A Trick for a Pair of 4s

On 04.23.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

It is best to play blackjack according to basic strategy. While using basic strategy is the best way to impact the house edge and make the best statistical play possible each round, it does not often allow for a lot of maneuvering or for any little tricks.

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.

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Next Best Hand to a Natural Blackjack

On 04.16.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Being dealt 21 in your first two cards, a natural blackjack, is the strongest hand in blackjack. It cannot be beat; the worst thing that could happen is for the dealer to also be dealt a natural blackjack, in which case you would have to push.

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.

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How to Lower the House Edge

On 04.09.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Blackjack is one of the easiest casino card games to learn to play along with one of the lowest house edges to start with. But blackjack also has one of the easiest ways to lower the house edge. It is so easy that even novice players can do it.

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

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Surrender is Not a Bad Play

On 04.02.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

A lot of the time surrender is a play greeted with negative feelings. Many blackjack players feel that it is taking an easy way out or chickening out. But the truth is that it is a smart play to make, if available, in some instances.

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.

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Using Basic Strategy

On 03.26.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Basic strategy is one of the best strategy tools available for blackjack players.

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.

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Avoid Insurance

On 03.19.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Insurance is one of those sly plays that casinos have snuck into blackjack games. The option to take insurance has been around for a long, long time, but many novice blackjack players miss what insurance actually is.

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.

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Best Times to Double Down in Blackjack

On 03.10.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Regardless of whether blackjack is played online or in a land-based casino doubling down is a highly advantageous play to make. The key is knowing when to double down and why those times are the best to do so.

First the double down play is a blackjack play in which the player doubles his or her original bet and receives only one more card before standing. Because only one more card is received it is important to already have a good starting hand total.

Doubling down, per basic strategy, should be done when dealt the following hard hands against the specified dealer up cards:

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

The reason it is most advantageous to double down on these hands is because, statistically speaking, this hands have good potential of becoming strong hands with one card. And even if the blackjack player receives a low card and their hard hand becomes a stiff hand, the dealer still has a decent shot of busting—which is what is desired when faced with a stiff hand.

Doubling down allows a blackjack player to earn double their payout if they win. It is taking full advantage of being dealt a good starting hand total.

If you had bet $10 and been dealt one of the above hands, would you rather be paid $10 for winning or $20?

If a blackjack player is in the position to take full advantage of their hand and make the more on a payout, then he or she should. And that is the point of doubling down in blackjack.

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Pairs to Definitely Split: Ace/Ace

On 03.03.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Another pair that is most advantageous to split. Being dealt two Aces is not exactly the most normal of hands and it is probably the most fluid.

Obviously you do not want to play both Aces as 11’s since your hand total would be 22 and a bust. The other non-split option is to reduce one Ace to a 1, but then you hand total is 12—another stiff hand that is more difficult to win with.

A hard 12 is tricky because basic strategy says to stand if faced with a dealer’s 4-6. And while you will not lose every single time against those three up cards, you are defiantly the underdog in those instances.

So if there is another way out of being stuck with a hard 12 why not take it? Doubling your original wager and splitting those Aces will allow you to start two new hands, each with its own Ace.

The advantage is that you will be playing with two hands that each have a second chance built in. A third chance really when you count splitting them as the second chance to your hand—that makes reducing to a 1 as a fallback the hands’ third chances.

By splitting your Aces into their own hands you are playing with two soft hands. This is advantageous because if you hit one too high you can reduce the Ace from 11 to 1 and still have a shot at creating a good hand. Whereas if you were to split any other pair you do not have that fallback ability to reduce the value of a card like the Ace allows.

Being able to split a pair of Aces and then playing them as soft hands—with the ability to reduce the value of the Ace if necessary—is what makes splitting a pair of Aces so advantageous.

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Pairs to Definitely Split: 8/8

On 03.02.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Now that I have covered the two pairs that you should never, ever split, I am going to discuss a pair that should always, always be split: a pair of 8’s.

A pair of 8’s has the potential to be a tricky hand. If you do not split them you have a terrible hand to play: a hard 16. Also known as one of the stiff hands.

A stiff hand is one that you pretty much have to stand on because your chances of busting are too great. A pair of 8’s being played unsplit would give you a hard 16.

To me a hard 16 is the worst stiff hand to be dealt. It is the stiff hand that is too high to really hit on because you can only take on a 5 or less to keep from busting. It is also one of only two hands in blackjack that basic strategy recommends surrendering if surrender is an option.

With all that being said about a hard 16, why would you not split a pair of 8’s?

If you are dealt a true hard 16 (6/10 and 7/9) there is nothing that you can do about your hand. You have no choice but to face your hard 16 and play it as best you can—which usually means standing and hoping the dealer busts.

But with a pair of 8’s you do not have to play your hand as a hard 16. You have a way out. You can split your pair of 8’s by doubling your original bet and playing with two hands.

If you split an 8/8, each hand will start with an 8 and you can hit to try to build a better hand. It is like allowing your hand to have a second chance, a chance to recover and not be a hard 16.

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Pairs You Do Not Split: 5/5

On 02.24.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Many novice blackjack players do not always know what to do when they are dealt a pair. Should they play it as a hard hand or split it?

While a basic strategy chart can easily tell a player which way to play a pair, sometimes it helps to understand why a particular play should be made.

There are some pairs that you do not split. In those cases it is more advantageous to play them as a hard hand. A pair of 5’s is such a pair.

The reason that you do not want to split this pair is that its total as a hard hand is 10. And hard 10’s are advantageous to double down on. They are also half of 21. And while you cannot receive a 3-2 payout for a three card 21, it will still beat everything the dealer has unless he has a natural blackjack.

But the main reason not to split a pair of 5’s is because of its double down potential.

In a $10 game in which you split a pair of fives you have $20 on the line on two separate hands. If you win both hands you would be paid $40. But if you only won one hand you would be paid $20 on that hand and lose the other $10, breaking even in effect.

And it would be difficult to hit a 5 and build another good hand, let alone two good hands.

But if you were to keep the pair together and doubled down, yes, you would still have $20 on the line, but if you won you would be paid $40 without the worry of breaking even that is found in pair splitting.

This is why it is more advantageous to keep the two 5’s together and double down on them. You have a greater potential to win a larger amount. And that is the point of strategy, to find the best way to win the most and hang on to the money you already have.

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