Online Blackjack strategy

The first step one needs to take to become a successful and skilled blackjack player is to learn basic blackjack playing strategy.

Julian Braun of IBM was the first man to create a blackjack strategy. He used a computer to simulate millions of blackjack hands to determine what he or she should do to improve their blackjack hand or beat the dealer.

This maths-based blackjack strategy has improved player decisions and reduced the player to casinos disadvantage to less than 1%.

The following will outlines the basic strategy of when to hit, stand, double down, split or surrender in a blackjack game to improve the skills of any blackjack player.

Blackjack Basic StrategyHit or StandDouble DownSplit PairsSurrender
Aria Williams
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Hit or Stand

Hit or Stand

The most frequent decision a player will have to make is whether to hit or stand. The difficult hands a player must decide on are 12 to 17 as a player is likely to lose more of these hands than they win.

Here are a few basic strategies you should follow.

♠️ Always hit a hand of 11 or less

♠️ Stand on 12 if a dealer has 4-6, otherwise hit

♠️ Stand on 13-16 if a dealer has 2-6, otherwise hit

♠️ Always stand on 17 or above

♠️ Always hit soft 17 or less

♠️ Stand on soft 18 except hit if a dealer 9, 10, or A.

♠️ Always stand on soft 19 or above

Hit or Stand
Double Down

Double Down

The blackjack double down strategy allows a player to double their initial bet if they surrender their ability to draw down more than one card. Not all casinos allow a double down option or restrict the option to a hand of 10-11.

Here are a few strategies to determine whether to double down.

♠️ Double hard 9 if a dealer has 3-6

♠️ Double hard 10 unless a dealer has a 10 or A

♠️ Double hard 11 unless a dealer has an A

♠️ Double soft 13 or 14 if a dealer has 5-6

♠️ Double soft 15 or 16 if a dealer has 4-6.

♠️ Double soft 17 or 18 if a dealer has 3-6.

Double Down
Split Pairs

Split Pairs

A player may choose to split a pair dealt to them into two separate hands, this is referred to as a split strategy.

If a player chooses the blakcjack split strategy, they must separate their cards and place an equal bet (to their original bet) at the top of the second card to indicate to the dealer they have chosen to split their hand.

Here are a few basic rules for splitting pairs.

♠️ Always split Aces

♠️ Never split 5's or 10's

♠️ Split 2s and 3s if a dealer has 4-7

♠️ Split 6s if a dealer has 3-6

♠️ Split 7s if a dealer has 2-7

♠️ Split 9s if a dealer has 2-6 or 8-9

Split Pairs
Surrender

Surrender

One of the most misunderstood strategies in blackjack is the surrender rule.

A player should consider the cards placed in front of them as well as the dealer's upturned card. If they feel they have little to no chance of winning, the player can choose to surrender.

When the player surrenders, the dealer will take half of their bet amount and remove their cards, ending their hand in the game.

As a rule, If a player has a 16 (not two 8's) and the dealer has a 9 through to Ace or a player has a 15 and the dealer has a 10, the player may want to consider surrendering their hand.

Surrender
About the author
Aria Williams
Aria Williams
About

Aria Williams, New Zealand's prominent voice in online casino game localization, masterfully fuses the thrilling world of gaming with the rich Kiwi spirit. Their deft touch ensures every game not only entertains but resonates deeply with the locals.

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