Unless you haven’t been paying attention to my blog, you already know that blackjack is a game of skill. You probably also already know that there’s a mathematically optimal way to play every hand. This mathematically optimal way of playing each hand is called “basic strategy.”

If you’ve visited a casino gift shop, you’ve probably seen the little laminated basic strategy cards. Those are fine to use in the casino, but they’re not always ideal. The dealers and the casinos don’t mind you using such cards, but it’s more fun to just know the correct play in each situation.

BASIC BLACKJACK STRATEGY FOR PAIR SPLITTING. The factors that determine the basic strategy for pair splitting are the number of decks of cards and the playing rules. Note: When casinos offer the more liberal DAS, you will be splitting more hands than when the rules specify NDAS. Gameplay & Strategy: The Hit or Stand game works much like any other blackjack game, but your score is determined by your ability to make correct moves on each hand. After the cards are dealt, you have the option to Hit, Stand, Double, or Split. To select a basic strategy, go to the Blackjack Strategy Engine and simply fill in the blanks. Once your strategy is computed, print it out. Once your strategy is computed, print it out. Here’s what that looks like for a fairly common game: Six decks, double on any first two cards, double after splitting pairs is permitted and the dealer stands on A-6.

When I was learning blackjack, I was stressed out about having to commit a multi-colored table to memory. My brain just doesn’t work well that way. I have some thoughts about an effective way to learn using a basic strategy table that I’ll share below, but I have other ideas about the best ways to learn basic strategy, too.

The most important idea I have, though, is that you should be able to learn basic strategy in less than an hour.

Yes, there are close to 200 individual situations in blackjack where you need to know the correct move. The thing is, though, that many hands in many situations should be played the same way.

If you’re willing to sacrifice a small percentage back to the casino, you don’t even need to memorize the entire basic strategy. You can just start by memorizing a simplified version of basic strategy.

Whether You Should Surrender

The first question you should ask is whether you should surrender.

The good news is that you’ll almost never surrender. With the simplified strategy I want you to memorize, you only need to surrender if you have a hard total of 16 versus a dealer up-card of 10.

A “hard” total, by the way, is a total without an ace. A total with an ace is called a “soft” total because you can change the value of that ace to 1 if it would otherwise bust your hand. In some cases, after you’ve hit a few times, a hand with an ace can become a hard total. If you MUST count the ace as 1 to avoid busting, it’s a hard total.

But that’s the only time you need to worry about surrendering.

It’s not hard to remember, because everyone knows 16 is a lousy hand.

And everyone knows that a dealer 10 is a bummer, too.

Whether You Should Split

If you get 2 cards of the same rank, you have the option to “split” your hand. To do this, you place a 2^nd bet, the same size as your initial bet. The 2 cards are separated into 2 new hands, with a bet on each of them. Each hand is then dealt another card, and you play each hand as if it were a brand-new hand.

But you don’t always split when you have a pair of cards of the same rank. It depends on the cards, and it also sometimes depends on the dealer’s face up card.

You’ll always split aces or 8s. If you have a pair of aces, you really have a soft total of 12. That’s not a terrible hand, but you have a lot of cards worth 10 in the deck. It’s worth it to get 2 hands that start off with an ace as their first card, because a lot of the time you’ll wind up with a total of 21.

If you have a pair of 8s, you have a hard total of 16. We already talked about what a lousy situation that is. But if you split, you’ll have 2 hands with 8 as the first card in the hand. If you get a 10 for your next card, you have a total of 18, which is respectable. That will happen often enough that it’s worthwhile to split those 8s.

You’ll never split 4s, 5s, or 10s. A pair of 4s is the same as a hard total of 8. That’s just like having an 8 as your starting card when you split, which isn’t terrible. It’s impossible to bust with one card dealt to a total of 8, and you’ll almost certainly improve to a strong hand.

If you split, you’d wind up with 2 hands where your starting card is 4, which isn’t anything to write home about. If you get a 10 as your next card, you’re looking at figuring out what to do with a hard total of 14, which is a drag. It’s not as bad as a hard total of 16, but it’s a drag, nonetheless.

A pair of 5s is the same thing as a hard total of 10, which is a great starting hand. If you get a 10 or an ace, you have a total of 20 or 21, which is almost unbeatable.

On the other hand, if you split those 5s, you wind up with 2 hands where 5 is the starting card. You’re looking at potentially getting a hard total of 15, which is a hand that’s likely to bust if you hit it, but unlikely to win if you stand.

A pair of 10s is a hard total of 20. That’s so hard to beat that it’s never wise to break it into 2 hands, even though those 2 hands would be good, too. Starting a hand with your first card as a 10 isn’t a bad deal at all.

