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The GameMaster's Blackjack School
Back to Blackjack School
Index Lesson 1: Basic Strategy
The foundation of winning at Blackjack
is to utilize proper basic strategy in playing the hands. "Proper"
means that each decision you make on hitting, standing, doubling
or splitting pairs is the correct mathematical play for that
hand. There is no room for intuition, gut feelings or guessing
when it comes to basic strategy; you must make the "percentage"
play each time. Even if you've doubled an 11 against a dealer's
10 five times in a row and lost, when that hand comes up a sixth
time you must double. Consistency is a big part of playing a
winning game, so resolve right now that you are going to make
the proper play, regardless if the dealer rolls his eyes upward
or the other players at the table groan quietly when you do
it. You are there for the money -- there's no other reason to
play blackjack -- and the application of proper basic strategy
is going to get that money for you; what others think of your
play is not important.
The correct basic strategy for a blackjack
game depends upon the rules of the casino where you will be
playing. The strategy which applies to a single deck game in
Reno, for example, is quite a bit different than the strategy
for an eight-deck game in Atlantic City. I'm going to show you
how to learn the basic strategy of your choice; exactly what
that strategy is will depend on you. To select a basic strategy,
go to the "Blackjack
Strategy Engine" and simply fill in the blanks. Once your
strategy is computed, print it out.
Here's what that looks like for a fairly
common game: Six decks, double on any first two cards, double
after splitting pairs is permitted and the dealer stands on
A-6. (If any of these terms are unfamiliar, go to ConJelCo's
FAQ ).
Basic Strategy : 6 Decks, S17, DA2, DAS, No surrender
Splitting Pairs
| Pairs |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
T |
A |
| (A,A) |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| (T,T) |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
| (9,9) |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
Y |
Y |
N |
N |
| (8,8) |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| (7,7) |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
N |
N |
N |
| (6,6) |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
| (5,5) |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
| (4,4) |
N |
N |
N |
Y |
Y |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
| (3,3) |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
N |
N |
N |
| (2,2) |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
N |
N |
N |
N |
Key:
- Y = Yes, split the pair
- N = No, don't split the pair
Soft Totals
| Soft Totals |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
T |
A |
| (A,9) |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
| (A,8) |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
| (A,7) |
S |
Ds |
Ds |
Ds |
Ds |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
| (A,6) |
H |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| (A,5) |
H |
H |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| (A,4) |
H |
H |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| (A,3) |
H |
H |
H |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| (A,2) |
H |
H |
H |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
Key:
- H = Hit
- S = Stand
- D = Double; if unable, Hit
- Ds = Double;
if unable, Stand
Hard Totals
| Hard Totals |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
T |
A |
| 17 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
| 16 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| 15 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| 14 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| 13 |
S |
S |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| 12 |
H |
H |
S |
S |
S |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| 11 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
| 10 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
| 9 |
H |
D |
D |
D |
D |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
| 8 |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
H |
Key:
- H = Hit
- S = Stand
- D = Double; if unable, Hit
This is the chart which you will eventually
know as well as your own name -- but don't worry, you're not going
to memorize it in this form. What we are going to do is convert
all this into what a "normal" person can understand. I call what's
above the "Basic Strategy Matrix" and you will use it in some
of your training. But what we need to do in order to memorize
this is to translate the information above into all-inclusive
rules. Let's do a few as examples.
Look at the strategy for a player's hand
of 9 on the matrix above; it says to double against
a 3,4,5 or 6 and hit it against everything else.
We can turn that information into a simple rule: "With a
hand of 9, double versus 3 through 6, otherwise hit." See
how this works? We are going to take each player's starting
hand and convert the proper play of that hand into one easy-to-understand
rule. Now look at a hand of A-2. Proper basic strategy
says to double against 5 and 6 and hit it against everything
else, so our rule for A-2 is "Double vs. 5 & 6, otherwise
hit." As a bonus, we can group A-2 with A-3 since
the play for each is identical. So we end up with a rule like
this "A-2 , A-3; double vs. 5 & 6, otherwise hit." One
more example; a pair of 3's. When double after split
is permitted, proper basic strategy says to split 3's whenever
the dealer is showing a 2,3,4,5,6, or 7. Against any other dealer
up card, we do not split; we should just hit the hand.
