Blackjack Strategy

Card counting WAS one of the most popular blackjack strategies to estimate the advantage of the player over the house; however, card counting is not a workable strategy anymore because increasing number of decks makes the idea unreliable.

A repeatedly proven track in deciding on the blackjack strategy appropriate for your play is by getting used to the blackjack strategy charts.  Blackjack strategy charts are available for single deck blackjack games and multiple deck blackjack games accordingly.

When it comes to understanding and using the blackjack strategy charts for your play, you need not get scared thinking that the chart is going to be full of statistical numbers.  A typical blackjack strategy chart will have abbreviations of the common actions involved in a blackjack game.

• H for Hit
• S for Stand
• D for Double if permitted, else hit
• Ds for Double if permitted else stand
• P for Split
• H/P for Split if you can double after split, else hit
• H/R for Surrender if permitted else hit
• P/R for Surrender if permitted else split
• S/R for Surrender if permitted else stand

In a typical blackjack strategy chart:

• The vertical column in the left of the chart will denote your hand.
• The horizontal column in the top of the chart will denote the dealer’s hand.

If you are used to reading a matrix table, then the process is simple.  All you need to do is to memorize the action provided in the box pertaining to the vertical and horizontal column.  When you are in a similar blackjack situation as given in the chart, follow the suggested action.  This is one of the basic methods of play in blackjack games; optimally, one of the basic blackjack strategies in existence.  As simple as using a standard multiplication table! Chart representations might vary between sites.  Read accordingly.