With any other pair, you’ll split if the dealer has a 6 or lower showing. Otherwise, you’ll treat the card as its corresponding hard total. When the dealer has a 6 or lower showing, he’s got a higher than average chance of going bust. Any time you can get more money into action when the dealer is likely to go bust, you should go for it.

It’s incorrect to always assume that the dealer has a 10 in the hole, and it’s also incorrect to always assume that the next card you’re going to be dealt is going to be a 10.

But the fact is, you have more cards in the deck worth 10 than any other single value, so if you do make that assumption, you’ll come closer to basic strategy than you might otherwise.

Whether You Should Double Down

Another option you have, which is one we haven’t discussed yet, is the option to double down. To double down, you double the size of your bet. You also agree to take one more card and no more.

When you have a hard 9, 10, or 11, you MIGHT double down. You’ll double down with a 9 if the dealer has a 6 or lower; otherwise you’ll just hit. If you have a 10 or 11, you’ll double down as long as your hand is higher than the dealer’s up-card. Otherwise, you’ll just stand.

You’ve probably noticed by now that the dealer having a 6 or lower is a big determining factor for these basic strategy decisions. Keep that in mind. If the dealer has a 6 or lower showing, that’s better for you. Sometimes it means you should play your hand more conservatively.

You should treat a soft total of 16, 17, or 18 the same way you’d treat a hard 9. You double down if the dealer has a 6 or less, and you hit if the dealer has a 7 or more.

Those are the only 6 totals you’ll double down on:

1. Hard 9
2. Hard 10
3. Hard 11
4. Soft 16
5. Soft 17
6. Soft 18

Whether You Should Hit or Stand?

If none of the situations above apply to you—you don’t surrender, you can’t split your cards, you’re not going to double down—then your only decision is whether to hit or stand.

This will be the decision you’ll be faced with most of the time.

You’ll always hit a hard hand of 8 or lower. There’s no downside to doing this. It’s impossible to bust the hand, so any card you get will improve your total.

If you have a hard total of 12 through 16, you’ll stand if the dealer has a 6 or less. If the dealer has a 7 or more, you’ll hit. Any total of 12 through 16 is susceptible to going bust, but if the dealer has a 7 or higher showing, you have to risk it to have the best chance of winning. If you stand on a 12 through 16, you’re hoping that the dealer will bust.

If you have a hard total of 17 or higher, you’ll always stand. The probability of busting such a hand is just too high to ignore.

You’ll always hit any soft total of 15 or less. Again, it’s impossible to bust, so you might as well try to improve your hand.

You’ll always stand on a soft total of 19 or higher. It’s ungrateful to ask for a hand stronger than a 19, even if it is impossible to bust such a hand. The probability of improving your hand is negligible. Chances are, you’ll wind up with a total worse than you started with.

We already discussed how to play a soft 16, 17, or 18, in the section on doubling down. I won’t repeat those instructions here.

Summing this Basic Strategy Up as a Single List

If you want all the rules for how to play your hands in a single list, here it is:

1. Surrender a hard 16 versus a dealer 10.
2. Always split aces or 8s.
3. Never split 4s, 5s, or 10s.
4. With any other pair, split if the dealer has a 6 or lower showing. Otherwise, treat the hand as its corresponding hard total.
5. Double down on hard 9, soft 16, soft 17, or a soft 18 if the dealer has a 6 or lower showing; otherwise, hit.
6. Double down on hard 10 or hard 11 if your total is higher than the dealer’s up-card. Otherwise, stand.
7. Always hit a hard 8 or lower.
8. Hit a hard 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 if the dealer has a 6 or lower. Otherwise, hit.
9. Always stand on a hard 17 or higher.
10. Always hit a soft 15 or lower.
11. Always stand on a soft 19 or higher.

That’s it–a simplified basic strategy that’s summed up in 11 guidelines for how to play your hands.

I’ve put this list of guidelines in hierarchical order, too. This means you make a decision based on the first thing that comes up.

For example, with a hard 16, the first thing you do is decide whether or not to surrender. If that doesn’t apply, you continue to go down the list until you get to #8.

Here’s another example:

With a pair of aces, you have a soft total of 12. You split that, so you never get to the guideline which recommends hitting such a total.

Wait—This Seems TOO Easy

If you think this version of basic strategy seems too, easy, well, that’s because it’s a simplified basic strategy. There are a couple of places where the correct strategy was ignored to keep the strategy simple.

For example, with a hard total of 12 versus a dealer up-card of 2, the actual correct strategy is to hit, but the strategy I’ve shared above suggests standing.

