How to Play Blackjack

In past posts I have written about how to play Craps and Pai Gow at your local casino.  I thought I might as well write about the game most people think about when they hear the word Casino, which is Blackjack.

Blackjack is perhaps the most popular and well known casino game in existance.  Because of this, it is also the one most people go to first, and the one that makes the casino the most money.

A practical system for counting cards in Blackjack was introduced to the public by Dr. Edward Thorp in the early 1960’s to gain an edge over the casino.  As it turned out, few players ever REALLY learned how to beat the dealer.  Coupled with that, playing conditions have changed significantly since then.  Most casinos use more than one deck of cards at a time and cut a percentage of the cards out of play so the counter never sees them.

Most people don’t have the patience and concentration needed for card counting, not to mention the rather large bankroll needed to make it effective.  However, you can still narrow the house advantage to less than 1 percent by learning and using the basic strategy for hitting, standing, doubling down and splitting.  A little time learning this strategy can make your money go alot farther in the casino. Don’t want to memorize it?  No problem, write the strategy down and take it to the table with you.  This is perfectly acceptable to do at a blackjack table.  Also, LISTEN TO THE DEALER.  If you ask for a hit on a hand that you shouldn’t, often the dealer will ask “Are you sure?”.  This is a hint that you are about to do something you shouldn’t.  Dealers want you to win, they don’t get tips from loosing players.  I’ve even had one dealer ask if we wanted insurance, then after looking at the card said “You don’t want insurance do ya?”.  He was telling us he did not have blackjack.  Obviously this was highly illegal for him to do and it could have gotten him fired or even arrested, but it shows what length some dealers will go to make sure you win.

For this post I am going to assume you know the basics of how to play the game.  Such as the definitions of hitting, standing, doubling down, splitting, table etiqute, etc. and go straight to the strategy.

The most common decision a player must make is whether to hit or stand on a “hard” total, that is, a hand in which there is no ace being used as an 11.  The chart below tells you what to do for these hands, as the basic strategy dictates:

Soft hands (Those with an ace used as an 11) often confuse players and intimidate them.  Use the below chart for these hands:

Finally, there are the hands where the 2 cards match.  these can be handled with the following chart:

There are some differences depending on the rules.  In some cases, the casino will allow double downs after a split.  These are always a good option for the player and you should use the same strategy for each of your hands shown in the tables above.

Single Deck Blackjack is becomming hard to find but they do pop up from time to time in a casino, usually with a high minimum bet to play.  Should you decide to play one of these games, here are some strategies that apply to single deck games I found:

If you have 11: Double down against all dealer up cards.If you have 9: The difference comes when the dealer shows a 2. In multiple-deck you hit; in single-deck, double down.If you have 8: Double down against 5 and 6.If you are holding ace, 8: As good as that 19 looks, it is to the player’s advantage to double down against a 6. Stand against all else.If you are holding ace, 7: Stand against an ace, unless you are playing in a casino in which the dealer hits soft 17. In that case, hit.If you are holding ace, 6: Double against 2 through 6.