Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack is a rather easy game to play, being that the rules are few and simple.  All a player needs to know to get by is that face cards are worth ten points, an ace can be worth ten or eleven (depending on whichever value makes it a better hand) and that if the hand goes over twenty-one, it loses, also called busting.  As far as actions go, players can decide to hit (receive an additional card), stand (play the hand as is), split (turn their hand into two hands if their initial hand is a pair), double down (doubling an initial wager) or take insurance (minimize losses by predicting the dealer will win by hitting twenty-one, also called blackjack or a natural).  It is always you against the dealer (even in multiplayer blackjack, where players take turns being the dealer), who according to most casino rules, must stand if holding 17 or higher and hit if holding anything under 17. 

Blackjack is played with one to eight decks, with multiple decks being the most common.  The basic blackjack strategy is by far the best strategy overall, and for getting the House Edge down to the lowest percentage possible.  We recommend that you consult the basic strategy card chart, which shows the appropriate action to take for every possible hand combination (aside from the obvious).  Especially when playing in online casinos, where players have more time to make decisions, this card chart can be a very powerful weapon when consulted for every hand.  The following tips below are a summarized version of the basic strategy as well as general tips covering the game of blackjack.  Print this page for reference or bookmark it on your web browser for convenient reference:

Stand on a 17 or better
Your chances of winning are quite good in this range.

Hit in the following situations:
  If showing a sixteen or lower and the dealers up-card is a seven or higher.
  If showing any card value lower than a nine.

Double Down in the following situations:
  If showing an eleven.
  If showing a ten and the dealer's up-card is a nine or less.
  If showing a nine and the dealer's up-card is a six or less.
  If holding a soft hand and the dealer's is a four, five or six.

Split in the following situations:
  If showing double eights or Aces.
  If holding two's or three's and the dealer's up-card is a four, five, six or seven.

Do not split in the following situation:
  If holding five's, ten's, Jack's, Queen's or King's.

Do not play 6-5 Single Deck Blackjack
The House Edge becomes much too high because this game does not always

Do not bother with card counting
Unless you already know how to do it, and are an expert, card counting is extremely difficult to master, and in the long run only increases a players odds slightly, and takes many hours of play to overcome the roller coaster of wins and losses.

Do not take insurance
This is a risky proposition that unless used with card counting (which is not recommended) returns too high of a House Edge.

Do not use the "Never Bust", "Mimic the Dealer", or "10 in the Hole" strategies
These strategies have been tested by gaming statisticians and have been proven to produce House Edges higher than what the basic blackjack strategy produces.

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