Basic Strategy Blackjack Table

Just like Martingale, this system threatens to hit the table limits, although, not as fast. Risk Rate: Medium. The “In-Between” Split System: 1-3-2-6 Blackjack Betting System. Seemingly complicated, the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting strategy is actually much simpler than it looks at first glance. A card counter executing their count perfectly as well as playing with perfect basic blackjack strategy is estimated to have a 1% to 2% advantage over the house at most tables. Even with perfect play, it takes a large bankroll and sometimes many hours of play to see a significant profit from card counting. Basic Blackjack Strategy. Blackjack is not a game heavily reliant on skill like Texas Hold’em or most other forms of poker, though there is still some basic strategy every player will do well to learn. Blackjack strategy consists of taking into consideration your hand relative to the dealer’s single face-up card. Perfect blackjack means playing with optimal strategy. There are only five choices available: hit, stand, split, double down, and surrender. Players who know which choice to make under any circumstances will find themselves in an excellent position.

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The following is an excerpt from Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong – Published 1994

Basic strategy is the best way to play a blackjack hand on the first round after a shuffle, assuming you see no cards other than your own and the dealer’s upcard. For a person who does not count cards, basic strategy is the best way to play every hand.

This chapter presents basic strategy for single exposure, which is blackjack where the dealer has one card face up for you to see as you are playing your hand. Basic strategy is what plays you should make if you are not counting cards and you do not have any information about the dealer’s hole card. It is presumed that you know the total in your own hand and the dealer’s upcard, but no other cards. Chapter 19 contains basic strategy for double exposure, which is blackjack where the dealer has two cards face up.

Calculating Basic Strategy

Basic strategy can be either total-dependent or composition-dependent. Total-dependent means the strategy numbers require only the dealer’s card and the total points in your hand. Composition-dependent means the strategy numbers require knowledge of the dealer’s card and the precise cards that make up your hand.

For example, total-dependent strategy says stand on twelve against 4. Composition-dependent strategy for twelve against 4 requires you to specify how you get to twelve: Do you have 7-5, 8-4, 3-2-2-5, or what? If you get to twelve by 10-2 or 2-10 (where 10 means any 10-count card), and two or fewer decks are being used (or seven or fewer if the dealer stands on soft seventeen), you should hit. If you get to twelve by any other route, or enough decks are being used, you should stand.

See Peter Griffin’s The Theory of Blackjack for a good discussion of composition-dependent strategy. (The 10-2 versus 4 advice is from page 176 of Griffin’s book.) There are few differences between composition dependent and total-dependent strategies for single deck, and none that are important for multiple decks. (The more decks shuffled together, the less difference one card makes.) This book uses total-dependent strategy.

The details of basic strategy depend on the particulars of the rules. However, you must start someplace. This chapter presents a version of basic strategy that is approximately correct for the most common sets of rules — a generic basic strategy.

Blackjack is most commonly played with the dealer’s hand showing one card face up. If you are playing blackjack in a game where you get to see two cards face up in front of the dealer before you play your hand, go to chapter 19 for playing-strategy advice.

Table 1 presents generic basic strategy. It contains advice for every decision the blackjack player commonly makes. Each column is a different dealer upcard. (10, J, Q, and K are lumped together as 10.) Each row is a different player hand. Technically, table 1 is basic strategy for multiple decks and dealer stands on soft seventeen. Pairs The order of decisions presented in table 1 is the order in which you evaluate your hand.

Table 1

Generic Basic Strategy

KEY

• – : Stand
• db: Double down; if you cannot double, then hit.
• dbs: Double down; if you cannot double, then stand.
• h: Hit.
• spl: Split.
• sr: surrender; if you cannot surrender, then hit.

Do you have a pair?

At most casinos, any two 10count cards, e.g. J-K, are a pair and may be split. If you have a pair, the first part of table 1 tells you how to play your hand. Use this first part of the table to decide whether to split your pair. To split means to make another bet equal in size to your first bet, and play each card as the start of a separate hand. If you split a pair and catch another card of the same value, resplit if you can.

If it is correct to split a pair, it is correct to resplit. You may or may not be allowed to double down after splitting a pair. For example, if you split 8-8 and catch a 3 for eleven, you may or may not be allowed to double down on that eleven. If doubling down after splitting is allowed, then splitting is more attractive and you should split more often.

The first part of table 1

<='><=' p='>Soft Hands

<='>Do you have an ace? Aces count your choice of either eleven or one. A hand in which an ace counts eleven is called a soft hand, and the total points in it are called a soft total. The second part of table 1 explains how to play soft hands.

