Blackjack Strategy Basics

Blackjack Strategy Basics for Beginners

It's well-known that blackjack is a game where strategy matters. In many (if not most) casino gambling games, the player makes no decisions at all other than how much to bet. In other gambling games, players make decisions, but those decisions don't affect the mathematical outcome. In blackjack (and video poker), the choices a player makes affects the likelihood that he'll win.

When gambling experts discuss casino games, they talk about the "house edge." That's just a percentage that describes how much of each bet a player can expect to lose over the long term. For example, if we say that a game has a house edge of 5%, then the casino expects, over time, to win $5 of every $100 that the player bets. The lower the house edge, the better chances the player has of leaving a winner. If the house edge becomes negative, then the casino expects to lose money, not the player.

Most people who play blackjack without understanding any kind of strategy are giving the house an edge of about 2%. That's relatively low for a casino game, but smart strategy can reduce that amount to 0.5% or less. Strategic decisions in blackjack are determined by the player's total, the dealer's upcard, and the rules variations in effect at the casino. You can find websites which will generate a chart covering every possible situation in every possible game, and casinos will let you bring those printed charts to the table to play with.

You could also memorize these charts. but my suggestion to beginners is to start off learning the basics of basic strategy first. Some situations come up more often in blackjack than others, and those are the situations you should memorize first. I've listed what I think you should focus on first.

Hard Hands

A hard hand in blackjack is one that doesn't include an ace, or a hand that includes an ace that must be counted as one in order to avoid busting. Here's what you should remember about hard hands:

• Always stand on any hard hand with a total of 17 or more.
• Hit any hard hand totaling between 12 and 16 if the dealer has a 7 or higher showing; otherwise stand.
• Always double down on any hard total of 10 or 11.
• Always hit any hard total of 9 or less. If the total is exactly 9 and the dealer is showing a 6 or lower, double down.

Soft Hands

A soft hand in blackjack is one that includes an ace that can be counted as either one or eleven. Here's what you should remember about soft hands:

• Always stand on a soft hand that totals 18 or more.
• Always hit a soft hand that totals 15 or less.
• For soft totals of 16 or 17, double down if the dealer has an upcard of 6 or less. Otherwise, hit.

Pairs

Pairs are hands that consist of two cards of the same rank. For example, if you're dealt two eights, you have a hard total of 16, but it's a pair, so you have to decide whether or not to split. If you don't split, then treat the hand according to its hard or soft total above. Here's the basics of playing pairs in blackjack:

• Always split aces and eights.
• Never split fours, fives, or tens.
• Only split the other pairs if the dealer has an upcard of 6 or less.

Experts make further changes to certain totals, but if you play according to this easy blackjack strategy, you'll be enjoying one of the lowest house edge games in the casino.