Before you sit down at a live blackjack table or a virtual one at an online gaming site like WagerWeb.com, you need to know some basic strategy. And there’s nothing more important that knowing when to stand.
To hit at a blackjack table means to take another card or cards to your hand you have to try to get as close to or exactly 21. To stand means to take no more cards and play the hand that you have. Some players may closely follow their own strategy thereby taking the least risks. Others will act boldly and ask to be hit when they are showing a 16 for example.
At a blackjack table, the house edge starts around 5.5%, but if you know when to hit and when to stand you can improve your odds by around 3%. Remember that in blackjack you play against the dealer not against the other players as is the case at Texas Hold em poker sites.
Always stand at blackjack table when you have a hand of 17 or more. This excludes soft hands when you are holding an Ace. A hand of 17 or more is considered to be a strong hand. If you have more than 16 the chances that you have to improve your hand are not great enough to risk busting, which is going over 21. This is the case no matter what the dealer is showing. Conversely you can never bust if you have 11 or less than 11, so you should always hit.
When a dealer is showing an ace is the worst scenario on the blackjack table. What you should consider in blackjack is that a card with a value of 10, which are 10, Jack, Queen, and King, is more likely to appear than any other single card value. In this case, the dealer has a blackjack roughly 4/13. Also, the dealer with an Ace has more chances of drawing cards without getting busted. Your approach is to aggressively play the game by trying to get a good hand like a 17 and above, as the dealer is likely to have a strong hand.
What about if the dealer is showing a 10, Jack, Queen, or King at a blackjack table? If the dealer is showing these 10-value cards there is a 1/13 chance they will have 21 and a 4/13 chance they will have a 20. Because of this you should have a strong hand to compete with the dealer. Hit on
16 or less, stand on 17 or more.
When the dealer is showing a 7,8, or 9 at a blackjack table, there is no chance that the dealer will have blackjack, but the dealer has a good chance to have a strong hand of 17 or more. You need a strong hand to compete if they are showing a 7,8, or 9. If you have a 10-value card or an Ace you should hit and may want to double down. Hit on 16 or less and stand on 17 or more.
When the dealer is showing a 4,5, or 6, you are in a good position at a blackjack table, because they have a good chance to bust. You should never bust if the dealer is showing a 4,5,or 6. It is a good idea to double down if you have a 9,10, or 11. Hit on 8 or less and stand on 12 or more.
When the dealer is showing a 3 at a blackjack table, you are still in a good position here, as their chances to bust are still high, but there is a slight advantage to hitting when you have a 12, as the chances of busting are 4/13. You will want to double down if you have a 9,10, or 11. If you have
8 or less hit and stand if you have 13 or more.
Finally, when the dealer is showing a 2, you are still in a good situation at a blackjack table, but the chances of the dealer busting is less likely, as the dealer getting 2 cards that total 20 is only about 10%. Because of this you should hit on 9, not doubling down. If you have 10 or 11 you can
double down and hit on 12 and stand on 13 or more.
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