But even with all the “mistakes” included in this simplified basic strategy, the house edge is only 0.1% or 0.2% higher than it would be if you memorized basic strategy exactly.

Most of the blackjack players I know don’t have basic strategy memorized that well. In fact, most of them memorize a basic strategy that’s correct for a game where the dealer stands on a soft 17.

But in most casinos, the standard is for the dealer to hit a soft 17.

Printable Blackjack Basic Strategy Card

Any rules change can change what the correct basic strategy is. In other words, there’s not one basic strategy to memorize.

Each game under its own rules has a correct basic strategy. Since there are multiple blackjack games out there to choose from, you’re almost always going to be playing with a basic strategy that’s slightly incorrect anyway.

So why not memorize a simplified basic strategy and give up that 0.1% or 0.2%?

In fact, unless you’re counting cards, it’s not going to make that much difference.

How Much Do these “Simplifications” Cost in Dollars?

We can estimate the cost of these simplifications with ease. Your predicted hourly loss at any gambling game is just the amount of money you’re putting into action each hour multiplied by the house edge of the game.

Let’s assume you’re playing for $20 per hand, and you’re at a table where you’re getting 75 hands per hour.

That’s $1500 you’re putting into action each hour.

Let’s say that the game conditions are such that the house edge would be 0.5% if you were playing with PERFECT basic strategy.

Your predicted hourly loss for that game is $1500 X 0.5%, or $7.50/hour.

Now let’s assume that you’re using the simplified basic strategy above, and instead of facing a 0.5% house edge, you’re facing a house edge of 0.65% instead.

Now your predicted hourly loss is $9.75.

That’s an extra $2.25/hour, sure, but keep this in mind, too…

If you play any negative expectation game long enough, you’ll eventually go broke. It’s just a question of how long it will take.

Anyone can memorize the simplified basic strategy I’ve shared in an hour or less.

Not everyone can memorize the entirety of the 100% accurate basic strategy in less than an hour.

Learning by Using a Blackjack Strategy Chart

Basic strategy is usually presented using a table or chart. Along the top are listed the 10 possible up-cards the dealer has, and along the left side are the possible totals the player might have.

The resulting table includes the correct decision for every hand. This is usually color-coded, with green being the most common color indicating you should hit and red being the most common color indicating you should stand.

If you want to learn basic strategy this way, I have a suggestion for how it might be easier to do.

Create a table in your favorite word processing program, but leave the decisions blank.

Sit down with a pen and a printout of your blank basic strategy chart.

Fill out the correct decisions as best you can, then compare it to the chart you’re trying to memorize. Spend some time studying the decision points you missed.

Then re-test.

Keep going back to this test repeatedly until you can do it perfectly. Even then, don’t stop studying. Everyone forgets stuff if they don’t revisit it periodically.

Conclusion

Blackjack basic strategy isn’t nearly as hard as you might have thought it was. You can memorize the simplified basic strategy presented in this post in less than an hour easily. When you do, you can deal with a house edge of about 0.65% if you pick good games.

It might be worth your while to memorize a more advanced version of basic strategy, but for my money, this one works just fine. I prefer to spend less time studying and more time playing.

Since blackjack is the one casino game where skill truly matters, it’s important for players to test different strategies and start incorporating them into their gameplay. But before you test any of the blackjack systems out there, there’s a simple truth you must realise – every valid blackjack strategy is based on logic and maths. Therefore, the best strategy you can adopt right away would be to leave your superstitions behind, forget about your ‘winning rituals’ and trust only the numbers. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a look at the best tactics you can adopt to help you win at online blackjack every time you play.

Tip #1: Pick the Right Casino

Players often ignore this all-important step, so I decided to start precisely with it. I cannot emphasise enough how big of a factor picking a good casino site is for your future success at beating the game. And that process is not even that hard – the trick is to pick a reputable, well-known casino that features a lot of blackjack games and generous bonuses that you can use on them. Here are three stellar examples:

• Get Bonus!888 Casino• 7 RNG Games • 36 Live Tables£1500 Premium Offer
• Get Bonus!Ladbrokes Casino• 15 RNG Games• 10 Live Tables£600 Welcome Bonus
• Get Bonus!Betway• 17 RNG Games• 30 Live Tables£1000 Welcome Pack

But how in fact does your choice of casino impact your winning chances? Truth is that not all online casinos are safe and trustworthy. Moreover, even if you have won fair and square, some of them might refuse to pay out your winnings. By choosing a licensed and regulated casino, such as the ones we recommend, you secure yourself a fair chance at winning and, most importantly, guaranteed payouts.

