Each decision you make while playing blackjack has a positive or negative
impact on your potential profit or loss. Every situation you have while playing
has a single best way to play.

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Blackjack Strategy. Each decision you make while playing blackjack has a positive or negative impact on your potential profit or loss. Every situation you have while playing has a single best way to play. If you make the correct play it either makes you the most money in the long run or loses the least amount of money in the long run. To become a better blackjack gambler, find a printable basic strategy chart of the game you play and memorize that card. If you can find a basic strategy chart which is color-coded, this is even better. A good basic strategy chart should show you when to hit, stand, split, and surrender in all scenarios. Read this CasinoToday Player Guide and Learn the Best Blackjack Strategy Today! Winning Tips, Betting Systems, Debunked Myths, and Practice Tricks.

If you make the correct play it either makes you the most money in the long
run or loses the least amount of money in the long run. This is called basic
strategy.

Some hands lose money in the long run and some win in the long run, so your
job is to make the best possible play to maximize the wins and minimize the
losses.

When you read about the expected house edge in blackjack games based on the
rules the percentages are based on perfect basic strategy. If you don’t use the
proper strategy you give the house a higher edge against you. This can add an
extra one or two percent to the house edge, depending on how far from the proper
strategy you stray.

You can usually find blackjack games with rules that offer a house edge of
less than 1%, and can often find games with a house edge under a half percent.
If you don’t use basic strategy you can be playing with a house edge of 1.5% to
3% instead of a half percent.

This quickly adds up.

If your average bet is $100 and you play 100 hands per hour and you give the
casino and extra 1% you lose an extra $100 per hour. By giving them an extra 2%
it’s $200 per hour.

If you want to play blackjack the first thing you need to do is decide to
always make the best possible play.

You probably realize that there are hundreds of hands when you combine all of
the possible hands you can have with the different up cards the dealer can have.

The good news is that by using a simple chart you can quickly find the best
play. And you can use a strategy chart or card at the table while playing in a
live casino or when playing online.

If you play in a live casino some of the other players may try to pressure
you if you take too long to make a decision. But it’s none of their business and
you can play any way you want as long as you don’t hold up the game too long.

If you’re worried about holding up the game sit in the middle of the table or
to the dealer’s right hand side so you have longer before you have to act. This
gives you more time to consult your strategy chart before being force to make a
decision.

You don’t even need to memorize the best plays.

But with a little effort and time you can quickly memorize the most common
plays and in time memorize all of the best plays.

The next section has a chart and the following section has the hand by hand
explanations. Then you’ll find a section explaining a few ways to start
memorizing all of the plays.

Basic Strategy Chart

This is the most universal basic strategy chart and can be used in all
blackjack games with any rule combinations. A few small adjustments can be made
against certain rules combinations, but it becomes complicated to memorize
multiple charts. We’ve included a short section later explaining these
adjustments for the dedicated player.

The dealer’s up card is listed across the top. Your cards are listed down the
first column to the left. Simply go down the left column until you find your
cards and then go across to the column with the dealer’s card to find the best
play.

The key for each play is as follows:

• Hit – Hit
• Stand – Stand
• DblH – Double
• DblS – Double if permitted, otherwise stand
• Split – Split
• SplitD – Split if double after split is permitted, otherwise hit
• SUR – Surrender if permitted, otherwise hit

Expand Shrink

Text Version and Vision Impaired

Many players use the chart listed above but a few players prefer to read the
correct plays. Having the correct plays written out also is valuable to people
who have vision problems and use software to hear what’s on the page.

We’ve listed the proper plays for each situation below in four sections.
Simply find the section that describes your hand and follow the instructions.

Hands with an Ace or Soft Hands

Any starting hand you hold with an ace is called a soft hand. A soft hand is
when you have an ace that can be used as a one or 11. In the following
combinations, if you have more than two cards, simply add the cards that aren’t
an ace.

This can happen when you start with an ace and a different side card and hit.
Starting with an ace two and receiving a four after hitting leaves you with ace
two four. Looking at the chart you look at the line for a soft 17. Using the
list below you look at the one for ace six because the two and four add up to
six.

