Hit Or Stand Game

lamby130
Sorry I'm still a bit new so this might sound really silly. I've been playing the practice game based off of the basic strategy card for a while now and I only just found out that it's better to stand on a 3 card 16 vs a dealer's 10.
My question is if it is better to stand or hit if you have a 3/4/5 card 16 vs a 7, 8, 9, A. I understand the difference between hitting and standing is really really small but I guess it makes a little bit of a difference in the long run.
Also does it make a difference if it's a soft instead of a hard 3/4/5 card 16 against a 10? You would still hit in that case right?
EDIT: Nevermind! Wizard goes through all this thoroughly already in the appendices on the blackjack page.
Kellynbnf

When to Hit and When to Stand in Blackjack. The most common dilemma that a player has to go through is when to hit or stand. Most professional players have their own basic blackjack strategy to guide them when would be the best time to stand and when would be the best time to hit. Learn how to play BlackJack, when to Hit, Stand, Split, Double or Surrender. BlackJack Trainer Lite will teach you to how to play any hand, such that you maximize your chance of winning by playing the basic strategy. Features:. Hit, Stand, Split, Double or Surrender to the cards dealt. Get feedback on your decision. See the strategy table for the selected black jack house rules. Share your.

In general the stand-on-3+-card 16 rule applies only to a 10 upcard (and obviously you always stand on hard 16 vs. a low upcard). There may be a few obscure composition-dependent exceptions for the other upcards (especially in pitch games) but in general unless you're counting you'd always hit 16 vs. 7-9 or A.
You'd NEVER stand on a soft 16 regardless of the dealer's upcard (unless the next card to be dealt has been flashed and it would be better for the dealer to get it). You can't bust or weaken such a hand by taking another card. (For soft hands you'd have to have at least 18 to think about standing, and even with a soft 18 there are cases you'd still hit or double.)

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DealerSix
Here are the links for anyone wondering:
Single Deck - http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/3c/
Double Deck - http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/3b/
Of note is this snippet from the Double Deck link:

The following lists will show exactly how to play your cards immediately after a shuffle in a double deck game where the dealer stands on a soft 17.


It states 'immediately after a shuffle'.
My question would be how to play this into the deck with no advantage play? Continue standing on a 3-card 16 vs 10 up?
tringlomane


It states 'immediately after a shuffle'.
My question would be how to play this into the deck with no advantage play? Continue standing on a 3-card 16 vs 10 up?


Yes, if you aren't counting at all, you would need to assume the count is zero. And when you have a 3-card hard 16, this would create a positive count which means you should stand. Now if you would bother to count, then you should hit when the count is negative (deck less rich in ten cards) and stand when the count is positive (deck more rich in ten cards).
Venthus

There may be a few obscure composition-dependent exceptions for the other upcards (especially in pitch games) but in general unless you're counting you'd always hit 16 vs. 7-9 or A.


Wait, what? I thought that standing a 16 on 7-9 would be better than standing on the 10 since there's a better chance of the dealer bust, while your odds are relatively unchanged.
DealerSix

Yes, if you aren't counting at all, you would need to assume the count is zero. And when you have a 3-card hard 16, this would create a positive count which means you should stand. Now if you would bother to count, then you should hit when the count is negative (deck less rich in ten cards) and stand when the count is positive (deck more rich in ten cards).


Essentially, the Wizard's comment was made for AP's then? A BS player would continue on standing 3-card 16 vs 10, correct?
Quote: Venthus

Wait, what? I thought that standing a 16 on 7-9 would be better than standing on the 10 since there's a better chance of the dealer bust, while your odds are relatively unchanged.


Check out this link:
Blackjack Appendix 9 — 2 Decks, Dealer Hits Soft 17 - http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/9/2dh17r4/
tringlomane

Wait, what? I thought that standing a 16 on 7-9 would be better than standing on the 10 since there's a better chance of the dealer bust, while your odds are relatively unchanged.


I believe it's because the dealer makes some of their strongest hands with a ten up (lots of 20s), so you're better off just standing and praying for a bust (at least with a positive count) instead of trying to improve your hand with a hit. With the ten up, if you hit to 18, you aren't out of the woods yet. You'd be in much better shape if the dealer had a 7 up.
tringlomane

Essentially, the Wizard's comment was made for AP's then? A BS player would continue on standing 3-card 16 vs 10, correct?


Well, it's such a marginal play, the correct play depends on card composition of your hand given no other info, and he wanted to point that out since you can obviously realize how many cards exist in your own hand. A Basic Strategy player should hit two card hard 16s vs 10 and stand with 3+ card hard 16s vs 10.
1BB

Well, it's such a marginal play, the correct play depends on card composition of your hand given no other info, and he wanted to point that out since you can obviously realize how many cards exist in your own hand. A Basic Strategy player should hit two card hard 16s vs 10 and stand with 3+ card hard 16s vs 10.


Some refine that by advocating the rule of 45. This would have the player stay on three card 16s containing a 4 or a 5 while hitting all other combinations. This is for basic strategy players only and it is very, very close. A three card 16 against a seven is not close and should be hit without hesitation.
Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth. - Mahatma Ghandi
mickeycrimm

Here are the links for anyone wondering: Single Deck -

' target='_blank'>http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/3c/
I'm no blackjack expert so when I started playing the IGT full pay video blackjack (100.03%) I had to go to a blackjack expert to get the strategy. It was single deck, first hand off. I gleaned the entire strategy from the Wizard's of Odd's compositional dependent blackjack strategy. Thanks, Shack! I made a lot of money at that game whenever I found good cashback.
As for those 16's versus a dealer ten, there are a lot of combinations. I used a simplified rule. A 16 containing a 6, with either a 6,7,8, or 9 was a hit. The rest of the combinations were a stand.
'Quit trying your luck and start trying your skill.' Mickey Crimm

Chart for Blackjack Play

Many blackjack players are intimidated or scared of the idea of memorizing basic strategy.

