When playing blackjack at a physical or land-based casino, the most frequent decision you’ll have to make is whether to hit or stand. While you can gain a feel for this over time simply through experience, you can expedite the process by studying up on the best moves to make in any given situation. If you’re ready to win more cash during blackjack games, read our handy guide to learn when to hit and when to stand.
- Basic Blackjack Rules: The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand without going over 21. Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever makes a better hand.
- Hit or Stand gameplay is based on Atlantic City and Las Vegas multiple deck casinos rules. Blackjack rules vary from casino to casino, which makes learning blackjack strategy more complicated. However, many correct moves are fundamental enough that they do not differ from casino to casino, and most large scale casinos have very similar rules.
.Note: The card suits are irrelevant in Blackjack. Definitions. Blackjack = an Ace and a card worth 10 points (21 total) Hole = the dealer’s card that is face down. Hit = draw another card. Stand = take no more cards. Bust = going over 21. How to Play - Players place bets by putting the desired number of chips in the circle in front of.
Master the Basics
Before we delve into strategies, we want to make sure that you have a firm grasp on the basics of hitting and standing. The main premise of blackjack is to get a hand whose total exceeds the dealer’s hand, but without going over 21. When you hit, this means that you want to draw another card to try to improve your hand’s total. Conversely, when you stand, you are satisfied with your hand’s total and don’t want to draw any more cards. If you signal to the dealer that you want to stand, your hand for the round is completed. If you hit and your hand exceeds 21, you’ve busted.
We have two important gambling terms for you to memorize before learning strategies: hard hand and soft hand. A hard hand is any hand that doesn’t contain an ace, or in which an ace’s value is only 1. A 10-8 and a 7-A-10 hand are both hard 18s. A soft hand contains an ace that’s counted as an 11. For instance, an A-7 hand is a soft 18. If one of the first two cards you are dealt is an ace, you have a soft hand. This gives you an advantage. The ace has a value of 11, but if you take a hit and go over 21, its value reverts to 1. This eliminates the risk of busting after that hit, thus giving you the freedom to make moves that would normally be risky.
Now that you know the basic definitions, we’ll go through the circumstances in which you should hit or stand. We’ll provide you with the best strategies, as well as blackjack hit/stand tables that you can save for future reference.
Hitting and Standing with a Hard Hand
When playing blackjack with a hard hand, we would recommend the following:
- When you are dealt a total of 5-8, always hit.
- When you are dealt 9, hit if the dealer shows a 2 or a 7 through ace.
- If you have 10, hit if the dealer shows an ace or a 10.
- If your hand is 11, hit only if the dealer shows an ace.
- For a hand of 12, stand if the dealer shows a 4 through 6. If they show a 2, 3, or a 7 through ace, hit.
- When you have a hand of 13 through 16, stand if the dealer reveals a hand of 2 through 6. Otherwise, hit.
- When you are dealt 17 through 21, you should always stand.
Reference Chart
Blackjack hit or stand on a hard hand cheat sheet.
Rules Of Blackjack When To Hit Hardest
If you’re playing a multi-deck game and you have a hard 17, double down instead of taking a hit.
You’ll need to make some minor tweaks to our strategy, depending on the number of decks and rules you’re playing with. If you’re playing in a double-deck game, don’t hit when you have a 9 and the dealer has 2. If you have an 11 against the dealer’s ace, don’t hit either. In both cases, you should double down.
And lastly, if you’re playing in a single-deck game, double down under the following circumstances:
- You have 8 and the dealer has 5 or 6.
- You have 9 against the dealer’s 2.
- You have 11 and the dealer has an ace.
Hitting and Standing With a Soft Hand
Remember, you can’t bust a soft hand with a one-card hit. Taking that into consideration, our strategy for playing with a soft hand is much simpler than our hard hand strategy. Keep the following moves in mind:
- If you have a soft 19 or 20, you should always stand. You are unlikely to get a stronger hand than this.
- For a soft 18 against the dealer’s 2 through 8, stand. If the dealer shows 9, 10, or an ace, hit.
- If your total is soft 17 or less, you should always hit.
What Are Your Other Options?
