Online blackjack strategy charts – Tips for knowing when to hit or stand

The most popular casino game is blackjack, online and off. The game pits the player against the dealer in a contest to see who gets closest to 21 without going over. While the game involves some luck, following a basic blackjack strategy dramatically improves your odds and helps you win more hands against the house.

Dealer’s advantage

Before diving into strategy, it’s important to understand the inherent disadvantage all blackjack players face against the dealer. The dealer must hit on totals of 16 or lower and stand on 17 or higher. These fixed rules give the house an edge of around 5% in a typical blackjack game. The basic strategy aims to lower this house edge as much as possible by making mathematically optimal decisions based on your hand versus the dealer’s upcard. Strategy charts provide a visual guide to the best choices to counter the dealer’s advantage.

Memorize the basic strategy chart

While the bro138 blackjack strategy gets quite complex when card counting is involved, the basic strategy is relatively simple to learn. The most important first step is to memorize a basic blackjack strategy chart. These charts, available widely online, provide the statistically best decisions for every potential hand versus dealer upcard combination. The charts are easy to read – just locate your hand total on the left vertical axis and the dealer’s upcard along the top horizontal axis. The intersection shows whether you should hit, stand, double down, split, or surrender (if allowed). Focus on memorizing the chart through repetition and quiz yourself periodically until you have it down cold.

Know the reasons behind the strategy

It’s not enough to just blindly follow the chart without understanding the logic behind it. Here are some of the key rules that drive basic blackjack strategy:

• With a soft hand (one with an Ace valued at 11), the goal is to let the hand improve without going over 21. You generally hit soft hands up to 18 or 19.
• With a hard hand (no Ace or Ace valued at 1), the goal is to get as close to 21 as possible without going bust. You hit up to 16 and stand on 17 or higher.
• Doubling down and splitting optimize your strong starting hands for maximum profit when the odds are in your favor.
• Surrender is appropriate when the dealer is statistically likely to beat your hand. You forfeit half your bet but protect the other half.

As you transition your blackjack play from brick-and-mortar to online, be prepared to tweak your strategy if any major rule differences substantially change the odds. For example, if the online game only uses a single deck versus eight decks in your usual casino, the strategy adjustments would be significant. Make sure to look up the appropriate basic strategy chart for the specific game variant you are playing online.