JeffBet by Matthew Gover |
Date of Publishing: 9 June 2022

5/5 - (2 votes)

Blackjack Strategy

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Blackjack is by far one of the most well-loved, and exciting table games to play. There aren’t as many rules to learn as some casino titles so it’s perfectly suited for people from all walks of life.

The trick to this and any table game is to not rely on Lady Luck alone. Blackjack strategies can increase your odds of winning if done right. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will experience a streak of life-changing wins – but there are some basic tried and tested tips to get you off to the best start!

Here at JeffBet, we’ve got heaps of blackjack online games for you to try strategies on – all of them are designed by top game providers in this industry. As such, you can expect an all-immersive online gaming experience with heaps of bonuses and promotions.

What is a Blackjack Strategy?

A blackjack strategy is like a plan of action used by players – with the goal of gaining an advantage and winning some money. If you are a complete novice, this means you have to start from the ground up, learning the ins and outs of the game.

This will help you to learn from wins and losses, as well as gaining a better understanding of what the game entails – such as winning hands, and when you might want to hit, stand or double down.

Just like at land-based casinos, some online players opt to use a printable cheat sheet or ‘strategy cards’. You will be given a ‘key’ explaining each element of the sheet – for anyone who has never played before. This can alleviate mistakes made and therefore help reduce the learning curve!

Top 10 Blackjack Strategies

As you probably already know, the basic goal is to arrive at a score as close to, but not higher than, 21. If you beat the dealer you win. If you surpass 21, you will go bust. There are multiple conditions that can lead you to make choices on whether to ‘hit’, ‘stand’, ‘double down’, or ‘surrender’.

To help you along the way, the top 10 blackjack strategies are as follows:

  1. On an 8 – Hit
  2. On an 11 – Double
  3. Aces and 8s should always be split
  4. 5s and 10s should never be split
  5. Double down on a hard 11
  6. On 17+ or a soft 20 – stand
  7. If your card is 10 and the dealers has a 9 or under – double down
  8. If your hand is between a soft 18 (Ace-7) and the dealer’s card is Ace, 9 or 20 – hit
  9. If your hand is between 12 and 16, and the dealer has between 2 and 6 – stand
  10. If your hand is between 12 and 16, and the dealer has a hand between 7 and the ace – hit

Another tried and tested tip is: don’t make insurance wagers when playing blackjack – the odds of winning are lower.

 

 

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Martingale Blackjack Strategy

Casino mogul John Henry Martindale created this system way back in the 1700s. The idea is to begin the session with small bets. If you lose, you double your stake, and this continues until you win a bet. When you win, you simply start all over again.

  • Let’s say you bet $5 on a blackjack game and lose 
  • Next time, you bet $10. 
  • If you lose again, you bet $20, then $40, then $80 and so on. 
  • Notably, this strategy does work better in the short term. 
  • They say that by doubling each losing bet you are sure to win back your losses – as statistically, you will win, eventually.

The Martingale strategy is most popular when used on blackjack and roulette games. However, it has to be said that you may need a healthy bankroll to prevent your casino funds from drying up at a rapid rate. 

It is also worth checking out the maximum bet before considering this strategy – or your system may come undone before you bag that win.

Blackjack Strategy Scorecard

You will find that blackjack can be played with anywhere between 1 and 9 decks of cards – each pack containing 52.

When it comes to the score, this is relatively simple:

  • The value of cards from 2 to 10 correspond with their numbers – so, a 3 of spades would be 3, a 5 of clubs is worth 5 – and so forth
  • When it comes to face cards – King, Queen and Jack are all worth 10 points
  • The Ace can either be counted as 11 or 1, that is up to you
  • If the Ace is 11 – we refer to this as a ‘soft hand’

The dealer’s initial Ace will be classed as 11, that is provided it doesn’t bust the hand. Any Aces following that will be counted as 1. If your hand is nearer to 21 than the dealer your payout will be 1:1  – meaning if you initially bet £100, you will be awarded £100.

FAQ’s

The best blackjack strategy is long-debated amongst casino players. Many people believe in the simple trick of card counting. This will see you making larger bets when you believe you have the advantage. However, card counting no longer works in the online casino industry.
The basic strategy in blackjack involves taking the action of stand, split, hit, or double-down, depending on the value of your hand, as well as the dealers. An example of this is if the dealer has 7-Ace and you have 12-16 - hit. If the dealer has a 2-6 - stand.
You can increase your chances of winning blackjack by getting a grip on how the game works, such as rules and card value and taking a slow and steady approach with bet sizes.
Optimum times to stand are when your blackjack hand totals 17-20, or your hand is between 12 and 16, and the dealer has 2-6. You should ‘hit’ if you have a total card value of 8.
The blackjack strategy goes - ‘5s and 10s should never be split’. The reason is that if you split 10s you will probably lose one or both hands due to the unlikelihood of drawing two 10s. With that said, there are cases when players do split 10s, namely card counters or tournament participants that wish to bet more chips during the latter hands.

About the Author

Author: Matthew Gover.

After graduating, Matthew began working as an English teacher abroad, initially in Spain and then Vietnam before finally coming back to the UK to settle. Matthew has always had a love for writing and an even bigger love for the igaming industry... Read More

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