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Blackjack
Strategy
Blackjack is a rather
easy game to play, being that the rules are few and simple.
All a player needs to know to get by is that face cards are worth
ten points, an ace can be worth ten or eleven (depending on
whichever value makes it a better hand) and that if the hand goes
over twenty-one, it loses, also called busting. As far as
actions go, players can decide to hit (receive an additional
card), stand (play the hand as is), split (turn their hand into
two hands if their initial hand is a pair), double down (doubling
an initial wager) or take insurance (minimize losses by predicting
the dealer will win by hitting twenty-one, also called blackjack
or a natural). It is always you against the dealer (even in
multiplayer blackjack, where players take turns being the dealer),
who according to most casino rules, must stand if holding 17 or
higher and hit if holding anything under 17.
Blackjack is played
with one to eight decks, with multiple decks being the most
common. The basic
blackjack strategy is by far the best
strategy overall, and for getting the House Edge down to the
lowest percentage possible. We recommend that you consult
the basic strategy card chart, which shows the appropriate action
to take for every possible hand combination (aside from the
obvious). Especially when playing in online casinos, where
players have more time to make decisions, this card chart can be a
very powerful weapon when consulted for every hand. The
following tips below are a summarized version of the basic
strategy as well as general tips covering the game of blackjack.
Print this page for reference or bookmark it on your web browser
for convenient reference:
Stand on a 17 or
better
Your chances of winning are quite good in this range.
Hit in the
following situations:
If showing a sixteen or lower and the dealers up-card is a seven or
higher.
If showing any card value lower than a nine.
Double Down in the
following situations:
If showing an eleven.
If showing a ten and the dealer's up-card is a nine or less.
If showing a nine and the dealer's up-card is a six or less.
If holding a soft hand and the dealer's is a four, five or six.
Split in the following situations:
If showing double eights or Aces.
If holding two's or three's and the dealer's up-card is a four, five, six
or seven.
Do not split in the
following situation:
If holding five's, ten's, Jack's, Queen's or King's.
Do not play 6-5
Single Deck Blackjack
The House Edge becomes much too high because this game does not
always
Do not bother with
card counting
Unless you already know how to do it, and are an expert, card
counting is extremely difficult to master, and in the long run
only increases a players odds slightly, and takes many hours of
play to overcome the roller coaster of wins and losses.
Do not take
insurance
This is a risky proposition that unless used with card
counting (which is not recommended) returns too high of a House
Edge.
Do not use the
"Never Bust", "Mimic the Dealer", or "10 in the Hole" strategies
These strategies have been tested by gaming statisticians and
have been proven to produce House Edges higher than what the basic
blackjack strategy produces.
Visit Blackjack Stats
for online blackjack information
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2005 onlinecasinoratings.biz
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