Blackjack is a simple enough game that computers have been able to solve the "optimal play" problem for any scenerio the game presents. So, there actually is a "right" and "wrong" thing to do in any given blackjack situation as far as winning over the long haul.
There is not system for doing anything like winning every hand. Some hands are simply unwinnable. And, doing the right thing for long term results sometimes turns out to be the wrong thing for short term results.
The series of moves that constitute optimal play are put into a chart know as a . . .
Basic Strategy Chart
You can find basic strategy charts all over the internet. The ones I get the most mileage from are those found at the Wizard of Odds site, and better yet, the customizable Blackjack strategy chart engine at
Ken Smith's Blackjack Site.
There are a couple of different ways to tweak the game of blackjack, and so not every casino (online or off) offers the exact same game of blackjack. For instance, one casino might use six decks, and another four. One might have dealers hit on a soft 17, others will have him stand. There are a few other variations in blackjack like that that give rise to what have become "Atlantic City" rules, "Downtown Vegas" rules, "Vegas Strip" rules, etc.
If you know the rules of the game you're playing, you can use Ken's engine to get a chart that shows you the optimal play for any given situation using those exact rules. The chart will show your hand along the left column, and the dealer's upcard along the top row. The cell where they intersect will give you the play that you should use for the best long-term gain.
Since there's no memorizing involved, using the optimal blackjack strategy for a game is a no brainer. If there's a right play to make, and all you have to do is look at the chart to see what it is, why not do it?
But, the right play doesn't always mean a winning play. Maybe you should double down with your 11 against a dealer's 10 for long term advantage. But, there will be plenty of times where you draw a six, and then he flips over his 10, and now you've lost twice what your initial bet was. This . . . is part of the game.
Another thing to keep in mind when playing blackjack is that the game tends to go in spurts of several small losses for one big win. So, you shouldn't expect to find as many winning hands as losing ones. Your bigger winners (like those double down bets) should offset those extra losing hands.
In the end, if you play the game of blackjack and make optimal decisions, the house will have an edge of roughly one half of one percent.
Homemade Blackjack Strategies
A couple of Blackjack strategies that I've seen that have some holes in them (but their followers stand by them strongly) include:
Never Bust Out
If your hand goes over 21, you lose - automtically. So, one strategy I've seen is to never put yourself in that position. Which means you'd never hit with a hand of 12 or better.
Pretend You're the Dealer
The dealer has a set of rules he must follow, and the house wins in the end. So, why not follow the dealer's rules and even things up?
Well, it's not the dealer's advanced decision-making skills that puts the edge in the favor of the house so much as the fact that they get to act last. If you bust, they don't have to find out if they would have busted too. Instead, they just win the hand.
Either of these home made blackjack strategies might seem reasonable, but when put to the test they come up short. In fact, both increase the edge the house has over the player by a noticeable amount.
Card Counting
The basic strategies of when to stand and when to hit are the better part of the strategy involved in blackjack. But there's a deeper level to the game that can be revealed.
It turns out that when the deck has a lot of high cards remaining, it is to the player's advantage. There are a couple of reasons why this is so.
One reason is that high cards make blackjacks, and they pay players better than even money. Another is that players rely on receving a high card to make their double down situations work best. Doubling on an 11 and receiving a 10 as your hit card is as good as it gets.
Because of these and other reasons, a deck that is "rich with tens" will produce better results for the players than a deck that has a lot of small value cards remaining. In order to take advantage of this aspect of the game, players have been moved to "count cards".
There are several systems for counting cards, but they basically fall into the overall idea of keeping track of when the deck is offering the player better (or worse) than average odds. When the odds are in the player's favor, they can up the amount of their bets. When they are in the favor of the house, a player can reduce his bet amount.
For a serious look at card counting, I suggest you look over the systems described on the Card Counting Systems page at Arnold Snyder's Blackjack Forums site.
This page last updated January 7th, 2007.
