Free Blackjack Guide

Basic blackjack strategy is a must if you want to beat the blackjack dealer

Basic Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack can be played with one to eight ordinary decks of cards. Cards of rank 2 through 10 are scored according to their face value. All face cards are 10 points. Aces are semi-wild and can be worth either 1 or 11 points. The highest hand in blackjack is an ace and any 10-point card and is called a blackjack. A winning blackjack pays 3:2. If both player and dealer have a blackjack the bet is a push. Aside from a blackjack a winning hand pays even money. The player wins if his hand has more points than the dealer, without going over 21. Thus a 21-point hand is the highest and is why the game is sometimes called 21. If either the player or dealer go over 21 it is called a break or bust and automatically loses. If both the player and dealer bust the player loses, where lies the house advantage. If the player and dealer tie the bet is a push.

A round of blackjack begins with each player placing a bet in the circle or logo directly in front of him. Then the dealer will give each player and himself two cards. Player cards are usually dealt face up. One dealer card is dealt face up (the up card) and the other face down (the hole card). If the dealer has a ten or an ace as the up card it is possible he has a blackjack in which case all player hands will lose except with another blackjack. In the U.S. the dealer will check for blackjack immediately if one is possible and will collect all losing bets immediately if he does have a blackjack.

In the event the dealer has an ace as the up card, he will allow the players to insure their hands against a blackjack. This is much like any insurance policy in which you are betting something bad will happen. The insurance bet in blackjack pays 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack. If the dealer has an ace showing and a player has a blackjack the dealer may ask "even money?" This is because if the player has a blackjack the net result of both the blackjack and the insurance bet will be an even money win regardless of whether the dealer has a blackjack. After all players have had a chance to accept or decline insurance the dealer will check the hole card.

After it has been established that the dealer does not have a blackjack the player in turn may play their hands. The following options are available.

Stand: If the player is satisfied with his hand as-is he may stand pat. To signify you wish to stand wave your hand as if to wave the dealer away. In a single deck game tuck your cards face down under your bet.

Hit: If the player wishes to take another card he may continue to do so until he either stands or busts. To signify you wish to hit tap the table with your finger. In a single deck game scrape your cards lightly against the felt.

Double: If the player feels he needs one and only one more card then he may double his bet and be dealt one more card, good or bad. This option is only offered on the first two cards, and sometimes on the first two cards after splitting. To signify you wish to double place another wager next to your original wager of equal value. In single deck place your cards face up by your bet.

Split: If the player's first two cards are of equal point value he may split them into two hands. In this event each card is the first card of a new hand. The player must also make another wager of equal value to the first for the second hand. The player may usually resplit up to 2 or 3 times if another splitting opportunity arises. Doubling after splitting is usually but not always allowed. To signify you wish to split put the additional wager next to the original wager. In single deck place your cards face up by your bet.

Surrender: Finally some casinos offer the player the option to surrender on the first two cards. If the player does not like their prospects he may forfeit half the bet as well as his cards. This option is generally only offered after the dealer checks for blackjack, known as "late surrender."

After all players have played their hands, from the dealer's left to right, the dealer will play his hand. The dealer has no free will but must always play by certain house rules. Usually the rule is that the dealer must hit until he reaches a score of 17 or more. Some casinos stipulate that if the dealer has a soft 17, consisting of an ace and any number of cards totaling 6, he must also hit. If the dealer busts all players that did not bust automatically win.

The Basic Strategy
The most important thing to know about blackjack is the basic strategy. This strategy is simply the best way to play every possible situation, without any knowledge of the distribution of the rest of the cards in the deck. Below is the basic strategy for four or more decks when the dealer stands on soft 17. The most common blackjack game by far is the multiple deck game (4 or more decks) where the dealer stands on soft 17. If you only memorize one table I would suggest the one below. It can be played effectively under any blackjack 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. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. 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.

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Some obvious situations have been left out to keep the basic strategy blackjack chart as simple as possible.

The best way to memorize the basic strategy is to identify patterns and try to understand why you should play every situation as the chart says.

Many people do not believe in the basic strategy because they once took the advice of someone who knew it and then lost the hand. Let me make something clear, you will not win every hand with the basic blackjack strategy. In fact you won't even win half your blackjack hands. However I can personally testify that while you will have short term ups and downs, over the long run you will roughly break even using it.

Insurance: Do not take insurance, even if you have a blackjack. Card counters can get away with making smart insurance bets when the deck is rich in tens but the non-counting player should always decline it.

Surrender: Sometimes in a 6 or 8 deck game the player has the option to surrender. To be specific the player may forfeit half their bet to be excused from playing out their hand. Obviously this option should only be taken in the worst hands when the net return is less than 50%. In late surrender (the only kind I have ever seen) the player may only opt to surrender after the dealer checks for a blackjack.

Bad Strategies:
Three popular bad strategies encountered at the blackjack table are: never bust, mimic the dealer, and always assume the dealer has a ten in the hole. All three of these are very bad blackjack strategies. Following are specific comments on each of them, including the house edge under Atlantic City rules (dealer stands on soft 17, split up to 4 hands, double after split, double any two cards) of 0.43%.

The most important thing to know about blackjack is the basic blackjack strategy. This strategy is simply the best way to play every possible situation, without any knowledge of the distribution of the rest of the cards in the deck.