Double? | Hit or Stand? | Split or not? | Test Yourself

The GameMaster's Blackjack School

Basic Strategy Variations: Hit or Stand?

The most common decision any player makes at Blackjack is whether to hit or stand, consequently this will be the most common basic strategy variation and you should learn all the important ones. The first is with a hand of 16 against a dealer's up card of 10. You should stand if the count is over 0 and hit if it is 0 or lower. This means that if the running count is 1 or higher, stand. Since the 'decision' number is 0, it's not necessary to calculate the true count -- the running count will do in this situation. Don't get confused here. Almost all basic strategy variations rely on the true count, but for those where the decision number is 0, the running count will suffice.

The next most important hand is 15 against a dealer's 10. The decision number is a true count of 4, if you are playing at a game of four decks or more. This variation and the others can be easily learned if you make a set of flashcards. They needn't be fancy or sophisticated; merely accurate. Cut some 2'" squares from manila folders and they'll work just fine. A typical flashcard should look like this.

If you imagine the 10 and 16 placed on the centerline of a 2" X 2" square, the 0 is offset so your left thumb covers the number. As you go through the stack, recite "sixtten versus 10, stand at zero" (or higher). For a hand of 15 vs. 10, a card will look like this
When you come to this card, you'll recite "15 versus 10; stand at 4". As time goes on, you won't need to remind yourself that you should stand with the 15 against 10, so you'll recite "15 versus 10 is 4". Got the idea? If you don't, please e-mail me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Here are the numbers you'll need to learn. These may vary a bit from numbers you'll see published in books like Stanford Wong's "Professional Blackjack" because the ones I use are specifically for a six-deck game where the dealer stands on A-6 and a few have been modified based upon the theory of 'risk averse' play which was developed about 15 years ago. These numbers work well; they have been proven in thousands of hours of actual casino play by me and my students. Do NOT use them for single-deck games, however. Single-deck play requires different numbers and will be covered in a future lesson.

And to finish it off, one weird play: Stand with A-7 against Ace at 1 or higher.

Beginners:

	Lesson 1: Basic Strategy
	Lesson 2: Learning Basic Strategy
	Lesson 3: Counting Cards - The Basics
	Lesson 4: Card Counting - How To Do It
	Lesson 5: Card Counting - The Tricks
	Lesson 6: Card Counting - Single-Deck Play
	Lesson 7: Money Management - Part 1
	Lesson 8: Money Management - Part 2 - A Few Words on Single Deck
	Lesson 9: Money Management - Part 3 - Expectation and Standard Deviation
	Lesson 10: The Proper Mental Attitude
	Lesson 11: Evaluating Games
	Lesson 12: Casino Playing Tactics

Advanced

	Lesson 13: The Advanced Course - Part 1 - Basic Strategy Variations
	Lesson 14: The Advanced Course - Part 2 - Basic Strategy Variations: Double?
	Lesson 15: The Advanced Course - Part 3 - Basic Strategy Variations: Hit or Stand?
	Lesson 16: The Advanced Course - Part 4 - Basic Strategy Variations: To Split or Not To Split
	Lesson 17: The Advanced Course - Part 5 - Basic Strategy Variations: Test Yourself
	Lesson 18: Advanced Single-Deck Blackjack, Part 1
	Lesson 19: Advanced Single-Deck Blackjack, Part 2 - Basic Strategy Variations
	Lesson 20: A Field Trip with the GameMaster
	Lesson 21: Beating The Double Deck Game - Part 1
	Lesson 22: Beating The Double Deck Game - Part 2 - Betting With the True Count
	Lesson 23: Beating The Double Deck Game - Part 3 - Double Deck Basic Strategy Variations
	Lesson 24: Understanding the Surrender Option

Online Gambling Community

Search engines optimization and promotion services
CONTACT US

Subscribe Mailing Lists

Bet Gambling Casino Gambling Casino Players Free Games Free Gifts Online Casino Online Gamblers Magazine Online Poker

Join Webrings

Advertising Autos Books Business Cellular Phones Chat Clipart Computers Dictionaries Dogs Electronics Free Gambling Games Greeting Cards Health Jobs Jokes Lyrics Maps Movies mp3 Music News Online Dating Promotion Real Estate Romania Search Engines Shopping Sports Translation Travel Warez Web Design Web Hosting

MultiMedia Services

Internet Marketing
 Search Engines Promotion
 Online Advertising
Web Design
Translation
Desktop Publishing
Word Processing
Business Consulting

Business Solutions

Double? | Hit or Stand? | Split or not? | Test Yourself