Black Jack Strategies - fun and safe

Best Casinos to Play Black Jack

Black Jack strategy

Black Jack strategies are the actions that can be performed after the first two cards are dealt: draw more, stop, double down and split pairs. Let's discuss each case.

Always take more if...

If your hand totals 8 cards, you should always draw more. You have no risk, as the maximum value of a card is 10 (since you can choose between 11 and 1 when you get an Ace). 18 does not exceed 21 points, so there is no way you can lose. The same goes for the 9 - you can always take another card. However, when your total is 9 and the dealer's face-up card is between 3 and 6 (inclusive), it is better to try to double down. The chances of winning are quite high, and the payoff is even higher.

It's almost always worth drawing another card when you have 12 in your hand. While a 12 is a significant risk, as 10 eyes would mean a loss, winning with a 12 is actually not very realistic either. Only if the dealer has a 4, 5 or 6 is it worth refraining from taking.

When the dealer's hand is face up 7 or more (including an ace), it is almost always worth taking, unless you have at least 17. In that case, it is worth pausing and hoping that the dealer is unlucky. Also, if your hand is 11, it's not only worth taking, but better to double your bet - you have a very good chance of getting 21. If you have 10 in your hand - take it if the dealer has 10 or an ace, otherwise it's better to double down as well.

When you have an ace in your hand...

When one of the cards in your hand is an Ace, the strategy should be changed slightly. This is because you are holding a card with a choice of 1 or 11.

When you have an ace and a 9, always stand. Don't be naive and don't expect miracles, as you can rarely get better than 20 points.

Almost always stand with an Ace and an 8, unless the dealer has a 6 in his hand, in which case it may be statistically advantageous to double. If this is not possible, stand. It does not pay to just take.

With an Ace and a 7, you have 18 points, or 8 points, so you can take a bit of a gamble. If the dealer has a 9, 10 or Ace, take it. If 7 or 8, there's no point in risking it, so stand, and if 2 to 6, double or stand.

When you have an Ace and a 6 in your hand, it's worth thinking about taking or doubling - it's not worth bidding. Take when the dealer sees a 2 face up or a 7 to Ace. When his hand shows 3-6 it is worth doubling.

When you have an Ace and a 5 or an Ace and a 4, take the card, unless the dealer has a 4, 5 or 6 - then double. And when you have an Ace and 2 or an Ace and 3 in your hand, take it all the way, unless the dealer is dealing 5 or 6, in which case it's worth doubling.

In the hands of a couple...

Black Jack strategy with pair splitting is also different from other situations. A common misconception among players is that it is always a good idea to split pairs. This is not true, and here is a table and information on when to split pairs and when not to split pairs.

The most important thing to remember is that it is always a good idea to separate pairs of aces and never to separate two tens. The rest are recommendations, which can vary considerably depending on the specialist making them.

Pairs of 9s should always be separated except when the dealer has a 7, 10 or Ace. A 7 means that the dealer is likely to have 17 (10 eyes are more common than any other number), so this number stands out slightly.

It is always advisable to separate pairs of 8s, as 16 is quite low and 8s on their own have a good chance of raising your score.

It is worth separating pairs of sevens when the dealer has relatively low cards (between 2 and 7). If you see the dealer showing an 8 or better (including an Ace), do not risk splitting.

Pairs of sixes are only worth separating if the dealer has less than 7.

We never recommend separating pairs of five. Separate fives usually result in fewer eyes and a loss. Meanwhile, the remaining fives in a pair add up to 10, which is quite an attractive number in Black Jack.

Pairs of fours are also usually not worth separating, so we suggest keeping the two fours together.

Separate trios and doubles pairs if the dealer has 7 or less. Otherwise, keep them together.

Black Jack strategy summary

The information in this simple strategy is very rich and not easy to remember. It's easy to have these three tables in front of your eyes when playing online, but if you go to a regular casino, you won't be allowed to use these tables and will be quickly kicked out of the casino.

It takes a lot of practice to memorise, and gradually most combinations are memorised, and some seem very logical, so for those who play BlackJack a lot, this becomes a minor problem.

This is just a simple, basic Black Jack strategy. When thinking about how to win BlackJack on a regular basis, you should use more data. There are no 100% strategies and there never will be, so believing in soundbites about how someone has managed to cheat the system and get thousands out of the casino every day is really not worth it - it's just the search of the naive. In the end, the casino still wins, because the casino has at least a slight advantage in all games.

By applying this strategy and doing some mental calculations, remembering the cards you have already discarded, you can increase your chances of winning. However, counting is not easy when playing Black Jack, especially when there are a lot of external distractions in the casino - noise, waiters constantly offering something, other players trying to talk to you, etc. Nevertheless, with experience, Black Jack becomes easier and more successful if you play sensibly and carefully.