Blackjack offers one of the lowest house benefits that you can find on the casino floor. If you necessarily want to win at this game, you have to control a perfect basic strategy. This helps you to reduce the benefit of the casino to around 0.50%.
The basic strategy for Blackjack was developed by Roger Baldwin, Herbert Maisel, Wilbert Cantey and James McDermott. During their service in the 1950s, they together developed this basic strategy for Blackjack.
They then published their conclusions in the book Playing Blackjack to Win from 1957, but it did not get a grip from the wider audience. The strategy was perfected in the sixties by Edward Thorp and Julian Braun. He used early IBM computers to test and improve efficiency.
What is the basic strategy of Blackjack and why does it work?
The term "basic strategy" is used with regard to the mathematically correct way to play every possible hand at Blackjack. This also depends on the value of the dealer's open card. The basic strategy is infallible because it is based on computer simulations involving millions of hands. These simulations showed the probability that you improve your hand total compared to that of the dealer when you make a specific game decision.
In other words, the basic strategy tells the player the right decisions about buying, fitting, splitting, doubling and surrenderer. This for all possible combinations of cards in the game. Its accuracy cannot be disputed. This is because the game decisions are all based on mathematical probabilities and millions of computer simulation tests.
The strategy is based on the idea that each of the game decisions it recommends yields a predictable result in the long term. We then talked about millions of hands.
It is essential for every blackjack player to perfect the basic strategy. Mathematically, it has been proven that the house advantage reduces to about half a percent. This makes Blackjack one of the most profitable casino games that you can play.
The tricky thing about Blackjack is that, unlike other casino games, it does not follow a uniform system of rules. There can be major differences in the way the game plays at different casinos and even with different blackjack tables. This naturally affects the optimum game decisions.
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extra tips
The basic strategy changes depending on the number of decks in the game, the fitting of the dealer and the drawing rules. May you double after a split and there is a surrender possibility for example. After you have learned the basic strategy by heart, you must remember some additional deviations that relate to the specific rules of the Blackjack variant that you want to play.
The easiest way for you to find the right basic strategy for the Blackjack variant in which you are interested is to use one of the strategy engines available on the internet. All you have to do is adjust the rules and the software will update the correct strategy based on the control adjustments that you have specified.
It is just as important to play every hand exactly as the basic strategy requires. Never deviate from correct game because you have a premonition or because you feel that you are always losing when splitting, for example, pairs aces.
You may get the impression that you lose when performing certain strategy games, but this is not the case in the long term, after you have completed tens of thousands of hands. Blackjack players may only deviate from the basic strategy if they use it in combination with more advanced techniques such as cards counting.
The basic strategie map
The example we use is for a blackjack game with 4 to 8 decks. The dealer must also buy with a soft 17. For other blackjack games you will find similar strategie cards on the internet.
How do you make decisions
If you play at a blackjack table that supports late Surrender, the first thing you have to consider whether or not you should use the surrender option. You can only sign up your hand if it consists of the first two cards that you have received from the dealer. If you buy a card, surrender is no longer possible for you. This is the first decision that you should take into account when playing your hand.
Splitting comes in second place in terms of importance, because it is also only possible if you get couples of the same value. If the basic strategy tells you that you cannot split the couple, the next question you should ask whether or not you should double.
This is also an option for totals with two cards. If the basic strategy tells you to double, it means that there is a good chance that you will win this hand. With some Blackjack tables there are limitations on it, so this decision is not possible in some cases.
If double is not allowed or if the basic strategy indicates that this is not the best decision obvious, you continue to buy or fit. These two game decisions are the last in terms of importance from the perspective of the basic strategy. If none of the other play options are available or suitable for your StartTentaal, you must decide whether you want to draw more cards or not.
Important purchase and new decisions
Basic strategy and common sense dictate that players always have to buy at a total of 5 to 8, regardless of which card the dealer has. When the dealer exposes certain cards such as 4, 5 and 6, there is a greater chance that the bank will die.
Respectively, the basic strategy recommends us to look after totals from 12 to 16 when the dealer has a 4, a 5 or a 6. It is more likely that the dealer will bust with these cards, so you should not run the risk of buying yourself. Players must always fit hard totals of 17 or higher and buy soft totals of 17 or less.
If the dealer shows a card with a value of ten and you have a hard total of 16, you must always surrender. This is the most cost -effective decision in this scenario, even though you waste half of your bet. The chance of losing with the other plays is slightly higher than 50%.
However, if surrender is not available, it is the second best game to buy with your hard 16, in which case you will lose a little less often compared to passes. An exception is made for a 16 that consists of paired 8s.
Important split decisions
Two of the most important division decisions relate to couples aces and 8-8, which must always be split, regardless of the open card of the dealer. Splitting the aces gives you the option to start two separate hands, each starting with a total of 11. Drawing a card with a value of ten next to your bait gives you a total of 21.
Ask any blackjack player and they will tell you that a hard 16 is the worst possible hand that you can get in this game. This is not the case if 16 consists of paired 8s. The pair of splitting is the easiest solution in this situation because it relieves you from that terrible 16.
The couples that you should never split are those of 5-5, 10-10 or picture cards. The 5s make a very decent start total of 10, which is perfect for double. The paired 10s or picture cards give you a total of 20, which is almost always a certain winner. If you split those couples, you run a considerable risk to ruin a good hand, so it's best to abandon split.
Important double decisions
Certain initials such as 9, 10 and 11 are advantageous for the player because cards with a value of ten are present than any other card value in the card game. You must always double these totals against a dealer who has small cards, 3 to 6 open.
If you start with a total of 10, you must always double unless the dealer shows a bait or a card with a value of ten. A starting total of 11 is a doubling on all occasions, except when the dealer shows an AAS.
Tips for remembering the basic stration map
Remembering a color-encrypted basic stration card can be a bit tricky if you are a blackjack green. The first thing you have to do is learn the correct order of the play decisions by heart, namely Surrender, Splitting, Doubling and Buying / Passing.
You can continue by learning a simplified version of the strategy, such as the person we have posted below. It covers a good part of the graph and the rules are much easier to remember in this way, especially by people who are not good at visual learning.
-Give 16 against the map of the dealer with a value of ten, otherwise buy.
-Always purchase on totals 5 to 8, regardless of what the dealer's open card is.
-Always purchase on the hard totals 12 to 16 if the open card of the dealer is 7 or higher.
-Double on your 9 if the dealer exposes small cards 3 to 6.
-Always double on your 10, unless the dealer shows a bait or a card with a value of ten, in which case you have to buy.
-Always double at 11, unless the dealer's open card is a bait, in that case you buy.
-Splits always paired 8 and aces.
-split never paired cards with a value of 5 or 10.
-Always purchase with soft 13 to soft 18 against the 5 or 6 of the dealer.
-Never take out insurance. This bet offers very bad opportunities for the player.
Of course learning the card is one thing, using it is something else. You must strengthen your knowledge of the basic strategy by practicing solidly. There is always the possibility to grab a lot of cards and to give yourself hands and consult the basic strategy card if you are unsure of a certain decision.
An easier approach would be to use one of the strategy trainers that are available on the internet. You only have to tackle the settings and adjust the rules so that they match that of the game you want to play.
The software will correct you every time you make a wrong decision. Take notes to investigate your weak spots and improve your strategy game.