Print Blackjack Basic Strategy
- Appendices
- Miscellaneous
- External Links
Our Top Basic Blackjack Strategy Tips. If you want the dummy’s guide to blackjack strategy, you’ll do well with our top blackjack strategy tips. Reference a strategy chart: After your cards have been dealt, compare your hand with the dealer’s up card by reading our strategy chart above. This chart will indicate the mathematically correct. The first scientific and mathematically sound attempts to devise a basic strategy were published by Roger Baldwin, et al in 1953.In 1962, Edward Thorp published his findings of an optimal blackjack strategy using a high-speed digital computer.
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Introduction
Common questions for novice players: What is single deck blackjack? Is it better to play single deck blackjack versus multi-deck variations? To use the basic strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases, an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. For specific tips, we present two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
Other basic strategy rules:- Never take insurance or 'even money.' The house edge on insurance is 5.9%, based on one deck.
- If there is no row for splitting (fives and tens), then look up your hand as a hard total (10 or 20).
- If you can't split because of a limit on re-splitting, then look up your hand as a hard total, except aces. In the extremely unlikely event you have a pair of aces you can't re-split and drawing to split aces is allowed, then double against a 5 or 6, otherwise hit.
Internal Links
Blackjack main page.
Blackjack Appendix 3A lists exceptions to the single deck, dealer stands on soft 17, basic strategy based on the exact composition of the player's hand.
Blackjack Appendix 3C lists exceptions to the single deck, dealer hits on soft 17, basic strategy based on the exact composition of the player's hand.
Print Blackjack Basic Strategy Game
Boss Media Appendix 1 has a composition dependent basic strategy for single-deck, dealer stands on soft 17, blackjack.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
Print Blackjack Basic Strategy Rules
Basic Blackjack Strategy can reduce the Casino’s edge down to just .5%! The chart above is an easy to follow guide on how to use the strategy in your game play. It shows the optimal strategy to implement in your play to give the Casino as little edge as possible without card counting. You should always use Basic Blackjack Strategy in your play to prevent mistakes that the majority of players make unintentionally which gives the Casino even more of an edge. We suggest you print out the above chart and use it while playing our Blackjack Simulator or at one of our recommended online Casinos. Some live Casinos will even allow you to use this chart while playing.