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Blackjack turned into the most popular casino game when word got out it can be beaten! With proper play, you can actually have the edge over the casino, and expect to win money every time you play!
In this chapter, 1 cover the fundamen-tals of casino blackjack: the rules of the game, the players’ options, the variations offered in casinos, how to bet, how to play, casino jargon, and everything else you’ll meed to know about winning casino blackjack.
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Blackjack for beginners

Blackjack Table and Layout Blackjack, or 21 as the game is often called, is played at a curved aval table, with room for five to seven players. The players sit in chairs (or they can stand) around the curved portion of the table, with the dealer on the flat side, standing and facing the play¬ers.
On the printed layout of the table, there are corresponding betting spots, usually rect¬angular, for each participating player. k is here that bets are placed and cards are dealt. There will also be several of the rules printed on the table’s surface. You’ll often see Insurance Pays 2 to 1, Dealer Must Draw to 16 and Stand on All 17s and Blackjack Pays 3 to 2.
explain these rules in a moment, but first, take a look at the illustration of the blackjack layout on the image below:

The Decks of Cards blackjack

Nevada casinos use one, two, four, six and sometimes as many as eight decks of cards in their blackjack games. Often, within the same casino, single and multiple deck games wilt be offered.
When one or two decks are used, the dealer holds the cards in his hand. When more than two decks are used, the cards are dealt from a rectangular plastic or wooden device known as a shoe.

Typically, outside of Nevada, multiple deck blackjack dealt out of a shoe is the standard of play in the world whether played in Atlantic City, on casino boats, in Indian casinos or anywhere else blackjack may be found.
The shoe is designed to hold multiple decks and allows the cards to be easily re-moved one at a time by the dealer.
Each deck used in blackjack is a stan-dard pack of fifty-two cards, consisting of four cards of each value, ace through king. Suits have no relevance in blackjack. Only the numerical value of the cards counts.

Card Values
Each card is counted at face value. 2=2 points, 3=3 points, 10=10 points, white the face cards, jack, queen and king, are counted as 10 points. The ace can be counted as 1 point or 11 points at the player’s discretion. When the ace is counted as 11 points, that hand is called soft. For example, the hand A 7 = soft 18. All other totals, including hands where the ace counts as 1 point, are called hard, as in the hand 10 6 A = hard 17.
The dealer must count his ace as 11 if that gives him a hand totaling 17 to 21, otherwise he must count the ace as 1 point.
In some casinos, the rules dictate that the dealer must draw on soft 17. For ex-ample, if the dealer holds A 6, the hand wilt be counted as 7, and he wilt have to draw until he forms a hand of at least hard 17.

Casino Personnel
The casino employee responsible for the running of the blackjack game is called the dealer. The dealer’s duties are to deal the cards to the players, and play out his own hand according to the rules of the game. He converts money into chips for new play-ers or players buying in for more chips during the course of the game, makes the cor¬rect payoffs for winning hands, and collects bets from the losers.
The dealer’s supervisor technically called the floorman, but more commonly referred to as the pit boss is responsible for the supervision of between four to six tables. He makes sure the games are run smoothly and he settles any disputes that may arise. More importantly, his job is to oversee the exchange of money and to cor-rect any errors that may occur.

Entering a Game of blackjack

To enter a blackjack game, sit down at any unoccupied seat at the blackjack table, place the money you wish to gamble near the betting box in front of you and inform the dealer that you would like chips for your cash. Chips may be purchased in vari¬ous denominations. Let the dealer know which chips or combination of chips you’d like.
The dealer wilt take your money and call out the amount he is changing, alerting the pit boss that a transaction is taking place so he can supervise the exchange.

Object of the Game
The player’s objective in casino black-jack is to beat the dealer. This can be achieved in two ways:
• When the player has a higher total
than the dealer without exceeding 21.
• When the dealer’s total exceeds 21 (assuming the player has not exceeded 21 first).
In casino blackjack, as opposed to private games, if the player and the dealer both hold the same total of 21 or lens, the hand is a push, which means that nobody wins.

Busting or Breaking Automatic Losers
If the drawing of additional cards to the initial two cards dealt causes the point to¬tal to exceed 21, then that hand is said to be busted, an automatic loss. Busted hands should be turned up immediately. Once the player has busted, his hand is lost, even if the dealer also busts. If the dealer busts, all remaining players automatically win their pets.

Blackjack—Automatic Winner
If the originat two card hand contains an ace with any 10 or face card (jack, queen, king), the hand is called a blackjack, or natura!, and is an automatic win for the player whose bet is paid off at 3 to 2. Black¬jacks should be turned up immediately. If the dealer gets a blackjack, all players lose their bets. Note that the dealer wins only the player’s bet, not the 3 to 2 payoff the player would receive.
If both the dealer and the player are dealt a blackjack, the hand is a push.

