Beginner's BlackJack

Blackjack is a casino table game where your strategy is essential. Many games are pure chance, and the decisions that you make as a player do not impact the outcome of the game, in mathematical terms. Blackjack is different, and you can change your winning likelihood based on the decisions you make.

If you are new to blackjack and therefore playing without any kind of plan or strategy, then there is a house edge of around 2%. This is already a low house edge, but if you then add some strategy to your playing, you can knock that number down bringing the game much more into your favour. It is thought that clever tactics can actually take the house edge down to 0.5%.

To play a clever and strategic game of blackjack, there are three factors to consider, your total as a player, the upcard of the dealer and any casino specific rules that you will need to check when somewhere new. To develop a strategy, you need to learn some essential information about the game. Here are the three best places for a newbie to start.

Soft Hands

In blackjack, a soft hand must have an ace, and this can be counted as high (eleven) or low (one). If you have a soft hand here are things you should know:

If you have a soft hand that adds to 18 or more - Stand
If you have a soft hand that adds to 15 or less - Hit
If you have a soft hand that adds to 16 or 17 and the upcard for the dealer is 6 or less - Double down. If the upcard is 7 or above - Hit.

Hard Hands

In blackjack, a hard hand does not have an ace or have an ace that must be counted as low (one) to not bust. If you have a hard hand here are things you should know:

If you have a hard hand that adds to 17 or more - Stand
If you have a hard hand that adds 12-16 and the upcard for the dealer is 7 or more - Hit. If the upcard is less than 7 - Stand
If you have a hard hand that adds to 10 or 11 - Double down
If you have a hard hand that adds to 9 or less - Hit. Or if the total is 9 and the upcard for the dealer is 6 or less - Double down

Pairs

A hand that has two cards the same then you have a pair. Two eights, for example, is a total of 16 but as it is a pair you can decide whether to split the hand or not. If you don’t split follow the rules about. Here is what you should know about pairs.

Aces or eights - Split
Four, five or ten - Do not split
All other pairs - if the upcard for the dealer is 6 or less - Split. For upcard of 7 or more - Do not split.