Dealer has a 3-6 showing

Blackjack Introduction Getting Started The Dealer Take A Chance Basic Strategy Intermediate Strategy Advanced Strategy Blackjack Extras Back to the beginning

This situation is more favorable of the player as the dealer has a better chance of going over the total of 21, or busting. As stated above, if you have a hard-hand total of 17 or above, there is nothing to do but stand and wait.

But now, you need to remember that if you have a hard hand of 12-16, that is not a pair, you also stand. So if the dealer has a 3-6, and you have a 12-20 that is not a pair, it is easy: you stand pat.

If you do have a pair please see the section on pairs. With a hand of 3-11, you have options. Most of these involve choices between hitting and doubling. Please keep in mind that this is not a matter hunches. The responses here come from decades of computer analysis and development.

The Terror of the Twos

You're sitting on a King and a 9, feeling smug because the dealer is showing a measly deuce. You rightfully wave away his request for a hit, feeling confident. The dealer's turn comes and he nonchalantly pulls an 8 out from the hole, then draws a Jack.

Your confident smile is quickly transformed into a mad glare. You've been taken, swindled, robbedŠwell, not really. You've just come up against the single toughest card: the terrible two. You might think the Ace is tough because the dealer might have a blackjack. It might startle you to understand that the dealer will beat you more times with that slick 2 than not.

If you think of it this way, a 2 is like the perfect food or beverage: it will go with anything (kind of like the girls on Fremont at nightŠ). I'll put it this way: With a 2 up, a 6, 7, 8, or 9 in the hole becomes a real problem for the bettor, because if a 10 follows, the dealer is sitting on a winning hand.

If an Ace, 2, 3, 4, or 5 appears and there's a run of small cards, you're still in trouble. The best of all worlds is if the dealer pulls a 10-value card from the hole and draws another 10. You're made in the shade and can relax.

The direct opposite end of this problematic hand is when it is your own. Basic strategy says that when you have a 12 versus the dealer's 2, you hunker down in your seat, gird your loins and take the hit.

For some reason, your player's12 seems to be a magnet for any face card within a five-casino range, but, because of the fore-mentioned strength of that 2, you are probably sitting with a losing hand with a 12 anyway, so you might as well try to improve your position.

A 13 through 20 against a 2 makes life easy: You stand pat.

When you have a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,or 8 versus the dealer's 2, you hit it until you get past 12.

When you have a 9,10 or 11, you double down.

See the chart on right for reference.

The Soft Hands

In this section lies the problem children of the blackjack table. These are the hands that cause the greatest bewilderment, the most consternation and fluttering intestinal butterflies.

One funny story: A woman who was playing blackjack very tentatively. She received an Ace and a 5 with the dealer showing a 7. When it was her turn, she examined her cards questioningly, shook her head a couple of times before declining to hit. The dealer looked at her and asked if she was sure. She answered, "positively."

As the hand played out and the dealer pulled an Ace out of the hole to finish with 20, he looked at the woman and asked her why she had stayed on a 6 or soft 16, to a dealer's 9. She answered that she had already counted the Ace as an 11 in her mind, and she was afraid of getting a face card.

The point of this story is that you can count the Ace as either a 1 or 11 at any point you chose. There is no signed warrant you must follow. The soft hands provide a great deal of trouble partly because how you treat them really varies with the situation, i.e. the dealer's up card.

The important thing to remember is not to get flustered when faced with a soft hand. Think of it as an opportunity, rather than a problem.

See the chart on right for reference.

Doubling

There is an old adage in blackjack that states: lay low and make your doubles and leave a winner. The phrase carries a great deal of validity:

Doubling or double downs will make or break you. You are putting up twice as much money in an attempt to double it. These are the bets that count. Keep in mind that in most locales you will receive only one card when you double and you are not allowed to double after you've already received a third or fourth card.

There are certain doubles that are automatic: always double 11. The hope here is that you'll get the 10-value card and walk home a winner. Even if you don't, it is possible to draw a card that will help your hand beat the dealer or the dealer will bust.

Try to avoid doubling off a hunch or a feeling. You want to use these opportunities in the best fashion. One note: if after you double, with the dealer showing a 10-value card, and an Ace is overturned, giving the dealer a blackjack, most casinos give you the second part of your bet back, instead of taking all of it.