<='>The double-down advice is broken down into db and dbs. The reason is you need to know what to do with a particular total if you cannot double down. For example, suppose you have soft eighteen and the dealer shows 3.

<='>Your best play is to double down, so that is what you do if you can. But if your soft eighteen is a three-card hand, say ace-2-5, then you probably will not be allowed to double down. Table 1 lists “dbs” for that hand, which means if you are not allowed to double down then you should stand.

<='>Note that sometimes it is correct to hit eighteen. If you have soft eighteen and the dealer shows 9, 10, or ace, then hitting your soft eighteen is better than standing on it. One decision that is very close is soft thirteen against 5. It does not matter whether you hit or double down.

<='><=' p='>Hard Hands

<='>The lower two parts of table 1 explain how to play the rest of your hands. Hands labeled “hard” might contain aces, but under the circumstances all such aces are counted as one. Hands tabulated as from 5 to 11 do not contain an ace; if a hand totaling eleven or less has an ace it is a soft hand and is played according to the “soft” part of the table.

<='><=' p='>Surrender

<='>Surrender means losing half a bet for the privilege of not playing out the hand. Late surrender means you cannot surrender if the dealer has a natural. The table of generic basic strategy includes strategy for late surrender.

<='>Most of the value of late surrender comes from surrendering sixteen against 10. Late surrender is worth 0.1% to a basic-strategy player. If you are playing blackjack at a casino that does not offer surrender, or if you are not allowed to surrender due to having more than two cards, then hit those hands for which table 1 advises surrender. Insurance Table 1 does not show insurance.

<='>Basic strategy says never take insurance. Even if you have a natural, you are better off not insuring it. You are better off winning 3:2 most of the time than winning even money for sure. Dealer Final Totals Table 2 is an aid in understanding the strategies presented in this book.

<='>It gives the probability of various dealer final totals for a given dealer upcard. For example, a dealer starting with a 7 has a .369 probability of ending up with exactly seventeen. The total for each column sums to 1.000 except for rounding.

<='>The top half of table 2 applies when the dealer stands on soft seventeen, and the lower half is for the dealer hits soft seventeen. The numbers in table 2 have been found by simulations with six decks shuffled, five dealt out. Other numbers of decks would yield slightly different results.

<='>Source:

Blackjack Basic Strategy Table

<='>Excerpt from Professional Black, Author Stanford Wong – https://bj21.com/books/professional-blackjack-by-stanford-wong

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BLACKJACK

WHAT IS THE CORRECT BLACKJACK BASIC STRATEGY?

There is only one correct basic strategy for this game given a set of established rules. However, since all casinos don’t offer the same rules the strategy can be slightly different from game to game. The number of decks used also affects the strategy slightly. A player should always play his hand using the applicable basic strategy chart unless he is card counting or has additional knowledge of the situation. Card counters often refer to basic strategy as the playing strategy for a neutral deck. As the count rises and falls the optimum playing strategy will also change. Check out our FAQfile for more important questions like this about blackjack.

MULTI-DECK	BASIC STRATEGY CALCULATOR
SINGLE DECK	DOUBLE DECK
LATE SURRENDER	EARLY SURRENDER
EXPOSED HOLE CARD	NO HOLE CARD

BASIC STRATEGY HISTORY

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. Julian Braun continued this work and published what most players know today as the correct basic strategy of the game. Further refinements for single and double deck were made by Peter Griffin who published what is considered, by most professional players today, as the exact basic strategy of the game.

Although the majority of the playing strategies shown have been known for many years you may find differences of opinion on some of the finer points of play. Don’t labor over these fine points! Instead, you might even consider misplaying some of them to camouflage your play as a card counter.

For many years, Stanford Wong’s Basic Blackjack were the player’s best resources for the “correct” basic strategy for any number of decks and rules. These charts are organized by rule and rule variation. Players are advised to check the particular casino or casino area rules to determine which chart and possibly which portions of the charts are applicable.

Although casino rules can change overnight, players were often (prior to 2000) advised to compare rules with those of the Las Vegas Strip casinos. On the Strip you were often able to find games where you can double down on any two cards and in which the dealer stood of soft 17. In Downtown Las Vegas most casinos would have their dealers hit soft 17. In Reno, dealers generally hit soft 17 and you were usually allowed to double only on 10 or 11. Many of the larger casinos allowed doubling after splitting and some even offered late surrender. Be sure you understand all the rules and options available to you before you step inside a casino. In recent years, many casinos are now forcing 6:5 blackjack rules on the public. This is a terrible rule for the player as it adds about 1.39% more to the casino edge against you.

