Hit & Stand Blackjack strategy

Most Blackjack players in Canada and elsewhere have likely encountered the terms hit and stand. They constitute the main strategy options when you play blackjack at Mr Green. It is therefore crucial for all blackjack players to understand them properly.

Many blackjack players can attest that the least attractive blackjack hands are normally found within the range 12 – 17. At the same time, these hands constitute approximately 40 percent of the total cases so there is no way of avoiding them. Players must face the reality that the house usually has a distinct edge in blackjack. From a player’s perspective, the best thing to do is to focus on decisions that could reduce the house’s edge and minimize the player’s long-term losses.

The optimal strategy in blackjack, also known as the basic Blackjack strategy, is widely considered the best strategy to pursue in blackjack. Its overall purpose is to maximize profits and minimize long-term losses. This introductory guide to hit and stand will present mathematical examples of when its best to hit or stand in a given situation.

Deciding whether to hit or stand

The optimal decision on hit and stand depends on several different factors:

• The applied rules at the blackjack table
• The number of used card decks
• The value of your hand
• The value of the dealer’s cards

The tables below offer a user-friendly overview of which hands mean you should hit and which mean you should stand.

It is important to note that the tables below are based on the assumption that the surrender option is not available in the given game. However, if the surrender option were possible, then it would be numerically correct to surrender your hand if it has the value 5 while the dealer displays an ace. You can read more about the surrender option in our surrender strategy guide.

The player’s hands are displayed in the left column. The other columns indicate whether the player should hit or stand while facing different cards displayed by the dealer. The colour white means that it is mathematically correct to neither hit nor stand. In situations like these, the player should instead pick alternative options such as pair splitting or doubling down.

The remaining hands and the pair each have their own tables. Divisions are also based on the following factors:

• Number of used card decks
• Applied rules at the table

Also, a few words about the abbreviations. For instance, “S17” means that the dealer always needs to pick hit with all hands that have the value 17. On the other hand, “H17” means that the dealer needs to stand for all hands with the value of 17. The term “DAS” stands for “doubling after split.” By contrast, “NDAS” indicates the exact opposite: “no doubling after split.”

The reason these terms matter is that they indicate whether the important doubling down option is available to the player or not after a split. In addition, you should be aware of the fact that DAS and NDAS only have an impact on hit and stand decisions linked to pairs. From a strictly mathematical perspective, the right decision for all other hands are merely influenced by the S17 and H17 at the blackjack table.

Blackjack is a complex game that is not black and white. You can therefore sometimes experience situations where the correct decisions with pairs are identical for both S17 and H17.

Decks: 1
Table rules: S17
Type of hands: All except pairs

Decks: 1
Table rules: S17, DES
Type of hands:Pairs

Decks: 1
Table rules: S17, NDAS & H17 NDAS
Type of hands:Pairs

Decks: 1
Table rules: H17
Type of hands:All except pairs

Decks: 1
Table rules: H17, DAS
Type of hands:Pairs

Decks: 2
Table rules: S17
Type of hands:All except pairs

Decks: 2
Table rules: S17, NDAS & H17, NDAS
Type of hands:Pairs

Decks: 2
Table rules: S17, DES & H17, DES
Type of hands:Pairs

Decks: 2
Table rules: H17
Type of hands:All except pairs

Decks: 4/6/8
Table rules: S17
Type of hands:All except pairs

Decks: 4/6/8
Table rules: S17, NDAS & H17, NDAS
Type of hands:Pairs

Decks: 4/6/8
Table rules: S17, NDAS & H17, NDAS
Type of hands:Pairs

Decks: 4/6/8
Table rules: H17
Type of hands:All except pairs