Blackjack basic strategy

Blackjack basic strategy is the most basic system that all blackjack players must master in order to become a successful player. Basic strategy is a mathematical system of charts that show you the correct mathematical play in any blackjack scenario. You need to learn these basic strategy charts inside and out to know every proper play. This is the fundamental system that blackjack strategy is based upon. By correctly using blackjack basic strategy, you can almost turn the casino’s house advantage of 7%-8% into 1%. The system of blackjack basic strategy has been developed over several years of research and computer simulation to perfect the basic strategy charts. There are a wide variety of charts that change with slight varations, depending on the exact type of blackjack you will be playing. The two most common basic strategy charts are the single deck and multiple deck charts.

Using Basic Strategy

Using blackjack basic strategy isn’t complicated if you know how to read and understand basic strategy charts. The left vertical column of the charts is your hand and the top horizontal column is the dealer’s hand. Simply line up the columns where your hand meets the dealer’s hand to find the correct play. The abbreviations below are commonly found on basic strategy charts:

Memorizing Basic Strategy

You’ll need to memorize the basic strategy charts inside and out so you can make your decision (the proper play) in a split second while sitting at a blackjack table. Newer blackjack players often find it difficult to memorize the charts. The easiest way to commit the charts to memory is to look for logical patterns in the charts that help you understand why each play is made.

When you first begin playing or if you are having trouble memorizing the strategy charts, you might consider getting a blackjack strategy card. These are convenient laminated cards, about the size of a credit card, which have the basic strategy charts on them. Most casinos will even allow you to use the cards at the table while playing. For more information, visit our blackjack strategy card page.

Winning with Basic Strategy

There is one last thing to keep in mind when it comes to blackjack basic strategy - it’s not a guaranteed winning system. There are some players who will try to discredit basic strategy because they tried using it once or twice and ended up with a losing night. Basic strategy just shows the proper mathematical decision, for every blackjack scenario. This does not guarantee that you will always win when using it. It’s simply the foundation for all other blackjack strategies and is a must learn for any serious player.

Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack Tip #1. Always Use Basic Strategy

Practice Blackjack Strategy at Bodog Casino

Learn basic blackjack strategy by heart and follow it no matter what your hunches tell you. Blackjack is a game of math. Guesses and hunches have no place in winning blackjack play, and the best tip we can offer a blackjack player is to leave your superstitions at the door and follow the mathematically best strategy for the game. Master basic strategy and don’t second guess the math.
Blackjack Tip #2. Scout the Tables and Players

Your goal is to find an enjoyable, relaxing, fast-paced table where you can do your thing with minimal interference and interruption. Drunk players are distracting. Slow players limit the amount of money you can win per hour. Mean-spirited dealers just bring your whole mood and vibe down, which can interfere with your ability to relax and concentrate.
Blackjack Tip #3. Never Take Insurance, Unless Card Counting

Insurance is almost always a sucker bet. And it’s not really insurance, it’s just a side bet that the dealer has a blackjack. But it’s a big time negative expectation bet, in almost every case. Now if you’re an experienced card counter, insurance might make sense in certain situations. But that’s beyond the scope of a blackjack tips article.
Blackjack Tip #4. Manage Your Money Wisely

Winning Blackjack Tips

Managing your bankroll is a key to being profitable in the long run, if you’re a card counter, or for getting the most fun for your money, if you’re not. If you make it a rule to never sit down at a table with a bet size that’s more than 1/20 of your bankroll for that session, your money will last longer. And if you’re an advantage player, your risk of ruin will be reduced too. The same principles that apply to managing a bankroll in poker, video poker, or craps apply to managing your money in blackjack.

And those principles all boil down to one simple tip: Don’t play over your bankroll.
Blackjack Tip #5. Tip the Dealer

Some advantage players wince at the thought of tipping the dealer, but there are reasons to tip the dealer beyond just being a nice guy. A player who tips the dealer generously might get a dealer who shuffles up a little later in the game than he might do otherwise, which is a boon to any card counter. And friendly dealers just make the game more enjoyable. By tipping the dealer, you help to make sure that your dealer stays friendly. And if one of your advantage play techniques is trying to take advantage of dealer tells, you might find that a generously tipped dealer suddenly has more obvious tells.

We hope that these general blackjack tips help you become a better blackjack player. They’re not anything profound or deep, and these blackjack tips aren’t as important as learning basic strategy. But they should help you get into the right mindset.

Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack is one of the most well-known card games in the world. The ultra-popular game of twenty-one allows the advanced player room for aggressive moves and subtle strategy plays that have been shown to give the informed player a huge leap up in winning percentages, in some cases actually trumping the built-in house edge that casinos utilize.      In order for players to efficiently play the game of Blackjack, ChessandPoker.com realized the need to compile a complete Blackjack strategy guide for all plays and betting considerations you will ever face in the game. The first component of our extremely powerful strategy guide is taming the somewhat intimidating factor that is the heart of all professional Blackjack playing strategy, how to count cards.

For the game of Blackjack, there are essentially two types of players: Those who count cards while they play, and those that don’t. When utilizing a blackjack strategy for a serious game there is really no reason not to count the cards. Using the counting system below, which was originally developed by Harvey Dubner, a player can achieve a betting correlation (how accurate the counting system is when used to determine the size of a players bet) of 97%, or almost perfect. It is very simple to learn and implement, and also very potent. Let’s have a look at it.

Blackjack Card Counting System

To use this blackjack counting system, you must start out with a count of zero in your head (for some of us, this is quite easy). Then everytime you see a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 come out of the deck in any players hand, including the dealers, you mentally add “+1″ to the count in your head for each one of these cards you see. But whenever you see a T, J, Q, K, or Ace in any players hand, you subtract one (-1) from the count in your head. This ongoing total in your head is called the “running count”.

Values 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are counted as +1 Values T, J, Q, K, and Ace are counted as -1

Whenever the running count is positive, it is said that the player has an advantage. When negative, however, the player is at an disadvantage. The larger (or smaller) the running count, the more pronounced the advantage (disadvantage) is for the player. As we have now seen, card counting is in fact not that hard at all, and will quickly become second nature. The next step is to use this newfound talent to determine your bet on any given hand.

Black Jack Strategy

A player who follows the basic blackjack strategy is able to reduce the house edge to less than 1 %.

Someone who plays recklessly, on the other hand, will be a huge underdog. Blackjack is not like slots or roulette - your decisions really matter. Therefore, it’s very important that you study the blackjack strategy before you hit the tables. Some casinos even allow you to bring a strategy chart to the game, and if you play online, you can always consult the strategy chart if you find yourself in a tricky situation.

There are, however, slight variations in the optimal strategy depending on the house rules and the number of decks being used. Below, you’ll find the best strategy for standard blackjack.

H is for Hit (take another card), S is for Stand (stay with what you have), D is for double-down (see above), and P is for split (see above).

Hard Totals

Hard Totals 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A
8 H H H D D H H H H H
9 D D D D D H H H H H
10 D D D D D D D D H H
11 D D D D D D D D D D
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13 S S S S S H H H H H
14 S S S S S H H H H H
15 S S S S S H H H H H
16 S S S S S H H H H H
17-20 S S S S S S S S S S

Soft Totals

Soft Totals 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A
A2 H H D D D H H H H H
A3 H H D D D H H H H H
A4 H H D D D H H H H H
A5 H H D D D H H H H H
A6 D D D D D H H H H H
A7 S D D D D S S H H H
A8 S S S S D S S S S S
A9 S S S S S S S S S S

Pair Splitting

Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A
22 H P P P P P H H H H
33 H P P P P P H H H H
44 H H H D D H H H H H
55 D D D D D D D D H H
6 6 P P P P P H H H H H
77 P P P P P P H H H H
88 P P P P P P P P S P
9 9 P P P P P S P P S S
10’s S S S S S S S S S S
A’s P P P P P P P P P P

Multi-Deck Game

Hard Totals

Hard Totals 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A
8 H H H H H H H H H H
9 H D D D D H H H H H
10 D D D D D D D D H H
11 D D D D D D D D D H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13 S S S S S H H H H H
14 S S S S S H H H H H
15 S S S S S H H H H H
16 S S S S S H H H H H
17-20 S S S S S S S S S S S

Soft Totals

Soft Totals 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A
A2 H H H D D H H H H H
A3 H H H D D H H H H H
A4 H H D D D H H H H H
A5 H H D D D H H H H H
A6 H D D D D H H H H H
A7 S D D D D S S H H H
A8 S S S S S S S S S S
A9 S S S S S S S S S S

Pair Spliting

Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A
22 P * P * P P P P H H H H
33 P * P* P P P P H H H H
44 H H H P P H H H H H
55 D D D D D D D D H H
6 6 P* P P P P H H H H H
77 P P P P P P H H H H
88 P P P P P P P P P P
9 9 P P P P P S P P S S
10’s S S S S S S S S S S
A’s P P P P P P P P P P

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