Basic strategy is based upon a player’s point total and the dealer’s visible card. A player may be able to improve on this decision by considering the precise composition of his hand, not just the point total. For example, a player should ordinarily stand when holding 12 against a dealer 4. However, in a single deck game, the player should hit if his 12 consists of a 10 and a 2. The presence of a 10 in the player’s hand has two consequences:^[1]

• It makes the player’s 12 a worse hand to stand on (since the only way to avoid losing is for the dealer to go bust, which is less likely if there are fewer 10′s left in the shoe).
• It makes hitting safer, since the only way of going bust is to draw a 10, and this is less likely with a 10 already in the hand.

However, in situations in which basic and composition-dependent strategy lead to different actions, the difference in expected value between them is small. Additionally, as the number of decks used in a blackjack game rises, both the number of situations in which composition determines the correct strategy and the house edge improvement from using a composition-dependent strategy falls. Using a composition-dependent strategy only reduces house edge by 0.0031% in a six-deck game, less than one tenth the improvement in a single-deck game (0.0387%).^[2]

References

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

The complete set of optimal decisions for a player regarding only the dealer’s current exposed card and the point total of his own current hand is known as basic strategy. The basic strategy table below applies to the following ruleset:

• 4 to 8 decks
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Double on any 2 cards
• Double after split allowed
• Only original bets lost on dealer blackjack
• Late surrender

Key:

S = Stand

H = Hit

Dh = Double (if not allowed, then hit)

Ds = Double (if not allowed, then stand)

SP = Split

SU = Surrender (if not allowed, then hit except stand on 16v10 if not first two cards.)

In most Las Vegas Strip casino games, the dealer must hit on soft 17. This rule change requires a slightly modified basic strategy table: double on 11 vs. A, double on A/7 vs. 2, double on A/8 vs. 6 and surrender 15, 17 or 8/8 vs. A.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Print out this form below and run off a bunch of copies. You will notice that it is just a “blank” of the Basic Strategy Decision Chart we used in Lesson 1 to create the rules for each of the player’s starting hands. The object here is to write in the rule for each hand and then check for accuracy. Time yourself as you do it and see if you can get under 60 seconds with 100% accuracy.

(Source: GameMaster)

Basic Strategy Decision Exercise – Here I’ve made up a lot of player’s starting hands along with a dealer’s up card. Use your “Basic Strategy Matrix” from Lesson 1 to make a “correction copy” and mark it as such at the top. Then, just go down the columns of another copy and fill in the proper play. Use your correction copy to check for accuracy. Speed is of the essence here, so work towards a goal of completing this in under two minutes with 100% accuracy.

Player	Dealer	Decision		Player	Dealer	Decision		Player	Dealer	Decision
8,3	A	______		2,3,6	4	______		A,4,2	3	______
6,6	4	______		9,9	7	______		7,6	3	______
5,4	6	______		10,3	3	______		8,2	A	______
7,7	7	______		9,8	7	______		8,8	10	______
9,6	8	______		A,7	2	______		10,7	2	______
7,5	3	______		A,4	5	______		9,3	3	______
A,2	5	______		6,4	10	______		7,4	A	______
3,3	4	______		A,4	5	______		6,3	7	______
9,2	10	______		10,8	6	______		A,6	5	______
5,5	9	______		6,8	7	______		A,9	6	______
A,7	6	______		9,7	8	______		10,4	5	______
6,3	4	______		A,2,5	6	______		9,9	9	______
5,2	2	______		3,6	4	______		2,4	2	______
10,2	3	______		7,8	9	______		6,5	2	______
9,9	7	______		10,3	3	______		7,7	2	______
10,4	9	______		A,4	4	______		3,4	5	______
6,5	9	______		10,5	7	______		4,4	6	______
A,6	2	______		5,2	10	______		A,2,4	6	______
4,4	6	______		8,8	8	______		10,2,A	3	______
10,10	5	______		A,A	7	______		8,2	10	______
8,6	7	______		8,3	10	______		6,6	6	______
7,9	10	______		5,5	10	______		5,4	2	______
10,2,A	3	______		A,5,A	3	______		A,7	3	______
A,2,2	6	______		2,2	7	______		3,3	2	______
2,6	4	______		A,5	4	______		7,8	7	______
9,A	6	______		6,6	2	______		9,9	7	______
10,6	3	______		3,7	9	______		2,5,4	2	______
7,7	6	______		3,3	2	______		10,4	6	______
A,A	9	______		5,5	9	______		9,3	5	______
2,2	2	______		A,6	3	______		A,2	6	______
9,4	4	______		10,6	7	______		9,8	7	______
A,3,4	9	______		6,6	3	______		A,4,A	2	______
A,4,2	6	______		9,4	2	______		7,5	3	______
8,8	10	______		A,4	10	______		2,2	6	______
5,5	8	______		6,4	9	______		3,3	7	______
A,8	6	______		8,3	A	______		6,6	2	______
5,2	2	______		9,9	10	______		2,9	10	______
A,4	6	______		7,5	4	______		9,7	5	______
2,3,4,A	6	______		7,7	9	______		5,4	3	______
A,A	A	______		9,3	7	______		7,4	10	______

(Source: GameMaster)

(Source: GameMaster)

Developed for these rules (as specified in Lesson 1) 6 Decks, S17, DA2, DAS, no surrender.

Remember the Basic Strategy Decision Chart shown here applies only to the game (rules) described in Lesson 1; you must produce your own to fit the rules of your favorite casino.

(Source: GameMaster)

Go to the Blackjack Strategy Engine at http://www.blackjackinfo.com. You will be presented with this page…

Click on the link that says “Blackjack Basic Strategy Engine” You will be presented with this page…

Fill in the information about the game will be playing. Then click the button “Get the Charts!” The engine will figure out what you need and present you with the charts…

Now just print them and your finished.

(Source: GameMaster)

Developed for a fairly common game (as described in lesson 1): Six decks, double on any first two cards, double after splitting pairs is permitted and the dealer stands on A-6.

Splitting Pairs

Key:

• Y = Yes, split the pair
• N = No, don’t split the pair