Playing Black Jack
“What is the best way to play Black Jack?”
For the casual player who wants to improve his play without memorizing a lot of charts and learning to count cards there are several simple rules to follow.
1. Always play as if the dealer has a “10” in the hole.
2. Always split Aces and Eights.
3. Double down with 11 against all dealer up cards except an Ace.
4. Double down with 10 against all dealer up cards except a 10 or an Ace.
5. Never take Insurance.
Dealer's Cards
Point number one above is a simple rule which governs most 21 Black Jack Tables decisions. As a player you know one of the dealer’s two cards.. .the up card. For this example we’ll say the up card is a 7. Assuming that the dealer has a “10” value card In the hole his count would be 17. As a player holding a count of 16 or less you should draw a card because standing creates more losses then hitting. If the dealer’s up card is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and we assume a “10” In the Black Jack - Play by Cheats hole then we know that the dealer must draw a card. So as a player you would stand on twelve or more... let the dealer draw and take the chance of busting. Stating this rule another way;
1. If the dealer’s up card is 7 or better, then you hit 16 or less.
2. If the dealer’s up card is 6 or less, then you stand on 12 or more.
Point number two says “Always split Aces and Eights.” An ace is the single strongest card in the game of Black Jack. The ace is counted as either I or 11. Together they make a count of 12. Splitting aces is a very strong move because you double your wager with a very strong card in each hand, even If you can only draw one card to each ace. A pair of eights makes a weak count of sixteen. By splitting the eights you are taking the chance of improving both black jack odds hands.
Points number three and four above say to double a 10 or 11 against a dealer’s weak up card but not to risk doubling your bet against a dealer’s strong card.
Point number five simply says that insurance is a “Sucker Bet.” With an Ace as the dealer’s up card the odds are 9 to 4 or about 2.25 to I that he will not have a Black Jack. Unless you are a card counter doing aside count for Insurance then the Insurance bet is a bad bet.
Expanding these simple rules above we arrive at Basic black jack Strategy. The basic strategy for Black Jack was developed over several years and proven by many independent computer simulations of the game. In addition all possible player totals were analyzed against all possible dealer up cards. This vast body of work produced the accepted basic strategy for any number of decks and rule changes, along with the advanced strategies and betting patterns for even the most infrequent plays and conditions. It Is far more difficult to memorize basic strategy for all conditions then to learn card counting. However for the player who has the time and interest here is a Basic Strategy for any number of decks.