Thus, our rule for a pair of 3's becomes "3,3; split vs.
2-7, otherwise hit". Clear on all that? Good. Below is the
basic strategy chart for the matrix shown above
Basic Strategy Chart
| Player's Hand |
|
Decisions |
| 5 thru 8 |
|
Always Hit |
| 9 |
|
Double 3 thru 6, o/w hit |
| 10 |
|
Double 2 thru 9, o/w hit |
| 11 |
|
Double 2 thru 10, o/w hit |
| 12 |
|
Stand 4 thru 6, o/w Hit |
| 13 thru 16 |
|
Stand 2 thru 6, o/w Hit |
| 17 or higher |
|
Always Stand |
| A,2 |
|
Double vs 5&6, o/w Hit |
| A,3 |
|
Double vs 5&6, o/w Hit |
| A,4 |
|
Double vs 4 thru 6, o/w Hit |
| A,5 |
|
Double vs 4 thru 6, o/w Hit |
| A,6 |
|
Double vs 3 thru 6, o/w Hit |
| A,7 |
|
Double 3 thru 6, Stand vs 2,7,8 Hit vs 9,10,
A |
| A,8-A,9 |
|
Always Stand |
| 2,2 |
|
Split 2 thru 7, o/w Hit |
| 3,3 |
|
Split 2 thru 7, o/w Hit |
| 4,4 |
|
Split vs 5 & 6, o/w Hit |
| 5,5 |
|
Never Split, treat as "10" |
| 6,6 |
|
Split 2 thru 6, o/w Hit |
| 7,7 |
|
Split 2 thru 7, o/w Hit |
| 8,8 |
|
Always split |
| 9,9 |
|
Split 2 thru 9 except 7; o/w Stand |
| 10,10 |
|
Never Split |
| A,A |
|
Always Split |
|
|
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Remember The Basic Strategy Chart shown
here applies only to the game described earlier; you must produce
your own to fit the rules of your favorite casino.
Once you've made your Basic Strategy Chart,
we can begin to memorize it. To do that, we will produce a set
of "flashcards". Remember those? You probably learned how to
add or subtract using those cards and they will also teach you
how to win at Blackjack. You need to make one flashcard for
each starting hand by reproducing the information above on a
2" x 2' piece of paper. (Manila file folder material does well
for this.) Here's what one looks like;
When you're finished, you'll have a pack
of flashcards which will help you to memorize the proper basic
strategy for the game you've chosen. Start carrying them with
you and as you encounter those "lost" moments we each seem to
have in our day -- waiting for a plane, sitting at the dentist's
office or even while watching TV, pull your cards out and start
reciting the rule for the hand shown. Check your accuracy by
flipping over the card and then put it on the bottom of the
pack. You'll be amazed at how quickly you begin to learn all
these rules.
Homework
I said this was a school, didn't I? Well,
you will also have some homework to do before we get together
again next week. Here are your assignments
Flashcards: Spend a minimum of one hour each day going
through the cards.
Computer work: Go to
"Blackjack Myths, Facts and Playing Suggestions" and read
those so you can gain an understanding of what I'm going to
teach you in the coming months. They also have a shareware version
of a good BJ program you can try.
Go to "The
Blackjack Page" and roam around a bit. This is the premier
forum on the Internet for serious blackjack players; it will
be time well spent.
Next we'll finish with how to learn basic
strategy through a discussion and demonstration of additional
training aids and exercises which will give you the means to
check your accuracy. It is not necessary for you to have your
chosen basic strategy memorized perfectly at that point; all
you need to know now is HOW to learn basic strategy. Exactly
WHEN you learn it is up to you, since each part of this course
is separate and does not depend on you knowing perfectly what
came before.
As always, if you have any questions,
e-mail me at
aceten1@mindspring.com
and Ill get back to you ASAP.
The GameMaster
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