BlackJack Basic Strategy

Read More About Blackjack Strategy

Learning to play the game of blackjack can be quite simple, but you will need to know some concepts and strategies to improve your chances of winning. Before we get to blackjack strategy, you should understand the one advantage you always have over the casino: the dealer’s play is bound by a strict set of house rules. This will help you later as we discuss the limitations, but to get started, you have to know what the basic strategy is all about.

Most casino games depend on luck, and there is no fixed strategy to play them. But blackjack is different in the sense that you can make or break the bank by the calls you make. Although luck does play an important role in the game, you will still need to know how to make the right moves to support your chances of winning. For blackjack players, the basic strategy is more than a set of techniques; it is a rule in itself.

Basic strategy takes advantage of the rule that the dealer can only stand on 17 or higher, without exceeding 21. And with one card revealed, you can make an educated guess on the total value of his two cards, and how likely he will have to hit to make the required total. The basic strategy was derived from mathematical calculations to enable players to call the right moves against the dealer’s upcard, so that the house advantage can be reduced. As such, you will naturally increase your chances of winning if you follow the basic strategy.

Basic strategy dictates that in any given hand, if the dealer card that is revealed is a 7 or higher and your card total is less than 16, you have to hit. If the dealer’s up card is 7 or higher, and your combined card total is 17 or more, you must stay. Since the dealer has to keep hitting until he gets at least 17, he has a higher chance to bust, and that’s exactly what the basic strategy seeks to do instead of relying on the slimmer chances that the players’ hands will exceed the dealer’s without going over 21.

The point is to make the dealer bust while you remain in the game without busting, and if luck is on your side, try to get as close to 21 as possible. With this in mind, if the dealer shows a 6 or lower and your cards total 11 or less, you will have to hit because you will not bust with just one card and you have a chance to get closer to 21. On the other hand, if the dealer shows a 6 or lower and your cards total 12 or more, you should stay so that you can shift the risk of drawing a bust card to the dealer.

Below, you will find a basic strategy chart that will serve as a reminder until the rules are ingrained into your memory.

• H = hit
• S= stay
• D= double down