shoe changes as more and more cards are removed from play. These changes in composition are important because they have a direct impact on the house edge.
If more ten-value cards and Aces remain to be dealt, the edge swings over in favor of the player and vice versa, the dealer has an advantage when the remaining shoe or deck is richer in small cards. Smart players have learned to exploit this peculiarity of the game by keeping track of the ratio of high to low cards that remain to be dealt.
This is known as card counting. The player keeps a running count as each card is dealt out of the shoe and then converts it into a true count. This conversion is necessary for shoe games and involves the division of the current running count by the number of decks that remain in play.
A high positive true count indicates the shoe is rich in high cards and vice versa, a negative true count means more small cards are still in play. Using this information, well-versed players would deviate from basic strategy for certain hitting and standing decisions. The plays suggested by the strategy are based on a neutral deck or shoe and are no longer optimal after the composition changes.
A Couple of Examples for Hitting and Standing Deviations
Blackjack pros resort to using indices for their playing deviations. An index is a number that tells you at what true count you must diverge from the basic strategy. Let’s use hard 12 against a dealer with a deuce as an example just to give you a better idea of how playing deviations for hitting and standing work.
A basic strategy chart for multiple-deck games under the S17 rule recommends you to hit your 12 against a 2. However, this play is no longer optimal once you arrive at a true count of +3. Now, there are more tens and face cards you can bust with. Therefore, you must deviate from basic strategy and stand on your 12 against the 2 when the true count is +3 or higher.
Another example is a hand of hard 16 against a dealer with a 9 as their upcard. According to basic strategy, you must hit your hard 16 against the 9 if surrender is unavailable. Unfortunately, this decision is a bad one on high positive counts of +5 or above. Respectively, the player stands (the pun was unintentional) better chances of winning if they refrain from drawing more cards because hitting is more likely to break their 16 in shoes that are rich in tens.
And one final example with a hard 13 versus a dealer showing a 3, in which case you should stand according to basic strategy. This may be a good idea in a neutral shoe but it becomes unprofitable on negative counts.
The index for this hand is -2, which is to say you deviate from basic strategy when the true count drops to -2 or lower by choosing to hit instead of standing. At this point, there are more small cards than high cards to help you improve your hand and minimize the risk of breaking it.
Playing deviations are great not only for hitting and standing but for all other possible moves in blackjack, like doubling, splitting, surrendering, and buying insurance. Not only do these deviations enable the player to generate more EV in the long term but they also reduce risk and help you tame variance.
With that said, it is impossible to use them without committing basic strategy to memory first, so we suggest this is where you start if you take your blackjack game seriously.
Allstar Gambling USA / Guides / Long one of the world’s most popular card games blackjack is a game of both skill and chance. Learning blackjack basic strategy can dramatically reduce the house edge and increase your odds of winning one of the most fun and exciting casino games around.
Blackjack has long been one of the most popular casino games in the world. Dating back to France in the early 1700s, today this elegant game of both luck and skill can be found in every major casino, whether land-based or online, in the world. The draw of blackjack lies not only in its simplicity but also in the fact that mathematicians have shown us that it is a game in which you can actually beat the house if you are persistent and diligent enough in applying basic blackjack strategy.
In this article, we’ll provide you with some insights of the basic blackjack strategy you need to know to be able to have a ton of fun, beat the house, and walk away from a winner.
What is the house edge?
First off, let’s talk about the house edge. As you know, all casino games have a house edge that gives the casino an inherent advantage and keeps them in business. It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Macau or at your favorite online casino, the house edge is always there in every game you play. Games like Keno, with a house edge ranging from 25%-29% or Casino War, with a house edge for a tie bet at 18.65%, are some of the worst casino games to play as they have the highest house edge.
Classic and Live Dealer Blackjack, on the other hand, with the dealer standing on a soft 17, has a house edge of just 0.28% when played using blackjack basic strategy. Obviously, that’s a huge difference in your favor as long as you effectively use basic blackjack strategy and one of the things that have helped blackjack keep its place as the world’s most popular casino card game throughout the ages. The key to successful blackjack play, enhancing your fun and your bankroll, is knowing when to stand, hit, split, double down or surrender.
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Play NowWhen to hit or stand
While famous card counters like the MIT team, Edward Thorp or Ken Uston popularized the notion that you could get seriously rich playing blackjack properly as long as you were a mathematical whizz kid, you don’t have to be a maths genius to employ blackjack basic strategy and dramatically increase your chances of walking away from the table a winner.
When it comes to basic blackjack strategy, it all starts with knowing when to hit or stand. There are two main types of hands in blackjack, hard and soft. Hard hands refer to the possibility that the player or dealer will go bust (go over 21) on the next hit. A soft hand is one in which the player or dealer has an ace that counts as 11 instead of 1.
The rules regarding when to stand or hit, then, are as follows:
- If the dealer has a 4-6 and you have a hard 12 – always stand
- If the dealer has a 2-6 and you have a hard 13-16 – always stand
- If you have a hard 17 – always stand
- If you have a soft 19 or more – always stand
- If you have a soft 18 – always stand, unless the dealer has a 9, 10 or ace, then hit
- Always hit on a soft 17 or less
- Always hit on a hard 11 or less
When to split in Blackjack
When it comes to basic blackjack strategy, knowing when to split is also an essential skill. In almost all versions of blackjack, you’ll be given the option to split your hand into two separate hands if you’re dealt a pair. You double your bet but are now playing two hands (or possibly more, as some versions of blackjack will give you the option to re-split if you’re dealt another pair) against the dealer. The rules regarding when to split are as follows:
- Always split aces
- Always split 8s
- Always re-split the above if given the chance
- Never split 10s
- Never split 5s
- Never split 4s
- Only split 2s, 3s or 7s if the dealer has a 7 or lower
- Only split 6s if the dealer has 2-6
When to double down in Blackjack
Doubling down in Blackjack is the opportunity to double your initial bet after you have seen your first two cards but limits you to only one additional card after your bet. Statistically speaking, as each deck of cards in blackjack holds 16 cards that equal 10, if the two cards you are dealt first equal 10 or 11, doubling down is your best bet to maximize your possible winnings.
Experts also say that if the dealer is showing a 5 or a 6, also known as “bust cards”, and you hold an ace together with a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, doubling down is your best bet as you are more likely to be helped than hurt by the remaining cards in the deck.
When to surrender in Blackjack
Certain variations of blackjack will give you the option to surrender. This means, in the event, you’re dealt a terrible hand, you have the option to forfeit the hand and retain half your bet. The logic behind when to surrender and when not to revolves around the particular type of blackjack you are playing. i.e. whether the dealer is required to hit or stand on a soft 17.
If the dealer is required to stand on a soft 17, then it is advisable to surrender if you have 16 and the dealer has a 9, 10 or ace. However, this changes in the event you have a pair of 8s, in which case you should split instead of surrender.
If the dealer is required to hit on a soft 17, then it is advisable to surrender on a 15 or 17 if the dealer is showing an ace or if you have a pair of 8s and the dealer has an ace. If the dealer has anything else, the pair of 8s should be split.
Conclusion
Learning and effectively using blackjack basic strategy will not only dramatically alter the odds and lower the inherent house edge in your favour but allows you as the player to take ever greater control of your game, making the experience of playing one of the world’s most beloved casino card games immensely more fun, thrilling and profitable! Get into your game today and use basic blackjack strategy to turn an otherwise casual and fun game of cards into a truly winning proposition.
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