Hit Stand Double Down And Split In Blackjack

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When playing blackjack at a physical or land-based casino, the most frequent decision you’ll have to make is whether to hit or stand. While you can gain a feel for this over time simply through experience, you can expedite the process by studying up on the best moves to make in any given situation. If you’re ready to win more cash during blackjack games, read our handy guide to learn when to hit and when to stand.

Basic blackjack strategy charts can help make it easy to learn the basics of when to hit, when to stand, when to double down and when to split pairs in any situation. Basic blackjack strategy charts are tables that list possible hand values on one axis and possible dealer upcard values on the other axis.

Master the Basics

Before we delve into strategies, we want to make sure that you have a firm grasp on the basics of hitting and standing. The main premise of blackjack is to get a hand whose total exceeds the dealer’s hand, but without going over 21. When you hit, this means that you want to draw another card to try to improve your hand’s total. Conversely, when you stand, you are satisfied with your hand’s total and don’t want to draw any more cards. If you signal to the dealer that you want to stand, your hand for the round is completed. If you hit and your hand exceeds 21, you’ve busted.

We have two important gambling terms for you to memorize before learning strategies: hard hand and soft hand. A hard hand is any hand that doesn’t contain an ace, or in which an ace’s value is only 1. A 10-8 and a 7-A-10 hand are both hard 18s. A soft hand contains an ace that’s counted as an 11. For instance, an A-7 hand is a soft 18. If one of the first two cards you are dealt is an ace, you have a soft hand. This gives you an advantage. The ace has a value of 11, but if you take a hit and go over 21, its value reverts to 1. This eliminates the risk of busting after that hit, thus giving you the freedom to make moves that would normally be risky.

Stand on 17 and up – It’d be extremely unwise to hit with such a high count – you’ll most likely go bust! Split Aces and 8s: These are the best pairs to split – you’re nearly halfway to a win, twice! Double with 11 points – This is an advantageous position, so use it! Don’t take insurance: It’s mostly a rip-off, so swerve it.
Hit, Stand, Double Down or Split? Blackjack is one of the best loved card games in the world. There are many variations, so if you're new to the game see How to Play Blackjack and Pontoon. Like any casino game, Blackjack is designed to return a profit to the dealer. However, against a reasonable skilled player this profit is very low compared to most casino games - typically less than 1%.
Rules Of the Game: Gameplay & Strategy: The Hit or Stand game works much like any other blackjack game, but your score is determined by your ability to make correct moves on each hand.After the cards are dealt, you have the option to Hit, Stand, Double, or Split.

Now that you know the basic definitions, we’ll go through the circumstances in which you should hit or stand. We’ll provide you with the best strategies, as well as blackjack hit/stand tables that you can save for future reference.

Hitting and Standing with a Hard Hand

Double Down In Blackjack Meaning

When playing blackjack with a hard hand, we would recommend the following:

When you are dealt a total of 5-8, always hit.
When you are dealt 9, hit if the dealer shows a 2 or a 7 through ace.
If you have 10, hit if the dealer shows an ace or a 10.
If your hand is 11, hit only if the dealer shows an ace.
For a hand of 12, stand if the dealer shows a 4 through 6. If they show a 2, 3, or a 7 through ace, hit.
When you have a hand of 13 through 16, stand if the dealer reveals a hand of 2 through 6. Otherwise, hit.
When you are dealt 17 through 21, you should always stand.

Reference Chart

Blackjack hit or stand on a hard hand cheat sheet.

If you’re playing a multi-deck game and you have a hard 17, double down instead of taking a hit.

You’ll need to make some minor tweaks to our strategy, depending on the number of decks and rules you’re playing with. If you’re playing in a double-deck game, don’t hit when you have a 9 and the dealer has 2. If you have an 11 against the dealer’s ace, don’t hit either. In both cases, you should double down.

And lastly, if you’re playing in a single-deck game, double down under the following circumstances:

You have 8 and the dealer has 5 or 6.
You have 9 against the dealer’s 2.
You have 11 and the dealer has an ace.

