Blackjack Strategies: 5 Tips for Your Game

Valuable basics, terms and instructions for the popular game of chance, concisely summarised.

Are you new to blackjack? Or do you want to boost your blackjack knowledge on StarVegas beyond the terminology of blackjack and history of the game? The following five strategic tips might help you sharpen your blackjack skills.

1. Familiarise yourself with the blackjack basic strategy

The good news first: There is a cheat sheet that takes into account the probabilities in the game specifically for newcomers, enabling them to play more efficiently, at least in theory. Moreover, it is completely legal and easy to find on the net in various texts and graphics.

We are talking about the blackjack basic strategy – a guide for optimal moves that can theoretically decrease the house advantage over the long term. We have summarised an example of a basic strategy for you here, dividing it into hard hands (without an ace), soft hands (with an ace) and pairs. Please note, however, that following this approach does not guarantee success.

Hard Hands:

If the value of the hand is 8 or less: Hit (another card).

9: Double Down (double) if the dealer shows 3–6. Otherwise: Hit.

10: Double Down if the dealer shows 2­–9. Otherwise: Hit.

11: Double Down if the dealer shows 2–10. Otherwise: Hit.

12: Stand if the dealer shows 4–6. Otherwise: Hit.

13–16: Stand if the dealer shows 2–6. Otherwise: Hit.

17–21: Stand.

Soft Hands:

13–15: Double Down if the dealer shows 5–6. Otherwise: Hit.

16–18: Double Down if the dealer shows 2–6. Otherwise: Stand.

19: Double Down if the dealer shows 6. Otherwise: Stand.

20–21: Stand.

Pairs:

A–A: Split (divide hand).

2–2: Split if the dealer shows 2–7. Otherwise: Hit.

3–3: Split if the dealer shows 2–7. Otherwise: Hit.

4–4: Split if the dealer shows 5–6. Otherwise: Hit.

5–5: Do not split. Double Down if the dealer shows 2–9. Otherwise: Hit.

6–6: Split if the dealer shows 2–6. Otherwise: Hit.

7–7: Split if the dealer shows 2–7. Otherwise: Hit.

8–8: Split.

9–9: Split if dealer shows 2–9 (except 7). Otherwise: Stand.

10–10: Stand.

J–J: Stand.

Again, even with the right understanding of the probabilities and the basic strategy, blackjack remains a game of chance in which the outcome cannot be controlled. The basic strategy is therefore nothing more than a decision-making approach that you can use if you want to.

2. Understand why the dealer's cards are so important

If you reach a card total of twelve while playing, the dealer’s face-up card should always play a major role in your strategic considerations.

If the dealer’s card has a low value (two, three or four), they will most likely have to draw several times to reach the prescribed 17 as a minimum value for blackjack dealers. This means that you should probably not draw a card from the value twelve upwards.

But if the dealer's face-up card is higher (such as a nine or ten) and your card total is under 16, it is advisable to draw a card. If the dealer has an ace, draw with 17 or less.

Here are the probabilities that the dealer will bust, based on the face-up card and the usual blackjack rules:

2 = 35.3%

3 = 37.5%

4 = 40.2%

5 = 42.8%

6 = 42.0%

7 = 25.9%

8 = 23.8%

9 = 23.3%

10–K = 21.4%

Ace = 12.07%

3. Focus on bankroll management

Simply put, your bankroll is the gaming budget that you are prepared to lose. Calculate a realistic amount that you can live without should things not go well at the blackjack table.

Then proceed as follows:

1. Divide your total budget into units – for example, 1,000.

2. Divide these units again into session units. An example: You calculate 100 units for a session, which would mean that you would have to lose everything in ten successive sessions to completely exhaust your bankroll. 3. Regularly adjust your bankroll and your units to the new circumstances – for example, when you win or when you have a losing streak.

The most important thing when it comes to your bankroll is that you always take your general life situation and state of mind into account so that you never lose control of your budget and your gaming behaviour.

4. Be careful with the Martingale system

You double the stake after each losing hand until you win, enabling you not only to compensate for your losses by playing for higher stakes, but also to achieve big wins. Sounds like a structured strategy that will eventually guarantee a profitable outcome, right?

Beware: Just one very long streak of bad luck can make the Martingale system really tough to take – up to the point of total loss. When it comes to systematically increased or progressive stakes, always be cautious and never lull yourself into a false sense of security that you can "master" the game in this way.

5. Play blackjack for fun

Yes, you can use popular blackjack systems like Martingale, Paroli and Fibonacci, but even the best blackjack aces do not have a magic formula for multiplying money.

This is even more true for online casinos, where card counting is already prevented by using a new hand /deck of cards after each round, which ensures that probabilities cannot vary. Even in live casino games, decks are continually swapped.

Your most important strategy should always be to play with a realistic budget, responsibly and only because you love blackjack. In terms of suspense, there are few casino games that can be so captivating!

Fancy a game of blackjack? On our blackjack page, you will find a multitude of ways to enjoy this classic table game.