Blackjack Strategy

In this section we`ll run through the basic strategy which, when employed consistently and accurately, will reduce the house edge by nearly 2%.

Unlike Baccarat and other non-interactive games, there are quite a few options for the player when playing a game of blackjack. Naturally, this makes strategy much more vital, and greatly improves your chances of winning. Below are the different decisions you will face in a typical hand of Blackjack, and how you should go about responding:

Hitting and Standing
Splitting Pairs
Doubling Down
Taking Insurance
Surrendering

Hitting and Standing

The 1st rule is to always consider the exposed dealer's card and not just your own cards when making a decision. Put differently, don't always take a card if you have a low hand. The dealer may have a very weak hand which could lead to him busting. Here are the basics for hitting or standing on a hard hand.

S = Stand, H = Hit

	Dealer's Upcard
Player	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
17-21	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
13-16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
4-11	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H

Soft Hand

A soft hand occurs when you are dealt an Ace. It affects your decision to take a hit, so here the chart illustrates that difference. It is called "soft" because the Ace can be either 11 or a 1 if necessary. Taking hits with a soft hand is less risky than with a hard hand.

	Dealer's Upcard
Player	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A, 8-10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,7	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H
A, 2-6	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H

Doubling Down

To increase your chances of winning you have to take advantage when you`re dealt a strong hand, as it's the primary means of offsetting the house advantage. Casino rules vary on what type of hands you can double down on but the following chart shows when to take advantage in all situations for a hard hand.

Y = Double down, N = Don't Double down

	Dealer's Upcard
Player	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
12	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
11	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N
10	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N
9	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N
8	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N

Doubling Down on Soft Hands

Slightly different strategy applies here. The chart below outlines the optimal scenarios.

	Dealer's Upcard
Player	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,8-9	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
A,6-7	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N
A,4-5	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N
A,2-3	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N

Splitting Pairs

This is also very important in order to maximize your odds of coming away a winner. You have to split. Most casinos allow you to split all pairs although some casinos will limit the splitting on Aces to once and online casinos usually limit splitting in some fashion. Try to commit this table to memory. As a general rule for beginners, never split 10's or 5's for obvious reasons and always split Aces and 8's. Here are the rest of the combinations and what to do to maximize your chances of coming out ahead.

Y = Split, N = Don't Split

	Dealer's Upcard
Player	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,A	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
10,10	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
9,9	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N
8,8	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
7,7	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
6,6	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N
5,5	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
4,4	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N
3,3	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
2,2	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N

*Remember that re-splitting is permitted. Follow the same chart in this case.

Surrendering and Insurance

Experts recommend neither of these options.

Where to Play

Europa Casino