Blackjack Strategy – How to Hit, Stand, Double Down, and Surrender in Blackjack

Blackjack is a card game that combines elements of luck and skill. Learning basic strategy — when to hit, stand, double down or surrender based on your hand and the dealer’s upcard — can significantly reduce the house edge. It’s also important to keep your betting pattern consistent. Don’t be tempted to chase your losses by increasing your bet size or thinking you’re due for a win; odds don’t change just because you’ve lost a few hands in a row.

Before the cards are dealt, players must place a bet. The minimum and maximum bets are usually posted on the table. Once the bets are placed, the dealer deals each player two cards face up. Players can then choose to “hit” (receive additional cards) or “stand” (keep their current hand). The dealer must hit until he or she has a total of 17 or higher. If the dealer busts, all remaining players win.

When it comes to hitting, the best strategy is to do so when your two cards add up to 11 or less. There are exceptions, however, such as when the dealer’s upcard is a 7. In this case, it is generally better to stand than to hit since there are four times more ten-value cards in a deck than other rank cards.

Another common option is to double down, which involves doubling your initial bet and receiving one additional card. This is a risky bet, but it can be very profitable if you are confident that your additional card will improve your hand. It is generally recommended to only double down when the dealer has a weak upcard, such as a 2, 3, 4, or 5.

Insurance is a side bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack. While many players believe that this is a good bet to make, it is actually a bad bet because the dealer’s probability of having blackjack is extremely low.

Once all players have decided whether to hit, stand, split, or double down, the dealer will reveal his or her hole card. If the dealer has a ten underneath, he or she will have blackjack and all players who bought insurance will lose their original bets.

A lot of people are confused about when to hit or stand in blackjack. It is important to understand that the objective of the game is simply to beat the dealer. There are some misconceptions that the game requires a player to have a higher hand value than the dealer, but this is not true. What is important is that the player’s hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s. If the dealer has a blackjack, all of the players who did not have a blackjack will win their bets. Otherwise, the dealer will collect all of the players’ bets.