Blackjack is a fairly simple game when it comes to the basic rules and strategies, but as you progressively become a more experienced blackjack player you’ll find the strategies can become more in-depth, which will further reduce the house advantage. Additionally, experienced card-counters will be able to implement an even more in-depth strategy as their card-count totals change, so what may appear to be a bad play could very well be a card-counter taking advantage of what he has seen.

The Basics

When it comes to implementing a sound, basic, strategy at the blackjack tables everything revolves around the dealer’s up-card. Choosing the proper time to hit, stand, surrender, double-down, and split is all dependent on the card the dealer is showing. By following these basic guidelines you will reduce the house edge from over 5% –which is the disadvantage players who use their “gut” are faced with—to less than .5%!

• Stand on any 12 or higher if the dealer has a 2 – a 6 showing
• Hit any 12 or higher if the dealer has a Ace – a 7 showing
• Always stand with a ‘hard’ (without an Ace) 17 or better regardless of the dealer’s up-card
• Always hit soft 13-18’s, and double soft 16-18’s if the dealer is showing a 6 or lower
• Always Double on an 11 and Double on a 10 if the dealer has a 9 or lower showing
• Always Split Aces and 8’s, and 22, 33, 66, 77, and 99 if the dealer’s up-card is between 2 and 6
• Surrender any 16 vs. a Ten
• Never take insurance –Insurance is a sucker’s bet

Advanced Strategy and Card-Counting Adjustments

The following recommendations are for advanced card counters, and even so you should realize that you will draw a great deal of attention to yourself if you play “by the book” for hours and then suddenly start making these more unorthodox plays.

• Insurance is a sucker’s bet, except when your count is at +4 or higher!
• Even with a count of +1 you should stand on 16’s against a 10
• If your count reaches +4 you can stand on 15’s against 10’s
• Splitting Tens is usually a no-no, but if your count exceeds +5 and the dealer is showing a 6 it’s a profitable play
• If your count reaches +6 you can make split Tens against a 5 or a 6 up-card

Remember, one of the tricks to being a successful card-counter is not getting caught, so be ready to make some of these plays early on in the game so you don’t draw attention to yourself later on. For more on Card-Counting check out our card-counting strategies page.