Basic Strategy

Basic Strategy

Blackjack does not require guess work but strategy. With strategy you learn how to win at blackjack by optimizing your chances of winning the game. Basic strategy helps you maximize your chances of winning for every hand you hit. The basic strategy works for blackjack for the simple reason that the player has all the chances to do his or her best before the dealer gets to do anything. Other games like poker do not give this advantage and therefore do not have basic strategies.

Blackjack has undergone a lot of changes especially with the invention of casinos. Earlier versions of blackjack games were more like poker with no clear rules and the dealer could play funny tricks if the player is not keen enough to win. The players also employed their trickeries trying to bust the dealer. Over time and with advent of casinos, you need not be guessing how to win at blackjack but must develop a clear strategy of pairing hands and knowing where to stand if you have a mathematically disadvantage of busting in which case you would appreciate you have done the best and can take the risk of waiting for the dealer to bust his hands.

The Americans are largely credited with modernizing and standardizing blackjack by introducing regulations for the dealer to adhere to. They also brought the requirement that a dealer expose one of his cards which completely transformed the game from a mind game to a more serious game requiring basic strategies to win.

How Strategy Works

The first consideration is that the dealers are dealing honestly. If for example as a player you have hit a hard hand total of 15 and the dealer shows a 10 upcard the basic strategy requires that you may hit another hand. If you heat higher numbers like 6, 7 or 8 then it is automatic that you bust. Imagine the dealer the shows his other card which turns out to be a six then you would realize that the dealer would have himself busted had you said a stand before hitting the busting number.

The concept of odds then comes into play which is important for any professional gambling. You need ask yourself what the odds are that you may win with your next action and decide whether to go ahead or leave the chances for the odd to happen. This is why if as a player you hit a number like 15 you find that there are significant chances that you may bust in your next hit and the correct strategy may be to stand to give the dealer a mathematical disadvantage of busting. Where rules allow the basic strategy may be that you surrender which would mean you can take half your bet and have another chance another day.