Re-splitting is a powerful tool when you play blackjack, especially where you can double after a split and where you have Surrender. It allows you to get maximum money in play against the dealer’s weak up card. If a house allows re-splitting but no double after a split, go somewhere else to play blackjack.
All Blackjack Strategy Cards, Charts on One Page, in Action Color
By Ion Saliu, Founder of Blackjack Mathematics
0. The Best Introduction to Blackjack Basic Strategy
I. Split Pairs Chart
II. Double Down Chart
III. Hit or Stand Chart
IV. Special Blackjack Advice, Tips
V. Blackjack: Software, Content, Resources, Systems, Basic Strategy, Card Counting
0. The Best Introduction to Blackjack Basic Strategy
• Thousands of people pay huge money to learn the blackjack basic strategy in all kinds of seminars or training by videos. You don't have to do that. Save your money for real play at casinos. Just learn, memorize, and apply the three color-coded tables in the recommended order. This is the only, therefore the best sequence of learning and applying the blackjack basic strategy to the casino table.Do NOT gamble online: You will lose regardless how well you play, including perfect application of the blackjack basic strategy. Internet casinos cheat big-time! The software can do whatever the online gambling operators want it to. You can't see a thing!
All your decisions in blackjack should follow the three sequences listed below. Of course, you are, like every gambler out there, an independent mind. You have your own gambling strategy, including alterations of the basic strategy at the blackjack table. You must have had plenty of experiences in that tough environment. This is mostly for those blackjack players who never seemed to be able to grasp the basic strategy.
It is said that a majority of the gamblers do not have a grasp on blackjack basic strategy. It must be so because the training has been absolutely wrong. They put all the decisions in blackjack in one non-intuitive chart, a spreadsheet-like table that is very hard to memorize. I was NOT able to learn the blackjack basic strategy adequately from that one spreadsheet! My success in learning the blackjack basic strategy came soon after I applied the method of three color-coded charts of blackjack decisions. The average person will learn (near) perfectly the basic strategy in one week or so. It is guaranteed… and it is free.
- #1: Split Pairs Table: If first two cards not applicable, move quickly to the next cheat sheet, #2;
- The first two cards of your hand must be the same for pair splitting to apply; e.g. 7 & 7, or J + J.
- Approximately 3% of 2-card hands should be legitimately split (78total blackjack pairs, counting 10, J, Q, K as different; around 25 hands strongly recommended to be split).
- #2: Double Down Chart: If first two cards not applicable, move quickly to the last cheat sheet, #3;
- The first two cards of your hand must be as shown on the decision chart for doubling down to apply; e.g. the 2 cards sum up to 10 or 11, as 3 + 8; also, soft hands as Ace & 6.
- Around 8% of 2-card hands should be legitimately bet up (262 total total blackjack double-down configurations; 110 strongly recommended to be doubled down).
- #3: Hit (Draw) or Stand Cheat Sheet: A final decision must be made now; a basic strategy player will either stand (stay), or draw (hit the hand).
- If split pairs or double down did not apply to the first two cards, it must be either hit, or stand; some casinos offer the surrender option to the player (e.g. 15 or 16 against Dealer's up-card of 10 or Ace).
#1: Split-Pairs Table, Chart
- The recommended action is colored in red. The non-action is grayed out. For example, your first two cards are 9 & 9; the dealer face card is 6; the corresponding cell (square) is red: You split the pair. If the dealer up-card is 7, the cell is grayed out: You don't split, you move to the next chart (eventually to decision table #3).
- There are special cases regarding splitting pairs: the cells colored in blue. They are applicable (action) only if the particular casino allows doubling down after split (DAS). For example: 4+4 and dealer's face card 5 or 6.
#2: Double-Down Chart, Table
- The recommended action is colored in red. The non-action is grayed out. For example, your first two cards are A & 7; the dealer face card is 6; the corresponding cell (square) is red: You double down. If the dealer face card is 8, the cell is grayed out: You don't double down, you move to the last decision chart (#3).
#3: Stand or Hit (Draw) Final Decision Table
- The recommended action is colored in red. The non-action is grayed out. For example, your first two cards are 9 & 7 (a total of 16); the dealer face card is 8; the corresponding cell (square) is red: You hit the hand (draw another card). If the dealer up-card is 4, the cell is grayed out: You don't hit (you stand).
4. Special Blackjack Advice, Tips
- Always stand on 17 or greater.
- Never split 10 + 10 or 5 + 5.
- Split A + A and 8 + 8 (unless you saw many large cards on the table… without counting).
- Do not take insurance — unless you see very few 10-valued cards on the table (clearly fewer than 1 in 3).
- Buying insurance can be a favorable bet for all blackjack players under special circumstances — if you saw certain amounts of Ten-valued cards in the round.
- Insuring your natural blackjack can be even worse than taking insurance on a stiff hand. It all depends on the amount of Tens and total cards remaining in the deck.
- See mathematical formulas to calculate house edge on insurance, probability, odds for blackjack, natural 21.
- Keep in mind, however, that the insurance bet is not a big deal — the dealer gets a natural 21 about 5% of the time (once every 21 hands). Also importantly, the odds for a simultaneous natural for Dealer and Player are 0.2% (one in about 500 BJ hands).
