Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack is as popular online as it is offline and you can find all the blackjack strategy, blackjack tips and blackjack rules you need right here – to help you improve your online blackjack game and reap the rewards.  

The name blackjack originates from a time when gambling houses encouraged people to play more by offering bonus payouts for hands with black jacks (i.e. the jack of spades or the jack of clubs). Casinos do not offer this anymore, but the basic rules of the game still remain.

Basic Blackjack Rules

In any online blackjack game, the main objective is to achieve the highest total under 21 with your hand. The player who manages this wins. If a player’s hand totals over 21 they are bust.

Cards one through to ten all have the same value as their number. Picture cards (Jacks/Queens/Kings) all hold a value of ten.

The ace card can be worth eleven or one. If eleven would cause a player to go bust they would play the ace as a one. It is up to the player to decide which value will be most beneficial.

A hand that contains an ace can be referred to as a soft total, because the player can choose the value of the ace and avoid going bust in this way. For example, a hand with an ace and an eight is a “soft 19” because, if a card turned up that would take the player over 21 they could decide the ace is worth one to avoid going bust (and in this way change the value of the hand from the original “19”).

A hard total refers to a hand in which the ace can only be worth one value. For example: nine, seven and ace. The ace card can only be worth one at this point, as if the ace was worth eleven you would already be bust.

Your aim is to beat the dealer by having a hand of higher value, which does not go bust. If you go bust you lose, even if the dealer then goes bust as well. In this way, blackjack favours the dealer. This is why online blackjack strategy can be so useful; because it can reduce the dealer’s advantage.  

Push refers to a situation in which both a player and the dealer have the same value hands. In this scenario, neither would win that hand.

A two-card hand that equals 21 is called “blackjack” or a “natural” hand. This hand is unbeatable. If no-one has blackjack then each player will play their hand in turn, followed lastly by the dealer.

Some casinos vary in their blackjack rules pertaining to the dealer. Many blackjack games follow the rule that “dealer stands on all 17’s” which means that the dealer must continue to accept cards until the total reaches 17 or greater. An alternative blackjack rules is “dealer hits soft 17” which means the dealer has to twist if his hand equals 17 and consists of an ace.

You can reduce the house advantage when playing online blackjack by employing blackjack strategy which will help you decide when the best time is to stick or twist and when you should double down or split. Take a look at the blackjack strategy section further down to find out more.

Some Blackjack Definitions

Stick: taking no more cards. Stick when the risk of going bust outweighs the possibility of getting 21, or when you already have blackjack.

Twist: taking another card. Twist when you think the risk of you going bust is slim or is outweighed by the chances of you getting nearer to blackjack/21.

Double Down: double your bet and take exactly one more card, then stick.

Split: double your bet and split your two (matching) cards to make two new hands. It would only be worth doing this if your two matching cards are fairly low otherwise you may well achieve blackjack anyway (for example if you have a pair of tens).

Soft: a hand is soft if it contains an ace which could be either a one or an eleven in value (depending on which is most profitable).

Hard: a hand is hard if it contains an ace which can only be a one because an eleven would make the player go bust.

Blackjack Strategy

One of the best things about online blackjack is the element of choice that players have. This makes it possible to implement truly effective blackjack strategy in order to reduce the house/dealer advantage, thereby increasing your chances of winning.

Our blackjack strategy table below shows you when to stick and when to twist, as well as when to double down or split.

Key:

S = Stand

H = Hit

D = Double

SP = SPlit

Employ these blackjack strategies and you will soon see a great improvement in your performance. Test out your knowledge by playing online blackjack today at Littlewoods Casino.