Basic Blackjack Strategy
There have been a multitude of books written about Blackjack strategy. Many people think that they have the game of Blackjack down to a science. And, perhaps they do—there have been mathematical formulas done to strategize Blackjack. There have been charts drawn to demonstrate exactly how players should act when given certain situations. And, of course, there are the card-counting strategies.
But, for players who are new to the game of Blackjack, it can be difficult to even think about all of that. Many new players, in fact, just begin by assuming they should follow the same strategy that the house follows. This, however, is not a good idea.
House rules generally say to stand whenever the dealer’s hand is 17 or greater and to hit whenever the dealer’s hand is 16 or lower. While this is a good rule for the dealer to follow, if players follow it, too, it gives the house an advantage of 8.9%. Well, that is, until the higher payout of Blackjacks (3 to 2) is figured in—then the house advantage drops to 5.9%.
Through using basic strategy the player has much increased odds of beating the dealer. Using blackjack strategy will indicate to the player of when to hit, stand, split, double down, and surrender when this is permitted. This strategy has been mathematically tested to achieve the best results for the player.
The only time the player should deviate from basic strategy is when using card-counting techniques which is described under card-counting techniques.
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