Blackjack Strategies

Depending on your perspective, blackjack can appear to be a bit of a contradiction. The classic game of 21 is favored around the world for its simplicity but it actually has a remarkable amount of depth, making it a close friend of players who like the added complexity of card games like poker. But unlike poker, playing blackjack doesn’t just require skill -  memory is also important.

The guidebook for blackjack is known as the basic strategy. By taking certain actions during the game, it’s possible to reduce the house edge from 2% to around 0.5%. This can make blackjack one of the more player-friendly games in online and live casino, with the player’s chance of winning against the dealer standing at 42.2%. It all comes down to how you use a handful of possible moves, such as splitting and doubling down.

Read our exclusive guide to the basic strategy below and then try out your newfound knowledge in Mr Green’s live lobbies.

Blackjack Odds

Like roulette, blackjack is a game of fixed probabilities so there’s no way to influence the outcome of any game. The objective of the basic strategy is therefore to optimize the way you play to make as few mistakes as possible. This involves learning when to split and double down but you’ll also need to know how to use insurance and surrender.

You have just a 4.8% chance of getting blackjack, or a total of 21, in any game using a single deck. Adding more decks doesn’t affect that figure much. Even if the casino is using one hundred decks of cards, the likelihood of you hitting blackjack never drops below 4.7%. Of course, the objective of blackjack isn’t to get 21. It’s to beat the dealer.

Surrender Strategy

Surrendering in blackjack means (almost) exactly that – you give up your hand. However, by choosing this option, you only lose half of your wager. Why would you want to do that? Surrendering lets the player escape a situation they find unwinnable, helping protect their bankroll for later games. Generally, you’ll be able to make an early or late surrender, depending on whether it’s before or after the croupier checks their cards.

Pair Splitting Strategy

Playing with two hands in blackjack might seem like a great way to get thrown out of a casino but this is exactly what happens when you split. If you have two cards of equal value, such as a pair of 4s, you can receive two more cards from the dealer and create two hands. This move does require some thought to master the odds involved. Splitting 10s, for instance, is considered a misstep.

Doubling Down Strategy

Another fairly self-explanatory move, doubling down lets you double your wager. This comes with a price. You’ll only be able to receive one more card. Doubling down is basically a bet on yourself to win or the dealer to bust so it’s important to reserve this move for the right situations. When should you use it? The experts recommend doubling on a total of 11 as this number offers a good chance of success.

Hit and Stand Strategy

Hitting and standing are the most basic moves in blackjack. The former is a request for another card while the latter calls the end of the game. This should be one of the things you learn first from the basic blackjack strategy but, in brief, you should stand on a strong hand and hit on a weak one. There are quite a few things that can complicate this rule so it’s worth reading about before you join Mr Green’s blackjack games.

Insurance Strategy

When the dealer has an ace as their up-card, i.e. the one you can see, players have the opportunity to take insurance. This is known as a side bet. Insurance is quite an enigmatic action as it seemingly has no supporters in the casino community. Why? It’s a wager on the dealer having a 10, giving a total of 21. Advanced players may take insurance if they have a strong hand but, still, it’s a variant of standard betting that has proven tough to sell.

Even Money Strategy

Picture this - you have 21 and the dealer has an ace. In this scenario, there’s a chance that the dealer also has blackjack. Obviously, we don’t want a drawn game, as there’s no profit in it for us. The even-money strategy is designed to help us here as a hedge against a tie. The parallels that even money has with insurance does make it an undesirable thing to do but it does offer a good return of twice your stake.