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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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: 10/10

On 03.01.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

In my previous post I discussed why you never want to split a pair of 5’s. It simply boils down to what play is in the best interest of your strategy. And blackjack strategy is all about making the best play for the situation you find yourself in.

In the case of being dealt 10/10 you have two options. You can put forward another bet and split the pair into two new hands, each starting with a 10.

On the surface this seems like a smart play to make. You will be starting both hands on solid ground. If more low cards are flowing you have somewhat of a chance of building both 10’s up to strong hands. If the cards are flowing high then you have a chance of maybe creating two strong hands.

Or you choose the other play and stand on the pair as a hard 20.

This is the better play to make. A hard 20 is one of the strongest hands to be dealt. The only way the dealer can beat you is if he has a natural blackjack or if he hits to 21. So you have pretty strong chances of winning.

If you were to split the pair you run the risk of sacrificing a strong hand for only the chance of creating hands that you might be able to build up into strong hands. But why sacrifice a strong position for one that is unsure?

While blackjack is a gambling game, it is seen as ignorant to take unnecessary risks—even when gambling. The point of having a strategy in blackjack is to make the most advantageous play to win. Splitting a pair of 10’s is not nearly as advantageous as playing the hand out as a hard 20.

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How to Play a Hard 16

On 02.17.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Being dealt a hard 16 is one of those seemingly tricky hands. It is not a little hand, but it is not by any means a strong hand either. And that makes it difficult to play.

Naturally what play you choose is determined, or should be determined, by the dealer’s up card. However, many blackjack players will stand on a hard 16 regardless of what the dealer is showing. Standing is the correct play to make half of the time. But not all the time.

Let’s take a look at the basic strategy chart. You will see that it recommends standing when faced with a dealer’s 2 through 6. But it recommends to hit when faced with a dealer’s 7 through 10, a face card or an Ace.

Before you say that hitting a hard sixteen against anything is too big of a risk because the total is too high, look at some logic first.

If you assume that the dealer’s hole card is worth 10, then that means that he would have a total of 17 through 20, or even blackjack. And all of those hands will beat a hard 16. You hit because you know that the chances of losing are pretty solid if you stand against those dealer up cards. So you hit to try to improve your hand rather than going down without a fight.

This is why you stand when the dealer is showing anything less than a 7. Again, assuming that the dealer’s hole card is an Ace, he would have a 12 through 16. And he would have to hit all of those. You as a player are hoping that he will hit to busting.

And that’s why you stand—your chances of winning are greater in the dealer busting. But when he’s showing a 7 or higher he already has a chance of winning so you hit in hopes of making your hand more competitive.

So when you find yourself with a hard 16 and facing a 7 or higher remember to hit. Even though it seems like a gamble do it. You will have a better chance in the long run by hitting against those higher cards than in standing.

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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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