Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy
To win at blackjack, you need to get closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over. That sounds basic, but a key to blackjack for beginners is understanding the odds and basic strategy of when to draw another card (hit) and when to stop (stay). In this casino guide, blackjack for beginners, you’ll get the basic rules, strategy, and lingo so you can feel comfortable gambling online or in a brick-and-mortar casino.
- Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy Rules
- How To Win At Blackjack Basic Strategy
- Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy Examples
- Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy For Dummies
- Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy Against
Basic Blackjack strategy is a set of rules for different types of hands, which advise when to hit, stand, split or double down to maximize your chances of winning. In Blackjack, the dealer is bound by the rules of play: The dealer must stand on 17, continue to draw if.
Blackjack for beginners: The basics
- A natural blackjack is only 4.8%, which essentially is an ace dealt with a ten card straight off the initial deal. Normally the odds are 3 to 2 and you would win $3 for every $2 wagered. It's a small percentage but it's the most desirable hand to get. The lowest hand you can get is two points (two aces).
- An hour is all you need to learn the basic rules and strategies of blackjack and increase your odds of winning against the house. If you are consistent in your playing, you might even stand a good chance of walking out with some of the casino's money. All it takes is a solid understanding of the rules and a strategy.
The cards, the cash, the cocktails. As a game, blackjack just looks cool in the casino. In movies from “Rain Man” to “21” to “Vegas Vacation,” Blackjack plays a major role and is one of those iconic casino games everyone wants to give a shot. If you’re new to the game, here’s a quick guide to get you on the right track at the table. Hopefully your luck is a bit better than Clark Griswold’s.
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The goal of blackjack is for a player’s hand of cards to add up to as close to 21 as possible without going over — known as busting. Numbered cards count as their number; that’s simple enough. Aces can be played as 1 or 11, and face cards count as 10.
To start a game, each player is dealt two cards (usually face up) from a shoe usually with four, six, or eight decks (though you can find single- and double-deck blackjack at higher stakes). The dealer also is dealt two cards with only one of those face up. The dealer has a major advantage in getting to act last.
Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy Rules
A player dealt an ace and a 10 (or face card) hits a “natural” 21, also known as blackjack. The player is paid immediately in most circumstances at 3-to-2 (bet $200 and win $300), although more casinos have gone to the inferior 6-to-5 payout (bet $500 to win $600). If the dealer is also dealt a blackjack, however, the hand is a push — no win, no loss.
Blackjack for beginners is pretty simple: If your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s, then you win. Also, if the dealer happens to bust (go over 21), you win. It sounds easy, but there are more caveats and things to remember.
Blackjack for beginners: Terms and bets
How To Win At Blackjack Basic Strategy
Hit: Maybe you’ve seen someone playing blackjack in a movie say “hit me.” That means you’re taking another card in the quest to get closer to 21. A tap of the finger or hand also works, and the dealer will give you another card.
Stand: You “stand” when you don’t want any more cards. Usually this happens when you hit a 17 or higher (and sometimes even lower depending on the dealer’s card). A simple waving of the hand as if saying “no” will do the trick. The dealer will then go on to the next player.
Soft: If you have a “soft 17,” that means you have an ace and 6. Because an ace counts as 1 or 11, this hand can be either 7 or 17 and a player isn’t hurt by taking a hit as a 10 won’t bust this hand. Dealers must draw until reaching 17 or higher, but usually must hit a soft 17. Staying on all 17s works in the player’s favor. Different casinos have different rules dictating the dealer’s move on soft 17.
Insurance: A bet players can make when the dealer’s up card is an ace. The player can usually bet half of his bet and “insure” some of his bet against a Blackjack. This is a sucker bet and a loser in the long run.
Split: If you are dealt two of the same card, you are allowed to split those bets into two different hands by making a second bet. The hands then play out in the normal routine. It’s important to know basic strategy to know the best odds when it comes to knowing when and what hands to split (see graphic). Got two 10s? Never split — that 20 already has a high likelihood of being a winner. Two fives? Another hand that’s a keeper. That 10 has a nice likelihood to get another high card — hopefully an ace — for a winner.
Double down: Players are allowed to (and should) double their bets on certain hands for an extra score. The catch to doubling down is the player will only receive one card, so if you pull a 3, and have 13, you’re done. Doubling is common on hands totaling 9, 10 or 11 because of the high likelihood of getting another high card. But there are other circumstances to consider before making this move. Knowing basic strategy will certainly help.
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Things to know about blackjack
Blackjack is one of the best games in the casino for a player, but it’s important to learn basic strategy if you want to take it seriously and have the best odds of winning. With numerous cards valued at a 10 or 11 (10, jack, queen, king, ace), there are a variety of things to consider when it comes to hitting, standing, doubling down, or splitting.
There are numerous resources to check out and learn the best strategy when playing blackjack, and it’s highly recommended. Applying the strategy perfectly can reduce that house edge down to as low as .05 percent.