Hitting and Standing With a Soft Hand

Remember, you can’t bust a soft hand with a one-card hit. Taking that into consideration, our strategy for playing with a soft hand is much simpler than our hard hand strategy. Keep the following moves in mind:

If you have a soft 19 or 20, you should always stand. You are unlikely to get a stronger hand than this.
For a soft 18 against the dealer’s 2 through 8, stand. If the dealer shows 9, 10, or an ace, hit.
If your total is soft 17 or less, you should always hit.

What Are Your Other Options?

Hitting and standing aren’t the only options available to you in a game of blackjack. The following moves are also possible:

— Split. If you are initially dealt two cards of the same value, you can split your hand. You’ll place an additional wager equivalent to your first one, and then manage two hands rather than 1.

— Double Down.Gamblers can increase their potential profits with this move, but it comes with some inherent risk. To use this move, you must double the size with your bet and then receive one more card. After that, you must stand.

— Surrender. If you are not confident with your chances of winning the round, you have the option to surrender. When you use this move, you will only lose half of your bet.

Where to Play Blackjack Online

Are you ready to put your newfound knowledge to the test? Check out Bob Casino! Our library of online casino games contains numerous varieties of blackjack. You can play for free until you master your hit and stand strategies. When you’re confident in your skills, you can even try your hand at winning real money. Come create an account at Bob Casino today for the ultimate gambling experience.

The most widely practised options are explained below:

Hit/Stand

The most common decision a player should take in the course of the game is whether to 'hit' (draw another card to the hand), or 'stand' (stop at the current total). This is a choice that each blackjack player must make for every dealt hand. The first option is to hit and it means that you want to draw another card for your blackjack hand. If you decide to hit, the dealer will deal another card to you face up. You should hit in blackjack if you think that taking another card will give you a greater chance of getting closer to 21 or equal to 21. The second option you have is to stand and it means that you stick to the current hand value of your cards. You should stand if you think that your current hand total is high enough and you can win against the dealer's hand. One more reason to stand is when you have a higher chance to bust if you draw another card.

An experienced blackjack player will not take a decision to hit or to stand considering only two initial cards. There are other factors to consider like the up card of the dealer and the calculated winning probability.

Player’s short hints: If the dealer has a 7 or higher showing, hit until you have at least 17, if the dealer's showing a 2, 3, 7 or higher, you should hit a hard 12.

Split

In case you have two cards of the same denomination, there will appear a Split button. You can split the cards into two hands and play each hand separately, meaning that you will take cards to your first hand until you stand or bust, and then go on with the next hand. Each hand will be played out as usual and your original bet will be duplicated for the new hand. Some casinos allow you to split the hand again after you have been dealt another pair, while others don't.

Player’s short hints: Always split Aces and 8s, never split 10s, 5s or 4s.

Doubling Down

After you are dealt your first two cards (any value), the option to 'Double Down' will appear. If you're absolutely sure that your hand will beat the dealer's, you may double your original bet. Once this option is selected, the amount of your bet is automatically doubled and you will be dealt one more card. The hand will auto-stand after this card.

Player’s short hints: Always double on 11 unless the dealer has an 11 (Ace) up, always double on 10 unless the dealer has a 10, always double on 9 unless the dealer has a 7 or higher up.

Insurance

Insurance gives you a chance to protect yourself in case the dealer has a blackjack. When the dealer's face-up card is an ace, you can bet on whether the dealer has a blackjack or not. This is done before any other player actions. The insurance wager is equal to your original bet and is used to cancel out the likely loss of this bet. A winning insurance bet will be paid at odds of 2:1, and since you lose your original bet, you'll break even on the hand. Anyway strategy guides tend to advise against taking insurance.

Player’s short hints: Unless you are counting cards, never take insurance.

Surrender

If you think that your hand is worth more than the dealer’s (judging from what you can see of it,) you can fold your hand and return half of your original bet and the casino keeps the other half. You need a really bad hand for a surrender to be profitable. Once you draw a third card, or double down, or split, surrender is no longer an option.