Blackjack Basic Strategy Stand On All 17
There are a basic set of rules that apply to all blackjack games: General blackjack strategy. Always stand on 17 or better. Always hit on 12-16 when dealer shows 7 or higher. Always hit on 8 or less. Always double down on 11. Double down on 10 when dealer shows 9 or lower. Double down on 9 when dealer shows 6 or lower. One key variation comes on whether dealers hit or stand on soft 17. A soft 17 includes an Ace being counted as 11. Ace-6 is a soft 17, as are Ace-2-4, Ace-3-3, Ace-Ace-5 and others. When the dealer hits soft 17, the house edge against a basic strategy player is about two-tenths of a percent higher than if he stands. Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart: 4/6/8 Decks, Dealer Stands on All 17s (2-sided card) Kenneth R Smith on Amazon.com.FREE. shipping on qualifying offers. Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart: 4/6/8 Decks, Dealer Stands on All 17s (2-sided card). These forced dealer rules vary depending on the gambling hall and the blackjack table you play at, but are generally classified into two main groups. The dealer is either required to draw to 16 and force-stand on all totals of 17 or must draw to 16, stand on hard 17 and hit soft 17. Look at the blackjack felt, and it will either say, “Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17s” for S17, or “Dealer must Hit Soft 17” for H17. Stand 17 Table Felt Hit 17 Table Felt If you start practicing Basic Strategy with our Blackjack Training Drills, know that it’s based off of H17 Basic Strategy.
It’s time to go head to head with the dealer in a thrilling game ofBlackjack. This is a true casino classic that has been around for centuries.Not only has it withstood the test of time but has also succeeded in dominatingthe online casinoworld.
This guide will walk you through the basics of the game and how you can follow a blackjack basic strategy to beat the dealer.
Blackjack through the Ages
To this day, there are still huge debates aboutthe game’s roots. Some think it was the Romans who first shaped the future ofthe game. Some say they used wooden blocks to represent the numbers, to play their own version ofblackjack.
It is also widely thought that this casino classic first startedin French casinos during the 1700s. Following the popularity of card games likeChemin de Fer and Ferme, another game was born – Vingt-et-Un (21).
More traces of blackjack were found in Spain,where it was called One and Thirty More versions of the game includedthe Sette e Mezzo (Seven and a Half) in Italian and the French versioncalled Quinze (15). In all three cases, the objective of the game was toreach each of the respective values mentioned.
Thanks to the French colonists, it also reachedthe States during the 18th century. Nevertheless, its popularitylevels soared up when the state of Nevada legalized gambling in the year 1931.
More players became intrigued after casinosstarted to offer the bet that changed the game completely. A hand with eitherthe Jack of Spades or Clubs along with the Ace of Spades amounted to the10-to-1 payout on the player’s bet.From then onwards, 21 became known as Blackjack, as we know it today.
How to PlayBlackjack
Blackjack is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The face cards – Jack,Queen and King, amount to 10, values between 2-10 stick to their respectivevalues, while the aces amount to either 1 or 11.
The objective is simple – beat the dealer.Place your bets and form a handthat does not exceed the number 21. Remember, you’re playing against the dealer here, so you need tobe able to anticipate what his next move might be. We’ve wrapped up everythingyou need to know to help you form your blackjack basic strategy.
Play BasicStrategy
Now that you have a better understanding of thegame, let’s talk strategies. While no secrets can help you beat the house edge,some of a blackjackbasic strategy can help you have the upper hand. The most important thing you have to keepin mind is to always maximize your chances of winning, whilst minimizingthe losses.
Next, getfamiliar with terms like Stand, Hit, Split and Double Down. In this way, the houseedge will go down from 2% to 0.5%. Here are a few definitions that will help youunderstand the differences between each of them.
Basic Strategy Rules to Keep inMind
After breaking down all the lingo that you needto know to develop your blackjackbasic strategy, it’s important to know when to use them. That’s why it’sessential to know your cards.
At which stages of the game is it best to hit or better yet, increase yourchances of winning by doubling down? Here are a few key points to keep in mindas a beginner player.