Payoffs
All bets are paid off at even money ($5 bet wins $5), except in cases where the player receives a blackjack that is a 3 to 2 payoff ($5 bet wins $7.50), or when the player exercises an option that allows him to double his bet. In these instances (dou-bling and splitting), the payoff is equal to the new doubled bet. If a bet is doubled from $5 to $10, a win would pay off at $10.

Single vs. Multiple Deck Basics
In single and double deck games, the player is dealt his cards face down and gets to physically hold them.
In a game of four or more decks, the cards will be dealt out of a shoe (as op-posed to hand-held as in the one or two ilvck games), and the player is not supposed to touch them at any time. Instead, playing (Ivcisions are indicated by hand signals.

Dealer’s Rules
The dealer must play by prescribed wildelines. He must draw to any hand of 16 or below and stand on any total of 17 to 21. As mentioned earlier, some casinos require the dealer to draw on soft 17. The dealer has no options and cannot deviate from these rules.

Player’s Options
Unlike the dealer, the player can vary his strategy. After receiving his first two cards, the player has the following options:

Drawing (Hitting)
If the player is not satisfied with his two card total, he can draw additional cards. To draw, the player uses his cards to scrape the feit surface, scraping toward his body. In a game where both of the player’s cards are dealt face up, he is not permitted to touch the cards, and instead scratches the felt with his index finger or points toward the cards if he desires another.

Standing
When a player is satisfied with his origi¬nal two cards, and doesn’t wish to draw anymore, he signals this by sliding his cards face down under his bet. When the cards are dealt face up, the player indicates his decision to stand by waving his hand palm down over his cards.

Doubling Down
This option allows the player to double his original bet, in which case he must draw one additional card to his hand and cannot draw any additional cards thereafter. To double down, the player turns his cards face up, and places them in front of his bet. Then he takes an amount equat to his original bet and places those chips next to that bet. Now there are two equivalent bets side by side.
In games where the cards are dealt face up, the player simply places the additional bet next to his original one to indicate the double down.
The dealer wilt then deal one card face down, usualty slipping that card under the player’s bet. The bettor may look at that card if he desires.

Splitting Pairs
If dealt a pair of identical value cards, such as 3 3, 7 7, 8 8 (any combination of 10, jack, queen, king is considered a pair), the player can split these cards so that two separate hands are formed. To split a pair, the player turns the pair face up, separates them, putting each card in its own place in front of his bet. He then ptaces a bet equal to the original wager behind the second hand. Each hand is played separatety, using finger and hand signals to indicate hitting or standing.
In games where the player’s cards are dealt face up, the split is indicated by plac-Iin the additional bet next to the originat ene. This move is followed by hand signals shown above to indicate hitting or standing.
If the first card dealt to either split hand has a value identical to the original split cards, that card may be split again, or resplit, into a third hand, with the excep-tion of aces. When the player splits aces, he can receive only one card on each ace and may not draw again, no matter what card is drawn.

Doubling Down After SplittingThe player can double down on one or both of the split hands according to the doubling rules of the casino. This option is offered in all Atlantic City casinos and in certain Nevada casinos.
For example, if a pair of 8s is split, and a 3 is drawn to the first 8 for an 11, the player may elect to double down on that 11. He does so by placing an amount equal to the original bet next to the 11, and re-ceives only one additionat card for that hand. The other 8 is played separately and can be doubled as welt if a useful card such as a 2 or 3 is drawn.
Since rules are often in flux, sometimes changing from one month to the next, check to see if this advantageous option is available.

Surrender (Late Surrender)
The player may “surrender” his original two card hand and forfeit one half of his bet only after it has been determined that the dealer does not have a blackjack and before the player has exercised any of his alther options. Surrender is offered in few casinos.
To surrender, the bettor places both of las cards face up in front of his bet and says “..iirrender.” In a game where both of the player’s cards are dealt face up, he an-npunces his intention verbally to the dealer. the dealer wilt collect the cards and take line half of the bet.

Early SurrenderThis is a player’s option to give up his band and lose half his bet before the dealer hecks for a blackjack. This very favorable option was originally introduced in Atlantic ( ity but is no longer offered there because bt changes in the city’s alles.

