Before having your first cards dealt, you can already know what to do if you memorize the basic blackjack strategy. They are almost by-the-book actions that you can learn by heart and apply whenever possible simply because they are the best way of acting:

• Stand with 17 or more – If you have got a hard 17 or a bigger number, always stand. It is too risky to go any further.
• Double on 11 – If you have a hard 11, double down on it because it is a very promising hand. After all, the highest possible card can only give you 21 and nothing higher!
• Do not split 10s – Being able to split a hand of 10s does not mean you should do it. Instead, you have a pretty good 20 that can make you win several times.
• 8s and Aces are to split – Memorize that a pair of 8s and Aces are better played if split. That way, you avoid either a risky 16 or the lack of potential of two Aces wasted on a single hand.
• Hit from Ace and 7 – If the dealer has got a 9, 10, or Ace, you should hit and try to go beyond that 8/18. Otherwise, stand with it!
• Standing with 12 – According to the blackjack basic strategy, stand with 12 only if the dealer has got 4, 5, or 6. If not, that low hand is better played by hitting a new card.
• Standing with 13 to 16 – With 13 to 16 in your hands, only stand if the dealer has between 2 and 6. Otherwise, hit, hoping for a card that is not too high.

That is the basic blackjack strategy with which you can already get the hang of how it is played. Of course, if you want to succeed, we highly recommend that you continue to read and make good use of our blackjack complete strategy chart!

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Strategies for Soft Hands

According to the rules on how to play blackjack, a soft hand is a hand that counts with an Ace. Because it has the possibility to be counted as 1 or 11, that hand is considered “soft”, or flexible. With such a hand, these are the optimal choices:

Strategies for Hard Hands

Consequently, normal hands that do not have an Ace with two possible values are considered to be “hard hands”. However, that name has nothing to do with difficulty, especially if you learn some moves by heart:

When to Surrender?

When playing, especially blackjack online, you have a limited time to make your choice, and you might get in trouble if you don’t know if you should surrender. Not every variation allows it, but you should know that bad hands may happen and that coming out with half the bet is better than zero. These are two situations in which surrendering is a good idea:

• If you have a hard 16 and the dealer has anything from 9 to Ace.
• If you have a hard 15 and your dealer has 10.

As in online poker, which is not even near being a chance game like blackjack, it is essential to know when you cannot or will probably not win. Of course, there are other situations that you will learn with time, but these are the basic ones for a blackjack strategy.

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When to Split in Blackjack?

Whenever you have got a pair in your first hand in blackjack, you may split it. Splitting divides your hand into two, each one representing a full bet. There are situations in which you always split, while you can consider the dealer’s cards for most of the cases:

Counting Cards in Blackjack

The notorious blackjack strategy of counting cards has lost its magic over the years. Made famous by popular movies and because of the promise of making a profit from counting blackjack card values, it is not that useful anymore. You simply keep track of the cards at an impressive speed to know if higher or lower cards have a higher chance of appearing.

First of all, even when you play at physical casinos instead of online casinos in the Philippines, there are a few methods with which the house can avoid that behavior. Besides, it is nothing granted, and you cannot replicate it online. Therefore, focus on your blackjack strategy for the cards you see instead of counting their values to predict the next cards.