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Blackjack Strategy
Blackjack is widely regarded as the world's most popular casino card game. This table game, which has popularized the number 21, is one of the most recognizable, along with roulette, even to those who are not casino gamblers.
How to Play Blackjack
In a game of blackjack, a player competes only against the dealer—who represents the casino or bank, as the case may be. A player is not ever competing against other players. It can not be overstated that the goal of a player is to beat the dealer, without exceeding 21.
A game of blackjack begins once you place your wager on the table, upon which you are dealt your first two cards. In conjunction, the dealer also deals himself two cards, and reveals one of them. The visible card is known as the dealer's up card while the other, unexposed card is the dealer's hole card.
As soon as you have your first pair of cards and the dealer has his, it is your turn to make your first move. You have a choice of making any of the following moves in blackjack:
Hit. To "hit" means to take a third card—as in, "Hit my hand with another card." 
One of the two most basic moves in blackjack, hitting is your likely move if you believe your hand is still too low to have a fighting chance against the dealer's hand, and at the same time, low enough to afford a third card without going over 21.
Stand. To "stand" means to leave your hand as is, without taking a third card. The other of the two most basic moves in blackjack, standing is your sensible move if you believe your hand, as it is, already has a good chance of beating the dealer's hand.
Split. To "split" means, literally, to make two new hands out of your first two cards. Splitting is allowed on two cards of equal value, by taking each one and making it the first card of a new hand. For example, the first two cards you are dealt are both an 8—giving you 16, which can be a tricky hand as it seems too high for hitting yet too low for standing. Your wise option is to split your 8's into two new hands, similarly with an 8 to start. This way, you have two chances at making a possible winning hand of 18, which puts you at better odds than having one hand that is 16, had you chosen not to split your 8's.
When splitting, you must place a second bet for your second hand, which must be equal to your original bet for your first hand. The way a split proceeds is that the dealer first deals you a second card for your first hand, and you continue to play that hand until it has busted (gone over 21) or been asked to stand. At this point, the dealer turns to your second hand by dealing your second card for that hand, and again, you continue to play it until the hand has busted or been asked to stand.
Double Down. To "double down" means to double your bet on the table after having been dealt your first two cards. If you have seen your first two cards and believe one more card is all you now need to make a winning hand, then doubling down is your smart move. In other words, doubling down is having a chance mid-play to increase your bets now that you know the odds are high that you are going to win, after all.
The catch is, once you double down, you only get a third card on top of your first two cards. So this move is best made when your starting two-card hand is of the right value to await a possible 10 as your third card. For example, if your first two cards amount to 10 or 11, then the third card you receive by doubling down can bring your hand up to as high as a winning 20 or 21. Additionally, it is wise to double down when the dealer's up-card is hinting at a bust. Say, if the up-card is a 4, 5, or 6, then the dealer's hand will potentially come up to 14, 15, or 16, putting you at better odds to win; hence, a good reason to double down.
Natural Blackjack. To have a "natural blackjack" means to have your first two cards totalling a value of 21. It is not a move in blackjack but a hand, one that automatically wins you the game —as it is the highest possible hand value your two cards can reach. A natural blackjack is also known as a "natural", or simply "blackjack". You have a natural blackjack if your first two cards are an Ace and any of a 10, J, Q, K.
Generally stated, after you make your first move, the way a game of blackjack proceeds is that, in one way or another, you are hit with additional cards until (a) your hand has busted, in which case you lose, or (b) you ask to stand, in which case whoever between you and the dealer has the higher hand wins the game.
Quick Blackjack Tips
The initial steps to gaining an edge in a game of blackjack are as much rules as they are strategies. On top of the basic moves of hitting and standing, you also have the choice of splitting and doubling down—and it is with these moves where you start reaping a bigger fortune than what you began with.
Splitting. The favored practice is to always split Aces and 8s, and with good reason. You have a better chance at two new hands with a starting card of Ace or 8 each than with a two-card hand totaling 2 or 16, which is likely to be a low 12 or go over 21 once you are dealt more cards.
Doubling Down. The rule of thumb is to double down when your two-card hand amounts to 9, 10, or 11. It is easy to why: once you are dealt your third card, your hand can come up to 19, 20, 21, which would be hard to beat. Often, it is tempting to not bother doubling down just to be on the safe side. You think you are winning either way, and it does not hurt that you were not able to double those winnings. But realize that every opportunity you let pass by not doubling down and doubling your payoff only increases the house edge to unpleasantly higher levels over your personal advantage. The variable house edge is irrelevant until you turn it to your favor.
Dealer Busting Cards. A dealer up-card with a value of 4, 5, or 6 is known as a "dealer busting card"—that is, a card value that is most likely to cause the dealer's hand to bust. These up-cards, added to a hole card with a highest probable value of 10, make a sum of 14, 15, or 16. Since, as a common rule, the dealer must hit if his hand equals 16 or lower, with a third card added, his hand can get busted. When a dealer is showing busting cards, it is the best time to split or double down.
Only increase your bets when you are winning.
Do not expect to beat the game consistently, even when you are card-counting. A winning streak can not last forever. Instead, set a table limit for yourself, and know when to walk away.
The only time to take insurance is if you have reason to believe that the dealer has a natural blackjack, or if you are card-counting and know that the remaining cards in the deck will not bring you a winning hand.
Blackjack Basic Strategy
"Basic strategy" is arguably the most popular term associated with blackjack strategies. And like a casino champion having both fans and detractors, some blackjack players believe that basic strategy is all you need to know to win the game while others think it leaves something else to desired. Basic strategy is a statistical method of assessing an action given a game situation in blackjack. It theorizes that, given the variables governing game play—like the number of decks in a shoe or specific table rules, it is possible to determine what moves are statistically profitable in the long term. Commonly, basic strategy is presented in a chart that indicates when it is good to hit, stand, split, or double down; and you need simply look up the chart to be guided into maximizing your wins. Here is the lowdown:
Applying basic strategy to the letter can reduce the house edge to lower than 1%.
Playing blackjack solely on instinct, and disregarding basic strategy, can raise the house edge to 3% up to 6%.
Mimicking the dealer, rather than using basic strategy, can increase your expected loss 10 times over. Dealers hit all 16s, stand on all 17s, and never split or double down. Instead, always stand on a hard total of 17 or more, or a soft total of 19 or more.
To determine a suitable bankroll, multiply your normal bet by 40.
Being dealt an Ace as your first card right away gives you an advantage of 52% over the house.
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