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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Why Basic Strategy Makes Insurance Not Necessary

On 02.03.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Basic Strategy was created and then tested to give players the best play possible for the hand that they are dealt against the dealer’s up card. And while this does not mean that you will win every time you play according to basic strategy, you will tend to win more in blackjack.

This is because basic strategy has taken into consideration the cards that dealers are more likely to bust on and which ones they are less likely to. This explains why you stand on stiff hands when faced with anything below a dealer’s 6. Those cards, 2 through 6, are the ones the dealer is more likely to bust on. This does not mean that they will but the chances are higher with a 6 than with a 10.

By playing blackjack according to basic strategy you can lower the house edge to about 0.05%. This happens over time. And some blackjack players feel that once they are winning more that they need to protect their strong hands against a dealer’s Ace.

Not only is the Ace the least likely card a dealer will bust on, it is necessary for having a natural blackjack. A dealer will offer you insurance.

As a basic strategy player you should decline.

Insurance is essentially a side beat that casinos have in blackjack that can help to not only increase their profit, but to also raise their edge. This is because the chance of winning versus the chance of losing creates, on average, an edge increase of 7%. And it is in the house’s favor.

Taking insurance has the potential to undo the work you have done to lower the house’s edge in blackjack to 0.05%. That impact has the potential to lower the house edge to below what the average blackjack game’s house edge is to begin with.

Most blackjack games will have an average of 2-5%. If you play basic strategy and lower the house edge to 0.05%, taking insurance will bounce the edge back to the house around 6.5%, which is likely to be worse than where you started.

When you are playing basic strategy never take insurance. If you watch you will see that serious players will not take it. And if they are not then neither should you.

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What to Do When Dealt a Hard 12

On 01.13.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Unfortunately the average blackjack player will be dealt a stiff hand around 43% of the time while playing. Stiff hands include hard 12 through hard 16. The reason it feels like we are dealt these hands more often is that they occur more often. There are more hard hands in blackjack than there are strong hands or low hands.

The best that you can do with a stiff hand is to play according to basic strategy. But if you are lucky enough to be playing in a game that allows for early or even late surrender, you can go with those plays and minimize your losses.

The frustrating aspect of hard hands is that it is difficult to make a winning hand with them and not bust while trying. But of the hard hands, hard 12 is the one that offers you the most opportunity.

According to basic strategy, it is best to hit a hard 12 against seven of the possible dealer up cards, whereas the other hard hands are only hitting on five of the dealer up cards.

With a hard 12 basic strategy recommends hitting against not only 7 and higher, but also hitting against a dealer’s up card of 2 or 3.

When hitting a hard 12 against a 2 or a 3, you have a 37% chance of winning the round. If you stand against a 2 or a 3 like you would with the other stiff hands, you only have a 35% chance at winning.

Blackjack strategy is about increasing our chances of winning and minimizing our losses. And while we have a greater chance of losing with a stiff hand, we have to do the best we can to keep our losses down. If there is a way to increase our chances of winning, we are likewise reducing our chances of losing.

In the case of a hard 12 against a 2 or 3, the best play to make to increase our chances is to hit. While we are only increasing our chances by 2%, it is 2% more than if we did nothing and stand.

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Advancing Your Blackjack Strategy—Bet on Another Player’s Hand

On 12.17.09, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, Uncategorized, By Vivi

You can advance your blackjack strategy, lower the house edge a little more and possibly win a little extra money by betting on another player’s hand.

The reason you might want to bet on another player’s hand is because your neighbor may have an advantage but is hesitant to bet any more money on the hand.  If you bet on their hand, you can lower the house edge on that round by around 0.15%. And you can even make a little extra money off their hand.

Let’s say that you are playing at a table where everyone has bet the minimum of $20. The player next to you has been dealt 7-4 and the dealer has a 10. Your basic strategy will tell you that the best play for your neighbor is to double down. You see him hesitating to put forth another $20, maybe he tries to double for less with $10. You can offer to cover the other $10 so that both you and the other player can take full advantage of that hand. Now you have the chance of winning money off of your own hand and your neighbor’s.

