Every new blackjack player needs to start with the basics before they move onto more advances strategies. As you should know already the goal in blackjack is to be closer to 21 then the dealer without going over. If you haven’t read the rules to blackjack yet then make sure you do that before you finish reading this guide. There are several basic systems in blackjack which tell you whether you should hit, stand, double down or split your pair. Make sure you study these tables as they’ll be able to provide you with the basic strategy you need to beat blackjack.
Whenever you’re dealt 17 or higher in blackjack you should always stand since chances are if you take another card you’ll bust your hand and be over the total of 21. When you have 16 or lower you need to make your decision based off of the dealers up card. If the dealer is showing a low card then you should generally stand when you have a total of 12-16. If the dealer is showing an up card higher then 7 you’re going to need to take a card in most cases.
Obviously whenever your hand is 11 or lower you should always take a card since there is no possible way that you can bust your hand. When you have 11 you should actually be doubling down every single time since there is a good chance you could hit 21 on your third card which would ensure a good win. When you have a value of 10 in your hand you need to be careful about doubling down since even if you do hit a 10, you could still actually lose the hand.
Basic blackjack strategy requires that you play with skill, but there is also some luck involved with the game which you need to be able to deal with. You can’t get mad every time that someone takes a card when they shouldn’t because generally the mistakes other people make even out in your favour. Some of the time you’ll lose the hand because of a mistake someone made, but then other times you’ll win the hand because of a mistake that somebody made.
You also need to get lucky and have the cards fall into place in order to have a great blackjack session. If you stand with 16 because the dealer is showing a 6 and the dealer flips over a 10 and still manages to beat you then you just got unlucky and need to be able to deal with these types of hands. Part of playing blackjack is dealing with your emotions at the table and keeping them in check at all times.
The final tip I want to share with you right now is that you shouldn’t purchase insurance when it’s offered to you. Insurance can be purchased only if you’re counting cards which you most likely won’t be doing in the beginning. Once you do start counting cards a lot of your decision will be based on your count at that time, but don’t ever forget about the basics.