How to Win at Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the few casino games gives the player a decent chance of winning. By employing some basic strategy, you can increase your odds of winning at blackjack and walk away with some of the casino's money.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Find out the rules for the dealer. At most casinos the dealer must hit with a total of 16 or below and stay with anything 17 or above. This is the cornerstone of a winning strategy in blackjack.

2. Hit if the total of your two cards is 9 or below and stand if the total of your two cards is a hard 17 or higher. A hard total refers to the total of two cards that neither is an ace. Since an ace can count as an 11 or a 1, it is considered a soft total when paired with another card. For example, a 10 and a 7 is a hard 17 while an ace and a 6 is a soft 17 because it could also total 7.

3. Stand when your total is 12 to 16 and the dealer's upcard is 6 or smaller. Hit when your total is 12 to 16 and the dealer's upcard is 7 or higher. This is the hardest range total to win with. If you stand, the odds are the dealer will bust because he will have a total below 17 and must hit. If the dealer's card is a 7 or higher though, a 10 or face card would beat you so the best idea is to hit.

4. Double your bet and take just one more card, also known as a double down, if your total is 10 or 11 and greater than the dealer's upcard. If you have a total of 10 and the dealer is showing a 7, you should double down. If you have a 10 and the dealer is showing a 10 or face card, just hit.

5. Know how to play your soft hands. If you have a soft 17 or lower choose to hit. Stand if you have a soft 18 or higher. You should double down if you have a soft 13 to 18 and the dealer is showing a 5 or a 6.

6. Split your cards, which means to split pairs apart and play them as two separate hands, if you have a pair and the dealer's upcard is less than 6. Always split aces and 8s, regardless of the dealer's upcard. Never split pairs of 4s, 5s or 10s.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember the objective of the game is to beat the dealer, not necessarily to get as close to 21 as possible. You can easily win a hand with 13 or 14, if it is played correctly.
• Stiff hands are hands that have a high potential to bust. A hard 15 or 16 is the worst hand you can have because you can easily bust with a hit, or easily lose if you stand. Follow the strategy above and hope for the best, but it will be a hard hand to win.
• Some games have rules that will allow you to surrender a hand. You will lose half your bet but you will not have to play out the hand. It is a good idea to surrender when you have 16 and the dealer is showing a 9, 10 or 11, or when you have 15 and the dealer is showing a 10.
• Never take insurance. It is weighted in favor of the dealer.