• Ace ace – Always split a pair of aces. Split aces as many times as allowed.
• Ace two or soft 13 – You always hit with a soft 13 and double if allowed
  against a dealer five or six.
• Ace three or soft 14 – Always hit and double against a five or six if
  allowed.
• Ace four or soft 15 – You always hit with a soft 15 and double if allowed
  against a dealer four, five, or six.
• Ace five or soft 16 – Always hit and double against a four, five, and six if
  allowed.
• Ace six or soft 17 – Double against a three, four, five, and six if allowed
  and otherwise hit.
• Ace seven or soft 18 – Stand against a dealer two, seven, and eight, hit
  against a nine, 10, or ace, and double if allowed against three, four, five, or
  six.
• Ace eight or soft 19 – Stand at all times.
• Ace nine or soft 20 – Always stand.
• Ace 10 – Blackjack! Always stand.

Pairs

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Whenever you have a pair for your first two cards you need to decide if you
should split.

• Two two – Split against a dealer four, five, six, and seven, hit against a
  dealer eight, nine, 10, and ace, and against a dealer two or three split if you
  can double after split and hit if double after split isn’t allowed.
• Three three – Play your hand exactly the same as two two. If double after
  split is allowed split against a dealer two or three, otherwise hit against
  these two cards. Hit against a dealer eight, nine, 10, and ace, and split
  against a dealer four, five, sis, and seven.
• Four four – When double after split is allowed split against a dealer five
  and six, otherwise hit. Hit against all other dealer cards.
• Five five – Never split fives. Hit against a dealer 10 or ace and double
  against all other dealer cards if allowed.
• Six six – Hit against a dealer seven, eight, nine, 10, and ace. Split against
  a dealer three, four, five, and six. Split against a dealer two if double after
  split is allowed, otherwise hit.
• Seven seven – Split against a dealer two, three, four, five, six, and seven.
  Hit against a dealer eight, nine, 10, and ace.
• Eight eight – Always split eights.
• Nine nine – Split against a dealer two, three, four, five, six, eight, and
  nine. Stand against a dealer seven, 10, and ace.
• Ten ten – Always stand with a total of 20.
• Ace ace – Aces should always be split. If you receive another ace on one of
  your split aces you should split again. Do this as many times as possible.

Hard Totals

A hard total is any hand that doesn’t have an ace where you can use it as a
one or 11. In any two card starting hand you can use an ace as either one or 11,
but after you hit one or more times you can reach a total where the ace can’t be
used as an 11 without busting. When this happens you hold a hard hand.

• Hard four – The only hard four is a pair of twos. This is covered in the two
  two line under pairs. If splitting isn’t allowed then always hit with a hard
  four.
• Hard five – Always hit with hard five.
• Hard six – Hit against all dealer cards with a hard six.
• Hard seven – Always hit with a hard seven.
• Hard eight – Hit against all dealer totals with hard eight.
• Hard nine – If double is allowed, double against a dealer three, four, five,
  or six, otherwise hit. Hit against all other dealer cards.
• Hard 10 – When double is allowed, double against a dealer two, three, four,
  five, six, seven, eight, and nine, otherwise hit. Hit against a dealer 10 and
  ace.
• Hard 11 – Double against any dealer car except an ace if doubling is
  permitted, otherwise hit. Hit against a dealer ace.
• Hard 12 – Stand against a dealer four, five, and six. Hit against all other
  dealer cards.
• Hard 13 – Stand against a dealer two, three, four, five, and six. Hit against
  a dealer seven, eight, nine, 10, and ace.
• Hard 14 – Stand against a dealer two, three, four, five, or six and hit
  against seven or higher.
• Hard 15 – Against a dealer two, three, four, five, and six you should stand.
  Against a dealer seven, eight, nine, 10, and ace you should hit.
• Hard 16 – Stand against a dealer total of two, three, four, five, and six.
  Hit against all other dealer totals.
• Hard 17 – Stand against all dealer hands.
• Hard 18 – Always stand with a hard 18.
• Hard 19 – Stand against all dealer hands.
• Hard 20 – Always stand with a hard 20.
• Hard 21 – Stand against all dealer totals.