Always wait for the Dealer to Bust
Unless you have a very good soft hand that won’t bust with an additional card, don’t hit if the dealer has a hand of 4, 5 and 6.
AlwaysSplit a pair of Aces and 8s
It’s always a good idea to split a powerful card like an Ace regardless of what the dealer’s up-card is. With 8s, it’s a hit or miss situation but it’s still worth a shot.
DoubleDown on a Hard 11
Doubling down on a hard 11 will guarantee you more money.
Nevertake the insurance bet
If the dealer draws an Ace, you can take the insurance bet. In short, if you post a side bet that is half the value of the original bet and the dealer has a blackjack, the side bet is paid 2:1. This is not a reliable way to win, as it only raises the house edge.
Standif you have a Hard 17 or Higher
Things often don’t look too pretty for you ifyou have a hard 17 or a higher value. So as a general rule, always stand if youhave any of these cards.
If you’d like to learn further about this strategy, discover the blackjack basic strategy here by CasinoBonuses Index.
The Blackjack Basic: A Timeless Classic
A game like Blackjack continues to intrigue players from allaround the world. Thanks to all people who played its earlier variations, wecan now enjoy a casino classic that is truly timeless.
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“ This page about Blackjack Basic Strategy is certified by Certification-Casino™ “
If you’re new to blackjack, you might not understand that to get the best odds, you must play with the appropriate strategy. You should probably memorize a basic strategy chart, and if you can’t do that, buy one at the casino gift shop and refer to it at the table.
Even that might be too much work for some people, so I’m happy to offer some blackjack rules of thumb to help you do well even if you haven’t mastered basic strategy.
1- Never Take Insurance – It’s a Sucker Bet
It’s safe to assume that you’re not a card counter. If you were, you wouldn’t have any use for these rules of thumb. Card counters know when to take insurance and when not to – based on the count.
If you’re not counting cards, you should never take insurance. The odds offered on that bet are terrible.
It’s a side bet you can make when the dealer has an ace for her up-card. The size of the bet must be half of your original bet, and it pays off at 2 to 1 if the dealer has a blackjack.
Blackjack Basic Strategy Practice
Doing this hedges your original bet, which you lose when the dealer has a blackjack. You break even when the dealer has a blackjack.
If the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, you lose your insurance bet, but the rest of the hand plays out normally.
If you had 2 to 1 or better odds of winning the insurance bet, it would make sense to take this bet.
But you don’t.
A standard deck of playing cards has 16 cards valued at 10, so the odds of getting a 10 for your next card are 35 to 16.
They’d need to be 32 to 16 (or 2 to 1) for this bet to not have an edge for the house.
2- Always Stand If You Have a Hard 17 or More and Always Hit If You Have a Hard 11 or Less
When you have a blackjack hand that includes an ace, that ace can count as 1 or 11. This is, by definition, a soft hand. You play soft hands more aggressively – hitting more often – than hard hands.
If you have a hand that would bust if the ace were counted as 11, you must count it as 1, and you now have a hard hand.
Any hand lacking aces is also a hard hand.
With a hard total of 17 or higher, your probability of busting is so high that you should never take a hit.
You’ll also always hit a hard 11 or less, because it’s impossible to bust with that total. The highest value card in the deck is the ace, which would give you a total of 22 if you had a hard 11, but you can also count that ace as 1 – giving you a total of 12.
The next highest card is 10, which gives you a 21.
Every possible card improves your hand with a hard total of 11.
3- Always Stand With a Soft 19 or Higher, and Always Hit a Soft 17 or Lower
A soft total of 19 is so good that even though it’s a soft total, you probably won’t improve the hand by getting another card. An ace or a 2 will give you a 20 or 21, but any other card you get only gets you the same total or lower.
On the other hand, a soft 17 isn’t that impressive a total, so you might as well hit it and try to improve it. The worst-case scenario is that you wind up with a slightly lower total, but that’s not as likely as improving your total or having the same total.