Insurance
If the dealer shows an ace as his upcard, lie wilt ask the players if they want insur¬ance. If any player exercises this option, he I.. in effect betting that the dealer has a 10- value card as his hole card, adding up to a blackjack. To take insurance, the player places up to one-half the amount of his bet
in the area marked “insurance.”
If the dealer does indeed have a black-jack, he gets paid 2 to 1 on the insurance bet, white losing the original bet. In effect, the transaction is a “standoff,” and no money is lost. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, the insurance bet is lost and play continues.
If the player holds a blackjack and takes insurance on the dealer’s ace, the payoff wilt be even-money whether the dealer has a blackjack or not. Suppose the player has a $10 bet and takes insurance for $5 on his blackjack; if the dealer has a blackjack, the player wins 2 to 1 on his $5 insurance bet and ties with his own blackjack. If the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, the player loses the $5 insurance bet, but gets paid 3 to 2 on his blackjack. Either way the bettor wins $10.

Insurance Strategy
Making an insurance wager means bet-ting that the dealer has a 10 under his ace. Insurance is a bad bet for the following rea¬son: since the insurance payoff is 2 to 1,
the wager wilt only be a profitable option for the player when the ratio of 10s to other
ds is either equal to or less than 2 to 1.
A full deck has 36 non-tens and 16 tens,
atio greater than 2 to 1. If the first deal or I the top of the deck gives you a hand of 9 7, and the dealer shows an ace, then you know three cards, all non-tens. Now the ratio is 33 to 16, which is greater than 2 to I , but it’s stilt a poor bet. If you have two lOs for a hand of 20, then the ratio is 35 to 14, making insurance a more costly proposi¬tion.
In a multiple deck game, taking insur-doce is an even worse bet than in a single deck game.

Isuring a Blackjack
Taking insurance when you have a black¬jack is also a bad bet, despite the welt¬intentioned advice of dealers and other play¬ers to always insure a blackjack. When you have a blackjack and you have the option to take insurance, you know three cards: your 10 and ace, and the dealer’s ace. The already poor starting ratio of 36 tens to 16 non-tens gets worse, becoming 34 to 15 in a single deck game.
Taking insurance when you have a black¬jack in a single deck game gives the house an 8% advantage, a poor proposition for the player.

The Play of the Game Blackjack

The dealer begins by shuffling the cards and offering the cut to one of the players. If refused, it is offered to another player. The dealer then completes the cut and re- moves the top card, called the burn card. In single and double deck games, the burn card is either put under the deck face up, where all subsequent cards wilt be placed, or is put face down into a plastic case, fol-lowed by future discards. Procedures vary from casino to casino
In games dealt out of a shoe, the burn card will be placed most of the way into the shoe and discards will be put in the plastic case.
Players must make their bets before the cards are dealt.
The dealer deals clockwise from his left to his right, one card at a time, until each player and the dealer have received two cards. The players’ cards are usually dealt face down in a single or double deck game, though it makes no difference if they are dealt face up as they usually are in a game dealt out of a shoe because the dealer is bound by strict rules from which he cannot deviate.
The dealer deals only one of his two cards face up. This card is called an upcard. The face down card is known as the hole card or the downcard.
As mentioned earlier, if the dealer’s upcard is an ace, he wilt ask the players if they want insurance. Players that decide to take that option may bet up to one-half of their wager in front of their bet in the area marked “insurance.”
If the dealer has a blackjack, all players that did not take insurance lose their origi¬nal bets unless a player holds a blackjack also, in which case it’s a push. Players that took insurance break even on the play. If the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, he collects the lost insurance bets and play continues.
Play begins with the bettor on the dealer’s left, in the position known as first base.
This player has the option to stand, hit, double down, split (if he has two cards of equal value) or surrender (if allowed). A player may draw cards until he is satisfied with his total or busts (goes over 21), or he may exercise one of the options discussed earlier.
Play then moves to the next player. If any player busts or receives a blackjack, he must turn over his cards immediately. If it’s a bust, the dealer wilt collect the lost bet. If it’s a blackjack, the dealer wilt pay the player 3 to 2 on his bet.
After the last player has acted on his cards, the dealer wilt turn his hole card over so that all players can view his hand. He must play his hand according to the strict guidelines regulating his play: drawing to 17, then standing. (In some casinos the dealer must draw to a soft 17.) If the dealer busts, all players stilt in the game for that round of play win automaticatly.

After playing his hand, the dealer will turn over each player’s cards in turn, pay-ing the winners, and collecting from the losers. Once the bettor has played his hand, he shouldn’t touch his cards again. The bet- tor should let the dealer expose his hand. This wilt happen after the dealer has played out his own hand.
In a game dealt from a shoe (four or more decks), the player should never touch the cards anyway.
When the round has been completed, Bill players must place a new bet before the next deal.

