Bj Basic Strategy

4/15/2022

Basic blackjack strategies are usually inefficient if you have a hand made up of three or more cards, and totalling 15 or 16, and the dealer has a 10. As your hand is made up primarily of low-value cards, you will need further low-value cards to hit successfully, or risk going bust. Basic Blackjack strategy is a table telling you whether you should hit, stand, double down, or split according to what cards you hold and the dealer's upcard. Using the BJ basic strategy gives you the best possible blackjack odds, maximizing your casino wins and minimizing your casino losses.

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Bj Basic Strategy Chart

Basic blackjack strategy

The single most important thing that you need to understand about the game of blackjack is that it is a game of player decisions.

Unlike any other game in the casino, when playing blackjack your decisions can have an outcome on how the hand plays out and thus can contribute to the wins or losses of the players at the table. Because of this fact, there is a mathematically proven strategy that gives you the best advantage when playing, and this should be used every time you play if you want the best odds in the long run.

This strategy is known as basic strategy and is illustrated in the blackjack strategy chart shown below:

As you can see from the diagrams in the chart, basic strategy outlines exactly how you should optimally play when considering what you have been dealt in relation to the dealer’s hand. Many new blackjack players make the mistake of going with gut feeling and being afraid to bust when they play, but using basic strategy every time is the best way to give yourself favorable odds during play.

If you are familiar with casino games, you will know that the house has the advantage in every game in the casino, which is how they turn a profit. Blackjack is no exception, however is one of the lowest house edge games in the casino, which is why it’s such a great game for players to learn and play.

The house edge in a typical blackjack game is around 0.50 percent when a player uses perfect basic strategy during play. This means that for every $100 you bet, the casino expects to win $0.50 from you over an infinite number of hands. The reason why basic strategy is so important is because if you take this same example of a $100 average bet and apply it to an unskilled player, the house advantage can go as high as 2.5 percent or more, meaning that the house would expect to win $2.50 or more over time.

Because of this, it’s easy to see why playing with basic strategy is the best choice for players each and every time.

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One of the best ways to increase your chances of winning at blackjack is by learning about basic strategy. Basic strategy is based on the mathematics of the game of blackjack. Mathematicians, statisticians and computer simulations have tested and discovered the best move in any situation in a game of blackjack, based on the player’s cards and the dealer’s up card. When you have a good understanding of this strategy of odds you can greatly reduce the house advantage and win at blackjack a majority of the time.

If you are interested in learning basic strategy you can find a number of basic strategy charts online, as well as in books about the game of blackjack. The chart will show your hand on one axis and the dealer’s card on the other axis. Match them up on the chart to find out what the best move is (i.e. to hit, to stand, to double down, to split or to surrender).

Basic strategy changes slightly depending on the blackjack variation you are playing, as well as the number of decks in play. However, the strategy is still pretty much the same across the board. Read on for some tips that you can use to apply basic strategy to your blackjack games.

The following strategies should be applied when you have a hard hand. A hard hand is one that does not contain an Ace:

Always hit on a hand worth a value of 8 or less.
When you have 9, double down when the dealer has a 3, 4, 5 or 6. Otherwise hit.
When you have a 10, double down when the dealer has 2 through 9. Otherwise hit.
When you have an 11, hit if the dealer has Ace. Otherwise double down.
When you have 12, stand if the dealer has 4 through 6. Otherwise hit.
When you have 13 through 16, stand if the dealer has 2 through 6. Otherwise hit.
Always stand on hard hands valued at 17 through 21.

If you have a soft hand, containing an Ace, then the following basic strategies should be used:

If you have Ace-8 or Ace-9 you should always stand.
If you have Ace-7, double when the dealer has 3 through 6 and stand when the dealer has 2, 7 or 8. Otherwise hit.
If you have Ace-6, double when the dealer has 3 through 6. Otherwise hit.
If you have Ace-4 or Ace-5, double if the dealer has 4, 5 or 6. Otherwise hit.
If you have Ace-2 or Ace-3, double down when the dealer has 5 or 6. Otherwise hit.

Pairs should be played as follows:

Split 2s and 3s when the dealer has 2 through 7.
Split 4s when the dealer has 5 or 6.
Split 5s when the dealer has 2 through 9.
Split 6s when the dealer has 2 through 6.
Split 7s when the dealer has 2 through 7.
Always split 8s.
Split 9s when the dealer has 2 through 6, 8 or 9 and stand when the dealer has 7, 10 or Ace.
Always stand on 10s or Face cards.

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