Surrender

If surrender is allowed you should surrender with a hard 15 against a dealer
10 and with a hard 16 against a dealer nine, 10, or ace. If surrender isn’t
allowed then hit in these four situations.

Adjustments for Different Rules

The chart and instructions above are designed for a game where the dealer
stands on a soft 17. If you play in a game where the dealer hits on a soft 17
you can make the following adjustments.

As we mentioned above, it can be complicated to keep two different charts
straight in your mind so learning the first chart is best. However, there are
only six hands that change so it’s possible to learn and use the differences.

Split hands

Instead of splitting eight eight against a dealer ace,
surrender if allowed, otherwise split.

Soft hands

With a soft 18 against a dealer two and with a soft 19 against a
dealer six double if allowed, otherwise stand.

Hard hands

With a hard 11 against a dealer ace double if allowed, hit
otherwise. With a hard 15 against a dealer ace surrender if permitted, otherwise
hit. With a hard 17 against a dealer ace, surrender if permitted and otherwise
stand.

Insurance or Even Money

Notice that there’s not a single hand that recommends taking insurance or
even money. This is because taking insurance is always a losing proposition.

When the dealer has an ace showing you have the option of making another bet
equal to the size of your first bet that pays two to one if the dealer has a 10
hole card. If you take insurance and the dealer has a 21 you lose your first bet
but get double on your second so you break even.

But when the dealer doesn’t have 21 you lose the insurance bet and your first
bet plays out as normal.

On the surface this may seem like a good bet, but a simple look at the math
behind the bet shows why you should never take insurance.

When the dealer has an ace showing she has a blackjack any time a 10, jack,
queen, or king is her down card. This means four of the 13 possible cards pay
off on the insurance bet.

But this also means that the other nine cards, two through nine and ace, make
you lose the insurance bet. This is a ratio of nine to four, with nine losing
cards and four winning cards. But the bet only pays two to one.

The odds of nine to four is worse than two to one, so it’s a losing bet.

Forget your normal hand because it doesn’t have anything to do with the
insurance offer. Insurance is just a bet on what the dealer has as a down card.
And since it’s offered at bad odds you can now see that it should be avoided.

This is just another way the casinos try to be sneaky and build a bigger long
term edge against you.

How to Memorize Basic Strategy

The easiest way to start memorizing basic strategy is to use the chart
provided above to make every playing decision. As you play you’ll start
recognizing the correct play for most hands before checking your chart.

Sign up for a free account at one of our recommended online casinos and start
playing the free blackjack games. You can play over 100 hands per hour in most
cases so you can get a great deal of practice in a short amount of time.

Eventually you’ll only need to check your chart on the most difficult plays
and if you play long enough all of the plays will come from memory.

The other way is more difficult for most players, but if you have a strong
mind for memory you can simply start memorizing the chart.

A quick tip is to group similar hands together.

All of the hard hands totaling four, five, six, seven, and eight are played
the same way. On all of these hands you always hit. If you’re playing a game
where doubling isn’t allowed, you can add all of the hard totals of nine, 10 and
11 to this. As a side note, you should avoid games where doubling isn’t allowed
as they have a higher house edge.

Other easy to learn hands include:

• Always split aces and eights.
• Soft 13 and 14 are played the same.
• Soft 15 and 16 are played the same.
• Soft 17 only has one dealer card played differently than soft 15 and 16.
• Hard 13, 14, 15, and 16 are played the same unless surrender is allowed.
• Hard 10 and 11 are the same except for one dealer card.
• Two two and three three are played the same.
• All of the hard totals 17 and above are played the same.
• All of the soft totals of 19 and above are played the same.

The majority of hands are hard hands and the complete hard hand strategy is
fairly simple. Memorize it first and you’ll find that you won’t need to refer to
the chart often.

The next chart to memorize after you’ve mastered the hard hands is the soft
hands. Most of them are straightforward as well, with the main changes of
knowing when to double down.

Once you have the hard and soft hands memorized the splits will come easy to
finish out your mental chart. You only need to learn the split rules for twos,
threes, fours, sixes, sevens, and nines.

