Black jack is almost entirely a game of chance. The cards you receive from the dealer determine whether you win or not. Do you score 21 points? Then you are the winner! But does the game stop at just being lucky? No certainly not, you can get better at this game and thus increase your chances of winning. In this article we will explain the basic strategy of Blackjack and how you can start with the basic strategies so that you are not immediately 1-0 behind when you take a chance at the blackjack table.
The basic strategy of buying and fitting
Mastering the basic strategy is the first step in defeating the Blackjack dealer. Whether you play in a physical casino or a online casino games , understanding these basics is essential in order not to leave everything to fate.
When playing Blackjack you have 4 choices that you can make:
- Buy
- Fit
- Split
- Double up
For these basic strategies, we now only focus on the first two options: Buy also called Hit and pass also called Stand. After you have wagered and received your first cards, the most important first decision you have to make is whether you are going to hit or Stand. If you Hit, you instruct the dealer to deal you another card. If you stand, you indicate that you want to continue with the cards received.
To know which choice you are going to make depends on the dealer's card. If the dealer has an ace or 10/J/Q/K then you should always try to have a hand with 17 or more to stand a chance against the dealer. The best time to hit is if you have 9 or less and between 10 and 16. If you have 17 or more, you stand and do not take another card. It is important to keep in mind that if you have 11 or less that a new card can never cause you to draw more than 21 and thus lose. With 11 or less Points, you always choose to hit.
Basic split strategy
Of course, it is possible that you will be dealt two of the same cards. For example, hearts 10 and spades 10. It is then possible to split this hand. You take the two cards apart and create two hands that you both bet on. Both 10s then get an extra card.
But when should you choose to split?
- Two aces, since there are a significant number of cards in the deck with the value of a 10, with an ace there is a high probability of getting 21 (Blackjack). Splitting your aces gives you a better chance of beating the dealer, also because playing with two aces in your hand is disadvantageous. You have 12 points or 2. Getting a 10/J/Q/K then means that you end up with 22 and thus lose.
- Two eights, it is better to split two eights to try to get a hand of 18 with both hands.
But when should I choose to not split?
- When you have two 9s or 10s. With 18 (2 nines) or 20 (2 tens) you already have a strong hand and a great chance of winning. The chance that you will improve this hand is very small.
- Two fives, you then already have 10, a high card then gives you an excellent hand. If you choose to split, a 10 gives you 15 points. Which is far from an ideal hand.
- Two fours, this hand is basically the same as a 55 hand. When you hit a 10, you have 18 points which is a good hand. If you pull the 4S apart, you have 14 points when you hit 10, which is not ideal.
Double your bet
Doubling your bet in Blackjack is an option after you have received your two cards. You can then choose to double your bet. If you want to do this, there are three scenarios in which you want to do this, in these scenarios you have the most chance of winning.
-You have been dealt 9, so you have two cards that make up 9 (Ace excluded) and the dealer has a 6.
- You have been dealt 10 or 11 and the dealer has less than you have. At this point, the chances of you winning are higher than the dealer winning, so doubling down is the best option. The reason why is because your next card can never cause you to bust and thus end up above 21. The dealer must hit until they have 17 or more.
-You have 16, 17 or 18 of which 1 card is an ace. You can then improve your hand with an extra card as your ace can mean a 1 or 11.
Can a beginner count cards?
Card counting is of course something that is always associated with playing Blackjack. However, in addition to being very difficult, it is also prohibited in a lot of casinos. Card counting is not illegal in itself, but if it goes against the house rules of the casino you can lose your winnings. The reason why casinos oppose card counting is the fact that this increases the chance for the player to win. The player will then bet a lot if the count is high and bet low if the count is low. Especially online casinos have software to discover this strategy, which can cause you to lose your winnings. As a beginner, it is therefore not recommended to start here and just stick to the basic strategy described above
Can I win with this basic strategy?
eze basic strategy will increase the chance that you win at sure increase. However, this does not mean that you will always win. It increases the chances of winning and minimizes the chances of losing. However, Blackjack remains a game against the house where the casino will always have the best chance of winning. It is therefore your task as a player to reduce this chance of the house and you put yourself in the position where the chance of winning is greatest. Using the strategy is the first step in this process.
Blackjack cards overview
Dealers map | ||||||||||
Your cards | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10/b/v / k | A |
Black jack | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
4-8 | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K |
9 | K | K | K | D | D | K | K | K | K | K |
10 | K | K | D | D | D | K | K | K | K | K |
11 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
12 | K | K | P | P | P | K | K | K | K | K |
13 | P | P | P | P | P | K | K | K | K | K |
14 | P | P | P | P | P | K | K | K | K | K |
15 | P | P | P | P | P | K | K | K | K | K |
16 | P | P | P | P | P | K | K | K | K | K |
17 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | K |
18 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
19 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
20 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
AA (12) | K | K | K | D | D | K | K | K | K | K |
A2 (13) | K | K | K | D | D | K | K | K | K | K |
A3 (14) | K | K | K | D | D | K | K | K | K | K |
A4 (15) | K | K | D | D | D | K | K | K | K | K |
A5 (16) | K | K | D | D | D | K | K | K | K | K |
A6 (17) | K | D | D | D | D | K | K | K | K | K |
A7 (18) | K | D | D | D | D | P | P | K | K | K |
A8 (19) | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
A9 (20) | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Buy | Fit | Double up |
Elwin Terry
Elwin advises start-up companies and SMEs in the field of marketing communication and brand identity. Thanks to his years of content experience, he knows how to make information readable for our website visitors.