RULES AND VARIATIONS BLACKJACK

To reiterate, blackjack games are basi-cally the same wherever played, though the rules and variations differ depending on the casino. Sometimes, they even vary within a casino itself. However, the strategies
show you wilt arm you for any game, and give you the tools to be a winner regardless of the variation.
Following are the main changes you’ll find from one game to another, all of them being relatively minor. The first condition favors the player, the second condition fa- vors the casino.
• Dealer stands on all 17s vs. dealer hits on soft 17.
• Single deck vs. multiple deck (2, 4, 6 or 8 decks).
• Doubling down on any initial two card combination vs. doubling down re-stricted to certain totals, such as 10 and 11 only.
• Doubling after splitting allowed vs. not allowed

Nevada Rules
The Las Vegas Strip rules are beneficial to the player and give one a slight edge on the single deck game if the strategies are ollowed
The rule exceptions noted in Downtown Las Vegas and in Northern Nevada games are slightly harmful to the player, but these can be overcome easily by using the win¬ning techniques presented later.
Las Vegas Strip Rules• Dealer must draw on all totals of 16 or less, and stand on all totals of 17¬21.
• Player may take insurance on a dealer’s ace.
• Insurance payoffs are 2 to 1.
• Player receives a 3 to 2 payoff on his blackjack.
• Player may double down on any ini-tial two card combination.
• Identical pairs may be split, resplit, and drawn to as desired with the exception of split aces, on which the player is allowed only one hit per ace.
• One, two, four and bigger deck games are standard

Downtown Las Vegas Rules
Rules and conditions are the same as the Las Vegas Strip rules with one excep-tion:
• Dealer must draw to soft 17.

Northern Nevada Rules
Same as Las Vegas Strip rules with two exceptions:
• Dealer must draw to soft 17.
• Doubling is restricted to two card to¬tals of 10 and 11 only.

Atlantic City Rules
To protect against collusion between the player and the dealer, the dealer does not check his hole card for a blackjack (as is standard in Nevada) until all players have finished playing out their hands.
This safeguard does not affect the player’s chances of winning: if the dealer does indeed have a blackjack, any additional money the player may have wagered on a doubled or split hand wilt be returned. Only t he original bet is lost. The standard rules ai e:
• Dealer must draw to all totals of 16 or less, and stand on all totals of 17-21.
• Player may take insurance on a dealer’s ace
• Insurance payoffs are 2 to 1.
• Player receives a 3 to 2 payoff on his blackjack.
• Player may double on any initial two card combination.
• Identical pairs may be split, but not resplit.
• Doubling after splitting is allowed.
• Four, six and eight decks are standard.

European Rules
Blackjack is offered in numerous coun-tries around Europe with the rules and varia¬tions changing slightly from place to place. However, the following conditions apply in many of these places:
• Dealer must draw to alt totals of 16 or less, and stand on all totals of 17-21.
• Player may take insurance on a dealer’s ace.
• Insurance payoffs are 2 to 1.
• Player receives a 3 to 2 payoff on his blackjack.
• Doubling down on 9 A only.
• Standees permitted.
• No hole card rule.
• Four to six decks standard.
• If player draws a 2 on a A 8 double down hand, total counts as 11, not 21.

Rules Around the World
Bahamas • Caribbean • Europe •
Southern Africa • Asia • South America
The general blackjack variations I present under the European Rules are the most prevalent style of play you’ll find in casinos around the world. However, you’ll find varia¬tions from country to country. For example, in Asian and Caribbean casinos, surrender is often allowed. In Great Britain, many European casinos, southern Africa and other lo¬t ales, you may find doubling after splitting mitted.
In any case, always find out the particu¬lat rules of a game before playing so you Iknow what you’re up against and how best to play your hands.
Note that single deck blackjack is hard to find or nonexistent outside the Nevada asinos. Multiple deck blackjack is the pre- dominant style of play in casinos around the world.

THE OPTIMAL BASIC STRATEGIES BLACKJACK

The Ten Factor
The most striking feature of blackjack is the dominant role that the 10 value cards (10, jack, queen, king) play—what I call the ten factor.
Collectively, the 10s constitute just un-der 1/3 of the deck (sixteen out of fifty two cards). Because the 10s are such a dominant factor in a deck of cards, it’s correct to think of the dealer’s hand as gravitating toward a total 10 points greater than his exposed upcard.
Thus, starting out with an upcard of 9, the dealer wilt make a hand of 19 about 36% of the time and 19 or better 52% of the time.

