Should you hit or stay at 15?
Question: “When should I hit on my 15?” Sam says: “Always hit a hard 15 when the dealer's up-card is a 7 through an ace. If you stand on that 15, you will win 25.36 percent of the time and lose 74.64 percent of the time. That makes a net loss of 49.28 percent.
17 and up always stands. 16 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit. 15 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit. 14 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit.
Never hit your 16.
And you'll lose nearly 70% of the time when you hit your 16. Here's the statistics. If you hit on your 16, you'll win 25.23% of the time, push 5.46% of the time, and you will lose 69.31% of the time. That's a net loss of 44.08% when you hit your 16.
In a double- or multi-deck game, if your 15 consists of an 8-7, hit against a dealer 10 upcard (rather than surrender). In all games, if your 16 is multi-card or the result of a pair split, stand against a dealer's 10 upcard instead of hit.
Hit on 15 = 58% chance of busting. Hit on 14 = 56% chance of busting. Hit on 13 = 39% chance of busting.
But there is one significant difference. In most casino blackjack games, a dealer must take a card if he hits 16 or below and stand at 17 or above. Some tables, though, say the dealer must hit soft 17, meaning he has a chance to increase his score up to 21.
Provided that late surrender is unavailable, you should stand on hard 15 against low-value cards 2 through 6 and hit versus 7 through ace. Undoubtedly, hitting a hard total of 15 is not the easiest decision to make at the blackjack table, especially against the dealer's 10.
You're also likely going to bust when you decide to hit. However, you'll lose about 74% of the time, which is 3% less than standing. This means should be hitting every hand for 16 vs. 10 in blackjack because this is the action that produces better results in the long term.
You should stand on all totals of 17, 19, or 20. You gain nothing from taking another card, regardless of what the dealer has. You don't want to go bust. Watch out for good totals that can be split.
When gamblers find themselves in a situation where their hand totals 13 and the dealer's upcard is from 2 through 6, they should stand. For the rest of the possibilities of the dealer's upcard, players need to hit, i.e. against stronger cards 7 through ace.
Should you hit on hard 18?
HARD 18 vs.
At hard 18, hitting brings even more frequent busts than with hard 17. Don't even think about hits with 10-8, 9-6-3, 6-7-2-3 or any other hard 18. With soft 17, it's best to stand against a dealer's 7 or 8. If the dealer has 6 or less, we double down.
HARD 16 BASIC PLAYING STRATEGY
In a single- and double-deck game, surrender against a dealer's 10 or Ace upcard, stand against a dealer's 2 through 6 upcard, and hit against a dealer's 7, 8, or 9 upcard.
But against the dealer's 7, your chances of winning are greater, because the dealer may very well have a 17, and your 18 will beat his 17. So never stand on 16 against a dealer's 7.
On all your two-card hard 16s, you gain by hitting whenever the dealer has 7 or higher, but the gain is biggest when the dealer has a 7 up. There are some hands of three or more cards where it's a better play to stand on 16 vs. 10, but that gets us into composition-dependent strategies — a topic for another time.
For most people, particularly those who are newer to blackjack, it's almost always a good idea to double down when you are showing an 11.
While it's not advised, some players choose to hit when they have a hand total of 12 or 13 and the dealer has a lower card. That hand is very unlikely to win but it just might, depending on what card you'll draw next.
The dealer does have to hit on 15 if the rules of blackjack are followed. A dealer can hit on 15 when they have cards totalling less than 16 or 17. But they have a blackjack and their hand consists of two cards that total 15, then they can choose to stand.
It's true that you should stand on 12 against any dealer's 4, 5, and 6 up card because of the dealer's high bust frequency (40%, 43%, and 42% respectively).
You cannot tell when a modern slot machine will hit because the outcome of each spin is random. No matter how many times a machine has spun, and no matter what the outcomes of those spins were, the probability of the next result remains the same.
The most common ways to trigger a jackpot slot include: Randomly on any spin – like in the Mega Moolah slots. If you line up certain symbols on a payline – like the Megajackpots Cleopatra slot.
How can you tell when a slot is close to hitting?
The premise behind the zig-zag strategy is that you should find a slot machine that's resting on results where the winning symbols are showing up on the face of the machine. If they're all on there in a zig-zag pattern, the theory suggests, then it's due to payout.
In shoe-dealt blackjack and double-deck variations, you must always hit your soft 18 when the dealer's exposed card is a 10 or an ace.
If the dealer's card is a 10-value-card, you still need a strong hand. It is best to hit when holding a hand of 10 or 12-16, and stand on anything 17 and over.
The Dealer's Play
The dealer must continue to take cards until the total is 17 or more, at which point the dealer must stand. If the dealer has an ace, and counting it as 11 would bring the total to 17 or more (but not over 21), the dealer must count the ace as 11 and stand.
The Dealer must draw on 16 or less, and stand on 17 or more. If your hand totals closer to 21 than the Dealer's, you win, and are paid even money. If your hand is lower than the Dealer's, you lose. If the Dealer busts, all remaining hands are paid even money, except a Blackjack which is paid 3 to 2.
