Basic Strategy

In the game of blackjack, assuming no other knowledge about the contents of the remaining deck, it can be mathematically demonstrated that certain actions are more effective than others. For example, assuming that you are playing with three decks, if the dealer's up card is a 6, then s/he has a 0.423 probability of busting. Knowing this, the player can make a decision based on the chart below. In this instance, the best reponse for a player with cards totaling 12 in value would be to stay. Were the player to hit, s/he would have a 0.296 probability of busting. Continuing to hit would give a roughly 13% edge to the house rather than the approximately 4% edge it would otherwise enjoy. The following chart lists the player's best response for all possible, non-obvious hands where either the count (discussed in the next section) is neutral or it is unknown.

KEY

H: Hit

S: Stand

D: Double Down if permitted, otherwise hit

P: Split

B: Blackjack

H/P: Split, if permitted to double down after splitting; otherwise hit

H/Q: Surrender if permitted; otherwise hit

D/S: Double Down if permitted, otherwise stand

Naturally, the casinos will not permit you to bring such a chart with you, but everyone who knows the game of blackjack is familiar with this method. Do what you can to memorize this chart before going into a casino. There are computer programs that let you play the game of blackjack without needing to worry about an ongoing count (while there are others that do let you benefit from such a system). Practice, practice, practice. Humans are notoriously bad at determining probabilities in their minds. Your instincts don't stand a chance against the house advantage.

Blackjack Strategy

Rules of Blackjack | Basic Strategy | Plus-Minus Count | Updating Probability Charts