Blackjack Strategy
In most casinos, the house rules for Blackjack state that the dealer must draw another card if his hand score is 16 or less. And, they state that the dealer must stand if his hand score is 17 or higher. These rules are in place in nearly every casino, with some variations. And every dealer must follow the house rules.
Players of Blackjack, however, have no specific rules to follow. Players can stand with a score of 14 or 15 if they wish. And players can hit or even double down with a score of 18 if they want to. There are no hard and fast rules telling players what they must do or must not do.
Many Blackjack beginners aren’t sure what to do about this lack of rules, though—so, many end up following the house rules, hitting at 16 or lower and standing at 17 or higher.
This strategy offers the house an advantage of about 8.9%. Or, once the large payout figure of a Blackjack (3 to 2) is figured in, it offers the house an advantage of about 5.9%.
This still makes Blackjack one of the more appealing games in any casino, as many offer percentages that are much more skewed towards the house. However, players can turn the tables in their favor by learning Blackjack card-counting techniques. Card-counting techniques involve paying attention to the cards that are played and using that knowledge in order to decide whether to stand or hit. Sometimes players using this type of technique will end up standing at less than 17 or hitting at higher than 17.
By learning these methods, players can greatly increase the odds in their favor—and the house will no longer have such a great advantage in Blackjack. Follow this Black jack chart to enhance your odds when playing.
