When Should You Not Hit In Blackjack

Stay

Here are some extra tips which relate to any blackjack game: Do not take on any side bets; Don’t take insurance. This is a side bet which can be placed if the dealer’s face card is an Ace to ‘insure’ you against the dealer having a blackjack. In reality, the odds are stacked against you and it is not.

Here's the situation:

You're in a four deck game, with standard rules. You've been dealt a seven and a five for a hard 12, while the dealer shows a three as his upcard. He might bust, and then again he might not. You're mulling it over. What do you do here?

Well, you're going to have to hit the hand, but make sure you take just one hit. Any card you draw will take your new three-card total beyond what would call for a hit in your Basic Strategy.

Hit

This is somewhat similar to the dynamic involved in the 12 vs. 2 situation. If you do not hit this hand, you WILL win about 1.5% more of your hands. So why don't I stand here, you ask?

  1. Use the following rules to determine when to Hit, according to your hand and the.
  2. Hit, and your soft 16 is nearly a breakeven hand with an average loss of only eight-tenth s of a percent. By standing on soft 16, the player at my table turned a nearly neutral hand into a just another awful 16. 10: The average loss is 54.0 cents if you stand, and that’s reduced to 21.0 cents if you hit.

Well, the flip side is that you're going to lose about 3.5% more if you stand pat.

Not

You will push 5% of the time with the dealer. Sometimes the reason you make a certain play is NOT to win more than you lose (because it's not always possible) or to win more often than you would otherwise.

Sometimes you make a play because it will cause you to lose less than otherwise. Pushes are not a bad thing for you here. 'Pushing' the hand means that you don't lose; you just get your original bet turned back to you and you start all over again.

Unless your potential gain can outweigh your potential loss, don't move against the recommended Basic Strategy. Remember that you will at times be called upon to hit a potential busting hand against a dealer's 'stiff' upcard.

If there is an overriding lesson to be learned here, it's not to be afraid to do it if the percentages dictate it!

US vs. THEM Blackjack Strategy Series
An Analysis
By Charles Jay

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