Nothing screams “casino” like a game of blackjack, with players crowded round a felt table, slinging cards and facing off against the dealer. Blackjack is an easy game to pick up, but difficult to master.
Both in-person and online blackjack in Canada share the same core strategy. With a bit of studying, new players can learn this strategy in a matter of minutes, helping players make more statistically informed decisions. This guide will help you learn to play blackjack and refine your blackjack strategy.
How to Play Blackjack
The rules of blackjack are quite straightforward. Players are dealt two cards. The dealer also gets two cards, one face-up and one face-down. Each card is worth its printed value, except face cards, which are worth 10.
Hand totals are added up, with the highest-scoring blackjack hand between the player and dealer labelled the winner. If a player wins, they are typically paid even money (1:1) on their wager. A natural blackjack usually pays more, commonly 3:2, depending on the game rules. If they lose, their bet is forfeited. If the player and dealer have the same total, the round is usually considered a “push,” and the player’s original bet is returned. Also, if a hand exceeds 21, it is “bust” and loses.
On the player’s turn, they can take several actions, each with specific blackjack terminology:
- Hit: The player receives another card from the deck.
- Stand: The player keeps their hand total and receives no more cards.
- Double-Down: The player doubles their bet and receives one more card.
- Split: Many blackjack games allow players to split pairs into two separate hands, though specific split rules can vary depending on the casino and game provider.
What Is Blackjack Basic Strategy?
The core goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer. This means there are two aspects to consider: the player’s hand and the dealer’s hand. A player can only control their own hand, but they must consider what the dealer’s face-down card might be. Since cards are dealt randomly, blackjack strategy focuses on making statistically favourable decisions over the long run.
Blackjack for beginners boils down to a couple of key principles:
- When the dealer shows a high face-up card, the player tends to play riskier to build a stronger hand.
- When the dealer shows a low face-up card, a common strategy is to play it safe and hope the dealer goes bust.
- Face cards are worth 10, meaning that around 30% of the cards in a standard deck have a value of 10.
- In most blackjack games, the dealer must hit on totals of 16 or lower and stand on 17 or higher, though some games require the dealer to hit on a soft 17.
These principles lead to a couple of foundational blackjack strategies that can be applied no matter what.
What To Do With A Low Dealer Up-Card in Blackjack
If the dealer shows a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, their hand can total at most 12—16. None of these hand totals is enough to win a round on its own, since the dealer would need to hit. Low dealer up-cards generally increase the dealer’s risk of busting, especially when showing a 5 or 6.
Basic strategy often favours more conservative play against weaker dealer up-cards. If the player’s hand is ripe for doubling down, this is typically a good time.
What To Do With A High Dealer Up-Card in Blackjack
If the dealer shows a 7, 8, 9, 10, face card, or Ace, they are in a strong position. High dealer up-cards generally give the dealer a statistically stronger position. This means that the dealer will stand. Players often need to take more risks against strong dealer up-cards to improve their chances of winning.
This circumstance is usually where more aggressive strategies are seen from players, being careful not to overspend. Basic strategy decisions depend on both the player’s total and the dealer’s up-card, though players often need to play more aggressively against stronger dealer hands.
Blackjack Strategy Tips
Blackjack strategy is pretty mathematical. But here are a few specialized tips that new players may not have heard of before.
Check the House Rules
While a good strategy will lower the house edge, several house rules can throw that out of whack. For example, the number of playing card decks being shuffled together to form the blackjack deck has a huge impact on house edge — up to a 0.5% difference. The number of decks used can affect the house edge, with single-deck games generally offering slightly better odds for players. The fewer decks in play, the better for players; the more decks, the better for the house.
Another such rule is whether the dealer must stand on a soft 17 or if they hit. Games where the dealer stands on soft 17 are generally slightly more favourable for players than games where the dealer must hit soft 17. This rule can change the house edge by 0.2%.
House rules are clearly disclosed to players, often printed on the table at in-person games or available in the info section of online games. For more clarification, ask the dealer or check the software provider’s site.
Try a Strategy Chart
When learning blackjack, all the different combinations of possible cards can be a bit overwhelming. Strategy charts are designed to cut down on memorization. These quick-reference charts explain when to hit, stand, double down, or split depending on the player’s cards and the dealer’s face-up card.
In-person casinos don’t like it when players bring in a printed strategy chart, but many online blackjack games allow players to reference strategy charts while playing. Keep a strategy chart open in a second tab while playing online blackjack. Or use a second screen, like a mobile device or second computer monitor, making it easy to glance over and check the chart.
Maintain a Budget
No matter how a player chooses to play blackjack, the fastest path to failure is needlessly wasting money. A given play session ends when a player walks away from the table or runs out of cash. There’s not much opportunity to gain experience if a player burns their entire budget on the first hand.
Learn to split the budget into individual portions and bet each portion on each hand. This is a responsible gambling tactic to minimize risk, avoid chasing losses, and extend play sessions by stretching the budget. Focus on playing blackjack for fun, not for profit.