I’ve got two pieces of great news if you fall into this category and / or haven’t tried to learn basic strategy yet.

The first piece of good news is you don’t have to memorize the best blackjack strategy in order to use it. I’ve included a handy chart below that includes everything you need to know. Just print it off and use it whenever and wherever you play blackjack.

If you play online keep it with you at the computer and if you play at the casino take it with you. The casino doesn’t care if you use it.

The second piece of good news is if you want to learn basic strategy so you eventually don’t need a chart it’s pretty easy. I offer some advice on how to do that below the chart.

Basic Strategy Chart

Here’s a basic strategy chart you can print off to use while you learn the proper plays. It was designed for a shoe game (usually 6 to 8 decks) where the dealer stands on a soft 17. It represents the best basic strategy chart for general play. If you only play a certain set of rules you can find a chart specifically for your game, but most players have to play a variety of rules, so I’ve listed the best strategy chart here.

The easiest way to read the chart is find your hand down the left hand side and the dealer’s up card along the top. Where the two hands meet lists the best play.

Each starting blackjack hand falls into one of three categories. Hard hands are ones that don’t include an ace. Soft hands include an ace. The third type of hand is one that contains a pair, which can be split.

Hard hands start with “H” and soft hands start with “S”. The split hands are listed at the bottom of the chart.

You don’t split 4’s, 5’s, or 10’s so they don’t have lines in the split section. Play these hands based on their hard hand totals in the first section.

I’ve color coded the chart to make it easier to read.

Hit stands for hit. I used green for go.

DBL stands for double. I used blue for double.

Stand stands for stand. I used red for stop.

Split stands for split. I used purple for split.

Hit and stand blackjack
Your Hand Dealer’s Up Card
2345678910Ace
H 4HitHitHitHitHitHitHitHitHitHit
H 5HitHitHitHitHitHitHitHitHitHit
H 6HitHitHitHitHitHitHitHitHitHit
H 8HitHitHitHitHitHitHitHitHitHit
H 9HitDBLDBL DBL DBL HitHitHitHitHit
H 10HitDBL DBL DBL DBL DBL DBL DBL HitHit
H 11HitDBL DBL DBL DBL DBL DBL DBL DBL Hit
H 12HitHitStand Stand Stand HitHitHitHitHit
H 13Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand HitHitHitHitHit
H 14Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand HitHitHitHitHit
H 15Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand HitHitHitHitHit
H 16Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand HitHitHitHitHit
H 17+Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand
S 13HitHitHitDBL DBL HitHitHitHitHit
S 14HitHitHitDBL DBL HitHitHitHitHit
S15HitHitDBL DBL DBL HitHitHitHitHit
S16HitHitDBL DBL DBL HitHitHitHitHit
S 17HitDBL DBL DBL DBL HitHitHitHitHit
S 18Stand DBL DBL DBL DBL Stand Stand HitHitHit
S 19+Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand Stand
2 – 2Split Split Split Split Split Split HitHitHitHit
3 – 3Split Split Split Split Split Split HitHitHitHit
6 – 6Split Split Split Split Split HitHitHitHitHit
7 – 7Split Split Split Split Split Split HitHitHitHit
8 – 8Split Split Split Split Split Split Split Split Split Split
9 – 9Split Split Split Split Split Stand Split Split Stand Stand
A – ASplit Split Split Split Split Split Split Split Split Split

In games that allow surrender you need to play a few hands differently. Here’s a list.

  • Surrender a hard 15 against a dealer 10.
  • Surrender a hard 16 against a dealer 9.
  • Surrender a hard 16 against a dealer 10.
  • Surrender a hard 16 against a dealer ace.

In games where you aren’t allowed to double after splitting a pair, make the following adjustments.

  • Hit with a 2 – 2 against a dealer 2 or 3.
  • Hit with a 3 – 3 against a dealer 2 or 3.
  • Hit with a 4 – 4 against a dealer 5 or 6.
  • Hit with a 6 – 6 against a dealer 2.

The only other possible adjustment is if you play in a game where you can’t double certain hands. If you aren’t allowed to double, hit every hand that is listed as double except for soft 18. Stand on soft 18 if you can’t double.

Memorizing the Chart

Print the chart off and use it when you play. Sign up for a free account at an online casino and start playing with your new chart. Check every play before making it to see what the best option is.

When I started learning basic strategy I always tried to guess the best play and then checked the chart. At first I missed many of them but I quickly learned where I was thinking incorrectly and learned the best plays in no time.

Hit Or Stand Blackjack Game

You can take a look at the chart and try to get a feel for the best plays, but don’t worry about memorizing it. Let you brain do all the hard work as you play. Every time you look up a play you’ll plant a little memory in your mind. If you plant the same memory enough times you’ll be able to recall it in the future.

Continue using your chart in live play until you can play perfect basic strategy. Even if you just need it for the hardest plays, having it with you is a good idea as it only takes a moment to check for the best play.

Blackjack Free Hit Or Stand Games

Conclusion

Hit Or Stand Blackjack Game

Learning and using basic strategy is one of the best ways to reduce the house edge while playing blackjack. By using the color coded chart included above you can quickly and easily see what the best play is and start committing all the plays to memory.