Blackjack strategy III – more basic strategy
A player’s basic strategy in a blackjack game is always affected whether his hand is a hard total and on various other parameters. For example, in a game table for three or more card decks where the dealer stands on soft 17 and can take a peek at his hole card to check out a possible blackjack, double after split is available as also doubling on any two cards and the winning odds for a blackjack hand is 3:2, a player can follow an optimal strategy if his hand value ranges between a hard14 and10.
So with hand value of either a hard 14 or a hard 13, the player should stand when the dealer’s up card shows a value of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. On any other situation, that is, if the dealer’s up card is 7, 8, 9, any ten-valued card or an ace, the player must hit and draw additional card(s) to suit his game and make it advantageous. Now, if the player has a hard 12 then he should only consider standing when the dealer’s up card is a 4 or a 5 or a 6 card. In all other cases, irrespective of the dealer’s up card showing 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, any ten-valued card or an ace,. The player’s optimum choice of action is to hit.
In case the player has a hard 11, standing is a non-optimal play and should be avoided under all conditions. He must hit if the dealer has an ace card turned up and on all other cases, it is advisable that the player chooses the doubling down option. Only if doubling is not allowed should the player’s basic strategy be hitting. A player with a hard 10 hand value must invariably hit when the dealer shows an ace or a ten-valued card. Doubling down is the favorable and most desirable option for the player against any other card the dealer may have as his up card. However, in case doubling down is not permitted the player must hit.
