The Basic Strategy of Blackjack
Aside from knowing the rules of the game, every blackjack player must be knowledgeable of the essential tips that comprise the 'basic strategy' of blackjack.
Anything but basic, the basic strategy of blackjack is a compilation of tips supported by statistical analysis that will help one turn the odds in his/her favor.
Here are the specifics that encompass the basic strategy of blackjack.
Hitting hands with sums of eleven or less are recommended as they are most of the time safe to be hit without going beyond 21. In some instances though, it is better that such hands are split or doubled down.
In contrast, hands summing up to 17 or more should not be hit unless they are 'soft totals' adding up to 17.
So what are 'soft totals'?
Soft totals are hands that are formed with an ace and a card with another value. Bear in mind that an ace can either be tallied as one or eleven so hitting hands with soft total of 17 are relatively safe as they can also be counted as totaling to seven.
The other basic strategies to remember when playing with soft totals are: HIT when the soft count is seventeen or lower; DOUBLE if the soft count is seventeen and at the same time the face up card of the dealer is a four or a five; and STAND when the soft total amounts to nineteen or twenty.
So you know now when to hit or stand depending on the amount of the card and if it is a soft total but what about hands with totals of twelve to sixteen?
When you have hands totaling from twelve to sixteen, you should hit if the dealer's face up card is within seven and eleven. Otherwise, stand.
Situations such these highlight the importance of the taking into account in your strategy the dealer's face up card. Most players are too engrossed with their hands that they forget the importance of the dealer's card in determining whether it is a good time to hit, stand or double down.
One also must not forget the use of the other two mechanics in blackjack: Splitting and doubling down.
Choosing to double down will let you double your wager for one more hit while choosing to split will split your hand into two by separating your two cards and adding one card to each creating two separate hands. Note that you can only split if your initial hand contains two cards of the same value. So what is the basic strategy in splitting and doubling?
Double every time you have eleven. You can also double down ten, if the dealer has face up cards valuing two to nine but you do not double if your hand total is lower than eight.
The basic strategy for splitting is much simpler: always split when you have a pair eights or aces but not when you have pairs of fours, fives and ten value cards.
Blackjack offers one of the best odds compared to other casino games. This characteristic of blackjack combined with keeping the habit of constantly practicing the basic strategies mentioned will ensure long term success in one's blackjack career.