What does that 0.5% translate to in chances of winning a round of online blackjack? It means that blackjack players can expect to win around 54% of the rounds of online blackjack. This is an approximation. This does not mean that you will win exactly 54 rounds of blackjack out of every 100, but it does give you an idea of what sort of winning odds you have in online blackjack.

But notice that even with basic strategy, the house still has something of a house edge over the blackjack player. And that is why a player of online blackjack can only expect to win around 54% of the games they play, rather than an even 50 / 50 of games.

But considering that other online casino games carry odds of around 8% to 12% (online slots games) or 5.26% (American Roulette), that 0.5% that online blackjack with basic strategy is really not too bad at all. It certainly explains why online blackjack is one of the most popular online casino games out there.

And because the house edge can be dropped to around 0.5%, giving players that approximate 54% of wins, is a very good reason for using basic strategy when playing online blackjack.

When it comes to blackjack strategy and stiff hands the best course of action to take is to follow basic strategy and make the play that has the best statistical chances. Stiff hands require defensive playing, which in most cases with these hands is to stand.

However some of these instances the best play to make is to hit, as odd as that may sound. The reason for hitting is to take your chance of catching a low card. Hitting happens when the dealer has the least chances of busting so as a player you hit since you are damned if you do and you are damned if you do not. A friend of mine put it this way: “If I am facing a loss anyway it is not going to hurt me to try hitting.”

But with hitting comes the chance of busting. The chances of stiff hands busting looks like this:

Hard 16: 61%
Hard 15: 59%
Hard 14: 56%
Hard 13: 52%
Hard 12: 48%

The reason your chances of busting increase is because the greater the hand total, the less amount of cards there are that will not bust your hand.

With a hard 16 there are only four cards in blackjack that will not bust your hand. A hard 15 has five cards that will not bust it; a hard 14 has six cards; a hard 13 has seven; and a hard 12 has eight it could take.

Keep the chances in mind when you decide to hit a stiff hand. And make sure to follow basic strategy when playing blackjack—remember it gives you the best statistical play for your hand, even if you might think it is not the best move. Stick with it and you will lose less over time.

The cause behind this is because the blackjack player has to put out more money, he has to double his wager. If he has wagered $10 on a hand and wants to double down, he has to increase his wager to $20. And not all novice blackjack players are comfortable with this right away.

But they need to become comfortable with this play because it can definitely benefit their blackjack odds. Doubling down in blackjack at opportune times can increase a player’s blackjack odds by 0.9%. That is quite the boost to one’s blackjack odds for one type of play.

The reason for this is because the player benefits when the house has to pay them for winning. When the house wins they do not receive a payout. Every time the house pays you, your blackjack odds go up. And if they have to pay you twice as much, it increases you odds even more.

But you only increase your blackjack odds with a double down if you are making the play at the most advantageous times. And when are those?

It all comes back to basic strategy. A basic strategy chart can tell you when the most opportune times to double down are. Usually it is when you have a 9, 10 or 11 as follows:

9 vs. dealer’s 3-6
10 vs. dealer’s 2-9
11 vs. dealer’s 2-10

If you are still learning your basic strategy, take a chart with you or have it open in a window next to the online casino’s window. Utilizing blackjack tips that go along with basic strategy can help increase your blackjack odds.

Make the most of your bankroll and increase you blackjack odds by knowing when to double down and making a double down when basic strategy tells you to.

While we would all love to know exactly when the dealer will bust, no one can predict exactly when. The best we can do is to know when his chances of busting are higher and lower. It helps to understand how the dealer’s chances of busting impact the play made by the player. But before I discuss that, here are the percentages of when the dealer will bust:

2: 35%
3: 37%
4: 40%
5: 42%
6: 42%
7: 26%
8: 24%
9: 23%
10: 23%
Ace: 17%

Notice how the low to mid cards cause the dealer to have a higher chance of busting. This is because the chances of his hole card giving him a stiff hand that he has to hit will most likely bust him.

