Blackjack Tips Online - Hitting or Standing
First rule is to always
consider the dealers card showing not just your own cards when
making a decision. In other words don't always take a card if
you have a low hand the dealer may have a very weak hand that
may lead to the dealer busting. Here are the basics for hitting
or standing on a hard hand.
| |
Dealer |
| Player |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
A |
| 17-21 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
| 13-16 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| 12 |
H |
H |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| 4-11 |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
S=Stand, H=Hit
Soft-hand strategy
A soft hand (an Ace in your cards) affects your decision to take
a hit. It is called "soft" because the Ace can be changed
from a n 11 to a one if necessary. Taking hits with a soft hand
is less risky than a Hard-hand. The following chart outlines what
you should do with an Ace in your hand:
| |
Dealer |
| Player |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
A |
| A,8-10 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
| A,7 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
| A,2-6 |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
S=Stand, H=Hit
Doubling down
To optimize your probabilities of winning you have to take advantage
when you have a strong hand. It's the primary means of offsetting
the house advantage. Casino rules vary on what type of hands you
can double down on but the following chart shows when to take
advantage in all situations given a Hard-hand.:
| |
Dealer |
| Player |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
A |
| 12 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| 11 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
X |
| 10 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
X |
X |
| 9 |
X |
D |
D |
D |
D |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| 8 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
D=Double Down, X=Don't Double
Soft-hand doubling strategy
Considerations here are a little different from the hard-hand
doubling strategy. For example you don't want to double if you
have soft 19 or 20 (which would be A,8 and A,9) even though these
hands could be counted as 9 and 10. The following chart optimizes
probabilities of winning given the Soft-hand:
| |
Dealer |
| Player |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
A |
| A,8-9 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| A,6-7 |
X |
D |
D |
D |
D |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| A,4-5 |
X |
X |
D |
D |
D |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| A,2-3 |
X |
X |
X |
D |
D |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
D=Double Down, X=Don't
Double |