When my bet is at the minimum, I play fancy sometimes and hit, even double, a 12 or 13 against dealer 5 or 6 only and only when I consider the probability be high to get a low card! I admit it, I had no choice but double up 12 against a dealer's 6 when the dealer made a serious error. The player prior to my hand was not a basic strategy player and stood on less than 11! The Asian dealer turned a 9 card, while the player had said 'Stand!' Rocket science for this very Parpaluck, who doubled down and won (less than $50!!!) The morale: You should never, ever be ashamed if winning because of dealer's gross mistakes! Also, beware of dealers' tendency to cheat by miscounting. If that happens, you could win big time in courts of law! Always look closely at dealers' hands!
- The three blackjack strategy charts are graphics (split-pairs.gif, double-down.gif, hit-stand.gif). You cannot highlight, copy, then paste into a file. You might want, however, to right-click on each image and save to your computer. The images are totally free and non-copyrighted by anybody, although a link to this Web page would be highly appreciated.
- Right-click on each image to print the corresponding blackjack basic strategy (BS) chart. Always print in vivid color, axiomatico/axiomaticule!
- The most important aspect of gambling mathematics, casino gambling especially, is record keeping. The streaks are the most important parameter in gambling. The infamous gambler's fallacy is the only counterpoint employed by casinos: Player will lose forever . . . but not the house — ever! You might want to do the real mathematics of blackjack streaks by running my probability software, Streaks.
- You can see a reduced version of my blackjack gambling system based on streaks, progressions. I call it blackjack mental system because the records are kept in memory (as in human brains). The full-version requires recordkeeping on paper. The casinos don't like it and they may take adverse measures if you open a notebook and start writing. Read one of my experiences: Casinos Bar, Ban Winning Gamblers, Skilled Players.
5. Blackjack: Software, Content, Resources, Systems, Basic Strategy, Card Counting
Click the link to visit a directory of pages and materials on the subject of blackjack, software, systems, basic strategy.Of major interest: Blackjack; Charts, Tables, Probability, Odds, Software.
- Split Pairs: Blackjack Basic Strategy Card, Table, Chart.
Color-coded chart to learn the best Split Pairs strategy. When you get your first two cards, look at this table first. The pairs occur the least in a blackjack game (5.9%). If your hand is not a pair, move to the next chart: Double Down. - Double Down: Blackjack Strategy Table, Card, Chart.
Color-coded chart to learn the best Double Down strategy. After consulting the Split Pairs table, look next at this table. The Double Down situations occur more often than pairs at blackjack (8% recommended to double). If your hand is not a Double Down situation, move to the next chart: Hit or Stand. - Hit or Stand: Blackjack Strategy Chart, Card, Table.
Color-coded chart to learn the best Hit or Stand strategy. After consulting the Double Down table, finally look at this table. The Hit or Stand decisions are by far the most frequent and important situations in blackjack. - Blackjack Basic Strategy: Free Card, Table, Chart, Spreadsheet: Split Pairs; Double Down; Hit Stand.
The traditional method of learning the BJ basic strategy: all decisions in a table. The dealer up-card is listed across (horizontally), while the player's first two cards are listed vertically in the leftmost column. For example, dealer's face-card is 5. Player's first two cards: A+4; the right move: D (double-down). It makes it more difficult to learn the best blackjack decisions accurately and quickly. It is best to combine similar situations that require the same action — as the blackjack cheat sheets on this page. - Gambling Mathematics in Blackjack Proves Deception of Card-Counting Systems.
- New Casino Games by Ion Saliu:Parpaluck Blackjack.
- The Best Blackjack Strategy, System Tested with the Best Blackjack Software.
- Download Casino Gambling Software: Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat.
Comments:
Blackjack is one of the most widely played games in any casino, brick-and-mortar or online. The game is popular for many reasons, including the fact that it is one of the easiest casino table games to learn to play and offers plenty of strategically-based decision-making to enhance winning opportunities.
While the most common decisions you would make in each round of blackjack include knowing when to hit or when to stand, other crucial strategic decisions include knowing when to split and when to double down.
Splitting Cards – What Is it and When Should You Do It?
The opportunity to split cards usually occurs when any player is dealt two identically-ranked cards, known as a pair, in the initial deal. The player can then split them into two new and separate bets and request another card for each. The two new hands will then each get a full bet, the same as if it were just a single blackjack hand.
Should it be on any two same-ranked cards, or is there a better way to go about splitting cards?
As a matter of fact, there is, and it’s loosely referred to as the aces and eights “rule.” In the case of a pair of aces, the player can either see the hand as a 2 (total), which is very bad, or as a soft 12, which can be just as bad. However, if the player splits the aces into two new bets, they automatically give themselves two separate opportunities to potentially hit a 21 or blackjack.
Similarly, if a player receives a pair of eights in their initial round, it adds up to a total of 16, which is considered to be one of the worst hands in blackjack. However, splitting the eights gives the player an opportunity to build on both hands.
