Increase Your Chances of Winning with a Blackjack Strategy
Unlike slot games, where the outcome is purely based on luck, you will notice that blackjack is a game of skill – which is why it’s such an immensely popular casino game in Ireland. When you incorporate an optimal blackjack strategy with a game of skill like blackjack, you can reduce to house edge to an attractive 0.1%!
The skill required to play blackjack with an optimal strategy basically revolves around mathematics. You will essentially evaluate the two cards that have been dealt to you along with the single exposed card in the dealer’s hand. These two evaluations will give you the necessary information to choose between standing, hitting, splitting and doubling down.
However, it’s worth mentioning that there are certain truths you need to keep in mind when using a Blackjack strategy. For instance, you should be well aware that 6 is the worst possible face-up card for the dealer when the face-down card is a 10. This is because the dealer will more than likely exceed 21 on the third card drawn. With that being said, if the dealer’s face-up card is a 6, we recommend that you stand if your hand total is 12 or above as this will eliminate the opportunity to go bust when the dealer is already on their way to exceeding 21.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at a basic blackjack strategy that will give you valuable insight into which decision you should make depending on the dealer’s face-up card and the two cards in your hand.
DEALERS UP CARD |
Y
O
U
RH
A
N
D |
|
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
A |
8 or less |
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/SU |
H |
16 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H/SU |
H/SU |
H/SU |
17+ |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
A8-10 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
A7 |
S |
D |
D |
D |
D |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
A6 |
H |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
A5 |
H |
H |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
A4 |
H |
H |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
A3 |
H |
H |
H |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
A2 |
H |
H |
H |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
A-A, 8.8 |
SP |
SP |
P |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
10-10 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
9-9 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
S |
SP |
SP |
S |
S |
8-8 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
7-7 |
SP |
SP |
SP |
P |
SP |
SP |
H |
H |
H |
H |
6-6 |
H |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
5-5 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
4-4 |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
3-3, 2-2 |
H |
H |
SP |
SP |
SP |
SP |
H |
H |
H |
H |
|
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
A |
DEALERS UP CARD |
- Hit: Take another card after you have been dealt your initial hand. You can keep doing this until you hit or exceed 21.
- Stand: Take no more cards and ‘stand’ with the hand you currently have.
- Double-Down: Double your initial wager and then be dealt another card.
- Split: If both cards in your initial hand each have the same value, you can ‘split’ these into two separate hands and play a double round of Blackjack.
- Insurance: If the house has an ace card in their hand, you can place an insurance bet. This is simply an additional side bet on whether or not the dealer will have Blackjack (a score of 21).
When you calculate the mathematics behind this basic Blackjack strategy, you will notice that the player will win 44% of the time, while the dealer will win 48% of the time. The remaining 8% indicates hands that result in a draw (push).
Every single casino game comes equipped with a house edge, including Blackjack. A perfect example of this is that the player needs to decide what happens to their hand before the dealer is required to draw a second card to their hand. Thankfully, the house edge can be reduced with a Blackjack strategy. However, it greatly depends on the game rules of Blackjack.
For instance, some Blackjack variants will give the dealer the freedom to hit on a soft 17 (a hand that includes an Ace) to give the Casino a bigger house edge, while other Blackjack variants will require the dealer to stand on 17 which will reduce the house edge of a Casino. You will also find that some variants will allow you to double down on any hand value, while others are restricted to only certain hand values.