SmartVegas.com

Black Jack Strategy

There are many different strategies that can be employed when playing blackjack, depending on how many decks are used in the particular game you are playing, and whether the cards are shuffled or not. Here are a few quick tips that apply to all versions of the game:

Do not take insurance. This bet is not a very good one in terms of odds. More often than not, you will lose your money.

Only increase your bets if you are winning.

Card counting is one of the most popular strategies employed by blackjack players in order to try and get the odds skewed in their favor. The problems with card counting are various- it is a skill that is not easy to learn and can't really be applied to anything else in life. Though it is not illegal, it is frowned upon by most casinos and if you are caught counting, you may be asked to leave. Also, most casinos use multiple decks of cards or shuffle randomly, making it impossible to count cards. If you are playing at an online casino, card counting is pretty much futile. There are hundreds of books you can buy on card counting, but bear in mind this is a strategy usually only used by professionals and is not recommended for beginners.

There are many charts available that can help you decide what to do in a given blackjack hand. For instance, if you have 16 and are playing with two decks, then a simple glance at one of these charts can help you determine what would be the best thing to do in this particular game. The big thing that determines how these charts are laid out is the number of decks being used in a particular game. Also, any variations on rules can affect what your strategy should be. Below are charts for a couple of different deck sizes and game variations. These are the most popular ones being played. In some cases the casinos will have these sheets for you. Don't be afraid to use them!

While these are great charts, bear in mind that no chart or strategy is perfect. Even if you do exactly what the chart says, this does not guarantee a win on your part. Blackjack is a game that involves some skill, but also some luck. Following these charts is a good strategy, but the cards may not always fall your way, so be prepared to lose a few times.

In this and all charts, the letter "A" stands for an ace. Since Kings, Queens and Jacks all count as 10, they are not listed on this chart. If you get one of these face cards, then refer to "10" to see what the strategy is for your hand.

SINGLE DECK CHART

<<< Dealers Up Cards >>>
Y o u r H a n d		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	7 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	8	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H	H
	9	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
	12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	13, 14, 15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	HS/U	HS/U
	17+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A8	S	S	S	S	D	S	S	S	S	S
	A7	S	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	S
	A6	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A5, A4	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A3, A2	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A-A	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
	10-10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	9-9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	SP	SP	S	S
	8-8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
	7-7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	S/SU	H
	6-6	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
	5-5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H
	4-4	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	3-3	H	H	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
	2-2	H	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
<<< Dealers Up Cards>>>

Legend

H = Hit S = Stand G = Double Down SP = Split

H/SU = SUrrender if able to, otherwise Stand

H/SU = SUrrender if able to, otherwise Hit

---

MULTI-DECK BLACKJACK

<<< Dealers Up Cards >>>
Y o u r H a n d		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	8 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H
	12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	13	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H/SU	H
	16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H/SU	H/SU	H/SU
	17+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A8-10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A7	S	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
	A6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A4	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A2	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A-A,8-8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
	10-10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	9-9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	SP	SP	S	S
	7-7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
	6-6	H	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
	5-5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	4-4	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	3-3,2-2	H	H	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
<<< Dealers Up Cards>>>

Legend

H = Hit S = Stand G = Double Down SP = Split

H/SU = SUrrender if able to, otherwise Stand

H/SU = SUrrender if able to, otherwise Hit

---

EUROPEAN BLACKJACK

<<< Dealers Up Cards >>>
Y o u r H a n d		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	8 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	13 ,14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	17+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A8-10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A7	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H
	A2 to A6	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	A-A	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H
	10-10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	9-9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	SP	SP	S	S
	8-8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H
	7-7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
	6-6	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
	5-5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	4-4	H	H	H	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
	3-3,2-2	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	<<< Dealers Up Cards>>>

Legend

H = Hit S = Stand G = Double Down SP = Split

H/SU = SUrrender if able to, otherwise Stand

H/SU = SUrrender if able to, otherwise Hit