Simple Blackjack Strategy

Tip #2: Pick the Right Blackjack Variant

Picking the right game variant is yet another important part of an all-encompassing blackjack strategy. The most important detail about each game is undoubtedly the house edge – the lower it is, the better. Here is a comparison between the house edges of some of the most popular online blackjack games in the UK:

As you can see, the house edge of these games is already quite low (just for reference, most slot games have a house edge of 4%-6%). Still, this is the first thing you should check before trying a new blackjack game. There are, in fact, some online blackjack games that have a house edge over 1% and even over 2%. If your goal is to win and not just to have fun, then you should definitely stay clear of those.

Tip #3: Know Your Game Inside Out

Not all blackjack games are made from the same mold. In fact, there are hardly any two blackjack variations that have exactly the same rules. Therefore, applying the same basic strategy for different games simply won’t work. Every little detail about the game matters as it affects the house edge. You can learn about the specific rules of each variant from the help section of the game. Here is what information you should be looking for if you want to find the best blackjack strategy for the game you’ve chosen.

• How much does a blackjack pay?
• How many decks are in the shoe?
• Can you double on any two cards or only with specific total?
• When can you split your hand and up to how many times?
• Are you allowed to double after splitting a hand?
• Are you allowed to hit split aces?
• Do you have the option to surrender and in which cases?
• Does the dealer hit a soft seventeen?
• Is there a 5-, 6- or a 7-card Charlie?

Another particularity you should be aware of when searching for a suitable online blackjack strategy is that there are some blackjack games that bear the same name but have different rules and, consequently, different house edge. This is due to the fact that the games are provided by different software developers. For example, Classic Blackjack by Microgaming has a house edge of merely 0.13% while the game of the same name developed by NetEnt has a house edge of 0.35%. A big difference, indeed.

Learn How To Play Blackjack Strategy Chart

Tip #4: Use a Basic Blackjack Strategy Card

Hopefully, you’ve followed our tips for playing blackjack and have already chosen a specific game to play, where to play it and you’ve familiarised yourself with all its rules. Now it’s time to find a basic blackjack strategy card specific to your game of choice which will help you make the right decision in any situation.

How To Learn Blackjack Basic Strategy

Below, you can see an example of a strategy card that’s especially created for Playtech’s Blackjack Pro. The image clearly shows how you should play against any given dealer upcard according to the hand you’re holding. The complete strategy chart for each different blackjack variation should consist of three parts – one for hard hands, one for soft hands and one for pairs.

The easiest way to find an optimal blackjack strategy chart for the game you want to try is to generate it yourself using one of the many blackjack basic strategy calculators you can find online. Using these strategy cards is very suitable for beginners since they are extremely easy to read and at the same time they are math-based. Still, there are some things that these cards don’t cover. They don’t tell you what to do with the side bets, how much to bet and whether card counting could help you. Those are exactly the topics that we’re going to cover next.

The Perfect Blackjack Strategy for Side Bets

As we have already established in the previous paragraphs, strategy cards can be very useful when playing most blackjack games, especially for the beginners. Yet, as you may have noticed, they don’t cover any side bets whatsoever. After all, the perfect blackjack strategy is the one that takes into account all aspects of the game and this includes whether or not to place bonus bets and if yes – how much to bet.

The truth is that blackjack is a casino game with an extremely low house edge. On top of that, skilled players are able to reduce this minimal advantage even further by adopting various blackjack strategies. This is why, in the hopes to increase the house edge and, consequently, the revenues, the casinos started adding extra decks to the different blackjack variations and came up with different side bets. And while these side bets definitely add fun and variety to te game, they make players lose money, slowly but surely.

So, it’s easy to see that the best strategy for blackjack side bets is actually not to place any! Just stick to the strategy cards until you’ve gained enough experience to start testing more advanced tactics.

What About Card Counting?

When most new players hear the words ‘blackjack strategies’, they immediately think of card counting. While this strategy may still be possible in some brick-and-mortar casinos (although, in general, it’s against the house rules or at least it’s frowned upon), it is virtually unfeasible in online casinos where the deck is shuffled after each hand. The only exception to this rule is live dealer blackjack. So, if you want to try some card counting techniques while playing online, your only option is to play live blackjack games.

But what actually is card counting and can it really help you beat the casino? Card counting is a blackjack technique that helps you follow the number of high and low cards in the shoe thus giving you some insight as to what type of card might come next – a bit of knowledge that can, indeed, tip the scales in your direction. The easiest card counting system in blackjack is called Hi-Lo and works like this: for each low card (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) you see you add one point and for each high card (10, J, Q, K, A) you deduct one. The higher the count, the bigger the chances to get 10-valued cards, which are generally considered ‘good’ for the player (and bad for the dealer).

