The ideal blackjack online strategy needs to take every possible card combination into account, but this is almost impossible for the average player to remember, especially when he or she is in the middle of a game. A simpler form of this ideal strategy is recommended however, and, broken down into just a few stages, is far easier to remember and employ.
A basic strategy that covers most of the hands players will encounter is provided here, and players can put it to use to better their games until they are ready for more advanced tactics. Players are encouraged to test these and any of their own ideas in free versions of blackjack games in order to properly assess how positively they influence the outcome of the game. Free play can continue indefinitely, and players are not required to lay any money down before they are ready to take on a table.
How to Handle All Aces
The first rule that players should memorise is what to do with any aces they are dealt. They should always be treated as one point, except in the cases of being found alongside sevens, eights or nines, when they should equal 11. For example, an ace and a six should always be a seven, but an ace and an eight should be 19. The points total for blackjack online includes all the cards in the player’s hand, not just the first two he or she has been dealt, so the same rules will apply to a seven and a six; a five and two fours; and an ace, a four and an eight. These totals are always to be treated as 13.
When to Hit and When to Stand
During a game, the player should always hit if his or her card total is between three and 11 points. In the case of the points total being between 12 and 16 the player should hit if the dealer’s visible card is six or lower, but otherwise stand. If the player’s total is anything from 17 to 20 then he or she should stand.
Exceptions to these rules include when a player has been dealt an ace and a seven, and the dealer’s hand is eight or higher, then he or she should stand.
When to Split Cards During Blackjack
Players are advised to split on all pairs except for fours; fives and tens when playing blackjack online. Should a player be dealt a pair of fours he or she should hit; should a player be holding a pair of fives then he or she should hit if the dealer holds a ten or an ace, or else double down. When holding a pair of tens, a player should always stand.
Players holding cards to the value of nine should double down if the dealer’s face-up card is seven or less during a game of blackjack online; if he or she is holding cards to the points total of ten and the dealer’s visible card is less than 10; and, if the points total is 11, the player should always double down.