With a soft total of 18, you have a decision to make, but it’s an easy one:
- If the dealer has a 9, 10, or ace showing, you’ll hit. Otherwise, stand.
- That’s your entire basic strategy for soft totals in less than 200 words.
Show me another blackjack strategy guide that keeps it that simple.
Blackjack Basic Strategy Stand On All 17th
4- If the Dealer Has a 6 or Lower as Her Up-Card, She’s Liable to Bust
When the dealer has a 6, 5, 4, 3, or 2 showing as her up-card, she’s more likely to bust her hand than usual. This means you’re more likely to stand, because if she busts, you only need to stay in the game.
If you have a hard 13, 14, 15, or 16, you’ll stand when the dealer has a 6 or lower showing.
And, of course, you always stand on a hard 17 or higher, so you’ll stand on almost every total when the dealer has a 6 or lower showing.
Your goal is to still be in the hand when the dealer busts.
Keep in mind that the dealer busting isn’t inevitable; it’s just likely.
Don’t get made when you lose real money playing blackjack. It’s a random game, and that’s going to happen sometimes.
5- Always Split Aces and 8s but Never Split 4s, 5s, or 10s
Splitting means using the 2 cards you’ve been dealt to start 2 hands. You need to place an extra bet to get the extra hand into action. Also, the 2 cards you have must be the same.
Splitting aces should make obvious sense – who wouldn’t want to have a blackjack hand where the first card is an ace?
Basic Strategy Blackjack Trainer
Splitting 8s might not be as obvious, but think about it this way:
- What’s the Most Common Card in the Deck? It’s a card worth 10, which means that the most common result you’ll see after splitting 8s is a total of 18, which is a solid hand anyone at the blackjack table is happy to see.
- Why Would You Never Split 4s, 5s, or 10s? If you have a couple of 4s, you have a hard total of 8. If you hit and get a 10, you have a total of 18, which is great.
But if you split the 4s, you’re likely to get a 10 and wind up with a hard total of 14, which isn’t nearly as exciting.
The same logic applies to 5s. Would you rather start with a total of 10, where you’re liable to wind up with a total of 20? Or would you rather have a hand starting with a 5 that’s liable to turn into a 15?
And if you have a pair of 10s, you have the 2nd best total in the game – 20.
Why would you want to screw that up?
6- For Other Pairs, Split If the Cards Are the Same as the Dealer or Lower
Basic Strategy Blackjack Card
For Example: If you have a pair of 7s, you would split if the dealer has a 7 or lower showing for her up-card.
If you have a pair of 6s, you would split if the dealer has a 6 or lower showing.
This goes back to the logic that if the dealer has a low card showing, she’s more likely to bust. If she’s likely to bust, you want to get more money into action.
With a pair of 9s, you’d split against a 9 or less for a slightly different reason:
You have a total of 18, but the dealer is likely to have a 19, which means your 18 will lose.
And since the 10 comes out more often, when you split those 9s, you’ll often wind up with a total of 19 on the 2 subsequent hands – which will at least push.
If the dealer has something much lower than that, she’s likely to bust, so again, you just want to get more money into action.
7- Always Double Down on a 10 or 11, Unless the Dealer Has a 10 or an Ace
Doubling down is taking one more card and doubling the size of your bet at the same time. You cannot take additional cards after doubling down.
If you have a 10, you double down unless the dealer has a 10 or an ace.
If you have an 11, you double down unless the dealer has an ace.
You’ll also double down with a 9 if the dealer has a 6 or lower.
You’ll sometimes double down with soft totals, but these are meant to be rules of thumb, not a complete guide to basic strategy, so I won’t get into that.
Conclusion
These 7 blackjack rules of thumb cover most hands and situations you’ll see at the blackjack table. This isn’t meant to replace basic strategy at all – I still think you should memorize basic blackjack strategy and make the right play on every hand.
The average blackjack player in Vegas makes so many mistakes that the house edge might as well be 4% or 5%. If you stick to playing by the rules of thumbs above, you’ll only be dealing with a house edge of 1.5% or so.
That’s far better than 5%.