The Dealer Rules & the Ten Factor
This strategy is based on the fact that the dealer must play by prescribed guide-lines from which he cannot deviate. He must draw to all totals of 16 or below, and stand on all totals of 17-21 (except in casinos that require the dealer to draw to soft 17). All hard totals that exceed hard 21 are auto-matic dealer tosses.
Your knowledge of the ten factor and the dealer’s rules wilt allow you to separate the dealer’s upcards into two distinct group¬ings: 2s through 6s, the dealer’s stiff cards, and 7s through As (aces), the dealer pat cards.
Strategies are based accordingly.
The high concentration of 10-value cards in the deck is a sign that the dealer has a good chance of busting when his upcard is a stiff card, a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, and that there is an excellent chance he wilt make his hand when showing the pat cards, the 7, 8, 9, 10, A. Even when he doesn’t have a 10 in the hole, combinations such as 8 9, A 7, 9 9 and so forth, give him an automatic pat hand as welt.

General Principles
1. When the dealer shows a 7, 8, 9, 10 or ace, hit all hard totals of 16 or below (unless doubling or splitting is more profit-able—in any case, you wilt always draw a card).
2. When the dealer shows a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, stand on all hard totals of 12 or more. Do not bust against a dealer’s stiff card. Ex-ception: Hit 12 vs. 2 or 3.
Player Hand of 11 or Less:
(Hard Totals)
Always draw to any hard total 11 or less (unless a doubling or splitting option is more profitable). There is no risk of busting, no matter what is drawn, white the drawing of a card can only strengthen your hand.

Player Hand of 17-21:
(Hard Totals)
Always stand on these hard totals (17-21) since the risk of busting is too high to make drawing worthwhile.

Player Hand of 12-16:
(Hard Totals)
With these hands, the play is not an obvious draw such as the 11 or less group-ing because the risk of drawing a 10 or other high card and busting is substantial. This hand is not an obvious stand decision ei¬ther, such as the 17-21 grouping, since the only times you wilt win with these weak totals of 12-16 are the times that the dealer busts.
It is when you hold hard totals (12-16) that the player’s big disadvantage of having to go first (the only built-in house advantage) is a costly proposition. 1f you draw to hard totals and bust, you are an automatic loser. On the other hand, if you stand, you will win with these weak totals only when dealer busts.
It is important to realize that the decision to hit or stand with hard totals 12-16 is a strategy of minimizing losses because no matter what you do, you have a potentially Idsing hand against any dealer upcard. Do not expect to win if you hold a stiff.
However, in order to maximize the gains Iwm the overall strategy, you must mini-mize the tosses in unfavorable situations (as above), and maximize your gains in favor-able ones.

Player Hands 12-16 vs.
Dealer Pat Cards 7-ace
When the dealer’s upcard is a 7 through (In ace, you should expect the dealer to make his hand, for he will bust only about one time in four, a mere 25% of the time. 1f you stand on your hard totals 12-16, you wilt only win the times that the dealer busts.
You wilt bust often when drawing to your stiffs, but do not let that dissuade you form hitting your stiffs against pat cards. The strategy on these plays is to minimize losser.
You cannot afford to stand and sacrifice your bet to the three out of four hands that the dealer wilt make.
When the dealer shows a 7, 8, 9, 10, or ace, hit all hard totals 16 or below.

Player Hands of 12-16 vs.
Dealer Pat Cards 2-6
The greater busting potential of the dealer’s stiff cards makes standing with hard player totals of 12-16 a better play than drawing. White you wilt win only 40% of these hands (the times that the dealer busts), standing is a far superior strategy to drawing because you wilt bust too often drawing to your own stiffs against upcards that wilt bust fairly often themselves.
The times that you would make pat to-tals by drawing woutdn’t guarantee you a winner either since the dealer wilt often make equal or better totals.
On these plays, the disadvantage of hav¬ing to go first makes drawing too costly since, once we bust, we automatically lose. Though the dealer wilt make more hands than bust, the strategy here is to minimize tosses so that when you get your good hands, come out an overall winner.

Exception:
Hit Player 12 vs. 2 or 3
Hitting 12 vs. 2 or 3 is the only basic
Strategy exception to drawing with a stiff total against a dealer’s stiff upcard. The double bust factor is not as costly on these plays because the 10s wilt bust only a 12. Similarly, the dealer wilt bust less often showing a 2 or a 3 than with the other stiff cards, 4, 5 and 6.

HITTING AND STANDING— SOFT TOTALS
Player Hand of A 2, A3, A 4, A 5
Unless you are able to double down, al-ways draw a card to these hands. Standing is a poor option because these totals wilt win only when the dealer busts. The player Inas nothing to lose by drawing (no draw can bust these totals), and may innprove his to¬tal. Players that stand on these hands might as welt give the casinos their money.
Draw on A 2 to A 5 against all dealer upcards.

For soft totals A 6 to A 9, you’II want to know:
• What are your chances of winning by standing?
• What are the chances of improving your
hand by drawing additional cards?

