Beginners Blackjack Playing Strategy

The first decision which a player must take in a blackjack game is whether he wants to add or not another card to his first two cards dealt blackjack hand. The one having a higher blackjack hand value than the one of the dealer, without exceeding 21, it is declared the winner. In general, winning blackjack hands are those from 16 to 21, and the blackjack hand totaling 16 has the smallest chances for a win. There are some blackjack games that have a bonus payout if you tie with the dealer, (called a 'push') but this is a rare occasion.

How you decide to bet in blackjack is important and can significantly change your final result. To this end, I wrote this blackjack playing strategy for beginners. The same as it is with most casino card games, the blackjack bets must be placed before the dealer deals the cards. All players’ cards are dealt face up and the dealer has one card face down and a hole card (face down). This is when you must use a blackjack playing strategy, deciding whether you hit, double or stand. All this, mostly based on the dealer’s face up card.

Statistically, you get the best odds from blackjack hands totaling 20 or more, guarantying a stronger hand against the dealer blackjack hand. Even as you can win with a blackjack hand totaling 17, it is trickier, as the dealer has to stand on 17 when following the traditional blackjack rules. If the blackjack hands are the same, then the face value of the cards is taken. The decision to stand on hands totaling 17 is rarely a good call unless the dealer has a 6 or below in his hand, or your blackjack hand is made of an Ace (a soft hand).

Hard hands are straight hands in which the values of the cards are not interchangeable, and for that reason the next card dealt will decide whether or not the player busts. So, a blackjack hand without an Ace or an Ace that is counted as 1 is a hard hand. A soft hand is a blackjack hand with an Ace that can only be counted as 11. In conventional blackjack hands, the Ace is by design counted as 11 except it is necessary to decrease the value. It is known as a soft hand because it can never be broken before the third card is drawn.

The same blackjack playing strategy applies for hands totaling 18. If the dealer shows anything from a 9 through an Ace, you have pretty small odds to a win. If you hold a soft hand with the dealer showing the same cards as above, the best blackjack betting strategy is to hit for another card. If the dealer shows a 2, 7 or 8 the best blackjack betting strategy is to stand. If the dealer shows anything from 3 through 6, then doubling should be undertaken wherever possible. Following the same rules as above, a blackjack hand with the value of 19 will be only considered a strong hand if the dealers does not show an Ace or 10.

These values for my blackjack strategy guide are calculated for blackjack games played with 3 or more decks, and the odds of particular cards coming out on the turns.