Hitting and standing aren’t the only options available to you in a game of blackjack. The following moves are also possible:
— Split. If you are initially dealt two cards of the same value, you can split your hand. You’ll place an additional wager equivalent to your first one, and then manage two hands rather than 1.
— Double Down.Gamblers can increase their potential profits with this move, but it comes with some inherent risk. To use this move, you must double the size with your bet and then receive one more card. After that, you must stand.
— Surrender. If you are not confident with your chances of winning the round, you have the option to surrender. When you use this move, you will only lose half of your bet.
Where to Play Blackjack Online
Are you ready to put your newfound knowledge to the test? Check out Bob Casino! Our library of online casino games contains numerous varieties of blackjack. You can play for free until you master your hit and stand strategies. When you’re confident in your skills, you can even try your hand at winning real money. Come create an account at Bob Casino today for the ultimate gambling experience.
Related posts:
Rules Of Blackjack When To Hit Jackpot
Blackjack has many rule variations, but the difference between most variations and standard blackjack rules are minimal. (With that said, small changes in rules can significantly change the house edge.)
Basics
Decks:
Blackjack is played with 1-8 decks.
Card values:
Cards from 2 to 10 are scored according to their face value, whilejacks, queens and kings are scored as 10 and aces as either 1 or 11 (up to the player).
Goal:
The goal in blackjack is to have a hand with a higher score than the dealeras long as the score is 21 or under. You don't compete against other players in blackjack,only the dealer.
Blackjack:
When a player's hand score is exactly 21 with the first two cards,he/she has made a blackjack (meaning there has to be an ace and a face card or a ten).In standard blackjack games, players make 3:2 on their bet with a blackjack, which is whygetting a blackjack is preferable for the player. There are 6:5 blackjack games too,in which making a blackjack pays 6:5 on players' bet and significantly increases the house edgewhen compared to standard 3:2 blackjack games.
Player's Options
Hit:
You 'hit' when you want another card. A player can request more cards until his/herscore is 21 or higher. In live games, you tap the table with your finger in case you want another card.
Stand:
You 'stand' when you don't want any additional cards. The signal in live games is towave your hand over your cards.
Double Down:
When 'doubling down', you double your bet and receiveexactly one more card. After having doubled down, you won't be able to requestadditional cards. You can only double down with the first two cards (so if you've beendealt three cards, you can't double down anymore). The signal in live games is to placeanother bet next to your original bet.
Split:
You can 'split' when you have two cards of the same value, such as two 6's.The sixes become separate hands and both hands are automatically dealt additional cards,so that there'll be two cards in both hands. You'll have to place an additional bet sinceyou now have two blackjack hands to play. The value of the additional bet must be equalto the original bet. You'll be able to either 'hit' or 'stand' in both of the hands.In some games, you'll be allowed to double down after having 'split' your hand.
Surrender:
You'll only be able to 'surrender' in some games. The act of surrenderingin blackjack means that you you receive half of your bet back and give up the current hand.
Dealer's Options
Dealers have no options in blackjack.
They only have a simple rule to follow. They must take more cards until they reach a scoreof 17 or higher, after which they must stop taking more cards. (Remember that aces or 1 or11 for the dealer, too, so even if the dealer reaches 17, for instance, with an ace anda six, he/she is allowed to take more cards in case you have a score higher than 17, since thedealer just decides to play the ace as 1.)
Gameplay
1. Players bet:
Players have to place their bets before the game starts.
2. First cards are dealt:
Once players have placed their bets, the dealer deals two cards per player.Cards are dealt one per round, so the dealer makes two rounds. In shoe games, players get their cards dealtface-up, while in hand-held games they're dealt face-down. One of the dealer's cards is dealt face-up, one face-down.
3. Players' turn:
After the first two cards have been dealt, the players got options which have been explained above.
4. The dealer's turn:
After all the players have made their decisions, it's the dealer's turn to actunless all the players have already busted, in which case the dealer automatically wins.
Results
Win:
You can win at blackjack by having a higher score than the dealer up to 21.
Lose:
You can lose at blackjack by having a lower score than the dealer.
Bust:
You can also lose by having a score higher than 21, in which case you 'bust'.
Push:
If both the player and the dealer have equal scores, the player receives his bet back.