If the player should receive either a 10 card or an 11 card, they will have a total of 18 or 19, which are both much better than going up against the dealer with a total of 16 only, should they choose not to split.
Double Down – What Does It Mean?
As the name implies, doubling down entails doubling your initial bet once you have received your first two cards. Of course, doubling down also depends on the rules of the particular game of blackjack that you happen to be playing.
It is always a good idea to ensure that you can double down in the game of blackjack you want to play before actually sitting down (or playing online). The double-down can be risky since you are putting down twice as much on your hand. If you lose, you lose twice as much. However, if you win, you instantly double your profits for very little extra work.
How the Double-Down System Works
To get your double-down going, you will need to signal to the dealer that this is your intention. In order to do this, simply place the same amount of chips next to your original bet. This is generally the accepted signal for a double-down in most brick-and-mortar or online casinos.
Note:Some land-based and online casinos will also allow you to double down for less, meaning that you can still pull off a double-down move, but you won’t have to put down the same amount as your initial bet, a bit like a special deal.
Once the dealer has acknowledged your wish to double down, he/she will then place an additional card across your initial two cards. This is where the entire double-down procedure ends, as you will not be allowed to do anything else with this hand. In other words, whatever your total hand is with the three cards is the hand you will be playing, without any additional hits.
Letting the Dealer Know You Are Doubling Down and Not Splitting
In blackjack, the action for a double-down is exactly the same as the action for a split. This is usually not a problem if you are either doubling down or splitting. However, if you want to double down on a pair, you will need to let the dealer know that you are doubling down and not splitting the pair.
In order to do this, you will need to say the words “double down” when placing your additional bet. This will ensure that the dealer does not confuse your intention.
Letting the Dealer Know You Are Doubling Down and Not Splitting – Online
Of course, if you are playing blackjack online, you cannot actually say the words “double down” to the dealer since the dealer is effectively a computer program. However, you can simply hit the double-down button (in most instances of online blackjack), and your additional bet will be placed automatically.
Know the Rules
Not every game of blackjack will allow you to double down on your hand, and not every casino (brick-and-mortar or online) will follow the same rules regarding doubling down. The most common form of the double-down rule allows players to double down on their initial two-card hand. Let’s look at some variations of the blackjack double-down rule:
- The most common double-down rule covers your first two-card hand
- Some casinos will also allow you to double down on a blackjack
- Some casinos will restrict the double-down option to either hard 9, hard 10, or hard 11 – this means that your initial two-card total must be 9, 10, or 11
- Players can also double down after a split – this applies to most brick-and-mortar as well as online casinos
Blackjack Split Rules
When to Double Down?
Doubling down is an enormously popular strategy in blackjack, and it is used by experienced players to potentially increase their profits very quickly. However, as with any technique or strategy, it is important to know what it is and when to use it for best effect.
There are inherent risks with using the double-down betting option that should be considered as well before attempting to use it in a real money blackjack game. While it does have the potential to instantly double your profits, the reverse is also true in that you could instantly lose twice as much as you would if a regular bet ended up as a bust.
When to Use It Strategically
One of the great things about playing blackjack is that there are plenty of opportunities to employ strategies to help improve your chances of success. Many experienced blackjack players also apply strategy to the double-down betting option, which can be combined with a card-counting technique for added effectiveness.
However, if you’re a novice blackjack player and wish to use the double-down betting option in your next blackjack game, you can simply follow these basic double-down guidelines:
- Double down on 11: if your initial two-card hand totals 11, you should probably double down. One of the main reasons for this is that there is always a good chance that you will receive a 10 card as your third card, giving you an instant total of 21
- Double down on a hard 10 if the dealer shows a 4, 5, or 6
- Double down on a hard 9 if the dealer shows either a 5 or a 6
Double Down in Card Counting
Card counting is one of the most notorious blackjack techniques for all the wrong reasons. Many people believe that this is a form of cheating, but in reality, it is just a smart way of figuring out what the blackjack deck may be holding.
Blackjack When To Split And Double Down
The way that card counting works is actually quite easy to understand. Different cards in the deck are given a value, either a minus value or a positive value (-/+), to determine what the deck may be holding. A negative deck, therefore, means that most of the cards in the deck will be low-value cards, while a positive deck tells you that there are more high-value cards still to play.
Card counting can, therefore, be used to determine when to double down and when to avoid the option. If the deck is quite negative, it tells you that doubling down could be a bad idea. For instance, if you have a two-card total of 11, you would probably normally double down in hopes of receiving a 10 card.
For ExampleOn a negative deck, there is more of a chance of getting a low-value card such as a 4, 5, or a 6. If the dealer is showing a 10 card, your chances of losing your double-down bet are much higher.
Being Safe with Double Down in Blackjack
As you can see, the double-down technique can be very effective in providing instant double profits, should everything go right. However, there is always the chance that things could go horribly wrong (there are no guarantees in blackjack), and you could lose twice as much.
Blackjack Split And Double Rules
Ultimately, it is all about knowing as much as you can about the game, applying a solid blackjack strategy such as card counting, watching the dealer to see what he is showing as well as what he may be hiding with his hole card, and watching other players to see how strong their hands are (which could tell you how strong or weak the deck is).