Blackjack - The Basic
Strategy
The first thing all
players need to learn about blackjack is the basic strategy. This is
basically the best way to play all possible scenarios that you will
face. We list the basic strategy for four of more decks when the dealer
stands on soft 17. This is the most common from of blackjack you will
see, and these moves can be effective under any rules.
To use the basic strategy
look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card
along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. Rule variations can
have an effect on some borderline situations. The most flexible rules
are the number of decks, whether the dealer hits or stands on a soft 17,
and whether doubling is allowed after splitting.
Key to table:
- Orange = Hit
-
- Red = Stand
-
- Green = Double if allowed,
otherwise hit
-
- Beige
= Split
-
Insurance
Never take
insurance, even if you have blackjack. If you count cards, then you
might be able to get away with it if the deck is loaded with tens, but
if you do not count cards, the ALLWAYS decline it. The following table
shows the house edge on the insurance bet depending on the number of
decks used.
| House
Edge on Insurance |
Number
of Decks |
House
Edge |
| 1 |
5.882% |
| 2 |
6.796% |
| 4 |
7.246% |
| 6 |
7.395% |
| 8 |
7.470% |
Surrender
Sometimes with a 6
or 8 deck you will have the option to surrender. To be specific the you
(the player) may forfeit half of your bet to be excused from playing out
your hand. Usually, the only time you may surrender is when the dealer
checks for blackjack. The following table is a basic guide for when to
surrender (Y=yes, N=no).
| Basic
Surrender Strategy |
Player's
Hand |
Dealer's
Card |
| 9 |
10 |
A |
| 15 |
N |
Y |
N |
| 16 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Helpful
Tips
Seek out
blackjack tables with the most favorable rules.
Not all
blackjack games are created equal. There's a wide
range of rule variations, some good for the player,
and some designed to do nothing but pad the house
advantage.
Among the rules
that are good for the player: Dealer stands on all
17s; player may double-down on any first two cards;
player may double down after splitting pairs; player
may re split Aces; player may surrender (after his
first two cards, the player may surrender half his bet
in exchange for not having to play out the hand.)
Among the
rules that are bad for the player: Dealer hits soft
17, double-downs are restricted to 9, 10, or 11;
player may not double after splitting pairs; player
may not re split pairs; player may not re-split Aces.
Do you see a
pattern here? Player options rules that give the
player the most room to make decisions-are good,
provided the player knows how to use them. Rules that
restrict player decisions are bad.
The number of
decks also enters the picture. If all other rules are
equal, fewer decks are better. The house edge is
lowest with a single deck, makes its biggest jump in
switching from one deck to two, and increases by
lesser amounts with each deck added to the shoe.
You should
take advantage of our Blackjack chart to the right of
the page. By following these moves, you'll eliminate
many common mistakes and greatly improve you odds of
winning. You can bookmark this site (press
"Ctrl" + "D" at the same time) or
just print out the page to keep it for reference. Good
Luck!
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