Now when we look at a basic strategy chart we see that when a blackjack player has a stiff hand and a dealer’s up card of 2 through 6 you can see that the recommended play is to stand. This is because the dealer has a higher chance of busting with those cards showing. So the player is gambling on standing and letting the dealer bust.

You can also see that with a stiff hand faced with a dealer’s up card of 7 through an Ace, the recommended play is to hit. This is because the dealer has less of a chance of busting and you have a greater chance of losing. This makes it acceptable to hit and try to improve your hand. Even if you do not you can at least say that you tried.

Keep those percents in mind when you are playing blackjack so that you can use that knowledge in your blackjack strategy. It gives you an advantage in that you can use it to affect your plays. It does not matter if you are playing blackjack online or in a regular casino, the dealer’s chances are the same so you can put this knowledge work in both instances.

But there are times that a blackjack player can deviate from basic strategy a little bit to take advantage of a house rule. One such rule is being allowed to double down after splitting pairs, but there is only one real hand that can take advantage of this rule, and that hand is a pair of 4s.

Normally basic strategy advises to hit on a pair of 4s rather than split them. This is because there is not advantage to splitting them.

However if you are allowed to double down after splitting there are two instances with a pair of 4s that you should split, and that is when you are faced with a dealer’s 5 or 6.

Once you split those 4s you will receive another card so that each hand will have two cards again. If you are dealt a 5, 6 or 7 you will have a hand total of 9, 10 or 11. If the dealer is showing a 5 or 6 it stands that there is a pretty good chance the deck is running with lower cards, which will help when splitting those 4s.

If, after splitting and receiving a second card for each hand, you have a new hand total of 9, 10 or 11 it is time to double down. Again, if you look at a basic strategy chart you will see that the best play for a hard 9, 10 or 11 is to double down. This is because doubling down on a 9, 10 or 11 is offensive in blackjack and you stand a good shot at making twice the winnings.

So to review, when the house allows you to double down after splitting pairs and you are dealt a pair of 4s, it the best play to split those 4s. If after splitting those 4s either one of your new hands has a total of 9, 10 or 11 you need to double down.

While any blackjack player would love to be dealt a natural, there are a couple of other hands that can come close. These two hands can only be beat by the dealer being dealt a natural blackjack or by the dealer hitting to 21.

These two hands are an Ace/9 and a 10/10.

Both of these hands have a total of 20, although because of the Ace in the Ace/9 that one could be considered a soft hand. But no blackjack player worth their money would hit an Ace/9 and reduce that Ace from 11 to 1.

Of these two hands the most mistakes are made with the Ace/9. Too many blackjack players will hit because they get caught up in the Ace and think of how it is a soft hand. They miss the fact that their hand total is already at 20. Some blackjack players will double down on an Ace/9, which is a mistake for the same reasons. Never sacrifice such a strong hand like an Ace/9 for the risk of a double down. You have a better chance of winning with your hand just as an Ace/9.

Some players will also make the mistake of splitting the 10/10. They see that they have a pair and immediately assume that their best play is to split. If they checked a basic strategy chart they would see that it says to stand on a 10/10.

This is for the same reason that you stand on an Ace/9. A 10/10 is more valuable as it is than if it were to be split. Splitting a 10/10 is another one of those gambles that you do not make in blackjack.

Doing anything other than standing on these two hands is viewed as foolish and a waste of a strong hand. It is best to stand on an Ace/9 and a 10/10, and know that you stand a pretty good shot of winning the round.

The majority of blackjack games start out with a house edge of 2%-5% depending on the number of decks that are being used. The more decks being used the more the house edge goes up.

Basic strategy is the surest way of lowering the house edge. It is also the easiest. When used correctly, it can lower the house edge to 0.5%.

On the surface basic strategy appears to be only a chart. But that chart has the best statistical play for every single player hand versus any dealer up card. I say best statistical because all of those plays have been tested and put through simulation. So while they will not win every single hand, they will, over time, lower the house edge.

Using basic strategy to lower the housed edge and increase your own blackjack odds is actually very easy to do. After being dealt your hand, look for it on the left side of the chart. Hard hands, hands with Aces (soft hands) and pairs will be listed. All of the dealer’s up cards are listed along the top with columns running down the chart from each with the best play. When you find your hand check to see what play is recommended for that hand against the up card that the dealer is showing. Then make that play. It is that easy.