Purely based on statistics, some casino gamblers get lucky and win money. Blackjack, however, can be beaten based on skill—no luck involved.
No, you should hit a hard 12 against a dealer 3. The decision is close but does favor hitting statistically. If you're counting then you should stand if the true count is 2 or higher. The best strategy is to hit.
The soft 19 total is a strong hand for the player. In fact it is such a strong hand that it is profitable against every dealer's up card.
Your goal is to beat the dealer. Most of the time, when you have 12 and the dealer has a 4, you have a better chance of winning by hoping the dealer will bust their hand. If the dealer has 13-16, which is highly likely when the dealer has a small upcard, you don't lose right then and there.
If it's good enough for the dealer, it's the same for players … hitting soft 17 is always better than standing. Therefore, one of the golden rules of smart play is this: No matter what blackjack game you are playing, never stand on soft 17.
Do you ever hit a hard 17?
It is never in the players best interest to take a card when holding a “hard 17”. If you have A6 (soft 17) it is always right to take another card.
If the dealer has a soft 18, soft 19 or a soft 20, then the dealer must stay. The dealer has no choice on how to play their hands. But not every house will display those words. Since every casino is different, there'll be some blackjack tables where you'll see the words “Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17's”.
- Learn Basic Strategy and stick to it. ...
- Always double your bet when your first two cards total 11 and always split pairs of aces and 8's… ...
- Never split 10-value cards or a pair of 5's. ...
- Blackjack flows in streaks. ...
- Be sure to sign up for any rewards program the casino offers.
Other experts advise against splitting 8s against anything but a 7, or unless the dealer shows a bust card of 3, 4, 5 or 6. (In the latter case, you likely would split anything short of 9s or 10s.)
If the dealer is likely to have a stronger hand, your best bet is to hit and improve your hand — you'll only bust out if you get a 10 or face card. Split nines against two through six, eight, and nine. If the dealer has a seven, ten, or ace showing, don't hit — instead, stand.
Never double down when you're showing anything higher than an 11, as the chances of going bust are too high to risk. It's better to simply hit or stick on a lower total, and then hope that the dealer goes bust. Basically, if you're ever unsure whether to double down, stick to the safe option and keep your bet as it is.
The best blackjack rules include the dealer standing on soft 17, but it seems most casinos hit that total.
In fact, the value 16 is said to be the worst hand one can have in blackjack. Since sixteen of the other fifty cards have a value of 10 and four have a value of 11, there is a strong chance of getting at least an 18 with either or both split cards. A hand totaling 18 or 19 is much stronger than having a 16.
The Dealer must draw on 16 or under and must stand on 17 or over. The Dealer's first ace counts as 11 unless it busts the hand. Subsequent aces count as one. If the player's total is closer to 21 than the Dealer's, the player wins even money (1 – 1).
For example, if you were dealt a pair of 4s against a dealer's 5 upcard with DAS, you should split. Suppose on the first 4, you are dealt another 4 on the draw. You should resplit to form a third hand. If the casino allows resplits up to a total of four hands, then you should resplit again if you are dealt another 4.
Do you double a 10 against a 7?
Hard 10 Or 11 Against Any Lower Dealer Card
A hard 10 or 11 puts you in a powerful position – that is, with any two cards, not including an ace, that make 10 or 11 (2-8, 2-9, 3-7, 3-8, 4-6, 4-7, 5-6). If the dealer has a lower total, it's time to double down.
When you double down, you risk losing double your original bet, but with 11 vs. 10, you win double your bet more often, giving you a higher average profit.
The bottom line is that if the dealer's upcard is a power one and players have soft 18, then they are placed in a disadvantageous position. Hitting in this case is the gamblers' best choice. Even though it doesn't guarantee they will improve their hand, it will help them lose the least amount of money.
For a single-deck game, hit soft 17 when the dealer's upcard is 7 through ace. For double- and multi-deck games, hit soft 17 when the dealer's upcard is a 2 or 7 through ace.
When you are dealt a soft 18, you could stand, hit or double down. Most players routinely stand when their initial hand is a soft 18 but you should only do this when the dealer's upcard is a 2, 7 or 8 (S17 game), because the player's expectation is more favorable compared to hitting or doubling down.
No, you should hit a hard 12 against a dealer 3. The decision is close but does favor hitting statistically. If you're counting then you should stand if the true count is 2 or higher. The best strategy is to hit.
The best blackjack rules include the dealer standing on soft 17, but it seems most casinos hit that total.
The Dealer's Play
If the total is 16 or under, they must take a card. The dealer must continue to take cards until the total is 17 or more, at which point the dealer must stand.
Traditional basic strategy (also known as “total-dependent strategy”) says to stand on hard 12 against a dealer's 4, 5, and 6 up card, and hit against a dealer's 2, 3, and 7 though Ace up card. The biggest mistake that players make when they are dealt a hard 12 occurs when the dealer's up card is a 2 or 3.
In literal terms, Soft 17 is another way of describing a blackjack hand worth 17 which includes an Ace, where the Ace counted either as 1 or 11. A Soft hand cannot bust if you take one card more. In contrast, a hard hand is simply one without an Ace, or which includes an Ace but it can bust if another card is taken.
