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To Hit or Not to Hit: Blackjack Basic Strategy

Blackjack basic strategy serves as a sort of guideline for playing blackjack for the purpose of decreasing house edge. It provides guidelines, for instance, in making a crucial playing decision called hit.

Hit, in blackjack, means asking for an additional card to a hand.

Since blackjack is a one-on-one opposition between dealer and player, comparing one's hand with the dealer's known card is the first step to take. Blackjack is a race to 21--- what a hand must total to, or nearly total to, but not exceed in total to. If the player goes over 21, the player busts and automatically loses to the dealer.

When playing, the gambler is always up against two probabilities: that the face-down card will give the dealer a bust, or will give the dealer a win. The question is: what cards are like to give the dealer a bust and what will not?

Blackjack basic strategy says that the lower in value of the dealer's up card, the higher is the probability of the dealer busting. The low value category includes cards 2 through 6, with cards 5 and 6 the ones most likely to give the dealer a bust.

Based on this premise, blackjack basic strategy gives the following suggestions on when to hit:

When your hand totals eight and less;

When your hand totals 9, whereas the dealer's up card is a 7 through 10;

When your hand totals 10, whereas the dealer's up card is a 10 or an Ace;

When your hand total is 11, whereas the dealer's up card is an Ace;

When your hand totals 12, whereas the dealer's up card is an Ace;

When your hand totals 13 through 16, whereas the dealer's up card is 7 though 10 or an Ace.

For a pair of 4s, hit if the dealer has 2, 3, 6 through 10, or an Ace.

For a pair of 5s, hit if the dealer has 10 or an Ace.

For a pair of 6s, hit as well if the dealer's up card is 7 through 10 or an Ace.

What's being suggested here is that for every up card of dealer, there's a corresponding playing option to take. And here blackjack basic strategy provides the guideline. The actions that blackjack basic strategy proposes are based on computer simulations and observation of actual games.

Blackjack basic strategy, in a sense, answers skill vs luck debate in blackjack. Surely, playing blackjack entails an amount of luck, but most definitely, knowing well when to hit, which means ask for another card to a hand from the dealer, won't harm one's coffer.

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