Blackjack Simple Strategy

As a skill-based casino game, blackjack offers players with easy gameplay and lucrative winning opportunities. The main objective of blackjack is to form a hand value of 21 without going over. Although this game comes with basic rules and a clear objective, it’s still important to adopt a basic strategy. Thanks to the availability of various game variants with different bets and payouts, it’s advantageous to adopt a basic strategy to improve your winning chances. In this guide, we will provide you with a set of tools and basic strategies.

When You Should Hit or Stand

One of the most important decisions is to decide if you should hit or stand. Here are a few tips:

• If the casino dealer’s card is a 10-value card, hit with a 10 or a 12-16 combination, stand with at least a 17.
• When the dealer gets a seven, eight, or nine and you have a nine or lower or 12- 16, you can request a hit; stand with 17 or greater.
• If the dealer’s card is a four, five, or six, hit on an 8 or less and stand for at least a 12.

Blackjack Strategy Chart

When to Hit

To hit in the blackjack game means requesting another card and you’re not satisfied with the current hand value. Here are some basic reasons and scenarios when you should hit:

• For hand values of 5 to 8
• If you have a 9 and if the dealer’s hand shows a 2, or 7 through Ace
• For a 10 and the dealer shows an Ace or 10
• For an 11 and the dealer gets an Ace

When to Stand

As a blackjack enthusiast, you should pay attention to the hand value relative to the dealer and the dealt cards. To do this, you need to decide whether you should stand and stick with your cards. Here are our general suggestions on when to stand:

• Stand with a 12 if the dealer shows 4 to 6
• Stand with a 13 to 16 if the dealer shows 2 through 6 
• Always stand with a 17 to 21

When to Split

If the first two cards in blackjack online is a pair, say a 2-2 or 8-8, then the dealer allows you to split the cards. To split means you will create two standard hands. You should split in the following scenarios:

• Stand with a 12 if the dealer shows 4 to 6
• Stand with a 13 to 16 if the dealer shows 2 through 6 
• Always stand with a 17 to 21

When to Double Down

When doubling down in online casinos, you double the bet upon checking the initial cards. After a double down, you will draw an extra card. Here are suggestions on when to double down:

• For 11 and the dealer’s card of 6 or less
• If you collect a soft 16, 17, or 18
• If you are handed a hard 9 or 10

Doubling down on a 10 or 11 is helpful since it gives you a 30.7% chance of hitting a10-value card, thus creating a high hand.

When to Surrender

In the list of blackjack strategies, there are times when you’re fighting a lost cause. Here, the option is to surrender which means you have no chance of winning. Here are our general recommendations on when to surrender:

• If the dealer has an Ace and you have a hard 5 to 7
• If the dealer has an Ace and you have a hard 12-17
• Pair of 8s, 7s, 6s, and 3s
• If the dealer hits on a soft 17 and you have a pair of 2s

Blackjack House Edge

In all forms of casino games online, the ‘house’ always retains an edge. We call this the house edge and it’s one reason why online casino gambling is thriving. Although the games (and operators) will win in the long run, certain games can offer a ‘friendlier house edge’ which gives players lots of opportunities. A perfect example of this is in Indian online blackjack tables as it has an average 1% house edge. Experts recommend that if you are looking for games with the lowest house edge, you should pick blackjack.

Why Should I Use a Strategy?

Yes, the blackjack game offers a friendly house edge and requires basic rules and gameplay. However, it still pays to adopt a set of basic blackjack strategies if you want to enjoy and make a lucrative experience out of the game. By using some strategies in the game, you can maximize your side bets while playing in real money. When reading about the rules of blackjack, you will learn when to hit, stand, and double down. Furthermore, the right strategy can also help manage your losses. By learning how to take out insurance or early surrender, you can still spin a losing position into a win possibility.

Does Card Counting Work?

One of the most popular (and controversial) blackjack systems is card counting. You have seen it in movies like ‘21’ starring Kevin Spacey. So is this blackjack strategy effective? As a long-time strategy, card counting like the High-Low blackjack system can work. By tracking the availability of low and high cards on the table, you can make more informed decisions and bets. However, this requires focus and commitment, which can only work for the experienced and professional blackjack players.

For more tips about BlackJack, have a look at our Blackjack Guide.