How To Learn Blackjack Basic Strategy

Blackjack basic strategy is just the mathematically best way to play every possible hand in the game. This means that computers have done simulations and calculations about the expected value of every possible decision. When you make the decision that has the highest EV in each of those situations, you’re said to be using basic strategy.

I’m a proponent of memorizing basic strategy so well that you’re able to play perfectly without having to think about these decisions. Basic strategy isn’t powerful enough to get you a mathematical edge over the casinos, though. You’ll still be playing at a disadvantage.

Blackjack is the most popular table game in the casino, and offers excellent odds. The house edge is a tiny 0.5% if you learn the basic strategy (covered below). That's just about the best odds on any game as you're likely to find, making blackjack very attractive for those willing to put in just a little bit of work to learn the strategy (a couple of hours or so). Basic Strategy in 21 Statements:Basic Strategy Chart:https://www.blackjackapprenti.

But that disadvantage will be as low as it possibly can be, and it will be FAR lower than your mathematical disadvantage (the house edge) on any other game. Lots of people want to learn to beat blackjack. Basic strategy alone won’t do it for you. You’ll have to learn a legitimate advantage gambling technique to flip the odds in your direction. For most people, this means learning how to count cards.

Counting cards, though, won’t get you an edge if you’re not able to implement basic strategy. This post offers some advice on the easiest and fastest way to learn basic strategy.

A Simplified Basic Strategy Is Probably the Best Way to Start

I’ve seen multiple “simplified” versions of basic strategy. Most of these are a fine place to start. I’ve seen online versions of this, but I’ve also seen simplified strategies in books. The simplified strategy I present below is based on Kevin Blackwood’s Play Blackjack Like the Pros, which I highly recommend by the way.

This simplified basic strategy only has 10 rules to follow:

• Always stand on a hard total of 17+.
• Hit a hard 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 versus a dealer 7+. Otherwise, stand.
• Double down on 11 if the dealer has anything but an ace, in which case you should hit.
• Double down on 10 if the dealer has anything but a 10 or an ace, in which case you should hit.
• Double down on 9 if the dealer has a 3, 4, 5, or 6. Otherwise, hit.
• Always hit a hard 8 or less.
• Always split aces or 8s.
• Never split 5s or 10s.
• Always stand on soft 18+.
• Always hit soft 17 or less.

That’s not a lot of memorizing to do, and it’s a great starting point. You can probably memorize this simplified blackjack basic strategy in less than an hour, in fact. The difference between this and using the full version of basic strategy is probably only about 0.2%.

In other words, if you were facing a game where the house edge were 0.5%, and you use this instead of the full basic strategy, you’re still playing a game where the house edge is only 0.7%. That’s better than almost any other game in the casino still.

It crosses my mind that some of the expressions and phrases used in that short simplified version of blackjack basic strategy might be unfamiliar to some readers. Here are some definitions and explanations:

Expected value is the mathematically projected value of a bet in a specific situation. It’s either positive or negative, and it’s the product of the amount you can win multiplied by the probability of winning, minus the product of the amount you can lose multiplied by the probability of losing.

When discussing basic strategy, expected value is the predicted value of a given decision in a given situation. A bet with a positive expectations is one in which you have a mathematical advantage over your opponent. If a bet has a negative expectation, your opponent has a mathematical edge over you.

To stand in blackjack is to refuse any additional cards and stay with the total you have.

A hard total in blackjack is one in which you can’t count an ace as 1 or 11. This could be because your hand doesn’t have an ace in it, but it could also be because you have a hand where you’re already having to count the ace as 1 to avoid going bust.

To bust in blackjack is to reach a total of 22 or higher. If you bust, you automatically lose immediately.

Doubling down is agreeing to take one (and exactly) one more card from the dealer while simultaneously doubling the size of your bet.

To hit is to accept an additional card from the dealer. The only limit you have to the number of times you can hit is if you go bust. At that point, you can’t take any more cards because you’ve automatically lose.

To split is to separate a pair of cards on you first hand to create 2 new hands. This requires putting up an additional bet for the new hand. It also requires using each of those cards to be the first card in each of those 2 new hands. Those 2 hands are played out separately as if they were just additional starting hands.

A soft total is a hand that contains an ace which can count as 1 or 11. The thing about soft hands is that they’re harder to bust, because you can always change the value to 1. The total, when describing a soft total, is always counting the ace as 11. Once you have to count the ace as 1 to avoid busting, you have a hard total.

The house edge is the predicted amount of money you’ll lose in the long run of the game, on average, per bet. It’s expressed as a percentage of your action. If I saw that the house edge is 0.5%, this means that in the long run, you’re expected to lose 50 cents for every $100 you bet on the game.

Most casino games have a house edge of over 1%, and in most cases, it’s considerably more than 1%. The house edge in blackjack varies based on how closely you adhere to basic strategy decisions. The closer you get to following basic strategy perfectly, the closer you get to that predicted house edge.