The main thing is to not be afraid that you can’t learn the chart and to get
started right away. Almost anyone can improve their results and reduce the house
edge with a small amount of effort and time.

Card Counting

If you learn how to count cards you can play with a small edge against the
house while playing blackjack. This page is about basic strategy so we aren’t
going to dig into the realm of card counting, but it does have quite a bit to do
with basic strategy.

Card counters learn perfect basic strategy before they start trying to learn
about counting. If you can’t put in the work to learn perfect strategy you have
no hope of being a successful card counter.

Once you master basic blackjack strategy then you should investigate card
counting to see if it’s something you might want to learn. Counting cards online
won’t get you an edge because the software shuffles the cards after each deal,
but if you play live it might be able to help you win or at least play a break
even game.

Conclusion

Learning and using blackjack basic strategy gives you the best chance to win.
It reduces the house edge as much as possible and helps you have more winning
playing sessions.

Most players don’t take the time to learn basic strategy, but if you use the
information above you can quickly start using the best play for every situation.
Use the tips in the how to memorize basic strategy section and you’ll be a
master in no time.

And don’t forget to use the chart provided as you’re learning. Once you get
used to it you can find the proper play in a second or two.

Learning blackjack strategies and tips will give you the best chance of coming away with a profit when playing the game online. There are some easy online blackjack tips you can gather that will get you moving in the right direction. You can also go as you deep as you want into more complex strategies to learn to win at blackjack online.

In the world of online casinos, the game of blackjack stands as one of the most popular around. After all, many people have either played it in casinos or have watched others do it. As a result, there’s a comfort level to playing blackjack online that might not exist with other casino games.

But it’s important that you think of your gambling as a form of investment. To protect that investment, you need to learn the proper online blackjack strategies and tips that will help you improve play. Just a little bit of study and practice make a huge bit of difference.

This article will provide you with some of the best blackjack strategies and tips to help you with your play. We’ll talk about how you can make the right decisions in every situation. And we’ll also get into bankroll management and advanced strategy while also answering some of your top questions about the game.

Using Blackjack Strategy Charts Online

The good news about online blackjack is that there is no shortage of available advice on how to play the game. Strategy charts are everywhere online, as apps, or even in books. You just have to find the one that works for you.

Strategy charts work by giving you the proper play for every possible deal that you receive and every possible card that the dealer has showing. For example, you might see something like this as just a small portion of one of these charts.

This shows you that, for example, if you receive a 12 with your first two cards with no ace involved (hence a “hard 12”) and the dealer is showing a 2, you should hit. If, however, you have a hard 13 and the dealer holds a 2, you should stand.

You might be able to get this information in list form, which can make it easier for you to digest. In either case, if you can manage to memorize this information, you’ll be well ahead of the game in terms of online blackjack tips and tricks.

Easy Beginning Blackjack Strategy

One simple strategy you can use when you’re just learning to play blackjack online is one where you assume that the card the dealer has face down has a value of 10. It will remove the need for you to have to memorize strategies. You can just decide based on simple math whether you’re ahead or behind in the hand and act accordingly.

The problem with this strategy is that it’s an extremely conservative way to play. Most expert players realize that playing this way will cost them in terms of payback. But, for beginners, this isn’t a bad way to go if you haven’t yet done any memorization.

Advanced Online Blackjack Strategies

What you’ll find when you’re trying to learn how to win at blackjack online is that there are basic strategies and advanced strategies. The distinction between them can sometimes be hard to tell.

For example, a basic strategy might ask you to learn seven rules. An advanced online blackjack strategy might require you to learn much more than that.

In general, advanced strategies will improve your overall payback percentage ever so slightly. That can be worth it if you’re going to be the type of online blackjack player who plays with regularity.

Card-Specific Online Blackjack Strategy

In most basic strategies, you are told to hit, stand, double, surrender or take insurance based on the total value of the cards that you have. For example, if you have 13, it doesn’t matter if you have a seven and a six or a jack and a three in your hand. You just commit to your action based on the total.

But a card-specific strategy might change depending on which cards are involved. The idea behind this is that having certain cards in play changes the odds slightly and affects the strategy somewhat on some occasions.