Player Hand of Soft 17 (A 6)
Always draw on soft 17 no matter what the dealer shows as an upcard. (In Las Ve-gas, Atlantic City and other tocations where allowed, the correct strategy may be to double down. See doubling section.) This standing total is so weak that attempting to improve your hand by drawing is always a tremendous improvement against any upcard.
When a casino requires the dealer to draw to soft 17, it is a disadvantageous rule to the player. Though the dealer wilt some-times bult by drawing to a soft 17, in the long run he wilt make more powerful totals and have more winners. k affects the player the same way.

Player Hand of Soft 18
Against dealer stiff totals of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, standing with your 18 is a smart strategy move (unless playing Las Vegas or Atlantic City doubling rules where doubling wilt often be a big player gain). You have a strong total against these weak dealer upcards.
Stand against dealer upcards of 7 and 8, since 18 is a solid hand. Against the 7, you have a winning total, and against the 8, you figure to have a potential push, as these dealer upcards gravitate toward 17 and 18 respectively. You do not want to risk your strong position by drawing.
Against the powerful dealer upcards of 9, 10, ace, your standing total of 18 is a potentially losing hand and thus you should try to improve it. Soft 18 is just a fair total and by drawing you are not chancing a pow¬erful total, but rather attempting to im¬prove a weak situation.
As a matter of fact, for every 100 plays (at $1 a play) that you draw—rather than stand on soft 18 vs. 9 and 10—you wilt gain $9 and $4 respectively. You must realize that 18 vs. 9, 10, ace is not a winning hand and since your 18 is a soft total, you have a chance to minimize tosses by drawing.

Player Hand of Soft 19 and 20
These hands are strong player totals as they stand. Do not draw any cards. There is no need to improve these already powerful totals.

Doubling Down
Doubling down is a valuable option be-cause it gives the player a chance to double his bet in advantageous situations.
One of the most important factors to consider when contemplating the doubling option is the ten factor: you are more likely to draw a 10 on our double than any other card value. Thus, doubling on a total of 11, where the drawing of a 10 gives you an unbeatable 21, is a more powerful double than an initial two card total of 9, where the drawing of 10 gives you a strong total of 19.
On the other hand, you should not double any hand of hard 12 or more because draw
10 would bust your total, and you winild have an automatic loser at twice the het
I he ten factor is also an important stra¬tegie consideration because it affects the ile.iler’s busting potential. Double more ag-gtessively against the weakest of the
stiff cards (4, 5 and 6) and less nggressively against the other stiff cards (2 niid 3).
The only times you should double against the dealer pat cards are when your dou¬bling totals of 10 and 11—hands that could turn into 20s and 21s—are powerful themselves.

Multiple Deck Doubling Strategy
You’ll notice that the doubling strate-gies for multiple deck play are somewhat less aggressive than the single deck game, a difference welt discuss later on.
In the following discussion, where mul-tiple deck strategies differ from the single deck, an asterisk will denote the strategy change, and that change will be indicated.

Doubling 11*
This is the strongest doubling hand and should be doubled against all the dealer upcards in a single deck game. 1f you draw a 10-value card on your double, you wilt have a 21, the strongest hand you can have. At best, the dealer can tie you.
*Do not double 11 vs. ace in multiple deck games

Doubling 10
This is the second strongest doubling hand and should be doubled against the dealer’s 2-9. Your hard 10 gravitates to-ward a 20, an overwhelmingly strong hand against these upcards.

Doubling 9*
Double 9 against 2 through 6 only. The high busting potential of the dealer stiff cards (2-6) makes the 9 a profitable double down. You cannot double down against any of the pat cards (7-ace) since your winning potential when you do draw the 10 (for a total of 19) is not strong enough to com-pensate for the times when you draw a poor card and can not draw again.

‘Do not double 9 vs. 2 in a multiple deck game.

Doubling 8*
Doubling 8 vs. 5 or 6 is a valid play only ni a single deck game. The 8 gravitates to-ward an 18, only a fair total. However, the very high busting potential of the dealer 5 and 6 make this double a slight gain. The 8
not strong enough to make doubling against other dealer upcards a good play.
*Do not double 8 vs. any upcard in multiple deck

Doubling Down—Soft Totals
The high concentration of 10s plays a different role in soft doubling than in hard doubling: instead of having a positive effect on your chances of making a good total, drawing a 10 will not even give you a pat hand on many of these doubles.
Doubling with soft totals is generally a gain against weak dealer upcards. The ten factor figures strongly in the dealer’s chances of busting, white on the other hand,
the drawing of smalt and medium cards wilt often improve your hand to competitive and winning totals.
Many beginners make the mistake of not capitalizing on these profitable hands. Make sure that you do.

