Basic BlackJack Strategy Part 1

*1st October, 2003

Welcome once more to the Casino-on-Net Gambling School where this issue we’ll be looking at basic BlackJack strategy.
I once worked in a land-based casino. An observation I made then (and even now), was watching less experienced Black Jack players Hitting, Standing, Doubling and Splitting when they should not. For this Gambling School I am going to give helpful Blackjack strategies that will assist the less experienced players!

The object in Blackjack is to beat the dealer by drawing cards equal to or closer to 21 without going over.
Once you keep this in the forefront of your mind, developing strategies will be easy.
Our shoe contains 4 decks of cards meaning that cards that value ten have the highest probability of appearing than any other card in the deck.
How does this work for you?
Well, this will decide on many occasions the four most common moves you will make in Blackjack, i.e. whether you hit, stand, double down or split.

Let’s first look at when and when not to ‘Hit’. In our future editions we will touch on the other three moves.

Let’s say the dealer’s up card is 6. Since the dealer has to stand on 17 this means that if his ‘down’ card values 10 he must hit again and the probability of a card 6 or higher coming is at its highest.

There is a 43% chance (once the dealer’s face card is a 6) that the next card will be a 10. We advise that in such instances there is no need to take the risk of hitting and busting, except if your hand is under a value of 12.
A 2, 3, 4 or 5, are also low cards with a very high probability of the dealer busting, although it is not as high as a 6 showing, it is still not worth taking the risk of hitting. One exception is if the dealer shows a 2 or 3, it is advised that you hit on 12.

If on the other hand, the dealer shows a 7 or higher, take the risk and hit until you have reached a combination of 17 or more. Yes, there is a chance that the ‘down’ card might be a low card but always remember 64 cards with a face value of ten are floating around in the shoe verses any other card value which is 16.

Of course, there is no fool-proof strategy in gambling but developing skills may take you a very long way!
Remember, play well, bet smart and win!