Online Blackjack Card Counting

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Card counting is of limited use to you when it comes down to online blackjack play. Many online blackjack games employ an automatic dealer. This means that the deck gets reshuffled every time and renders card counting useless.

If that’s the case, you might be able to gain an advantage from card counting in online blackjack. Card counting allows you to know if the current advantage going into a hand belongs to you or the dealer. You can bet accordingly, either higher or lower than your normal amount, with this knowledge in place.

Online Blackjack Bankroll Management

Bankroll management is an underrated part of playing blackjack online. You should always be aware of what your bankroll is compared to your goals.

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Here are some factors you should take into consideration when it comes to your bankroll management:

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• How much you can afford to lose in a single session
• How long you’re hoping to play
• How much volatility is involved in the style of video poker you’re playing
• How much you’re hoping to win

Experienced players know how to factor all of this into the size of their original bankroll. If you’re just starting out in the world of online blackjack, try to give yourself a bankroll that allows the chance to enjoy yourself.

Adjusting Your Online Blackjack Strategy

One common mistake that beginning online blackjack players make is that they use the same strategy no matter what type of blackjack they’re playing. All of the work that you do learning how to play certain hands can backfire if you’re playing a game with different rules than the style that your instruction was teaching you to perfect.

There are certain factors that will cause the strategy to change slightly. Check them out below.

• Whether or not a dealer has to hit on a soft 17. By “soft 17,” we mean a hand like ace-six, where the ace, in the player’s hands, can be valued at 1 or 11. Some games allow the dealer to keep hitting at this point, while other online blackjack variations insist that they have to stand.
• Splitting rules. The standby in blackjack is that a player can continue splitting cards until they have four hands. But some online blackjack games only allow three or ever two hands after splitting.
• Doubling limitations. If you can find a game which allows you to double no matter what you have, you’ll have to learn plays for potential doubles that you wouldn’t otherwise. Many games limit your chances to double when you have certain cards on the deal.
• Insurance and surrender. Surrendering can be an effective option for players to cut their losses when they’re behind the dealer. Insurance is less valuable, but there might be occasions where it makes sense. In any case, your strategy will have to include these options if the version of blackjack you’re playing online includes them.

Strategy for Special Blackjack Variations

If you seek out blackjack online games, you’re likely to find some unfamiliar titles listed among the options. Games like Spanish 21, Blackjack Switch, European Blackjack, or Pontoon might pop up. Each of these games contain little twists that change up game play a little bit.

The first thing you should do to learn strategy for these blackjack games is to learn what makes them different. You should first decide if the game is worth playing based on these changes, since some of these games can actually lower online blackjack odds for the player overall.

FAQ About Online Blackjack Strategy

• Should I Adjust My Strategy Based on How My Session Is Going?

  When you’re playing online blackjack with an automatic dealer, each deal is a fresh one. As a result, it bears no relation to any hands that have come before it. Any hot or cold streaks you might be having are purely due to luck.

  Your strategy for online blackjack should be the same for the thousandth hand that you play as it was for the first. Don’t play based on guesses or hunches. Stick to the online blackjack strategy with which you began.

• How Much Time Should I Take to Learn Blackjack Strategy?

  Part of this is based on what you want out of the game. Do you want to be an expert player who makes the most possible money? If so, then you should take as much time as possible to get your strategy airtight.

  In addition, you have to base it on how well you take the instruction. Some people can memorize quicker than others. If memorization is burdensome, just try to take some basic online blackjack tips with you into your session.

• Can I Consult My Strategy Tips While Playing Blackjack Online?

  This is one of the biggest advantages to playing online. There is nobody watching you to say what you can or can’t do. If you’re a beginner and want to get things just right on each hand, you can feel free to have your online blackjack strategy information right by your side.

  There may be exceptions to this. You might get in a game with other players where you have to decide on a play in a certain time. Also, you might want to learn strategy without having to consult a chart if only to speed up your play and give you more chances to win.

Try These Online Blackjack Tips and Strategies Yourself

With the right online blackjack strategy and tips at your disposal, you can play blackjack online for real money at a high level. Make sure to find the right type of strategy for your skill level and your needs to get the possible online blackjack results.