Blackjack Strategy Guide

A strong blackjack strategy can help to minimize losses and increase the potential for long-term profit. As blackjack is a casino game with elements of both luck and skill, your decisions can influence results. Making decisions with perfect blackjack strategy can reduce the casino’s house edge to 0.5% or lower.

This blackjack strategy guide focuses on the importance of decision-making in this popular casino game. We look over the mathematical probabilities that make strategy possible and provide practical tips for playing the game. Understanding these factors can help you become a more accomplished player, so keep reading to find out more.

Basic strategy in blackjack involves making the optimal move in every situation. Because a deck contains 52 cards, and we know how many decks will be used in a game, it is possible to use probability to calculate the optimal move based on your hand and the dealer’s up card.

When playing a standard game of blackjack, your options are to hit, stand, double, or split. The choice you make should be the one that is most likely to win by beating the dealer’s hand with 21 or lower. Mathematicians and statisticians have already determined the odds of each scenario and assigned the optimal move based on it. So, you can use a simple blackjack strategy table to identify the best choice for every hand.

Here are some examples of perfect blackjack strategy moves.

It is important to understand that making the right move does not guarantee you will win. Even the best blackjack strategy is susceptible to bad luck because blackjack includes elements of chance. For example, you have a 30% chance of getting a blackjack when you split aces, but that won’t happen if the next card is not a face card.

Blackjack strategy ensures you are choosing the best move based on mathematically sound information. And that you are in the most advantageous position relative to your hand and the dealer’s up card.

Another vital part of applying optimal strategy is that it can potentially lower the house’s advantage. House edge is defined as the theoretical mathematical advantage a casino has over you. It is represented as a percentage of every wager the casino expects to keep. The house edge in blackjack without basic strategy is generally accepted to be around the 2% mark. By applying basic strategy, you can reduce the house edge to 0.5% in standard blackjack. In single-deck blackjack, it may even be lower.

House edge is based on probability and is calculated over thousands of hands. You could lose 70 out of 100 hands you play at a casino, which would not be in check with the house edge in the long run. That is how casinos continue to make a profit, even when players use perfect blackjack strategy. Applying strategy is the best way to lower the house edge and minimize your losses over time, but each hand is still down to the luck of the draw.

A strategy chart is typically a color-coded table broken into several rows and columns. The rows represent your hand and the columns represent the dealer’s up card. The chart shows whether to hit, stand, split, or double, based on the probability analysis of each blackjack hand.

Here is a blackjack strategy card you can use when you play.

To use a blackjack strategy table effectively, you must know what your cards are and what the dealer’s up card is. The cell where your hand value intersects with the dealer’s up card value is your move for that combination. For example, if your hand is equal to 15 and the dealer’s up card is 9, the recommended move is to hit. You can find the meaning of the letter or letters for that recommended action in a key below the grid. For example, H = Hit or S = Stand.

All situations are covered, meaning there is a suggested action for every hand. In cases where there are two potential moves, there will be two suggested actions. A good example of this is RS: Surrender if allowed; otherwise stand, as it accounts for tables that may have restrictions on surrender. In this case, where the surrender rule is not permitted, you should stand.

Players of all experience levels use blackjack strategy tables when playing the game. You can reference them online when playing blackjack at an online casino. Most land-based casinos also permit their use as long as they are used discretely and do not interrupt the flow of a game. We recommend checking the casino’s rules first before taking them to a brick-and-mortar casino.

Basic blackjack strategy is not suitable for all variants and offshoots of the game. This is because even the slightest change in rules can affect the probability of a scenario. As such, your strategy must be tailored to the variant you are playing.

When different rules and scenarios are at play, you must adjust accordingly. But before you can apply optimal strategy to other blackjack variants, it is in your interest to first learn the basic rules of the game you are playing. There are nuances and deviations in these variants that can impede your ability to rack up consistent wins.

Similarly, you also need to adjust your strategy when you play different blackjack variants. Here are a few examples of blackjack variants and the reasons you need to adjust your strategy when you play them.

If you’re playing another version of blackjack, we recommend learning the basic rules of the game before you start. Once you are familiar with the fundamentals, you can then adjust your strategy to work with that variant. Tailoring your approach to other blackjack games and offshoots is important, so ensure you are using an optimal strategy and modified strategy charts for that game.

The best blackjack strategies are based on probability and lowering the house edge. There are other approaches to winning at blackjack that are based on supposition, such as “Assume a Ten.” Others, like “Never Bust,” are grounded in the belief that cautious betting can yield positive results in the long term.

Here are four blackjack strategies that don’t work and should not be used over playing blackjack with basic strategy.

