Hey
there Macintosh blackjack and No Download Blackjack players!
You wanna play blackjack? Alright then. Here's some basic
blackjack strategy to get you started. First of all,
always remember that you can alter the house edge by playing
with a good system. Hey, and guess what: we've got one for you!
So let's help you win!
Things
to remember:
You're always trying to get a better
hand than the dealer. Don't play just to get as close to 21
as possible, because you'll end up busting a *lot*.
Because the dealer has to follow
a set of rules regardless of his position, he'll often be
forced to take another card when he shouldn't, and may bust.
You can use this to your advantage...
Basic Game Strategy
One way to improve the chance of winning is to use statistics
to predict the outcome of various hands. Sound complicated?
Not really. We'll help you with the basics, that's what we're
here for!
Because
the dealer must play using the house rules they have to always
hit with a hand of 16 or less and stand with a hand of 17 or
more (a few casinos let the dealer hit on a soft 17). The dealer's
chance of busting on any given hand looks like this:
| Dealers face-up card is: |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
Ace |
| Percentage chance of busting: |
35 |
37 |
40 |
42 |
42 |
26 |
24 |
23 |
23 |
17 |
The
dealer has the best chance of busting when his face-up card
is a six or less. Great, so what do we do with that information?
We develop the following system to help you win!
Hard Hand Rules
Remember, a hard hand is when an Ace card
*must* be counted as 1.
If you're dealt a hand totaling anywhere
from 12 to 16, and the dealer is showing a low card (anywhere
from 2 to 6), then you should always stand. Why? There's a
really high probability that the dealer will bust and you'll
win! Why is this true? Well, the statistics bear it out, but
basically when the dealer has low cards, he's more likely
to have to draw several to get to 16. The chances of him drawing
a face card (worth ten) by the time he's gotten above 12 or
pretty good. What then? He busts, and you take home the cash!
However, if you're dealt a hand totaling 12
to 16 when the dealer is showing a higher card (anywhere from
7 to Ace), you should take a card. It's pretty unlikely the
dealer will bust, so the only way for you to have a chance
at winning is to take the plunge and try to win with the highest
total. This can be pretty hard to do. If you have a 16 and
the dealer has a 7, it's pretty hard to force yourself to
take a card. It seems to go against common sense, you're positive
you'll draw a face card and bust...but you've gotta do it.
Yes, you *will* bust some of the time. But statistics are
on your side. Power through the "common sense" and
take the risk. In the long run, we guarantee you'll be glad
you did!
Finally, if you get a hand totaling 17 to
21, you should stand! The probability of busting if you hit
is high, and you have a good chance of winning the hand anyway.
Soft Hand Rules
Remember, a "soft hand" is when an ace can be played
as 1 or as 11
Most
casinos do allow aces as either 1 or 11. You can pick the value
most helpful to you at the time. If you have an ace you use
as an 11, it's called a "soft hand". These hands are played
differently. Why? Because it's impossible to immediately bust
on a soft hand: you just change the value of the Ace from 11
to 1 and you're still in it!
The
general blackjack system for playing a soft hand laid out in
the chart below. Remember, you can keep this page open as you
play at our recommended casinos. Keep referring to the charts,
and eventually it will become second nature. You'll no longer
need us. *sniff*. You're all grown up!
Basically,
in soft hands, you'll want to double down whenever the dealer
has a high statistical probability of busting. When is that?
When he or she has low value face-up cards.
| Your Hand |
What
you should do |
| Soft 19 or 20 |
Stand |
| Soft 18 |
*Stand if the
dealer is showing 2,7 or 8.*
*Hit if the dealer is showing 9,10 or Ace.*
*Double Down if the dealer is showing 3,4,5 or 6.* |
| Soft 17 |
*Hit if the dealer
is showing 2, 7, 8, 9, 10 or Ace.*
*Double Down if the dealer is showing 3,4,5 or 6.* |
| Soft 16 or 15 |
*Hit if the dealer
is showing 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10 or Ace.*
*Double Down if the dealer is showing 4,5 or 6.* |
| Soft 14 or 13 |
*Hit if the dealer
is showing 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 or Ace.*
*Double Down if the dealer is showing 5 or 6.* |
If you're
dealt a card that changes your hand from soft (when Ace equals
11) to hard (now Ace equals 1), then change your strategy to
the hard hand system we discussed earlier.
Doubling
Down Strategy
Doubling down lets you put extra money on the table when your
chances of winning are good. Great deal, right? It is, and you
should always bet the maximum amount allowed. Take the money
and run, my friend. It's not often the casino will give you
the advantage, but doubling down is one of those precious few
moments they do.
You should
only ever double down when you've got a better chance of winning
than the dealer. That means, *not* 50/50, not "as good
a chance as the dealer". The other time to double down
is when you can to earn more profit by doing so than by hitting.
Different
casinos have varied rules for doubling down; typically you can
only double down after you receive your first two cards and
before you draw your third card.
Unfortunately,
some casinos only allow the option on certain hand values (typically
9, 10 or 11). Read on for more specifics.
Hard
Hand Rules for Doubling Down
You should double down when:
You've
got hard 11 and the dealer is showing 2 through 10.
You've got hard 10
and the dealer is showing 2 through 9.
You've got hard 9
and the dealer is showing 3 through 6.
Soft Hand Rules for Doubling Down
You should double down when:
You've got (A, 6) or (A, 7) and
the dealer is showing 3 through 6.
You've got (A, 4) or (A, 5) and
the dealer is showing 4 through 6.
You've got (A, 2) or (A, 3) and
the dealer is showing 5 or 6.
Splitting
Pairs Strategy
Some blackjack players will split all pairs regardless of the
pair value - this is a bad idea. Unless you're trying to lose
money. And somehow we don't think you are.
It's
smart to split *some* pairs. But, for example, you should never
split tens or a pair of fives. Two tens gives you a total of
20. Good hand, right? Right. Don't mess with that. A pair of
fives gives you 10, and you have an excellent chance of drawing
a 10 for a win. Again, don't mess with that.
On the
other hand, you should always split eights and aces. Why? Because
you have a better chance of drawing a card worth ten (face cards
and actualy 10s) than any other and then you have either 21
(for Aces) (woohoo! Blackjack!) or 18 (if you split eights)
- both are extremely difficult for the little old dealer to
beat. And that's the way we like it.
All
your other splitting decisions should depend on the dealer's
face-up card. As a general rule, you should split when the dealer
is showing a low value card. For example, split when:
You're
got a pair of 2's, 3's or 7,s and the dealer is showing 2 through
7.
You're got a pair
of 4's and the dealer is showing 5 or 6.
You're got a pair
of 6's and the dealer is showing 2 through 6.
You're got a pair
of 9's and the dealer is showing 2 through 6, 8 or 9.
If, however, the
dealer shows a 7 and you assume ( as you should) that he has
a hole card worth 10...don't split. Your 18 will beat it,
so stay put.
Insurance
Don't ever take insurance unless you're counting cards. And
if you're counting cards, I doubt you're reading this...in any
case, it's a bad bet. Don't be a sucker!
And you won't be, now you know how to play blackjack and you've
got a winning strategy! Click here for a free no
download blackjack game to practice, or check out our No
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