Doubling A 2, A 3, A 4, A 5*
Double A 2, A 3, A 4, and A 5 against the dealer’s 4, 5, and 6.
The very high busting probabilities of the dealer’s 4, 5, and 6 raakes doubling with your A 2 to A 5 profitable. Again, the draw¬ing of a 10-value card does not help your total, but the high busting factor for the dealer gives you an edge.
Do not double against the 2 and 3 be-cause the dealer wilt make too many hands with these upcards. This rule is more strik-ingly true with the dealer pat cards, 7 through ace.
“Do not double A 2 or A 3 vs. 4 in a multiple deck game.

Doubling A 6*
Double A 6 vs. dealer’s 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. I he A 6 is a more powerful double than the A 2 through A 5, since the drawing of a 10 te the A 6 wilt at least give you a pat total, .t hand of 17-21 points, and a potential push auainst a dealer’s 17. This “push” factor enables you to gain by doubling against the dealer’s 2 and 3, despite the fact that the dealer wilt make more pat totals than with the weaker upcards 4, 5, and 6.
“Do not double A 6 vs. 2 in a multiple deck game.

Doubling A 7
Double A 7 vs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. Our soft 18 is only a fair total and drawing an addi-tional card won’t risk the destruction of a powerful total such as a 19 or 20.
Soft 18 is a strong double against the weaker dealer stiffs 4, 5, and 6, but differs from the soft 17 in that you do not double against the 2. A standing total of 18 vs. a 2 is a stronger winning hand. You do not want to risk the weakening of this hand by dou-bling and having to draw a card.

Doubling A 8, A 9
You have two very strong totals here and do not want to risk your excellent chances of winning by attempting to double.
Stand with these powerful hands—do not double.

SPLITTING PAIRS

Splitting can do two valuable things: it can turn one poor total into two stronger hands, such as splitting a hard 16 (8-8) into two hands of 8 each, and it effectively doubles your bet.
The decision to split requires a closer look; you must balante the standing total of your hand against the two proposed split hands. If the split and subsequent doubling of your bet increases your expectation of winning, you might want to go for it.

Splitting Pairs—Multiple Deck
Split lens aggressively against a multiple deck game than against a single deck one. On the other hand, when the game offers doubling after splitting, get more aggressive.
What happens when a multiple deck game offers doubling after splitting? I’ll cover each of the possibilities in turn, showing you the best way to play despite the situa¬t ion.
Splitting 9 9
The decision of whether or not to split 9 9 is a good example of the thinking process involved in splitting. First of all, note that this hand totaling 18 is only fair, not a pow¬erful total like a 19 or 20.
Splitting 9s—Dealer shows a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6
Split 9 9 against these dealer stiff cards. Our 18 is a winner, but splitting the hand into two halves of 9 each is a big gain. Each starting hand of 9, because of the 10 fac¬tor, gravitates toward strong player totals of 19.
The high busting potential of the dealer stiff cards gives you an excellent opportu-nity to maximize your gain in an advantageous situation.

Splitting 9s—Dealer shows a 7
Stand with 9 9 vs. dealer 7. Figure the dealer for a 17. Your standing total of 18 is a stronger total and a potential winner. White splitting 9s wilt also produce a posi-tive expectation of winning, risking your fairly secure 18 against the 7 for two strong but chancy totals reduces the gain.
You have the dealer beat. Stand.

Splitting 9s—Dealer shows an 8
Splitting 9 9 against the dealer’s 8 is a good move.
Against the dealer’s 8, figure your 18 to be a potential push. However, by splitting the 18 into two separate hands of 9, you hope to turn your possible push into two potential winners. (Each 9 gravitates toward a total of 19, one point higher than the dealer’s 18.)

Splitting 9s—Dealer shows a 9
Splitting 9 9 vs. the dealer’s 9 is also a big gain.
Against the 9, your 18 is a losing total, but splitting the 18 into two totals of 9 each reduces your potential loss. Rather than one losing total of 18, you have two potential pushes.

Splitting 9s—Dealer shows a 10 or ace
Do not split 9 9 against the dealer’s 10 or ace.
Your split hands of 9 gravitate toward good totals, but against these more power-lol dealer upcards, splitting would be a poor play. You do not want to make one loser into two.

Splitting 2 2 and 3 3*
Split 2 2 vs. dealer 3 through 7.
Split 3 3 vs. dealer 4 through 7.
The high busting probabilities of the dealer’s 4, 5 and 6 make the 2 2 and 3 3 good splits. Split 2 2 vs. 3 and not 3 3 vs. 3 because you have lower chances of busting with split hands of 2 each. Drawing a 10 gives you another chance to improve on your 2 since correct basic strategy is to draw 12 vs. 3, white drawing a 10 on your 3 forces you to stand.