Another good time to go in with another player’s hand is if he is dealt a pair of 7s and the dealer has a 6. Blackjack players know that 7 against a dealer’s 6 is a moneymaker. The other player should split the pair of 7s. Let’s say that he puts forth another $20 to split but is dealt another 7. He should split again. But if he does not, offer to cover the bet of the second split. Again, you are helping to lower the housed edge a bit and stand to win a little extra if that hand beats the dealer’s.

Something to remember is that blackjack is played as a player versus the dealer, even though there are other players at the table. The dealer represents the casino. And by helping out your fellow players, you are helping other players to beat the casino and have the casino pay players, rather than players losing money to the casino.

The point of having a blackjack strategy is to lower the house edge and win more money. Incorporating betting on another player’s hand is a nice addition to your blackjack strategy since it can work to accomplish those things. It also has the bonus of making you look like a nice player.

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What is Insurance?

On 11.24.09, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, Uncategorized, By Vivi

As you play blackjack, there will come a time when you are offered insurance. This seems like a nice thing for a casino, online or land based to do, offering to insure your bet. But taking insurance can actually cost you more in the long run. It is one of those little things a casino does to try to take a bit more of your money.

There are two parts to understanding insurance: knowing what it really is and how it really works, and when it is profitable to take insurance—there is only one instance that it is.

First what insurance is.

You are offered insurance when the dealer’s up card is an Ace. Insurance is offered because an Ace is necessary to having a natural blackjack. On the surface, the casino would like you to believe that taking insurance will protect you from losing your bet if the dealer has a natural blackjack.

What insurance really is, is a side bet that the dealer’s hole card is a ten-value card, the other card required for a natural blackjack. With insurance there are three chances of winning, one pushing and two losing chances. Again, on the surface it sounds pretty good, but it is not.

And here’s why. We are going to look at insurance from a statistics point of view, considering an infinite shoe—and since most casinos use six to eight decks and online casinos use Random Number Generators, the numbers and probability are very close. There are 9-4 odds against the whole card being a ten value card.

Translating this to money, we will say that you make 1300 $5 insurance bets. You would win your insurance bet 400 times, making $4,000. But you will also lose 900 times, losing $4,500. That means you will lose $500 for taking insurance.

In my next post I will explain the one circumstance under which it is advisable to take insurance.

Look for Making Insurance Profitable Rather Than a Loss.

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Perfect Basic Strategy

On 11.06.09, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, Uncategorized, By Vivi

It is possible to play perfect basic strategy. And you will want to play as such as it will benefit your odds. This is your best chance when playing blackjack to bring the odds as close to even as possible.

Blackjack usually carries a house edge ranging from 2% to 5%. If you play perfect basic strategy, you can narrow that edge to 0.5%. But you must play it perfectly.

When you are looking at a basic strategy chart you are looking at the best statistical odds for every single hand of blackjack against any card the dealer may have up. Basic Strategy can also be used when playing online blackjack as well.

Playing perfect basic strategy means playing your hand exactly as the chart dictates to. This sounds easier than it is, especially when it you have a stiff hand. But in most cases this will be easy to do. Just look at your chart and look to see what the best possible move is against the dealer’s upcard. Then do it. Do not question it.

It is when you question the play dictated that you reverse your odds. For a hand value of 13 versus a dealer’s 4, you are told stand. But your mind tells you that you would be better off hitting because there is no way for you to win. But consider this. The dealer will of course hit, and keep hitting. The dealer has a better chance of busting than you do if you hit.

Basic strategy will only drop the house edge to 0.5% if you play every move according to the chart. Bare in mind that you will not win every single hand. Basic strategy does not guarantee a win every time—casinos would have banned it if it did.

But it does give you much better odds, meaning you will win more often playing with the chart than without playing with it. But it only works if, regardless of whether you won or lost a hand, if you stick with it and keep following it.

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