ORDER YOUR BASIC STRATEGY CARDS NOW!

INSURANCE, SIDE BETS AND BLACKJACK VARIATIONS

The basic strategy for the insurance decision is to never take insurance unless you are counting cards and know when to take this side bet. If you find a casino that offers a side bet(e.g., Royal Match, Over/Under 13, etc) you should not play any of these bets at any time — unless you have mastered a specific optimized count to overcome their usual high house edge . The basic strategy for Multiple-Action blackjack (and similar games) is the same as regular blackjack.

READING THE BASIC STRATEGY CHART(S)

• Dealer’s up-card is shown along the top of the chart.
• Player’s hand is shown vertically on the left side of the chart.
• Always hit hands less than 9 unless otherwise indicated.
• Always stand on A,9 or higher. Always treat 5,5 as a 10.
• If soft doubling is not allowed stand on A,7 Vs 2 – 8.

CORRECT BASIC STRATEGY (GENERIC)

This is a generic multi-deck strategy where the dealer stands on soft-17 and double after splits is allowed. Refer to the full charts on this page for all rule variations and fine points for single, double and multi-deck games. When trying to make a decision, first decide if surrendering is an option, then whether to split or double and finally whether you should hit or stand.

SURRENDER

Surrender hard 16 (but not 88 pair) vs dealer 9, 10 or Ace.
Surrender hard 15 vs dealer 10.

SPLIT

Always split Aces and 8s.
Never split 10s and 5s.
Split 2s and 3s vs dealer 4-7.
Split 4s vs dealer 5-6.
Split 6s vs dealer 2-6.
Split 7s vs dealer 2-7.
Split 9s vs dealer 2-6 and 8-9.

DOUBLE DOWN

Double hard 9 vs dealer 3-6.
Double hard 10 vs dealer 2-9.
Double hard 11 vs dealer 2-10.
Double soft 13 or 14 vs dealer 5-6.
Double soft 15 or 16 vs dealer 4-6.
Double soft 17 or 18 vs dealer 3-6.

HIT OR STAND

Stand on hard 12 vs dealer 4-6.
Stand on hard 13-16 vs dealer 2-6.
Stand on hard 17 or more.
Stand on soft 19 (A8) or more.
Hit hard 11 or less.
Hit soft 17 (A6) or less.
Hit soft 18 (A7) vs dealer 9, 10 and Ace.

IF DEALER HITS SOFT 17

Surrender 15, 88 and 17 vs dealer Ace.
Double 11 vs dealer Ace.
Double soft 18 (A7) vs dealer 2.
Double soft 19 (A8) vs dealer 6.

Basic Strategy Blackjack Table Games

A PROVEN WINNING SYSTEM

The correct basic strategy is a proven winning system for the game of twenty-one. It is a strategy which maximizes the player’s expectation given only knowledge of the player’s hand and the dealer’s up-card. In the good old days when single deck was plentiful and rules were great, these non-counting strategies could actually give the player a small advantage. Today, casino managers are aware of the power of basic strategy and generally do not offer games that can be beaten off the top of the deck. However, players should keep their eyes open for promotional games which do surface from time to time!

Basic strategy is powerful! All card counters must master it before moving on to the fine art of card counting. Basic strategy is not difficult! A person with average intelligence can memorize it in just a few hours. Basic strategy is the way to play! Every time you make a play on a hunch or intuition and ignore the “correct” basic strategy play you increase the casino advantage against you.

For example, a pit boss witnessing a player standing on an A-7 versus a ten valued dealer up-card would generally consider this player a novice or an idiot. If you stand on this hand you will win it about 41% of the time. If you hit the hand you increase your chances to 43%. Why would anyone not hit this hand? You can’t bust (at least not initially) and you stand a good chance of improving it. But every time I play this game I witness players standing on A-7 vs 10 with the hope that the dealer doesn’t have a nine or ten in the hole. Don’t be an idiot! Trust in basic strategy and play it perfectly. Your bankroll will thank you for it.

OTHER GOOD RESOURCES

• Spanish 21 by Michael Shackleford
• Blackjack B.S. Engine by '>Ken Smith
  
• Ultimate Guide to Blackjack by Michael Shackleford

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FAQ 3: Portions of the above article were originally published as a Frequently Asked Question in Volume 4 Issue 4 of Blackjack Review Magazine

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