Blackjack holds a unique status in the casino but only when it's played correctly. Blackjack offers one of the lowest house edges of any casino game – but you have to play it correctly in order to achieve that edge! Unlike slots and other real money online casinos chance-based games, the decisions that are made at the table will directly impact your long-term success.
There's a Basic Strategy for blackjack that provides the knowledge that you need to get the most out of your blackjack game. To optimize the Blackjack Strategy, you need to know what to do as well as what not to do!
- Are you doubling down when you should be hitting?
- Did you "take insurance?"
- How often do you split your hand?
- Are you making emotional bets that sabotage your bankroll?
Whether you're a casual player looking to embark on a fun-filled blackjack adventure or a serious strategist aiming for high-level results, it's to your advantage to ensure that you minimize your mistakes so that your strategic and managerial blackjack decisions will give you the highest possible chances of achieving success at the blackjack table.
Game Objective
When describing the game of blackjack, people often express that the object of the game is to "get as close to 21 as possible without going over." This is the first mistake. The object of blackjack is to beat the dealer.
To do that, you must:
- Not bust (go over 21).
- Outscore the dealer or have the dealer bust.
Start Playing
You can play blackjack with up to eight decks of 52 cards. Aces are counted as 1 or 11 points, face cards are counted as 10 points and all other cards are counted as face value. You calculate the point values of the individual cards to determine the value of your hand.
A "blackjack", an ace and a picture card, is the highest hand. Blackjack outranks all other hands.
Everyone places a bet to start and then every player receives 2 face-down cards. The dealer also receives two cards, one of which is face up. The dealer's facedown card is the "hole card."
The player then starts to build his hand. He can:
- Stand – stand with his current hand.
- Hit – take more cards, one at a time. If the player's total points exceeds 21 (busting), he loses. As long as his total is under 21, he can continue to take more cards but is under no obligation to do so.
- Double – double the bet to receive one more card.
- Split – if the player's cards are a pair, or any two 10-point cards, he may double his bet and separate his cards into two individual hands and play both hands. In most variations of blackjack, the player may continue to re-split up to a total of 4x.
- Surrender – forfeit half the wager and refrain from continuing the hand.
After the players play their hands, the dealer turns over his hole card. The dealer can draw another card if his hand totals 16 points or less. If the dealer's hand exceeds 21 points, any player who didn't already bust will win.
What to Do
Some elements of basic blackjack strategy are a bit complicated and hard to remember but there's plenty that you can do to boost your chances of winning that doesn't involve mathematical tables or reams of memorization. Some basic blackjack strategies of things to do include:
- Take a hit when your hand is too low to beat the dealer or when the dealer is showing a strong card (7 or higher).
- Stand if your total is 17 or over or when the dealer is showing a weak card (2-6), hoping they will bust.
- Double if your original hand is extremely strong against a weak dealer hand
- Split if your potential payout is strong on hands that are strong when split (i.e. Aces) or bad when combined (like 8s).
What Not to Do
Just as important as knowing what to do is knowing what not to do. Some moves that you should avoid in blackjack include:
- To avoid busting before the dealer, watch the dealer's hand closely. If the dealer shows a weak card (like a 4, 5, or 6), it means that there's a higher probability that the dealer will bust, so in such a case, you should stand on relatively low totals (like 12-16) so that you avoid busting in the hopes that the dealer will do the job for you.
- When the dealer shows a strong card (like a 7, 8, 9, 10, or Ace), they are unlikely to bust. In such a case, you should hit on more hands so that your risk as you aim for a higher total (17+) is lowered. You'll have a better chance of beating the dealer's likely strong hand.
- Leave dealer strategies to the dealer. There are basic strategies for the dealer – taking a hit on a 16 or less and standing on a 17 or more, not doubling or splitting, etc. If the player mimics those strategies, the house edge jumps to a whopping 5.48%. Don't adopt dealer strategies.
Forget your hunches, your good-luck charms, and your hopes for good fortune. Your best chance of blackjack success is to follow the path that's proven, over time, to be mathematically sound.