Many players are so bad at basic strategy that they’re giving the casino an edge of 2% to 4%.

The house edge can be used to predict how much money you’ll lose in the long run. You multiply how much action you’ve brought by the house edge to get the expected loss.

Here’s an example:

You’re playing for $25 per hand, and you play for 12 hours per visit to the casino. You’ll probably average 100 hands of blackjack per hour, for $2500 in action per hour. Over 12 hours, that’s $30,000 in action. If the house edge is 0.5%, your expected loss for the trip on blackjack is $150. If you’re using the simplified basic strategy above, the expected loss for the trip on blackjack is $210. That’s a lot of entertainment for your money, especially compared to other games.

Take roulette, for example. The house edge for roulette is 5.26%. Assume you bet $25 per spin of the wheel in roulette and see 50 spins per hour. (Roulette is a slower game than blackjack.) That’s $1250 per hour in action, or $15,000 for the entire trip. Your expected loss on that action, though, is $789. That’s a HUGE difference.

Another factor I like to consider is whether my decisions make any difference when I’m playing a gambling game. I enjoy the challenge of making correct decisions that affect the outcome. There’s no opportunity for that in games like roulette, but in blackjack, there’s a mental factor that I enjoy.

This Simplified Basic Strategy Presented as a Chart or Table

Most presentations of basic strategy are done in the form of a chart or a table. I find it easier to memorize a list of 10 rules, but if you’re a visual learner, you might find the following tables easier to remember:

How To Learn Blackjack Basic Strategy Tactics

HARD HANDS

PAIRS*

*Play any other pair according to its hard total.

SOFT HANDS

S – Stand

H – Hit

D – Double

You can find this information presented in other charts and tables and in other forms. This is NOT the only simplified blackjack basic strategy on the internet.

If your ultimate goal is to keep the house edge as low as possible, you should memorize all of basic strategy. If you want to be a card counter and get an edge over the casino, you need as much help as you can get mathematically. If you just want to milk the casinos for comps, you can do that in blackjack, too, but that’s most effective when you play perfect basic strategy.

And even though we’re only talking about a difference of 0.2% or less, I think you should milk the game for everything it’s worth. To do that, you need to take the next step and master the full basic strategy. The easiest way to do that, to my mind, is to start learning the exceptions to that list of 10 rules in the simplified basic strategy above. Here are those exceptions:

Online Blackjack Strategy

HARD HANDS

Here are the exceptions to make to basic strategy in some situations involving hard hands:

• With a hard total of 12, you’ll hit if the dealer has a 2 or 3 showing. Otherwise, follow the strategy above.

That’s it. Now you know basic strategy for hard hands, perfectly.

SPLITTING PAIRS

You’ll notice that the simplified strategy only addresses 4 sets of pairs. To really master basic strategy, you need to know how to handle the other pairs, too. The only way to learn this is to memorize them:

• Split 2s, 3s, or 7s if the dealer has a 2 through 7.
• Split 4s if the dealer has a 5 or 6.
• Split 6s if the dealer has a 2 through 6.
• Split 9s of the dealer has a 2 through 6 or an 8 or 9. (Stand if the dealer has a 7, 10, or ace.)

SOFT HANDS

And here are the exceptions for soft totals:

• Double on soft 13 or 14 if the dealer has a 5 or 6. (Otherwise, hit.)
• Double on soft 15 or 16 if the dealer has a 4, 5, or 6. (Otherwise, hit.)
• Double on soft 17 if the dealer has a 3, 4, 5, or 6. (Otherwise, hit.)
• Double on soft 18 if the dealer has a

Basic Strategy for Insurance

Insurance is a side bet you can place when the dealer has an ace showing. The bet size is half your original bet, and if you win insurance, you get paid off at 2 to 1 on that bet. You win the insurance bet if the dealer has a 10 in the hole.

Of course, if the dealer has a 10 in the hole, he has a blackjack, so you lose your original bet immediately. Since the insurance bet is half the size of your original bet, and it pays off at 2 to 1, it’s a wash. You’ll win as much on the insurance bet as you’ll lose on your original bet.

The idea behind insurance is that the dealer has a reasonably high probability of having a 10 in the hole. The following cards in the deck are worth 10:

• 10
• Jack
• Queen
• King

There are 4 of each of these cards, for 16 cards total. 16/52 is close to 1 in 3, but not quite. It’s still a negative expectation bet. But…If you’re counting cards, and if the deck is rich in 10s—in other worse, the count is significantly positive—the insurance bet becomes a positive expectation situation.

If you’re just a basic strategy player, the rule of basic strategy is simple: Never take the insurance bet when it’s offered, no matter how much the dealer or the other players at the table seem to think it’s a good idea.

Blackjack basic strategy is easier to remember if you take it piecemeal. Some situations don’t come up often enough to make a huge difference to your bottom line, and they can be safely ignored to simplify the strategy. For example, if you have a hard 12 versus a 2 or 3, you should hit.

