Blackjack Tips that Help You Beat the Dealer

Here are a few tips that any player should keep in mind when playing blackjack. Following these tips is not mandatory so feel free to deviate whenever you feel like it's the right thing to do.

Never split two '10' value cards- If you are dealt to ten valued cards, then your card total is 20. This is a great hand no matter how you look at it. You are practically guaranteed a win since the only way the dealer can beat you is to get a blackjack or a 21.

Never split two five's- If you are dealt a pair of fives then your card total will be 10. Chances are you will be dealt a ten valued card, so the best decision to make now is to double down, not split. If you double down and get a ten valued card then you will have a card total of 20. A hand that can't be beat easily. But if you split and get a ten valued card you will be left with two lousy hands.

Always split two 8's- You should always split eights no matter what the dealer's face up card is. Two eights mean a card total of 16. Just so you know, 16 is the worst card total in blackjack. You will almost always lose since the dealer will always hit on 16. But if you split you may get two 18's which are better than one 16. And if you win on one hand but lose on the other you still come out even.

Always double down when you have:

• A card total of 11, even if the dealer has a 10 or Ace as his face up card;
• A card total of 10 and the dealer's face up card is any other card than 10;
• A card total of 9 and the dealer's face up card is a card between 2 to 8;
• Soft 13, 14, 15, 16, (Ace and 2, 3, 4, 5) and the dealer's face up card is a 6.

When you have a hard total of 12 or higher:

• Hit if the dealer's face up card is a 7 or higher;
• Stand if your hard total is 17 or higher;
• Stand if the dealer has any card from 2 to 6.

When you have a soft total:

• Hit on any soft total up to 17;
• If you have a soft 18 you should stand. But if the dealer has an 8, 9 or 10 as his face up card then you should hit.

Doubling down at the right time you will bring down the house advantage. It is very important that you know when is the "right time".

Doubling down on hard totals:

• Double down when you have a card total of 11 and the dealer's face up card is a ten or less;
• Double down when you have a card total of 10 and the dealer's face up card is a nine or less;
• Double down when you have a card total of 9 and the dealer's face up card is a four, five or six.

Doubling down on soft totals:

• Double down when you have a soft 13 or 14 and the dealer's face up card is a 5 or 6.
• Double down when you have a soft 15 or 16 and the dealer's face up card is a 4, 5 or 6.
• Double down when you have a soft 17 or and the dealer's face up card is a 3 to 6.

Splitting Pairs:

• You should always split a pair of Aces or 8's. Aces on their own mean a card total of 2 or 22. But split into different hands give you a big chance of getting a 21. A pair of 8's comes to a total of 16. The dealer will always hit on 16, so the only logical thing to do is split them. You may get two hands totaling 18 each.
• You should never split 4's, 5's or 10's.
• The only time when you should split 2's and 3's is when the dealer's face up card is 4 through 7.
• Split 6's only if the dealer's face up card is 3 through 6.
• Split 7's only if the dealer's face up card is 3 through 7.
• Split 9's only if the dealer's face up card is 2 through 6, 8 or 9.