Basic Strategy

Playing blackjack requires more than just knowing the rules and etiquette. It’s necessary to understand some strategy, too. That’s where basic strategy comes in.

Basic strategy is a set of exact decisions for optimum play based on only two things: the player’s hand and the dealer’s up card. These decisions have been determined by analyzing the results of computer simulations of hundreds of millions of hands. They’re not subject to debate! They must be followed to the letter. Every time you deviate from basic strategy, you make a mistake, which costs you money.

To play an informed game of blackjack, you have to memorize the basic strategy chart, then play every hand exactly according to the strategy, regardless of your hunches or what the person sitting next to you might recommend.

While the casino’s advantage for slots and other table games runs anywhere from 1.5% to 25%, in blackjack you can get it down to below 1% with basic strategy alone. In the best games (single deck, dealer stands on soft 17), you can actually play even with the house.

The level to which basic strategy reduces the house edge depends on the rules and number of decks being used in the game. All other things being equal, the fewer the number of decks, the lower the house edge. Normally, the rules at single-deck and double-deck games are less favorable than 6-deck games to make up for this difference. Most casinos have a house edge between 0.30% and less with basic strategy.

Also, some single- and double-deck games pay only 6-to-5 on blackjacks instead of the customary 3-to-2. Stay away from these games, which have a significantly higher house edge.

It will take between four and eight hours of study to learn the complete basic strategy. A lot of memorization and practice are involved. Probably less than one in every 100 players has learned basic strategy perfectly. If you’re that one, you’ll be in the 99th percentile among all the world’s players.

Though the complete basic strategy should eventually be mastered, if you don’t have the time, energy, or inclination to memorize the whole chart, learn the following six basic rules and you’ll know what to do in most of the situations you face at a blackjack table.

When your hand is a “stiff” (a total of 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16), and the dealer is showing a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, always stand.

When your hand is a stiff and the dealer is showing a 7, 8, 9, 10, or ace, always hit.

When you’re holding a 17, 18, 19, 20, or 21, always stand.

When you’re holding a 10 or 11 against a dealer’s 2 through 9, always double down.

When you’re dealt a pair of aces or a pair of eights, always split.

Never take insurance.

By adhering to the six rules in this simplified strategy, a player can cut the casino’s advantage at 21 to between 1% and 2%. To reduce that advantage even further, you must learn the entire basic strategy.