This strategy simply involves imitating what the dealer is doing. To achieve this, the player will act as the dealer does, such as hitting until they create a hand of 17 or more. This is flawed when we introduce variables like the dealer’s hole card or the fact that the dealer can’t split or double down.

The Mimic the Dealer strategy forsakes many of the strong points of basic strategy. This includes the use of a printable blackjack strategy card at the table and making optimal decisions based on probability. It doesn’t stand up to scrutiny the same way as perfect strategy does.

This strategy recommends players avoid hitting when their hand total is 12 or more, as doing so may lead to a bust. However, this approach is a little too cautious to be viable. It doesn’t factor in situations where hitting would be an advantage, and overlooks viable pathways to increasing the chance of wins. At the very least, the Never Bust strategy leaves opportunities to improve your hand on the table.

The Never Bust strategy is very plain and is not strong enough to work consistently. For example, by standing on 12 or more, you are giving the dealer ample opportunity to make stronger hands. This can result in losses that may come thick and fast.

Some players believe that the unseen card in the dealer’s hand is always worth ten. The logic here is that cards valued ten (10 through to King) make up 30% of a deck. Based on this assumption, they adjust their decisions and bets accordingly. However, this strategy is flawed because it relies on an incorrect premise. The unseen card in the dealer’s hand can be of any value, and simply assuming it is a ten can lead to poor decision-making.

Another reason why this blackjack strategy doesn’t work is that there can often be multiple decks in play. When this is considered, it further damages the credibility of the Assume a Ten strategy.

Progressive betting in blackjack involves increasing or decreasing your bet size based on the result of your previous bet. This is a strategy that can be used in any form of betting, and there are several progressive betting systems in existence, such as the Martingale, the Fibonacci, and the Paroli.

Blackjack progressive betting systems don’t have any effect on the house edge because your chances of winning or losing a hand don’t change based on how much you bet. They can also be very dangerous. For example, the Martingale system insists you keep increasing your stake after a loss. A few losses in a row can result in losing your entire bankroll.

There are times when you might want to experiment with progressive betting systems in blackjack. We don’t recommend doing so with real money. You can try these systems out at online casinos with blackjack free play mode if you are curious. As they are not reliable, the risk you take with your bankroll far outweighs your expected return. In the long run, these blackjack systems will not yield consistent profits.

Another time you might want to try progressive systems at a land-based casino is when your printable blackjack strategy card is not permitted on the table. If this is the case, it may be best to stick with Mimic the Dealer and Assume a Ten. These will probably give you a better chance of winning in the short term.

Card counting is a strategy in blackjack used by players to gain an advantage over the casino. By keeping a mental note of cards that have been dealt, experienced card counters will aim to make informed decisions about the ones that may be coming next. Although it is frowned upon heavily, card counting is technically legal. However, if you are suspected of card counting, you may be asked to leave and could face a ban from the premises or have your online casino account closed.

Card counting is not the same as blackjack strategy. But what makes card counting attractive to players is the chance to reduce the edge the casino has over them. More than this, it can theoretically give the player an advantage over the dealer if they are skilled enough to predict the next cards dealt. When Aces and cards with a value of 10 remain in the shoe, this is better for the player. Card counting essentially tracks the balance of high to low cards in the shoe.

The majority of card counting systems assign a value to cards. Here is how it works.

Depending on the card dealt, the counter will either add +1, minus -1, or do nothing (0). For example, if a 3 is dealt, they will add +1. If a 7 is dealt, they do nothing. If a King is dealt, the card counter removes -1 from the running count.

The running count is based on the cards that are known to have been dealt. This means all hands on the table, including the dealer’s up card and full hand. When values have been assigned to all cards, the running count is achievable. Here are two examples to help you better understand this principle.

In theory, card counters are advantaged when the running count is positive, like the first image. If it is negative, like the second image, the advantage is with the casino. But that is an oversimplification. All cards that come out of the shoe must be accounted for until the dealer shuffles when card counting.

More decks in play mean more variables you need to account for. When you contrast having a running count of +6 in blackjack played with a single deck to the same count in a game with six decks, it is easy to see why. The ratio of low cards to high cards is easier to track with fewer decks. With single-deck blackjack difficult to find at land-based casinos, it’s tougher to find card counting systems that work.

Some blackjack strategy tips are easy to remember. Especially when you don’t have a strategy chart on hand. The starting point is to ignore progressive betting systems, as they offer no real tangible value and can make you blow through your bankroll very quickly in a bout of bad luck.

Here are some more practical tips you can employ that don’t require a guide or statistics.

These practical blackjack tips may not be as comprehensive as a strategy chart. They can, however, reduce your chances of racking up losses. When you combine all three of these strategy tips above, you are putting yourself in a strong position.