- Basics- Most casino games are games of pure chance that heavily favor the house. Blackjack, on the other hand, gives skillful players a chance to do better than in any other casino game. A blackjack player who learns to make the basic percentage plays will, on average, lose very slowly (which means that some sessions will be winning ones); while a player who learns card counting systems can, at times, have an edge over the house.
Hitting/Standing
General Hitting and Standing Strategies:
In hard hands (when you don't hold an ace, or when you have an ace that be counted as 11 without going over 21):
If dealer has up A, 7, 8, 9, or 10 (including any face card), hit until reach at least 17.
If the dealer has up 4, 5, or 6, hit until you reach at least 12, then (dealer will bust over 40 percent of the time).
If dealer has up 2 or 3, hit until you reach at least 13, then stand.
In soft hands (when you hold an ace that may be counted as 1 or 11):
If dealer has up A, 9 or 10, hit until you hold soft 19.
If dealer has any other upcard, hit until you have soft 18.
Doubling
General Doubling Strategies:
If you have a total of 11, double unless the dealer's upcard is an ace (though even then doubling isn't bad).
If you have 10, double unless the dealer's upcard is A or 10.
If you have 9, double if dealer's upcard is a 3, 4, 5, or 6.
If you hold an A 7 or A 6, double if dealer's upcard is a 3, 4, 5, or 6.
If you hold an A 5 or A 4, double if dealer's upcard is a 4, 5, or 6.
If you hold an A 3 or A 2, double if dealer's upcard is a 5 or 6.
Splitting
General Splitting Strategies:
Always split pairs of aces and 8s.
Split 9s unless dealer's upcard is an ace or 10.
Split 7s if dealer's upcard is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Split 6s if dealer's upcard is 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.
Split 4s if dealer's upcard is 5 or 6.
Split 2s and 3s if dealer's upcard is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Don't split 5s.
Don't split 10s unless the dealer's upcard is a 4, 5, or 6 and the deck is rich in aces and 10s.
After splitting, double when your total on each hand is what you would normally double with. Card
Counting
In general, the dealer has an advantage over the player. As cards areplayed, the size of this advantage may increase or decrease, and at times the odds will temporarily shift in favor of the player. When the shoe or deck has a relatively high number of 10s and aces, the player has the advantage; when the shoe has a relatively high number of low cards, the dealer has the advantage. Various counting methods have been devised to help players figure out when they have the advantage, at which time they can increase the size of their bets and sometimes alter their splitting and doubling decisions. A simple counting system is to count aces and fives. Each time an ace is played, the running count goes down one, each time a five is played (the single most helpful card to a dealer), the count goes up one. When the count is plus, the player should bet more; when the count is zero, the player should bet less; when the count is negative, the player should bet the minimum. A more advanced counting system is to count each 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 that's as +1, and to count each 10 and ace as -1. Don't count 2s, 8s, or 9s. More sophisticated counting systems give more weight to 5s than to other low cards, and have more adjustments to betting, doubling, etc., depending on count and number of cards left in shoe.
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