Being that easy to use is what makes basic strategy the easiest way to lower the hosue edge and increase your blackjack odds

Surrender is blackjack’s version of folding. It allows the player to bow out of the round. But unlike in poker, a player does not lose all of their bet for surrendering. In blackjack the player only loses half of their wager.

There are two types of surrender: early and late. In the early version the player can surrender before the dealer checks for blackjack. In the late version the dealer checks for blackjack first; only if he does not have a natural blackjack are players allowed to surrender. Early surrender favors players because it allows them out of the round even if the dealer has a blackjack.

According to basic strategy, the best times to surrender in blackjack are when you have a hard 15 against a dealer’s 10 and when you have a hard 16 against a dealer’s 9, 10 or Ace.

The reason these are the best times to surrender is because you have a difficult hand to do anything with and, the dealer has a strong starting point to either have a strong hand with his hole card or hit to build a strong hand. Your chances of winning with one of those hands against those dealer up cards is very small.

So given the ability to exit the round without losing all your wager—to surrender—is a better option that the more likely outcome, which is to lose and lose your entire wager too.

If you find a blackjack game, either an online blackjack game or one in a casino, that offers surrender play there. If you can find a blackjack game with early surrender do not walk away from that game.

One of the best aspects of blackjack is how easy it is to learn to play, and that it has a very strong strategy tool that novice players can use and be successful with right away. No other game of skill has such a tool that can be used right away.

What makes basic strategy such a strong tool is that it has all the best plays to make. Blackjack players do not have to do any research for this. When basic strategy was being developed, all the plays were tested and simulated to make sure that the best statistical play was being put down on the chart.

And that is what basic strategy is: a chart with every hand a player could be dealt against any up card the dealer could have. Blackjack players can play with the chart and be confident that they are making the best play possible.

That is why novice blackjack players can begin using it right away while they are still learning the finer points of the game, but still be successful with their immediate game playing. For the blackjack player that plays every round based on what the chart says, they can lower the house edge to 0.5%, giving it the lowest house edge of any casino game.

Using basic strategy is as simple as adding up the hand total of the first two cards dealt, taking note of what the dealer’s up card is and then checking what play is most recommended for that combination. It is that easy to use.

Another high point of basic strategy for novice blackjack players is that it can be used in casinos and in online casinos. It is legal for use and will not cause a player to be kicked out or barred.

The advantages for a novice blackjack player to use basic strategy far out-weigh any reasons to not use it. Especially since it can be used for blackjack online or in a casino.

Insurance is a side bet on whether the dealer’s hole card a 10.

Insurance is only offered when the dealer is showing an Ace. Since an Ace is a must for a natural blackjack and is less numerous in the deck than 10 valued cards. So if the dealer has an Ace showing his chances of having a natural blackjack are higher than if he had a 10 card showing. So insurance is offered to ‘insure’ your bet.

When you insure your bet you pay half of your original bet; so if you had bet $10 insurance would be $5. And if the dealer does in fact have a 10 for a hole card you would be paid 2-1.

The problem with insurance is that, with an Ace, the dealer can still have a strong hand without having blackjack. In those instances you would lose the round and your original bet. But since the hole card is not a 10 you would also lose your insurance bet too.

And that is what makes insurance a bad idea. It has been proven that over time a blackjack player will lose more money by taking insurance than if he just played blackjack without taking it.

The best way for a novice blackjack player to play is according to basic strategy so that he has a strong starting point for blackjack strategy. Card counting can always be added later. But if you look at a basic strategy chart, you will notice that nowhere on the chart does it tell you to take insurance.

This is because, while following basic strategy can lower the house edge (the whole point of having a blackjack strategy), insurance will raise the house edge. Since taking insurance raises the house edge it is not advised on a basic strategy chart. And since basic strategy offers the best statistical plays, it follows that insurance is not a good statistical play.

Because it raises the house edge and will cost blackjack players more over time it is best to avoid insurance and never take it.