Which Is the Best Blackjack Betting System?

As we have already established, using a blackjack strategy card can help you make the right decision in any given situation, but it doesn’t answer the important question players always ask themselves ‘How much should I bet?’ As you probably already know, there are many betting systems out there, many of which claim to be a sure way to beat any online blackjack game. A huge part of those systems are progressive betting systems which are based on the idea that if you’ve lost a number of times, you’re bound to win soon. This, of course, is not true and is often referred to as gambler’s fallacy – a mistaken notion that has claimed many victims through the ages.

Blackjack Strategy In Words

The plain and simple truth is that no betting system on its own can help you beat the house, but some can help you improve your odds even more when combined with other blackjack strategies. For example, when using card counting and basic strategy, you can allow yourself to increase the bet amount when the count is high, as then the strategy cards are considered to be ‘more correct’ and your chances at winning are higher. But, as we already said, this can only work if you’re playing live dealer games. The best betting strategy for RNG games, on the other hand, is to simply bet the same amount over and over again while wagering some convenient casino bonus – a topic that we’re going to discuss a little bit further down the page.

Tip #5: Test in Demo Mode

Now that you have a complete overview of an all-encompassing online blackjack strategy, you probably feel ready to finally start playing. But before you go and bet real money, it’s highly recommended that you first test your skills with play money. Going back to our example with Blackjack Pro by Playtech, we’ve prepared a demo version of the game below that you can try for free. Don’t forget to use the strategy card that we presented to you to secure yourself the best odds.

Something else that you can do while playing in demo mode is to practice your card-counting skills, even though in all RNG games the shoe is virtually shuffled after each hand. After all, there are no demo versions of live blackjack, so your only option is to practice on their computerised versions.

Tip #6: Sync Your Bonus and Blackjack Strategies

Some of the biggest advantages of playing on the Internet vs playing at land-based casinos are undoubtedly the generous bonus opportunities that online casinos offer. Even if the casino has a slight advantage in any given game, playing with extra money that isn’t actually yours and being allowed to keep the winnings surely gives the players some edge. When it comes to blackjack, combining the already low house edge of the game with a solid math-based strategy and a suitable bonus is the most certain way to beat the casino. Of course, every bonus comes with its terms and conditions that are sometimes favourable but other times – not so much.

First of all, there’s always a wagering requirement that you have to fulfil before you can withdraw the winnings generated from the bonus. This requirement in most cases is set at 20 to 40 times the bonus plus the deposit amount. Furthermore, it’s important to take into account the fact that blackjack games don’t contribute at 100% toward the wagering requirement due to the fact that they have a pretty low house edge and give the players great winning odds. Usually, the wagering contribution for the game is set anywhere between 5% and 10%, the higher it is, of course, the better. Other important details you should take into account are the validity period of the bonus and the minimum deposit required to claim it.

All that said, let us present to you an easy-to-claim bonus that is perfect for beginners and offered by a casino that has a great array of blackjack games with both classic and innovative variants – Ladbrokes. At the moment, they offer a 100% bonus up to £500 to all new players that make minimum deposit of £20 at the casino – a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me. If you agree with me and are ready to start playing for real money, then click the link below and you’ll be safely redirected to the official website of the operator:

How To Learn Blackjack Basic Strategy

Sure enough, this is not the only available bonus offer that is suitable for playing blackjack online, in fact, most UK casino sites give you the opportunity to wager bonus money on all their blackjack games. So, if you want to find more great opportunities to play blackjack with bonus money, then make sure you also check out our dedicated bonus page.

Final Thoughts and Advice for Long-Term Success

In conclusion, the best blackjack strategy you can adopt is the one that fully corresponds to the game variation you’ve chosen to play. Be careful to only use a game plan that has been created for the particular type of blackjack you’re playing. Otherwise, you won’t be able to achieve the results you expect.

Beginners, find yourselves a strategy card for the variation you play and stick with it. Combine it with a good bonus and you can expect a moderate return in the long run. Your number one priority should be to practice and learn. The more experienced players can, on the other hand, test their card counting skills against some unsuspecting dealer at a live casino of their choice – remember, you can see them, but they cannot see you! Furthermore, to make sure that you get the whole picture as to how to beat this game, you can also take a look at some game strategies analysed.

Last but not least, don’t forget to have fun! After all, it’s a game and its main purpose is to entertain you. Not getting too stressed about winning is a good tactic as it will help you keep a cool head and make better decisions while playing.