Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in existence and has been made even more famous in the past decade due to the explosion of the online casino industry. Every man on the street knows what blackjack is even if they have never stepped foot inside a casino, and blackjack lingo can be heard in day-to-day conversations.

 This fantastic game is one that is quite simple to learn, requiring a combination of both luck and skill. An essential element to successful blackjack play, however, is a strategy. Every experienced player will have developed their own strategy that works best for their style and which combines basic blackjack strategy with their own personalized rules. Depending on the casino’s house rules, strategies might have to be adjusted, and flexibility, therefore, is also crucial.

Blackjack basically puts the player against the dealer. The player has to aim for their card total to reach as close to the number 21 without passing the number (going bust). If any player or the dealer passes 21, then they lose the round, while the player with the closest to 21 (and ideally a perfect 21) wins the round. Every player begins by being dealt two cards and the skill and strategy comes in when the player needs to decide whether to ask for more cards or to stick with what he has. This decision is based on a number of elements: the player’s own cards, the dealer’s cards, and the cards that have already been played. A blackjack artist will be able to find the balance between getting as close to 21 as possible, without going bust.

Blackjack cards are valued as follows – Ace = 1 or 11; 2-10 = their face value; Jack, Queen and King = 10. The total of a player’s hand is the joint value of all the cards. An Ace is played as a 1 or 11 according to what is best for the hand and the value can be changed even in mid-hand if so desired. A player is dealt 2 cards and depending on house rules, the cards can either be flipped or are dealt face up. The dealer then decides how to play out his hand according to the cards in his possession and the house rules: If the dealer stands on all 17s he will continue to hit until his total reaches 17, and then stop. A variation is if the dealer hits a soft 17 which means he will continue hitting if he has a 17 with an ace in it. This soft 17 means that the ace could be used as a 1 if necessary. Unlike the player, the dealer does not have the option to split or double down – he simply plays out his hand until he reaches a 17, a blackjack or goes bust.

A player has more options than the dealer and depending on the cards, a player can either surrender, hit, stand, double down or split. Surrendering is the least common option, whereby a player is given an option to fold their hand at the cost of half of the original bet. Early surrender means that a player must choose to surrender before the dealer checks his cards for a blackjack, and late surrender means that the player must wait and only if the dealer has no blackjack, then may he surrender.

The most common decision made by the player is to draw another card (to be hit) or to stay with the cards in hand (to stand). Most experienced players will have memorized a basic blackjack strategy table which guides them when the best time is to be hit and when the best time is to stand. Some players may follow the strategy tightly, taking minimal risks, while others will act brazenly and ask to be hit when they are showing a 16 for example. Those players that have mastered the skills of card counting might be even more brazen, but recent technological advances make this skill harder to implement.

A player can also choose to double down with a two card hand, before another card has been dealt. A player doubles their bet and receives only one card to their hand. This type of play is obviously not always beneficial and depends greatly on the cards in hand, and the cards that the dealer is holding.  Pair splitting is another move which could be beneficial to the player. If a double is dealt, the player is allowed to split the hand into two separate hands, but needs to bet the same amount on each new hand. Splitting is best on a double 7 or 8 when the joint totals are borderline, but when split, might be beneficial. While it is allowed to split a double ten, this is not a wise move.

 The best way for a new player to become confident with his own playing strategy is to practice as much as possible – either on the free games offered at an online casino or for small bids at a live casino. Practice makes perfect and this is certainly true with blackjack.

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