This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.
AC Says:
Here’s another of Henry Tamburin’s basic strategy primers, this one covering play against a dealer 7. The most important rule is to hit stiffs until you have at least 17. Many players are less inclined to hit vs. a 7 than against a ten, which is backward. And as pointed out, standing will result in losing the hand 74% of the time. I believe that memorizing a standard basic strategy table is an easier way to learn than with this presentation. However, it’s a good added learning tool to hammer in basic, which you must be able to play perfectly before advancing to card-counting strategies.
This article was written by Henry Tamburin in association with 888Casino.
PLAYING YOUR HANDS AGAINST A DEALER’S 7 UPCARD
When a dealer shows a 7 upcard, she has about a 26% chance of busting and about a 74% chance of getting to a final hand that totals 17 through 21 (rule dependent). Because of the latter, we have to be more aggressive when we are dealt a stiff hand (hit rather than stand) and less aggressive when we are dealt a two-card soft hand (hit rather than double down).
What follows is the accurate blackjack playing strategy for any hand when the dealer shows a 7 upcard.
Fortunately for blackjack players, the playing strategy against a casino dealer’s 7 upcard is nearly the same for any number of decks of cards or mix of playing rules. There is one exception and you’ll find it below.