Blackjack Tips
This page is dedicated to online blackjack tips. The blackjack playing tips below will help you to ensure that you are playing optimal blackjack games and not giving away an extra edge to the house! This page is divided into ‘blackjack playing tips’ – which provide information on the optimal ways to react to common blackjack playing situations, then ‘general blackjack tips’ for the higher level view of online blackjack gaming.
Online Blackjack Playing Tips:
- Insurance: This is a negative expectation bet over time unless you are actively counting cards, and so should always be declined.
- Splitting Cards: An easy way to split paired cards correctly is to remember the phrase “Do Not Split The “F’s”’. Never split Fours, Fives or Face-Cards. However, you should always split aces and eights no matter what card the dealer is showing.
- Doubling: You should always double when holding cards totaling 10 unless the dealer is showing a ten or an ace. If your cards total 11 you should double as long as the dealer does not have an ace showing.
- Standing: You should stand with cards totaling 13, 14, 15 and 16 when the dealer is showing 6 or lower. When your cards equal 12 you should stand when the dealer is showing a 4, 5 or a 6.
- Hitting: You should always hit a soft 17 when the dealer shows a 10. With a hard 12 you should hit when the dealer shows a 2, 3 or a card 7 or above.
- Surrendering: Where this is allowed you should surrender a hard 15 when the dealer shows a 10. Hard 16 hands should be surrendered more often – whenever the dealer shows an ace, 10 or 9. A pair of eights should be split and not surrendered.
General Blackjack Tips:
- Strategy Cards: Where available make sure you use a casino-strategy card which shows the mathematically correct play based on the number of decks used and the specific casino rules.
- Dealer’s Rules: Make sure that you understand the dealer’s procedure before you start to play. For example, will the dealer hit or stand on a soft 17.
- Bankroll Management: Make sure you do not bet too large a proportion of your bankroll in any single hand. A good rule of thumb is to use no more than 1/20th to 1/30th of your bankroll for any single hand.