Do not split 2 2 or 3 3 vs. the dealer’s 2, because the dealer’s 2 does not bust often enough to make splitting a profitable play.
Splitting 2 2 and 3 3 vs. 7 seems unusual at first since this play seems to exceed the normal strategic boundaries of making ag-gressive plays against the weak dealer stiff cards. Though the 7 is a pat card and will make a lot of pat hands, the 7 wilt also make the weakest totals, only gravitating toward a total of 17. Your starting totals of 2 and 3 wilt make hands of 18 or better about one-half the time.
Splitting 2 2 and 3 3 against the dealer’s 7 wilt not make you money (because of the high busting factor of your hands), but they will produce a moderate gain over drawing to these hands.
Do not split 2 2 and 3 3 against the 8, 9, 10, or ace. You do not want to make one loser into two losers.

*Multiple deck exception: Do not split 2 2 vs. 3.
Split 2 2 and 3 3 vs. 2 through 7 in games where doubling after splitting is allowed (such as Atlantic City).

Splitting 4 4s*
Do not split 4 4 (unless doubling after splitting is allowed).
The hard total of 8 gravitates toward a total of 18, a far better position than two weak starting totals of 4 each. Against the dealer stiff cards, 2 through 6, you have a big gain by drawing to your 8. White the drawing of 10 wilt not give you an over-whelmingly strong total, an 18 is far better than drawing the same 10 to a split 4.
You do not want to hold two weak hands of 4 each against the dealer pat cards, es-pecially the dealer’s 7 and 8, where you have a good starting total of 8.
*Split 4 4 vs. 5 and 6 in games where doubling after splitting is allowed (such as Atlantic City). The added possibilities of being able to double our bet should either or both of the split totals pull well makes this split an advantageous move

Splitting 5 5
Never split 5 5. 5 5 by itself is an excel-lent starting total of 10. You do not want to break up this powerful total into two ter-rible hands of 5 each. (10 is an excellent doubling hand against dealer upcards of 2 through 9.)

Splitting 6 6*
Split 6 6 against dealer stiff cards 2 through 6 only. A hard total of 12 is not very favorable, and the split hands of 6 and 6 are not too promising either. You have a losing hand either way against all dealer upcards. However, you want to minimize your tosses.
Against the dealer stiff cards 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, your split hands of 6 and 6 will some¬times draw cards to give you pat totals of 17-21.
Of course, you wilt often end up with stiff totals on the split pair (by the drawing of a 10 or other sufficiently large card) and be forced to stand. But the high chances the dealer will bust makes splitting 6 6 against the dealer stiffs a slight gain.
Obviously you wilt not split 6 6 against the dealer pat cards. You don’t need two hands of 16 against a card that will bust only one time in four.
“Multiple deck exception: Do not split 6 6 vs. 2. Split 66 vs. 2-6 in games where doubling after splitting is ullowed (such as Atlantic City).

Splitting 7 7
Split 7 7 against dealer upcards of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Against the dealer stiff cards 2 through 6, two playable hands of 7 and 7 are preferable to one stiff total of 14. Split¬ting 7 7 is not a strong split. These totals gravitate toward only a 17, but the high busting rate of the dealer stiff cards makes this split a big gain.
Splitting 7 7 against the dealer’s 7 is also an excellent split because you are tak¬ing one losing total of 14 and setting up two potential pushes of 17 each.
Don’t split 7 7 vs. the dealer’s 8, 9, 10, and ace. You do not want to split one poor total of 14 into two hands that wilt gravi-tate toward a total of only 17, second best against these stonger dealer upcards.

Splitting 8 8
Split 8 8 against all dealer upcards. Against the dealer’s 2 through 8, you are changing one terrible hand of 16 into two playable totals of 8 each. There is a tre-mendous gain on all these plays.
Splitting 8 8 against the dealer’s 9, 10, or ace is the strangest of the basic strategy plays. White splitting this 16 into two hands of 8 and 8 is not a winning situation against the strong dealer upcards of 9, 10, and A, it is an improvement over your very weak to¬tal of hard 16.
Bear with this unusual play, because computer simulation studies have played out the hand repeatedly for both drawing and splitting, and found that the player loses less by splitting 8 8. Although this split is weak, it produces a gain over drawing to the easily bustable 16.

Splitting 10 10
Do not split 10s. The hard total of 20 is a winning hand against all dealer upcards. Splitting 10s against any dealer upcard is a terrible play; you are changing one “solid” winning hand into two Bood but uncertain wins.

Splitting A A
Split A A against all dealer upcards. Each ace is a powerful starting total of 11 points. If you draw a 10, your 21 can’t be beat. Splitting A A is a tremendous gain against all dealer upcards.

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