But you don’t lose much in that situation by standing instead. By just treating that 12 like a 13, 14, 15, or 16, you simplify what you need to remember tremendously. For players who are just learning basic strategy, learning the simple strategy first is the way to go. Once you’ve mastered that, you can start learning the rest of the possible situations which will come up.

If your goal is to become an advantage gambler (or a comp wizard), you should invest the time and effort to mastering every aspect of blackjack basic strategy. But if you’re just a recreational gambler, you’re probably just fine using the simplified basic strategy I’ve presented.

All online casino games have an edge. When it comes to blackjack, the advantage to the house is meagre at best. If you want to learn how to beat the edge, you can find all the tips and tricks to help you accomplish your mission right here at Springbok Casino!

Learn How to Influence the Outcome of Online Blackjack

Blackjack may be simple in structure and game mechanics – but it takes a skilled player to beat the dealer. Unlike many other online casino games featured at Springbok Casino – like roulette, baccarat and slots – it is possible to influence the outcome of blackjack by making the right moves at the right time.

Why is blackjack so different in this respect? The game is played with a defined number of 52-card decks that vary from one up to six or eight. That means it is possible to calculate the probability of hitting a winning hand based on the initial two cards that are dealt and the dealer’s up card.

Too Many Variables in Games of Fortune

In online casino games such as roulette or slots, the gaming hardware is such that it is impossible to predict where the ball will land on the wheel, or when a winning combination will appear in the reels. There are just too many variables to consider.

In games of fortune, the only element that determines whether you win or lose is luck. As a result, there is no way of reducing the edge or beating the online casino. When you play blackjack at Springbok Casino, the opposite is true. With the basic blackjack strategy as a reference point, you can reduce or even beat the edge.

What is the Basic Blackjack Strategy?

What is the basic blackjack strategy? It is the theoretically perfect way of playing each hand. It is usually presented in chart form. All the possible two-card totals dealt to your hand are typically listed in a column on the far left of the chart. The dealer’s up cards, ranging from 2 to ace, are displayed in a row at the top of the chart.

How do you use the chart to guide you in the game? That’s easy. You basically determine the best course of action on every hand you are dealt by matching the column with the row and playing accordingly. If, for example, you are holding a total of 16 and the dealer shows 4, the chart reveals that the best strategy is to stand. That is on hard 16.

How To Learn Blackjack Basic Strategy Step By Step

Soft 16 – an ace and 5 – requires a different strategy. This time the mathematically correct move to make is to double your bet and draw just one more card to your hand. According to the statisticians, it is possible to reduce the edge significantly when you adopt the basic blackjack strategy.

Proper Strategy Reduces the Edge Significantly

As the advantage to the house for six-deck online blackjack is just 0.54% – and that is the game we feature at Springbok Online Casino – that essentially means you are virtually playing without an edge when you use the strategy chart to guide your every move.

Having said that, it is important to emphasise that the basic blackjack strategy is a long-term concept. In other words, you will only reap the benefits of playing the game the best way you can over thousands of hands and hours of gambling at the online casino. It also means you won’t always win but you will lose a lot less frequently than had you not adopted the strategy.

Basic Strategy Drill Blackjack Apprenticeship

The beauty of playing blackjack online at Springbok Casino is you have the freedom to refer to the chart during your gambling sessions. That obviously enhances your chances of banking a few rand here and there – and that’s exactly why all of us visit the online casino in the first place.

Where can you find the basic blackjack stratgey chart? Online, of course – but be sure to search for the correct strategy for a six-deck game. Why? There are different tactics for games that have more or less than six decks in-play.

How To Learn Blackjack Basic Strategy Card Game

The Benefits of Free Blackjack Trainers

The chart offers one way of beating the house. There is another, arguably better way of getting to grips with the nuances of blackjack. What is that? They are known as blackjack trainers. The standout feature of these training apps is they give you instant feedback the moment you deviate from the best blackjack strategy.

Blackjack training apps are a practical solution that effectively teach you as you play the game. As most of the apps are built for mobile devices, you can practice playing blackjack on your phone whenever you have a spare moment in your day. Over time, there is every chance you will learn how to play blackjack like a pro.

The good news is there are literally dozens of free blackjack trainers and simulators available at the respective app stores. BC Blackjack: Blackjack – Free Casino Style Blackjack 21 Gambling Simulator, and Blackjack Trainer HD Free are a sample of what is available right now for iOS and Android handsets and tablets.

Play Blackjack for Free at Springbok Online Casino

Once you have the basic blackjack strategy down pat, you can sign up at Springbok Casino, download the software and play blackjack on your desktop for free. Alternatively, you can enjoy instant access to the best online casino games in the blackjack genre on your mobile phone.

Then it is simply a matter of finding the confidence to upgrade to the real money mode where winning hands in blackjack – and all other online casino games – are so much more meaningful!