There’s also one more thing to remember: Unlike the movies, players are not allowed to touch the cards. Simple hand movements are the norm in most games. Good luck.
Blackjack Probability and Blackjack Odds
To fully understand the game of blackjack, you must understand and master blackjack odds. It's crucial to know how the casino gains its edge and how it helps them win. It's also important to understand blackjack odds such as the odds of hitting a 10 or the odds of being dealt a blackjack. You can read over these blackjack odds charts to help understand the logistics behind blackjack.
Casino and Dealer Advantage in Blackjack
In most casino games of blackjack, the house advantage (the dealer advantage) is ~ 8%. The house gets this advantage by the dealer being the last player to act. By acting last, all other players have already made their decisions and could quite possibly bust before the dealer has his turn.
By using correct blackjack basic strategy, you can turn the casino edge in blackjack from 7%-8% down to 0.5%. If you correctly use advanced card counting techniques, you can often change blackjack odds and give yourself the advantage over the casino. Manipulating the house odds to your favor is the reason most casinos don't allow card counters to play blackjack.
Probability of Busting on a Hit
It's very important to know the probability of your hand busting when you are holding any total in the game of blackjack. The following odds chart shows the blackjack odds of busting, depending on your current hand value:
| Hand Value | % Bust If You Hit |
|---|---|
| 21 | 100% |
| 20 | 92% |
| 19 | 85% |
| 18 | 77% |
| 17 | 69% |
| 16 | 62% |
| 15 | 58% |
| 14 | 56% |
| 13 | 39% |
| 12 | 31% |
| 11 or Less | 0% |
Two-Card Count Frequencies
Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy Examples
This interesting blackjack odds chart is the two card count frequency chart. This chart shows the percentage chance that you will be dealt a hand in each given value range. The most important frequencey to note is the chance of being dealt a natural blackjack (natural 21 value. The odds of being dealt a natural blackjack are merely 4.8%. Following this chart you will see that the most common two card hand, at 38.7%, is a hand totaling 1-16, which is considered a decision hand.
Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy For Dummies
| Two Card Count | % Frequency |
|---|---|
| Natural 21 | 4.8% |
| Hard Standing (17-20) | 30.0 % |
| Decision Hands (1-16) | 38.7% |
| No Bust | 26.5% |
| TOTAL | 100.0% |
Dealer Final Hand Probabilities
This blackjack odds chart shows the dealer final hand probability. These are the percentages that the dealer will end up with a hand totaling each corresponding value (up to 16). Read over this chart to understand the odds that the dealer has to make his final hand.
Odds Of Winning Blackjack With Basic Strategy Against
| Dealer Final Hand Value | % | Cumulative % Total |
|---|---|---|
| Natural 21 | 4.82% | 4.83% |
| 21 (3 or More Cards) | 7.36% | 12.19% |
| 20 | 17.58% | 29.77% |
| 19 | 13.48% | 43.25% |
| 18 | 13.81% | 57.06% |
| 17 | 14.58% | 71.64% |
| 16 | 28.36% | 100.00% |
Player Advantage vs. Dealer Up Card
The first two columns in this odds chart explain the dealer's chance of busting, depending on the up card that he is showing. You should note that the dealer has the highest chance of busting when he is showing a 5. The third column in this chart shows the player advantage of using basic strategy, compared to each up card the dealer is showing. You can see that the player has the highest advantage of 23.9%, when the dealer is showing a 5. When the dealer is showing any card that is 9 value or higher, the player is in the negative advantage range.
| Dealer Up Card | Dealer Bust % | Player Advantage % with Basic Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 35.30% | 9.8% |
| 3 | 37.56% | 13.4% |
| 4 | 40.28% | 18.0% |
| 5 | 42.89% | 23.2% |
| 6 | 42.08% | 23.9% |
| 7 | 25.99% | 14.3% |
| 8 | 23.86% | 5.4% |
| 9 | 23.34% | -4.3% |
| J,Q,K | 21.43% | -16.9% |
| A | 11.65% | -16.0% |
Effects of Removing Cards from a Deck
When looking at the odds of removing certain cards from a 52-card deck, some cards have a much greater effect on blackjack odds. To create the strongest card counting system ever invented, you would have to incorporate all of these slight and subtle differences into the numbers to be a completely accurate system.
Removing every 5 from a deck cards would make the largest impact of improving your blackjack odds, as a player. On the other hand, removing every Ace from a deck of cards would make the largest impact on improving the odds for the casino.
| Card | % Effect of Removal |
|---|---|
| 2 | 0.40% |
| 3 | 0.43% |
| 4 | 0.52% |
| 5 | 0.67% |
| 6 | 0.45% |
| 7 | 0.30% |
| 8 | 0.01% |
| 9 | -0.15% |
| 10 | -0.51% |
| A | -0.59% |
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