Out of all the casino games, Blackjack is the one that relies most heavily on the player’s skill and not just luck. The simple fact is that the game of Blackjack whether played online or in a casino offers much more element of choice whilst you play.
There is no doubt that skill plays a huge part in the game of Blackjack, a good player will almost always outperform a poor player. However it is simple to adopt a solid basic strategy to the game and perform very well particularly in online Blackjack. You’ll find the core of the Blackjack basic strategy at the bottom of this page, but it’s easiest to understand while playing so test on this excellent free version of online Blackjack.
So scroll down to the bottom, check out the simple rules to follow and then try them out in the game. Make sure you know them well before venturing into the paid games, playing blackjack whilst following the basic strategy will offer you the best chances of winning
Basic Strategy of Blackjack
All professional Blackjack player base their play on something called the ‘basic strategy’, it is simply a series of simple rules which determine how you play each hand. It’s not complicated and the rules are very specific so they don’t need any interpretation or experience.
The important thing to remember is that these rules have been tried and tested over the decades by professional card players, gamblers, mathematicians and even computer systems. They form the basis of the most effective way to play the game and although luck obviously plays a part you’d be foolish to ignore them completely.
Here’s the core of the Basic Strategy
Hard Hands (without Ace which can 1 or 11)
- 9 or lower – Hit
- 10 or 11 – Double if total is more than dealers faced card, otherwise Hit.
- 12-16 – Hit if dealers car is more than 7 otherwise stand.
- 17 or higher – Stand
Soft Hands (Including Ace)
- 13-18 – Double when dealer’s card is 5 or 6
- 17 or lower – Hit
- 18 – Hit when dealer has 9 or more. Stand on 2,3,4 or 7
- 19 and above – Stand
These rules cover most situations however there are a few more situations to remember which are summarized below:
- Never split a pair of Aces
- Never split a pair of Eights
- Never split 10s, 5s or 4s
- Split all other Pairs if dealer is on 6 or less
- Ignore Insurance in Blackjack
This covers the vast majority of the basic strategy of blackjack, there are a few more points but they cover very specific situations and it’s best to master these first. If you follow these rules then you’re already playing better than than the vast majority of punters who play online blackjack.