Blackjack

Basic Strategy

Winning blackjack strategies advise players to play every hand as efficiently as possible, and they always consider the dealer's upcard. When the dealer has a good upcard, an ace, 7, 8, 9, or 10-card, the player should keep drawing until they have a total of 17 or more. When the dealer's upcard is a poor card, like a 4, 5, or 6, the player should stop drawing as soon as he receives a total of 12 or higher. In this case, never accept a card if there's even a slight chance you might end up bankrupt. The plan is to let the dealer hit with this weak holding in the hopes of going over 21. 

If the dealer's up card is a fair card, like a 2 or 3, the player should stop with a total of 13 or higher.

Generally speaking, you should keep hitting with a soft hand until you reach a total of at least 18. The player would therefore hit rather than stop at 17 if they had an ace and a six (7 or 17).

The player should always double down when their total is 11. This is the basic strategy for doubling down. The player should double down if he has a total of 10 and the dealer does not reveal an ace or ten-card. 

A player with a total of 9 should double only if the dealer's card is fair or poor (2–6).

A player should never split a pair of fives or identical tens because two fives add up to ten, which is better used for doubling down. Instead, the player should always split a pair of aces or eights. Additionally, a pair of 4s shouldn't be split because the total of 8 is a good number to draw to. Twos, threes, and sevens can usually be split unless the dealer has an 8, 9, ten, or ace. Lastly, 6s shouldn't be split unless the dealer's card is weak (2 through 6).